CH 13

I swear it was the first time I’d ever seen him.

I was certain that I could not erase a person with such a striking appearance from my memory.

The man didn’t answer my question and just looked at me.

An emotion that could not be expressed in words fluttered in his eyes. I didn’t know why he was looking at me like that.

Anyway, I couldn’t leave this man alone who knew my name from my previous life.

“I asked what it was that you said,” I asserted again.

“……….”

It was when I was about to keep questioning the man who seemed to have no intention of opening his mouth.

“-die Perdia!”

A familiar voice came from afar.

“Carlot?”

I turned my head in the direction the voice came from. I couldn’t see Carlot yet, but he seemed to be in a nearby alley.

‘I have to go back. Before that, I must figure out this man’s identity.’

I was about to think about it.

An unfamiliar scent passed by the tip of my nose.

“I will visit you soon,” a low voice rumbled in my ear.

“….what?”

When I turned my eyes back, the man had disappeared without a trace.

I looked at the place where the mysterious person had just been standing before.

‘What was that?’

I felt like I was possessed by something.

It was a brief meeting, but it felt like a long time had passed. But there was no time for leisurely immersion in such feelings.

Carlot, who found me before I knew it, approached me with big steps and grabbed my shoulders.

“Hey, you……! What if you suddenly disappear? Where the hell have you been?”

I narrowed my brows, at the power that entered Carlot’s hand. I wasn’t in pain, but I felt the pressure on my gripped shoulder, and frowned involuntarily.

“Do you know how dangerous it is to walk around alone without an escort? No matter how much you walk around Toinette Street alone–”

“Why does it matter?”

At my question, Carlot paused briefly, clenching his lips, and asked back blankly.

“What?”

“I don’t understand.”

“What don’t you understand–”

I looked at him with unfazed eyes. “It doesn’t matter to you whether I die or not.” 

Carlot’s hand, which was holding my shoulder, loosened and soon fell off.

PHOTO

It was a matter of course, but I still couldn’t understand Carlot’s surprise.

Even if bad things happened while I was walking around the street without an escort or I died, it had nothing to do with Carlot.

I knew my death meant nothing to him because I was just an illegitimate child, not a family member.

The person who wants me to disappear more than anyone.

‘That’s you, Carlot.’

I remembered clearly. Carlot’s words when he was young, that dirty illegitimate children should die. Carlot, who was younger than me, may not remember, but I would not forget.

I looked up at the contemplative Carlot. It wasn’t even that I couldn’t figure out why.

Carlot was the most uncharacteristic Perdia among his family members.

He constantly wanted to be recognized by both the duke and duchess.

So, it was probably because it hurt his pride that he was ordered directly from the Duke to escort me.

Even in the situation where I disappeared, he looked for me alone without notifying anyone.

‘If I had really been kidnapped, I might have already died.’

I tilted my head leisurely up at Carlot with such thoughts.

“Anyway, it’s okay because I came back without anything happening.”

I was a little worried that he might ask where I had been, but surprisingly, Carlot didn’t ask anything.

Strangely, he just looked at me with an unexpected gaze.

Maybe he felt a sense of responsibility for not being able to escort me properly.

I couldn’t deny the fact that I disappeared on my own, so I added a word to comfort Carlot.

“I won’t tell Father anything, so you don’t have to feel responsible either. Don’t make a fuss about it.”

Maybe because I went out and did a lot of work at once, I was suddenly tired. I desperately wanted to go home and take a warm bath.

“Let’s go back, Carl.”

“…….”

I walked past Carlot, who was standing with his fists clenched.

In his other hand, the parasol I had lost was held tightly.

***

All the way back, there was silence in the carriage. Carlot closed his mouth and stared straight out of the window.

He seemed to be angry that I acted alone.

However, what was surprising was that Carlot, who I thought would run wild more, was calm.

‘Are you all grown up?’

No way.

Whatever Carlot was, there was something I cared more about than that.

The red eyed man who suddenly appeared and grabbed me.

“ Yoon Ga-eul.”

I didn’t hear it wrong. Indeed, the man called me by my previous name.

Not Elodie Perdia, but Yoon Ga-eul. 

It wasn’t a light matter to just pass by without further consideration. Deep in my thoughts, I came up with several hypotheses.

‘Could this man also be reincarnated in this book?’

The most likely thing was that the man, like me, had been reincarnated in this book. There was no guarantee that I was the only one being reincarnated.

Given that he knew my name, he may have known me from my previous life.

‘But why did you look at me like that?’

It’s like someone who pretended to be from my previous life. I don’t think I’ve ever made enemies….

I tried to remember if there was a person with black hair and red eyes in the original work, but there was none.

Anyway, I didn’t know if the man’s appearance would be good or bad for me.

‘I’ve just started preparing to raise independence funds, but it’ll be troublesome if there’s an obstruction.’

The man said he would come to me first, but how did he come to know who I was?

Too much about him was shrouded in uncertainty. Thinking about it, before I knew it, the carriage arrived at the mansion.

It was when I was about to get off the carriage at the main mansion and head to the annex.

“……. Hey.”

Turning around at the voice calling me, there still was Carlot.

“What?”

“Come in and take it. A cake or something.”

“Oh, right.”

I completely forgot that I insisted on eating cake as an excuse to separate from Carlot.

Of course, thinking that there would only be fondant chocolate, I entered the mansion lightheartedly and couldn’t help but open my eyes wide.

Boxes of desserts were piled up like mountains.

“Why did you buy so many?”

Carlot answered my question, nodding his head as if it was natural.

“Because I was pissed and regretted waiting so long.”

“Yes, I see….”

It was a relief.

Because the second son of Perdia didn’t buy the whole store….

***

All kinds of boxes piled up in front of the stairs in the annex.

For the Duke’s homework, there were shopping items I swept from the dress room and jewelry store on Toinette Street, and a box of desserts full of all types that Carlot had bought at the patisserie.

I pointed to a box and told the servant who was moving things, “Give that banquet suit to Carlot.”

I didn’t forget to hand over the men’s banquet clothes that I didn’t need to Carlot.

Martha, who had just come down the stairs, asked in surprise, “Miss, what are all these boxes?”

“Dessert. Take it and share it with the servants of the annex.”

“Oh my gosh! I’m excited, thank you, Miss!”

Martha squealed as she opened the boxes of desserts.

Martha, who loved sweet things so much, was the kind of girl who couldn’t be stopped when it came to small, cute and lovable things.

Come to think of it, she also liked young and handsome men, so she memorized aristocratic names.

‘That red-eyed man, his elegance didn’t look like a commoner’s.’

Martha might know, so I asked just in case.

“Martha. A man in his early 20s with black hair and red eyes. Do you know about a guy like that?”

“I know most young people in their early 20s….but no one has that kind of appearance. Why?”

“It’s nothing.”

“I don’t think so. Do you have a crush on him?”

Martha asked secretively, but without a moment’s hesitation, I cut off the conversation firmly.

“Prepare me a bath.”

“Yes…” Martha pouted and climbed up the stairs.

My mind became more complicated.

‘It’s dangerous.’

I’ll have to find him and find out what he really is before he comes to me.

***

When I came out of the bath, there was a letter with an imperial seal on the table.

“Miss, his Highness the First Prince has sent you a letter.”

“Okay,” I mused, waving the servant off. 

It was the first contact I received since I excitedly stepped on his feet at the last Emperor’s Birthday Banquet.

I sat down on the sofa and opened the letter, narrowing my eyes.

[I wanted to invite you to dinner, but it was a matter of what date would be good.]  

‘Are you trying to act like a fiancé like you have never done before?’

For me, who no longer had any lingering feelings for the first prince, it was just a troublesome business.

I immediately picked up a pen and wrote my reply.

To summarize, it was something like this.

[I can’t go because I’m not feeling well. Please forgive my rudeness.]

Sealing the formal reply, I immediately called the servant back and sent the letter.

‘Why should I come to you?’

In fact, there was a calculation that if I behave like that, even the first prince would want to break off the engagement.

***

“She secretly disappeared….”

Wearing black gloves, Jansi’s thin fingers gently brushed the report he received from his subordinate.

The report’s subject was Elodie Perdia.

He was concerned about the recent change in behavior, so he attached a person to her. 

In the meantime, there was nothing unusual because she rarely came out of the annex, but she acted unexpectedly today.

He knew that Elodie, who had been released from probation for informing the Duke of Perdia of the aide’s betrayal, went out with Carlot as her escort.

“Well.”

While Carlot stopped by the Patisserie, the place Elodie secretly headed to was quite interesting.

A magic tower.

Since she was not closely monitored, it was not reported why she went, but if he wanted to find out, he could take the risk and find out.

‘Let’s leave that for now,’ Jansi decided.

There was something else that was more interesting.

Right before Carlot found Elodie, it was reported that Elodie had run into a man.

The report also detailed who the man was. It was a real surprise.

‘As far as I know, this guy and Elodie never had any close encounters.’

There was no way.

The world where he and the daughter of Perdia lived were completely different worlds.

Jansi, who came out of the office to cool his head, encountered Carlot in the hallway.

“Carl. Did you enjoy going out?”

He knew what had happened after receiving the report, but Jansi’s attitude of acting as if he didn’t know anything was perfectly natural.

Not feeling any suspicions, Carlot shrugged his shoulders.

“It’s just….”

“You must have had a hard time. Do you want me to talk to Father so that I will go out with her the next time?”

It sounds like he’s patronizing, but Jansi had an intention. If he goes out as Elodie’s escort, he’ll be able to observe closely.

However, Carlot’s reaction was different from what he expected.

Carlot was stunned for a moment, stiffened, and then shook his head.

“Don’t worry. You don’t even like her.” 

Jansi raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t it Carlot who hates Elodie?”

“……….”

Carlot, who would normally ask why he would ask something obvious, avoided looking at him with an uncomfortable expression.

“I’ll go to bed first. I’m tired from escorting her.”

Jansi knew that Carlot was avoiding the answer to his question, but he ignored it.

“Yes. Good night, Carl.”

A gentle smile appeared on Jansi’s face as he bid his brother farewell.

But that smile disappeared as soon as Carlot turned around and disappeared.

An indifferent face with no expression.

One day, Elodie changed. There was something unusual going on.

Isn’t it strange that she found out that his father’s aide worked together with the 2nd prince? The Elodie Perdia he knew wasn’t such an extraordinary child.

Recently, the atmosphere in the family had also become quite different from before.

She often had teatime with his mother, who never ever used to talk to Elodie during the family meals. 

His father, who was not interested in Elodie, insisted that one of his sons should escort her.

Carlot’s behavior today was also suspicious.

It was an unpleasant situation for Jansi, who had to be in control of everything.

Jansi’s footsteps aimlessly brought him to the garden.

His hand inadvertently touched a rose.

The rose withered due to the power of extinction that unwittingly manifested and was soon scattered by the blowing wind.

Jansi’s expression immediately collapsed.

‘….Again.’

The ability once again manifested itself arbitrarily. At that moment he remembered a memory he wanted to forget.

Jansi pressed hard on the edge of his mouth.

He didn’t feel well.