As Gerlach left, I felt strangely unsettled. Although I planned to return him to Leonie gracefully, I still felt uncomfortable.
I was scared and afraid of him.
After all, it was Gerlach who had sentenced me to death when I was falsely accused of trying to assassinate Leonie, and when I accidentally(?) poisoned all my friends while trying to create an alibi.
Of course, back then, I hadn’t even considered becoming entangled with him in any way, so I was simply terrified.
When his predator-like eyes fixed on me, with his ice-cold white skin, I couldn’t even lift my head properly.
But his current kindness towards me was equally frightening in its own way.
‘I need to find a way to escape at this upcoming ball.’
I thought the ball being held to welcome him would be my last chance. I needed to make him meet Leonie, just like in the original story.
‘Leonie is a lovely and beautiful woman. He’ll surely fall for her at first sight.’
While I was sipping my tea with a dazed expression, Mother was endlessly praising Grand Duke Cygnus’s character and outstanding appearance.
“How can a person be so upright and handsome? Perhaps it’s because I’ve never seen him as a child, but he seems like he was crafted by the heavens.”
Father cleared his throat a couple of times at Mother’s fuss, but he couldn’t stop her.
“Ahem.”
“It would have been nice if he had stayed for dinner too.”
“Hmm, well, Adrian. So, have you completely returned to Mouton now?”
Father showed a strong will to change the subject.
At Father’s words, Adrian’s face turned serious, as if lost in thought.
It was the first genuine expression he had shown since entering the mansion.
“No, it’s not certain yet, but I think I’ll stay for about two months.”
“That’s great. Let’s meet often while you’re here.”
“Yes, Marquis.”
At this point, I wanted to ask who Adrian was and exactly how he was connected to our family.
But just then, a maid brought in new cookies, and Mother spilled her teacup, interrupting the conversation.
A little while later, as the tea time was winding down, Adrian said—
“Well then, I’ll take a walk with Libe.”
And he took me outside.
Saying he wanted to catch up with his long-lost sister while strolling in the garden.
As the mansion door closed behind us and we entered the modestly decorated garden, I bowed my head to Adrian once again.
“I’m really sorry.”
Around the eleventh time I apologized, Adrian, who had been walking smoothly, suddenly stopped.
“Enough, my Lady. You don’t need to apologize so much.”
“……”
“It was just a joke. It doesn’t make sense for a five-year-old to remember everything.”
Then he suddenly rustled in his pocket and took something out.
A very small and cute object was placed on his palm.
“I’m sorry for teasing you out of excitement to see you.”
“What is this?”
When I asked, Adrian answered with a grin.
“I guess this won’t be enough to make you feel better now. I brought it knowing that.”
Looking closely, it was a candy that gave off a sweet fragrance.
“Candy?”
“Was it too childish?”
“No, thank you.”
I picked up a candy from Adrian’s palm and popped it into my mouth.
As the sweetness swirled on my tongue, surprisingly, my mood improved a little.
Sweet things really are the truth.
“It’s delicious. Thank you.”
“That sounds much better than ‘I’m sorry.’”
I couldn’t help but smile at his words.
“Alright, I’ll stop teasing now. If you have any questions for me, go ahead and ask.”
Adrian was as tall as Gerlach, standing about two heads taller than me, so I had to look up at him.
“Were we close in the past?”
“What? Hahaha!”
Hey, you told me to ask, so why are you laughing when I do?
“I’ve heard we were close when we were young, but I can’t remember.”
I decided to be as honest as possible.
Adrian nodded with a gentle smile.
“It’s rare for anyone to have completely clear memories of their childhood. It’s enough if you remember even one person.”
I almost reflexively apologized again.
As I started to say “I’m s-” but then closed my mouth, he spoke again.
“Then let me share a story from my memory.”
I quietly nodded and matched my steps with his.
He wore a noble expression, as if lost in thought.
What kind of connection did this man have with Liberata?
Though it wasn’t something I had experienced myself, I found myself in a dreamy state, waiting for him to speak.
“Liberata Bernadette was, at five years old, unbelievably…”
I subtly anticipated what he would say next.
Was she unbelievably mature for a five-year-old?
Why was she so filled with envy and jealousy despite having such a warm family?
Mother was a bit sensitive and clumsy but kind, and Father, though not particularly capable, was family-oriented and loved his daughter more than anyone.
Liberata, why did you live such a pitiful life?
“Unbelievably loud for a five-year-old, a wild and fearless tomboy.”
“……”
Excuse me, are you just saying anything because I can’t remember?
“Really?”
“Yes, without a hint of cuteness, more like a wolf cub that had lived in the mountains.”
Adrian nodded vigorously and then burst into laughter.
Oh my, this mischievous fellow.
“Sir Watford seems to enjoy teasing people.”
You get what you give, seriously.
“Sorry, really sorry. It’s just that it’s been so long since I last saw Libe. The joy of meeting my long-lost sister made me feel like a child again.”
“……”
“I’m sorry, can you forgive me? I’m truly sorry.”
Adrian looked as if he might kneel, lowering his eyebrows and pleading with me.
“Are you that sorry?”
“Do you even have to ask? I’m really sorry.”
I smiled brightly, following his lead.
“Then kneel.”
“What?”
“I was joking too. Shall we go back inside?”
Leaving Adrian standing there with a bewildered expression, I quickly walked out of the garden.
The back of my head tingled, probably because he was glaring at me from behind, but who cares!
I didn’t want to talk any longer with someone I couldn’t even remember.
“Wait, Libe!”
As I was twitching my lips, I composed my expression and turned around at Adrian’s call.
“Sorry, I went too far with the joke.”
As long as you know.
Somehow, the more I talked with him, the more drained I felt, and I wanted to go upstairs and rest.
Especially since my fate was already tangled and giving me a headache.
I was too lazy to even say I was fine, so I just stood there with the elegant smile I had learned in this world.
“Libe.”
“……”
“I think I got a bit mischievous without realizing it.”
“……?”
“Well, never mind.”
Why do you stop talking when you’re making me curious?
“Mischievous?”
Adrian clearly had something to say, but his face turned red and then calmed down as if the words were stuck in his throat.
He had been smiling since he first appeared at the mansion.
This was the first time I saw such an expression, making him look like a different person.
Well, if you don’t want to say it now, don’t.
I was about to turn away when he spoke again.
“His Grace, Grand Duke Cygnus.”
The name he mentioned stopped me in my tracks.
Why bring up Gerlach here?
“Somehow, it kept bothering me. Even though it shouldn’t.”
“What do you mean?”
“The two of you having secret conversations and all.”
What? When did I have secret conversations with Gerlach?
“Secret conversations?”
When I asked again, he subtly turned his head and blushed.
It seems he thought his words were ungentlemanly after bringing it up.
This guy, he can be quite cute at times like this.
“It seemed like you and His Grace were quite close.”
“……”
“I understand His Grace hasn’t been in Mouton for long, so how do you know him so well, Libe?”
“No, I don’t know him well.”
I answered quickly, flustered by the sudden mention of Gerlach, but my hurried voice seemed to surprise Adrian as well. Seeing his eyes widen in surprise, I unconsciously added.
“Well, I mean, I don’t know him well, but somehow we got acquainted.”
“You somehow got acquainted with His Grace?”
“At a recent ball, I mean, we just happened to become friendly.”
“By chance?”
Haha, the more I speak, the worse it gets.
It’s not like I can say I got drunk and caused trouble because I thought I was going to die anyway!
Even trying to wrap it up as best I could, what happened that night was ultimately impossible to package neatly.
Of course, Adrian’s face was growing darker by the moment.
“Yes, we just happened to meet. But it’s not like we’re particularly close.”
As I rambled on, I realized Adrian’s expression was becoming increasingly gloomy.
Come on, there’s no need to talk about this anyway!
“It just happened that way.”
As I hastily concluded, Adrian shrugged once and wore a bitter expression.
“In the end, it still sounds like you’re quite close.”
Although he’s someone I shouldn’t and couldn’t get close to, the truth is, I am now quite entangled with him.
“Libe.”
He called my name once in a languid voice.
“Even though we’ve been apart for a long time, I’ve always thought of you as family.”
Adrian continued in a voice quite different from when he was teasing me.
“So when I finally met you after such a long time, even though you couldn’t even remember me, I wasn’t upset at all. Maybe it’s because I feel like we’re connected by something.”
“……”
At Adrian’s sentimental words, I wanted to share a similar feeling with him.
But sadly, I had no memories left to reminisce about him.
I felt very sorry about that, but at the same time, I couldn’t even think of what words to offer.
“You’ve always been curious and sensitive since you were young.”
“Me?”
Didn’t you say I had a loud voice and was a fearless tomboy?
That I was like a wolf cub that came down from the mountains?
“It’s natural that everyone would like that sentimental side of yours.”
Adrian said these incomprehensible words, then looked at my expression once and smiled sheepishly.
“Shall we go back inside now?”
“Yes.”
Adrian showed me the same fresh smile he had when we first met.
Although I was quite troubled for a long time, momentarily reviving the face of his that I had forgotten for a while.
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