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Chapter 11
The next day.
‘Hmm?’
Having just arrived for work, I tilted my head.
The Baron’s castle felt strangely chaotic. Even the employees in the annex had troubled expressions on their faces. It wasn’t an atmosphere where I could easily strike up a conversation.
‘What is it? Why is everyone acting like this?’
Feeling puzzled, I slipped out of the annex. Fortunately, Amanda was cleaning a window by herself.
“Amanda.”
At my call, she turned around.
“Milena? What are you doing here?”“Hey, did something happen?”
I lowered my voice and asked cautiously.
“The mood among the people at the annex is so heavy that I couldn’t bring myself to ask.”“Ah.”
Amanda blinked and glanced around the area. Then, she whispered into my ear.
“Well, the Lucert family had dinner at the main building last night, right? But the Young Lady…”
I listened to the whisper for only a moment before my face froze.
‘What on earth does that mean?’
Cecilia disappeared? That’s impossible…!
“So they’ve sent people out to look for her, but they haven’t found her yet— Hey, Milena? Milena!!”
My body moved on its own. By the time I realized it, I was running until I was out of breath.
“Where exactly are you going?!”
I heard an urgent call from behind me, but I didn’t even have time to look back.
‘Cecilia.’
I clenched my teeth. I had to find Cecilia as quickly as possible.
As far as I remembered, Cecilia had been cooped up inside the Baron’s castle the whole time. She probably didn’t know the surrounding geography well. Moreover, since she ran out during the night, I figured she wouldn’t have gone very far.
“My Lady? My Lady! Where are you?!”
As I searched every corner starting from the area around the castle, I asked myself a question.
‘So, what are you going to do once you find Cecilia?’
Cecilia. The female lead of the original story. The person who would drop me, the original villainess, into the abyss. Realistically, it would be better to keep my distance from her starting now. If I keep getting involved with Cecilia, my future will only become more uncertain.
And yet, the reason I am desperately searching for her is…
‘I just want to.’
I gritted my teeth. It’s not like I have a specific answer. I just didn’t want to leave her alone. Because:
“…Just try spreading rumors about me elsewhere. I really won’t let it go.”
Even if she wore a cold face on the outside, her blue-green eyes were filled with fear. That desperate expression, as if she had been pushed to the edge of a cliff.
“Nurse, she is the personal maid I chose.”
“She is my person. If there is to be punishment, I will be the one to do it.”
The way she stood up to the nurse, she feared just to protect me. I remember her slender shoulders trembling.
“This one was delicious.”
“Doesn’t your mouth feel too sweet if you only eat sugary things? Have a sandwich, too.”
And the kind way she pushed all those desserts and sandwiches toward me. Even if she turned her head away coyly, her cherry-like lips held a bright smile she couldn’t quite hide.
I had already seen Cecilia’s lonely gaze, her radiant smile, and her fleeting kindness. To me, Cecilia was no longer just the female lead of a story. She was a living person who felt all sorts of emotions.
‘How could I possibly turn my back on her?’
I bit my lip hard. She had likely never been outside the castle before. Wouldn’t she be terrified in an unfamiliar place?
‘Think about how much Cecilia missed her family.’
How hurt must she have been to run away from the very dinner she had been looking forward to?
How much time had passed?
“Heuff, heuff, hah…”
Gasping for breath, I looked around with an anxious gaze.
‘I’m not really going to fail to find her, am I?’
If something had happened to Cecilia in the meantime…
But then.
‘Oh?’
My eyes went wide. On the other side of the road, I saw a girl standing weakly. The silhouette was familiar. Disheveled wheat-colored curly hair. A dress ruined with dust and stains. Even though there was no trace of her usual neat appearance, that lady who was still dazzlingly beautiful was:
‘Cecilia!’
However, Cecilia looked somewhat out of it. Her blue-green eyes, which usually sparkled with intelligence, were just empty. Without looking around, she stumbled and stepped forward.
The problem was:
“Wha—what?!”
“Lady, wake up!”
“The carriage over there…!”
A large freight carriage was speeding toward Cecilia. The driver hurried to pull the reins, but it was already too late.
Neigh!
The horse let out a violent cry. A giant shadow loomed over Cecilia’s fragile body. Simultaneously, Cecilia looked up. Light seemed to return to her unfocused eyes for the first time, only for her to freeze stiff right there.
“My Lady!”
I raised my voice sharply. I reached out desperately toward Cecilia.
‘No!’
At that moment, I felt something soft yet hot escaping my body. A massive wind blew. My golden hair whipped around. That wind headed toward Cecilia, standing in the distance, and the carriage crashed into her… and the situation changed in an instant.
Chirp, chirp.
The sound of birds announcing the morning rang out cheerfully. Cecilia, who had been crouching beneath a wall, looked up blankly. It was pitch black when she ran out of the Baron’s castle, but the surroundings had become bright before she knew it.
“Where am I…?”
Cecilia murmured. Unfamiliar streets spread out around her. She only remembered wandering until she was exhausted and collapsed in a random spot. It seemed she had dozed off for a moment.
“Whew.”
Looking down at herself, Cecilia let out a long sigh despite herself. She was a mess. The dress she wore out was covered in dust, and her hair, which was usually neatly arranged, was disheveled.
‘If my family sees me like this, they’ll scold me terribly.’
Thinking that reflexively, Cecilia gave a bitter laugh. It was ridiculous that even in this situation, she was worried about the reactions of her parents and family. Cecilia looked up at the sky from where she sat. The blue sky was heartlessly sunny.
‘What should I do now?’
Everything felt hopeless. There was no way she could return to the House of Lucert. Since she couldn’t control her temper and ran out in front of her family, she would surely be abandoned this time. Anyway, she couldn’t just keep sitting here…
“Ugh.”
As she tried to stand up, Cecilia let out a shallow groan. Her legs were screaming because she had been wandering in heels for so long. Cecilia gritted her teeth and stood up. Her vision spun.
Where should she go now? No one wants her.
Right as she was limping along:
“Wha—what?!”“…Lady, wake up!”“The carriage over there…!”
Suddenly, the surroundings became chaotic. At the same time, a dark shadow loomed over Cecilia’s head. Cecilia hurriedly looked up. As her dizzy vision cleared, the giant shadow of a horse was right in front of her nose…
‘Ah.’
In that moment, what Cecilia felt was an intense sense of resignation.
