Last time too, while Sir Hans wasn’t looking, I spoke with the old woman. She saw what kind of person I was in this world.
“Excuse me? Are you there right now?”
Instead of Milan, I started searching for the old woman. If it was her, she might be able to tell me more about the things I’d been wondering about.
“Grandmother! I know you’re watching. Where are you?”
I turned back from the alley I’d just entered and wandered around. It had been hard enough keeping up with Milan, but somehow I found myself moving faster than before, hastily searching for the old woman.
But she was nowhere to be seen.
“Why is there no one here…?”
Neither Milan nor the old woman was around. One would expect at least someone else to be nearby, but not a single strand of hair could be found in the alley.
“What now…!”
I let out a sigh of frustration. If neither Milan nor the old woman was here, I had no reason to stay in the alley.
“That’s it. I’m leaving.”
There was no use lingering. I turned back again, thinking to call for the family knights waiting outside.
The moment I turned the corner, I saw them—our family knights, standing outside the alley. But something seemed off. They didn’t look like they were calmly waiting; there was an unusual tension in the air.
I was just about to call out to them when—
Someone grabbed my shoulder with a firm grip.
When I turned around, I saw Milan, breathless and panting.
“Brother?!”
I opened my eyes wide.
“You were in there this whole time?”
He was in the same alley as me?
But I hadn’t seen even a trace of him when I was searching. How could that be?
As soon as I asked, Milan’s face twisted with anger.
“Where the hell have you been all this time?!”
“…Huh?”
For a moment, I was speechless. I had been the one looking everywhere for him, so why was he yelling at me?
“I was inside the alley.”
Though still confused, I barely managed to answer. I was more shocked than anything by the fact that he’d raised his voice at me.
It was the first time he’d ever shouted like that.
And he looked genuinely furious.
“All you had to do was follow behind me. And yet you vanished just like that? Are you trying to mess with people?”
“I didn’t disappear. I turned the corner after you, and then you were gone.”
“Unbelievable…”
Why was he so angry? I couldn’t understand his reaction at all.
“You didn’t have to yell like that.”
I was startled—and hurt.
“Is that really something to get this mad about? I was missing, but I came looking for you…”
Feeling wronged, I let out my own complaint. Milan frowned at that.
“Missing for a moment? Do you call an hour a moment?”
“An hour?!”
No way.
My eyes widened. Had I really been wandering around in the alley for a full hour? I must have completely lost track of time.
“You made me and the knights search for you for a whole hour, and now you’re saying it’s no big deal?”
Milan scoffed in disbelief and grabbed my wrist.
“Come with me. We’re running late.”
He resumed walking toward our destination, dragging me along—as if to make sure I wouldn’t disappear from his sight again.
And just like that, we went into the jeweler’s shop.
And accomplished absolutely nothing.
____________.𖥔 ݁ ˖𓆰♕𓆪 ֶָ֢. _________
So that stillness earlier… it was peace.
It hit me only as we rode back in the carriage.
Milan was in the worst mood. He’d spent an hour searching for me, and even after all that, we hadn’t achieved a thing.
But I went through all that trouble too!
I felt unfairly treated.
I’d turned the corner and lost sight of him. I called his name again and again, but there was no response.
Even when I explained it like that, Milan didn’t believe me. And honestly, if the roles were reversed, I probably wouldn’t believe it either. But it was true.
“I’ll fix that nasty habit of yours once and for all.”
With clear determination in his voice, Milan went straight to Father as soon as we returned to the estate.
“Is Father in his study?”
“Yes, My Lord.”
At the butler’s reply, Milan strode off. I had a bad feeling about this and quickly followed him.
“Wait! I’m coming too!”
As we entered the study, Father was reviewing some documents.
“You’re here,” he said, looking up from his papers to regard us calmly.
“Did Vanessa prove helpful?”
“No. She was of no help at all.”
“That’s unfortunate.”
“There’s something else I need to speak with you about.”
Here it comes.
Milan began explaining everything that had happened earlier. How I’d vanished while we were on our way to the jeweler’s and how he had spent an hour searching for me.
“She even had the nerve to ask why I was angry. No sign of remorse whatsoever.”
His voice still brimmed with frustration.
“How long are you going to let her do as she pleases? She stole Mother’s keepsake, lost it, and has shown no real intention of finding it. All she does is play games with people.”
“That’s not true…!”
I glanced at Father anxiously.
“What I said to Brother—it’s all true. Please believe me, Father.”
But would he?
“I should’ve stayed put… It’s true that I moved around, and that was wrong.”
I admitted carefully.
“I don’t know how it happened, but I swear it wasn’t intentional.”
This version of Father didn’t seem to have much attachment to his daughter. The tiara mattered more than I did.
So I had to avoid upsetting him as much as possible.
“It’s not fair to say I wasn’t trying to find it. You saw me, didn’t you? I was doing everything I could to search for it.”
“And did you find it?”
Milan cut in.
“From what I saw, it looked more like she was out on a stroll.”
“I wasn’t playing around. I was retracing my steps—that’s why it looked that way… I do have a sense of responsibility.”
“But you still caused trouble today.”
Father narrowed his eyes. Milan’s voice grew bolder.
“Father. This time, we need to act firmly. Let’s send her away.”
Send me away?
I looked at Milan in shock. But then his next words changed everything.
“If we send her to the estate, she might finally come to her senses.”
The estate?
That’s supposed to be a punishment?
That wasn’t punishment. That was a blessing.
If I went there, I wouldn’t have to run into the First Prince.
As long as I remained in the capital, there was always the risk of encountering that dangerous man again. I needed to lay low—and what better place than the estate?
The very thought lifted the weight off my chest.
“Should I go…?”
I looked to Father and spoke gently.
“What?”
“If you’re going to send me to the estate… I’ll go.”
Had I agreed too easily? Milan looked at me suspiciously.
“What are you scheming now? You said you’d never live in some rural corner.”
Even Father eyed me strangely. So this wasn’t the first time Milan had brought it up.
I quickly made up an excuse.
“No, I mean… if sending me will ease both your minds… I’ll go.”
I couldn’t let them see how glad I really was. I curled my hand into a fist, pressing my nails into my palm. That was how someone showed remorse.
“If you say the word, I’ll leave right away. I’ll stay quietly until you call me back…”
Honestly, I wished I could leave tomorrow.
I waited with my head bowed as Father considered it.
“You’re willing to accept punishment so easily?”
His voice broke the silence.
“You, of all people, hate boring lives. Surely you know that being sent to the estate is a punishment.”
“I’ve caused trouble… and I do feel bad about it.”
“You, saying you feel bad? What a day.”
Father sounded genuinely surprised. I wasn’t sure how to react—his tone wasn’t as cold as I’d expected.
“After surviving something that big… I guess some change was inevitable.”
“What exactly has changed?”
“Well… it’s a bit of an improvement, I suppose.”
Milan chimed in, but Father denied it.
“She has changed a little.”
He looked at me closely.
“You no longer go running around because of the Second Prince, do you?”
“That’s true…”
“You haven’t caused any more fights with the young ladies, and your outrageous spending has decreased. I hear you’ve even been taking the medicine the doctor prescribed.”
He was keeping track of all that?
I thought he’d given up on me completely, but it seemed he’d still been watching my behavior.
Father fell silent, as if debating what to do with me.
And then—finally—his verdict came.
“I’ll let today’s commotion go.”
“…What?”
“I see signs of remorse. So I’ll keep watching for now. You don’t have to go to the estate.”
“……?”
“Father!”
Milan shouted, clearly shocked. I was just as confused.
Wait, I’m not going?
I had someone I needed to avoid. I’d thought the estate was finally my chance to live peacefully…
But this unexpected twist darkened my expression.
“Not thrilled, are you? You and your brother look just the same right now.”
“No, I’m grateful! Truly!”
I am grateful… but still.
What was this strange feeling? I stood there stunned as Father dismissed us.
“That’s enough. You may both go now.”
“Father!”
“Milan. Your voice is loud.”
I left the study first and trudged back to my room, where I collapsed onto the bed.
I didn’t know whether to be happy or disappointed. One thing was certain—once again, things had not gone the way I intended. The outcome was completely different from what I’d hoped.
Why would Father cancel the punishment I agreed to?!
“Well… I suppose this is better.”
Come to think of it, being sent to the estate would have meant he was giving up on me completely. The fact that I wasn’t cast out… maybe that was a blessing.
Maybe I should try to live well in this world after all. Avoiding the First Prince would be harder now, but…
Still, I’d made it through another crisis.
“Ha… Every day feels like walking on a frozen lake.”
