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Pale Erich’s face was tense with anxiety.

“Just a few words from me and this is what happens?”

“No, it’s not like that.”

“Then what is it if not that!”

Erich snapped angrily. Realizing perhaps that he shouldn’t have raised his voice, he reluctantly added:

“I apologize; I may have spoken improperly. Please come down quickly.”

No matter how I looked at it, his reaction seemed a bit strange. Had something happened outside?

‘Or maybe he thinks I’m in danger?’

But that didn’t quite add up. This window wasn’t so loose that a little slip would cause it to fall. I wondered if I was misunderstanding something about the window frame, so I looked down again. Just as I thought the ground looked faintly distant, Erich suddenly shouted again, “Now!” startled me enough that I almost fell.

‘Why would Erich be worried about my safety?’

From his perspective, wouldn’t he want me to fall and die? It would be easier to deal with an enemy that way.

‘Or maybe he’s trying to make my death more painful?’

That possibility definitely existed. Since the situation had escalated to this point, I wiped away my tears and asked him directly.

“…Why?”

“Why, Nani. What are you talking about?”

“Wasn’t that what you wanted?”

Then Erich’s pale gray eyes oddly became vacant.

“…That’s…”

He paused for a moment before speaking with difficulty.

“Because I cannot allow you to die easily, even if it means…”

I was right! The pale gray eyes of Erich, who kept staring at me from the window, trembled repeatedly. Looking closer, I saw his clenched fist trembling, too. It seemed clear that he was doing all this to save someone like me, which made me very angry.

“So don’t try to escape like this.”

His last, irritable remark. Having confirmed his purpose, there was no reason to keep standing at the window. I slowly stepped back down. Seeing this, Erich, who had been watching me descend, suddenly sank to his knees as if his strength had left him.

‘Why is he acting like that?’

While Erich was preoccupied, I quietly took out the magic book I had kept hidden and moved outside. At that moment, Erich called to me without even turning his head.

“You.”

Now he didn’t even call me “Lady.” I tensed, worried that he might try to snatch the magic book I was holding.

“If I hadn’t stopped you, would you really have fallen like that?”

“No.”

“…Are you asking me to believe that?”

Trust between people is truly important. I felt that honestly saying so wouldn’t make much impact.

“Then is there even a reason not to trust?”

At that moment, I noticed Erich’s hand glancingly reaching out. It was gripping so tightly that I thought blood might come out.

Oh, well.

Leaving a shocked person as they are didn’t seem very humane. I calmly told Erich,

“Why bother thinking about what didn’t happen?”

“…”

“The reality remains the same.”

After reassuring him that I was still alive despite his misconceptions, I hugged my book and hurriedly escaped. Fortunately, I wasn’t caught trying to steal the magic book from Erich.

~·~·*· . ·*· . ·*· . ·*·~·~

Erich recognized her at first glance.

‘Estelle Libertan.’

It wasn’t just because of her sweet, blooming flower-like colors. Estelle exuded an aristocratic, noble, and adorable aura, as if she were a young lady raised with care.

“Nice to meet you. Baron Bloné.”

Hateful Libertan. Erich’s desire for revenge against the Libertan, who had betrayed and cast aside his loyal family, was relentless. Ultimately, he aimed to avenge them—especially if it meant causing the death of his adoptive daughter, whom he cherished, or leaving an indelible scar.

“Ah, I came to find a book to pass the time.”

As Erich’s aide, he had to perfectly follow Lord John’s orders. But whenever he looked at Estelle’s gentle face, an uncontrollable rage boiled inside him.

‘Even for revenge, I don’t like the idea of letting her live comfortably.’

He disliked the very fact that she was allowed to live peacefully like that.

“Yes. I’ve only just arrived, but everyone has been so kind and welcoming.”

He looked at her with a hostile gaze, sneering.

“This is not Libertan territory. Lady, you should understand that this isn’t a place where you can wander around casually with a smile.”

Hearing those words, her already pale face turned even whiter. Her face, as if it might shatter at any moment, looked unsettling.

“…I understand.”

Despite her appearance on the verge of collapse, Estelle didn’t cry.

“I’m sorry for coming into your study without permission. Perhaps I got too excited and forgot my situation.”

No matter how much she insulted or belittled him, Estelle didn’t get angry at Erich. Instead, she seemed accustomed to such insults.

“Because I’m not a suitable wife for the baron’s expectations. If that’s the case, then it’s my fault.”

The more Erich talked to Estelle, who stood pitifully, the more he felt himself becoming the perpetrator. Why was that? His only deep blue eyes flickered with a strange sadness.

“But all I can do now is apologize.”

Eventually, Erich couldn’t hold back and fled. But even after running away, he couldn’t find peace easily. It wasn’t that he was running; he should have refused to be swayed by her apologies, criticized her more harshly, and treated her more cruelly. If he had done that, he wouldn’t be sitting here haunted by thoughts of Estelle. Now, a strange anxiety was creeping in. He felt as if that woman, who had been smiling so innocently, was going to shatter her grand revenge against Libertan.

So Erich opened his eyes more sharply and kept a close watch on Estelle’s every move. He was convinced she was in cahoots with Libertan. But then another strange event occurred.

“Ah, I must have been mistaken.”

That couldn’t be mistaken. It was obvious to everyone that the Marquis Gaspier was a completely different person from Lexius Pullman, and they weren’t even related.

“Your amethyst brooch is very beautiful. It suits your outfit very well.”

Estelle complimented the Marquis Gaspier’s amethyst brooch, which he wasn’t even wearing. And the only famous incident involving an amethyst brooch from the Blanchett family was the one Estelle herself had mentioned—an affair linked to Lexius Pullman. At first, Erich was deeply confused by Estelle’s words. Although the incident was well known within the Blanchett estate, he never expected her to mention it.

“…A brooch with an amethyst from Marquis Gaspier’s chamber was found.”

Even the Marquis Gaspier himself was later revealed to be the culprit.

‘What on earth is she thinking?’

If her goal was to gain the trust of the Blanchett family, it would have been better to honestly say she knew the culprit. But Estelle’s behavior was too vague to suggest she was trying to uncover the truth.

‘What the…’

She calmly finished her words and then barely let out a sigh of relief. It meant she had made a firm decision and moved forward.

‘What is her purpose?’

Just thinking about Estelle made his mind spin. Then, Erich, who had entered the study again, witnessed another shocking scene. He saw the title of the book Estelle was holding: <A Death Without Pain…>. He couldn’t see the beginning clearly from a distance, but it was vivid enough. Erich approached her as she wandered through the restricted bookshelf, finally pulling out such a book.

“[I wanted to die. When there’s no way out, it seems like the only option—]”

Could she be protesting just because she made a sarcastic remark? His complicated thoughts vanished, replaced by rage. How pathetic he was, thinking he could see through her true intentions.

‘The shameless woman.’

It was clear that Liberta’s vulgar nature couldn’t be hidden. So Erich no longer wavered at her apologies.

‘It’s fortunate I realized her dreadful nature.’

Lost in this thought, he returned to the study, where a bad premonition gnawed at him.

‘What is that…’

Before long, Estelle was standing at the window. Her shimmering platinum hair fluttered dangerously in the breeze. The wind outside the window blew so fiercely it seemed ready to blow her away at any moment.

“Is it my fault…”

There, Estelle was crying.

“Things really ended up like this.”

In that moment, his mind went completely blank. Erich suddenly recalled what he had just said.

‘Why are you asking me that? You should figure out your own atonement.’

Could she really believe that dying was the only way to atone?

‘Or…’ Was it her own action to betray Marquis Gaspier?

Once he thought that, her behavior, though strange, began to make some sense. And the more he understood, the greater his fear grew.

‘Is she really planning to die?’

A guilt as if he had been tormenting a helpless young animal overwhelmed him. Estelle showed no movement as he watched her. Her serene face looked as fleeting and illusory as a mirage.

“Wait!”

Finally, Erich couldn’t stand it any longer and grabbed her.

“…Why?”

“Why… what are you talking about?”

“Wasn’t that what you wanted?”

Erich had to admit, that was exactly what he wanted too. Not long ago, he had even said there was no reason to go to such lengths to save her. If it hadn’t been for Lord John—her master—he would have already condemned Estelle to the gallows, crushing her parents’ hopes. Because he thought that pain to lose a cherished child was more certain.

“If I really hadn’t stopped you, you would have fallen just like that?”

He asked her, who was walking out with a sorrowful expression, but dared not turn his gaze to her face.

“No.”

“…Are you asking me to believe that?”

“Why bother thinking about what didn’t happen?”

Erich thought he understood her expression, even though he hadn’t seen her face. Listening to her moist voice, he couldn’t help but imagine her tears silently flowing.

“The reality remains unchanged.”

He heard Estelle’s footsteps disappearing from the study. When he finally turned his head, he couldn’t look away from that empty space.

~·~·*· . ·**##^^##**· . ·*·~·~

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!!