“Etienne!”
Seeing Etienne, who seemed like she could collapse at any moment, Serah rushed towards her. However, knights who had run ahead of Serah supported her first.
“What happened to her?”
Serah wrapped her hands around Etienne’s face, looking at her with worried eyes.
“Ah…”
Only then did Etienne’s eyes regain focus. Meeting eyes with Serah, Etienne shyly smiled.
“I just had something on my mind, so I walked.”
“Then you should have told me beforehand. Do you know how worried I was when you didn’t come back until now?”
“I’m sorry.”
As Etienne apologized with a weak smile, Serah couldn’t reveal her saddened heart even more. The child who usually laughed brightly seemed to be hurt today, and that troubled Serah.
Silently, Serah gently stroked Etienne’s face. Her eyes were already red from crying, and her lips were parched.
“This happened because I walked for a long time, and my throat got dry.”
As if realizing that her lips were dry and might crack, Etienne awkwardly smiled, taking Serah’s hand off her face.
“I’m hungry.”
“Alright, let’s go inside.”
“I’ll prepare the meal.”
The steward, who had been silently observing the two, gave instructions to the other servants and then looked at Etienne.
Etienne couldn’t help but smile awkwardly at the steward’s scrutinizing gaze, as detailed as Serah’s.
“In that case, I’m embarrassed.”
“Do you have the strength to walk?”
“I don’t think I’ll collapse just yet.”
“In that case, allow me to hold your hand.”
As the steward approached, the knights who had been supporting Etienne stepped back. Serah, watching, Etienne held the steward’s hand and walked more energetically than before.
Serah didn’t follow Etienne but observed her from behind. Etienne whispered quietly so that only the steward could hear.
“How did I look in Mother’s eyes?”
She didn’t want to show herself like this, and she didn’t know she was being waited for.
“Well, I don’t know.”
In response to Etienne’s question, the steward casually answered, then blatantly scrutinized her. With an even more explicit gaze than before, Etienne waited for his response. The steward turned his head and said.
“It seems like you were rejected by His Highness.”
“Ah… That seems to be the case. Well, it’s similar.”
It wasn’t actually a rejection from Leharht, but since her past self was revealed to be rejected by Fernando, it felt similar.
“Then hold me firmly. If I happen to fall, Mother will worry even more.”
“Isn’t that why I’m holding you? Please lean on me.”
To the steward’s words, who was already doing that, Etienne could genuinely smile for a moment.
“Aren’t you worried about me? I was really upset earlier.”
Why she acted so spoiled in front of Lady Serah, as if nothing had happened to her mother.
“For now, eat your meal bravely. And if you feel down, you can go to your room.”
“Are you saying this to comfort me?”
“I’ll be by your side.”
At the steward’s calm yet warm words, Etienne widened her eyes in surprise, then quickly brightened her gaze, smiling.
The emptiness she hadn’t felt when she was crying alone was gradually being filled.
“Thank you.”
When she’s alone again, tears might come back, but at least for now, she felt like she could bravely eat as the steward suggested.
[I saw you before you died.]Recalling Fernando’s words to Etienne, Ludvi wandered around the room. Because he had quickly distanced himself using his ability just before being caught by Fernando, he only heard that one sentence.
“Etienne saw herself dying?”
It was undoubtedly an unbelievable story. Etienne is alive now, and there has been no danger of her dying. At least, not to his knowledge.
“If that’s the case, there must be something I don’t know…”
It wasn’t clear what it was. While it could be suspected to be related to abilities, Etienne was not a Hwangjok but a noble.
Unlike Hwangjok, whose abilities can manifest unexpectedly, the abilities of nobles are inherited. If Etienne had an ability, it would likely be related to restoration.
“I can’t even restore myself, so where should I start guessing?”
Ludvi muttered in frustration, but he repeated the words he had heard several times. He had no other choice.
It was because of a strong premonition that it could be a weapon capable of crumbling not only Leharht but also Etienne and Fernando at once.
“If I could figure out all the abilities people have, I wouldn’t need to worry about this.”
Alternatively, he wanted to go find Etienne and ask her directly what had happened.
The Crown Prince, who he found unpleasant to face, was busy preparing to become the emperor, but Ludvi had nothing to do, so he was in his room. He couldn’t become the emperor, and no plan came to mind to eliminate him, so this was all he could do.
If things had gone well with what I did during the funeral, there would be no need for him to lock himself in a room like this.
As he continued to rack his brain to handle the three at once, someone came looking for him.
“Prince Ludvi.”
Male lead reborn without memories — but he still falls for her.
The person he finds displeasing in this life turns out to be his cherished wife-master in previous life…
Xie Zhi and Fang Xianxing who had known each other for less than three days through a blind date sat in the same car in front of the civil affairs bureau. They had a disagreement and failed to get married.
Xie Zhi immediately took out his phone, slid through his contacts, and randomly selected the next marriage candidate.
The woman snatched his phone and hung up. Looking at his phone wallpaper, she awkwardly changed the subject: “An ancient painting, eh? It looks pretty good, it’s just that the person in the painting looks a bit like me.”
When he heard this, he sarcastically mocked her for being so delusional, completely unaware that, the person in front of him was the reincarnation of Wen Ru, the famous prime minister of Yuan Shun whom he most admired…
The female CEO who doesn’t want to get married with a divorce agreement in hand × The male archaeological researcher who will only get married if he’s sure he can get divorced
