Chapter 78
I awkwardly shifted my gaze at a compliment I’d never heard from anyone in this mansion before.
It was just a simple promise to keep a secret, something so obvious, yet I was being called a “good person.” Could I really accept such praise?
“I have just one more favor to ask.”
But it didn’t end there. The mention of yet another request made me careful not to show my irritation on the surface.
“…What is it this time?”
As I looked at Jieunha, I felt a little puzzled. Unlike earlier, when she hesitated, her eyes now seemed serious.
I felt a twinge of fear, wondering what she was about to say, when she gripped my clothing more tightly and spoke.
“I want to continue being friends with Lady Elizabeth Christener.”
Meeting her earnest gaze, I almost doubted my own ears.
“I also want to be friends with Lady Elizabeth Christener.”
An unwelcome sense of déjà vu hit me.
Someone just as stunningly beautiful as Jieunha had once said something similar. He was a male lead, another main character in the world of this original story.
‘Did Jieunha just say she wants to be friends with me too?’
I stared at her in disbelief, and her eyes drooped slightly as if she had misread my expression.
“I guess… it’s not possible, then.”
Her clear, childlike eyes were visibly filled with disappointment. Her pretty eyebrows and lips drooped, giving her a face that looked as though she might cry.
‘Ugh, please don’t make that face. It makes it seem like I’ve hurt her.’
A sudden wave of guilt washed over me. What kind of being is this? Why is her face so unnecessarily beautiful and cute, shaking people’s hearts like this?
If she wanted something, I felt like I had to give it to her.
‘Damn it. I didn’t even succumb to Rixion Luhanes’ incredible looks…’
I rubbed my furrowed brow, recalling the face of the one I’d thought was the most beautiful and impressive in this world. I couldn’t just give in to Jieunha’s face and agree to be friends, nor could I reject her harshly while looking at that expression.
It was truly awkward. Not only had I been confessed to by the original male lead, now I was being pulled closer to the original female lead too. What am I supposed to do?
‘Does Elizabeth Christener have honey on her or something? Why is everyone acting like this?’
Just the matter with Rixion Luhanes had already pushed my mental capacity to the limit, and now Jieunha was adding to the chaos. I felt utterly confused.
“I’m sorry for making such an unnecessary request. Well… I’ll be going then.”
Fortunately, Jieunha wasn’t that persistent.
Since I didn’t immediately answer, she forced a smile and said goodbye. Her attempt to hide her embarrassment with a smile made her seem even more endearing.
“Thank you for seeing me even though I suddenly showed up today.”
She bowed politely and walked toward the door. She listlessly pulled the hood she’d worn back over her head, her small shoulders slumping as she walked.
In this unfamiliar world, surrounded by unfamiliar people, she must be scared and anxious. Many people around her would watch over and worry for her, but surely she would grow increasingly homesick and exhausted, shedding tears into her pillow alone, just as I had for 23 years since being born in this land.
Watching her back as she left the parlor, I let out a small sigh, projecting my younger self onto her.
She glanced back and bowed once more before joining the knights waiting for her and walking toward the entrance. I barely tore my gaze from her back and crossed my arms in front of my chest.
‘Yeah, just let her go. Just dealing with the original male lead is headache enough, I can’t be friends with the original female lead too. That’s absurd. Absolutely not, no way.’
I could go back to my room and spend the evening thinking about what to eat. With that thought, I left the parlor… and then
“Alright, let’s be friends.”
Before I realized it, I had called out to Jieunha and given her the answer she wanted.
I had run with all my strength to catch up to her as she was already passing through the garden on her way to the entrance, gasping for breath. Jieunha turned, looking surprised.
“Lady Elizabeth Christener?”
“Come on, let’s do it—friends.”
For a moment, Jieunha looked stunned, as if she didn’t understand what I meant.
“Really? Seriously?”
“Yes.”
At her cautious question, I quickly nodded.
The dark clouds that had shadowed her obsidian-like eyes lifted, revealing a radiant smile. I awkwardly mirrored her smile, still looking uneasy.
Giving her the response she wanted, I gently nudged her back.
“Now, let’s go quickly. If we get caught, the people around us won’t just get in trouble at work—they’ll be finished.”
“Yes!”
Even at my potentially rough gesture, Jieunha smiled brightly and agreed. The knights surrounding her hastened their steps anxiously.
She obediently followed them but paused to look back at me again.
“Hey!”
I flinched, watching her head toward the carriage. I worried she might say something else, but she shouted with the innocence of a child:
“Thank you so much, Lady Elizabeth Christener! Next time, I’ll invite you to the place where I’m staying!”
She waved at me enthusiastically until she climbed into the carriage.
I quietly watched until the carriage left the Christener estate, letting out a small chuckle.
‘If she’s inviting me to where she’s staying, that means the imperial city.’
The thought of being invited to a place I never want to set foot in made me recoil. She meant it with pure kindness, but from my perspective, it was a proposal I had no desire to accept.
As I turned to walk back to the mansion, I suddenly stopped.
I felt the puzzled gazes of the butler and other servants silently following me.
Taking all those stares at once, I raised my hands and buried my face in my palms.
“Miss, what’s wrong?”
The butler immediately spoke with concern. I mumbled through my hands:
“Grandfather.”
“Yes, speak.”
His familiar voice, ready to hear anything I had to say, had always been there since I was young, watching over me no matter what trouble I got into. Hearing it now gave me comfort, but also a surge of emotions I could no longer hold back.
I finally lifted my face from my hands and screamed toward the sky.
As I calmed down, I looked at the butler.
He, unfazed by my antics, had covered his ears and only lowered his hands when I looked at him, a calm expression betraying that he had seen this behavior many times before.
I looked at him with a face that wanted to cry and asked:
“Why am I really this stupid? Is it okay to be this stupid, really?”
Feeling disgusted with myself for causing yet another huge problem, the butler met my tearful eyes with his usual steady gaze and calmly said:
“Still, it seems the head hasn’t given up yet, so you should try a little harder too.”
“…….”
His expression was completely serious, and I couldn’t bring myself to argue that his words didn’t feel comforting.
“You useless fools!”
Bang!
Ambassador Perrier’s shout split the air.
The wine glass he threw hit the forehead of a kneeling shadow before shattering on the floor. Clinking shards of glass scattered with a chilling sound.
“How could you let that slip! Do you know what opportunity that was? If this happens again, the vigilance will be stronger and it will be even harder next time!”
He seemed unconcerned with the bleeding forehead of the person in front of him, instead pouring all his anger out. His plump body trembled with fury.
Perrier was panicking.
He had discovered, under the Pope’s orders to watch Elizabeth Christener, that she had the power to cure diseases.
