A familiar, sweet voice reached her ears. It was Helena, her shrill voice masking a creepy undertone.

Jane finally realized who it was as she struggled in vain. Helena took another deliberate step, and now Jane’s feet were dangling in the air.

“If you had chosen me, none of this would have happened…….”

Helena whispered in her ear and then added a chilling laugh.

‘Hey, want to make a deal? Keep working here and act as the princess’s spy. Then I’ll promise you a maid’s position. You know, a place like that is unattainable for girls like you, even in your dreams.’

Before Chloe woke up, Helena had secretly offered Jane this enormous proposal, with the role of a spy, something an ordinary commoner could never achieve.

But Jane had rejected her without a moment’s hesitation.

‘Reject? Are you stupid? Why! What more do you want!’
‘I like the shining, envied princess. I have no thought of serving anyone else.’

With such a trivial reason.

She would have kindly accepted any reason, but the audacity of a maid to compare Helena and Chloe was beyond the pale.

“The shining princess is probably crying foolishly in her room. Waiting for you, unable to save you.”

Goodbye. Helena spat the ominous farewell and let go.

As the binding grip disappeared, Jane fell without even a chance to scream.

“Heh. How foolish.”

Helena looked dispassionately at the cliff where Jane had disappeared and snorted.

Stupid things indeed die young.

(This is a time divider.)

The night Jane left, Chloe could not easily go to bed.

Lying blankly on her bed, she turned her head from side to side. Her spread hair on the sheet and her weakly fluttering arms and legs were visible.

Her wandering eyes suddenly stopped at one point.

‘By the way, lots of letters have arrived.’

Jane had informed Chloe that many letters had arrived while she was collapsed. Always at evening, they were quietly placed in a designated spot.

It might be an important letter, so she had collected them in the drawer.

Slowly rising, Chloe stopped at her desk. Opening the drawer, new letters were piled up, just as Jane had hinted.

They were all sent by her close friend.

Chloe had reportedly been down for three days in total. There were also three letters in the drawer.

She picked up the one at the bottom. The paper smelled strongly of wood.

‘P.S.: I’m not angry. Don’t worry. How could I be angry with my only close friend?

I was just a little sulky, that’s all. Really, that’s all.’

Kun’s handwriting was more upright than usual. Softer than the language of the last letter they exchanged, but slightly more defiant than usual.

Chloe realized from this letter that he was teasing her.
Chloe’s lips twitched upward as she read the postscript. Something shuddered from her toes, but she pretended not to notice.

She hurriedly opened the next letter. This time, there was a faint scent of herbs. It was relatively more recent than the one at the very bottom.

“There’s no reply, it must be because you’re busy? If my prank has caused anger, I sincerely apologize here.

Even if you’re reluctant, please show mercy and send a reply. I will proudly accept a letter filled with insults. If that’s too bothersome, just put a dot.

…I, Chloe, have no friends without you.”

The handwriting of this letter was complicated.

Efforts to write beautifully were visible, but the actual result was a mess. Some strokes were straight, and others were crooked. Some parts were misspelled, and others had incorrect grammar.

Like something sent by someone in a real hurry.

Chloe realized that it was impatience.

That a man always so mischievous could become so gentle. Indeed, the existence of a friend must be great and magnificent for anyone.

She couldn’t even sniffle due to her stuffy nose. Now her nostrils stung sharply.

The lastarrived letter clung to Chloe’s fingertips. Chloe, who failed several times to open the letter, finally pulled out the envelope after the tenth attempt.

As soon as she opened the letter, she smelled Koon’s scent. She hasn’t seen him for already a month, but thanks to the letters, she remembers his scent.

The letter was the shortest she had received so far. Emotions, unadorned, were revealed above the twoline letter.

“Chloe.

You, what’s wrong?”