🔊 TTS Settings
CHAPTER 46….
Thud.
Larienne opened the door of the running carriage and jumped out. Thanks to her natural athleticism, she landed gracefully, waved her hand disrespectfully at former Duke Kailes, and ran toward Etisha.
“Thank you for the ride, Lord Kailes!”
“……”
Kailes didn’t respond again.
He simply looked at Larienne with indifferent eyes as she left on her own. Eventually, he lost all interest in her.
He had considered keeping her close for a while to watch her, just in case some unforeseen situation arose since she said she saw ‘him’ in Laxen. But seeing how things were, it seemed there was no need at all.
Kailes closed the carriage door. Even though one passenger had jumped out, the carriage kept running. His destination was the Snow Castle where Lady Cyrileze was waiting.
“So, can you just leave now?”
Larienne slowly parted her lips after hearing those words.
“What… what did you say?”
Larienne couldn’t believe that Etisha had said such things to her.
The cute and lovely living doll who existed only for her.
Larienne’s toy that she never got tired of.
That was Etisha — so how could she say something like that?
Larienne stammered like a broken machine.
“W-w-where did you learn to say such terrible things? Why are you acting like this, Tisha? This isn’t like you at all…”
Etisha chuckled softly at Larienne’s reaction. It was really funny now.
“Sis. Didn’t you understand what I said? I’ll say it again. Leave. I never want to see you again.”
“What… no… really, what is this?”
Larienne muttered.
This was very different from the reunion scene she had imagined.
Larienne thought that if she found Etisha, Etisha would naturally be happy to see her. Because they were sisters, close, and shared a special, exclusive bond.
To be exact, it was because Larienne had cut off all of Etisha’s other relationships so that they would only have each other.
“Oh, aha. I get it. Duke Kaiyen did this.”
“……?”
“Kaiyen, that duke. He took you away from me. Locked you up in Wintel Castle and brainwashed you. Isn’t that right? He must have brainwashed you to say such awful things to me!”
Larienne’s bright blue eyes trembled sharply.
It seemed like everything—Etisha suddenly escaping her grasp and becoming such a rebellious younger sister—was Kaiyen’s fault.
Larienne shouted.
“Snap out of it, Tisha! Duke Kaiyen…! There’s no way someone so great would truly marry you! You’re dreaming!”
Etisha shouted back, unwilling to be outdone.
“Shut up, sis!”
“……!”
Etisha’s loud shout startled Larienne, who gasped sharply.
She wondered why she had never been able to say something so straightforward before.
“If you yell like that, it hurts my ears. I’ve told you several times that I’m sensitive to noise. Why don’t you understand?”
“T-Tisha…”
“You’ve always been like this. Self-centered, only thinking about yourself. I’m not your possession. I’m not a toy you can play with however you want.”
“……”
“I’ll take care of my own affairs. I’m going to marry the duke in two weeks and become the Duchess of Wintel. I’ll live a life that has nothing to do with you, and then I’ll die.”
Larienne moved her lips like a person deeply shocked. She had expected it wouldn’t be easy to bring Etisha to the capital, but this situation was beyond what she had imagined.
Even if she failed, she thought it would be due to Duke Kaiyen’s opposition. Who would have thought Etisha would reject her so resolutely?
“Kaiyen…”
Larienne muttered.
“You want to marry Duke Kaiyen that badly…? You… like that man more than me…?”
“……”
“Answer me, Tisha. Do you like him more than me?!”
Etisha calmly looked at Larienne.
She saw Larienne’s beautiful face, something she had always envied—the brilliant red hair, striking features, tall figure, and confident posture.
Even in this situation, Larienne was still beautiful.
Back when she was bullied, just looking at Larienne sometimes made her think she might fall for her.
Etisha answered in a composed voice.
“I don’t understand why you’re asking that… I never liked you.”
“…What?”
“Of course, I like Duke Kaiyen more than you…”
“……”
“I like Duke Kaiyen… I like him…”
Like.
She liked Kaiyen.
Before Etisha could finish that sentence completely, Larienne shouted loudly, her voice breaking at the high pitch.
“N-no! No…!!”
It was a really loud, noisy voice.
The maids and servants at the castle who heard the shout began gathering one by one near the castle walls.
In the end, Etisha couldn’t say those words aloud.
That short sentence, filled with a heart she hadn’t realized yet…
“Never, never allowed. Not a man. Not a man…”
Larienne shook her head stubbornly and muttered persistently.
“No, Tisha. Not a man. Even if it seems like love now, it’s not true love. It will end someday. You’ll be hurt and abandoned. You’ll cry forever.”
“……”
“Sigh… I can’t help it. I didn’t want to go this far, but since you’re like this, I have no choice… I have to tell everything about your ‘Guama disease’…”
Larienne suddenly lifted her head.
Her bright blue eyes were filled with twisted affection and burning desperation.
Larienne glared at Etisha deeply and muttered threateningly.
“I’ll tell everything. Your Guama disease.”
“……”
“Everything.”
Just then, the servants of Wintel Castle gathered near the castle wall corner.
“Oh my goodness!”
They cried in shock upon seeing Dite fainted and fallen to the floor.
“Someone bring something to carry her!”
“Miss Etisha, are you alright? What happened?”
Etisha said nothing.
A cold north wind blew and brushed Etisha’s nape. It was chilly and eerie. It was a day when it wouldn’t be strange if anything happened.
Afterwards, Dite safely received magical healing and woke up.
Everyone asked what had happened to Dite, but surprisingly, she only kept repeating that she had slipped and fallen on the castle wall stairs.
She lied because if she said she had been beaten by Larienne, it might reveal even the fact that she tried to snatch and break Etisha’s wedding ring.
The incident quietly faded away, and Larienne stayed as a guest in a guest room of the Snow Castle, invited by former Duke Kailes.
A ticking time bomb had quietly appeared inside Wintel Castle.
“…Sigh.”
That night, Etisha paced her bedroom wearing a thin chemise with a gown over it.
It was already late enough that she should have been asleep in bed long ago, but tonight she just couldn’t fall asleep.
‘To think I’d see Lari-ssi again…’
Etisha opened the bedroom’s additional window and sat leaning by the windowsill. The chilly night wind hit her, but she wanted to cool her head this way.
Otherwise, Larienne’s threats kept coming to mind.
‘She’ll tell everything about the Guama disease…’
The wedding was just around the corner, and if things went wrong, everything might be ruined.
‘What should I do? I don’t want to trouble the duke.’
Etisha was already enjoying many favors inside Wintel Castle. Kaiyen was very generous, kind, gentle, and considerate with her…
‘He said I can do whatever I want with the remaining time.’
Kaiyen asked Etisha to spend her remaining time however she wished.
Kaiyen would never know how much that had meant as a relief to Etisha.
Etisha smiled faintly, recalling Kaiyen’s face. For some reason, whenever she thought of Kaiyen, a smile naturally spread on her face.
She remembered seeing Kaiyen during the day, noting how he put exactly half a spoon of sugar in his black tea, calming her complicated heart.
Now was not the time to only worry.
‘I have to stop Lari-ssi.’
But how?
Etisha pondered deeply, trying to come up with a concrete plan. She was so lost in thought she didn’t even notice someone entering the room.
The sound of the door opening and closing was followed by low footsteps.
Kaiyen had returned after finishing his work.
“…Miss Etisha?”
“……”
“It’s cold. You’ll catch a cold if you stay dressed like that.”
Kaiyen approached the silent Etisha.
Step by step, the closer he got, the clearer her face became to him. The deep night sky, moonlight shining down on her.
Her eyes filled with sorrow, her expression lost in distant thoughts.
Unstable and delicate like mist that would vanish if touched rashly, but with a faint, beautiful sadness.
That appearance seemed to show Etisha’s remaining lifespan.
A fleeting life soon to vanish…
Kaiyen reached out his arm and extended a hand to Etisha.
His big, strong hand, as if telling her to trust him and take it.
“Miss Etisha.”
Somehow, this scene was the complete opposite of what happened during the day.
That afternoon, Etisha had reached out her hand to invite Kaiyen for tea under the shining sunlight. Tonight, under the shining moonlight, Kaiyen was the one reaching out his hand to Etisha.
Only then did Etisha realize Kaiyen’s presence and break free from her thoughts as if waking from a dream.
“…My lord.”
When did you come?
Startled, Etisha turned to look at him. Just as she was about to take his extended hand, a strong wind blew in through the window.
“!”
The white curtain fluttered wildly, and the gown that wrapped Etisha’s shoulders slipped off and fell to the floor.
The jeweled tassels hanging in the room clinked softly, producing a clear, gentle sound.
“Be careful.”
Etisha lost her balance and swayed, but Kaiyen reacted like a beast and caught her hand. With his other arm, he supported her waist and held her.
Their silhouettes were hidden behind the slowly fluttering white curtains.
Everything seemed to move very slowly.
