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Chapter 19
“I sent a letter through Baron Delmore saying I’d come tonight. Didn’t you see it?”
When Ruschel asked that, I realized I had made a mistake. Baron Delmore was the name on a letter I’d ignored completely without opening, thinking it was just another invitation.
“I was too tired today, so I didn’t check. I’m sorry.”
I never imagined there’d be such a letter tucked between those invitations.
“Wait just a second, I’ll ask a maid to bring some refreshments.”
“No, it’s fine. I have to head back soon.”
Ruschel stopped me as I tried to leave the bedroom.
So he didn’t come just to chat or hang out—he only intended to drop by briefly?
“Okay then… why did you really come?”
That was the mystery. Why come all this way, at this hour, practically sneaking in, just to say hello? He could have simply sent a carriage like last time.
“Don’t you have something to say to me?”
Something to say? I tilted my head, racking my brain. My eyes darted around as I searched my memory.
Going back through time, one thing came to mind.
“Thanks for the snacks you sent the other day. The dress was beautiful too.”
I said it brightly, trying to sound cheerful, then glanced at his expression. Ruschel had a subtle look on his face.
‘Guess that’s not it.’
Then…
“Oh! Right, I almost forgot.”
I slowly walked past him to the dresser. Inside was the necklace I had bought during my last trip to town.
‘I haven’t bought a new gift yet…’
Given the situation, I’d have to give him the necklace Olivia picked out.
I pulled out a small wine-colored box that fit in my palm. When I opened it slightly, the necklace looked exactly the way it did when I bought it.
I glanced between the necklace and Ruschel. It didn’t suit him at all. But there was nothing more I could do.
“It’s a gift.”
I forced a smile and handed the box to Ruschel.
“Open it.”
He just stared at it, so I urged him silently with my eyes.
He perched on the windowsill and carefully lifted the lid. It was only a moment, but I’d never been so tense.
“Where did you get this?”
His eyes widened when he saw the necklace.
“I bought it in town. Why?”
“This is incredibly rare.”
Rare? That necklace? Ruschel spoke excitedly about something I didn’t understand.
“What is it?”
I could’ve pretended to know, but curiosity got the better of me.
In response, Ruschel gently cupped the small gem hanging from the necklace in his palm. A black light flickered briefly before fading.
“It’s an artifact that can hold Estella. There are fewer than five left in the world.”
When I heard that, I gasped.
‘Olivia gave me something that rare?’
Since she was also an Estella holder, she must’ve recognized what the necklace was. That’s probably why she picked it for me when I said I wanted to give Ruschel a gift.
‘Sorry for doubting your intentions, Olivia!’
I’d wondered if she was trying to trick me or just had bad taste. Now I felt ashamed for judging her.
While I was silently apologizing to Olivia in my heart, Ruschel stepped closer, holding the necklace.
“Hold still.”
He moved behind me. Gathering my long hair in one hand, he gently swept it to one side and looped the necklace around my neck.
I heard the soft click of the clasp. But his gloved fingers struggled with the tiny hook.
I heard the sound of one of his gloves dropping onto the carpet. When his bare fingers brushed the nape of my neck, my shoulders flinched.
My whole body tensed, and even my breath caught. The few seconds it took to fasten the clasp felt like an eternity.
“…If you give it back, it’s not really your gift anymore.”
“Having you keep it is a gift for me.”
What kind of line was that? I turned my head and gave him a glare, but he just chuckled lowly.
“You can use it about twice in an emergency.”
“How do I use it?”
I looked down and fidgeted with the necklace. It looked ordinary—just the way it did when I bought it—and I couldn’t feel any special energy.
“Just think about wanting to use it.”
That simple? I eyed him with doubt, and he shrugged.
Still, it seemed like it would come in handy. If it contained Ruschel’s Estella, it had to be powerful.
“But Lili, that’s all good and fine, but…”
Ruschel gently took my arm and pulled me closer. I spun slightly to face him.
“Even after something that serious happened, you didn’t say a word to me.”
His long fingers laced between mine.
“Making people worry for no reason.”
As I stepped back, he moved in again.
“You’re not hurt, right? No one left in the world you want me to get rid of?”
…Was he offering to take care of Thane?
His voice was sweet—completely at odds with the terrifying implication of his words. His golden eyes, curved prettily, sparkled like sunlight as he leaned in.
Too close. Again.
Ruschel was always like this. Every time we met, every time we parted—he tried to capture me with that smile and that face.
I couldn’t even resist. I just fell helplessly into that smile. I could feel my face heating up.
A tingle shot through my brain, and my heart pounded wildly. I was sure he could hear the erratic thumping of my chest.
“Okay, okay, just—get your face out of mine!”
I pushed his chin away with my palm.
“Can’t you see I’m perfectly fine?”
“Hmph.”
His response was vague. If I let him stay, he might stick around until sunrise.
There was only one way out of this. I had to make him go back to the palace.
“You said you were busy, right? Shouldn’t you be going?”
“…Yeah, I guess.”
At that, Ruschel drooped his shoulders and looked sulky, like he absolutely didn’t want to leave.
“I’ll be going to the palace in a few days. We can meet then.”
I said that and gently guided him toward the window. It was a lie, but it was the only way to get him to go.
I didn’t forget to pick up the glove he’d dropped and tuck it into his pocket. Ruschel seemed to retreat without protest—but once he reached the window, he turned back to face me.
“Flowers…”
He took my left hand and murmured softly.
“I planted a lot of flowers in the garden this time.”
As he said that, he brought my hand near his lips. His lips brushed close but didn’t quite touch my fingers. Then he let go with a playful smile.
“So hurry and come, okay?”
Ruschel stood up on the windowsill. A gust of wind swept through, and he glanced around. Then, without hesitation, he jumped down.
I gasped and rushed to the window, but he had already vanished.
“He’s really impossible…”
I knew he was persistent, but this was something else. I guess I should be relieved he wasn’t trying to keep me locked up in the palace.
I rested my chin in my hand and blankly stared at the spot he had disappeared from. Even after he was gone, his actions, his laughter, and his voice lingered in my mind like an echo I couldn’t shake.
Two months ago.
“Anne! You got a letter!”
At the head maid’s call, a woman with plum-colored short hair turned quickly from the pile of laundry she was carrying. In the head maid’s hands were a package and a letter.
“Just a moment!”
Anne hurriedly ran to the laundry room, dropped everything she was carrying, and rushed back. She had a rare bright expression on her face.
“Is it that childhood friend again?”
“Yep!”
“Be quick then.”
“Okay!”
Anne bolted up the stairs to the second-floor quarters. She turned on the lamp and sat at the desk she rarely used. Her hands trembled slightly with excitement as she opened the letter.
“To my beloved friend Anne—”
From the very first neatly written sentence, she read slowly and carefully. Her childhood friend, Beth, had sent her the letter. A smile of joy bloomed on Anne’s face as she read.
“Hi, Beth.”
Anne had only recently learned how to read, and she still had a habit of reading everything aloud.
“How… is it… over… there?”
She read on haltingly for a while, then suddenly lowered her voice.
She was afraid someone might overhear. Holding her breath, she listened to the hallway—but there was not a sound. Not even a whisper.
Once she confirmed the coast was clear, Anne pulled out a pen and prepared to reply.
“If I just… earn enough… money…”
Her pen pressed hard onto the paper, emotion pouring into each word. The joy she had felt just moments ago vanished as memories of life in the mansion surfaced.
“I… need to… run away… from here.”
She couldn’t bear it anymore. If she had to sum up life in that mansion in a single sentence, that would be it.
