Eventually, the Female Lead Ran Away - Chapter 48

Deborah recalled her memory. What did she say back then?

[I should ask for lemon tea to be prepared when I return to my room. It would be terrible to catch a cold.]

With a vague recollection, Deborah said with an awkward smile,

“I wasn’t saying that I had caught a cold, but I was worried that the young lady might catch one.”

As she answered this way, Deborah thought that Zen would mock her.

She wasn’t even feeling under the weather, yet she was worried about catching a cold – how excessive, he might say.

But today, it seemed Zen had decided to act differently from Deborah’s expectations.

“That’s somewhat of a relief. That you haven’t caught a cold.”

Deborah looked at Zen with a slightly surprised expression.

A pearl-like luxurious sheen flowed over his downward-facing lush eyelashes and beautiful nose bridge.

Even though they were under the same chandelier, Deborah’s nose bridge or eyebrows wouldn’t shine so brilliantly.

‘Come to think of it, is Mr. Baker alright?’

Zen looked like a sturdy person. He was inherently tall, and even the wrist revealed as he held the teacup seemed as thick as Deborah’s forearm.

But he had physically caught someone falling down the stairs, so he might have been injured.

“Are you alright, Mr. Baker?”

“I didn’t catch a cold.”

Zen answered in a displeased tone. Deborah smiled gently and said,

“Well, that’s good news. Then, are you not hurt anywhere else?”

Zen raised one eyebrow and said,

“I’m not hurt anywhere. But why do you ask such things?”

“You caught the young lady earlier, didn’t you? I was wondering if you might have been injured then.”

“Oh, please.”

Zen let out a chuckle.

“Unnecessary worry. I don’t get hurt that easily.”

Deborah wondered if his words were truly sincere.

‘Zen Baker is a man who would never admit weakness even if he were dying.’

Perhaps he was hiding something.

Then Zen spoke to Deborah, who was just sitting there without drinking her tea.

“What? Do you think I might be lying?”

Deborah didn’t show it, but she was startled inside. Whenever Zen did this, Deborah would childishly suspect that he might have supernatural abilities.

‘Maybe that’s how he made so much money…’

As Deborah was lost in these strange thoughts, Zen said,

“I’m not foolish enough to endure pain. If I were really hurt, I’d lie down and ask you to nurse me, so rest assured.”

Zen smiled mischievously. Deborah smiled slightly. Seeing him make such jokes, it seemed he really wasn’t hurt at all.

‘That’s a relief.’

Deborah smiled as she drank her tea. It was bitter but somehow refreshing, on a completely different level from ordinary cold tea.

‘Oh my. The blending must be different here. I wonder what they added?’

Deborah made a mental note to learn this recipe before returning to Madam Saint someday.

She thought Madam Saint, as well as everyone in Burmeuse village, would love it.

“By the way, are you eating the candies I gave you then?”

Zen asked Deborah, who was smiling warmly like the warm tea.

“Ah! I finished them a few days ago.”

“You ate all of that?”

Zen chuckled.

“I was just going to cherish them, but that’s how it turned out.”

Originally, Deborah had no intention of eating the candies. Eating too much would rot her teeth.

But the can she had placed next to the snow globe she received sometime ago was so pretty that she kept looking at it.

Then she smelled the fresh scent leaking through the gap of the poorly closed lid, and that smell made her pick up one candy. As she ate one by one like that, they soon disappeared.

“Candies are for eating, not for keeping.”

Zen said, slightly furrowing his brow. Deborah nodded as if agreeing and said,

“That’s right. But they were so pretty.”

Deborah had never bought candy for herself since the first candy she bought shattered into pieces.

Especially after leaving the Heather household, snacks were truly a luxury.

Even after meeting Madam Saint and her circumstances improved a bit, Deborah only bought candies for the children of Burmeuse, never for herself.

Of course, the candies sold in Burmeuse were very different from those Zen gave her. They were very cheap, only mint flavored, and colorless.

‘Still, they’re the same candies, but I felt bad about the ones Mr. Baker gave me disappearing.’

Was it because they were expensive candies? That couldn’t be it.

Deborah had given away all but one box of chocolates she received when she went out to all the servants.

She didn’t feel bad about it at all, and was even proud that everyone liked them.

But these candies, she felt bad about sharing with others. No, she even felt bad about eating them herself.

They were just so pretty. She just wished they could stay full in the can forever.

But now that she had eaten them all, she could only enjoy the lingering scent in the empty can.

“You find the strangest things pretty.”

Zen muttered softly, glancing at Deborah as he spoke.

“If it’s that pretty, you can just have more. Why be so frugal?”

Deborah thought. 500 crowns a month. Considering her salary, she could afford to buy expensive candies like those Zen had gifted occasionally.

‘It’s not such an extravagant luxury.’

Yet why did it feel so expensive? Perhaps because Deborah had been poor for so long.

Or maybe because she thought if she bought them herself, they might shatter and disappear again.

‘Is there really a need to buy them?’

Even if she brought them back carefully without breaking, they would eventually disappear after being eaten.

Thinking this, Deborah nodded lightly. Zen quietly gazed at Deborah’s face, lost in thought with a faint smile.

‘I feel drowsy.’

The firewood crackled pleasantly as it burned, and the teacup in her hand was warm.

Deborah found this situation very pleasant. She thought Zen, who was quietly savoring his tea, must feel similarly.

But she was wrong.

Zen’s heart was fluttering so much that even breathing felt awkward. Not only that.

He was very conscious of how he might appear in Deborah’s eyes right now. Should he start a conversation instead?

If so, what topic should he bring up?

‘I really don’t know anything.’

Zen felt like an idiot. But there was nothing he could do. Really nothing…

[This is the timeline separator]

Returning to the Baker mansion around lunchtime the next day, Irene was shocked to hear about the accident that had happened yesterday.

“Oh my! That could have been terrible!”

“Indeed. If Mr. Baker hadn’t caught her…”

Deborah shook her head, sighing as if the mere thought was horrifying.

Irene clasped her hands together and said,

“God must have been watching over us. It’s truly fortunate.”

Dia felt embarrassed. To have these two worry so much.

“I’m sorry. It was my mistake.”

“Oh, young lady. I told you not to say such things.”

Irene agreed with Deborah’s words.

“That’s right. Such things are not for apologizing.”

“Yes, yes. I’m sorry.”

Dia bowed her head, her face red like a scolded child. Flustered, Irene quickly said,

“I’m not angry. Even if I were angry, you wouldn’t need to apologize.”

Dia raised her head again. Relieved at this sight, Irene carefully took out what she had prepared.

“Actually, I prepared gifts for you all.”

“Oh my, what gifts?”

Deborah said with a surprised face.

“They’re small things, so I hope you won’t feel burdened.”

Adding this, Irene handed fountain pen cases to both of them. She gave a white one to Dia and a dark green one to Deborah.

“I chose colors I thought might suit you, do you like them?”

“Yes! Very much!”

Deborah answered with a bright smile. Dia, who had been staring at the case in her hand with sparkling eyes, also nodded vigorously, albeit belatedly.

“It’s so pretty.”

Irene said with a satisfied smile,

“I was a bit worried about life in the Baker household. As you know, Deborah, the interview was quite difficult.”

Deborah nodded. Given how strict the interview was, one could expect the life ahead to be equally demanding.

“But I’m so relieved that both the young lady and Deborah are such kind and good people.”

Dia clutched the case in her hand tightly. As if not to let go of it by any chance.

“It might be a bit late, but I’ll say it anyway. Though I may be lacking, I look forward to working with you.”

Dia’s eyes reddened at Irene’s greeting.

“I’m the one who’s really lacking, but I’ll work harder in the future.”

Irene spoke kindly to Dia’s trembling response.

“You’re already working very hard.”

“Still…”

Watching the two, Deborah thought. This truly couldn’t be a more peaceful and warm scene.

‘Dia’s future must have changed, right?’

Irene was completely different from Anna who used to push Dia around, and Zen didn’t act prickly towards Dia either.

Deborah was satisfied with this fact and thought this peace would continue in the future.

No, at least the relationship between Irene and Dia, she thought, would not change.

[This is the timeline separator]

Belus had said he would get along with Zen, but in truth, he had no idea how much he should get along.

‘What’s the appropriate level of investment usually?’

Belus didn’t know much about investments. He never had to know such things before.

‘I should casually ask grandfather.’

If he asked directly, he would surely be questioned in detail, so he needed to ask indirectly.

Belus found such things bothersome, but it seemed more interesting than lying in bed all day.

‘No matter how much I sleep, she doesn’t appear in my dreams anyway.’

She who had slipped from Belus’s grasp was a cruel woman. She could appear in his dreams at least once, given how much he missed her.

“Haah.”

Belus regretted. He should have held onto her somehow. But back then, he was too young.

His thinking was so narrow that the only way he could think of to keep her was to break her ankle.

Just as Belus arrived in front of Duke Delta’s office and was about to knock on the door.

At that moment, he heard his brother Greg’s voice not far from the door.

“Then I’ll proceed to have a conversation with Baem Company right away.”

Belus’s eyes widened.

‘Baem Company…?’