Chapter 12
Maybe it was because the inside of the carriage was so quiet.
Swishhh—
The sound of raindrops tapping against the window felt even harsher than it had outside.
It had already been a cold day, but the sudden downpour had caused the temperature to drop rapidly.
With my lips turning blue, I wrapped myself tightly in the wool blanket Noel had given me and curled into a pill bug-like position, hugging my knees.
Like this, it was a bit warmer.
Pulling my knees up to my chest, I glanced at Noah, who was staring blankly out the window.
“Aren’t you cold?”
“……”
“If you are, want to share the blanket?”
I lifted the blanket slightly and patted the seat next to me.
“Come here?”
I coaxed him like I was calling a puppy.
But maybe he had decided to ignore me altogether now.
His eyes, fixed on the dark scenery outside the carriage, didn’t move at all—like a broken clock pendulum.
“Noah.”
Once.
“Noah.”
Twice.
“Noah.”
Even on the third call, he remained unresponsive.
His black eyes, holding all the ash-colored gloom, swayed faintly like a sailboat adrift on stormy waters.
Staring at him quietly, I took a deep breath.
Phew. I really didn’t want to resort to this cheap trick…
“Your master is calling you.”
His eyebrows twitched slightly at my words but quickly returned to place.
Well, at least that got a reaction.
“What did I say about slaves who don’t obey?”
At the word “slave,” he flinched, then finally opened his mouth.
His voice was hoarse, thick with silence.
“I’m sorry.”
Was it the rain he hated so much?
His expression looked like that of a lost puppy who had just lost its owner.
He must be thinking about the family he lost as a child.
My heart softened again, and I bit my lower lip.
“Forget it.”
Despite my calm tone, my mind was in total disarray.
The mysterious purple window that appeared over Noah’s head… and the incident where I kicked that part of Lastin. Honestly, the latter didn’t matter much.
‘Everything’s a mess.’
Today, Noah looked more gloomy than ever, and it weighed heavily on my heart.
Following his gaze out the window, I suddenly remembered the flower I’d tucked into the blanket.
Fumbling inside with my fingers, I felt the smooth petals.
I quickly pulled it out.
It was the thornless yellow rose I’d received from Lastin during our first meeting.
Though it was a gift, if it could make him feel even a little bit better…
“Noah, look at this.”
Trying to brighten the mood, I playfully smiled and tapped his shoulder while waving the flower stem.
“Doesn’t this look like your hair color?”
Noah’s drooping eyelashes lifted instantly, revealing the dark and lifeless black eyes underneath.
Soon, that dull gaze filled with a vibrant yellow light.
See? No one in the world hates flowers.
‘At least, as far as I know.’
I flashed a confident smile.
“It’s special to me, but you can have it. Next time, I’ll get you a whole bouquet.”
How’s that? Touched, aren’t you?
“……Master.”
His voice trembled faintly as he looked at the flower before him.
Like he was suppressing something deep down.
“Yeah?”
I smiled, thinking he was moved.
But then came his unexpected words.
“What’s your relationship with that man?”
{system: ‘Noah Iosif’’s affection has increased by +5. Current affection: 87.}
The window displaying the affection increase burned in a deep, menacing shade of purple, like it was about to swallow me whole.
The second time I had seen the purple window.
“Wha?”
As I stammered in confusion, Noah snatched the yellow rose from my hands and, narrowing his eyes like a snake, muttered coldly.
“And this…”
Crushing the rose in one hand, he said in a low voice,
“Looks more like you than it does my hair.”
He let out a small, mocking laugh and ran his fingers through my hair.
“Don’t you think?”
My golden strands fluttered weakly between his slender, beautiful fingers.
{system: ‘Noah Iosif’’s affection has increased by +2. Current affection: 87.}
A few days passed after that.
We hadn’t fought, nor had we reconciled—just left in a vague limbo.
A week passed like that, swirling in a mix of strange emotions.
Noah and I both became busy with work, and even if we wanted to see each other, we couldn’t.
Well, to be exact…
‘He’s been avoiding me on purpose.’
So even though I was in a position to summon him, I chose not to.
Forcing a meeting would only make things worse.
‘What a relief.’
After being cooped up indoors for days due to the early rainy season, I had been feeling suffocated. I opened the window wide and sat on the terrace to enjoy the breeze.
A chilly gust blew in, sharp enough to sting my nose.
“Miss.”
As I basked in the breeze, a familiar voice called from the doorway.
I turned my gaze from the window to Sophie.
She was wearing a sky-blue poplin dress with a skirt that puffed out adorably.
‘Looks good on her.’
But I didn’t have the energy to compliment her. I just nodded faintly.
Seeing how pale and fragile I looked, wrinkles formed on her pretty forehead.
Honestly, I had been feeling like this since the carriage ride.
Perpetually low-spirited.
If I’d had a shovel, I might’ve already dug a grave and crawled in. That’s how dead I felt inside.
“Too much cold air will make you catch a cold.”
Her voice floated like a warm cloud.
The blurry sound hung in the air like a hallucination.
For a moment, her face overlapped with Noah’s in my mind.
[What’s your relationship with that man?]
That was the first time I’d seen him angry.
No—rather than angry, he looked…
‘Anxious.’
“Miss?”
Frost began to form on the windowpane.
The darkened sky outside seemed ready to weep rusty tears.
A sharp, fishy smell pricked my nose.
{system: You’ve acquired a new emotion. Deep purple… The emotion of possession.}
{…Compared to other emotions, the possession trait can yield high affection gains.}
I stared blankly at the floating window and slowly opened and closed my eyes.
“I want to stay like this a little longer.”
To max out Noah’s affection level, I’d need stronger stimuli.
Fine, then.
‘Before he gets too attached, I’ll leave first.’
After all, this world was just virtual.
I was tired of playing the noble lady.
Besides…
‘Haven’t I endured long enough?’
The longer I stayed here, the more worn down my body and soul became.
I missed tteokbokki. I missed my real family. I missed going to amusement parks with my friends.
‘But how?’
Since that day, Noah had been assigned to work around the estate as a porter, and it was rare to run into him.
I’d have to go out of my way to visit his room just to see him.
And even then, he was always passed out from exhaustion.
“……Haa.”
My sigh felt like it would dig me into the ground.
Sophie tilted her head.
The reflection in the window showed my pale face, as blue as a crescent moon swallowed by dawn.
What exactly was I so afraid of?
As I bit my lip—
Knock knock knock.
A sharp knock shattered the silence.
I had been idly brushing dust from the windowsill with my finger when the urgent sound pulled my attention.
“Come in.”
‘Who could it be?’
There wasn’t really anyone who would come looking for me this early.
The moment I finished speaking, the door burst open and a maid entered, pale as a sheet.
She was dripping sweat, her bangs soaked through.
After charging in confidently, she hesitated nervously in front of me, then finally spoke.
“Um… Miss, something big has happened.”
After following the maid into the hallway, I stood dumbfounded.
‘What I’m seeing… This can’t be fake, right?’
Maybe I was still dreaming.
A very, very long dream.
I tugged on my cheek and let out a quiet groan.
‘Ouch.’
Which meant this was real.
My wide blue eyes grew even bigger in shock.
“Where should I put the herbs? They’re bigger than I thought…”
“Leave them by the stairs.”
“And the blue roses?”
A man carrying a massive glass vase struggled to breathe as he spoke.
“Ah, that goes over here.”
A maid pointed toward the hall leading to the second floor.
“Only the small pots go inside—the rest can stay outside.”
Male attendants with rolled-up sleeves were carrying giant potted plants.
“Anyone need more baskets?”
A maid yelled as she ran out from the kitchen.
“Over here! Bring three more!”
Hands shot up all over as everyone shouted what they needed.
I bent down to pick up a flower that had fallen at my feet and clicked my tongue.
It was chaos.
At the mansion’s entrance, piles of flower bouquets stacked up.
I stared with my jaw hanging open.
One, two, three…
Even roughly counted, there were dozens of flower types scattered all over the halls.
Good grief.
Was this a mansion or a flower market?
‘…Am I dreaming?’
Streeetch.
I tugged my cheek again. Still hurt.
Nope, definitely real.
“Miss!”
Sophie waved at me from the stairs, holding a bouquet bigger than her body.
“Just stay right there!”
…For some reason, I really wanted to pretend I didn’t see her.
As I slowly tried to sneak away, she hurled the giant bouquet at me like a quarterback.
Sweat glistened on her forehead.
Thanks to her nice throw, I ended up catching it and blankly muttered as I stared down at the bouquet in my arms.
So.
“What is this?”
A lovely bunch of purple hydrangeas.
Bouquet that size must’ve cost a fortune.
But why was I getting this all of a sudden?
“A gift.”
“A gift?”
“Yes. A ton of them came in earlier addressed to you, Miss.”
She winced and rubbed her sore shoulder.
“For me?”
I pointed at myself with a dazed look.
“Yes.”
‘…Why?’
My neatly arched brow twitched and shot up.
‘Is it my birthday?’
In a small voice, I whispered “Status Window,” and it appeared before my eyes.
{system: Displaying player’s basic information.}
{Current player ‘Yuria Benestra’ is 18 years old, born on Imperial Year 514, February 17. Blood type: AB. …Occupation: None.}
It was mid-November now. Still at least three months until my birthday.
So it wasn’t a birthday present.
…Even if it were, who sends this many flowers for a birthday?
Flowers are meant to complement gifts like jewelry or other items—not be the whole gift!
‘Are they picking a fight or what…?’
Maybe a caterpillar or butterfly would enjoy this many flowers, but unfortunately, I was a human being.
I couldn’t eat grass.
Come on.
‘Unless… they’re edible plants? …Would they taste good?’
Shaking my head to dispel the nonsense, I let out a short sigh and rubbed my temples.
“…So who sent them?”
Sophie, who had been busy admiring flowers, turned toward me at my troubled voice.
“Young Lord Lastin Catherine.”
Her tone made it sound like the most obvious answer in the world.
I almost went, ‘Ah, right,’ and let it slide.
As I stroked my chin in thought, a vague memory resurfaced and made me groan softly.
Young Lord Catherine…
Soft brown hair like melted milk chocolate and bright ocean-blue eyes.
‘That human solar panel from before!’
The guy I mistook for a statue when I visited Noel’s mansion.
…but then.
‘Why!?’
We weren’t even on good enough terms to exchange flowers.
In fact, I nearly—
‘—crushed that part of him.’
Remembering that squishy sensation made me pale and glance at Sophie.
‘…These aren’t poisonous, are they?’
People had all kinds of ways to take revenge.
From public humiliation to secretly gifting poisonous plants that sicken you over time.
But these were too flashy and expensive to be poisonous.
Especially the blue roses—those went for over 1 gold each.
No one in their right mind would spend that much for revenge.
Plus, who would openly send poison this early in the morning?
Maybe this was…
‘A peace offering?’
Maybe Lastin wanted to make amends and move on.
But the “depth” of this gesture was drowning me.
“This is all, right?”
Please let it be.
“No.”
Unfortunately, Sophie pointed toward the second floor—my room.
“There’s more…”
She trailed off with a surprised face.
Because the massive gift boxes were blocking the entire entrance.
“Excuse me, please move!”
“Don’t bring in anything that doesn’t match the lady’s taste!”
It was total war.
