It was a warning that she could never be more or less than a lifelong mistress. Berita’s face drained of color, and she soon buried her face in her hands and sobbed.

I observed Berita with a dry gaze before turning away.

As I opened the door and lifted my eyes, I unexpectedly encountered a figure.

“Lady Lilien?”

“Countess……”

Lilien, sweating profusely, wore an ambiguous expression, neither smiling nor crying, that is to say—.

“The, the weather is quite nice, isn’t it……?”

She had the awkward expression of someone who had unintentionally overheard something.

We sat side by side on the terrace, as quiet as the dawn streets, maintaining silence.

Between us were two cups of lemon tea and a cream cake that Lilien had brought from her lesson.

I gazed beyond the arched white railing. A servant was busily watering the plants and polishing the fountain to make it sparkle with a mop.

It was because of Edmond’s recent return.

I turned my gaze back after watching the gardener tending to the landscaping with interest. My eyes met Lilien’s.

Lilien, who had been noticeably watching my reactions, widened her eyes like a puppy when our gazes met.

She was quite adorable.

Enough to calm my heart that had been tumultuous until just before.

“You heard the conversation, didn’t you?”

“I’m, I’m sorry…… I heard from the butler that the sisters-in-law were visiting, so I thought I should greet them and then…”

“I’m not trying to reprimand you. I’m telling you it’s okay.”

Devon’s affair, the argument with Antra, the divorce preparation process.

Having already shown all there was to show, it seemed I could show this much as well.

“Thank you for understanding, Countess.”

“You’re welcome.”

Lilien smiled bashfully, pulling her half-tied hair that reached her shoulders forward and fidgeting with it.

It seemed as if she had something she wanted to ask but was hesitant, worried about upsetting me.

Finally, after a while, with reddened eyes and a choked voice, she asked.

“Am I… the same as that person to you, Countess?”

“No, you were deceived.”

“But, but I contributed to hurting you, Countess Vuel. I wanted to be helpful……”

Ah. Now I understand. Why Edmond keeps me confined in the mansion.

I let out a shallow sigh at the thought that crossed my mind.

It seems Lilien thinks of me as more than just a goodwill acquaintance, but a true friend.

That’s why Edmond was even more wary of me. Hadn’t all her friends he’d met possessed deplorable characters?

I felt frustrated by the increasingly complicated situation, but I couldn’t confront Lilien about why she was making things more complex when she had no way of knowing that her fondness was putting me in a difficult position.

I remembered my roommate from my study abroad days who advised that treating the weak even more weakly was a chronic problem, but what could I do? This was just my nature.

As I let out a shallow sigh, Lilien startled as if struck by lightning.

“I’m, I’m sorry, are you tired? Of course you would be, you just went through an emotionally draining experience, and here I am keeping you……”

I felt a bit dazed due to Lilien’s overreaction to my sigh. Could it be… Lilien is still being cautious around me because of that incident?

‘Well, I only spoke vaguely about Devon, never clearly addressing it.’

I disliked the fact that Lilien, who was blameless, was being cautious around me because of Devon’s misdeeds.

“Lady Lilien, let me say this clearly now. I neither resent nor blame you. We’re both victims in this.”

Lilien opened her mouth slightly, her eyes wide like a rabbit’s. Then, as if recalling something, she broke into a small, adorable smile like a flower bud and lowered her gaze.

“You were like this when we first met too, Countess. Even though you must not have had good feelings towards me… you comforted me.”

I smiled awkwardly. It seems she has some illusions about me.

It wasn’t an act of great chivalry. It stemmed from a slight sense of guilt towards someone I had nearly killed, and the coincidence of being there at that moment. She reacts like this because she doesn’t know I had tried to assassinate her.

While I was blinking in bewilderment, Lilien smiled broadly as if she understood what I was thinking.

“I know. That it wasn’t an action you put great meaning into. But sometimes a small spark can become a big fire, right? It was like that for me.”

She calmly shared how her uncle had tried to sell her to an old nobleman, and how she had been lonely for about 9 years while Edmond was away to protect her, avoiding her uncle’s glares.

“No matter how hard I tried to make friends, it didn’t work out, and I kept looking for problems within myself… but when I heard Etricia’s words, it was like a wake-up call, you know?”

Lilien met my gaze and smiled broadly, stroking her half-tied hair.

I instinctively avoided her gaze. It was both gratifying and embarrassing to know that my words had been a comfort to someone.

“Yes, that’s why I really like this hairstyle, because you complimented it, Countess. And I want to get closer to people who will like me as I am.”

She twirled her silver hair around her finger and gave me a fervent look.

“For example, you, Countess.”

Then, as if embarrassed by her own words, she let out a groan and pulled her hair to hide her face.

‘How cute….’

The corners of my mouth kept twitching. How lovely people who are honest with their feelings can be. Or is it simply that Lilien is lovely?

In my barren life of gritting my teeth in vengeance and pretending to breathe fire, her presence was like warm spring sunshine.

Suddenly, I thought that when I leave the mansion after the divorce, I hope Lilien will have many people around her. So that she won’t be lonely anymore.

“Lady Lilien, would you mind calling me more casually from now on? I don’t want to be referred to as that person’s wife anymore.”

I’m really tired of being called Countess Vuel, you know.

At my casual request, Lilien’s face lit up as if a light had been turned on.

“Yes! Th-then……”

Lilien rolled her eyes downward. She fiddled with her hair for a while, blushing. Then, as if confessing her first love, she said:

“E-Etricia……”

It was like watching a puppy gauging its owner’s mood, and I couldn’t help but laugh.

“That’s nice. Feel free to call me that.”

Lilien smiled brightly, cupping her cheeks. I could faintly hear her repeating my name to herself several times.

Could calling someone’s name be that enjoyable?

I thought she seemed like a person with few desires compared to some others.

Lilien suddenly clenched her fists.

“Etricia, please let me know if you ever need my help!”

She was as resolute as a knight swearing loyalty.

Pfft, I couldn’t help but laugh out loud at the sight. As I covered my mouth with my hand while laughing, Lilien followed suit with a puzzled expression, laughing awkwardly.

Strangely, Lilien’s impression, which had been blurry until now, became clear. It was as if I was seeing her for the first time, though she had been there all along.

‘I’m glad. That I didn’t cause this person’s death.’

It was a moment of pure relief, not because I could live, but because Lilien was alive.

“Lunox……! Lunox, where are you?”

Entering the two-story mansion that looked as solid as an old tree, Berita hurriedly climbed the stairs, holding the hem of her dress.

She urgently ascended the stairs in the corner of the second floor and opened the attic door.

There was someone reading on the bright terrace, with one leg dangling outside.

He was a handsome man with ebony hair cascading down to his waist and red eyes.

The dust particles visible in the light created a mysterious atmosphere, appearing like diamond particles.

The man chuckled, his gaze fixed on the book.

“What is it this time, Berita.”

His soft, languid voice, seeming to float, sounded otherworldly.

“Lunox!”

Berita threw herself into Lunox’s arms, on the verge of tears.

Kneeling down and burying her face in Lunox’s thigh, Berita sobbed, her slender shoulders shaking.

Lunox was one of the man’s countless names.

Nothing was known about his origins, background, or personal details – where he came from or how he arrived.

Just that he was currently living as a gentry’s mistress.

Those around him seemed enchanted by his existence, acknowledging him solely for his exceptional social skills and captivating appearance.

Berita was one of them. She had formed a connection with him recently in a hazy, masculine card gambling den.

Feeling a sense of kinship due to their similar positions as mistresses, they began interacting and soon became close friends who entered each other’s mansions without permission.

The man closed the book with a thud and narrowed his red eyes mischievously as he stroked Berita’s hair.

“So, Berita. Did your lover go on a business trip without contacting you again? Or—”

“I was caught……”

“What?”

“Elder sister found out everything……!”

Hearing this, Lunox burst into hearty laughter, clutching his abdomen. Haha! As he wiped away the tears that had formed in his eyes from laughing, Berita glared at him with teary, sharp eyes.

“What’s so funny? This is serious!”

“It’s amusing.”

Did you think it would never be discovered? Lunox sneered inwardly, then chuckled and whispered affectionately.

“So, what did your sister-in-law say?”

“She said she’ll confiscate the financial support and this mansion! This really isn’t the time to laugh, Lunox!”