“It’s fine as it is. And I want to treat Kain as an equal, not a servant. I don’t want to take him around just to give him work. Everyone is equal.”

Kyaa[Dash].

Liz, who knew nothing, was a little impressed.

Just like the heroine in the original work. In contrast, how much had she been bossing Kain around?

‘Kain, come here.’

‘Kain, hug me.’

‘Kain, stay by my side.’

Thinking back, she was ashamed of her misconduct, and a sigh naturally escaped.

“But sis, why aren’t you working on your marriage these days?”

Lilia asked, as if it had just occurred to her.

“I’m taking a break. It’s not too late yet.”

“Oh, it’s not too late?”

At Lilia’s somewhat agitated tone, Liz’s eyes widened.

Lilia herself seemed to feel that way, her face reddening as she clarified her true intention.

“No… I think that maybe you’re thinking too comfortably, sis. Lady Elfriede, whom you’ve been close to since adulthood, is only seventeen but already had her engagement ceremony. There are talks about my marriage too.”

“Then you can do it first.”

“What’s the problem?” Liz said, as if asking.

“But… I can’t outdo my sister as a younger sibling. That’s not what a younger sibling should do.”

Lilia spoke as if such a thing was unimaginable.

“What does propriety have to do with it? The one with a suitor goes first.”

After thinking over it several times, Lilia’s brow wrinkled a bit as she looked at her sister, who spoke easily and lightly without giving it a thought, in contrast to herself who had chosen her words carefully.

But Liz did not notice.

She had more important things to think about than marriage.

‘Why is the relationship between the two progressing so slowly? Is it because I’m not tormenting them?’

Well, love needs obstacles, so that might be the case.

But she didn’t want to torment Lilia for that.

Who in the world would want to follow the original work and face death?

And there was another obstacle between the two. Namely, the obstacle called Viscount Bert.

“Sis, will you get married?”

“……?”

At the sudden question, Liz looked at Lilia with puzzled eyes and asked.

“Marriage? With whom?”

“Viscount Bert.”

“…….?”

“I’ll give him up. He was originally meant for you.”

What’s all this about?

Viscount Bert?

Giving me a man who’s infatuated with her?

Could it be that she saw herself as so pathetic?

Or maybe…

Liz desperately denied the thought that crossed her mind.

No way, that can’t be it.

The kind heroine, who would consider a servant as an equal, wouldn’t pass off a man she doesn’t want to marry to me.

“I’ll decline.”

Liz flatly refused. Whether it was the firmness of her refusal that weighed on her heart, Lilia looked bewildered and apologized.

“I’m sorry. I thought you wanted to get married soon, so I said that. I must have overstepped.”

To think that way.
Liz let out a deep sigh, looking at Lilia who was sitting weakly with her eyes downcast.

“Thanks for caring, but I’ll handle my marriage myself. And…….”

The advice was entirely impulsive.

“I wish you wouldn’t do that next time. I’m talking about saying things like giving up the person you like to someone else.”

“…….”

“People might misunderstand that you’re trying to pass on someone you dislike. Of course, you would never do that, though.”

“…….”

“And people must know how to refuse sometimes. It’s better to decisively break it off even if it hurts for now. Otherwise, it could hurt both the other person and yourself even more…….”

Lilia’s attitude as she listened to Liz’s advice was faultless.

But her clasped hands were not.

Her thumb lingered, and deep nail marks were left in the palm that had been touched.

(This is a time separator.)

People must know how to refuse.

Lilia had many opportunities to practice this.

Because Count Bert visited Lilia every day.

But Lilia couldn’t easily refuse him.

If it was about receiving compliments, she could freely vary over a hundred smiles and over a thousand words, applying them appropriately. However,

She couldn’t do a single hateful thing.

Moreover, unlike her attitude in the carriage that day, nodding and listening attentively, she did not accept a single word of Liz’s.

‘You have to decisively break it off even if it hurts for now.’

That’s something you can do, sister.

Like my sister, who doesn’t care if others like or dislike her, and can spit out harsh words without caring about getting hurt.

But how can a person spit out harsh words to another person? No one has the right to hurt others.

Lilia couldn’t accept her sister’s way.

Does she not see the servants’ dislike when she commands them as she pleases?

She didn’t even care if Kain was embarrassed or not and ordered him around as she pleased, did she?

So all the servants dislike her.

In conclusion, my sister’s way is wrong. Mother and the servants are on Lilia’s side. Soon Kain will be on her side, too.

It’s just that the influence of my sister’s past ten years is still lingering. That’s all it is.