The Emperor’s birthday party had already ended two days ago.
Except for the official events, I was quietly staying in the annex, not yet relieved of duty.
It was more tranquil since all the servants avoided my gaze, not straying from their respective areas, perhaps because I caught them like mice just before regaining my memories of my past life.
Reading the gossip of high society, I recalled the face of Prince Adenmir Presil Willeunt from the party.
The moment he stepped on my foot.
“That face had a lot to say.”
But Prince Adenmir didn’t say anything else after that, escorting me politely as his fiancée.
I wondered if stepping on my foot was a bit too much, but I couldn’t just overlook being treated as an object, being evaluated for my usefulness.
Just because my memories of my past life returned doesn’t mean the irritable me from before had disappeared.
“The previous Elodie was me too.”
If anything had changed, it might be that I had gained the ability to see the situation a bit more objectively.
Either way, Prince Adenmir not breaking the engagement was quite annoying. It would be more convenient for him to break it now.
“Let him beg me to break the engagement while crying and clinging to my hem, enamored with Estelle. Hmph.”
I only imagined it, but it was indeed a behavior that didn’t suit Prince Adenmir.
“I read as far as the part where Countess Paut and the mansion’s butler secretly entered the stable…….”
It was when I was about to resume reading the gossip.
The maid rushed in.
“Miss, did you have an accident?!”
Although I had been holed up in the annex lately, I was momentarily aggrieved and vigorously shook my head.
“No, no?”
“Look at your stammering. You did! Otherwise, the Duchess wouldn’t have called for you!”
“The Duchess? She called for me?”
“Yes! She said to come to the greenhouse!”
Unlike the maid, who was worriedly tapping her feet, I smiled and put on my coat.
I had a rough idea why I was being called.
“Are you going?”
“Of course, I have to. She called me.”
I could guess why the maid was so afraid.
Ferdia, the power of darkness.
Although all the family members were cruel, the cruelest person amongst them, if one had to choose, would be the Duchess, Themis.
She was an unmerciful torturer, known for feeding a spy hidden within the family a poison that made them feel like they were burning for a month.
The rumors that she continued torturing the spy to enjoy their suffering even after extracting the truth were not verified.
“I’m still afraid of the Duchess.”
I had approached her to gather funds for independence, but if not for that reason, I wouldn’t have dared to speak to her.
We had an uncomfortable relationship.
I grew up in this mansion since I was a baby who couldn’t even crawl.
So naturally, I had my first memory of the Duchess.
Had I caught a cold? For some reason, little me was crying incessantly, and there was no one around to care for me. Except the Duchess.
The Duchess looked at me as I lay crying.
As if looking at an inanimate object.
That was all.
That first memory occasionally resurfaced.
The Duchess never mistreated me or openly neglected me.
She just treated me superficially, as she would any guest of the family.
If we happened to meet, we’d exchange brief greetings, and share a formal inquiry at the dining table.
It was fair to say we hadn’t conversed at length recently.
In any case, I needed to calm down the maid, who was worried as if I were going to my death.
“It’s okay, Maid. I won’t get poisoned now.”
“The ability to ‘destroy’ poison, right?”
“Yes, that.”
I was glad the maid naively believed my lie. I gave her a separate task and immediately headed for the Duchess’s greenhouse.
The sun beating down on the path to the greenhouse was scorching. It was so sweltering that I found myself involuntarily frowning, even though I was out for just a moment.
Rushing into the greenhouse, it was better than outside, but it was not entirely cool.
“Where did you go?”
I came to where the Duchess’s research desk was, but no one was there.
The research journals and materials were strewn about, and not wanting to cause any misunderstandings, I looked around the garden next to the laboratory.
“Wow, it’s beautiful.”
I saw one large, glamorous flower that radiated a rainbowcolored light.
It was when I unwittingly reached out, captivated by its swaying appearance as if beckoning to be touched.
“If you reach out just a little more, it will snatch and tear off your entire arm.”
“Eek…!”
I quickly withdrew my hand and turned around. The Duchess was there, having arrived without me noticing.
“That’s a carnivorous flower, Halkaria. It dazzles with its splendid appearance and seductive powder, luring people in before devouring them. You should be careful, Elodie.”
“I didn’t know.”
“It’s natural you wouldn’t know. It’s a recent discovery from an uninhabited island in the Dvei Kingdom.”
Hee hee. The Duchess smiled as though fondly looking at the carnivorous flower.
Ha ha. I sat awkwardly across from her, smiling.
Why She Is Still Unmoved (Female-dominant)
One-line summary: He uses various methods to seek her affection, but she remains unmoved.
Synopsis:
Si Qingyu is a doctor who has saved countless lives and enjoys tranquility.
Luo Shaoxuan is ruthless, deeply scheming, and the top young master in the capital. He admires Si Qingyu.
Luo Shaoxuan: I want to be the only one in your eyes and heart.
Features a cold and calm female lead vs A noble and scheming male lead.
There will be both sweetness and torture towards the male after their marriage.
