~Chapter 85~
Bang!
As soon as I entered my room, I slammed the door shut and collapsed face-first onto the bed.
The moment I buried myself into the soft blankets, tears spilled out as if they had been waiting.
“Ugh… sob, sob…”
Beside me, the divine beast looked startled and stared at me.
[Hey, Saintess… what’s wrong…?]
“Uwaaaah… sob…”
I didn’t even know why. For some reason, the tears wouldn’t stop.
Surely, my heart hurt… but I couldn’t figure out the exact reason.
It felt like some strong wall inside me had finally crumbled down.
“Uwaaah…”
Why was I even crying…?
Even though I couldn’t find the reason, I just cried, letting my broken heart spill out with all those emotions.
The divine beast flapped his short wings nervously and patted me.
[H-hey… don’t cry like that… I’ll do better…]
“Hic… sniff… hiccup…”
[If you cry like that, it hurts me too, you know…]
Luckily, no one came in to disturb me while I cried like that.
With the divine beast patting me gently and sighing beside me, I cried until I eventually fell asleep.
When I opened my eyes again, dawn was breaking.
“…So swollen.”
Looking into the mirror, I saw a pitiful face.
Irene’s eyes were swollen like she had eaten too much salty food before bed.
I turned my head away from the reflection of my less-pretty face.
On the table, the little chick was asleep.
[Snoreee…]
He must have been tired from trying to comfort me yesterday—he was even snoring.
And in front of him, I spotted something.
When I walked closer, I saw a sandwich and a note.
**“Milady, I almost woke you up but just left food here instead.
I’ll come again in the morning. Please eat it!
P.S. Don’t cry anymore. If Milady is sad, then I’m sad too.”**
“….”
A little note and a cold sandwich—Sophie must have left them.
She had been unusually quiet yesterday… I realized it was because she was being considerate.
I smiled faintly and set the note down.
I picked up the sandwich to eat it, but surprisingly, I wasn’t hungry.
“…Hmm.”
So instead, I put it back down and pulled out a piece of paper.
I began to scribble something down.
“Phew.”
I let out a deep sigh. The wind blew against my hair as I turned my gaze.
Beyond the balcony of the coffee house, countless people walked along the streets.
Whenever my thoughts were tangled, I had a habit of suddenly going out somewhere. That habit followed me into this life too.
…By now, my family must be panicking, realizing I was gone.
But I had left them a note saying I’d just gone out to get some air, so I believed they would give me at least a little time.
That’s how I ended up here—
In the capital, on the second-floor balcony of a quiet coffee house.
Honestly, I wanted to go somewhere with more wind and space, but in this world, it wasn’t easy for a noble lady to travel alone.
I could have asked Fabian to take me on a trip, but… after getting rejected the other day, that was impossible.
So instead, I ordered a cup of coffee and silently watched the people passing by.
I thought about yesterday. Why had I felt like crumbling apart?
Why had I, who always refused treatment so firmly in front of my parents, shown a slightly different attitude yesterday?
My chest still ached faintly as I swallowed hard.
“…Have I, without realizing it, started to see Irene’s parents as my real family?”
It must be true. I had grown attached to them without noticing.
It was only natural—we had become close.
“…Maybe that was a mistake.”
Regret trickled in late. Maybe I had let myself get too close.
I only wanted to spend time with them so they wouldn’t feel hurt. That was all.
But I kept remembering Father’s warm voice, Mother’s gentle hand, and their kindness that felt so much like a real family.
“…Harry must have heard my conversation with them yesterday too.”
That worried me most. What was Harry thinking now?
Did he feel betrayed? Or was he worried about me?
And what about Pin? Did he learn about my condition too? How would he react?
They were the ones I wanted to protect the most from this truth.
“Haah…”
I sighed again.
“…If I knew this would happen, maybe I should’ve just told them everything from the start.”
I muttered to myself.
Then suddenly—someone familiar caught my eye among the passing crowd.
“…Emily?”
The woman stopped walking. She looked around as if she heard me.
Then she lifted her gaze upward.
Her brown eyes sparkled as they found me.
“Oh? Lady Hartmann?”
“What? Meeting you in a place like this—what an incredible coincidence!”
Emily didn’t just pass by. She came into the coffee house and sat down in front of me.
I smiled at her.
“Yeah, it really is a coincidence. I never thought I’d run into you here in the capital.”
It felt sudden, meeting Emily in the middle of my heavy thoughts. But still… seeing her again after a long time made me glad.
Emily was the kind of woman who always made you feel comfortable, no matter when you met her.
“So, what brings you to the capital? Weren’t you working at Countess Elina’s estate?”
“Oh, that’s right. I was just running an errand. I had to stop by a dress shop.”
“I see…”
I answered softly, and Emily’s eyes curved into a smile.
“Actually, I really wanted to see you again. You once said I could visit you anytime, and I thought about it often. I’m so happy we met like this, even if by chance.”
“That’s right… I did say something like that.”
I vaguely remembered telling her that the last time we parted.
After all, she was this world’s heroine—there was no harm in staying close.
At that moment, Emily asked me a sudden question.
“By the way, Lady… what worries brought you all the way here to the capital?”
“…Huh?”
I tilted my head at her words.
“How did you know I had worries?”
I was sure I hadn’t said anything.
Emily, tilting her head playfully, spoke as if it were obvious.
“Isn’t it clear? A noble lady, sitting alone in a coffee house without knights or maids—it’s like a setting error in a story.”
“…Ah.”
“And besides, your expression isn’t good. The way you sit here, watching people pass by like you’ve seen through the whole world…”
Emily glanced around, then leaned toward me with a playful whisper.
“Milady, you like to slip away when you’re troubled, don’t you?”
“….”
My lips parted slightly.
Emily was speaking as though she knew me—
As if she knew the habit I had in my past life: running away somewhere whenever I was worried.
“Perhaps… if you need someone to talk to, would you tell me?”
Emily’s bright smile shone as her eyes curved gently.
“If you’re okay with it, I’ll listen to your worries, Milady.”
