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Chapter 51
‘She’s sick and wants to see me, so it feels wrong not to go.’
After agonizing for several days, I finally boarded a carriage bound for Primrose.
On my lap sat a basket of flowers, and I found myself absentmindedly fiddling with its leaves. Freshly bought from the florist, the blossoms were still bright and lively.
The carriage rattled with every vibration, but not enough to distract me from my troubled thoughts.
‘Something’s wrong with Olivia’s Estella.’
In the original story, Lilith wasn’t the only one targeting Olivia. Many factions had her in their sights, and the key narrative was her navigating those threats using her wits and Estella.
‘If that power has disappeared… will she end up unable to endure the coming events and die? The heroine?!’
I bit down on my lip. Something was going wrong—seriously wrong.
‘No… maybe it’s just that she can’t resist illness anymore.’
The heroine’s role was far too powerful for Olivia to be so easily snuffed out.
At some point, the carriage slowed to a stop. Looking out the window, I saw Primrose’s mansion standing before me.
The butler, who had come out to greet me from the main gate, guided me to Olivia’s bedchamber. My hands tightened around the flower basket, trembling nonstop.
I knocked lightly, then pushed the door open. The bed was shrouded beneath dark canopies, and there Olivia lay sprawled weakly.
“Miss Olivia.”
At my call, Olivia suddenly sat up. With hurried hands, she threw off the blanket, and then her blurred green eyes spotted me.
“L-L-Lady Crescent!”
Her voice rose high in flustered panic.
“Oh no, what do I do? I should at least change clothes. No—wait! I’ll have tea brought in right away!”
“Calm down.”
Her face flushed beet red—whether from illness or embarrassment, I couldn’t tell.
I set the basket neatly on the dresser by the window. As I moved closer, Olivia obediently settled back against the bed.
She kept her lips pressed shut, likely still heeding my earlier words to relax.
“How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine! Um—cough, cough!”
Barely had she spoken before she fell into a fit of coughing.
She clamped a hand over her mouth, sneaking glances at me as though embarrassed. She gave a sheepish little laugh, but she didn’t look fine at all.
“You still haven’t recovered from falling into the lake that day?”
“Uh… ah.”
After a long hesitation, Olivia nodded. The sight made my chest tighten.
If I had caught her back then… would things have turned out differently? The thought of regret circled endlessly in my head.
“I brought you something.”
I sat in a chair beside her bed and pulled a small box from my bag.
“I hope this helps you feel better soon.”
It was a dark-brown box tied with a yellow ribbon. Flowers felt too little, so I’d hastily ordered it yesterday.
Olivia carefully untied the ribbon and opened the lid. A rich aroma wafted out as bear-shaped cookies appeared.
Her mouth fell open wide. Her already big eyes grew even rounder, glittering with delight.
“T-This… this is from Velvet Patisserie, isn’t it?! I love this place! It’s the best in the whole world!”
She hugged the box as though it were a priceless treasure.
“How did you know I liked Velvet?! Thank you, truly, thank you so much!”
…I couldn’t very well admit I knew from the original story.
So I just smiled harmlessly instead.
“Oh, right! Lady Crescent, if you wouldn’t mind…”
Olivia shyly twisted a strand of her hair around her fingers. Then, pulling out a book from the windowsill, she opened it.
“Would you come here with me?”
She drew out a slip of paper tucked between the pages and handed it to me.
On the white sheet was a map and a small illustration: a wide road lined with blooming white trees.
“It’s a really popular resort these days.”
As she spoke, Olivia stared at me so intently it almost felt overwhelming.
“I… there are so many things I’ve wanted to do with you for a long time.”
Her voice brimmed with excitement as she lowered her head. To anyone else, she would have looked like a flower shyly blooming.
But her words gave me a strange feeling.
‘For a long time.’
That phrase snagged at me.
Back before the accident—by the lake—she had said the same thing.
Yet in the original story, Lilith and Olivia had no connection at all before the ball. Even if I had met her earlier, that was all it should have been.
Admiring me for a long time made no sense. Before I possessed Lilith’s body, her reputation was in shambles.
Maybe I was just being overly sensitive—nitpicking words. But still…
“Miss Olivia… you speak as though we’ve known each other from long ago.”
At that, Olivia froze. She blinked repeatedly, as though trying to hide her trembling gaze.
To react like this over such a simple question—wasn’t that suspicious?
“Am I wrong?”
I pressed again, but Olivia only mouthed silently, her face stiff, unable to say a word.
“I—I just…”
Now, she outright avoided my eyes.
“I just… respect you, that’s all…”
She fumbled through her excuse, trembling as though I were bullying her.
“I’m not scolding you.”
I picked up the slip of paper she had set aside.
“You want to go here, right? All right.”
Whatever her truth was, until I knew for certain, I had no choice but to wait and see.
“But only once you’re fully recovered. Not before.”
I gently took her hand. At that, her rigid body relaxed, and she gave a small nod.
I left the bedroom with no real answers and trudged back toward the carriage.
“Lady Crescent.”
A polite voice called after me. Turning, I found a butler, who must have been following me for some time.
“Would you care to meet the young master as well? He’s in the garden by the rear gate.”
Lake?
Since I’d come this far, there was no reason to refuse. I quickly agreed.
We headed toward the rear. Before entering the garden, the butler added,
“These days the young master seems rather downhearted.”
There was genuine concern in his voice.
“I don’t think it’s because of Miss Olivia—it must be something else. Forgive my boldness, but could I ask you to encourage him a little?”
So that was his request. I accepted without hesitation.
‘Lake, downhearted…’
I could imagine him tired, but lacking spirit? That seemed impossible.
‘If it’s not because of Olivia, then what?’
A beloved younger sister being sick for a long time could certainly sap his strength. But the butler seemed convinced that wasn’t the reason.
He knew them better than I did, so he was likely right. Still, I couldn’t understand.
As we passed a narrow path into the deeper garden, I spotted a figure with brown hair in the distance.
“Sir Lake.”
He looked startled at the sight of me.
“When did you arrive? I had no idea.”
“A little while ago. I just spoke with Olivia.”
“I see. I hope my sister wasn’t a bother to you.”
“You, of all people, should know she’s not that kind of girl.”
For the first time that day, I laughed freely at our lighthearted exchange.
Seeing him, all my pent-up exhaustion seemed to vanish.
Truly a human tonic! The butler had asked me to lift his spirits, yet it felt like mine were being lifted instead.
“Do you tend this garden yourself?”
Lake wore casual clothes with a gardener’s gloves. In one hand, he held shears, apparently trimming leaves.
“Yes. Embarrassing as it is, it’s a hobby of mine.”
“May I sit and watch?”
“Of course.”
I settled quietly on a bench as he resumed his work. In the tranquil, beautiful garden, the irregular snip of shears tickled my ears.
“Forgive me if this is rude, but… may I ask you something?”
“What is it?”
“Do you have something weighing on your mind?”
At that, I lifted my face from my palms.
“…Do I really look that bad?”
Worried he might have noticed too much, I rubbed my cheeks. Lake only smiled lightly.
“Not exactly. But since you’re someone I care about, shouldn’t I notice quickly?”
The calm way he dropped that line made my heart skip.
I quickly turned to look at him, but his expression remained unchanged as he calmly trimmed the leaves.
‘Goodness, that startled me.’
Is it okay to toss out “I care about you” so casually?!
Of course, he must have meant it in the sense of friendship. Still… such words, thrown so lightly, were confusing enough to be dangerous.
