“……The ledger for managing the estate is in the second drawer on my left. Esella is still too young to see the ledger. Talk to the butler and Sir Derrick. The items to manage change by date. I’ll send this by letter,”

Olivia was now talking about something else. Ha. Did she think flaunting how much work she had done at home would be an absolution for this situation?

Jade interrupted Olivia’s words, brushing his hair back.

“Enough of that. What are you talking about now?”

“A handover.”

Her voice was terribly dry.

Jade blinked, looking at Olivia. She was different from the usual Olivia. So.

“I told you. I won’t go to Madelleine anymore.”

She’s not smiling.

“So I’ll make sure to pass it on now, so there won’t be any problems later.”

The Olivia who always smiled, even though she never spoke affectionately.

“You, are you insane?”

Jade reflexively grabbed Olivia’s shoulder. Ah. Olivia squinted at the corners of her eyes.

This too was strange. Olivia wasn’t a child to show pain like this. She was always a strong girl. Strong enough to take all my mischief.

The strength drained from my hand all at once. Olivia took the opportunity to step back two paces. Green eyes containing an appropriate boundary looked at Jade.

That’s ridiculous. Jade was confused.

Jade had always lived engulfed in anger. From the moment she heard that her mother had died because of Olivia, whom she thought was her sister, a huge fire had always burned in her heart.

So she went to the battlefield. There were too many children there who looked like Olivia, where she had gone, hoping to be free from her distractions.

A noble’s bastard who floated down to the battlefield, hoping to make a name in the war and return home to be a part of the family. Those who, knowing they were abandoned, cynically hoped to make a fortune.

In them, Jade always saw Olivia. But.

That wasn’t the Olivia I knew.

It was Olivia who always looked at me like she was hoping for something with a foolish smile.

“……Stubbornly and fiercely hanging on, and just.”

“Just?”

A husky voice pressed Jade’s words. Jade’s head jerked up.

“Madeline, my lady.”

“Don’t call me like that! You too!”

You’re Madeline too.

This short word didn’t come out like a thorn stuck in her throat. Reflexively, Jade looked at Olivia. The resignation that she always hid was not visible on Olivia’s face.

“……I wasn’t stubbornly and fiercely hanging on.”

The moment she met Olivia’s green eyes, Jade’s words were utterly blocked.

Those eyes that always seemed to be hoping for something were vacant. I had the feeling that I had dared to peek into something.

“I just did my best for my family.”

Family. Jade’s face turned pale. She felt like she had to say something, but her mouth wouldn’t open. Olivia quietly looked at the carriage.

“Someday they will see.”

“……”

“Someday they will recognize my efforts.”

“……”

“Someday they will be on my side.”

All those words stabbed Jade like daggers. It hurt to breathe. It was a strange feeling. Jade clenched her fist hard.

Obliviously looking at the carriage, Olivia slowly smiled.

“Someday, they will accept me as family.”

Her mouth didn’t open. It felt like this was the last chance. All Jade could do was bite the inside of her mouth hard.

On the brink of a precarious smile that seemed about to shatter, Olivia shrugged her shoulders.

“But. Now, there’s no need for that.”

“……”

“Now, it seems like I will have a family.”

A calm vitality spread over her parched voice. But Olivia turned away before her expression could be confirmed, and approached the Duke’s gate.

The door, which had been tightly closed like an iron fortress, swung open towards Olivia. The moment the Duke approached Olivia.

Jade staggered as if the strength had gone out of her legs. Her vision dimmed.

It’s unbelievable. More worrying than the ridiculous sight that I saw was Olivia, who had entered inside.

At the same time, Olivia’s voice circled in her head like a spell.

“But. Now, there’s no need for that.”

She felt suffocated.