Chapter 65
His face, as he spoke those words, looked lighter, as if he had just relieved emotions that had been pent up for years.
Wait a minute, though.
“Canary? You haven’t let that go yet…?”
Smack.
Once again, he pressed his lips to mine, and with a bright smile, he teased me.
“Why does that matter in a situation like this?”
“You… You…!”
My face turned as red as if it was about to explode, and I gasped for air as I stared at him.
“What… What are you doing!”
He had kissed me twice and still had that confident expression!
Meanwhile, my heart was racing like crazy.
“Hmm?”
And for some reason, I felt a little frustrated.
He smiled so cheekily as if he knew exactly what was going on. I stepped forward and grabbed his wrist.
I grabbed his shoulder and shoved him against the wall.
Thud.
Well, I shoved him, but…
“What’s this?”
He raised an eyebrow and smirked, clearly amused.
“Why? Want me to do it again?”
“…”
“I told you, you like me way too much.”
He shook his head as if to say I couldn’t hide it, his smile playful as he looked at me.
His eyes were like a sly snake, and my face turned even hotter as I let out a small whimper.
‘This is so unfair!’
And that night, just as he had warned, he left for a distant place I didn’t know.
A small note with the words Thank you was left behind.
But just because he was far away didn’t mean that the bond we had built up over the years would break in an instant.
Even after going far away, Kyle still sent me letters once a month.
When I was 10 years old and fell into the mud while playing with Sharden, he sent a letter cursing Sharden.
You know, that guy’s always been a little crazy. They say crazy people always hang out with others just like them. …Oh, so that’s why he and I were friends?
When I was 13 and Noel had a serious fever, he sent a letter with words of comfort and advice.
That guy’s weak, huh? I heard fevers last longer for people like him. He should drink warm tea. It’ll help his body…
On my 15th birthday, when I distanced myself from Noel because of family reasons, and Sharden entered the academy, the only comfort I had was his letter.
Happy 15th birthday, Yuria. If I was there, I’d have eaten cake with you.
It’s laughable. My few short years began and ended with him.
I believed, without a doubt, that our letters would never stop coming.
But, when I turned 17, suddenly, he stopped writing, with only a brief note saying he had gone to war. A year passed, and I hadn’t heard from him.
‘So much has happened in the meantime.’
Now, at 18, with my debutante approaching, I opened the box that held all of our letters from the past few years.
It was a box filled with the letters Kyle and I had exchanged.
I blew off the dust that had gathered on top of the letters.
Underneath, his neat handwriting emerged from the dust.
To Yuria.
It was a firm handwriting, yet it carried a strange affection.
I held the letter close to my chest and closed my eyes.
I didn’t take the letter out to read it or cry like some sobbing fool.
“I miss you.”
The reason was simple.
I had dreamt about my childhood, when I used to play without a care, and for some reason, his face felt so nostalgic.
Anyway, even while he was gone, there were many events in the mansion.
The one that stood out the most was Hans beginning his knight training.
After winning first place in the hunting competition, with my father’s permission, Hans joined the first knight order of the Benestra Duchy.
Though he was still lacking in the basics, he was to be formally knighted after receiving proper training.
Since then, Hans had been so busy with training that I rarely saw his face.
Hans was busy with training, Sharden was focused on his perfume business after graduating from the academy, and Noel was occupied with preparations for his move.
Everything, except for me, seemed to be going as planned in the original story.
Even Kyle, the one person I had hoped for, had vanished without a word, leaving only the cryptic message, “If you believe in me, wait just a little longer.” And now, a full year had passed.
‘Will the storyline even progress properly now?’
Unlike them, no one was asking me to do anything, and I had nowhere to go. So, I spent my time lying on the sofa, mindlessly nibbling on macarons.
A complete couch potato.
Well, sometimes I mined gems and did some crafting with Kim and Belphegor, but perhaps I’d worked too hard in my past life.
Nothing seemed fun anymore.
Even reincarnation was only interesting up to a certain point. After the second and third rounds, it felt like it was just dragging on.
‘The macarons seem a bit too crisp.’
I thought aimlessly as I ate the macarons from the three-tiered tray.
Just then, a knock on the door interrupted my thoughts. I set the macarons down and turned my head.
“Come in.”
It was probably either my father or Sophie. Recently, my father had been actively pushing for me to marry Lord Rastin Catharine.
That Rastin, Noel’s older brother.
‘Why am I getting involved with him again?’
Damn it. Could you please just stay out of my life?
I screamed silently in my mind.
My father said that while the Catharine family wasn’t the wealthiest, Rastin was handsome, diligent, and good-natured. He was perfect, according to my father.
‘His character was good, apparently.’
One day, my father, while on business, met Rastin at an orphanage and saw him making flower crowns for the children. He felt a connection and started liking him.
Of course, my father misunderstood when I occasionally went to the Catharine mansion to meet Noel.
Anyway, I had absolutely no intention of marrying Rastin for political reasons.
Nothing good ever came out of being involved with him in my past life.
I would rather remain single.
‘Should I just get independent at this point?’
As I pondered how I might get permission to live independently, a man approached me, breaking my train of thought.
“Miss, I have the dress for your debutante.”
“A dress?”
I looked at the elderly seamstress kneeling in front of me in confusion.
“Yes, it’s all top quality.”
“…”
An elderly seamstress with a dress.
Wait, this feels like…
‘Didn’t I see this scene somewhere before?’
It felt like déjà vu, something so familiar.
‘Did I dream about this before?’
No, if it was a dream like this, I would’ve written it in my journal because it would’ve been too strange.
I looked down at him with a frown.
I was about to tell him to pick a dress slowly when I suddenly spoke.
“…It looks cheap.”
My tongue slipped before I could stop it.
Ding!
{System: The villain penalty is now applied as the debutante approaches.}
As soon as the words appeared, my body began moving as though someone else was controlling me.
My relaxed expression froze with a chill, and my raised eyebrows showed my growing displeasure.
I walked towards the seamstress, trembling in front of him, grabbed his chin, and looked down at his graying hair.
‘How am I supposed to hit someone this old?!’
My next line was obvious.
“Look up.”
In contrast to my usual gentle nature, cold words poured out of my mouth.
“Sorry, I’m sorry.”
As soon as I finished speaking, the seamstress raised his face.
His face, dimmed with tension and exhaustion, appeared paler than usual. His lips, blue with fear, seemed to show his unease.
His gaze was lost, just like it was before.
Yes, everything was the same. It was absolutely maddening!
{Please choose an option.}
The familiar system notification appeared again, and I stared at it blankly for a moment before my lips twitched.
It was slightly different from before.
{1. Stomp on the seamstress’s hand with the heel of my shoe.
Raise the seamstress’s chin and slap him.}
It wasn’t much different, but there was a new rule added.
{System: New choices are available based on your accumulated reputation.}
{Your current reputation is 35.}
At the bottom, faintly glowing in yellow, was a new choice.
Ding.
And without hesitation, I clicked that option.
“Really?”
Surprised by my sudden soft tone, he turned pale like he had seen a ghost.
I gave him a kind smile, trying not to look too scary.
“Then, leave.”
Though my smile was twisted, my eyes were kind.
“Y-Yes?”
He repeated, unsure if he understood the situation.
“Are you serious?”
As expected, his response was confused. I slowly nodded in answer.
“If you apologize, you can leave.”
“…”
“Since you regret it.”
“…”
“What do you expect me to do?”
When I said he could go, he quickly stood up, glancing around nervously as he backed toward the door.
His awkward, confused reaction made me chuckle in disbelief.
“Then I’ll make sure to bring a more perfect dress as soon as possible!”
I had no idea what was so grateful about it, but as the seamstress walked away, I sighed and looked at the options floating in front of me.
“I’m losing it.”
{3. Let the seamstress go safely.}
This was the turning point of my boring life.
