I Reincarnated Into A Single-Celled Organism! - I Reincarnated into a Single-celled Organism! - Chapter 145

Abigail’s announcement had stunned the entire crowd, including me. Before I could say anything to reject her offer, she had me escorted to a private room. It was a quiet space with a cozy fireplace and a comfortable and elegant. About ten minutes later, the door opened.

“Lady Capala, we must continue to discuss this!” Her uncle looked both confused and furious, but he was only one of a few dozen people following her.

“I will address all of your concerns soon, but first, I must first speak with my betrothed.” She had an impish grin on her face.

“In private?” His face grew red, and he glared over her shoulder at me like I had done something wrong.

“You can’t be left alone with a strange man!” Jordan cried out, causing others to glance his way. “It could lead to misunderstandings!”

“In that case, my maid will come too. Unless you think he’ll take advantage of both of us!” She reached out and pulled Mara from the crowd into the room.

Before they could answer that question, she closed the door in all of their faces. She then turned around and leaned back against the door, letting out a few spent breaths.

“Alright, you have my attention,” I told her, raising an eyebrow.

“My lady… why?” Mara looked over at Abigail with an aggrieved face, her eyes slightly red.

Abigail looked at her and smiled. “Don’t get too upset, silly cousin. Didn’t I do this for you?”

She flicked Mara’s forehead, causing her to blink before rubbing her head with a frown. Abigail giggled as she walked over to a drawer and then pulled out some kind of device. She played with it a bit, and then it started to glow on and off. When she noticed me watching with some interest, she put it down.

“It’s a signal jammer. It keeps others from listening in. All they will hear is static,” she explained. “I’d prefer our conversation not be overheard, especially since quite a few ears are attempting to listen to us at the moment.”

I wondered if this device was what those people had used who had been having the conversations I couldn’t hear during the tournament. There was still far too much I didn’t know about this world. However, for the most part, I was wondering just what Abigail was scheming. I was far too familiar with romancing women to think that she had fallen in love with me during the tournament. There was nothing close to longing or infatuation in her eyes. That meant that she was plotting something.

“A little over a month ago, you couldn’t kick me out of your mansion fast enough. Now, you wish to become my fiancée?” I began. “Forgive me if I’m a bit dubious.”

She considered me for a moment. “I’m sorry about how you were treated before. I was under a great deal of pressure. My steward… he means well. He’s completely loyal to the Capala family, but he can be a bit prideful at times. If he did anything to offend you, don’t hesitate to tell me. I will make sure he’s properly disciplined.”

“M-my lady?” As she was speaking, another door opened, and the steward stepped out, looking a bit flustered, but when he met Abigail’s eyes, he lowered his head. “I will gracefully accept any punishment my lady desires.”

“Before we worry about such things, did you bring the carriage around as I requested?”

“Yes, my lady,” he answered, and then stole a look at me, keeping his head down. “Are you honestly going to pick someone such as him?”

“He won the tournament? Did he not? If he didn’t trample the pride of a few nobles, he’d be a rising star in Stormberg, don’t you think?”

“I don’t disagree that he meets your conditions, my lady, but his methods…uncouth…”

“Only those who are envious have room to complain about methods. At the moment, what I need are results. He has shown himself to be strong enough. He can afford to be my fiancé.”

“Excuse me, my lady,” Mara interjected. “I don’t understand what is going on.”

Abigail glanced at the worried girl and her expression relaxed slightly. “I’m offering to marry your… brother. By doing this, he’d be able to live near you, isn’t that what you want?”

“Ah!” Mara’s eyes widened. “I do want that, but…”

“I don’t know if you realize, but your brother is in a precarious situation right now. He’s embarrassed several of the local families. Without background, he is extremely vulnerable. If he becomes my fiancé, then a lot of these issues disappear.”

“You’d do that for us?”

“No, she wouldn’t,” I spoke up, making their eyes turn to me. “Why else would she publicly put me in such a situation?”

“Hmph, commoner.” The steward glared at me. “My lady offers you her hand. Countless men would do anything for the offer, and you want to question her?”

“It’s okay, Pierre,” Abigail lifted a hand, causing her steward to step back. “I always intended to explain myself. It’s not my intention to force you to do anything you don’t want. However, I had to act swiftly and publicly.”

I looked at her closely, but I couldn’t see any deception in her eyes. “Okay, fine. What is it?”

“Last year, my parents died in an accident. They were asked to go out to inspect some of the properties under my uncle’s control. On the way back, they were attacked and killed by bandits.”

“Bandits?” I perked up, feeling like something was off. “That seems suspicious.”

She slowly nodded. “It is suspicious…”

Pierre shifted, looking like he wanted to object, but Abigail gestured dismissively. “No, Pierre, I’ll explain it all.”

“Why would they leave you alive and kill your parents?” I asked.

She blinked and then smiled slightly. “You’re a bit more quick-witted than I expected. I thought I’d have to explain it all to you slowly. As it turned out, I was supposed to be on the trip with my parents, but I got sick the night before they left and stayed behind. That was why I was spared their fate. Ever since, I’ve been trying to investigate. There are many questionable things, from the elder’s sudden demands and more. However, in the capital, I had too many eyes on me, and I couldn’t find the right time to investigate.”

“So, you came here.”

“This branch died out a few years ago. I managed to convince the main branch to send me here under the pretense I could fix it. Unfortunately, I’ve encountered issue after issue, and even after six months, I’m on the verge of being recalled back to the main family. Something needed to change.”

“A marriage?”

“They had been pushing me to marry even in the capital. It mostly came from my uncle, but there have been others in the family wishing the same. Eventually, I agreed to make a marriage pact. The goal of which is to buy me time, both from having to seriously marry someone and so that I can find time to investigate my parent’s deaths.”

“Oh, you don’t seriously want to marry me?” I made a pout.

She laughed slightly. “If I agreed to marry Brandon or Jordan, their families would assuredly push to make the wedding happen. However, what would happen if the person I agreed to marry was someone they didn’t approve of?”

“Then their pressuring tactics would become delay tactics, further buying you more time.” I slowly nodded my head. “This is putting a lot of pressure on me though.”

“At first, I never would have considered you. However, against all odds, you won first in the martial tournament. You may not look like much, but you’re capable of taking care of yourself.”

I nodded slowly.

“I just need someone who isn’t interested in power or me, and as long as you were being honest, you meet both these criteria. I just need you to pretend to be my fiancé for one… no, two years. At that point, I should have completed my investigation. We can annul the engagement then. In those two years, you can live however you want, as long as you don’t harm the Capala family.”

I leaned back, thinking about what she said. I had gone into it planning to turn her down, but now that I understood her reasoning, I was having second thoughts. Originally, I thought I’d be able to solve Mara’s mystery best by remaining on the street. However, I began to realize that mortals and paragons lived in two different worlds, and if I wanted to figure out the actions of paragons, I needed to live among them.

Even getting basic information was difficult for a commoner. I had looked for libraries since coming here and learned that most commoners didn’t possess a single book. Only paragons owned books, and only rich families would have libraries within their mansions. In short, if I wanted to continue my investigation, this could be the most promising course for me. At the least, I wouldn’t be harassed by the other families over small nothings.

“Alright…” I leaned forward. “Where do we go from here?”