CHAPTER 40
If You Truly Loved Me, You Should Have Told Me
A common trait among Koreans.
When a package or delivery arrives, they tell them to leave it at the door.
For Ehilie, who retained memories of her past life, it was an obvious response.
“It contains valuables. It could be stolen.”
“Ah, it is fine. Please just leave it there.”
Ehilie dismissed it lightly.
Who would break into a shabby mansion buried deep in a forest like this?
“Wait, wait.”
A hurried voice came from outside the door.
“A precious gemstone has arrived. Would you like to take a look?”
At that moment, Ehilie frowned.
She had answered thinking it was a delivery, but now it seemed to be a peddler.
If she had known, she would have stayed quiet and pretended no one was home.
“No, it is fine.”
“It is a rare gemstone, the only one in the Empire. I will give you a special discount.”
“I am not buying.”
“Th-then I will give it to you for free.”
Ehilie was dumbfounded.
She had thought it was merely a peddler, but this was an even worse swindler.
Who in the world gives away gemstones for free?
It was obvious the gem was bait to force the sale of other expensive goods.
“I do not need it.”
She needed to return to her room quickly.
As she turned to leave, the woman’s voice rang out again.
“Wait. Just a moment.”
Ehilie let out a sigh.
Usually, the correct answer was to ignore such people.
Unfortunately, she was not cold enough to completely disregard someone.
“What is it this time? Are you going to say I will regret it if I do not open the door?”
She was still the type to speak her mind.
“What? How did you know?”
How indeed.
If one did not fall for the bait product, swindlers would resort to threats like, “You will never get this price again,” or “You will regret it for the rest of your life if you do not buy now.”
It was an obvious routine.
So there are scammers even in a romance fantasy novel.
Suppressing a laugh, Ehilie replied.
“Listen, I am not the owner of this house. I am just a guest staying temporarily. That means I do not have a single coin. So please leave.”
That should have been clear enough.
Just as she turned away again.
“I will kill your entire family.”
A chilling voice sank low.
Ehilie froze in place.
What?
The atmosphere was completely different from before.
The woman she had thought was a scammer was something far more dangerous.
“What are you talking about?”
“Now we are finally communicating. I should have done this from the start. I almost wasted my time.”
The woman giggled.
“Cain Terbaon. He is your brother, is he not?”
“…And if he is?”
“If you do not come outside immediately, you will soon be attending your brother’s funeral.”
There was certainty in her voice.
This was not a mere threat.
That meant if Ehilie opened the door, something extremely dangerous would be waiting for her.
A woman who threatened to kill someone would not spare her either.
Even so, with the life of someone who had once been her family at stake, Ehilie hesitated.
The hesitation did not last long.
“I do not think that will happen.”
“What?”
“We are not close, and I have no intention of attending his funeral. Still, since we are family on paper, I will at least send condolence money.”
A hollow laugh echoed from outside.
Ehilie let out a faint sigh of her own.
In her past life, she might have hesitated longer.
Even so, the result would have been the same.
In this life, she had decided to love herself rather than beg for love she would never receive.
Moreover, beside her now was someone who gave her far greater love than she had ever yearned for.
A family worse than strangers no longer mattered.
Of course, I do feel a bit guilty…
But it is not as though I am the one killing him.
“Ha, seriously, this is irritating. Irritating. So irritating I could go mad.”
The woman’s voice grew more grotesque.
Scratch, scratch.
A chilling sound like fingernails dragging across the door echoed.
She is completely insane.
Ehilie stepped back slowly.
“Ah, right. Yes, that works.”
The woman laughed in a high, deranged tone, then spoke sweetly.
“Then what about the Hero? The Hero Gabriel. Do you not care what happens to him?”
Gabriel?
Why was his name being mentioned?
Ehilie answered calmly.
“What have you done to Gabriel?”
“Hehe, do not worry. I tormented him a little, but he is still breathing. It was quite entertaining watching him struggle while shouting, ‘Do not touch Ehilie!’ as he was dying.”
Her heart dropped.
Ehilie clenched her fists and steadied herself.
If Gabriel was truly in danger, then she must absolutely not open the door.
Going out without any plan to face that madwoman would be no different from suicide.
She asked steadily.
“Why are you doing this to me? What do you want?”
First, she needed to understand the woman’s objective.
“What I want? Your life.”
…Damn it.
There was no answer from the start.
“Why do you want to kill me?”
“Because I cannot stand the way you attract his attention.”
“His? You do not mean… Rek?”
“Yes, that is right. My lovely Reddy.”
Her voice turned tender.
It was the tone of someone calling the person she truly loved.
“What is your relationship with Rek?”
“We are to be married. He is my fiancé.”
For a moment, Ehilie forgot to breathe.
A fiancée?
Rek had a fiancée?
Her mind went blank.
Clutching her pounding chest, she barely steadied her breathing.
“Fine. I will do as you wish. But not now.”
“Do you still not understand? I will kill Gabriel.”
“If you kill Gabriel, I will never step outside. And you will never gain Rek’s heart.”
“What did you say?”
“Think about it. If you kill me like this, how do you think Rek will react? Do you think he will look at the woman who killed the one he loves?”
“Nonsense! Do you think my Reddy would be sincere about a trivial human like you? Do not get arrogant just because you caught his attention for a moment!”
Bang. Bang.
The woman pounded violently on the door.
Just as Ehilie intended.
“Perhaps. But his attention is on me right now. So when Rek returns, I will personally bid him farewell and leave this house. I have no desire to continue an affair with a man who has a fiancée.”
“You expect me to believe that? As if I would—”
Her shrill voice abruptly stopped.
“No. Yes. Let us do that.”
Her voice returned to its sweet tone.
“Very well. I will wait until tomorrow night. Keep your promise. Otherwise, I will chop your brother and the Hero into pieces and throw their corpses here.”
Ehilie staggered back to her room.
The moment she entered, her legs gave out and she collapsed.
“What is all this…”
Her head was still spinning.
Her heart pounded wildly.
Fear, anxiety, and betrayal tangled together.
Who is that woman?
If she can threaten Gabriel… she is no ordinary person. Could she be a demon?
Is she truly Rek’s fiancée?
If she is a demon, then Rek as well…
The more she thought, the darker it became.
Clack.
“Lady Ehilie. Are you all right?”
Lucy rushed in anxiously.
“…Lucy.”
Without even fixing her disheveled hair, Ehilie spoke.
“Is it true that Rek has a fiancée?”
Lucy’s shoulders trembled.
Her small lips parted slightly before closing again.
Lowering her head like a sinner, she avoided Ehilie’s gaze.
The silence was answer enough.
“So what that woman said was true.”
Ehilie let out a bitter laugh.
Lucy hurriedly raised her head.
“Lady Ehilie, His Highness truly loves you. So—”
“He loves me. So he hid it?”
“If he truly loved me… he should have told me.”
“Can you call it love to whisper sweet words while hiding the truth?”
“I am sorry, Lucy. I know there is no point in saying this to you. Please leave.”
Lucy bowed her head and left the room.
Silence returned.
Ehilie stared blankly into space.
The sun had begun to set.
The burning sunset seemed to set the room aflame.
The light was so intense that her eyes stung.
“Rek…”
She murmured his name softly.
Her lips trembled.
Her cheeks grew wet.
Since meeting him, she felt as though she had only ever smiled.
Now, she could not smile at all.
