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CHAPTER~09
I stood there frozen, unable to believe what I had just heard.
So not only had someone who knew about Frezen and me sent him a letter, but they had also written about Mela?
…Why?
“I-Is that really true?”
“I don’t lie.
You know that better than anyone, Evlyen.”
“I know, but… it’s just impossible to believe!”
Despite my outburst, Frezen didn’t so much as blink.
He had to be the one most shocked by all of this, yet he remained unbelievably calm.
Calm down.
Just calm down.
I took several deep breaths, forcing myself to hide my confusion.
As soon as I sat down, Frezen continued as though he had been waiting.
His voice was as detached and even as ever, as if he were talking about someone else’s business.
“Relax.
I’m searching everywhere to find whoever sent it.
…Is there anyone around you who seems suspicious?”
“No.
Not at all.
I almost wish there were someone I could suspect.”
The reason I was even more unsettled was Mela.
As for what the letter might have said about Frezen and me, I didn’t even need to read it to guess.
Our divorce had already been public knowledge once before.
But Mela had only recently come to stay with my family.
Very few people even knew about her.
She had ridden in the carriage behind ours during the parade, so she couldn’t have appeared in the newspaper photograph.
Then who in the world had written about Mela?
And why go so far as to send a letter to Frezen?
More importantly, why tell someone with absolutely no connection to her?
…Could it be the mysterious helper behind Mela again?
If it was that person, they would naturally know Mela was with me.
At the moment, that seemed like the most plausible explanation.
But even then, too many questions remained.
I didn’t even know who they were, much less what they intended.
As I sank into thought, Frezen studied my expression.
“You look like something came to mind.”
“…It’s nothing.”
His perceptive remark made me flinch, and I quickly looked away.
That only seemed to deepen his suspicion.
Pretending nothing was wrong, I changed the subject.
“Anyway, what exactly did the letter say?
Especially about Mela.”
Frezen’s face immediately darkened.
He remained silent, as though he’d forgotten how to speak.
“…”
The atmosphere around him had turned so cold that I couldn’t bring myself to press him.
For a moment I regretted asking, but I had no intention of taking it back.
I had every right to know.
I was one of the people involved.
“By the way… where is Mela now?”
It was obvious he had no intention of answering me.
He casually ignored my question and asked about Mela instead, making a vein twitch on my forehead.
Suppressing my irritation, I answered as calmly as I could.
“She didn’t have anything scheduled today, so she’s probably in her room.
More importantly, what was written in the letter?”
“…Nothing important.”
“Hmph.
If it were really nothing, you wouldn’t have come all the way here.
You’re perfectly capable of handling things yourself.
Fine.
I’ll just read it myself.”
His stubborn refusal irritated me so much that my hand moved on its own.
The instant I grabbed the letter lying on the table, Frezen snatched it away with lightning speed.
“Didn’t I tell you it was nothing?”
“Ah!
Just let me look for a second!
Why are you hiding it?
We’re both victims here!”
When he stood up holding the letter, the already considerable height difference between us became hopeless.
My competitive spirit kicked in, and I even started hopping in place, stretching my arm upward.
It was completely useless.
“…Ah!”
As I kept jumping with gritted teeth, my foot suddenly tangled beneath me.
With a startled cry, I pitched forward.
Crash!
I cautiously opened my tightly shut eyes.
Somehow, in the midst of falling, I had successfully snatched the letter.
I unfolded it immediately.
“…”
[This letter originated in the Brian Empire and has traveled once around the country every year, bringing good fortune to everyone who receives it…]
The moment I read it, all the tension drained from me.
It was just a chain letter for good luck!
“I told you.
It wasn’t anything important.”
Frezen smirked smugly.
He probably hadn’t even taken out the real letter.
“Honestly, Evlyen…
I always find it amusing when you react like this.”
“Seriously…!”
The instant I realized I’d fallen right into his trap, my face burned.
Of course.
There was no way he’d bring the real letter so carelessly.
I ground my teeth in frustration.
Only then did I realize the floor beneath me felt strangely soft.
Warm, too.
Firm in a rather peculiar way.
The mystery was solved by the next words I heard.
“By the way, Evlyen…
How long are you planning to stay like this?
I’m starting to get warm.”
“What are you talking abou—…Aaah!”
Only then did I realize I was sprawled on top of Frezen.
No wonder the floor had been so warm.
I scrambled away in utter panic, too flustered even to apologize.
I was about to explain that it hadn’t been intentional when Frezen, who had been lying there as docile as a lamb, suddenly caught my wrist.
“Evlyen.”
“…”
His unexpected action left me staring at him, forgetting to pull away.
There was an unfamiliar melancholy in his crimson eyes that made them seem deeper than usual.
I didn’t want to be conscious of him.
But the more intently he looked at me, the hotter my body grew with tension.
Even my heart pounded wildly.
It had to be because our bodies had been pressed together for so long.
That had to be it.
As I tried once more to push myself up, his next words instantly unraveled all that tension.
“…I never once thought of you as my enemy, Evlyen.”
“…”
So that was why he’d hesitated for so long.
He was bringing up what we’d said in the carriage.
‘Don’t even think about deceiving me.
I’ve never been fooled by an enemy’s lies.’
He hadn’t shown it, but apparently those words had stayed with him.
The Frezen I knew wouldn’t have cared about something so trivial.
Realizing how unfamiliar he felt made my racing heart flutter strangely.
I bit my lip, unable to respond.
“You’re not my enemy.
You’re my…”
Holding my gaze with relentless persistence, Frezen slowly parted his lips.
A cool yet captivating scent of roses drifted from him.
Our bodies were so close that I could clearly feel his chest rising and falling with every breath.
Every tiny hair on my body stood on end.
I could barely breathe.
My lips dried as I waited for what he would say next.
“My one and only…”
His lips moved ever so slowly.
At that very moment—
“Countess! Something terrible has happened!”
The tightly shut door burst open, and a maid’s frantic voice shattered the moment like waking from a dream.
“Miss Mela…!”
“Mela!”
The moment I heard she was ill, I raced toward her bedroom without a second thought.
When I burst inside, a heavy silence hung over the room.
No one spoke.
The maids gathered around the bed immediately stepped aside when they saw me.
“Countess!”
Lily, who was closest to me, hurried over and explained what had happened.
“Mela suddenly turned pale after lunch?”
“Yes!
She only had carrot soup, bread, and some fruit.
What should we do, Countess?”
The maids exchanged anxious glances, completely at a loss.
I hurried to Mela’s bedside to examine her myself.
Her stomach was noticeably swollen.
She struggled to breathe, panting painfully.
This looked far too severe to be a simple allergic reaction.
Wait…
Carrots?
Just then, amid the deathly silence that made it feel as though a funeral could begin at any moment, a low voice spoke.
“Now that I look more closely, there’s a bruise around the child’s neck.
No… it’s not a bruise.
It’s a birthmark.”
