Episode 22
“You said you had someone you loved. I asked where he was from.”
Ah. Her tense shoulders relaxed.
A gentle smile appeared on her lips.
“He’s from this empire. Though we haven’t known each other for long, sometimes it feels like we’ve known each other for ten years. I saw him again recently for the first time in a while, and just thinking about him when I’m alone makes my heart flutter, and, well, you know…”
Yeorae felt embarrassed, realizing she had ended up talking too much on her own.
Leandros had remained silent throughout.
But when she saw him cast in the yellow glow of light and shadow, a wave of sorrow suddenly surged uncontrollably.
You foolish man.
It’s you, you idiot.
Leandros lowered his thick golden lashes and stared into a place somewhere beyond a reality Yeorae could not grasp.
“There’s someone I’ve kept in my heart as well. But now I can no longer see her.”
Yeorae closed her eyes. The pain in his final words made her chest ache.
“If the person you love were to die one day, would you go looking for a new man?”
“If I had to.”
Yeorae clasped her hands tightly to hide their trembling.
She recalled Leandros’s broad chest marked with a cross, glimpsed once through the office door.
I know. You’d probably want to vomit at my double-edged answer. I want to cut off this tongue right now, but if it’s for you, I could tell such lies a thousand times over.
“Originally, they say you overcome a farewell with a new encounter.”
“I see.”
Disappointment was plainly evident in Leandros’s act of setting down his empty glass.
Before he left, he looked at Yeorae with a contemptuous gaze, as if he’d just touched something filthy.
The moment his presence vanished, Yeorae collapsed in place, burying her face between her knees.
Her small, pitiful existence sank deep into the mire of dark pain.
***
04. A Painter Paints the Shards of Memory
The bedroom of the twins’ mother—the now-deceased former duchess—was located on the top floor of the estate.
More than twenty years had passed since her death, yet the furniture remained untouched, merely gathering dust. Because of this, the room was known among the estate’s people as “The Sealed Room of the Broken Clock.”
Whenever Sylas painted something he liked, he would always set up an easel in his mother’s room to display it.
After he placed a new painting, Leandros would come by to view it, though Yeorae wasn’t sure if Sylas was even aware of this.
“……”
You’re always here at this hour.
Twelve o’clock, when the sun is highest. The time when this room was bathed in the best light.
Yeorae peeked quietly through the slightly opened door at the back of Leandros’s head, who had once again come to this room.
The moment her hand touched the doorknob, Leandros turned his head.
She felt guilty, as if she had disturbed his peaceful rest. Like a frightened rabbit, she curved her back and cautiously entered the bedroom.
“Sorry to interrupt. His Grace told me to bring the painting.”
Leandros completely ignored her existence and walked out of the room.
Left alone in the sunlit bedroom, she hid the ache in her chest.
No, I did the right thing. For Leandros’s sake, the story must follow the original plot.
On the square canvas, a man and woman were riding horses together. The woman’s hair blew freely in the wind. Her face was lit with a bright smile, and she looked truly happy.
Yeorae stared blankly at the woman in the painting for a long time.
Leandros had once said that standing in this room made him feel as though he had returned to the past.
For some reason, she felt she could understand that feeling a little now.
***
Sylas Etsina had gone out again.
Ah, she forgot a word. This time he had deliberately gone out.
He bolted out of the estate like someone escaping an impending hurricane. Yeorae had never envied his free-spirited life more than at that moment.
She wanted nothing more than to follow him, but that was an unattainable wish. She had been summoned to the dining room, bound to her duty as a maid.
Today was the day Leandros was having a meal with the Blancmir merchant guild.
The long table set in the center of the dining hall looked entirely too formal. The ornate chandelier hanging from the arched ceiling and the tall candlesticks on the table illuminated the dusk but also added a weight of pressure.
In that moment, she completely understood why Sylas had dashed out of the house like a bolt of lightning. Knowing his personality, he would have done anything to escape this dinner.
The meal proceeded in seven courses.
She knew the big categories like appetizer and main dish as basic knowledge, but once it broke down into finer classifications, it felt like knowledge from another world entirely.
Fortunately, as a newcomer, she didn’t have to serve the table directly. Instead, she stood off to the side, ready to assist at any moment.
Leandros shone brighter than ever today.
His smooth blond hair was swept diagonally to reveal his clean forehead, and he wore a navy blue suit that hugged the curve of his waist.
Lilian was just as beautiful as Leandros. She had pinned up her voluminous curls in a shell-like bun and wore an emerald green dress reminiscent of jade. Her exposed shoulders looked as delicate as dew, provoking a subtle instinct.
The sight of them conversing over dinner looked like a scene from an old movie reel.
According to the original story, Leandros and Lilian were supposed to remain distant at this point. But now, Lilian was chattering away to him like a baby bird.
“I’ve heard the duchy is famous for its wine. Before my father visited, he would always look forward to the wine from here.”
“It’s the result of the farmers’ blood and sweat.”
“I only recently started enjoying alcohol, so I still don’t know how to distinguish wines. I heard the wine from here tastes as sweet as sugar syrup. Is that true?”
…Just because Lilian was talkative didn’t mean the atmosphere was pleasant.
No matter what she said, his replies were cold and curt. Lilian began to fidget awkwardly, breaking into a nervous sweat.
Yeorae, watching this unfold, felt anxiety gnawing at her chest.
Had she imagined the friendly conversation from the sitting room the other day? Looking back, she had only caught a few lines of it anyway.
‘This is driving me crazy. What’s with these brothers both acting like this?’
Every time Lilian got flustered, Yeorae felt just as embarrassed and guilty, unable to lift her head. The other guests from the merchant guild also looked like they were sitting on pins and needles.
Even if a stranger were seated there, the conversation might have been more enjoyable than this… In her old world, she’d actually thought Lilian was annoyingly talkative, almost a chatterbox.
“As you may know, Duke, in my homeland, starfish dishes and garlands made of palm leaves are famous. Ah, and so are shell necklaces! For people who live by the sea, shell necklaces are as essential as shoes.”
Lilian gathered her courage and tried again to strike up conversation.
“When I was young, I learned how to string necklaces from my grandmother. After that, I got so into it that I spent all my time picking up shells on the beach. If the waves were strong the day before, I’d always find rare and beautiful shells the next morning.”
“Yes, fascinating.”
“The sea itself is very beautiful too. Especially around sunset, it’s like watching a living landscape painting unfold before your eyes. I really wish you could visit our hometown someday, Your Grace…”
“Miss Eden, I don’t go to the sea.”
The silverware she had been moving so earnestly suddenly came to a halt.
Lilian, having held it in for so long, finally burst out with sharp emotion.
“Why not?”
Only then did Leandros finally raise his head and look directly at her.
But the one who seemed more startled was none other than Lilian herself, who had raised her voice.
And no wonder—because she had seen it: the vivid pain of loss reflected in the cold eyes of the man across from her.
• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Esraa• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
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