MFBO 10

Chapter – 10

It’s been a week since I possessed Lizen, and I have completely adjusted to this world.

“Ah, I bought this too.”

I looked into the shopping bag that contained items I had bought last time. I had been too lazy to open it and had just piled it up in a corner of the room.

The thrill of unpacking the items I bought one by one was simply exhilarating.

“Happiness is like this.”

So this is what it feels like to be full without even eating. It felt like that’s the kind of happiness I had been missing.

“That’s a lot of work. I’m not saying anything, but I’m just worried your hands might hurt…”

Amy was back to being my personal maid. Although there were people watching her, she had learned her lesson after being scolded severely by me, so she was now compliant on her own.

I was worried she might be overly cautious, but fortunately, Amy was keeping a respectful distance.

“Why is this so hard? There’s nothing more fun than this.”

Back then, I had bought a lot of things for reasons other than just shopping.

I didn’t remember exactly what I had bought, so every time I unwrapped something, it felt like receiving a gift.

I had no idea what might come out of the shopping bag, so I felt a little excited and my heart raced.

I hummed a little tune as I opened a small box. It was a gift I had thought of giving to the Count.

“Oh, it’s so beautiful.”

Actually, I hadn’t bought the pocket watch for the Count.

It was something I had planned to keep for myself, but I had already mentioned to the Count, “I bought one for Father,” so I couldn’t take it for myself. Why had I said that? The pocket watch really suited my taste.

Of course, I couldn’t match it with the Count as a couple, so I had to give it up.

I couldn’t find anything else that seemed appropriate to give him. The watch was the most neutral thing I had.

I gazed at the watch, decorated with butterflies and gears inside the glass, feeling a little regretful, before slipping it into my pocket.

“You handle the work. I’m going to visit Calib.”

“I’ll carry it for you.”

“It’s fine. Handle your own business.”

I grabbed six shopping bags in both my hands, and Amy instinctively reached out to help. I shook my head and pulled my hands away from hers. It’s better to give the gift myself.

“Come in.”

I knocked on Rajet’s room door, and before long, I was allowed to enter.

He didn’t even check who it was.

I pushed the door open with a crash. Rajet was probably in the middle of getting dressed, as he was tidying his clothes when I entered.

He didn’t even look at me, but after I slammed the door shut, he threw a glance my way.

“Sis?”

He frowned, clearly surprised by my unexpected visit.

“What are you doing?”

I pretended to act casual and sat down on the couch. He glanced from the shopping bags I had placed on the floor to me and asked a silly question.

“Did you go shopping again? When did you go out?”

“It’s from last time. This is for you.”

I secretly hoped for a reaction. Even though we had picked it out together, I was curious to see how he would react when I actually gave him the gift.

“What, right.”

He answered nonchalantly, mocking my expectation. He didn’t even bother to look inside the shopping bag. He seemed completely uninterested.

“Did you bring it yourself? Where’s Amy?”

I stared at Rajet.

“Is that all you have to say?”

For some reason, I felt a little annoyed.

“I guess you don’t like it.”

“No, that’s not it…”

Rajet picked up the shopping bag and pulled out the clothes, acting as if he was seeing them for the first time, his expression brightening. That’s when I suddenly realized.

‘What am I doing? Why am I acting like Lizen?’

I hadn’t accepted Rajet’s behavior and instead wanted to see him react the way I had imagined. It wasn’t any different from how Lizen would behave.

I shivered with realization.

Could it be that I had unconsciously started to mirror Lizen’s behavior, even in my thoughts? Or had I analyzed Lizen’s personality so much that I had started to imitate her without realizing it?

I needed to be careful. I didn’t want to behave in a way that would make me feel like I had completely merged with Lizen.

“Thank you. I like it, Sis.”

Damn it. This isn’t how it was supposed to be.

Rajet, of course, was probably taken aback. Didn’t he just say he was tired of being treated like a doll? Yet, here I was, treating him like one again.

The reason Rajet didn’t mention our past conversation was because, as long as he was in this mansion, he had to act like Calib to some extent.

He wasn’t here as Rajet; he was an outsider. Only Calib could be in this place.

Whether he liked it or not, he had to stay by my side until the curse was lifted, so he had no choice but to play his part.

“It wasn’t forced. I just felt a little disappointed. I bought it thinking of you.”

I grumbled lightly, pretending it wasn’t a big deal.

“Still, if you don’t like it, you don’t have to take it. What’s important is the heart of the person receiving the gift, not the giver.”

I thought Rajet would be happy to receive the gift. He was still young, and no one ever rejects a present, right?

I had acted based on my past experience, but reality turned out to be different from what I expected.

Rajet didn’t even look at the gift properly.

Well, to be honest, he had been disinterested the whole time we were shopping. When it came to picking clothes for himself, he had worn a confused expression as if he didn’t understand why he had to choose them, picking strange clothes that no one would wear even if they were free.

It seemed that Rajet wasn’t fond of my gift.

When my stiff face didn’t change, Rajet hurriedly explained.

“I was just tired, so I didn’t pay much attention. This is the one we picked together, right?”

Rajet, still pretending to be Calib, smiled awkwardly.

He was trying hard to pretend he liked it, but it was too late.

I had already realized that he wasn’t interested in the gift. His attitude during the shopping trip and his indifferent reaction to the gift were too obvious.

Suddenly, Rajet sat next to me. He hastily placed the cufflinks I had picked out for him on my palm, as if trying to make up for his earlier behavior.

I had picked out these cufflinks myself.

“Put them on. I can’t do it by myself.”

Rajet thrust his sleeve toward me.

It would look petty to refuse when he was asking so earnestly.

Seeing him desperately trying to pretend made me feel a little sorry for him.

I reluctantly took the cufflinks and, holding his shirt sleeve, fastened them for him.

“How is it? Does it suit me?”

Rajet raised his arm and showed me. The cufflinks were shaped like camellias. Because they were red, they looked somewhat childish now that I saw them up close.

“I want them back.”

“Why?”

“I don’t think they look very nice.”

For someone his age, wearing something like that might be fine, but if he continued wearing it as he got older, people might start to question his taste.

The problem was that it was my taste, not his.

“There’s no take-backs on a gift. I like them.”

“They don’t suit you.”

“But it’s my gift, so doesn’t my opinion count more?”

I didn’t think Rajet genuinely liked the cufflinks. He was just playing along to please me.

“I really like them. They remind me of you, Sis.”

Such flattery would be enough to help him in social situations.

“What does that have to do with me?”

Even if he said something sweet, it had to resonate for it to be effective.

It made me happy to hear that he thought of me when he saw the camellia, but I didn’t believe him for a second.

Rajet probably hated the camellia, and by extension, me.

“You really don’t have to keep them. They don’t suit you.”

I reluctantly tried to take the cufflinks back, but Rajet pulled his hand away from me.

I wasn’t going to give up, though. I reached for his wrist again.

“I’ve never received a gift before.”

The next moment, my hand froze mid-air. Rajet muttered as he stared at his sleeve, looking melancholic.

His words seemed so real. But was the sorrowful look on his face real too, or was it just a facade?

Whether it was real or fake, I felt my heart soften, and I reluctantly gave up on taking the gift back. I could only hope his words about liking it were true.

“Oh, I guess you’ve given me gifts before, so it’s not the first time.”

Rajet added hastily, as if remembering that he had lost his memory and had once been Calib.

“Still, I’m happy.”

I saw Rajet’s fake smile. If I wanted to survive in this world, I had to teach him to live as Rajet, not as Calib.

But how could I stop him from pretending? How could I make him stop playing this role?

I couldn’t reveal my full plan just yet.

We hadn’t even