Chapter 49

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Chapter 49

“Uh…”

I was speechless for a moment.

“Well, wouldn’t it be nice to give some to David when you’re baking it?”

“Of course, I also baked David’s favorite cookies, too!”

Oh, I see.

I sighed inwardly.

For a moment, I had a terrible thought that Ophelia liked me so much that she was abandoning David. Fortunately, it did not seem like that would happen.

And so, our own tea party went amicably.

“I thought it would be better for you to choose the furniture for the newlyweds yourself. I’ve collected the latest catalogues, so take it to the Duke’s house later.”

“I didn’t know what to do, but I can’t believe my sister prepared it like this… I was so moved.”

While Ophelia was diligently looking through the catalog, I gave her some advice, recalling the furniture used at the County and the Duke’s residence.

“These low tables look pretty, although they take up a lot of space and are inconvenient to use.”

“Really? I like this. What do you think?”

“Hmm, this is the first time I’ve seen this… I’m going to mark it up and then go see it in person with David next time.”

I was having so much fun I lost track of time, though this had to come to an end. It was because the time had come for Ophelia to return.

Ophelia’s cheerful voice filled the small room.

“Today was so great. Can we meet again?”

“Of course.”

I nodded my head vigorously.

The mere fact that I could meet her in a place where there was no Duke’s supervision seemed to take my breath away.

“I’ll take you to the carriage.”

Saying so, I got up from my seat.

Of course, even though I could have a maid, I wanted to delay departing with Ophelia even a little.

‘Oh, I forgot that—’

Ophelia, who would now be the Viscountess, will need various accessories. Obviously, David would have to buy it himself. Nonetheless, I still wanted to give her a few matching gifts from me, her sister.

“Wait a minute, let’s stop by my room for a moment and then go.”

At that, Ophelia opened her eyes wide.

“Why?”

“You’ll know when you reach there.”

I smiled brightly.

I was already feeling happy when I thought of gifting jewelry that would suit her much better than me.

As I was on my way to the room assigned to me with Ophelia, the Empress’s kind voice could be heard.

“Princess Hermia, how many times do I have to tell you? There is nothing I can do.”

“Couldn’t you just restrict Young Lady Garneid from going out?”

The Princess’s chirping voice echoed through the hallway.

My body hardened on its own.

Ophelia, too, did not make a single breath as if she had grasped the situation.

The next moment, I hurriedly pulled her and hid us behind a pillar in the hallway.

“There’s no such rule, how could I ban Young Lady Garneid from going out?”

“Young Lady Garneid is the handmaiden of Your Majesty, so is it really not possible to restrict her going out even if there’s no reason?”

“Do you think the Count and Duke will stay still if that happens? I understand why the Princess is doing this, though I hope she doesn’t ask me for anything unreasonable.”

“I apologize if I was rude. However, I cannot see Young Lady Garneid becoming the wife of Lord Cassius as it is. It doesn’t have to be a restriction, so I ask you to keep your promise to me.”

The Empress’s reply came back a little slowly.

“…I’ll think about it.”

“Thank you, Empress.”

Moments later, Hermia, whose face was hardened, strode out.

I could not breathe properly for fear of being caught. We were only able to move to my room after she had completely disappeared.

Ophelia glanced at me with her round tired eyes.

“Are, are you okay?”

“….”

I could not say anything.

Princess Hermia… In the original book, she was a villainess who had done all kinds of evil acts to push out Ophelia and take over Cassius. However, now that his obsession had changed to me, I thought she might have given up to some extent…

‘It wasn’t.’

Was I afraid…?

Not at all.

What I felt was a sense of relief.

Relief from the fact that there was still a chance to break free from Cassius Brudenell!

I could not even remember how Ophelia went back that day. I only remembered that I had not slept properly all night.

“Are you okay, Lady Evelyn?”

The maid asked anxiously as she combed my hair.

“I’m just a little tired. It’s nothing.”

I answered with a sigh.

Fortunately, the maid no longer persisted as if she was satisfied with my answer, and I was able to quietly concentrate on my thoughts.

To be honest, I was really lucky to know Hermia’s intentions. If I had not wanted to give a gift to Ophelia right away, I would not have heard the conversation.

‘There is still a chance.’

I remembered how cruel and tenaciously Hermia tormented Ophelia in the original story.

‘…She really nearly killed Ophelia once.’

Fortunately or unfortunately, Hermia had no intention of harming me directly. That meant there was room for discussion.

‘I wish I had a chance to meet the Princess… Should I send her a letter? Should I meet her once?’

I sighed slowly.

‘I cannot meet her. She would just misunderstand.’

Sending a letter saying that the fiancée of the man she was targeting wants to meet her… It was not difficult for me to imagine her reaction, even if I was not a villain. Fortunately, it was still too early to give up since Hermia seemed to often visit the Empress’s Palace.

‘I can aim for that time…’

I decided with my fist clenched.

Next time she visits the Empress’s Palace, I will meet her before anyone else. Unfortunately, that decision came with a price to pay.

‘…I’m bored.’

Yawning, I stared out the window. I could see carriages coming and going in at a glance. Of course, it was now only a carriage transporting goods.

‘This place is perfect for monitoring.’

It seemed that I was the only one who knew of this window that gave the entire garden a view. It must be so, because it was a window hanging from a room where human footprints barely reached, and the dust piled up.

‘….?’

I blinked my eyes as I was just glancing out the window. It was because something familiar stood out among the trees in the garden. Even if you say, I could be mistaken from a distance like this, the rare water-colored hair—

‘…Gabriel.’

I hurriedly ran out of the room.

At the same time, the promise he had made the other day echoed in my mind.

“Yes, you’re a wise woman. You wouldn’t believe me without evidence.”

“What…evidence?”

“I’ll bring a token to prove that I’m more than capable of defeating him.”

No way…

Even knowing that Gabriel would not have the strength to do so, my heart pounded and my mouth went dry. Even in the midst of a rush of my heart, when thinking about his name, I had to calm myself down so I would not start running around.

‘Where is he…?’

When I finally arrived at the garden where the trees grew lush, I gasped for breath as my eyes darted to find him. Even though I wanted to shout Gabriel’s name, I could not because I was afraid someone would find out.

“Eve.”

Suddenly, I heard a voice from behind and almost jumped from where I was standing.

As I looked back, Gabriel was standing there with a wet face in the rain. My heart trembled spontaneously at the green eyes of worries.

He eventually slowly opened his mouth.

“I was worried if I should go find you… This is a relief.”

“I was looking out the window and saw Gabriel, so I came right down.”

I whispered in a small voice.

Hearing my words, his eyes widened.

“Were you waiting for me?”

“….”

Well.

To be honest, it was half and half.

For Gabriel’s safety, I hoped that he would never appear before me. Although I also hoped that he would appear miraculously with the said token he mentioned before.

“…No. I just came down because I saw you.”

“I knew it.”

Gabriel nodded his head bitterly.

I stared straight at him before opening my mouth again.

“It’s dangerous here.”

“I know.”

“If we got caught being together, neither Gabriel nor I would be safe.”

“I know that too.”

“But, why…?”

The question of whether he had brought the token did not come out of my mouth. It was because I was afraid of the answer that would come out of his mouth.

Gabriel smiled calmly and looked at me.

“Eve.”

Before kneeling down on one of his knees.

Why—?

The thing that came to my mind clearly was Cassius at the wedding proposal.

Meanwhile, Gabriel carefully pulled something out of his arms. At first glance, it looked like a medal. However, it seemed unusual for it to shimmer splendidly with colorful jewels.

“This is like my life, so please cherish it.”

“…Gabriel.”

My voice trembled on its own.

It was because I seemed to recognize the identity of the small medal in his hand.

‘I cannot believe it…’

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