Chapter 05
“R-Really? All of a sudden? Why?”
“…Just because?”
She looked so curious that I felt a little awkward.
I still liked Kainess. But only in the way someone likes the male lead of a novel.
More like wanting to stay childhood friends rather than his fiancée. It wasn’t love.
I only wanted people to know that I had changed, but everyone reacted like this—
As if something that should never happen had just happened.
“Please take the water to him. And I want to bathe, so prepare it for me.”
If I went myself, who knew what I would hear again?
He made it very obvious that he disliked me. Today, the way he looked at me felt even colder.
On the first day, he hadn’t been that harsh.
I should avoid him for a while.
“Yes, Miss….”
The maid answered weakly.
It was already hot, and after exercising, my body felt like it was burning.
‘It’s so hot… I need air conditioning….’
At times like this, I really missed modern civilization. I never imagined the Astel Empire in the novel would be this hot.
There had been no mention of heat in the story.
As soon as I entered my room, fanning my collar, I collapsed onto the sofa.
Ellie gasped and quickly pulled me up.
“Miss! You’ll get dust all over! You need to change first!”
“Ugh, I don’t care. I’m exhausted. And it’s hot!”
“Huh? Wait… your temperature—!”
Ellie shouted in shock.
Huh? I have a fever?
Did I run around the training ground while sick?
I blinked at her blankly, and she jumped to her feet.
“I-I’ll call the doctor!”
“Bring water too. Oh, and I want to bathe—”
“This is not the time for a bath!”
Ellie rushed out of the room.
Left alone, I stripped off my sticky clothes and changed into my nightgown.
My throat kept drying out.
“I think I really am sick….”
I only ran a little, and I already have a fever?
“Haa… Maybe I entered the wrong body.”
I closed my eyes and lay on the bed, throwing the blanket aside. I barely managed to settle my body down, breathing heavily.
After some time, I heard the door open quietly.
‘Is Ellie back?’
I didn’t bother opening my eyes. She had gone to call the doctor, so she might have returned with him.
Then suddenly—
A cool hand touched my cheek.
“So cool… Were your hands always this cold?”
Thinking it was Ellie, I rubbed my face against the cool palm. My burning skin slowly cooled where it touched.
The hand tried to pull away. I quickly grabbed it.
“Just a little longer…”
But once I held it, something felt strange.
The wrist was thinner than Ellie’s, and the scent was unfamiliar.
Meanwhile, the maid who had spoken with Esta earlier peeked out the window in confusion.
“That’s strange… the sun rose normally.”
Miss said she didn’t like Young Master Feisia anymore?
Even when the Count locked her in the annex in anger, she had cried out only for him.
And now she suddenly stopped loving him?
The maid was completely bewildered.
“First, I should bring the water.”
She carried a water kettle and cup to the training ground.
There stood the very person who had caused chaos in the kitchen—Young Master Feisia.
She placed the kettle nearby.
“Thank you.”
Jenuer smiled brightly at her.
Since he never acted formally with the maids, she dared to gesture for him to come closer.
When he stepped nearer, she whispered,
“Young Master, something unbelievable happened today.”
“Hm?”
“Do you know what Miss said?”
At the word Miss, Kainess’s hand, which had been wiping his sword quietly, paused.
“I casually asked if she wanted to take the water kettle to the training ground. She always volunteered before, didn’t she?”
So she had done that again?
Then why was this surprising?
Jenuer frowned slightly, crossing his arms as he listened.
“But she refused! She said she doesn’t like Young Master Feisia anymore!”
“Ha…”
“Do you think she’s lying?”
“No. It’s probably true. I’ve never seen Esta act that firmly before.”
“…Maybe the world will end tomorrow.”
The maid muttered blankly and left.
Jenuer turned to Kainess.
“Your wish came true. Seems like Esta won’t cling to you anymore.”
He shrugged as if the problem was solved.
Kainess stared at his sword for a long moment before lifting it again.
“What did you say?”
“Nothing.”
Looks like he didn’t hear. Not that he would care—he had never shown even a bit of interest in anything about Esta.
“One more sparring match, please.”
Kainess spoke politely, gripping his sword.
“Fine.”
Normally, Jenuer would have accepted happily.
But the image of Esta’s pure smile while exercising with him suddenly came to mind.
For some reason, the boy in front of him became annoying.
What’s wrong with my sister that he dislikes her?
Jenuer’s eyes flared.
During the entire sparring match, he relentlessly pushed Kainess.
Kainess, not knowing why, was forced into intense training.
“Again. Again. Again!”
On the way back to the mansion, Kainess opened the iron gate leading to the Feisia estate.
The moment he stepped through, he felt something he shouldn’t have felt behind him.
‘Esta….’
He turned quickly.
“Ahhh! Fire!”
A maid’s scream rang out.
Only then did Kainess realize where that strange feeling had come from—the kitchen.
The fire meant for cooking had grown wildly, threatening to swallow the head chef.
While everyone panicked, Kainess quietly released his power.
‘Disappear.’
As if obeying him, the flames gradually shrank.
The embarrassed chef scratched the back of his neck when he noticed Kainess.
“I don’t usually make mistakes like this… and you happened to see it, Young Master. I apologize.”
“Mistakes happen.”
It wasn’t the chef’s fault.
It was because of Esta.
With an unreadable expression, Kainess headed upstairs.
Since he only visited the Bailey mansion at fixed times on agreed days, the servants were shocked.
“What brings Young Master here?”
“Was today the promised day?”
“No, there’s still a week left.”
“That’s strange.”
Ignoring their whispers, Kainess stopped in front of Esta’s room.
He knocked, but there was no response.
Or rather—she couldn’t respond.
When he opened the door, he saw Esta lying there, barely conscious.
“Why didn’t you say anything until it got this bad?”
He looked at her with faint annoyance and reached out to touch her forehead.
It was something he had always done—healing.
Just as he was about to pour his power into her—
The supposedly sleeping Esta suddenly rubbed her face against his hand.
“So cool… Were your hands always this cold?”
Is she mistaking me for someone else?
She smiled innocently, looking much better than before.
As if she liked the coolness, she kept leaning into him.
Kainess found himself in an awkward situation.
“Just a little longer…”
She even grabbed his wrist tightly.
Then—
She suddenly froze.
“….”
“….”
Only then did she realize.
“Breathe.”
At Kainess’s words, I finally inhaled.
W-What is happening?
My mind was in chaos. Kainess came to my room?
I never thought he would, even if the sky split open.
More than surprise, the situation felt unbearably awkward.
I carefully turned my back to him, pretending to sleep.
“Snore…”
I even made a fake snoring sound.
Kainess let out a soft sigh.
Don’t you realize I’m trying to help you save face?
I didn’t know why he came in secretly, but I was trying to let him leave quietly.
Since I was already exposed, staying still was strange. When I finally sat up, I saw his back as he was about to leave.
“Bye.”
I waved brightly, trying to show I had no lingering feelings.
His face twisted slightly.
“Why… are you like this?”
I had no idea what he meant, but Kainess frowned as if irritated.
For someone usually expressionless, it was a dramatic change.
“Why? Why?”
“If you’re sick, you should say so.”
“Huh? I told Ellie.”
I smiled lightly, telling him not to worry.
As expected of the male lead—he was even worrying about a future villain.
Just as I smiled at his cuteness—
His expression hardened.
“You should have told me.”
“…What? Why would I tell you?”
I genuinely didn’t understand.
Kainess looked shocked, covering his mouth with his hand.
He’s only thirteen. What’s so shocking?
“Kainess?”
Worried, I stepped closer.
Suddenly, he grabbed my hand.
“W-What is it?”
Holding hands wasn’t a big deal, but the unfamiliar sensation from his touch startled me.
“Are you going to keep pretending you don’t know?”
I turned to look at him—
And in that moment, I finally understood.
Why Esta had been so obsessed with Kainess.
It was when her memories came flooding back.
