She would be the only one to give such advice to the target of revenge.

Who could tell the target of revenge to be smart? To come to their senses? Usually, one would prefer the other party to act foolishly.

But Sesenia disliked that.

‘My death was just falling into a trap set by a clever person. There’s no way such a stupid person could have killed me.’

If such a stupid person had killed her, if she had died unfairly because of that, she felt she would be wallowing in self-loathing.

Having said all she wanted to say, Sesenia returned to her room without showing the slightest interest. Whether she had an epiphany or felt urgency, Elzere also didn’t show any particular reaction.

**

Several more days passed.

There were now only two days left until the week when the Hepria cotton and firewood would be sold. Sesenia was leisurely drinking tea and reading a book, more relaxed than ever.

But an unexpected visitor came to see her.

A knock was heard and the door opened immediately. Sesenia’s expression hardened as she saw the door open without waiting for permission to enter.

“Are you entering without the owner’s permission?”

It was Ian. Seeing him made Sesenia feel sick to her stomach.

“We never needed permission to enter each other’s rooms before, did we, Sesenia? Aren’t you happy to see an old friend after so long?”

She didn’t realize it then, but the current Ian was like a snake. Coiling its long body around its prey, bewitching them with its forked tongue. He was a terrifying existence just to think about.

“……”

“You seem to be quite busy these days.”

“…What brings you here?”

“What do you mean? You’re talking as if I’ve come somewhere I shouldn’t.”

How shameless. Sesenia tried hard to suppress the urge to curl just one side of her lip.

‘When was it? When did you fall for Elzere? When was it? When did you decide to betray me?’

Whatever the case, Ian was no longer her friend. Only Sesenia had considered Ian a friend, while he harbored different feelings. Sesenia, who only realized this after her death, now despised the current him.

‘But I can’t show my emotions. I need to take revenge, and showing emotions… that’s what amateurs do. I’m different from Elzere.’

“No. There’s nothing wrong with you coming here.”

“Now that’s more like the Sesenia I know. You gave me such a cold look when you first saw me that for a moment I thought you weren’t yourself.”

“Did I?”

Naturally entering the room, he sat down next to Sesenia. Then he pressed his finger firmly on the book in Sesenia’s hands.

“Reading boring books again?”

“Books are interesting.”

“You’re always… so boring.”

What exactly is an interesting person? Why do they dismiss her as boring? Is a person’s existence merely to entertain others? There were many questions she wanted to ask, but Sesenia deliberately hid her expression and closed the book she had been reading.

“What did you come to talk about today?”

“I used to come even without anything to say. Why so formal suddenly?”

“Still, it seems like you have some business today. Come to think of it, I’ve seen royal carriages coming to the Marquis’s mansion frequently lately. Was that you?”

“Huh? Ah. Was that so? Was it me? I don’t remember well.”

Pretending to be nonchalant, Ian forced a smile, and Sesenia also smiled as if nothing was wrong.

“Is that so? Maybe I saw wrong.”

“Right. You must have seen wrong. There’s no way royal carriages would come. Ah, now that I think about it, I hear there’s talk of marriage with my brother.”

“Marriage talk?”

It was around this time, wasn’t it? Sesenia stroked her chin. Come to think of it, it was when she was 19, just after her coming-of-age ceremony. The Marquis wanted to form an in-law relationship with the royal family by any means. He eventually managed to arrange an engagement between the Crown Prince and his daughter.

Of course, the result wasn’t very good, but thinking about it now, it was around this time.

‘It must have been around this time… when sister threw a fit saying she would never marry the Crown Prince.’

Seeing Elzere make a splendid debut at the founding anniversary banquet, the Crown Prince was quite taken with her, and the Marquis thought of sending his eldest and favorite daughter to become the Crown Princess. But Elzere, who had a successful debut at the founding anniversary banquet and instantly became the new star of high society, started making a fuss about not wanting to go.

In the end, Sesenia became engaged to the Crown Prince in place of her sister.

“Yeah. Your father always wanted to form a connection with the royal family, right? It seems things have gone well this time. Ah, maybe that carriage you saw was for that.”

“I see.”

While nodding in affirmation, Sesenia inwardly sneered.

It could have been the royal carriage carrying the Crown Prince, but Sesenia knew for certain. She had already finished her investigation. The fact that Elzere had called for Ian on the day Sesenia told her sister not to act stupidly.

She couldn’t know what they had talked about, but it was clear as day that Elzere had asked Ian for help.

“So what are you going to do?”

“About what?”

“Since we’re on the topic. About the marriage with my brother.”

“That’s a strange question. Shouldn’t you be asking my sister that question, not me? Do I have any choice in the matter?”

“Huh…? Is that so?”

“Rather, it’s quite strange that you’re asking me this. Ian. Why? Did my sister already say she doesn’t want to do it?”

At that question, Ian naturally pulled Sesenia to rest her head on his shoulder. Then he stroked her head as if petting an animal.

“No, I’m just asking. The marriage partner is one of the Marquis’s daughters… If it’s you, I think I’d be sad.”

So this was it. The perfect reason why Sesenia couldn’t doubt Ian.

‘I thought it was love.’

She thought the feelings Ian had for her were love. Sesenia chuckled, leaning on his shoulder.

“You know my heart, Sesenia.”

“…Ian.”

“Yes?”

“Do you love me?”

“Why are you asking such a thing?”

His actions were undoubtedly those of a lover to anyone who saw. He was affectionate and seemed to sincerely worry about her. Or at least, he appeared to be worried. But Ian never answered this question of Sesenia’s.

“I’m just curious.”

“Don’t you know my heart better than anyone?”

“No, I don’t know. Your actions seem like love, but you’ve never once said it in words.”

“You know well even without me saying it.”

“No, I don’t know. We’re not even actually dating, but it feels like you’re just managing me while pretending to be close, pretending to have a special relationship. It makes me feel disgusted.”

Sesenia lifted her head that he had forcibly moved.

“…You feel disgusted?”

“Yeah. So if you don’t really love me, don’t try to sound me out forcibly.”

Because of your actions, I thought you loved and cared for me in the past. Even at the moment when I had to marry your brother, the Crown Prince, I was full of apologetic feelings towards you.

Even though I was engaged and gave my whole heart to my fiancé, I always felt sorry towards you. Because I thought you loved me.

‘But I was stupid. I was.’

“Why are you saying such things, Sesenia?”

“So, I’m telling you not to act so ambiguously.”

Sesenia slowly got up from her seat and smiled brightly. To prevent herself from being consumed by emotions, she deliberately smiled more, and her face looked happier than ever.

“Hah… You still don’t understand my heart till the end.”

“Yeah. It seems you don’t understand your own heart either, Ian.”

“I don’t understand…!”

“We’ve grown up since a very long time ago as if we would naturally become lovers, right? Starting as childhood friends, then friends. And then this ambiguous relationship that’s not quite lovers. So you’re just confused within that relationship too. If that’s not it and you really love me… Act properly. If you really don’t want to lose me.”

Sesenia twirled her body around.

“…You look like you’re in a good mood, Sesenia.”

“Is that so? I guess I’m in a good mood because things I’ve been working on are going well lately.”

Only then did Ian’s expression change.

“Things you’re working on are going well, you say. Ah. You’re doing business, right?”

“Yes.”

“I guess that business is going well?”

“That’s right. It’s going extremely well.”

If he were really a friend, the first thing to say here would be congratulations. But Ian, as if showing where his emotions truly lay, opened his mouth very slowly.

“Along with your business, I hear Lady Elzere has recently been preparing to inherit the Marquis’s household.”

“You know about such things quickly?”

“It’s all over the rumors.”

“I didn’t know the Prince had a hobby of collecting such rumors.”

Sesenia, perching slightly on the edge of the table, nodded her head.

“Your words seem to have a strange edge to them.”

“Really? It seems like you’re being overly sensitive today, Ian.”

“I see. Is Lady Elzere alright? She must be busy.”

Elzere. Elzere. When she tried to change the subject, he asked about Elzere, and when she tried to change it again, he asked about Elzere again. Seeing Ian repeatedly doing this, Sesenia could only laugh.

‘He’s doing such an obvious thing, yet I didn’t notice anything back then.’

Was it because it was already a past time, or because she was living within this timeline? The memories from before her death were gradually fading, except for the major ones.

But things about Ian were becoming clearer. Those seemingly unimportant conversations that she had passed by back then, thinking they weren’t significant.

Just as waking up is the natural course after sleeping, just as having breakfast is natural when morning comes, her relationship with Ian had always been like that. That’s why this moment felt so strangely fascinating to Sesenia.

It was so fascinating that she couldn’t notice that he didn’t love her and was maintaining an ambiguous relationship, which was now so obvious to see.

“If you’re curious, why don’t you go see her? My sister would be happy if you came.”