Chapter 41.2

Chapter 41 – Part 2

After a moment’s hesitation, I brought up another question.

“Then… How did you know about the other thing?”

“Which one?”

“…That my favorite artist is George Rennier.”

Feigning innocence, Theodore asked back.

“Is that the case? What a wonderful coincidence.”

“……”

My suspicions were raised, but I decided not to ask any more questions. I didn’t want to waste my energy. And, if I think about it myself, I could come up with a possible answer…

‘Theodore had my room searched before.’

He might have found out about George Rennier while looking through my journal…

It felt strange to think that he might have remembered it until now and used that information in this way, but…

“And I have a present for you, Lily.”

“…A present?”

With a playful smile on his lips, Theodore held my hand. …His warmth touched my skin. And it was as if I had adjusted to his warmth before I knew it. I felt my heart sinking. Seemingly far away, I heard something ringing inside my ears.

By the time my heart started pounding because of fear, we had already reached another room.

“…This…”

“It’s my gift to you. Do you like it?”

…What unfolded before my eyes was the spacious expanse of a neat studio.

Sunlight poured in from the large window panes in front of me. Then, there were various painting tools, canvases, still life models, and also different plaster statues.

Indeed, this was a studio that any painter would have dreamed of having… The beautiful studio looked as if it was a painting, too.

“Come in and take a closer look. Everything is yours.”

Theodore took my hand once more and led me into the studio. Dazed, I followed him in a trance.

…I couldn’t even lie and say that I didn’t like it. This studio perfectly suited my taste.

“…When exactly did you start preparing all this?”

“It’s been a little while. I was pondering what kind of gifts would make you happy, and it suddenly came to me that you might want this studio.”

With those clear blue glass-like eyes, Theodore gazed at me. It’s as if there was a question beneath those eyes. Does this studio make you happy?

…Rarely had I ever received a sincere, heartfelt gift. While I was living at the Everett residence as Lily Everett, all the gifts that I had received were only perfunctory.

When I was a child, I think my mother gave me a cloth doll as a gift. Was it a doll made with heartfelt feelings?

It was such an old memory that I could only remember it as an old and faded picture.

Still, ever since I met Charlotte… That child often gave me flowers, gave me lace that she had carefully crafted, and also handkerchiefs that she embroidered herself. Those were gifts that were clearly heartfelt.

So, as far as I could recall, Charlotte was the only one who ever gave me such sincere gifts.

At least, that’s how it had been.

“……”

The feeling that was preoccupying me right now—it was a similar emotion to what I would feel whenever I received a gift from Charlotte.

It’s not exactly the same kind of feeling, but undoubtedly, I’m ‘happy’ because of Theodore’s gift.

But I couldn’t believe that.

For a day like this to come… even when I had been living thus far without any expectations at all.

I didn’t know what to say.

Of course, I was overwhelmed not just by one emotion. I could feel them swirling within me, mixing together into one unidentifiable amalgamation.

Amidst all those emotions, fear took precedence, shaking me to my core.

I could feel my breaths through my lips becoming short, unstable.

Clasping my hands tightly together, I barely strung together the words that I uttered with a trembling voice.

“You’ll regret this once your memories return. You’ll regret being so nice to me….”

“I won’t. Not even one bit.”

Without even hesitating for a second, Theodore declared this with certainty. His straightforward gaze stared straight into my eyes.

At that moment, I suddenly remembered just how much I had admired those eyes of his. Those clear, unwavering, honest eyes… It’s as if the ideal dream of the young Lily Everett had come to life.

When I was younger, I had a dream that a person with the same gaze came to save me.

“……”

Memories that I had buried deep in the recesses of my mind resurfaced.

That time when I was thrown into a rat and bug-infested warehouse because I went against Owen’s elemental spirit. When Hessen hacked my hair short with a pair of scissors for no reason at all. When Father slapped me across my cheek for the first time…

These were the countless nightmares that ‘me’ as a child had faced, and during those moments, I would crouch into myself and dream desperately of someone—anyone—who would come to save me.

At some point, ‘I’ became too tired and worn out, and so turned into the person that I am now.

However, after I met Theodore Valentino, that version of me came back to life.

Young little Lily Everett, who hoped for salvation.

It was for this reason that I reached out to you.

You were a person with the kind of gaze that made me feel secure—that made me feel sure that you’d save me.

“…Lily?”

It was only then that I came back to my senses, and I realized that my eyes had welled up with tears. Something hot trickled down my cheeks.

Really, all of a sudden. Because of a gift that I wasn’t expecting to receive at all.

I had already given up. I had already endured everything until now.

However, it felt as if I was on the verge of collapsing.

——