Episode 3. Can anyone see the heart signal?
“Why did that day just disappear?”
That day, after dancing together, Adele ran away from the banquet hall. She didn’t realize it while dancing, but when she came to her senses, everyone was looking at her and Christine, and gossiping. At that moment, Adele couldn’t raise her face because of shame. She felt like he had caught her heart pounding.
“How dare you, a wicked woman, marry an old Marquis for money and status, and then poison your husband!”
It seemed as if she could hear that sound in her ears.
“I originally planned to just deliver a gift to His Majesty and come back. Since this was your first time attending the banquet, I thought you would be busy meeting people, so I came without saying anything. I’m sorry if you were upset.”
“Ha, sorry?”
Christine was smiling, but his eyes were cold. After the dance that day, people came up to him and talked to him, so he was out of his mind. In the meantime, Adele had disappeared. When he heard that she had gone back, he was strangely angry and couldn't stand it.
Christine looked at Adele with sunken eyes and nodded.
“He's doing great.”
"Thank god."
Until 10 years ago, Adele and her mother had taken care of Christine like family. His father, who often visited her mother’s house to look for his son, had naturally become close to her. And they officially announced their remarriage. However, Adele’s mother died the day before the wedding. It was a terrible accident where she was bitten by a wild animal in the forest.
“How have you been?”
“I've been doing well too.”
She smiled, but her green eyes were dark and gloomy, like deep wells. They were not the bright and loving eyes they used to be.
“Yeah, you seem to have really grown up. You really wanted to be a noble.”
Christine sneered, recalling her adjutant Zimmer's report.
“They say there was a lot of talk when you married the late Marquis Oswald. An 18-year-old girl married a Marquis who was old enough to be her father.”
“Tell me more.”
“Of course, because there was no concrete evidence, the Oswald family ended up expelling her. And now she seems to be living in a small mansion on the outskirts of Greenhill.”
“So what do you think, Adjutant?”
"Yes?"
Zimmer looked puzzled.
“They’re just letting the murderer of the house go because there’s no evidence? And from a family as big as Oswald?”
He didn't trust Adele, but the situation was suspicious.
“That... there are rumors that she had some kind of relationship with the Marquis’ son...”
Zimmer, who was answering, quickly changed his words when he saw Christine's cold expression.
“I will report back with more information.”
Christine stood up from his chair.
“Yes, let the carriage wait. We’re heading to the outskirts of Greenhill now.”
“Are you planning to go to the Marchioness?”
“What's the problem?”
Zimmer made a bewildered expression. If it were anyone else, he would have been Count Weiss, known as the Ice King. A man who had never once glanced at the women who had been tempted by him, even if they were incredibly beautiful and well-qualified. A war maniac who seemed obsessed with battle. It was surprising that he had asked the Marchioness to dance. And to have him find out about her and visit her in person... Anyone could see that this was a heart signal!
'Still, why does she have to be a widow with such a bad reputation?'
Zimmer personally did not like it, but decided to support his esteemed lord. It was a good sign that he had found a place to put his heart.
“If it’s your first visit... shouldn’t you prepare a gift?”
Christine's steps stopped as he opened the door and was about to go out. But he soon answered bluntly.
“As you wish.”
“Yes, just trust me!”
Adele took out all the vases in the house and placed a huge bouquet of flowers in them, admiring them. The house she lived in was an old and small two-story mansion. Judging from the curtains covering the entrance to the stairway, the second floor seemed to be unused. On the first floor, there were armchairs and a rose-colored sofa centered around a fireplace. Next to the fireplace, there was a narrow hallway leading to a room, and at the entrance to the hallway was a kitchen/dining room. It was old and worn, but the interior was small and shabby enough to show the structure at a glance.
“Yeah, I guess this is good enough.”
Adele placed vases of flowers here and there. Christine, who had been watching with his arms folded, finally spoke up.
“This is crazy. I guess you’d better throw it all away.”
The small house was decorated with colorful flowers, making it look like a gypsy den.
“Yeah. Isn’t it a bit crazy?”
Adele stuck her tongue out as Christine frowned.
"I'm sorry. I'm not good at saying what I don't mean, and it's winter, and it's going to be expensive, and you just wasted your money."
"I'll take note. Next time I'm here, bring what you need. I don't think there's more than one thing you need."
Christine looked around her shabby house and clicked his tongue in dismay. It was called a mansion, but it was no better than the homes of commoners. But Adele was not interested in his contemptuous attitude.
“Next time?”
She seemed even more embarrassed by those words.
“Why, don't you ever come back here again?”
“That’s not it. People are watching, and this is such a small town...”
Christine furrowed her brows in annoyance.
“What's the problem?"
"Uh?"
“You don’t even have a husband now. Is it bad for a widow to meet a man?”
Adele glared.
“What are you talking about? You’re not a man to me. You’re just like a younger brother...”
“Then there won’t be any more problems, right?”
Then Christine suddenly brought his face closer.
“...!”
Adele, startled, stepped back and stumbled over the sofa, her legs tangling. He quickly grabbed her shoulder.
“Why are you so surprised?”
“Well, that’s because you suddenly approached me.”
“So, did you have any strange thoughts?”
“What a strange thought?”
Adele looked at him in bewilderment. But in fact, her heart was beating faster and faster.
'Too close!'
Through the scent of flowers that filled the narrow house, she could smell his scent. Cool and secretive like the scent of a cool forest... A scent that seemed to bewitch someone. It was the scent that had been coming from her body since she returned from the banquet hall. The scent of the strange man who had invaded her bedroom that night and kept her up at night. Just being near him made Adele feel more and more suffocated. She quickly turned her head away because she didn’t want to be caught. But Christine grabbed her chin and made her look at him.
“Don’t avoid my gaze. It’s been a long time since we last met, so you must be upset.”
He stared at her intently, as if he was going to swallow her at any moment. Her face was reflected in his mysterious blue-gray eyes. Adele felt as if she would be trapped there.
Finally, she put her hands on his face and pulled hard on both his cheeks. And she didn't stop there, she grabbed his cheeks and shook them.
“Stop fooling around, Chris.”
Adele quickly took her hand away when he glared at hr fiercely, but she made it clear.
“You are really like my own little brother. You’ve become much more handsome and manly than before, but in my eyes, you’re still that little kid who used to chase after me like a puppy.”
When faced with such an unexpected situation, people's brains seem to shut down. Christine just stared at him for a while with her mouth open.
Adele's eyes grew wide.
“Then you will remember this, too. Who was your first kiss?”
His breath tickled her lips, and then they touched...
“Ugh!”
At the same time, Adele pushed him away with all her might.
“What are you doing?”
“Have you forgotten? You were the one who kissed me first, who was like a little brother to you.”
Adele screamed in surprise.
“What are you talking about? I didn’t do it first!”
“So you admit that you kissed me?”
“No, that wasn’t a kiss! How was that a kiss!”
After that, she continued to make excuses.
“You were drowning and not breathing, so I was scared and gave you artificial respiration.”
“That wasn’t all, was it?”
“And then, when you finally caught your breath, I was so happy... Yes, I was so happy that I kissed you! It wasn’t like a kiss at all! We were both out of our minds at the time, so that’s why it happened...”
“But why is your face red?”
Adele, who had been making excuses, glared at him fiercely.
“I’ve never blushed!”
“There are no ripe tomatoes. Can you show me a mirror?”
“Yes! Your eyes are defective.”
“My eyes are fine. My vision is also very good.”
“If it’s not me, it’s not me!”
“Damn you, Captain Ugly!”
“Why did that day just disappear?”
That day, after dancing together, Adele ran away from the banquet hall. She didn’t realize it while dancing, but when she came to her senses, everyone was looking at her and Christine, and gossiping. At that moment, Adele couldn’t raise her face because of shame. She felt like he had caught her heart pounding.
“How dare you, a wicked woman, marry an old Marquis for money and status, and then poison your husband!”
It seemed as if she could hear that sound in her ears.
“I originally planned to just deliver a gift to His Majesty and come back. Since this was your first time attending the banquet, I thought you would be busy meeting people, so I came without saying anything. I’m sorry if you were upset.”
“Ha, sorry?”
Christine was smiling, but his eyes were cold. After the dance that day, people came up to him and talked to him, so he was out of his mind. In the meantime, Adele had disappeared. When he heard that she had gone back, he was strangely angry and couldn't stand it.
Yes, you were good at running away like that.
“Isn’t there anything else you want to tell me?”
Christine asked. Adele stared at him blankly. There was so much to talk about. So much she wanted to talk about. What difference would it make? He was soon to become the Emperor's son-in-law. There was no good in getting involved with someone like her.
“How is your father doing? How is the leg he injured back then...”
“Isn’t there anything else you want to tell me?”
Christine asked. Adele stared at him blankly. There was so much to talk about. So much she wanted to talk about. What difference would it make? He was soon to become the Emperor's son-in-law. There was no good in getting involved with someone like her.
“How is your father doing? How is the leg he injured back then...”
Christine looked at Adele with sunken eyes and nodded.
“He's doing great.”
"Thank god."
Until 10 years ago, Adele and her mother had taken care of Christine like family. His father, who often visited her mother’s house to look for his son, had naturally become close to her. And they officially announced their remarriage. However, Adele’s mother died the day before the wedding. It was a terrible accident where she was bitten by a wild animal in the forest.
Christine’s father, who had gone to catch the animal, suffered a leg injury that was in danger of his life. Leaving his father and Christine behind, Adele went to her noble biological father. She cruelly turned away from Christine as he cried and blocked her path. She said that without her mother, she had no reason to live in a dirty mining town anymore. She said that from now on, she would become a noble and live a glamorous life. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem to go as she had hoped.
“How have you been?”
“I've been doing well too.”
She smiled, but her green eyes were dark and gloomy, like deep wells. They were not the bright and loving eyes they used to be.
“Yeah, you seem to have really grown up. You really wanted to be a noble.”
Christine sneered, recalling her adjutant Zimmer's report.
“They say there was a lot of talk when you married the late Marquis Oswald. An 18-year-old girl married a Marquis who was old enough to be her father.”
***
After returning from the banquet hall, Christine ordered an investigation into Adele.
“At the age of 18, with a Marquis who was as old as her father?”
“Yes, I heard there was a lot of talk about marriages aimed at gaining wealth and social status.”
“It didn’t look like she had either of those?”
At the banquet hall, Adele was dressed in a shabby manner. She didn't even wear a single piece of jewelry. She was still beautiful enough, but it was obvious at a glance that she was in a bad situation.
“That’s... She was kicked out after two years of marriage for poisoning her husband.”
Christine clicked his tongue. Other people might not know, but for her to kill her husband...
“At the age of 18, with a Marquis who was as old as her father?”
“Yes, I heard there was a lot of talk about marriages aimed at gaining wealth and social status.”
“It didn’t look like she had either of those?”
At the banquet hall, Adele was dressed in a shabby manner. She didn't even wear a single piece of jewelry. She was still beautiful enough, but it was obvious at a glance that she was in a bad situation.
“That’s... She was kicked out after two years of marriage for poisoning her husband.”
Christine clicked his tongue. Other people might not know, but for her to kill her husband...
The children of the mining village, who had no proper toys, would often catch insects and play with them. Every time, Adele would release the insects the children caught, and they would get scolded. Then, Christine would attack those children without hesitation. No one who cursed Adele could be forgiven. But now, Adele was being called the worst villainess in the empire and was getting all the scolding she could. Of course, the current Christine had no intention of going through fire and water for Adele. After all, the Adele he knew ten years ago was no longer around.
“Tell me more.”
“Of course, because there was no concrete evidence, the Oswald family ended up expelling her. And now she seems to be living in a small mansion on the outskirts of Greenhill.”
“So what do you think, Adjutant?”
"Yes?"
Zimmer looked puzzled.
“They’re just letting the murderer of the house go because there’s no evidence? And from a family as big as Oswald?”
He didn't trust Adele, but the situation was suspicious.
“That... there are rumors that she had some kind of relationship with the Marquis’ son...”
Zimmer, who was answering, quickly changed his words when he saw Christine's cold expression.
“I will report back with more information.”
Christine stood up from his chair.
“Yes, let the carriage wait. We’re heading to the outskirts of Greenhill now.”
“Are you planning to go to the Marchioness?”
“What's the problem?”
Zimmer made a bewildered expression. If it were anyone else, he would have been Count Weiss, known as the Ice King. A man who had never once glanced at the women who had been tempted by him, even if they were incredibly beautiful and well-qualified. A war maniac who seemed obsessed with battle. It was surprising that he had asked the Marchioness to dance. And to have him find out about her and visit her in person... Anyone could see that this was a heart signal!
'Still, why does she have to be a widow with such a bad reputation?'
Zimmer personally did not like it, but decided to support his esteemed lord. It was a good sign that he had found a place to put his heart.
“If it’s your first visit... shouldn’t you prepare a gift?”
Christine's steps stopped as he opened the door and was about to go out. But he soon answered bluntly.
“As you wish.”
“Yes, just trust me!”
***
The gift Zimmer had prepared seemed to be something that would eventually rob an entire flower shop.
“There are so many flowers!”
“There are so many flowers!”
Adele took out all the vases in the house and placed a huge bouquet of flowers in them, admiring them. The house she lived in was an old and small two-story mansion. Judging from the curtains covering the entrance to the stairway, the second floor seemed to be unused. On the first floor, there were armchairs and a rose-colored sofa centered around a fireplace. Next to the fireplace, there was a narrow hallway leading to a room, and at the entrance to the hallway was a kitchen/dining room. It was old and worn, but the interior was small and shabby enough to show the structure at a glance.
“Yeah, I guess this is good enough.”
Adele placed vases of flowers here and there. Christine, who had been watching with his arms folded, finally spoke up.
“This is crazy. I guess you’d better throw it all away.”
The small house was decorated with colorful flowers, making it look like a gypsy den.
“Yeah. Isn’t it a bit crazy?”
Adele stuck her tongue out as Christine frowned.
"I'm sorry. I'm not good at saying what I don't mean, and it's winter, and it's going to be expensive, and you just wasted your money."
"I'll take note. Next time I'm here, bring what you need. I don't think there's more than one thing you need."
Christine looked around her shabby house and clicked his tongue in dismay. It was called a mansion, but it was no better than the homes of commoners. But Adele was not interested in his contemptuous attitude.
“Next time?”
She seemed even more embarrassed by those words.
“Why, don't you ever come back here again?”
“That’s not it. People are watching, and this is such a small town...”
Christine furrowed her brows in annoyance.
“What's the problem?"
"Uh?"
“You don’t even have a husband now. Is it bad for a widow to meet a man?”
Adele glared.
“What are you talking about? You’re not a man to me. You’re just like a younger brother...”
“Then there won’t be any more problems, right?”
Then Christine suddenly brought his face closer.
“...!”
Adele, startled, stepped back and stumbled over the sofa, her legs tangling. He quickly grabbed her shoulder.
“Why are you so surprised?”
“Well, that’s because you suddenly approached me.”
“So, did you have any strange thoughts?”
“What a strange thought?”
Adele looked at him in bewilderment. But in fact, her heart was beating faster and faster.
'Too close!'
Through the scent of flowers that filled the narrow house, she could smell his scent. Cool and secretive like the scent of a cool forest... A scent that seemed to bewitch someone. It was the scent that had been coming from her body since she returned from the banquet hall. The scent of the strange man who had invaded her bedroom that night and kept her up at night. Just being near him made Adele feel more and more suffocated. She quickly turned her head away because she didn’t want to be caught. But Christine grabbed her chin and made her look at him.
“Don’t avoid my gaze. It’s been a long time since we last met, so you must be upset.”
He stared at her intently, as if he was going to swallow her at any moment. Her face was reflected in his mysterious blue-gray eyes. Adele felt as if she would be trapped there.
Finally, she put her hands on his face and pulled hard on both his cheeks. And she didn't stop there, she grabbed his cheeks and shook them.
“Stop fooling around, Chris.”
Adele quickly took her hand away when he glared at hr fiercely, but she made it clear.
“You are really like my own little brother. You’ve become much more handsome and manly than before, but in my eyes, you’re still that little kid who used to chase after me like a puppy.”
When faced with such an unexpected situation, people's brains seem to shut down. Christine just stared at him for a while with her mouth open.
Puppy? Little kid? Chasing after me? Could all those words refer to me right now?
But Adele didn't seem to notice Christine's ferocity.
“I still remember vividly. How pretty your smile was, how much you loved sweet cookies and bread, and how you were a little kid who went crazy over apple pie...”
"Stop."
In an instant, he brought his face closer. It seemed as if the lips that had made the women of the empire impatient would touch Adele's lips at any moment.
“Ugh, Chris...!”
“I still remember vividly. How pretty your smile was, how much you loved sweet cookies and bread, and how you were a little kid who went crazy over apple pie...”
"Stop."
In an instant, he brought his face closer. It seemed as if the lips that had made the women of the empire impatient would touch Adele's lips at any moment.
“Ugh, Chris...!”
Adele's eyes grew wide.
“Then you will remember this, too. Who was your first kiss?”
His breath tickled her lips, and then they touched...
“Ugh!”
At the same time, Adele pushed him away with all her might.
“What are you doing?”
“Have you forgotten? You were the one who kissed me first, who was like a little brother to you.”
Adele screamed in surprise.
“What are you talking about? I didn’t do it first!”
“So you admit that you kissed me?”
“No, that wasn’t a kiss! How was that a kiss!”
After that, she continued to make excuses.
“You were drowning and not breathing, so I was scared and gave you artificial respiration.”
“That wasn’t all, was it?”
“And then, when you finally caught your breath, I was so happy... Yes, I was so happy that I kissed you! It wasn’t like a kiss at all! We were both out of our minds at the time, so that’s why it happened...”
“But why is your face red?”
Adele, who had been making excuses, glared at him fiercely.
“I’ve never blushed!”
“There are no ripe tomatoes. Can you show me a mirror?”
“Yes! Your eyes are defective.”
“My eyes are fine. My vision is also very good.”
“If it’s not me, it’s not me!”
“Damn you, Captain Ugly!”
And there was silence for a moment. After a while, a laugh leaked out between Adele's lips. Christine glared at her as if to say, "What's so funny?" and she made a hazy expression.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve heard that.”
“What are you talking about?”
Christine, who asked like that, looked just like a grumpy boy. It was a face that Adele had always seen since childhood, very familiar to her. Only then did Adele feel relieved. It seemed like this wonderful man was really the boy she knew.
“You always said that to me. You’re the boss. Your expression hasn’t changed at all since you said that back then.”
She remembered so much about him. She thought he had forgotten everything. She left him, thinking she would live well on her own...
“You too. Your temper hasn’t changed at all, whether it was before or now.”
As he said that, he sat down on the sofa with a more subdued expression. Adele put more firewood in the dying fireplace.
“I’m so glad to see you again, Chris. But don’t come here again. There’s nothing good to be had from me.”
Crackle. Crackle.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve heard that.”
“What are you talking about?”
Christine, who asked like that, looked just like a grumpy boy. It was a face that Adele had always seen since childhood, very familiar to her. Only then did Adele feel relieved. It seemed like this wonderful man was really the boy she knew.
“You always said that to me. You’re the boss. Your expression hasn’t changed at all since you said that back then.”
She remembered so much about him. She thought he had forgotten everything. She left him, thinking she would live well on her own...
“You too. Your temper hasn’t changed at all, whether it was before or now.”
As he said that, he sat down on the sofa with a more subdued expression. Adele put more firewood in the dying fireplace.
“I’m so glad to see you again, Chris. But don’t come here again. There’s nothing good to be had from me.”
Crackle. Crackle.
The flames that had swallowed up the new firewood crackled and burned. Yes, this was the end. Adele said goodbye bitterly, but in her heart.
“Why, because you are the woman who poisoned her husband?”
Adele turned around in surprise.
“Why, because you are the woman who poisoned her husband?”
Adele turned around in surprise.
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