Chapter 23
Not Odelia (1)
I had a dream.
A room both beautiful and dark, filled with a sinister energy despite the presence of firelight.
There was only one thing in the room: a large bed.
And lying on that bed was Odelia.
Her body was covered in red bite marks and handprints, and she was coughing up blood as she cried.
[“…Please, kill me.”]
The cries, like screams, repeated the same plea—to be killed.
Who was she asking to kill her? Herself? Or someone else who had pushed her to the depths of despair?
I could only watch silently as Odelia wept.
Her beautiful green eyes stared right at me.
What was the emotion that stirred within me at that moment?
Guilt. Disgust. Or was it anger?
It was a feeling too complex to name, and I turned my eyes away.
All I could see now was the marble floor, stained with the filthy fluids of men.
[“I… I’m so tired…”]
Odelia’s chapped lips spoke to me.
Her voice was so sorrowful that I couldn’t help but cry.
I approached Odelia and gently stroked her scattered black hair.
The smooth, glossy strands that slipped between my fingers didn’t seem like something that belonged to someone writhing in agony, on the verge of death.
[“My lovely Odelia.”]
[“…Please.”]
[“You’re dying… and still so beautiful.”]
A single tear fell from Odelia’s crimson-stained cheek at my words.
It was so beautiful and fleeting that, if others had seen it, they would’ve been overwhelmed with lust all over again and tried to destroy her once more.
As I brushed her tears away with my finger, I spoke again.
[“Speak, Odelia. My child, loved by the gods.”]
Odelia slowly opened her mouth while looking at me.
My vision blurred before I knew it.
Tears I hadn’t realized were welling up spilled onto her beautiful face.
And as if to echo me, Odelia began sobbing.
[“…Let me…”]
Her crying kept interrupting her words.
But she didn’t stop. Slowly, clearly, she spoke.
[“Let me change it…”]
With those words, I woke up.
Even after waking, I couldn’t shake off the dazed feeling.
Was it just a dream—or someone else’s memory?
It was a strange sensation I couldn’t understand.
I turned my head in confusion and met eyes with the mirror hanging on the wall.
Beautiful Odelia was looking back at me.
But somehow… she looked different from the one in the dream.
I tilted my head, staring at the now all-too-familiar reflection of Odelia.
“…What… did you change?”
I repeated the final words from the dream, asking both Odelia and myself.
What did Odelia change?
Her fate? Our souls? Did she place her soul in my body?
Or did she change the personalities of those four men?
There was nothing I could be sure of.
It was a dream that left a bitter aftertaste.
I slipped back under the covers and closed my eyes again.
Perhaps because of that lingering feeling, I soon fell asleep.
As darkness consumed me again, I silently prayed that I would see a happy Odelia in my next dream.
That night, I dreamed of Baisen turning into a half-beast, Ian running through the meadow with dog ears, and Rudolph biting Ginger’s arm—who had become a literal piece of ginger.
***
When I opened my eyes again, reality—the one I didn’t want to face—was waiting for me.
The fight between Ginger and Rudolph had ended in a draw.
Ginger returned to the duke’s mansion with a broken arm, while Rudolph made sure I got home safely.
But that didn’t mean there were no consequences.
The problem was, I was the only one dealing with the aftermath.
Ginger left a message saying I should come to his mansion so he could apologize in person.
Normally, I would have just ignored it, but after what happened, I couldn’t predict what he might do next.
He might even flaunt his broken arm like a badge and take action.
And any retaliation could affect the Snifter Marquis household.
Even if Baisen could protect me publicly, if Ginger used underhanded tactics, there was no guarantee he could stop it.
“Are you sure you can go alone?”
Ever since hearing the news, Baisen had been a worry machine—from last night until now.
He told me I didn’t need to go and that he’d handle it, or he’d go with me.
But Ginger moved faster.
Last night, the imperial palace sent an emergency summons.
No explanation, just an order—conveniently scheduled at the same time I was to visit Ginger’s mansion.
“Don’t worry. I’ll take the knights with me. You should worry more about yourself.”
“Still…”
Since I didn’t know what might happen, there was no way to prepare.
Worst case, I could rely on the knights and just flee the duke’s mansion.
“He’s really getting on my nerves,” Rudolph muttered blandly, the man at the center of it all.
“Should I just kill him?”
“…Please don’t, you lunatic.”
I answered Rudolph’s crazy suggestion with a tired voice.
I’d have to remind him later to stop entertaining plans of murder like it was a hobby.
Thankfully, Ian wasn’t here.
Well, I made sure he wasn’t.
Unlike in the original story, it was Ian’s actions that caught Ginger’s attention in the first place.
I’d already been worried when he kept showing up every other day.
Right after the incident yesterday, I sent Ian a letter.
I threatened that if he so much as came near the Marquis residence within the next week, I’d flee to the Mage Tower.
Soon after, I received a letter from His Majesty, stating that Ian had finally resumed his duties.
Seems the Emperor had been suffering quite a bit too, since he sent me a thank-you gift as well.
Of course, I returned it—with a note telling him to beat his son into shape.
But that was the easy part.
The real trouble was only beginning.
Just thinking about what awaited me at the Staud Duke’s residence gave me a headache.
I pushed my hair back to soothe my throbbing head.
“Ouch…”
Lifting my arm, I felt pain in the wrist Ginger had grabbed.
“Are you alright, My Lady?” Lucy asked with a worried frown.
By this morning, my wrist had swollen dramatically.
The doctor said the muscle had been strained and might be temporarily swollen.
But this seemed far worse than “a little.”
Lucy wrapped my swollen wrist in silk and grumbled again.
“It’s too dangerous for you to go alone.”
“I’m not alone. The knights are coming too.”
“Even so…”
Lucy bit her lip, sensing something was wrong.
She knew something would definitely happen at the duke’s mansion.
He didn’t just summon me to say sorry.
He already mentioned “taking” me yesterday, didn’t he?
Still, I couldn’t just pretend not to know and run away.
In life, certainty is best.
Like a lingering ex you never quite broke up with, unresolved things will always come back to bite you.
I needed to end things with Ginger.
Cleanly. Perfectly.
I hurried Lucy along to finish my hair and wrapped my swollen wrist in silk, securing it with a feathered pin.
When I was ready, Rudolph came running up and hugged me tightly.
“Odelia, you look so pretty!”
His praise was fair.
My hair was half-up in a soft pink ribbon, and I wore a pale pink dress that made me look sweet and pure.
To be honest, I wanted to wear something black, but this was all I had.
Next time, I’d buy something more like a “refund look.”
Baisen’s reaction was different.
He sighed deeply, furrowing his brow.
“Where do you think you’re going, looking this pretty?”
Ah, the obsessive male lead mode again.
“If you’re gonna go crazy, please go crazy gracefully.”
Yes, Odelia was pretty. Everyone knew that—I, Rudolph, Ian, even Ginger.
But I wasn’t trying to be pretty for you.
Still, Baisen’s obsession didn’t stop there.
He slowly approached, twirled a lock of my hair, and kissed it.
“Yeah, I’m crazy. Crazy for how beautiful you are.”
Rudolph looked like he was about to snap his fingers and blast him.
I quickly stopped him. I couldn’t let my brother’s arm fly off.
“If you say that you’re obsessed with me one more time, I’ll really run away.”
“Then I’ll keep you in this house forever—”
“Do you want me to squeeze you till your chest starts leaking milk?”
“…Are you sure you’re not the crazy one?”
After that savage comeback, Baisen finally let go of my hair.
Honestly, if your little sister is already crazy, why try to out-crazy her?
I warned him not to make things worse and turned to leave.
When I approached the carriage, my fingers trembled slightly.
Damn. I didn’t want to be nervous.
“Should I come with you?” Baisen asked, gently taking my hand.
In that moment, he looked like a worried brother.
To be honest… I was scared.
This felt different from facing Baisen, Ian, or Rudolph.
This time, it was possible I might be trapped.
Or even worse, I might find myself in a situation where death would be preferable.
I had already read the story where he killed Odelia once.
Even if I resolved everything, something else could still go wrong.
But running wasn’t an option.
“I’ll be fine.”
“Odelia…”
“I’ll be okay. I can handle it.”
Because I had to.
I climbed into the carriage with that determination.
Baisen didn’t ask again—he knew my personality too well.
Once I decided something, I never turned back.
“Tell them to prepare your favorite dinner,” he said.
“Sounds like you’re saying I can’t stay out overnight.”
“Because that’s exactly what I’m saying.”
I nodded with a smile, appreciating his attempt to lighten the mood.
“I’ll be back before dinner.”
Baisen tapped my cheek a few times encouragingly and withdrew his hand.
He must’ve been scared too.
But he had things he needed to do here.
As the carriage started moving, I looked out the window at Baisen.
His hands were clenched in front of his chest, as if trying to suppress his anxiety.
Before the carriage moved too far, I leaned out and shouted.
“Hey! Don’t eat my share of dinner even if I’m late! Got it?!”
I heard his reply, but the distance made it impossible to understand the words.
It was probably a joke in response to mine.
I closed the window with a smile.
But soon, I’d regret not hearing what he said.
Because if I had, maybe—just maybe—I would’ve noticed there was someone else by his side.
***
Baisen ran after the fading blue carriage and came to a breathless stop.
The carriage had already left the estate and disappeared from sight.
But Baisen needed to stop that woman. He had to ask her.
“…If you’re not Odelia, then who the hell are you…?”
His question scattered in the wind—unanswered.
Like the calm breeze before a storm.
