Chapter 005
“I lost something… I searched everywhere I could think of and couldn’t find it, so I was asking the maids about it.”
It seemed he had been moving around hurriedly because of that, then was suddenly called away due to the matter with Serge.
“Oh my, what is it?”
“A keyring. The keys are still there, so it seems the part connecting them loosened and only the ring fell off.”
If the keys were still present, he shouldn’t have shown such a strong reaction over just losing a keyring.
“Is the keyring something important? Perhaps you received it as a gift from someone…?”
“Yes, something like that.”
“Shall I help you look for it?”
“There is no need for that. I cannot trouble the Little Mistress with such a trivial matter.”
“It doesn’t trouble me… but if I see something that looks like a keyring among the fallen items, I will let you know.”
“Thank you.”
The steps of Yuan, who offered a polite bow and turned away, seemed hurried. Although he described it as a ‘trivial matter,’ it appeared to be something of great value to him. He was likely rushing for fear it might be lost among the refuse if he delayed.
“…Hmm.”
Rayleigh thought for a moment, then went straight out to the garden through the terrace. The garden, having passed through spring and nearing summer, was decorated with various flowers blooming in vivid colors. The scenery was exceptionally beautiful, but Rayleigh hadn’t gone out to the garden alone just to enjoy the view.
She had ‘something she wanted to try,’ and since she had a matter related to Yuan, she decided to check both together. After ensuring no one was around, Rayleigh squatted down in a corner of the garden.
“…Friends, are you here now?”
Her voice was a mere whisper, mingled with her breath. But that voice triggered a change in her field of vision. Several human-shaped beings the size of a palm appeared, fluttering beautiful wings that resembled butterflies. They were exactly how people imagined ‘fairies.’
“As I thought, you are here.”
Rayleigh smiled, and the fairies approached her all at once, scattering their random thoughts.
[Hello, hello!]
[Let’s play, let’s play, let’s play!]
Rayleigh looked at the fairies circling around her.
‘As expected… I can see them clearly.’
In her childhood, Rayleigh had mentioned the fairies to her family several times. But no one else could see them. They scolded her harshly and told her not to lie, and that was the end of it. They assumed they were just ‘imaginary friends’ that children often invent.
But even now, after remembering her past life and having her mental age increase, the fairies continued to appear clearly before her.
‘Why am I the only one who sees them? Nothing about fairies was mentioned in the original novel.’
Rayleigh once thought she might possess a special talent. But those expectations faded quickly. According to the results of routine check-ups at the Magic Tower and the Temple—a standard procedure for nobles—Rayleigh was just an ordinary human without any magical or holy power. She wasn’t capable of doing anything special with the help of the fairies.
In fact, she wasn’t even able to communicate with them properly. Although the fairies appeared when she called, they rarely answered her questions in a logical way. The thoughts the fairies transmitted were closer to a storm of strong emotions cast upon Rayleigh unilaterally.
Nevertheless, Rayleigh considered the fairies as charms or friends who gave her psychological comfort. For her, who was always alone, the existence of beings who always expressed their fondness for her was precious.
“I feel reassured by your presence. To tell you the truth, I suddenly learned of a miserable future, and I was worried…”
[Let’s play, let’s play!]
[Happy, happy, happy!]
As usual, she didn’t get a logical response, but even that was familiar and welcome.
“I will leave this place one day… but until then, I hope I can get along well with the Duke and the Young Master.”
As she said this, Rayleigh felt sad because she was powerless. As in many novels, if she were a transmigrator possessing great abilities, she could have turned the original story upside down.
“Like you, useless thing, what can you do?”
“Stupid and slow, you don’t understand anything!”
Unfortunately, the insults she used to receive from her parents were always true. Even with her knowledge of the future, all Rayleigh could do was prepare for her escape and leave some meager information out of a guilty conscience to help Elestein face their destruction.
[Cheer up, cheer up!]
[Let’s play, let’s play, let’s play!]
As if they read her sadness, the fairies sent encouraging thoughts all at once. Rayleigh raised her head and laughed.
“Thank you. I’ll try to adjust well in the Duke’s castle for a while. I wonder what the Duke likes…”
She was muttering without thinking, simply because she wanted to win the favor of the head of the family and her father-in-law. But, unexpectedly, the fairies responded with their thoughts.
[Rima, Rima!]
[The Duke, Rima, he loves her!]
Rayleigh’s eyes widened.
“Rima… isn’t that the name of the deceased Duchess?”
She had guessed as much since the Duke hadn’t remarried after his wife’s death, but it seemed he loved her greatly, just as she expected.
[Rima too, the Duke, she loves him!]
[Both, they love each other!]
It wasn’t just a one-sided love from the Duke; they loved each other passionately…. Therefore, the death of the wife he loved so much must have left a deep wound in Walter’s heart.
‘It’s truly best not to mention the Duchess before the Duke carelessly.’
Rayleigh kept that information in mind, then moved to the main point.
“By the way, regarding Yuan, the Duke’s aide.”
[Let’s play, let’s play!]
“He said he lost a keyring, do you know where it might have fallen?”
She didn’t expect a precise answer from the fairies as she asked. Just as they could know the Duke’s feelings, the fairies were beings that seemed to possess a supernatural sight that saw everything.
But their communication was random. Even when Rayleigh asked them something, they usually scattered random thoughts and then disappeared. But it seemed her luck was good today, as one of the fairies flew into the air after hearing the question and cried out:
[Keyring, follow me! Keyring, follow me!]
“Wow! Thank you!”
Rayleigh ran quickly, following the direction of the fairy’s flight. The fairy reached a corridor in the separate wing. It landed on the ground lightly and sent a thought proudly:
[Here, here!]
Rayleigh sighed when she saw where the keyring had fallen.
“This is why he couldn’t find it easily.”
There were side tables displaying artifacts in various places in the corridor, and the keyring was under one of them in a corner. It likely fell from his pocket while he was moving quickly and slid under the table.
“But this… doesn’t look like Yuan’s style at all?”
She expected Yuan to use something simple and functional, but the fallen keyring was the exact opposite. Colorful gemstone beads were densely inlaid to form flowers and butterflies, with a delicate and lovely atmosphere. Of course, based on Yuan’s tone of voice, it seemed it was a gift, so he wasn’t the one who chose it.
[Did I do well? Did I do well?]
“Yes, thank you.”
Rayleigh smiled, and the fairy danced in happy circular movements and then disappeared. The fairies were always a great source of solace for Rayleigh, who suffered from the coldness of her family. With a renewed sense of gratitude toward the fairies, she went to find Yuan.
* * *
“I picked up something that looks like a keyring, is this it?”
Rayleigh knew the fairies only conveyed the truth, so she was sure it belonged to Yuan, but she asked cautiously as if she were checking. Yuan’s eyes widened when he saw what she presented to him.
“Ah…! Yes, it is exactly that!”
“I was afraid it wouldn’t be it, but this reassures me. It is a very beautiful keyring.”
“Perhaps you were surprised because it doesn’t match my style.”
“I didn’t mean that…!”
“It’s alright, don’t worry about it.”
He smiled slightly and answered:
“My little sister made it and gave it to me as a gift.”
At that moment, Rayleigh suddenly realized. Why she felt a strange sensation when she heard the name ‘Yuan’ for the first time.
‘In the original novel, surely…’
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