The moment she first heard the truth, her mind went completely blank. The shock made her sluggish, and she stood there in a daze until Edmund pulled her to sit down and ordered a physician to be called.
Fear of nearly dying hit her chest with a thud, and in the end, the realization that Etricia hated her so much that she was willing to have her killed crashed down on her like a massive meteor.
As she remained frozen in shock, Edmund spoke.
“She misunderstood you as Devon’s mistress and, in a drunken state, hired an assassin.”
Even though she understood it logically, her heart felt as if it were being stabbed with a sharp needle. She cried so much that tissues piled up like a mountain. Even if it was a misunderstanding, the pain and disappointment were the same.
Then, like picking up seashells buried in the sand one by one, she began to unravel her questions.
Ah, so that’s why Lady Etricia forgave me so easily. That’s why she helped me. That’s why she was kind to me from the beginning.
She would often smile awkwardly, accept her childish whims, and comfort her…
‘Was she kind to me because she felt guilty?’
Suddenly, her chest ached.
Perhaps the gentle Etricia simply couldn’t bring herself to reject her and just accepted her presence.
Thinking back, she even introduced her to the Marchioness of Wickley and encouraged her to build relationships with other noble ladies. Was that just a way to push her away because she was bothersome?
Now that she thought about it, she had hesitated for a long time before suggesting they spend the summer together. Maybe she hadn’t wanted to in the first place.
A relationship she had forced upon the other person. A relationship filled only with guilt.
As her thoughts reached that point, resentment toward Etricia swelled within her like a dark mass. If it was out of guilt, then she shouldn’t have been so kind… And when asked if she resented her, she said yes.
But the moment she learned about Etricia’s cruel mother-in-law and the domestic abuse she endured, her heart pounded furiously with rage. She gripped the tissue tightly and raised her eyes, filled with determination.
‘That person truly cares about you.’
Lilien’s emotions sank once again. Could that really be true? Was it not out of guilt? Truly? The doubts sprouted like tiny shoots and refused to disappear.
Later, Edmund explained Etricia’s difficult circumstances, almost as if urging her to forgive. But there was nothing to forgive. Her affection for Etricia had never wavered.
However…
Lilien, overwhelmed by confusion, muttered nonsense and fled the room.
She spent the next five days shut away, drowning in despair.
And today was no different. She lacked the courage to face Etricia when she came looking for her, so she avoided her.
How pathetic.
Etricia had once said that being honest about one’s emotions was a sign of maturity, but she wouldn’t know how cowardly Lilien truly was. Or maybe she did, but her kindness prevented her from pointing it out.
Lilien soaked her pillow with tears. Her heart ached unbearably. Should she run to Etricia and ask if she had been kind only out of guilt? If she did, Etricia would just smile awkwardly. And then, what about her…
It was then that she sensed movement from the door Marie had left open for ventilation.
Or rather, she heard something outside the open door, near the window.
Rubbing her stinging eyes, Lilien stepped toward the window and froze in shock.
Tak—!
Without hesitation, she ran.
Marie, who was carrying a tray up the stairs, jumped in surprise as Lilien, still in her nightgown, suddenly appeared.
“Ah, my lady! Where are you going dressed like that—”
Before Marie could finish her sentence, Lilien had already rushed past her, sending a gust of wind in her wake.
Marie, stunned, set the tray down in the hallway corner, grabbed a blanket, and ran after her.
The chase ended in the back garden.
Lilien’s gaze locked onto Etricia.
She was kneeling in front of a flower bed, wearing an elegant wide-brimmed hat and gardening gloves, using a trowel to cover soil over the flowers. It was an odd combination, but on her, it looked graceful.
Marie covered the blanket over Lilien’s shoulders, but it slipped off as she sprinted forward.
“My lady!”
Ignoring Marie’s call, Lilien stared down at Etricia’s head.
Etricia, who had been humming while tending to the flowers, lifted her head at the sight of the shadow looming over her. Her emerald eyes widened in shock at the sight of Lilien, panting in her cream-colored nightgown.
“Lilien, what on earth…?”
Etricia set down the trowel and stood up, her hat shifting slightly.
“What are you doing in the flower bed?”
Lilien barely managed to catch her breath and ask.
“Huh?”
“Why are you here, Lady Etricia?”
“Ah.”
Etricia sighed softly and gave a sheepish smile.
“I was thinking about what could’ve upset you so much that you couldn’t even eat, and I happened to see the flower bed. I remembered how upset you were when the gardener’s dog ruined it.”
“So you came because of that?”
Etricia’s eyes crinkled slightly as she smiled faintly.
“Well… I have plenty of time now. You love the smell of the soil here so much that you visit it daily. It seemed easy, but it’s actually quite difficult.”
She lifted her dirt-covered gloves to show her effort. Lilien bit her lip hard, her emotions surging uncontrollably.
Overwhelmed, she threw her arms around Etricia’s waist.
“Lilien?”
Hearing the surprised voice in her ear, Lilien shut her teary eyes tightly.
Edmund was right. Nine years apart had made her forget. Her extraordinary younger sister had always been sharp since childhood. She had never been wrong.
Etricia’s feelings for her had never been false. Yet she had doubted her out of insecurity.
Still stiff with surprise, Etricia hesitated before speaking with concern.
“…Did I do something wrong to you?”
Lilien hesitated, debating whether to tell her the truth, but she didn’t want to see her troubled expression.
“No, Lady Etricia. I was just so upset about the ruined flower bed…”
“I see. That’s a relief. I thought you were angry with me.”
“No, never… Even if you hit me, I wouldn’t be mad.”
“Really? I might have to test that someday.”
Lilien nodded furiously.
That would be fine. She could hit her as much as she wanted.
She felt guilty, grateful, sorrowful, and overwhelmed with joy all at once. It was an emotion she had never experienced before.
Above all, the clearest and most special feeling was her love for Etricia.
Yes, I must become family with Lady Etricia. That way, I can have her all to myself forever.
With that, Lilien lifted her head, her eyes shining with newfound determination.
Etricia’s face was backlit by the sun.
As the wind blew and the brim of her hat fluttered, sunlight flickered across her shaded jade-colored eyes.
They were warm and gentle eyes, with a hint of playfulness.
Lilien, seeing those eyes, smiled brightly with teardrops clinging to her lashes like dew.
Pfft.
At that moment, Etricia turned her head and laughed.
Lilien, looking confused, stepped back a little.
Etricia raised her hand awkwardly, looking a bit troubled.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I know I shouldn’t laugh… But I felt relieved knowing you’re not angry with me, and the whole situation right now is just…”
Following Etricia’s gaze, Lilien looked around.
The servants, blushing, turned their heads after seeing her in her pajamas.
The maids looked horrified.
Marie, clutching a blanket to her chest, looked like she was about to faint, thinking, I’m dead now.
Lilien was barefoot, her hair messy.
Etricia was standing awkwardly with gloves covered in dirt.
As Lilien’s expression turned to shock, Etricia couldn’t hold it in anymore and burst into laughter.
“Wah!”
Lilien cried out and quickly ran back into the mansion.
Marie followed after her, panting again.
Not long after, Lilien came back down, now dressed properly.
“Lady Etricia!”
As always, in the garden of the Duke of Mipedian’s estate, the two women shared a lively conversation.
Shhhhhh.
The tree standing near the flowerbed shook its thick leaves, as if cooling the sweat of the two women.
In the end, their laughter blended together and lingered for a long time.
Golden eyes, tinged with a cool light, stayed fixed by the window before finally turning away.
Edmund walked toward his office.
Behind him, Rail followed, smiling as he looked at the two women in the garden.
“I’m glad the two of them made up.”
Glad, huh. Edmund blinked once.
Rail, catching even that small reaction like wind, tilted his head and asked,
“Isn’t it a good thing? Miss Lilien wasn’t eating, and Lady Etricia looked so down.
The servants were also gloomy because they couldn’t hear the ladies’ laughter anymore.”
Edmund said nothing and kept walking silently.
“Especially the countess’s cold yet elegant smile… It was charming, and some were sad it disappeared.”
At that, Edmund stopped in his tracks.
He turned and gave Rail a sharp look.
“Who said something so insolent?”
His voice was rough, like it scraped the throat.
Rail looked stunned for a moment.
“Well… the maids…”
As Rail stammered, a flicker of embarrassment passed over Edmund’s face.
He suddenly turned and started walking down the hall again.
After a while, he finally spoke.
“I won’t tolerate any inappropriate comments about guests in this house. Make sure everyone knows that.”
“…Yes.”
The delayed answer earned Rail a cold glare.
He turned his head to avoid Edmund’s terrifying gaze.
With a small squint of his eyes, he thought to himself:
He must be embarrassed for reacting so strongly to gossip he usually wouldn’t care about.
Although he felt a strange tension from his master’s unusual reaction, those thoughts quickly sank beneath the weight of the work piling up like a mountain.
