WSRN 16

Chapter 16

Unfamiliar, yet not entirely strange, violet eyes were quietly observing me.

It was still early, and the morning light had already brightened the surroundings — but that didn’t seem to matter in the slightest before her overwhelming presence.

It was Blair.
She appeared with her face half-hidden behind a lace-edged purple fan, her black hair flowing luxuriously like it could swallow the sun itself.

As the air between us grew increasingly awkward, I was about to greet her first when—snap—she folded her fan shut.

“Oh, I remember now.”

“…?”

“Our little overtime fairy chick.”

What on earth… did that nickname just get longer again?

I blinked and repeated back cautiously,
“Overtime fairy…?”

“Mm-hmm. Seems like you did very well, just as I said. His Excellency only went to sleep after the sun came up.”

“Ahaha…”

I gave a stiff, awkward laugh, and Blair smiled as if pleased by my reaction. I quickly turned my head away.

It’s not fair for someone that terrifying to smile like that.

For a moment, I almost forgot everything about this world—its burdens and boundaries—and almost fell for her.

Blair came closer and stopped right beside me.

When I tilted my head slightly, she was already sitting next to me, chin resting in one hand.
She was only kneeling a little, but the distance between us was far too close.

“You really do have a talent,” she said.

“What kind of talent?”

“A talent for making our lives difficult.”

…There she goes again.

It was always hard to tell whether she was insulting me or complimenting me.

Still, I had to admit—thanks to Blair’s unpredictable nature, it hadn’t been that hard to achieve my goal. Honestly, I was grateful.

“I, um… thanks to you, I officially became a ward.”

“I know.”

“And… thank you for bringing me back that time.”

“Spotting talent and never letting it slip away—that’s my specialty.”

Only then did she take her eyes off me and stretch her hand toward the flowerbed, plucking a single dandelion.

“So, why were you staring at this?”

Ah… was this an important spot? I looked at her curiously.

After blinking slowly, Blair opened her lips.

“This is… mine.”

Oh, crap. It was important. And of course, it had to be something that perfectly matched my taste too.

“…It was just pretty,” I said carefully. “I could feel the affection in how well it was cared for, and I liked that.”

“Really?”

Blair echoed my words softly—and then, without warning, crushed the flower in her hand. The delicate scent of grass filled the air from the mangled petals.

What the hell? Why is she doing that?

My eyes widened in alarm. Blair’s smile only deepened.

“Affection, huh… I did put effort into tending it. It would’ve withered if it weren’t for me.”

“You took care of it yourself? That’s amazing. Keeping something alive is never easy…”

“Mm. Don’t you like things like that? When something’s in your hands—and you’re the only one who can break it?”

I closed my mouth.

A normal person would never relate to that…

And I was a normal person.
Truly, she was a woman befitting a male lead’s obsessive older sister.

No wonder the noble Lady Hilberk didn’t entrust this place to a gardener.
That… was the chilling reason why.

“I especially like yellow flowers. They’re cute.”

Beyond my golden hair, I caught sight of the poor yellow dandelion, now lifeless and colorless.

Most people don’t treat cute things like that.

Whatever I thought inside, I only nodded silently. And suddenly, a certain memory flashed in my mind.

The marianum flower — its stem covered with thorns.
Blair had once pressed my hand as I held that flower, her eyes gleaming.

…No way. She didn’t overlap me with the flower or something, right?

Blair spoke again, lazily, like a well-fed predator.

“Why so scared? All of a sudden.”

“Huh?! I’m not!”

I shook my head so fast the wind almost whooshed. Blair reached out and gently brushed a strand of my fluttering hair.

“Do the dead flowers ask you to avenge them?”

“Of course not…”

Only when I froze completely did Blair withdraw her hand.

“Don’t be so scared. Things are about to get fun.”

“I’m not scared. I stood up to His Excellency himself and even got the contract signed, remember?”

All thanks to remembering your advice—to look him straight in the eye.

As I held my head high, she laughed delightedly.

Her laugh made me chuckle weakly along.

Why are all her words so scary?

Is it normal for the male lead’s sister to be the scariest person?

Maybe she liked my submissive attitude, because Blair finally rose to her feet. She’s finally leaving…

I’ll just pick some petals elsewhere and get out of here fast.

I was just about to say goodbye when Blair slowly looked me up and down.

“Should I give you a gift?”

“…To me?”

“Mm-hmm. For making things interesting for His Excellency and for being helpful. Consider it a token for future cooperation.”

“I think that’s more than enough already…”

Something about the word gift felt… deeply ominous. I wanted to refuse.

But Blair, as if my opinion didn’t matter at all, smiled brightly and said,
“No, I’ll give it.”

Then why even bother asking?
Still, my survival instincts kicked in, and I nodded obediently.

“It would be an honor.”

“Good. Then keep your schedule open.”

“Pardon?”

Why?

She ignored my baffled expression, tilting her head thoughtfully as if considering a date.

“Tomorrow will do.”

It was basically an order.

That’s not fair at all.

Finally, I gathered the courage to speak up.

“How long should I keep it open?”

“Generously.”

“…Yes, ma’am.”

Ah, why can’t I say no to her?
Maybe I’m just weak to older-sister types.

“It doesn’t suit you. No presence, no grace.”

“…I’m sorry if I offended—”

“I meant your clothes.”

There it was again—her classic conversational torture. Anyone hearing that would think she was insulting me for showing up uninvited!

…Anyway, it probably meant she was going to buy me clothes. So that’s why she told me to make time.

Whatever the circumstances, a gift was a gift. I bowed deeply.

“Thank you for your consideration.”

Blair bent down, picked up the crushed flower, and handed it to me.

…What is this?

The scent of crushed grass—far from pleasant—made me uneasy.

“Mm. You’re part of our household now, so… this too.”

If it were anyone else, this would’ve been an outright insult—“Know your place.”
But coming from Blair, her tone and gesture almost felt like kindness.

I think I’m starting to understand her way of speaking.

She wasn’t the type to talk in riddles—just someone who left too much unsaid.
If she truly hated me, she wouldn’t have bothered with any of this.

“Why? Don’t like it?”

Her expression turned cold and eerie. Honestly, scarier than most ghosts.

What if I’m wrong, and this was all a warning?

Well… either way, I had no choice but to play along.
I had to accept this frightening, suspicious kindness.

“No, I love it. I was just wishing for something like this.”

It’ll wilt soon anyway. I’ll just pretend I picked up a petal.

With a slow, elegant stride, Blair finally left the greenhouse.

Once I made sure she was completely gone, I lowered my voice and asked,
“Marian, did I… make a mistake just now?”

Marian looked puzzled.

“If you mean with Lady Blair… she seemed quite pleased, actually.”

“Are you sure I didn’t miss a warning or something?”

At that, Marian actually laughed out loud—rare for her—and quickly apologized, still smiling like she’d heard something truly amusing.

“If it had been a warning, my lady, it wouldn’t have ended this mildly. You can rest easy.”

That didn’t sound very reassuring—but since it came from an insider, I felt a bit better.

Exhausted, I finally returned to my room and managed to send off my letter safely.

Should I just eat something simple tonight?

As I sat there blankly, I wondered if the duke and others also ate in their rooms because they were busy.

That couldn’t do. Forcing myself up, I trudged outside.
The moment I entered the dining hall, an extravagant meal was brought out.

It looked like the head chef, after days without any guests, had finally gotten one and went all out.

Huh? Did they think I came with Sian?

Now that I thought about it—I hadn’t seen Sian at all today. Had he already stopped keeping watch over me?

That won’t do. You can’t give up so easily!

If I were him, I’d be more suspicious, not less.
He should be watching me every day, eating with me, taking walks with me—that’s how proper surveillance should work.

And then, naturally, we’d become close friends.
Wouldn’t that be nice?