Chapter 85…
Cynthia created a thick lather of soap with both hands and began scrubbing her hair vigorously. She needed to wash away the grime that had accumulated over the past week while she’d been cooped up working in the pharmacy’s filthy preparation room.
After taking a clean bath, Cynthia stopped in front of the large full-body mirror hanging on one wall before heading to Tession’s room. She leaned in close and examined her reflection.
“This feels… awkward.”
After living as Elizabeth for the past several months, she had become so used to that appearance that her real face now felt awkward and unfamiliar.
Strange… to feel like my own face is foreign to me.
Cynthia raised both hands and gently cupped her bare face. With the lenses, makeup, hats, and all the little things she used to obscure her features now gone, she finally felt like she had returned to the real Cynthia White.
“I won’t lie to the Grand Duke ever again.”
She was tired of deceiving Tession, of pretending to be Elizabeth—someone completely unlike her—and constantly worrying that he might discover her true identity.
Now that the contract with the Bailey family had been officially terminated, she felt she could finally tell him everything.
“Let’s go…!”
After straightening her dress one last time, she left the room.
Knock, knock.
When she cautiously tapped the door, it opened and Tession appeared. He took Cynthia’s hand and gently drew her inside.
“You came quickly, Cynthia.”
“Oh… did I come too early?”
“No. If you’d taken any longer, I might have dried up and died while waiting.”
At his playful exaggeration, Cynthia giggled and followed him.
Tession settled on the bed and naturally lifted the blanket for her.
“Please, get in.”
“…Are we sleeping together?”
“No. The bed is simply more comfortable—well, for various reasons.”
Various reasons? What does that mean?
She suspected he was trying to sneak something past her, but she let it go this time. It was late, and sitting stiffly on a hard chair did sound exhausting.
Besides, the last time she lay on his bed, it had been unbelievably soft and comfortable.
Which is probably why I fell asleep first, even though I was supposed to put him to sleep…
Cynthia let him guide her onto the bed and sat facing him.
Tession watched her for a moment, then shook his head firmly.
“Don’t sit. Lie down.”
“W-why?”
“It’s more comfortable.”
“But I didn’t come here to sleep. I came to talk to you, Your Grace. You asked me to come.”
“I never said we would talk in my room.”
He said this with a perfectly composed expression.
…Wait. Really?
Cynthia closed her mouth.
Come to think of it, he had just told her to come before he went to sleep. He never said anything about talking.
“B-but there’s a bed in my room too! If you’re trying to sneakily get me to sleep beside you—!”
“Cynthia, stop having shady thoughts.”
“W-what thoughts?!”
She flinched in shock. How did he know what I was thinking?!
Tession chuckled softly and raised her hand to his lips, pressing a gentle kiss onto her skin.
“I simply want you to rest comfortably. You’ve been working in that cramped pharmacy for days. It didn’t look very clean, so I wanted you to sleep well tonight. My bed is the softest and most comfortable one in this entire castle.”
“But how can I sleep comfortably with you right next to me…?”
“Then… shall I leave?”
He suddenly looked like an abandoned puppy.
Ah—no! That face is against the rules!
“My fiancée… seems to have abandoned me.”
His expression looked almost identical to the one he’d made earlier at the pharmacy when he’d dropped that emotional bomb. Cynthia quickly shook her head.
“No! How could I throw you out of your own room?”
“But you said I make you uncomfortable.”
“That’s not what I meant… Fine, fine, I’ll stay. Wow—this really is comfortable! It’s on a whole different level from the pharmacy’s worn-out sofa!”
Cynthia threw herself dramatically onto the bed, raising her voice on purpose.
Seeing her reaction, Tession’s face slowly relaxed, a smile appearing. Thank goodness…
And yes, the pillow really was amazing.
“Cynthia, sleep well.”
He whispered gently and brushed away the hair falling over her forehead. His soft touch tickled—not her forehead, but somewhere deeper in her chest.
Cynthia stared up at him. Tession’s warm gaze wasn’t on her face but on her hair—specifically, the dark brown roots beginning to grow out.
Watching him silently, she finally spoke.
“Your Grace, why don’t you ask me anything?”
“About what?”
“About everything.”
She was ready to tell him. Everything he had wondered, everything she had hidden.
She wanted him to stop worrying. And if he knew the truth, he might understand why she had made such choices.
But his answer was completely unexpected.
“Well… is any of that important?”
“…What?”
“The most important thing to me is that you’re by my side right now, Cynthia.”
Cynthia blinked in confusion.
Tession looked at her round eyes—eyes that looked at him without knowing anything—and found them unbearably endearing. He lowered the hand brushing her forehead and gently tapped her cheek.
“Whoever you are, Cynthia is simply… Cynthia to me.”
“…”
“Your name, your background, your family, your age… none of that matters to me. So why would something even less important—like your hair color or eye color—mean anything?”
Cynthia stared blankly.
Tession…
He wasn’t expecting anything from her. He looked only at Cynthia White, the person herself.
The one who kept calculating, hiding, hurting, and running away… was her.
Someone like him…
Cynthia met his gaze and felt something settle firmly inside her heart.
“Your Grace… there’s something I need to tell you.”
“Go ahead.”
Cynthia swallowed hard and began.
“You’ve probably already suspected… but I’m not Elizabeth Bailey.”
There was no surprise in Tession’s purple eyes. As expected, he had known all along.
“My name is… Cynthia White.”
“…”
“Everything started because of money. The Bailey family offered a huge sum and asked me to take the place of Lady Elizabeth, who died suddenly, and maintain the engagement with you.”
Cynthia spoke calmly.
“They chose me because… my voice is extremely similar to Lady Elizabeth’s. It’s ridiculous, isn’t it?”
Even she found it absurd when she said it out loud. But Tession simply held her hand and listened closely.
“Well… I had a lot of debt. An overwhelming amount. So when the Baileys offered such a large sum upfront, it felt enormous. Enough to clear all my debt at once and still live comfortably for a while.”
“…”
“So I accepted. Since Your Grace couldn’t see, I thought it would be fine as long as my voice matched. And they said the contract would end once the Bailey family got back the Retemper Merchants’ Guild through the engagement. I didn’t think it would take long. I did feel guilty about deceiving you, but I was blinded by the money right in front of me…”
“I understand, Cynthia. It wasn’t your fault.”
Tession spoke gently.
But Cynthia quickly shook her head.
“No. It was my fault. I’m the one who agreed to it. In the end, I’m no different from the Baileys who used you.”
She hesitated, then continued.
“But… the more I met with you, the heavier my heart felt. You weren’t getting anything out of the arrangement. The Baileys and I were the only ones benefiting.”
“…So that’s why you gave me the vision-improving potion.”
