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chapter 21
“Huh?”
Startled, I instinctively glanced down at the chair I was sitting on.
It looked perfectly fine, without a single crack. So it didn’t seem like I had broken it unconsciously.
I slowly turned my head toward the direction the sound had come from.
Now that I looked closely, the armrest of the chair Alferen had been holding was dented inward.
Just then, sensing my gaze, Alferen offered an explanation.
“Guess the carriage’s old. Just holding it makes it break.”
“I thought we hadn’t had this for long.”
“Then it must’ve been defective.”
Alferen grinned and covered the damaged part with his hand.
His strangely unnatural gesture made my lips part slightly.
Could it be that he’s getting angry on my behalf for insulting a friend?
Where could you find such an unbelievably kind secondary male lead?!
It was truly a tear-jerking friendship even the main heroine would envy.
No wonder someone would give up love in favor of friendship! Sniff!
A little while later, when the carriage came to a stop, Alferen escorted me down and then climbed back onto the carriage.
“What are you doing?”
“I’ll repair the carriage and return it, Deli.”
“No, if it’s defective, we should handle it ourselves.”
“No, let me do it.”
There was no real need, but Alferen insisted stubbornly, so I didn’t argue further.
“Alright then. Thanks for bringing me today, oppa.”
I lightly greeted Alferen and headed into the mansion.
Just then, I ran straight into Adrian, who had just finished washing up.
I teased him the moment I saw him.
“You fell into the lake while showing off, didn’t you? Still think you can win?”
“Huh, Alferen said that? That I fell into the lake alone?”
Adrian looked extremely wronged, but I barely paid attention to him.
“Anyway, you promised to pick me up but sent a friend instead. That’s the truth, right?”
“Sorry about that, Deli.”
Adrian immediately put on a sulky expression.
I gave him a slight glare and then checked the letters that had arrived for me.
One that stood out was a postcard with a massive snowy mountain in the background.
As if waiting for it, I read the postcard carefully.
[To the lovely Deli, who resembles a fresh summer,
Are you doing well without us?
Here, a sudden snowfall cut off the trains.
So I couldn’t attend your debutante party, and your mother feels terribly sorry and disappointed.
Honestly, your father insisted on walking all the way to the capital.
If Gerik hadn’t stopped him, I might have ended up handling my husband’s corpse in a foreign land.
Spending these past few days alone at the mansion wasn’t entirely bad, I think.
Your father talks too much.
Others say he’s a man of few words, but in front of me, he’s nothing but a clown.
If the lake hadn’t frozen yesterday, I might have pushed him in myself.
He would’ve just floated there with his mouth wide open.
By the time this postcard reaches you, perhaps your debutante party has already taken place?
I trust that you were the most beautiful and intelligent lady this year.
It will take some time for the railroads to return to normal operation.
Still, I’m relieved that Lian is by your side.
Once again, I send you my apologies.
With all my love, Jasmine Ferris, who loves you most in this world.]
Adrian, peeking over my shoulder at the postcard, asked briefly,
“Is that from Mother?”
“Yeah. She probably felt bad about missing my debutante party, so it’s longer than usual.”
“Mother prefers writing to speaking. Is she well?”
“She’s still isolated due to the snow. The railway is completely buried.”
“Oh.”
Adrian let out a short sigh.
Currently, my parents were traveling in the northern Labernin region, known for its beautiful auroras, along with the butler Gerik.
They were supposed to return earlier this month, but the sudden snowfall trapped them.
At first, I was worried when I received the telegram.
But seeing the postcard, it seemed they were doing well.
Of course, Mother seemed a little annoyed with Father, as usual.
“Father’s probably following Mother around again.”
“He always does that whenever he’s anxious. Mother’s probably grinding her teeth right now.”
“Luckily, the lake froze, so Father survived. They really do get along well, don’t they?”
“Even if they bicker daily, they manage to get along. That’s a relief.”
The Ferris couple had completely opposite personalities, yet they accepted each other with love.
Their yearly trips together, excluding us, were proof of their close relationship.
Perhaps growing up seeing such parents influenced me.
“I want to meet a husband like Father too.”
I, too, dreamed of a happy family.
I said it expecting this season to be promising, but Adrian’s expression turned serious.
“Deli, don’t forget that I’m your guardian until your parents return. You might not realize it, but the social scene is full of weirdos.”
Not a single one looks strange to you?
Judging by his possessive way of staring, his “siscom radar” seemed activated, as if he intended to follow me everywhere.
Recalling the previous party, I frowned and retorted,
“Shouldn’t you worry about your own love life instead of mine?”
Soon enough, he’d be nursing a hopeless crush and wouldn’t even notice me.
Remembering Adrian from the original story, who was hopelessly romantic, made me irritated.
Ever since he met Summer, he hadn’t mentioned me even a little.
And there I was, left out!
Thinking of stalking Alferen and ending up in jail for attempted poisoning made me clench my eyes in determination.
“You only try to be a big brother when it suits you, huh.”
Despite my pointed remark, Adrian continued his lecture.
“Deli, only men can judge other men. Many look good on the outside but aren’t inside. Many people get fooled and suffer for life.”
“Ugh, if you’re so worried about my future, bring a tame guy yourself, then.”
“There’s no such man. Deli, all men are wolves. Some just wear a sheep’s mask.”
He basically meant I couldn’t date anyone.
When I said nothing, Adrian continued,
“Anyway, I won’t allow you to get near someone like Pepper.”
“I can sprinkle some pepper on him myself right now.”
Adrian’s eyebrows dropped at my sharp glare.
“You’re terrible, Deli. When we were kids, you said you’d marry me.”
“Technically, it was a scheme to get the marshmallow in your hand.”
“You’ve always been smart, our Deli.”
It was hopeless.
How could he act normal in front of the heroine when he was such a fool?
I bid him goodbye as if there was nothing more to discuss, gathered the remaining letters, and headed to my room.
While changing into indoor clothes and checking the letters, I suddenly exclaimed,
“Oh!”
I had found the letter I had been waiting for and my eyes sparkled.
The envelope bore familiar handwriting: “To the Dear Tall Lady,” and the name “Summer Klopfen.”
The moment I remembered my previous life, I immediately inquired about the heroine.
At that time, the heroine had been forced to repeat a year because her drunk father stole her academy tuition.
That year, Alferen, who was the top in magic, prevented her from receiving a scholarship.
Since then, I had secretly supported the heroine for eight years, concealing my identity.
Originally, she would have had to take frequent leaves and work as a mercenary because of her father’s tyranny and her sick sibling’s medical bills, but I couldn’t allow Summer to struggle.
Thanks to me, Summer completed her doctorate at the academy without worrying about money and became a professor, her long-cherished dream.
Honestly, it wasn’t purely altruistic. I was calculating that the kind-hearted Summer would remember the favor, and it might help me survive unforeseen variables in the original story.
I hurriedly read the letter.
At the end of Summer’s letter, sharing gratitude and updates, she wrote:
[Around July, I’ll likely start working at the capital’s mage tower.
They requested a cooperating advisor, and I applied.
It seems to align well with the research topic I’ve been pursuing, so it should be a good experience.]
“Huh. July isn’t too far off, is it?”
With just about two months left, her return was sooner than expected.
And starting work at the mage tower…
If things go well, it could even turn into a workplace romance with Alferen.
