Chapter 44.1

Chapter 44 – Part 1

Even though the Esner Marquisate couldn’t compare head-to-head with the Everett Duchy, they were still a well-renowned household.

Growing up being loved and cherished as the youngest and sole daughter of a family with many sons, Florentine had quite the self-esteem.

And with the kind of personality that she had, she was better off being matched with someone who would worship the very ground that she walked upon.

Unfortunately, however, Florentine had fallen headfirst in love with none other than Owen.

‘I fell in love with Owen at first sight. It was like fate.’

I could recall how Florentine’s eyes had shone brightly as she said that before.

When she had been Owen’s fiancée, I think I had a moderately amicable relationship with her.

But now, after Owen had one-sidedly broken off his engagement with Florentine…

I stood still, waiting for Florentine to speak.

And it wasn’t long before she opened her lips once again.

“…Lily, you have to watch out for Owen.”

“……?”

I was wondering what she was going to say with such a grim look on her face, but… It was something that I didn’t have to hear from someone anymore.

“…Owen isn’t normal. I’m worried about you, Lily. Once your divorce pushes through with Duke Valentino, you’ll be returning to the Everett residence, right?”

Owen isn’t normal, she said.

I was already well aware of that, so I let that part go. However, I didn’t expect her to talk about my imminent divorce so openly.

Moreover, rumors had recently spread that my relationship with Theodore had become more harmonious, and no one should be sure that a divorce would truly happen in the future.

But Florentine was speaking as if it was a concrete inevitability.

Instead of answering her question, I asked her something aside.

“Does it seem like I’ll be divorcing my husband?”

“Huh? Oh…”

Florentine smiled dejectedly, but she answered as though she was just stating the obvious.

“…Pardon me for saying this. It seems like you two have been getting along well these days, but… It’s all an act, right? Honestly, it’s obvious.”

“……”

Obvious?

Florentine continued, her voice dropping to a whisper.

“Whenever you two were together, you looked unhappy, Lily.”

“……”

Unhappy.

When I heard her say that, it’s as if I’d been struck by lightning.

…Why didn’t I think about that?

No matter how much we pretended to be close, someone was bound to notice.

Perhaps Owen and Hessen could see it.

That I was still unhappy.

“Lily… It wouldn’t be a good choice to go back to House Everett after your divorce. What with him being like that. Owen, I mean…”

Florentine’s expression became crumpled, as if she couldn’t bear to continue.

She glanced around us and whispered.

“…He’s abnormally obsessed with you. That person isn’t in his right mind. He’s completely… insane.”

Unintentionally, I almost barked out a laugh. But if I really did that, then I might have looked like a lunatic, too.

No, there’s some truth to that as well.

Owen, abnormally obsessed with me and completely insane, she said? It was a fact that everyone already knew.

Florentine Esner, however, seemed to be under the impression that I was a pathetic little sheep.

“Miss Esner. I appreciate your concern, but I’m fine. So I hope you won’t anymore be concerned about this matter.”

I expressed my gratitude for her concern, but nothing more than that. Even so, as I gave her a small smile—which must have looked innocent to her—Florentine’s eyes burned with even more conviction.

She suddenly grabbed my hands as tightly as she could, then she urged.

“Lily, there’s someone I really want you to meet. After you’ve divorced Duke Valentino, I’m sure it would help. That person will be very, very good to you.”

“……”

I was surprised to hear that there’s such a person. It raised my suspicions immediately.

Purposefully putting on a worried expression, I then spoke as though I was confused.

“But… Aren’t you the owner of the salon, Miss Esner? Is it alright that you’re spending much of your time with me?”

“Never mind that! We’re almost there anyway. Just right through this rose arcade. The person that you need to meet is waiting at the greenhouse.”

…It didn’t work. I felt a bit of regret about not refusing her outright.

In the end, Florentine and I passed through the long rose arcade side by side, and we headed towards the greenhouse together.

When we arrived, Florentine opened the door and peered inside. It seemed like she was making sure that my apparent benefactor was waiting inside.

…Just in case, I took out the self defense gemstone that I had in my pocket. I clutched it tightly.

Theodore had given it to me earlier this morning, and it was a gemstone filled with spiritual power.

His spirit, ‘Seraphim’, was very powerful, and so this gemstone would last long even against dangerous people. Still, it wouldn’t be a good enough defense against something like what happened last time—the sudden appearance of a rift.

“Lily, come on in.”

Florentine then beckoned me. She had a light expression, as if she had the face of an angel that was truly along the lines of a snake’s slithering look.

Like she wasn’t conjuring that flawless look purposefully, she looked like she was acting upon pure narcissism.

As if she was absolutely moved by her own benevolence, of worrying about and helping the poor, pathetic Lily Everett.

‘She’s like an open book.’

Perhaps the person waiting for me in this greenhouse… wouldn’t be the someone who’d be ‘good’ to me.

Perhaps this greenhouse would be burned down today.

I tightened my grip on the gemstone. Then slowly, I went inside. Now that I’ve come this far, I wanted to see who exactly this most generous person was.

And soon, ‘he’ came into view.

“……”

A gust of wind went past.

The person waiting for me there was none other than Lennon Chester.

——