EVHE 36

Chapter 36

There were only two weeks left until the Imperial Ball.

Everyone had been busy for months getting their dresses and accessories custom-made, but I remained entirely unbothered by it all.

Instead, I started subscribing to a newspaper—something I’d never done before. I needed to figure out how far the original novel’s plot had progressed.

“Nortel Bridge Collapse…”

I read the headline on the front page and let out a sharp breath.

This incident had been a major plot point in the original story. It happened when underworld factions fought for power and ended up blowing up the bridge.

The collapse of Nortel had caused numerous casualties, and Olivia had gone to the scene to provide medical aid.

The horrific descriptions from the novel still felt vividly etched in my mind.

“…Huh?”

But the article’s account was completely different from what I remembered.

“No casualties?”

Miraculously, there had been no passing carriages at the time, so there were no injuries or deaths.

I rubbed my eyes in disbelief and reread the sentence. But the content remained unchanged.

‘Why is this different?’

It should’ve been a relief, but I felt oddly unsettled.

“Young Lady, a letter has arrived.”

Ellie knocked and entered the room, handing me a letter.

“Huh? Is it urgent?”

Normally, I saved all correspondence and read it in one sitting, so it was rare for Ellie to bring one in like this.

“It looks like it’s from the Duke.”

“…The Duke—no, my father?”

At those words, I quickly came to my senses and examined the envelope. The seal belonged to House Crescent.

The Duke of Crescent, Lilith’s father, had never interfered in my affairs until now.

Even though we lived separately, he hadn’t sent me even a single letter of greeting.

I hurriedly tore open the envelope, my heart pounding with anxiety over what might have happened. I skimmed through the long letter densely written on the stationery.

“He wants us… to attend the ball as a family?”

It was common for all family members to attend the Imperial Ball, so the Duke’s suggestion wasn’t entirely unreasonable.

But there was no need to deliberate. I immediately asked Ellie for paper and began writing a reply without hesitation.

With two weeks still remaining, I couldn’t use the excuse of catching the flu. I needed to get creative.

I wrote about how my already weak health had worsened, how I was taking medicine and couldn’t move around much, how I got short of breath from walking—maybe a side effect of the meds…

And then I filled the rest of the page with how I simply didn’t want to go to the ball.

‘Please, let this work.’

In the original story, the Duke was a father who did anything Lilith asked. I prayed that he would grant this wish too.

But not even a day after sending the letter—

Early in the morning, I was woken by the maids’ frantic calls. All of them wore panic-stricken expressions, urging me to get dressed quickly.

When I stepped outside after throwing on something quickly, the hall was full of maids. Even the butler, who was rarely seen, was present.

Despite the unusual circumstances, it didn’t take long to figure out the reason.

A middle-aged man stood in the middle of the hall, his platinum-blond hair slicked back neatly.

He wore a perfectly fitted black suit and stood with impeccable posture.

“You look healthy, daughter.”

When our eyes met, he smiled warmly—it was unmistakably Lilith’s father.

“Ah, Father. What brings you all the way out here?”

I forced a smile, suppressing my inner turmoil.

“I heard you were unwell. I couldn’t just sit back and do nothing.”

You never cared before! The words rose to my throat.

Even when I got tangled up with Tain, the Duke hadn’t so much as sent a letter to ask if I was alright.

So why now?

He didn’t even send a follow-up letter—he just showed up at my house? Even with a magically enhanced carriage, it’s a full day’s journey!

“Brandt will be arriving soon. I don’t know who diagnosed you, but surely they can’t be more accurate than him.”

On top of that, the Duke had even summoned a physician.

Should I faint? Maybe fall down the stairs?

A thousand thoughts flashed through my mind in that moment.

But I couldn’t act on any of them, and soon I was forced to be examined by Brandt.

The diagnosis: I was in perfect health.

The Duke looked thoroughly satisfied with the result.

Once the Duke returns home, I’ll just run away.

While mentally drawing maps and planning my escape, I noticed the maids lugging in a mountain of luggage.

A chill ran through me.

“Father… aren’t you going back?”

In response to my trembling question, the Duke gently nodded.

“I think I’ll stay a little longer.”

Judging by the amount of luggage, it looked like he intended to stay indefinitely.

The entire mansion was thrown into chaos as the maids scrambled to clean the dusty guest rooms. They all looked tense, now having to serve the Duke himself.

“Please, rest comfortably…”

“You should rest too.”

“Yes…”

I mumbled a weak reply and trudged back to my room.

“This is a disaster.”

At this rate, I was going to be dragged to the ball no matter what.

I had even whined in my letter about not wanting to go, and he still came. The Duke clearly intended to take me to the party by force.

“I need to find a way.”

At this point, I needed a drastic solution.

That night, before dawn, I quietly slipped out of bed.

Running away is definitely the best option.

I was determined to escape the mansion today.

But I couldn’t flee in my nightgown or dress. So I took out some everyday clothes I’d borrowed from Ellie earlier and hastily put them on.

I packed a few gemstones that I could use as funds. It should be enough to stay at an inn for a couple of weeks.

I crept toward the door and pressed my ear against it. The hallway was silent.

I carefully opened the door and peeked out. No one in sight.

I tiptoed down the hallway and started descending the stairs—

“Where do you think you’re going at this hour?”

At the sound of the voice, I froze on the spot like a statue.

“Lilith.”

When I turned around slowly, the Duke was standing there with his arms crossed.

I wanted to collapse and cry on the spot.

“Ahaha… I couldn’t sleep, so I thought I’d take a walk.”

“What are you wearing?”

I tried to laugh it off, but the Duke coldly questioned me.

“…For a change of mood?”

“Back to your room. Now.”

“Yes…”

The Duke ordered firmly, as if it were utterly absurd. I had no choice but to return to my room.

Thus, my midnight escape attempt failed miserably. But I wasn’t the type to give up so easily!

The next day, and the day after that—and the day after that—I attempted to sneak out every night.

But after the first time, the Duke assigned guards in front of my room, so every attempt failed.

I even tried pretending to go out during the day, but apparently any deviation from the expected route was immediately reported to the Duke.

Is this house actually a prison?

A place that had once been so comfortable now felt like the most oppressive place in the world.

No choice, then.

I decided to execute Plan B.

As I had written in the letter—I would really get sick!

“Ah, Miss… Are you sure this is okay?”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. Dump it all in!”

I usually bathed in scalding water, even in the middle of summer.

But now, I was shivering in a bathtub filled with floating ice.

Ellie held two more baskets of ice in her arms.

“Quickly!”

At my urging, Ellie shut her eyes tightly and dumped both baskets into the tub.

I’m going to die of heart failure!

But I endured it with a burning resolve. The weather was still warm for autumn, so this was the only way to catch a cold.

And the next morning… ideally, I should have come down with a terrible cold.

Fever, coughing, nausea…

Why do I feel totally fine?

I woke up refreshed. No fever, no sore throat, no runny nose.

For a moment I even wondered if I had died of heart failure and restarted life. But no, that wasn’t it.

Wait a minute…

I opened both hands.

Then, I quietly chanted a few words—and a red crystal flickering with flame formed above my palm.

Is it because of this?

Saint had explained that when you assign an elemental attribute to mana, it becomes stronger magic.

So I had assigned fire, the most basic element, to my mana.

He said it might cause body heat or warmth…

So that’s why I can’t catch a cold?!

“This is insane.”

I’d worked so hard to learn that magic—I couldn’t just get rid of it now.

I needed another method. If I couldn’t fall ill naturally, I’d have to fake it physically!

“…Still, this is really high.”

Standing on the windowsill, I looked down at the ground below and felt dizzy.

Falling from the second floor wouldn’t kill me, but I’d definitely break something.

And broken bones don’t heal in two weeks—perfect.

“…I can’t do it.”

I chickened out and stepped down from the windowsill.

Even if I did break something, the Duke would just call a priest. If the bone was freshly broken, it could be healed instantly with holy power.

“Ugh… This life is ruined.”

I banged my forehead against the wall, trying to come up with a clever plan.

But no matter how hard I thought, nothing helpful came to mind.