IBSM 08

The moment she learned that her fiancé was handsome, rich, and not actually a monster, she also learned that he had nothing to do with her fate.

She had always thought that all the good things went to her older sister while all the bad things came to her. And apparently, even when it came to a fiancé, it was the same.

Was that why she couldn’t bring herself to say that her sister was alive and instead kept her mouth shut?

The maid, who knew nothing and perhaps because of that was still kind to her, smiled brightly and said,

“Before you change clothes, let me help you bathe first. If you soak in warm water, I’m sure you’ll feel a little more relaxed.”

She really should tell them that her sister was alive.

That was the conclusion Ivenia reached after tossing and turning in bed for a long time after finishing her bath.

Of course, she hadn’t made that decision for the sake of the family that abandoned her.

In the first place, the reason she hadn’t immediately revealed the truth and remained silent was largely because she didn’t feel inclined to happily deliver such good news to the Hessen family.

After betraying and abandoning her, the only thing they would gain was happiness. Wasn’t that too unfair?

It wasn’t that she wanted them to become as miserable as she had been, but she also had no desire to go out of her way to wish them happiness. That was Ivenia’s honest feeling.

‘But….’

The people who would suffer because of her silence weren’t only the members of House Hessen.

Ivenia didn’t want to make the one man who had been kind to her any sadder than he already was.

Just as he had prayed for the well-being of a stranger he met for the first time today, she also wanted to help ensure that the love he cherished could be safe and happy.

Slowly closing her eyes, Ivenia imagined him finally finding the wife he had longed for all his life and becoming happy again at last.

It was quite a beautiful scene.

That memory would probably remain deeply inside her for a long time and become a comfort throughout her life.

Since she had helped complete such a beautiful story, perhaps she could at least comfort herself by believing her life had been worth the final chapter of it.

“I wonder how long it takes to plan ten years of a life.”

It probably wouldn’t be finished in just a day or two.

Maybe it would take weeks. No, perhaps even two or three months.

Ivenia decided that after Agram made his future plans as quickly as possible, she would leave this place and tell him that her sister was alive.

He would give her a little time to sort out her feelings, and in return she would deliver the happiest news he could receive. It was a perfect plan.

‘And Emilia would probably be better off resting comfortably with the family she missed for a few months too.’

Thinking that, Ivenia turned her head toward the bedside table next to the bed.

The handkerchief Agram had given her earlier was lying there alone. Before entering the bathroom to wash up, she had secretly set it aside where Hannah wouldn’t notice.

Ivenia reached out and picked it up.

When she unfolded the handkerchief, a lollipop dropped softly into her palm.

It wasn’t whole anymore but a crushed half-piece. Even so, the orange scent spreading to the tip of her nose was still sweet.

Ivenia stared at it silently for a moment before pouring it straight into her mouth.

“I’m not trying to take everything. It’s okay to be greedy for at least this much, right?”

Just as the Grand Duke had said, keeping one person fed and sheltered for a few months in this enormous castle wouldn’t cause any great problem.

And if someone became uncomfortable because of her, then she would simply leave before it became too late.

Still, she should try her best to prevent that from happening.

She would live quietly, as if dead, without troubling anyone, and disappear silently as though she had never stayed here at all….

Thinking that, Ivenia slowly let the candy melt in her mouth.

Even if only for a brief moment, she wanted to experience happiness that did not belong to her.

When Ivenia opened her eyes again, the sun was already high in the sky.

Since the age of eight, she had faithfully lived a disciplined life of waking early and sleeping early, but that record had collapsed overnight.

Even so, the sky hadn’t split apart or anything.

Looking out at the green forest beyond the window, Ivenia ate the breakfast Hannah had brought to her room.

The menu consisted of soggy porridge that looked like goat gruel, dry white bread, and a sour fruit purée made from ingredients she couldn’t even identify.

The bread looked like leftovers from the previous night.

‘If I’d been served this somewhere else, I probably would’ve thought they were bullying me….’

Even with a meal that practically looked like an order to leave, Ivenia wasn’t particularly hurt.

Guillermo was apparently not human, and Hannah had lived in this castle since infancy, so there was little chance she had ever properly learned cooking. Considering that, this already felt like a luxurious feast.

At the very least, they hadn’t served her food that would make her sick.

After finishing her meal, Ivenia calmly wiped her mouth and asked,

“Thank you. I enjoyed it.”

“Did the food suit your taste?”

Like a proper noble lady, Ivenia answered indirectly.

“Who usually cooks here?”

“Lord Guillermo did. I don’t really know much about noble-style meals.”

There hadn’t been anything remotely noble about the table Guillermo prepared either, but Ivenia simply nodded quietly.

“He must’ve worked hard since early morning.”

The truth was, she herself wasn’t much of a proper noble either.

Being fed and given a place to sleep was already enough to be grateful for. She had no intention of complaining about side dishes.

Perhaps reassured by Ivenia’s gentle response, Hannah relaxed her tense shoulders as well.

As she hurriedly cleaned away the tray of dishes, she asked,

“If you’re not too tired, would you like to meet the others living in this castle now? Lord Guillermo has been waiting since morning because he said he wanted to arrange a proper introduction.”

“You should’ve told me earlier. I normally don’t eat breakfast anyway, so I just made him wait for no reason.”

“Oh my, please don’t say that. Lady Ivenia really needs to eat more. I thought nobles all lived luxuriously and would be plump, but when I saw you in person, you were even thinner than me. Was fasting considered a virtue in the Hessen region?”

“It’s not like that. I just never had much of an appetite.”

Ivenia hurriedly changed the subject to avoid the uncomfortable topic.

“More importantly, could you go tell Lord Guillermo he may come in now?”

Fortunately, Hannah didn’t seem to have meant anything deeply by it and ran outside without pressing further.

For a personal maid serving a noble lady, Hannah spoke rather bluntly, but although it felt unfamiliar, Ivenia didn’t dislike it.

After coming here, she had already met two people who worried about how thin she was.

At least to Ivenia, that didn’t feel unpleasant at all.

“Lady Ivenia, I’ve brought the people to introduce to you. May we come in?”

Not long later, Hannah returned after clearing away the tray and knocked from outside the door.

After giving permission, Ivenia stood up and prepared to receive the guests.

Soon Hannah, Guillermo, a boy, an adult man, and one enormous crow all entered the room together.

‘…A crow?’

Ivenia was inwardly startled by the unexpected creature.

At that moment, the crow sensed her gaze and stopped while climbing onto the back of the sofa. Then it turned toward her and suddenly shouted loudly,

“What are you looking at?!”

Startled, Ivenia looked around as if asking for an explanation, but apparently she was the only one bothered by the fact that the bird could talk.

Guillermo merely shot the crow a warning glance before stepping forward politely.

“Priestess, did you sleep well last night?”

“Yes… thanks to your consideration. But just now….”

As Ivenia failed to continue speaking and only kept glancing at the crow, Guillermo somehow misunderstood and gave another tactless answer.

“We should’ve come earlier to introduce ourselves, but unavoidable circumstances delayed our greetings. These fools had no idea the Priestess would arrive, so if you have words of reproach, please direct them toward them.”

“Why is that woman still here? I thought she’d be kicked out. Caw! Why is she still here? I thought she’d run away. Caw!”

“I spent the whole day in the forest chopping firewood yesterday… I really didn’t know.”

“It’s not that I didn’t come because I didn’t know. I just didn’t think there was any need to meet and greet her.”

One after another, the people Guillermo brought each explained themselves.

For the most part, though, they didn’t sound very apologetic.

Trying hard to compose herself, Ivenia looked at the people standing behind Guillermo.