I nodded in response to John’s words.
“Yes, that’s true.”
“You didn’t tell me you would do your best for me?”
John slightly lowered his eyebrows, giving a look of slight disappointment. His soft voice somehow sounded a little hurt.
“It’s a bit disappointing if you push me away so obviously.”
Anyone who heard might think I had done something wrong.
‘When did I push him away?!’
A feeling of unfairness arose inside me. But strangely, as I listened to John’s words, no suitable reply came to mind. Because what I said was indeed true.
‘Anyway, I didn’t mean it like that.’
John’s handsome face moved closer. I could reach him with just an outstretched arm.
“Are you just going to get expectations up and then back off?”
“…”
“You’re so mean.”
I suddenly felt like I had become a femme fatale capable of shaking someone’s heart. But the person trying to seduce and abandon me was himself!
“What are you talking about? I haven’t pulled back at all.”
“So, you’re not accepting what I said?”
“There’s a bit of unfairness on my part, yes.”
“Then, will you do as I want?”
At that moment, John softly tugged the corner of his lips into a smile and gently brushed my bangs back with his firm fingers. My heartbeat grew even louder.
“That’s…”
My awkward response made him smile gently as he slowly brought his face closer. His beautifully shaped lips, tinged with red, also approached slowly. Unknowingly, I closed my eyes. Then, he let out a cool, refreshing laugh and gently bumped his forehead against mine.
“Are you feeling a little more relaxed now?”
“…Yes?”
“I was just playing a little trick intentionally.”
John winked with one eye and fiddled with my earlobe with his large hand.
“I thought you might be tense because of unwarranted pressure. You don’t have to worry about it.”
I knew I shouldn’t, but my tension suddenly eased, and I felt myself swayed by every word he said, which made me feel a bit empty. I finally composed myself.
‘This is all part of some scheme.’
But my guard was starting to weaken. Seeing John’s face with the corners of his eyes crinkled and smiling, he looked more like a mischievous boy than the mature man who had been skillfully handling me just moments ago.
“What does that mean?”
“Talking with me already feels more comfortable, doesn’t it?”
“Honestly, I’ve never had trouble talking before.”
“Then, let’s just pretend I was just joking around for no reason.”
Listening to John’s playful words, my head was spinning.
‘I thought maybe my fever was rising because I was conscious of the scheme.’
It seemed the side effect of eating the Eoleon fruit earlier was starting to come on now. If I stayed like this, I might collapse in front of John.
‘That would be a big problem.’
He was a clever blackmailer, after all. He might deduce from minor clues that I was the daughter they failed to love at Libertan.
‘I could die right now.’
The only reason I could keep this position was because I was valuable as a target of revenge. John planned to give the cruelest death to the daughter he once loved at Libertan, inflicting greater pain. Therefore, I, unloved in return, had no reason to be kept alive.
‘Most importantly, I must not appear more unlikable until I run away.’
At least, my movements shouldn’t be so restricted that I can’t do anything. And everyone who saw my pain only despised me more.
‘Even though I’m a true daughter, why does the Duke of Libertan keep such things in his estate? Honestly, it only causes trouble and damages the duke’s household.’
‘He’s probably pretending to be sympathetic to me, to gain favor.’
If the blackmailer originally hated me, she might have kept me more thoroughly confined, using my pain as an excuse to prevent me from doing anything.
“Yes, yes, I’ll go to bed now, the bad wife that I am.”
No matter how awkward it might be, I tried to send John out of the room. Fortunately, John obediently moved with my hand.
“Are you going to bed so early?”
“I’m actually going to bed later than usual.”
“Is it because I made you upset with my joke?”
I responded neatly to John’s question at the door.
“Not at all.”
“Then that’s fine.”
I started to feel even more dizzy. Soon, I wouldn’t even be able to walk properly, staggering. John caught my face as I was about to turn around. For a moment, I was worried he might notice the fever in my head.
“Sleep well, madam.”
But he smiled gently, brushed my bangs aside, and left.
~·~·* . *^.^* . *·~·~
John didn’t leave but stood with his back against the door. I was here to try to shake him, but instead, my doubts only grew.
‘There was a fever.’
When I deliberately brushed my bangs and pressed my forehead to his, I could clearly feel the heat.
‘It must be the allergic reaction to the Eoleon fruit coming back.’
That was probably why I tried to push him out of the room suddenly. John remembered the calm expression of Esther, who was deliberately feigning her temperature. It was a natural act, so much so that I might not have realized she was feigning a fever if I hadn’t checked.
‘What’s the reason for hiding the allergy symptoms?’
If John was trying to gain sympathy for himself, he should have pretended to be caught in the act. His suspicious attitude towards Esther, who was impossible to figure out, made his brow furrow.
After waiting a moment, I heard the faint breathing of a woman who had collapsed and fallen asleep. It seemed she was trying to endure the pain, as she occasionally let out strained groans. John silently opened the door. The room inside was exactly as he had expected. Esther was clutching the blanket as if it were protecting her. John placed his large hand on her forehead, which was sweating cold.
‘I could just call a doctor.’
He took out the allergy medication he brought for Esther from his pocket. He had brought it honestly to reveal the allergy.
‘I kept it hidden until the end, but…’
John dropped a few drops of the potion at Esther’s mouth. As the medicine took effect, her strained breathing gradually began to calm. Suddenly noticing something strange, John furrowed his brow and looked at his hand. From earlier until now, despite contact with the hated daughter of Libertan, he felt no disgust at all. Rather, the gentle touch felt pleasant. This was impossible.
~·~·* . *^.^* . *·~·~
My body felt unusually refreshed unlike usual. I stretched, feeling a rare sense of relief.
‘Maybe it’s because I changed the place I sleep in?’
Usually, eating the Eoleon fruit made me miserable at least until noon. But now, I felt as if I had taken some kind of tonic, not the Eoleon fruit.
‘Or maybe my allergy to the Eoleon fruit has improved.’
Sometimes, in life, an illness can improve without you realizing it. As soon as I got up and drew the black curtains to enjoy the morning sunlight, Betty entered.
“Madam, did you sleep well?”
“Yes. Thanks to the very comfortable bedroom, I slept well.”
When I said the bed was good, Betty’s brown eyes flickered slightly. It seemed strange to her that I liked this dark, gloomy room.
“I see. I was worried because I couldn’t prepare a room suitable for your status, but I’m very glad.”
“My status?”
Apparently, this bed was so good that it even alleviated allergy symptoms, contrary to appearances.
‘It might not be because of the bed, though.’
Still, it was a relief that the bed I first slept on suited me well.
“This is the first time I’ve slept in such a good bed.”
In the original story, the servants of the Blanchet household were all very loyal. So they all conspired to put me in trouble.
‘Maybe I should praise the Blanchet family?’
Because people usually feel good when praised for what they like.
“I even worry whether I deserve to be a lady of such a noble family.”
“…Don’t worry, madam. You’ll do well.”
“I appreciate your kind words.”
I smiled sincerely, but Betty seemed to have a faint, sad expression.
‘Did I misread her?’
Looking again, Betty was smiling even brighter than before. Well, there’s no reason for her to suddenly look sad after praising the Blanchet family.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t prepare a bath water yesterday. I’ve already prepared it in advance. How about taking a light breakfast before your bath?”
I was already feeling a bit uneasy.
“Okay. Can I ask what’s on the breakfast menu today?”
~·~·* . *^.^* . *·~·~
John said he had an urgent matter to attend to early in the morning, so he left. So I ate a simple breakfast alone. Maybe because John was gone, I could enjoy my meal more comfortably.
‘The cherry pie was so delicious.’
Fortunately, today’s dessert was not the Eoleon fruit, so I was even more satisfied. Eating dessert for breakfast is a bit excessive, but refusing the food offered would be impolite to the chef. After drinking tea, I followed Betty to the corridor of the annex to take a bath. The wall of the central corridor was covered with black cloth, as if a frame was hidden behind it. Betty, noticing my gaze, smiled and asked.
“Are you interested in the black portraits?”
“Black portraits?”
“Yes. In the Blanchet household, it’s a tradition to hang portraits of those who must not be forgotten, so that they are remembered for a long time. It’s a custom unique to the Blanchet family, so it might seem strange.”
Fortunately, this wasn’t the first time I’d heard about it.
‘In the original, I was terrified when I saw these portraits behind the black cloth, weren’t I?’
The black cloth portraits were of those whom the Blanchet family long honored—vassals who had served loyally and were now immortalized. Interestingly, they were painted quite terrifying and grotesque compared to regular portraits.
‘Maybe it’s to honor the vassals who wanted to protect Blanchet even after death.’
Anyway, the important point was that in the original, I was frightened by these portraits, which caused problems. Because the adopted daughter from Libertan showed disrespect to the vassals of the Blanchet family.
‘If I had known, I wouldn’t have been so surprised.’
Betty, sensing my hesitation, asked cautiously.
“Are you curious about the portraits behind the black cloth?”
“Am I allowed to look at them?”
“Of course. Madam is the wife of the Duke of Blanchet, after all.”
Betty quickly pulled away the black cloth.
‘It’s not that shocking.’
Maybe I already knew, so it didn’t surprise me, but the portraits were quite interesting—an unusual yet decent piece of art. Betty then showed me others, and among them, one name caught my eye—it looked very familiar.
‘Lecyrus Pullman?’
I wasn’t sure why it looked so familiar. Did I read about him in a novel? Then I heard Betty’s cautious voice, as if she’d anticipated my question. It was the question I’d been waiting for.
“Madam, aren’t these portraits frightening to you?”
“Considering that these are important figures in the Blanchet family, and that they’re said to be unforgettable, I suppose they’re not really frightening.”
“…”
“I just feel grateful.”
I finished my words that I had prepared as I looked at the portraits with a gentle smile. Betty, who had been silently watching me for a moment, smiled happily.
“You’re very kind, madam. The other members of the family would be very pleased to hear this.”
“Thank you for saying that.”
Somehow, Betty’s reaction seemed a little different from the first time we met.
‘Maybe praising the family had some effect?’
Of course, that didn’t change the fact that Betty was John’s spy. So I decided to pretend to be the lady of the estate, who cared for her retainers, and spoke.
“But I also know what kind of person I am. I’m not such a good person, nor someone who can do something particularly well.”
“…”
“So, Betty, if you ever feel like not serving me anymore, just tell me. I understand completely.”
If her loyal attendant disappeared, it might be easier to escape. Betty kept her words with a mysterious expression.
‘It’s a difficult thing to say outright.’
The bathroom was near the room I arrived at after turning down the corridor. It was a very large place, even with a separate bath.
“This is the bathroom you will be using, madam.”
The bathroom was more luxurious than I expected. The hot water was already warm, and I thought I could just wash right away.
“Then I will prepare the attendants. Would you like to disrobe?”
Betty, seeming quite familiar, extended her hand.
‘This moment has finally arrived.’
Back in Libertan, I used to bathe alone, so this situation was a bit awkward. Of course, I also had things I wanted to hide.
“Can I wash myself alone?”
“…Without anyone helping you?”
There was genuine curiosity in Betty’s brown eyes.
“Madam. If you find it uncomfortable, I can call another maid…”
“That’s not it. I just… feel shy.”
“Still, as the lady of the Blanchet family, I can’t just refuse to help with your bath.”
Betty seemed very persistent. She looked fine when I changed clothes last time.
‘Could John have told her to watch over me during the bath?’
If that’s the reason, I have no choice but to accept. I shouldn’t cause more suspicion by resisting unnecessarily.
“Then, I guess I have no choice. I’ll let you help with my bath.”
Finally, I agreed to Betty’s assistance and undressed. As Betty caught my clothes, she took a deep breath and dropped my dress.
“Madam. This…”
Her gaze was fixed on the scars on my body.
‘That’s why I wanted to hide it.’
These scars were very old. If anyone didn’t know the story, they’d probably be quite surprised to see them.
~·~·*· . ·**##^^##**· . ·*·~·~
Hey there, It’s Green Rose 😉
Since I human I might have make some mistakes while translating so please if you find them let me know here in the comments or in the Discord group so I can correct them and be careful in the future so they do not repeat.
Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
~~~Next Chapter~~~
Next chapter will be released Tomorrow.
See you then!!
