Chapter 13
“Yes, miss, it’s your choice.”
It was such a frightening thing to hear.
Everything depended on my choice.
I swallowed dryly without realizing it and lifted my head, only to find the old woman staring at me as if she could see right through me.
“Your decision will change many things.”
But I had already made my decision.
It simply wasn’t going the way I wanted.
In the end, I was nothing more than the villainess who tormented the heroine and vanished on the executioner’s block. I had never dreamed of receiving the male lead’s love, nor did I truly want it.
“I’ve already made up my mind. But what if things don’t go the way I want?”
“Then you will simply cease to exist.”
The old woman said this terrifying thing with a calm smile.
“You need to act even more diligently than you are now. If you simply let things flow, something terrible will happen.”
“……”
At that moment, Leonie, who had been quietly listening beside us, opened her mouth carefully.
“Um, could I get a knot bracelet for this friend too? I’ll pay for it.”
Ever since we left the astrologer’s tent, Leonie’s face had looked lighter.
“I’m really glad we came here.”
Leonie was fiddling with the knot bracelet the old woman had handed her.
It was the very bracelet the old woman had practically forced her to buy, saying it would block misfortune.
Though I knew it was basically forced on her, the bravado I had when we first entered the tent had disappeared, and I couldn’t say anything.
“Someone has stolen your destiny. You won’t find peace until it is returned.”
I couldn’t even stop Leonie when she began taking off all her jewelry to hand over to the old woman.
Because the old woman’s words had turned sharp, piercing eyes toward me.
“Ribe, this bracelet will block all the bad things now, right?”
“Yes, it will.”
I truly hoped it would, but I couldn’t just wait around for it to happen.
‘Yes, I can’t just let things flow anymore. I need to act more proactively. I need to return the heroine’s destiny to Leonie and survive myself.’
As I answered in a firm voice, I made a vow to myself again and again.
⚜ ⚜ ⚜
“Ribe, are you really okay?”
“Yes, brother.”
After giving a short reply, I stuffed another piece of cake into my mouth from the table.
“Are you sure we don’t need to call a doctor?”
All morning, Father had come to check on me, and now in the afternoon, it was my brother’s turn to worry over me.
“Yes, truly.”
In truth, this affectionate brother was actually a stranger to me.
Had the story changed because my fate had shifted?
He had always been abroad, and I had never once seen him, but after finishing a long trip, he returned to the Bernadette mansion this morning.
“Then should I at least get some medicine from the pharmacist?”
There was only one reason Father and Brother were so concerned.
My appetite had increased tremendously.
Because of anxiety and stress, I craved sweets endlessly, and since I was in an environment where I could eat, I indulged without restraint.
Oliver Bernadette, my beautiful and kind older brother, kept looking at me with worried eyes.
“It’s fine. The cake is just too delicious, that’s all.”
I carefully set down the silver fork and gave a small smile.
“Brother, please stop nagging your sister you haven’t seen in ten days.”
Oliver was a diplomat, a young talent recognized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Ten days ago, he had attended a security meeting in Bochum and returned this morning.
Yet before he even unpacked his gifts, he was already fussing over me like this!
In a warm voice, I mixed in a playful complaint.
“It’s been so long since we last saw each other (well, technically the first time for me), and I don’t want to hear this kind of talk.”
“Oh, sorry about that. But everyone, including Eclair, says you’ve been asking for things you normally wouldn’t eat…”
Alright, enough of dealing with stress in such a foolish, sweet-filled way.
“Oh, right, Ribe. I heard His Grace the Grand Duke visited recently.”
Just as I was thinking I needed to stop eating sweets, the moment Jerlach’s name was mentioned, I suddenly wanted to pick up my fork again.
“Yes.”
When I answered curtly, Oliver’s voice filled with confusion.
“Why the face?”
“It’s just… I feel uncomfortable talking about the Grand Duke.”
My answer seemed to catch him so off guard that he blinked his big eyes.
“Oh my.”
Whether it was the Grand Duke, a man, or the social world, I didn’t want to discuss anything related to him, so I quickly changed the subject.
“Brother, what exactly did you buy in Bochum?”
I pointed at the large box behind him, and my brother’s bright smile immediately calmed my anxious heart.
Ah, aside from the cake I had just eaten, that is.
“That wasn’t something I bought in Bochum.”
“Then what is it?”
Oliver stroked his chin a few times, wearing an awkward expression.
“After finishing my schedule, I went to pay my respects to the Grand Duke this morning.”
“……”
“He asked me to deliver this to you.”
Oliver stood up, lifted the large box from the floor, and brought it over.
As the box got closer and closer, it felt as if Jerlach himself was approaching, and I instinctively shrank back.
“H-he gave me this?”
“Yes, though I don’t know what’s inside.”
He set the box on the table, then took a step back.
I looked up at my brother with a face that couldn’t decide whether to laugh or cry.
“W-where are you going?”
“The Grand Duke specifically asked that you open the gift alone.”
What kind of ridiculous request was that?
With those words, my brother calmly left my room.
“W-what is this…”
I stood there, unable to touch or open the box Jerlach had sent, my face frozen in shock.
What on earth was inside that it had to be in such a big box?
I carefully began unwrapping the paper. The luxurious rose pattern felt increasingly sinister the longer I looked at it, making my heart pound faster.
Ah, this was so troublesome and awkward.
“……”
As cold sweat ran down my back, I finally unwrapped it to find something neatly covered in deep purple velvet.
I hesitated for a moment, then lifted the fabric.
“What is this…”
Inside the box was a dress, thin and fluttering like dragonfly wings.
I picked it up with two fingers as if it were something filthy.
It was a satin dress adorned with detailed lace, all in a ridiculously soft pink, as if it was trying to capture the peak of sweetness.
“What on earth…”
It was a beautiful dress.
It was covered in precious pearls, the kind you’d want to admire under the sunlight, if only for a moment—a very brief moment.
But it was not something I wanted to receive from that man.
No, I shouldn’t accept it at all!
“Eclair! Eclair!”
As if I had seen something I shouldn’t, I threw the dress onto the table and called for my maid.
“Did you call, miss?”
Perhaps it was nearly tea time, for Eclair arrived immediately when I called.
She looked at me with startled eyes, seeing me clutching the dress with a flustered face.
“What’s wrong, miss?”
“Eclair.”
I clenched the dress in my hand.
“What should I do?”
“What’s wrong, miss? Oh my, this dress is so beautiful!”
“W-well, yes, but…”
“It’s stunning! It would be perfect for you to wear to the upcoming ball.”
“N-no, absolutely not!”
When I jumped up in shock, Eclair looked completely bewildered.
“Why not?”
I couldn’t even explain it properly. This was driving me crazy.
‘This is bad.’
Things felt like they were getting more complicated than I had expected.
Those two were connected by the threads of destiny.
I had made a mistake and caused a mess, but I thought I could fix it.
Why was Jerlach so obsessed with me to this extent?
What was I supposed to do?
“Eclair.”
“Yes, miss?”
“If, let’s say, things keep going wrong, no matter what I do, what should I do then?”
“When things go wrong?”
“Yes, horribly wrong.”
“Hmm.”
Eclair tilted her head, thinking deeply, before answering cautiously.
“If it were me, I’d probably just… do nothing.”
“?”
“Because nothing would work anyway. Sometimes that happens.”
Maybe she was right.
There are things that won’t work out no matter what you do, just like how I couldn’t escape death no matter how hard I struggled.
“And if you can’t just do nothing?”
“Then…”
Eclair tilted her head again.
“Then I’d do my best to fight back! I’d ask for help from those around me and try my hardest, as much as I possibly could!”
“……”
“By the way, is something wrong, miss?”
“Uh, no, not really.”
“It’s just… you’ve seemed so anxious lately, miss. I know I may not be much help, but if you ever feel suffocated, please, at least talk to me.”
Eclair clasped her hands together as she spoke to me.
She was so kind and sweet.
‘Ah, in any case, I absolutely must not wear this.’
And just then, a very good idea popped into my head.
Maybe, just maybe, this could turn into a good opportunity.
