Ansi didn’t think Elize would dislike her that much. Even though she disliked her so much, she still granted her request to invite her to the party. That suddenly felt painful and grateful.

“Thank you for the invitation last time. For granting my request…”

“I didn’t want to grant it. Do you think I invited you because I wanted to see you?”

“…I’m sorry if it was uncomfortable.”

At those words, Elize bit her lip.

She glared at her old friend in front of her.

Elize really, really didn’t want to talk to Ansi.

She hated seeing that girl.

It was even more so because that girl was now pouring out honest words of gratitude and apology.

From the moment Ansi had the audacity to send a message asking to be invited to that party, Elize’s heart had been aching and suffocating.

When she saw her even more hardened lips and yet the same face as before.

Even when she came to her party but seemed to have little interest in her!

“I’m never going to see the likes of you again.”

Elize turned her body again. And as if walking was her only purpose, she frantically took steps while staring at the ground.

“Elize!”

She heard her name being called from behind but didn’t look back. She walked, closing her ears.

In the first place, she shouldn’t have granted the request of such a selfish girl who only knew herself.

“Elize!”

Truly, Elize vowed that she would never see Ansi again in her life. Why did it have to be the same dressmaker that they both liked? She would never go there either, and even if she called out like that, she would never, ever look back.

That’s when it happened.

“Over there! I said move out of the way!”

Amidst the noise of people, a scream-like shout was heard.

Elize’s face, who unintentionally looked to the side, turned pale.

A carriage was rapidly charging towards her.

Her feet didn’t leave the ground. Her body had frozen like a stone and was stuck in place. It was when Elize barely opened her mouth without even being able to scream.

Suddenly, her body fell backwards.

Perhaps because she was so surprised, she didn’t even feel pain as she rolled on the ground. It felt like she had died for a moment.

When she woke up like that and looked to the side, Ansi, who was sitting on the ground, was lifting herself up. That emotionless, machine-like girl, with a terrified face.

“Are you okay?”

“Huh…?”

A dazed sound escaped. Ansi’s clothes were dirty and the arm part was torn and bleeding, and her bonnet had its string detached and was rolling on the ground.

On the other hand, she was fine.

Her whole body was trembling, but she was fine with hardly any injuries.

“Ah… Ansi…”

A sobbing voice shook violently. Only then did Ansi let out a sigh of relief. And with a plain voice, she spat out unexpected words.

“Do you have any spare bonnets?”

That appearance was exactly like her old friend who lacked social skills.

“I don’t…”

In the end, Elize burst into tears.

Ansi, who was her closest friend in the world.

But Ansi, who left without a word.

Ansi, who spent a year without any contact.

Elize cried for days and nights, just like at Ansi’s father’s funeral, from the day she suddenly disappeared.

Worries about where she had gone, if she was eating well, if she was even alive, always followed Elize around. She even had dreams about Ansi until recently.

Aren’t friends supposed to rely on and lean on each other? According to Elize’s definition, she wasn’t Ansi’s friend.

Not knowing that, suddenly a message came asking to be invited to the party. And greeting as if nothing had happened… Foolishly trying to mingle with the people who bad-mouthed her instead of herself…

Hating such Ansi, Elize said cruel words to her. Cruel words that even she thought were nasty.

But why are you worrying about me?

Why are you saying thank you, saying sorry, and saving me like this while getting hurt?

The held-back sorrow welled up and exploded.

“Waaah…”

Elize cried like a child. Even though she knew Ansi wasn’t the type to rely on others, even though she knew there must have been circumstances that made it natural, she regretted judging her by her own standards and feeling upset.

“I’m sorry…”

Perhaps she had wanted to say this from the beginning.

Sorry for not being by your side when you were going through a hard time.

Sorry for not being a support for you.

As a result, neither Ansi nor Elize bought clothes at Jardian.

They visited Raoul together, and after treating Ansi’s wounds, they changed into clean clothes. Especially the light sky-blue bonnet that suited Ansi well was a gift from Elize.

Led by Elize, the two visited a cafe.

The somewhat awkward atmosphere dissipated quite quickly. It was hard to believe that they hadn’t been in contact at all for a year.

This was also thanks to Elize’s inherently lovely and cheerful personality.

Before long, the share of conversation tilted to about 7 for Elize and 3 for Ansi.

Just as it had always been.

“What kind of person is Lord Damion?”

Elize asked in an excited voice.

What kind of person is he?

Ansi was lost in thought.

Many things flashed through her mind.

A breeze-like laughter.

The affectionate voice calling her.

The naturally ingrained consideration.

The warm touch that seemed to comfort even her heart.

And everything he had done for Ansi so far.

But the more she thought about it, the more complicated her feelings became.

Ansi admitted it.

Damion was… a good person.

To the point of making her imagine with a wish, if only he wasn’t Damion de Orphet.

However, for Ansi de Rubelsa, Damion de Orphet could never be a good person. He shouldn’t be.

“…Well.”

In the end, Elize fired off words at the powerless answer.

“So you married him without even knowing what kind of person he is? Ansi, you should really check if he’s a proper man, if his personality isn’t rough before getting married!”

“Hmm… I know one thing.”

“What?”

“That he’s a tremendous romantic.”

“Him?”

“Yeah.”

Elize widened her eyes as if puzzled.

Honestly, Elize was slightly wary of Damion. At his request, she had also invited the young lady of the Giden family to the party, but didn’t that young lady cause a scene towards Ansi and leave the party?

As a result, it seemed that the sharp attention that had been focused on Ansi had shifted to that young lady thanks to that, but…

Elize was bothered by the subtle smile Damion had on his face at that time. It might be her imagination, but somehow, it felt as if everything had been arranged by him.

“And? Anything else?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Check his relationships! You can know a person by looking at their friends, right?”

“Relationships?”

Henet came to Ansi’s mind. Judging by how he thinks of Damion, he seems like a good person, but judging by how he said he would recklessly interfere with Ansi’s relationship, he doesn’t seem so great.

Whether Damion was a good person or not wasn’t important to her.

But there was a need to know more about him.

“Should I try that?”

“Yes! First, hold a party. Invite him like that…”

The two of them talked about a few more things after that.

However, when asked what she had been doing all this time, Ansi couldn’t answer. That she had been in the south, not at Damion’s villa. That she had been working as a servant at the Giden household.

The wall Elize had built towards Ansi crumbled easily. The wall made of sand scattered on the floor, instead becoming fertile soil that further nurtured the friendship towards her friend.

But on Ansi’s side, it was different.

Ansi had never built a wall in the first place.

She had merely drawn a line and taken a step back.

A year ago, she had no choice but to do so for her survival.

And now, for her purpose of taking revenge on Orphet.

Elize was a friend who could give infinite affection to the Ansi she met again. But Ansi was going to disappear along with them after she brought down Orphet.

So it was right to draw a line.

Seeing her friend smiling brightly at her, Ansi’s heart wavered, but she repeated to herself that it was the right thing to do.

“Then see you again, Ansi.”

The two parted ways in front of the cafe.

After seeing Elize off first, Ansi turned her head somewhere.

Since earlier, she had heard singing and cheering sounds coming from over there, and she saw a group carrying blue flags.

As she stared blankly at that place, Simon approached with a smile, tilting his eyebrows.

“It seems a demonstration by the revolutionaries and their supporters is underway, milady. I have the carriage on standby, so I think we should take the opposite route.”

The carriage was waiting right next to the cafe. However, Ansi shook her head.

“I want to walk for a bit before getting in.”

“Ah! Then I’ll have the carriage follow behind.”

Ansi nodded and moved her steps.

Towards the street where Damion’s club was located.

“Goodness, how noisy. Shouldn’t this be suppressed as well?”

Those who were in the club came out to the terrace and looked outside. The sound of the procession heading towards the square in the distance reached all the way here.

“They’re not carrying weapons. If we suppress even that, there won’t be any imperial citizens left, will there?”

“How broad-minded you are. Henet, could it be that you have joined the revolutionaries?”

Hofrie jokingly spoke to Henet, who was indifferently speaking the right thing. Those watching shook their heads and booed.

“Ugh, not funny.”

“Can’t you see Henet’s pathetic expression?”

Hofrie pouted his lips and turned his body towards the outside of the terrace again. At that moment, he opened his mouth again.

“Huh? Over there, isn’t that your wife?”