Chapter 66…
It’s too high…
After a brief moment of thought, Cynthia glanced around. Maybe there was something she could stand on?
She slowly walked around the room until she spotted a large chest tucked in the corner. Grabbing it with both hands, she dragged it under the wooden pillar.
“Ugh, it’s so heavy!”
“If I put this here… and then stack this one like this…”
She placed a smaller box on top of the chest, and then another even smaller one above that. The boxes formed a surprisingly sturdy and stable staircase.
“And if I balance carefully and step up…”
Cynthia cautiously climbed, making sure the boxes didn’t collapse beneath her, and reached her hand out between the wooden pillars.
Just a little more… just a little bit more…!
“I never knew having short arms could be this miserable.”
Taking a slow breath, Cynthia stretched her arm as far as it would go and finally managed to grab something round with her fingertips.
Come on, fingers, don’t fail me now…!
She gripped it tightly and pulled, revealing a fairly large, round object.
A marble…?
It was big enough to more than fill her palm.
“…What is this?”
It didn’t sparkle much, nor did it look particularly valuable. It was just a jet-black marble—too dull to be a gem, too neat to be junk.
It looked like a child’s toy… or maybe an old relic.
Why would someone hide it up here of all places?
Staring down at the heavy marble in her hand for a moment, Cynthia slowly climbed down and put all the boxes back where they belonged.
“……”
Still clutching the marble, she glanced around Elizabeth’s room one last time. Everywhere she looked, it felt like the scenes from the novel were coming to life before her eyes.
So this was it—the end of her pretending to be Elizabeth.
She hadn’t been able to fully take Elizabeth’s place, nor did she succeed in claiming the Ritemper Merchant Guild. But at least she could stop lying to people. That much gave her peace.
Maybe the mistake was accepting such a ridiculous proposal out of greed in the first place…
Though it was far too late, a wave of sorrow for the late Elizabeth washed over her.
A woman unloved by her family—both in life and in death. Cynthia couldn’t help but pity her.
And maybe because she, too, had no real family, Elizabeth’s fate felt strangely like her own. It was as if another version of herself had died.
“…I hope you’re happy, wherever you are now, Elizabeth.”
As a devoted reader of One Chapter of Fate—and as the fake Elizabeth who had briefly walked in her footsteps—Cynthia closed her eyes and offered a short prayer.
The next morning, just before dawn, Cynthia quietly left the Bailey mansion with Violet.
“Miss Cynthia, please travel safely!”
Violet’s face was full of sadness as she saw her off.
Cynthia loaded her small bag into the carriage that Duke Bailey had begrudgingly provided as a final gesture of courtesy, then turned back.
“Violet…! Once everything settles down, let’s meet again someday.”
Violet nodded.
“It’s a shame you couldn’t claim the 4.5 million mint. I really thought you were close to winning.”
“No, I wasn’t,” Cynthia said, shaking her head, remembering how Tession had always stonewalled any talk of the Ritemper Guild.
“It seems even the Romanoff family values that guild quite highly—since they were so unwilling to return it to the Baileys.”
“Maybe… you think so?”
“Pardon?”
“Oh, nothing! So, where did you say you were heading again?”
Cynthia smiled faintly at Violet’s vague tone.
“Ah, I’m planning to pay off my debts first. I don’t know if this will be enough, but…”
She lifted her small bag slightly—the one she always kept close. Inside was the advance payment she had received, withdrawn as cash from the bank.
“Well, in any case, congratulations on your new beginning, Miss Cynthia!”
“Thank you, Violet!”
After hesitating for a moment, Cynthia suddenly pulled Violet into a warm hug.
“Violet… I don’t think I could’ve survived in that mansion without you. Thank you for always listening to me patiently and kindly…!”
Violet blinked, surprised, then laughed softly and hugged her back.
“I should be the one thanking you. You helped me endure it too, Miss Cynthia.”
She gently patted Cynthia’s back.
“Sometimes… I could almost see Lady Elizabeth in you. Truly.”
“In me?”
Cynthia stepped back slightly, eyes wide. Violet nodded.
“Yes, strange, isn’t it? You two were total opposites in personality, and yet… somehow, you reminded me of her.”
I reminded her of Elizabeth…?
Perhaps Violet, who had glimpsed Elizabeth’s warmth and optimism, had found some unexpected resemblance between the two.
“That’s why I put on green lenses today! I wanted to say goodbye looking like her one last time.”
“You didn’t have to—your real self would’ve been just fine for a farewell.”
“Next time we meet, you’ll see the real me.”
“Haha, I’ll hold you to that. Now, go on!”
Violet gave her a playful push toward the carriage.
Cynthia smiled one last time and climbed in.
“Where shall I take you, miss?”
The coachman up front, hat pulled low, asked the question.
“Oh, just somewhere nearby where I can switch carriages.”
“You plan to transfer to another one? The Duke ordered me to take you wherever you need to go, no matter how far.”
He said that?
Cynthia recalled the cold, disdainful look Castletown had given her. For him to be considerate now—it was suspicious.
She hesitated before replying.
“No, it’s fine. I just have something to do nearby. You can drop me off there.”
Dale had told her to switch to another carriage far from the estate, but since the Bailey mansion was far from the city, there weren’t many places to do that.
It was a bit of a distance, but she’d have to go into town first. Surely they wouldn’t pull anything right after sending her away… right?
With a twinge of unease, Cynthia looked out the window at the passing scenery.
Tession…
As she gazed blankly outside, his name came to mind.
He must be dumbfounded—his fiancée disappearing overnight like that.
Honestly, she was dumbfounded too. What a pitiful and clumsy ending.
But Tession knew from the start he could never truly be with his fiancée—that’s why he gave her restored sight as a parting gift.
Cynthia tried to justify it to herself.
She hoped he’d soon forget her and find someone better, someone beautiful.
And while you’re at it, don’t let the Ritemper Guild fall into the Bailey family’s hands! Keep it, make a fortune, and live a long, wealthy life.
“……”
Even as she tried to clear her head, Tession’s image kept resurfacing.
His soft dark hair, those deep violet eyes that always stared into hers—and that shy, radiant smile that followed.
The thought that she’d never see that again made her chest ache.
This is why I didn’t want to think about him…
Ever since signing the contract termination papers, she had been doing everything to avoid thinking of him—saying goodbye to Dale, visiting Elizabeth’s room, even prolonging her farewell to Violet.
Sniff.
She could only wish for his happiness now.
Pull yourself together! Thinking about your debt will cool your head!
Cynthia lightly slapped her cheeks and shook her head. I have to live as Cynthia White again from now on!
Forcing herself to look away from the past, she turned her gaze to the scenery outside the carriage.
But then—
“Huh? Where are we?”
When she came to her senses, the view outside looked unfamiliar.
She hadn’t ridden from the Bailey mansion to the city many times, but one thing she knew for sure—this wasn’t the road to the city.
