Chapter 52
‘As expected of the original heroine.’
Noel stood before me, with the setting sun posed behind her like it was her own bridesmaid, wearing an angelic expression.
Her fine, light-brown hair fluttered in the breeze like the water lilies decorating the edge of a pond.
Her cheeks, dusted a soft peach hue against milk-pale skin, looked as if watercolor had gently bled into the paper—moist and sweetly pink.
The gentle downturn of her eyes was the kind that, as one bard once said, could make even a heart of stone drop its guard in an instant.
‘Simple beauty.’
If you folded a piece of clean, white paper and set it afloat on a still lake, perhaps it would feel like this.
A girl carrying both the sound of a clear brook in spring and the fresh greenness of just-bloomed wildflowers.
“Lady…?”
That was Noel.
Like a statue, I stood frozen, staring blankly at a face so pure it seemed fit only for a portrait.
No—“gazing in a daze” was probably the more accurate description.
Anyway.
“Is there something on my face?”
Perhaps she felt my intense stare, for her cheeks flushed pink, and she fumbled at them with her fingertips.
“S-sorry.”
She must have mistaken the look in my eyes for something else—like I was saying, ‘Get lost,’ or ‘Disappear.’
Wait, hold on.
Was my expression really so bad that Noel would apologize to me?
‘No way.’
But when I quickly turned toward the fountain’s reflection, I understood at last why Noel had said sorry.
‘Anyone would think I’m tense as a bowstring.’
My mouth was stiff and awkward, my eyes oddly raised at the corners—unclear if I was smiling or crying.
And the features that had been lively just this afternoon had dulled to an ashen hue, like I was about to collapse.
I looked every bit a demon.
It was the perfect trifecta of fatigue—my gaunt expression was worthy of a short, resigned sigh.
“Ha.”
What a sight.
No wonder the poor girl was on edge, looking at me like this.
When I tried to loosen my stiff facial muscles by lifting the corners of my lips, Noel gave a startled squeak and darted behind Shuaden’s back.
“Eeek!”
“L-Lady?”
Was my face really that strange?
Even Shuaden—usually quick to take my side—looked appalled.
But honestly, I couldn’t help it.
I hadn’t expected to meet the heroine this soon.
It was like… planting an apple seed yesterday and waking up to find it fully grown, fruit and all, overnight.
“…Haa.”
But anyway, she’d said she was lost, right?
I let out a sigh deep enough to sink the ground as I looked at Noel peeking from behind Shuaden, clearly wary of me.
Now I really did feel like the bad guy here.
‘I haven’t even hit her!’
At least if I had, it would feel less unfair.
“I won’t eat you.”
“…Sorry?”
“I said, I won’t eat you.”
When I gave her my brightest smile, she finally let go of Shuaden’s collar and cautiously met my gaze.
Well, at least that meant her guard was coming down a bit.
I felt a flicker of satisfaction—until she spoke again.
“Sorry.”
A vein twitched in my forehead.
Why did she carry that word around like a pet phrase?
“Forbidden.”
I raised a finger to her lips, shushing her.
“Don’t go saying ‘sorry’ so easily from now on.”
“What? But…”
“Constantly bowing your head and apologizing isn’t a good habit. It makes the word lose its meaning.”
“….”
“And right now, I’m the one who should be apologizing to you.”
After all, I had unconsciously regarded her as a rival and scowled at her—even if it was just for a moment.
‘When she’s nothing more than an innocent kid who doesn’t have a clue.’
Feeling a bit sheepish, I extended my left hand to her—a handshake meant as a genuine gesture of peace.
“I’m sorry, Miss Noel.”
“N-no! How could someone like you apologize to me…?”
Blushing furiously, she fumbled as if deciding whether to take my hand a hundred times before finally gripping it tightly and murmuring,
“It’s okay…”
She looked like a shy baby rabbit, and I couldn’t help but smile.
How could the male leads not be taken with her?
“I’ll help you.”
“…Huh?”
When I suddenly said I’d help her, without any lead-up, she blinked at me with wide, round eyes.
“You said you were lost.”
It was obvious—without a guardian, minor nobles weren’t allowed out except for special social events.
She’d probably just gotten carried away browsing the many sights at the market after leaving the estate for the first time in a while, and wandered off.
Her attendants must have lost her in the crowd because of her small stature.
And now, by some twist, she’d been found by not one but two princes on white horses.
‘A total fairytale cliché.’
The problem was that our foolish princes had brought her to the witch’s place instead of a castle…
But still, as witches go, I was fairly gentle.
Sure, I had a bit of a fiery past, but I wasn’t like that anymore.
And above all—
“Will you really help me?”
With those sparkling eyes fixed on me, how could I possibly leave such a lovely creature behind?
Even Satan wouldn’t.
“Alright. Just trust me.”
Thumping my chest confidently, I lifted my chin and gave her a self-assured look.
I might not be good at hiding myself, but I had a knack for finding people.
‘It should work this time too.’
That baseless confidence didn’t last long before it came crashing down.
“A tall woman with dark green hair down to here, right?”
Noel, holding tightly onto my collar as she trailed after me, nodded eagerly.
“She’s probably over 165 cm tall.”
“And her clothes?”
“A plain maid’s uniform. …Ah! And she has lots of freckles on her nose.”
Clapping her hands as she remembered, she smiled brightly.
‘Like that narrows it down.’
In this place, you’d think the game devs rage-quit halfway through—aside from main characters, most extras looked copy-pasted.
So physical descriptions didn’t help much.
I nodded absently, then pointed toward a figure in the distance with green hair.
“Oh, there!”
Green hair wasn’t as common as brown, and she looked like she was wearing something maid-like… if you squinted.
All three of my companions turned to look.
“…Lady, I’m sorry, but,” Shuaden, who had the best eyesight, spoke first, his face falling flat, “that’s a large man.”
“…Huh?”
The air froze over.
After that, we found a woman swathed in green fur, a person with green in the back of their hair but yellow in the front…
Only after seeing every bizarre fashion choice imaginable did we slump to the ground in defeat.
It was like a full-blown runway out here.
At this rate—
“Want to just sleep in my room?”
My voice was heavy with exhaustion, and Noel nodded in agreement.
“Would that really be okay?”
She, too, seemed done with wandering around aimlessly.
“Who said you could?”
But Kyler was different.
Leaning against a red brick wall, he tilted his chin and looked down at us.
“Let’s say you bring her over. Then what?”
“Then…”
“What if no one comes to find her at all? Are you going to take responsibility for her?”
“….”
“Whether she comes to our place isn’t for you to decide.”
“So we should just leave her? How can you—!”
“I’m saying it’s useless to open your mouth in my situation, since I have no say in the house anyway.”
‘She might get messed with by those bastards.’
And by “bastards,” he meant his brothers.
At his firm words, Noel shivered and hid her face in my shoulder.
“S-sorry. I’m just being a bother…”
Her teary eyes looked ready to spill over, lips pressed tight to keep from sobbing.
“Enough. I know you’re worried, but you’re going to make her cry.”
I wrapped my arms around her and let out a heavy sigh.
What was with him today, acting like he’d swallowed a lemon?
Kyler glared at the sniffling Noel before turning his back with a cold remark.
“Cry if you want.”
I was so dumbfounded I didn’t know what to say.
If this was all because of earlier, he needed a serious attitude check.
I was just about to stand up when—
Flap—
“Eek!”
With a small shriek from Noel, the yellow canary burst from my chest and flew straight at Kyler’s face.
I froze mid-motion, gawking.
“W-what the hell?!”
Flailing to get the bird off, Kyler lost his balance and fell in an undignified heap.
“Kyler!”
As much as he’d been a pain, I wasn’t about to be cruel to someone injured, so I quickly helped him up.
“You okay?”
Without answering, he grabbed my hand and scanned the area sharply.
“Where’s that yellow pest?”
“Looking for this?”
A mature voice came from behind us, drawing all four of our gazes.
A woman stood there, holding the canary by the scruff.
Noel’s eyes went wide, and then her voice lit with joy.
“Emma!”
The woman—Emma—looked equally shocked and overjoyed to see her.
“…My lady?”
After an impromptu tearful reunion, we were soon standing in front of the carriage to the duke’s manor, making small talk.
Nothing more than goodbyes, really.
“Goodbye, my lady.”
Noel had been holding my hand for over five minutes and still didn’t seem ready to let go, speaking with lingering regret.
“Please, really take care.”
“…Thank you.”
“Really, really take care…”
At this point, I wasn’t sure if she meant it or was joking.
Thanks to Emma’s intervention, I finally escaped her grip.
As I walked away, Noel sniffled after me.
“My lady…”
So sentimental.
‘Anyone would think we were star-crossed lovers.’
With a light sigh, I offered yet another farewell for the day.
“Take care.”
“Please contact Viscountess Catherine’s house later! I’ll repay you!”
‘Promise!’
Her voice faded as the carriage rattled away.
The sunlight was so vivid it made the curtains inside seem pointless, the glare almost too bright to keep my eyes open.
‘About an hour, was it?’
I was just closing my eyes, wondering how much sleep I could get, when a quiet voice spoke beside me.
“Yuria.”
Since Shuaden had left earlier in another carriage, there was only one person it could be.
“What?”
Turning my back to him deliberately, I leaned on the window.
‘Now what’s he got to say?’
A warm spring breeze from Etpasha tousled my hair.
The chill from before was long gone; my nose wasn’t cold, and my calves under the dress didn’t itch anymore. It was fully spring.
“Yuria.”
Undeterred, he spoke again, his tone unusually serious.
“I’m sorry.”
Something about the weight in those two words made me turn to look at him.
Really, how could I not?
“For what?”
I lifted my shoulders innocently.
My nonchalance made his eyebrow twitch.
“For being grumpy all day.”
He seemed to recall all the petty reasons he’d sulked, and his face turned red.
“And?”
“For snapping at you for no reason.”
Now he looked pale, probably remembering when he’d gotten short with both Noel and me.
“…And?”
“For acting like a kid.”
This time he said it with a surprisingly earnest face, and I couldn’t help it—I let out a quiet laugh.
“…Yuria?”
“Pfft.”
“…?”
He looked utterly confused about why I was giggling.
“What is it?”
He was like a puppy with its tail down, which only made me smile more.
I hadn’t expected Kyler to have such a cute side.
‘I thought he’d insist on having his way until the end.’
Taking his small, trembling hands, I smiled warmly.
“This is exactly why I like you.”
The moment I said it, a ding rang in the air.
Maybe it was the cramped carriage, but it sounded even louder.
{System: ‘Kyler Francis’ affection +2. Current affection: 16.}
Unaware of the pink notification hovering over his head, he turned away, face red as a tomato.
“Talking nonsense again.”
But his lips were tugged up at the corners.
‘You really can’t lie, can you?’
That was all I thought at the time.
