Chapter 30
The door shut softly as Eleanor left.
Catherine let out a deep sigh. She had to practically force Eleanor out of the room.
“She’s so stubborn…”
Even though she told Eleanor there were no Philotes in the teacups, the truth was—there was.
To be exact, it was only in her cup.
‘I only prepared two cups to fool Rachel…’
Catherine had been worried Eleanor might realize the truth.
She had guessed that Eleanor might offer to drink the Philotes herself—but hearing her say it had irritated her.
It meant Eleanor must have her plan.
And Eleanor wasn’t the type to act recklessly…
But still, could her plan work? What if there were side effects?
‘It’s like she’s trying to hurt herself…’
To Catherine, it felt like Eleanor had grown numb after all the repeating timelines and didn’t care what happened to her anymore.
That’s why she ended up yelling.
Though Eleanor didn’t seem to understand why.
‘I don’t even have divine power right now… I can’t let her drink it without a backup plan.’
Catherine’s plan was simple:
She’d act like she accidentally drank the poisoned tea herself while trying to give it to Eleanor.
‘Oops! I gave her the wrong cup!’
Would Rachel believe it? Maybe not. Rachel was sharp—she might figure out that Catherine did it on purpose.
But that was okay.
The goal wasn’t to trick her completely. It was just to buy time.
In the original story, Rachel would soon be exposed and punished by Eleanor and the Duke’s household.
Catherine just needed to stall until then.
She glanced at the red teacup filled with Philotes.
Then, from her pocket, she pulled out a small vial.
It held a purple antidote made from the root of a blue flower.
It was a replica of the one from the original story.
Not as effective, but better than nothing.
‘If I mix this with the Philotes… the strong 3-day effect will spread out over a week. That’ll give me enough time.’
While she was unconscious, Rachel would be too busy handling the fallout to worry about her.
Creak.
She opened the vial and carefully poured it into her tea.
The red liquid turned a deep, dark purple.
“This looks… horrible. Like poison. Worse than poison.”
She shut her eyes and gulped it down.
Before she left, Catherine had said:
“I hope you don’t turn around, Eleanor. Just keep moving forward.”
Eleanor had looked at her, puzzled.
“Don’t come back to this room,” Catherine had said with a small smile, brushing it off as personal business and urging her to leave.
But as Eleanor walked away, she suddenly felt uneasy.
That smile on Catherine’s face—why had it bothered her?
She turned back.
Just to check.
“Catherine!”
She swung the door open—and saw Catherine collapsed on the floor.
Panicking, she ran to her side.
“Haah… haah…”
Catherine’s cheeks were flushed a deep pink, and a sweet floral scent filled the air.
Her eyes were unfocused.
‘No… this can’t be—Philotes?’
Eleanor recognized the signs immediately.
She had seen them before the regression.
But Catherine had said there were no Philotes in the room.
When Catherine first told her about Rachel’s plan, Eleanor honestly didn’t care.
Her divine powers, which should have awakened at age 20, had appeared earlier—at 16.
She’d been hiding it, unsure if it was a blessing or a curse.
She had planned to use her healing powers to neutralize the poison.
But when she said so, Catherine had been furious—treating her like she was being foolish.
“Haah… too hot… ugh…”
Eleanor gently lifted Catherine’s head into her lap.
Catherine was burning up and breathing hard, clawing at her skin as it itched.
“Catherine, stay with me!”
Red marks and scratches began to bloom on her pale skin.
Eleanor bit her lip.
‘You fool… I have divine power!’
She didn’t understand why Catherine would sacrifice herself for her.
She had noticed the change.
Catherine had started acting… different.
Kinder.
But Eleanor didn’t want to know more.
Or rather, she didn’t want to understand her.
‘Even if you change now… it doesn’t erase the past. It doesn’t undo the life I’ve lived through.’
She didn’t want to forgive.
She didn’t want to stop hating her.
She had promised herself she would never again feel anything for these people.
But Catherine… kept approaching her. Smiling. Talking.
‘You… I hate you.’
The Catherine she knew—cruel, cold, arrogant—was so different from the girl now trembling in her lap.
So small. So fragile.
‘You’re not supposed to do this to me…’
“Too hot… no, cold… so cold…”
“Please… stay with me, Catherine!”
Eleanor poured her divine power into her.
She had planned to hide her powers until adulthood, but there was no time.
This girl was more important right now.
She didn’t care what others would think.
Didn’t care if they called her reckless.
She just kept healing.
But—
It wasn’t working.
Catherine’s body was rejecting the divine energy.
‘Why? What’s going on?’
Her forehead was covered in sweat.
Still, Eleanor kept trying.
“…S-sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry…”
Catherine began to cry, whispering apologies to someone.
It wasn’t lust—it was sorrow. Guilt. Pain.
“Catherine!”
Her condition wasn’t improving. Eleanor felt like she was drowning.
‘What do I do now?’
‘My power isn’t working!’
‘Please… someone… help her…’
BANG!
Just then, the door burst open.
A tall figure stood there, breathing hard.
His usually neat hair was slightly messy, sweat glistening on his forehead.
He had run—fast.
His broad chest rose and fell like that of a beast.
Their eyes met. Both had similar deep, violet-blue eyes.
And for the first time—his cold face trembled.
Crack.
It was like something inside Eleanor shattered.
“P-please help…”
She spoke with difficulty.
“Help her… help Catherine…”
I never wanted to depend on you.
“I didn’t want to ask you for anything…”
But now…
Her trembling hand clutched the hem of his coat.
A voice so soft it could be ignored.
But the Duke—her father—couldn’t ignore it.
“Please, Father…”
For the first time, Eleanor showed her true feelings to the man who had always been distant.
And like a lost child, she asked for help.
