The last person I wanted to see right now had come to the mansion and was calling for me. But I wasn’t surprised. Rossiane had visited nearly every other day this week.
‘Whenever Rossiane came, the three of us would always meet together.’
Sometimes we would walk in the garden, and other times we’d sit and chat in the drawing room. The meetings themselves had never seemed particularly special.
‘But I was always the last to arrive. Every time I came down, the two of them were already talking.’
Not once had I ever been alone with Rossiane. Not once had I been the first to arrive.
‘Is that… normal?’
Was it only now—after seeing that future—that these doubts started creeping in? Like ink in water, suspicion slowly spread through my thoughts.
‘Maybe she’s actually here to see Emil. And I’ve just been tagging along.’
It was a plausible thought. If the Countess truly wanted me as her daughter-in-law, then leaving Emil alone with another woman—especially someone like Rossiane—should’ve been the last thing she wanted.
‘When I’m not around, they’re with each other—like lovers. And when they need to avoid the Countess’s attention, they use me as cover. As if the three of us were just laughing together.’
Maybe there really was something romantic between them. But using me as a shield to secretly carry on their relationship… that was something else entirely.
That was deceit.
Just imagining that they might be using me like that made the blood in my veins run cold.
Without realizing it, I spoke in a firm, unwavering tone.
“I’m not going down today.”
“Pardon?”
The maid blinked, clearly startled by my refusal.
Realizing I had spoken too sharply—too emotionally—I quickly softened my voice, trying to cover up the anger that had slipped through.
“It’s just that my head hurts a little today. I’ll be resting in my room.”
“Oh no, does it hurt a lot?”
“It’s nothing serious. I just need a bit of rest and I’ll be fine. Please let Emil and Rossiane know.”
“Yes, understood.”
The maid nodded, still looking a little puzzled. Once I closed the door and turned around, I clenched my fist tightly.
‘If I face the two of them feeling like this… I won’t be able to smile at all.’
Emil’s cold, expressionless face, Rossiane’s smile as she rejoiced at my death. One after the other, those images filled my mind.
‘I can’t believe… the people closest to me were laughing at me like that.’
Pepe’s voice echoed again in my ears as I sat there, stunned and blank with shock.
〈The future can be changed.〉
That was the only hope I had left to hold on to.
“Pepe!”
I reached for Pepe again, who had been pretending to be just a lifeless doll. His limp little body, stretched out as if he were dead, suddenly sprang back to life.
「Yvonne!」
Yes—I had Pepe. My sweet dragon, who had protected me since I was very young.
As I held him tightly in my arms, the emptiness in my heart slowly filled with courage.
‘There’s nothing wrong with this. If the future can change…’
Then maybe, this was my chance to set things right.
I straightened up, meeting Pepe’s eyes with renewed resolve.
“I won’t let my future unfold the way I saw it! Help me!”
Pepe beamed at my words.
「That’s more like it! That’s the Yvonne I know!」
“Do you think I can do it? I can do it… right?”
「Of course! I’ll help you with my sleeves rolled up and everything!」
I nodded, a determined look on my face. I had finally pulled myself together. But still… there was one big problem left.
How exactly am I supposed to change the future?
I explained everything to Pepe—what I’d seen, how I felt, and the suspicions I now carried. After listening carefully, Pepe gave his answer.
「First, you need to find out if Rossiane and Emil are actually in a relationship.」
“Yes, that made sense.”
I nodded like an obedient child. Pepe gave me a few gentle pats, then muttered under his breath with a scowl, as if he were about to spit fire.
「I can’t believe he’d have an affair with another woman when he already has someone as pretty and kind as Yvonne. This is exactly why you shouldn’t trust black-haired beasts…」
“That’s not something you should be saying, Pepe!”
Yes, I had been hurt by their seemingly insincere behavior—but it wasn’t entirely beyond understanding. The Count and Countess Kleene were obsessively focused on my marriage, even bringing it up repeatedly when I wasn’t around. Maybe Emil and Rossiane had simply kept things quiet because they felt pressured.
‘Yes… I should wait and figure out the full story before jumping to conclusions.’
Maybe I was just seeing them in the worst light because of what I saw earlier. Maybe Emil did propose to me with a sincere heart.
When I glimpsed that future, it had felt like my world was crumbling—like Emil had betrayed me without hesitation.
But… that might not be the whole truth. What Pepe showed me was just one possibility. A future that can still change.
‘I’m not sure yet, but there’s no need to feel betrayed before I know the truth.’
And right now, the chance to find out was right in front of me. I clenched the fabric of my skirt tightly.
“Let’s go and sneak a look, Pepe.”
「Go and see what?」
This is the chance. The drawing room, Rossiane and Emil are alone together right now.
“If they’re truly a couple, there’s no way they wouldn’t take advantage of a moment like this without me around. I’m going to find out for myself.”
I knew I could peek through the large first-floor window of the drawing room.
「What a brilliant idea, Yvonne!」
Encouraged by Pepe’s support, I left my room and made my way to the garden.
Then, quietly and carefully, I crept toward the wide window near the drawing room. My heart pounded with every step.
‘Yes… I hope it’s all just a misunderstanding.’
At the very least, I hoped they weren’t betraying me.
‘How could they… fall in love with each other and laugh behind my back? Surely, they wouldn’t do that.’
No—maybe Emil had been forced into it. Maybe he didn’t have a choice.
「Is this the place?」
“Yes, but…”
The window was higher than I expected.
‘What if I poke my head up and accidentally make eye contact with them?’
My body stiffened from the sheer unfamiliarity and surrealness of the situation. Just then, Pepe fluttered ahead, peeked through the window, and quickly tapped my cheek to bring me back to my senses.
「Y-Yvonne, you should just go back.」
“What? We came all the way here.”
「I’ll tell you what I see from the room. Go back first and…」
A wave of unease swept through my chest. Ignoring Pepe’s nervous voice, I gathered my courage and slowly peeked through the window. And I saw it—clearly.
Rossiane and Emil, locked in a fierce kiss.
“Oh my god…”
I collapsed to the ground before I could stop myself.
‘They were in love…’
But Emil had proposed to me. He had smiled and said he was happy when I accepted his confession.
‘They were deceiving me…’
I buried my face in my hands.
* * *
I didn’t even know how I managed to leave that place. Terrified of accidentally making eye contact with Emil, I crawled out of the garden, dragging my weak legs across the ground.
By the time I somehow made it back to my room and sank to the floor, only one thought filled my mind.
‘They were already deceiving me.’
All just to fulfill the wishes of the Count and Countess Kleene.
‘If I go through with this engagement… I’ll end up being laughed at by those two, lying cold in a coffin.’
It was already a life of misery.
「Hey… Yvonne…」
Pepe spoke gently, his voice hesitant, as if afraid to make things worse. But I cut him off.
“I’m sorry, Pepe. Can you just give me a moment to collect my thoughts?”
「….」
My thoughts were still in chaos, but I didn’t want to make Pepe worry by saying anything reckless.
‘This whole thing is awful… but running away from reality won’t help.’
If anything, I should be grateful that I found out before actually getting married.
‘At least now I know the truth, Rossiane and Emil are in love.’
It was horrifying to think that he had proposed to me while being with Rossiane. And yet… part of me tried to rationalize it, as if that would make it easier to bear. If I could, I would forget it all—just cover it up and pretend it had never happened.
I was crouched on the floor, my face pale and blank, when the maid from earlier opened the door to collect the laundry. She stopped short and gasped.
“My goodness! Miss! What happened to you?!”
“Haha…”
I let out a weak, lifeless laugh.
No wonder she was shocked. After crawling around the garden, my knees were covered in dirt, and there were holes in my silk socks.
‘I must’ve scraped my knee.’
Only now did I start to feel the dull, stinging pain.
The maid quickly set the laundry basket down in the hallway, grabbed a towel, and gently began wiping the dirt from my hands.
“You said you were working out earlier… Did you run around the garden this time?”
“It just happened.”
“Oh dear, what will you do if you end up with a scar on your leg?”
I know. But right now, I had a far bigger problem than scraped knees or a little blood on my hands.
