Chapter 131

Over the four years I lived with Laila, I learned countless things about her.

She had almost no interest in clothes but was obsessed with food. She was a voracious reader. She lacked persistence—if something didn’t work after a little effort, she often gave up or tried to solve it with sheer force.

Laila wasn’t talkative. More often than not, I understood her thoughts through her actions. She was impatient too, sometimes startling me—like right now.

“What are you doing? Pick that up.”
“Huh? What?”
“Since we mentioned it, let’s move now. If we’re late, we’ll have to camp outside. You hate sleeping outdoors, don’t you?”
“Well… that’s true…”

Only two hours earlier, over brunch, she had casually suggested we go out.

While I sat around blankly, still wearing an apron and worrying about dinner, she had already finished packing and was tightening her leather boots. I trembled with betrayal.

“You could have at least told me!”
“You don’t really have anything to pack.”
“Still! Still, maybe I did!”
“You didn’t.”
“…True…”

Just as I knew Laila, she knew me. Even with time, I would have wasted it hesitating, only to pack a few underclothes and dresses. The small leather bag she handed me held exactly that—underwear and light summer dresses.

“So you were just going to leave without saying anything?”
“You can’t ride a horse.”
“…We could rent a wagon.”
“Everyone planning to leave the village already did so this morning.”

That was true. Then couldn’t we leave tomorrow morning?

But once Laila made a decision, she never looked back. If she said she’d finish today, she had to finish today.

Maybe Linus in the novel… was actually a very generous man.
How else could he have thought of making someone like her a Marchioness?

Letting a lion loose among sheep—was it generosity, cruelty, or just selfishness?

Laila was capable, diligent, active. How strange that such a woman had ever been destined to become Linus’s wife. Even without Jang Hyunji, would Laila and Linus really have worked out?

“What’s with that face?”
“I was just wondering… how you and Linus could have ever become husband and wife…”
“If you’ve got the energy to spout nonsense, then walk.”

To Laila, anything from the “novel” was nonsense. And maybe she was right. A web of impossible assumptions, twisting people I knew into people they had never been. The Laila who married Linus wasn’t this Laila. The Linus who married her wasn’t the Linus I knew. And the Florence in that novel wasn’t me.

So yes—it was all nonsense. If Linus had ever been someone Laila could love, he wouldn’t have fallen for Jang Hyunji in the first place.

“You didn’t have to go this far…”

Sometimes in dreams, I still heard that woman’s voice.

She must be dead by now. Her life had never been long. After being thrown out of the hospital, who knew where her end came? I only hoped it was in the burned-down house with her parents—the one she herself had set on fire.

Alone. Lonely. Leaving behind no last words.

Just like Marie.

The true “ending” was always death. Even a so-called happy ending only existed in novels.

Jang Hyunji’s greatest foolishness was believing that a novel’s happily ever after would last forever for her. But once the book closes, reality continues—muddy, harsh, cruel. Someone gets sick, someone dies, or at the very least, someone changes their heart.

Clutching my bag, I whispered:
“But I can teleport, Laila.”

“…”

“…Let’s at least walk until we’re out of the village.”

Thanks to teleporting directly to the southern city gate, we easily secured a room at an inn.

Redamas was still bustling. Loud, crowded, alive. Though I had lived here until nineteen, after just a few years in the countryside, I felt overwhelmed by the chaos.

But the truth was, I had lived in a rural village called Dagrave until my grandmother’s death. Even after moving to Redamas, I rarely went outside the mansion.

Most of my time was spent studying with tutors Father hired or hiding in the library with books. Sometimes I prepared for garden parties by calling in a shopper to pick dresses and jewelry—but even then, Grace always took the best, and I only chose from what remained. I tried hard to pick things different from hers, just to avoid offending her.

So in truth, I was closer to a country girl than a city person.

Laila snorted.
“What nonsense. A country girl, you?”
“If you look at it objectively… yes. And you’re city-born too, you know.”
“I was born in the countryside.”
“And lived there how long? Two years? Three?”
“Moved to Redamas as soon as I was born.”
“Then you’re from Redamas too.”
“…Somehow that sounds insulting.”

For Laila, Redamas was synonymous with Linus and Jang Hyunji. To me, that felt unfair to everyone else in the city—but I couldn’t argue. I also hated anything connected to that foolish couple.

As Laila unpacked her bag onto the inn’s table, she said:
“I’m heading out for sausages first. What about you?”
“You’re only buying sausages? Since we’re here, let’s get spices too.”
“…Are you asking to go shopping together?”

I blinked, confused why we needed to go separately. She pointed at her feet.

“We already have porters.”

“Ah. Right… I see.”

From the shadows, two pale hands emerged—one fair-skinned, one dark. Ted and Nelson.

Two men—or perhaps two beasts.

It had been four years since I’d seen them. Maybe Laila had summoned them sometimes, but she had kept them away from me. I remembered the time she got angry when they offered to kill me. She hadn’t even wanted me to speak with them, afraid I’d be influenced somehow.

“Go ahead. I’ll rest a bit before going out.”
“Fine.”

Left alone at the inn, I sat on the bed, hesitating.

She’s going to be mad, isn’t she…?

I considered waiting, but delaying would only make it worse. So I gathered courage.

“Bii…”

Beep, bip-bip-bip!

The little firebird appeared instantly and pecked me with its beak. I couldn’t tell if it was from joy or resentment, but it was loud and restless.

“Sorry, sorry. It’s been a while.”

Beep, beeeep!

This great spirit could speak, but still mimicked the chirps of a small bird. I rubbed my cheek against its head.

“I missed you, Bii.”

The bird nipped my earlobe, as if to say it knew I was lying.

But seeing Bii reminded me of Marie—how she had adored the bird, how Bii’s flames had swallowed her. Sometimes, on the other side, Bii even spoke to me in Marie’s voice. That was the hardest part.

Even so, the words weren’t a lie. I really had missed it.

If Bii reacted like this, what about the other two? The thought frightened me.

Enoch would probably ignore me. Keith would scold me, nag for a long while… then forgive me.

When I told Laila this once, she clicked her tongue and laughed.

“You know them, but you don’t really know them.”

Unfair words. I thought I knew them just as much as she did—maybe more. But Laila never picked a fight with me over such foolishness, so I had no argument.

Holding the firebird in my arms, soothing its fuss, I thought about where to go first.

Since I was back in Redamas, the choice was obvious.

There was really only one place to visit first.