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Chapter 82…………………….
At the Snow Castle, Larienne sat blankly in the guest room, staring out the window.
Unlike in the capital, time in the north seemed to flow slowly.
There were no parties to attend, no nobles showering her with gifts, and no parents to bother her…
By now, Baron Heinz and Lady Dorothea were probably desperately searching for her. But Larienne had no intention of writing them even a single letter.
She had no time to waste on such things.
‘Tisha…’
Larienne spent all her time thinking about Etisha.
She would revisit the past they shared, recalling one by one the wrongs she had done to Etisha.
Saying she regretted them wasn’t enough to describe her feelings—but she did regret them.
And if she didn’t regret them, she couldn’t endure the weight of it.
Knock, knock.
Just then, someone knocked at the door.
‘Who could that be?’
Larienne stared at the door with suspicion.
After all, no one would come to visit her, an unwelcome guest.
Though she was officially staying at Snow Castle as a guest, in truth, she was treated as little better than a parasite.
Not only was she denied the courtesies due a guest—even the maids ignored her, refusing to obey her commands.
At least she managed to cover her meals and clothing with the money she had stolen from Baron Heinz.
Knock, knock.
The knocking came again.
Larienne made no move to open the door. Instead, she gave a bitter smile.
‘Ha, I see. So they’ve finally decided to throw me out.’
Whether it was Duke Cayenne, Madam Cyrilese, or even Etisha—one of them must have given the order to evict her from the guest room.
Otherwise, no one would have come to see her.
‘Well… I suppose I’ve lasted longer than I expected.’
Here in Wintel Castle, she was like a candle flickering in the wind.
She had resigned herself to the thought that at any moment, she could be falsely accused and thrown into prison.
But whatever happened to her didn’t matter, so long as she could stay close to Etisha for just a little longer.
That was the only reason she had followed Etisha to the north.
‘I… no. Forget it.’
She raked her rough hand through her red hair.
It was pointless to dwell on anything now.
If suffering disgrace or being cast out of the castle eased Etisha’s heart even a little, Larienne would accept it.
Her expression darkened as she remembered the image of Etisha fainting before her eyes.
Then, forcing her voice to sound calm, she asked the person outside the door:
“…Who is it?”
It was probably Wintel knights sent to drag her away.
“It’s me. Open the door.”
Larienne froze instantly.
It was a voice that shouldn’t be there.
“T-Tisha?”
“Yes. Hurry, open up.”
Larienne stumbled forward and fumbled at the door, her hands trembling pitifully.
‘Why is Tisha here? Did she come to cast me out herself?’
She couldn’t imagine any other reason.
‘But I already told her everything I knew about the man imprisoned in the dungeon.’
That man who looked exactly like Kailes, locked away beneath the castle… and how Kailes had once tried to hide him in Laxen.
After the picnic, Larienne had confessed every detail she knew to Etisha.
Etisha had only nodded gravely at the time, without saying anything further.
“Listen, sister. I’ll be blunt.”
Etisha stepped into the room and closed the door. Her face was pale to the point of horror.
Larienne’s mind went blank at the sight.
She no longer wondered why Etisha had come—she was only worried for her.
“In this castle, the only ones who know about my illness are Duke Cayenne and you. I won’t burden His Grace… so I’ll use you instead.”
“Wh-what…?”
“From now on, you’ll do exactly as I say. If I tell you to play dead, you’ll play dead. If I tell you to crawl on the floor, you’ll crawl.”
“……”
“Whatever I say, you’ll do. Or do you refuse?”
Etisha’s voice was cold.
Those were the very words Larienne had so often spoken to Etisha.
<Tisha, just do what I tell you. Disobey, and you’ll be punished. Sit still like my doll and do only as I say!>
Now that the roles were reversed, Larienne couldn’t answer.
She only shook her head.
“No… of course not.”
She hid her trembling hands behind her back.
Etisha would never know how Larienne felt—and she couldn’t be allowed to know.
Larienne was miserable, but she dared not show it before Etisha.
She had no right.
“I’ll do whatever you say. I can do it well, I promise. Really, Tisha.”
“……”
“I wouldn’t just pretend to die for you—I’d really die for you.”
Etisha ignored her words.
She had no desire to exchange more than necessary.
“Don’t misunderstand. This is only until the debutante ball is over. After that, I’ll see you out of Wintel Castle.”
“Ah… y-yes. I understand.”
“Until then, you’ll help me prepare for the debut. I must appear flawless—worthy of the duchess of Wintel.”
“Of course. Leave it to me. If it’s society, I know it better than anyone. I’ll help with everything. I’m better than Madam Cyrilese. My manners are more up-to-date, honestly she’s too old—”
“What?”
“N-no, nothing.”
“……”
Etisha narrowed her eyes.
Then, without hesitation, she turned to leave.
Startled, Larienne rushed to block the door.
“Tisha! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to insult Madam Cyrilese!”
“Move, Larienne.”
“I was wrong. I won’t do it again, I swear. Please!”
“Move.”
“I won’t insult Madam Cyrilese, or Duke Wintel, or… or anything about the Wintel family ever again. No, I’ll even respect them! Truly, I can. Please, give me a chance.”
Larienne clung to her desperately. But Etisha didn’t so much as twitch an eyebrow.
In the end, Larienne fell to her knees before her.
“Tisha, please… Don’t abandon me. Don’t leave me behind. I’ll do whatever you say. I’ll even like the Wintels—I’ll try to, because you like them. Isn’t that enough?”
“……”
“Tell me what to do. I’ll obey. Should I go beg Madam Cyrilese for forgiveness? I’ll grovel until she forgives me…”
Etisha let out a silent sigh.
Larienne clung as though her life depended on it.
“…Enough. Get up, sister.”
But though Etisha told her to rise, Larienne stayed kneeling.
For a noble lady to kneel—it was unthinkable.
Yet Larienne did it so naturally, it seemed almost ordinary. In truth, it was an act of casting aside all the pride of her rank.
“You said you’d do everything I say. So why won’t you stand?”
“But… if I get up, you’ll leave my room.”
“And?”
“I… no, you’re right. If you want to leave, then go. I’m sorry.”
At last, Larienne slowly rose to her feet, watching Etisha anxiously, still obeying her will.
But Etisha did not leave the room.
“If you pull something like that again, I’ll throw you out before the debutante ball, no matter what.”
“Yes.”
“Behave properly. Until I allow it, no insults, no hitting anyone.”
“Yes, Tisha.”
“No shouting, no outbursts.”
“Of course. I’ll be as virtuous as the Saint of Cresta.”
Etisha regarded her with quiet eyes.
Whether Larienne would truly obey, she didn’t know—but for now, Etisha needed her in order to prepare the debut smoothly.
“You remember the ladies from the last picnic, don’t you?”
“Who?”
“The ones you nearly trampled with your horse.”
“Oh, of course, those—”
Larienne stopped herself just in time from saying something crude, swallowing hard.
It took her a long moment to find a gentler word.
“Of course I remember… those ladies. The… several ladies.”
“I’ll invite them all to my debut. When you see them again, you’ll apologize for last time.”
“What? Apologize?”
Again, Larienne barely managed to stop herself from blurting out Why should I?
Instead, she nodded quickly.
“All right. If you want it, I’ll do it. I’ll apologize to all of them.”
“The only one that really matters is Countess Monmad. Wolves scatter if their leader is taken down.”
Larienne wanted to put all of them in their place, but she held her tongue and nodded.
From what Marquis Hexion had told them, the one stirring up the noblewomen—and Etisha’s greatest enemy—was Countess Monmad.
“Of course, if the others go too far, I won’t let it slide. But first we must deal with Countess Monmad.”
Countess Monmad would no doubt claim that Duke Cayenne was illegitimate, unfit to inherit the Wintel name.
Etisha had to turn the tables so that after the debutante ball, Countess Monmad wouldn’t dare utter such words again.
“I understand. But… how will you finish her—no, crush her—no… how will you handle her, Tisha?”
“I already have a plan. But I won’t tell you.”
“O-oh… I see…”
Larienne couldn’t hide her curiosity.
What was this plan? Why keep it secret from her?
But Etisha remained unyielding.
