When I came home, as expected, Mirabel was in an uproar.

But she didn’t howl as severely as before, perhaps because of the letter that the man had delivered.

“Miss, please tell me next time when you leave. My heart almost dropped.”

“Yeah, sorry. I had to leave because I was contacted urgently.”

Mother, as expected… might not have come in yet.

“Mom, you just came in? I came in last night.”

“……”

“Next time, tell me when you go out to play.”

‘If I tell you, will you remember?’

Liz turned around with a cynical smile. She then stepped onto the staircase that led across the hall to her quarters.

But she stopped in her tracks after ascending five steps when she discovered someone coming down.

Kain, he was just descending to the lower floor.

Kain looked down at Liz quietly for a moment, and then, as always, smiled softly and politely. His face looked somewhat tired, but his carefree laughter was the same as before. No, it seemed a little more tender.

“I heard you went to a gathering. Did you have fun?”

Kain asked, standing on the same staircase as Liz, looking down at her.

Liz answered briefly and indifferently.

“Yeah. Yes. It was fun.”

“I’m glad.”

Kain smiled, smoothly lifting the corner of his mouth.

At that moment, suddenly, Liz’s mind recalled the medicine she had taken yesterday and the pain that the medicine caused.

The tremendous pain of her intestines being torn apart. A process she must go through to transform into someone else.

How often, for how long, did she have to endure this process that was hard to bear even once? This man.

Liz suddenly felt pity for Kain. So… did she want to comfort him?

Her hand twitched involuntarily.

If it weren’t for the sudden clear voice, she would have certainly made the mistake of reaching out to stroke his cheek.

“Kain.”

Liz looked toward the sound with a start. In the meantime, her hand, which had risen to her chest, was again pulled down.

Lilia had just discovered Liz, who had just returned home, as she was coming down the stairs to speak to Kain.

Lilia, standing still for a moment with wideopen eyes, quickly approached Liz and grabbed her hands, tears brimming in her eyes.

“Sister, you’ve returned safely.”

“…….”

“I was so worried because you didn’t come back late. I thought you had been kidnapped. I’m so happy you came back.”

After spouting such affectionate words, she even hugged Liz.

Suddenly wrapped in Lilia’s slender arms, Liz couldn’t hide her awkward expression.

Were Lilia and she so close?

They had reconciled recently, but still, it was awkward. Is it just me?

“Next time, please take me with you. A beautiful person like you shouldn’t be wandering alone late at night. Absolutely not.”

“……Okay.”

Liz nodded her head awkwardly, her face still flustered.

She wanted to escape quickly from the unfamiliar wave of affection. It made her feel cringy.

Also, she didn’t want to interfere between the original female and male leads.

“I’ll go now. I need to wash because I’m tired.”

“Yes, that’s right. I had the maidservant prepare a bath when I received the notice of your arrival. You can go straight to the bathroom.”

When did she make such preparations again?

“Thank you.”

Liz greeted briefly and then ascended the staircase.

At the end of the gently curved staircase, Liz glanced back.

Lilia was standing, her face flushed, hesitating to speak to Kain, and Kain was standing still, listening attentively.

They were a wellmatched pair.

Realizing that fact made her feel relieved that her clumsy attempt to comfort him earlier had been aborted.

Because comforting him was the female lead’s role.

Because he was the original male lead who would only be truly comforted by the female lead.

By the way, Kain. Now that you’ve seen Lilia’s kind and generous side, has your affection deepened?
According to the original work, Kain fell even more in love with Lilia because she didn’t hate her sister who tormented her, but rather warmly embraced her with her kindhearted nature. And then…

Around here, it seemed like she said something very moving?

It was the words that had completely blinded Kain’s eyes. What was it again?

All humans have dignity… wasn’t it?

Liz turned her head slightly and went back to her place.

(This is a time delimiter.)

“Do you have something you’d like me to do?”

Kain asked Lilia, who had called him. A hint of a smile was fading on his face.

“No, it’s not like I can only call you when I have something for you to do, right?”

“…….”

“I think we’re on equal footing, Kain.”

Lilia said, her doelike eyes shimmering. Kain was silently listening.

“I’ve never thought of you as a slave or servant in this house. In fact, I’m not of noble birth to the bone either, and in essence, I’m no different from a freeloader in this house. But we are all human, aren’t we? No one is born to work in someone else’s house.”

As Kain stared intently, Lilia’s rosy cheeks turned even redder. She stammered in embarrassment.

“Ah… Why am I saying this… I mean, what I want to say is…”

“I understand.”