Volume 13 - CH 5

Lydia opened the door gently and after making sure that nobody was in the corridors, she secretly slipped out of the room. 

Now was the time when the servants were resting. She went down the staircase without being found by anyone. There also wasn’t anyone in the hall below.

Now is the time!

Just as she prepared to run to the entrance in one breath....

“Liz, were you going to head out?”

The sound of Edgar’s voice came from behind, and she almost lost her footing on the staircase. Lydia grabbed the handrail, sparing no effort to support herself up, and turned her head.

“Y-yes, I wanted to go for a walk.”

As if to prevent Lydia from escaping, Edgar went around her and obstructed the path ahead, then grinned and said:

“Just in time. Would you like to head to the countryside now for a change of mood?“ 

Because of what happened last night, Lydia could not help but feel suspicious towards Edgar now. She originally believed that Edgar would never again speak kindly to Liz.

“Uh, but........” 

“I want to apologize to you. Last night, I became too overwhelmed by my emotions and thus behaved in a very disrespectful manner.”

He lowered his eyes as if he felt apologetic from the bottom of his heart.  

“Lydia....my fiancée, suddenly went missing. Although I’ve told acquaintances that she had returned to her hometown, the fact of the matter is, something must have happened to her and she wasn’t able to return. I didn’t have any clues, so I vented my anxiety towards you.”

“Liz” didn’t understand why Edgar would say all this, so she merely listened in silence. 

“Perhaps she is similar to you and lost her memories. As long as I think of this, I regret hurting you even more.”

Edgar sorrowfully frowned deeply. Lydia thought that perhaps this was his true feelings, and her chest couldn’t help but feel tight.

But at the same time, she felt afraid. 

The person who stood in front of her was not the Edgar she recognized. Even though he was smiling, there was a cold atmosphere.

“Please allow me to apologize for last night. Can you give me a bit of your time?”

Edgar took her hand as if nothing had happened. Unlike last night, he perfectly treated Liz as a lady, and because of this, Lydia understood even less what Edgar was thinking, and was at a complete loss.  

Edgar had still not seemed to have realized that Liz was Lydia, but he did understand that Liz had a favorable impression of him. Moreover, Liz was clearly seducing Edgar yesterday; thinking back now, with regards to Lydia, that kind of behaviour was sufficient enough to make her faint on the spot.

Could it be that Edgar wanted to use Liz to replace Lydia now? 

This is troublesome. 

Following him like this would be very dangerous.

Lydia’s mind undoubtedly understood, but she was unable to shake off Edgar’s hand.

Perhaps this time, he will discover her.  Lydia couldn’t restrain the faint anticipation in her heart.

If she were to flee from Edgar’s side like this, she may not be able to come back again. Even if it was an insignificant possibility, she wanted to give it a try, as this was to be expected.

In the end, "Liz" and Edgar boarded the carriage together. 

Last night’s downpour had finally stopped in the early morning, and the sunlight occasionally appeared from between the clouds. 

Edgar, in order not to let Liz feel bored, chatted about pleasant topics along the way. Nevertheless, perhaps he did this in order not to give Liz the opportunity for her feelings to change.

Up until yesterday, Lydia desperately wanted to make Edgar discover her true identity, but she discovered that the more she did so, the more it brought about a negative influence on each other. Therefore, she was forced to courteously respond to what Edgar said.

As long as one viewed Edgar with this slight distance, then it would become very clear that Edgar was a dazzling person.

The shiny, blonde hair underneath the top hat fluttered in the breeze and glistened under the sunshine. He clearly had an appearance such that one could use a metaphor of purity, yet those ash mauve eyes inexplicably stirred up emotions. If he were to gaze at someone without meaning, then it would make them have the misconception that they were the most important, causing others to believe that perhaps this was his unique expertise.

With that, the majority of young women ought to fall in love with him instantaneously.

Did this kind of Edgar really want to apologize to “Liz”? Lydia couldn’t make out what ideas he had in his mind at all.

Even as they had become engaged, Lydia still had trouble thinking of a gift that would make him happy, let alone the fact that he flawlessly repressed his emotions in front of Liz, who was an outsider. Therefore, it was only logical for Lydia not to comprehend what he was thinking. 

The more Edgar stared at Lydia, the more she found it hard to believe that he was her fiancé. She even believed that she was “Liz”, who was unable to receive Edgar’s attention no matter what she did, and that “Lydia”, who was very special to him, was another person.

This was probably the real current situation. The body that was here was Liz, and there was no way to become Lydia.

“You don’t seem to be cheerful. Sure enough, is it because you didn’t want to come out with me?”

“Eh… no, that’s not true.”

“But you’re absent-minded, looking up at the sky like that.”

Lydia mumbled “sorry”. She felt that Edgar was seemingly a bit displeased. 

“If you head forward more, there’s a place with very beautiful scenery, have you been there?“ 

“Oh, it’s my first time.”

“I see, so you do remember something.”

Lydia was shocked and covered her mouth, but Edgar smiled indifferently.

“Uh, how strange, I feel as if it’s the first time coming here.”

She wanted to play the fool, but Edgar, whose whole face was filled with doubt, suddenly leaned over and said:  

“Liz, I want to understand you more, for instance, what your true identity is."

Lydia was startled. The name “Lydia” was already at the corner of her lips, but Edgar had never considered that possibility.

Edgar was seemingly going to pursue Liz and tenderly smiled, gently holding her hand.

“Why did you want to rush in front of my carriage? Why did you say that you didn’t remember anything? What’s your purpose in approaching me?”

His tone was very gentle, but the questions thrown out were actually intense.

“Did someone order you?”

“.....Eh, by order you mean.....” 

“For instance, being threatened by Ulysses and such?”

“N-no!”

Lydia realized that an intense anger instantly flashed in Edgar’s eyes, and that she misspoke again.

“I see so you do know Ulysses.”

Although Lydia’s hand wasn’t grasped with a lot of force, she was unable to draw back with her strength.

“Was it Ulysses who took Lydia away? For what reason?”

The carriage door was blocked by Edgar, and he was coming closer. Lydia didn’t know what to do.

She only knew that she was suspected by Edgar and was being considered an accomplice of the criminal who took his fiancée away. 

“You will tell me.”

Fingers soothingly touched her cheek. If there was a little resistance, then he would probably twist and break her neck.

“No, I don’t know anything.”

Lydia desperately shook her head, but Edgar’s expression didn’t change the least bit.

"...... Everything you know, you will tell me. Have no fear, if Lydia is saved, you will be saved. “ 

As the underlying small minion? 

Edgar was obviously threatening Liz. He decided that no matter the means he must make her to speak. 

“No, I don't know anything at all!“ 

Lydia was shaking her head, but Edgar’s grim expression didn’t change the slightest. 

“No matter who, they will say so at the beginning, but it’s just the start.” 

“It’s true, I…… I am not your enemy.”

Before she knew it, the carriage had stopped. 

She realized that her shoulders were trembling. She was afraid and sorrowful to the point of not knowing what to do.

“......I beg you, Edgar, please recognize me! You know who I am!”

He frowned.

“Close your eyes and feel with your heart, as long as you do this, you will know. You’ve clearly said this before!”

Edgar seemed caught up in contemplation, probably because Lydia’s reaction and the enemy spy’s reaction when being interrogated weren’t too similar. 

“I.... won't run away. I believe you’ll realize, so please close your eyes for a moment.”

Lydia begged him, and he did as such, grabbing her hand and closing his eyes.

I must calm down. Lydia took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

She grasped Edgar’s hand in return, confirming those warm and slender fingers. Lydia knew it was a hand that was familiar to her. 

Although Liz wasn’t similar to Lydia at all, that was only in appearances; in fact, regardless of her palms, fingertips, hair, ear, and lips, all of it was Lydia, thus he ought to have taken notice.