At dawn, Shish woke up from his seat. I was half-asleep and took his hand.
"You go...?"
As expected, Shish knows who is coming and at what time.
I was debating whether to say that, but I thought it was too early, so I kept quiet.
If possible, I would like to convey my intentions through conversation.
“See there.”
Shish smiled helplessly and kissed my cheek.
I should tell you it's not what you think, but sleep is weighing on me too heavily. I guess I was really nervous last night.
“See you later.”
The gentle tone and sweet scent drifted away from me, and as if this were a signal, I fell into a deep sleep again.
In my dream, I was walking somewhere.
I fell into the middle of a dark place where I couldn't see anything and felt around.
“Is anyone there?”
Even the echo seemed to have been swallowed up by darkness.
It wasn't cold, but my spine felt chilled, and I ran as fast as I could, but there was no end in sight.
I waved my hands to chase away the darkness that was slowly engulfing my hands and feet, but it was no use, and I tripped over my own feet.
“Huh, huh.”
What's this?
It was at that time that I was so exhausted that I lost the will to protest any longer in the darkness that reached up to my wrists.
A sweet, sweet scent enveloped me like a song, and I slowly stood up. Darkness flowed down.
I walked towards the scent as if possessed, and for that moment, I was not even afraid of the darkness that threatened to swallow me.
Drawn by a familiar scent, I ran to the place where the person I wanted to see was standing.
A tall, red-haired man reached out to me, and I reached out to him in return.
“Shish.”
At that moment, he is consumed by darkness.
“Shish!”
I ran as fast as I could, but the distance between him and me never seemed to narrow, and he eventually began to disappear into the swaying darkness.
The legs, the upper body, the right arm, the hair...
When most of him was out of sight, Shishi spoke to me. He made no sound, and I could only read his lips.
- I love you.
Pain surged through me, as if I'd been hit hard in the head, and I fell to my knees. Suddenly, there was no darkness around me, only bright light.
As if Shish had caught the darkness that was trying to eat me, and disappeared.
Shish, Shish, Shish.
“Shish!”
What if you disappear? I came here to see you.
“Tri, tri!”
"Gasp."
When I opened my eyes, I saw a strange woman.
I was about to ask who it was when I realized it was my adoptive mother, the Marchioness Hayley.
"Mother."
“What’s wrong, Tri? You’re sweating profusely.”
"Ah..."
As I groaned blankly, something cold came up to my forehead. It was a wet towel.
“What about Shish?”
The Marchioness, who had tried to dissuade me from getting up, quickly answered.
“His Excellency is at the Ministry of the Interior.”
"If His Excellency had been wrong, the palace would have been turned upside down several times. Don't worry."
The Marchioness's tone was calm, but I couldn't believe it.
The image of Shish, consumed by darkness, remained vivid, and I felt compelled to confirm that he still existed in this world.
“I have to go. I have to see for myself how he is doing—”
“I’ll ask the maid to summon His Excellency. Will that be okay? Yes?”
The Marchioness, who had been embracing me, tried to stop me, and I came to my senses as a cold towel ran down my face and landed on my thigh.
“You don’t have to call him, just check to see if he's okay.”
“Yes. I’ll talk to you right away, so just rest.”
The Marchioness summoned her maid and asked her to check on His Excellency.
My adoptive mother had no authority to give orders to the palace maids, but at the time, I had no time to consider such things.
"You seem to have a fever. You must have been quite shocked by the commotion yesterday. That's understandable."
A worried voice.
"I heard there was a commotion in the evening. I heard someone was injured."
The Marchioness's gentle green eyes filled me.
“I wanted to enter the palace yesterday, but it was too late when I heard the news, so I was only able to come today.”
The palace gates were closed at certain times, so it would have been impossible for a mere marchioness to enter. And the Marchioness, too.
Even if the palace had been open, I wouldn't have been upset that the Marquis and his wife didn't come.
"Tri, come home. Even if His Excellency cares for you, there are limits."
But the Marchioness seemed different.
I guess she's really upset that I didn't contact her and that I was left struggling alone.
“And if you don’t have His Highness in mind, there’s no need for you to be here.”
The tone was more resolute than ever.
As if I were certain that I would never be connected to my senior.
“I have a question.”
Perhaps it's because I still can't distinguish between dreams and reality. Perhaps it's because I feel like the Marchioness is genuinely concerned about me.
I asked the question honestly.
“Why are you being nice to me?”
Since I am no longer the heroine, I cannot receive unconditional favor.
The reason the thugs I met while traveling didn't like me was probably that the female protagonist had already appeared at that time.
If Shish could guarantee it, the Marquis and Marchioness of Hayley wouldn't be obsessed with power. Their apparent lack of interest in becoming a Crown Princess wasn't just superficial.
So what would they gain by adopting me?
“We had a daughter.”
I was taken aback by the story that came out of the blue and couldn't help but question the past tense of "had."
“I don’t know much about Billau and Cain, but yeah, she’s their older sister.”
The Marchioness's voice was calm.
“She was a pretty girl with black hair and brown eyes.”
I didn't really feel like she needed an answer, so I just listened to her story in silence.
“When the child was five years old, Billau and Cain were born.”
The Marchioness's green eyes opened, hazily, as if she had entered a dream. She paused for a moment, staring blankly into space before looking back at me.
“It was when the two children began to stand... Yes, I think everyone was celebrating that day. Cain was the first to stand, holding onto the leg of a chair.”
Yeah, I knew it.
Unlike the quiet, quiet Billau, it seems like Cain woke up after poking around here and there. He's grimacing.
“I remember that day very clearly. Cain stood, and when he saw him, Bilau also stood up, trembling.”
A gentle smile played on the Marchioness's lips. Her eyes were still unfocused.
“But the reason I remember that day is different.”
The alarm, sound it. Sound it!
No matter how you look at it, this is the timing for an ominous story to come out!
“Because the first one... went to heaven.”
When my expectations became reality, I wanted to close my eyes, but I couldn't because the Marchioness was staring straight at me. I wasn't even allowed to look away.
“You look like that kid. The kid we had to send away.”
A soft hand gently wrapped its hand around mine.
“Tria.”
I forgot to breathe for a moment.
“When we saw you, who looked similar to her, even had a similar name, both he and I were breathless.”
Green eyes that had found focus became wet.
"And I'm grateful that we were able to adopt you among so many. Just the thought of His Highness the Crown Prince suggesting it to someone else is enough to make this place feel like a stalemate."
The Marchioness pressed her hand firmly against her heart. She took a few deep breaths, then opened her mouth. The voice that came out was laced with suppressed tremors.
“Tri, this might be an uncomfortable story for you.”
It was uncomfortable.
However, the reason will be different from what the Marchioness guesses.
“You and I are still in the process of getting to know each other.”
She seemed to know that I would be offended or dislike them for overlapping her dead daughter with me.
"Tri, you must be unfamiliar with us. Don't rush too much. We'll take our time."
The reason goosebumps ran down my spine was something else.
"So, please stay here. If you still feel uncomfortable, you can stay at the palace. Otherwise, I'd like to ask His Excellency the Prime Minister to let you stay in Milan."
Adoptive parents who want to do anything for their daughter because she resembles the daughter they lost in the past? How could something like this happen? And why did they pick her up?
My senior may have known and prepared for it, but I couldn't help but be shocked.
It feels like the world is perfectly prepared for me.
On the one hand, I felt relieved. It felt like I had been given permission to be here.
"You go...?"
“That's right. Or should we stay until morning? For all to see, whether His Highness the Crown Prince or the Princess?”
I was debating whether to say that, but I thought it was too early, so I kept quiet.
If Titiana is determined to tear the country apart, I should at least get along with my senior. And unless it's Lily, I'm not prepared to show my senior such a shocking sight.
“See there.”
Shish smiled helplessly and kissed my cheek.
I should tell you it's not what you think, but sleep is weighing on me too heavily. I guess I was really nervous last night.
“See you later.”
The gentle tone and sweet scent drifted away from me, and as if this were a signal, I fell into a deep sleep again.
In my dream, I was walking somewhere.
I fell into the middle of a dark place where I couldn't see anything and felt around.
“Is anyone there?”
Even the echo seemed to have been swallowed up by darkness.
It wasn't cold, but my spine felt chilled, and I ran as fast as I could, but there was no end in sight.
I waved my hands to chase away the darkness that was slowly engulfing my hands and feet, but it was no use, and I tripped over my own feet.
“Huh, huh.”
What's this?
It was at that time that I was so exhausted that I lost the will to protest any longer in the darkness that reached up to my wrists.
A sweet, sweet scent enveloped me like a song, and I slowly stood up. Darkness flowed down.
I walked towards the scent as if possessed, and for that moment, I was not even afraid of the darkness that threatened to swallow me.
Drawn by a familiar scent, I ran to the place where the person I wanted to see was standing.
A tall, red-haired man reached out to me, and I reached out to him in return.
“Shish.”
At that moment, he is consumed by darkness.
“Shish!”
I ran as fast as I could, but the distance between him and me never seemed to narrow, and he eventually began to disappear into the swaying darkness.
The legs, the upper body, the right arm, the hair...
When most of him was out of sight, Shishi spoke to me. He made no sound, and I could only read his lips.
- I love you.
Pain surged through me, as if I'd been hit hard in the head, and I fell to my knees. Suddenly, there was no darkness around me, only bright light.
As if Shish had caught the darkness that was trying to eat me, and disappeared.
Shish, Shish, Shish.
“Shish!”
What if you disappear? I came here to see you.
“Tri, tri!”
"Gasp."
When I opened my eyes, I saw a strange woman.
I was about to ask who it was when I realized it was my adoptive mother, the Marchioness Hayley.
"Mother."
“What’s wrong, Tri? You’re sweating profusely.”
"Ah..."
As I groaned blankly, something cold came up to my forehead. It was a wet towel.
“What about Shish?”
The Marchioness, who had tried to dissuade me from getting up, quickly answered.
“His Excellency is at the Ministry of the Interior.”
"Are you sure he's there? Shish, no—the Prime Minister is safe, right?"
The Marchioness's tone was calm, but I couldn't believe it.
The image of Shish, consumed by darkness, remained vivid, and I felt compelled to confirm that he still existed in this world.
“I have to go. I have to see for myself how he is doing—”
“I’ll ask the maid to summon His Excellency. Will that be okay? Yes?”
The Marchioness, who had been embracing me, tried to stop me, and I came to my senses as a cold towel ran down my face and landed on my thigh.
“You don’t have to call him, just check to see if he's okay.”
“Yes. I’ll talk to you right away, so just rest.”
The Marchioness summoned her maid and asked her to check on His Excellency.
My adoptive mother had no authority to give orders to the palace maids, but at the time, I had no time to consider such things.
"You seem to have a fever. You must have been quite shocked by the commotion yesterday. That's understandable."
A worried voice.
"I heard there was a commotion in the evening. I heard someone was injured."
The Marchioness's gentle green eyes filled me.
“I wanted to enter the palace yesterday, but it was too late when I heard the news, so I was only able to come today.”
The palace gates were closed at certain times, so it would have been impossible for a mere marchioness to enter. And the Marchioness, too.
Being able to come and go as you please in the imperial palace is a privilege in itself—that says it all.
"Tri, come home. Even if His Excellency cares for you, there are limits."
But the Marchioness seemed different.
I guess she's really upset that I didn't contact her and that I was left struggling alone.
“And if you don’t have His Highness in mind, there’s no need for you to be here.”
The tone was more resolute than ever.
As if I were certain that I would never be connected to my senior.
“I have a question.”
Perhaps it's because I still can't distinguish between dreams and reality. Perhaps it's because I feel like the Marchioness is genuinely concerned about me.
I asked the question honestly.
“Why are you being nice to me?”
Since I am no longer the heroine, I cannot receive unconditional favor.
The reason the thugs I met while traveling didn't like me was probably that the female protagonist had already appeared at that time.
If Shish could guarantee it, the Marquis and Marchioness of Hayley wouldn't be obsessed with power. Their apparent lack of interest in becoming a Crown Princess wasn't just superficial.
So what would they gain by adopting me?
“We had a daughter.”
I was taken aback by the story that came out of the blue and couldn't help but question the past tense of "had."
“I don’t know much about Billau and Cain, but yeah, she’s their older sister.”
The Marchioness's voice was calm.
“She was a pretty girl with black hair and brown eyes.”
I didn't really feel like she needed an answer, so I just listened to her story in silence.
“When the child was five years old, Billau and Cain were born.”
The Marchioness's green eyes opened, hazily, as if she had entered a dream. She paused for a moment, staring blankly into space before looking back at me.
“It was when the two children began to stand... Yes, I think everyone was celebrating that day. Cain was the first to stand, holding onto the leg of a chair.”
Yeah, I knew it.
Unlike the quiet, quiet Billau, it seems like Cain woke up after poking around here and there. He's grimacing.
“I remember that day very clearly. Cain stood, and when he saw him, Bilau also stood up, trembling.”
A gentle smile played on the Marchioness's lips. Her eyes were still unfocused.
“But the reason I remember that day is different.”
The alarm, sound it. Sound it!
No matter how you look at it, this is the timing for an ominous story to come out!
“Because the first one... went to heaven.”
When my expectations became reality, I wanted to close my eyes, but I couldn't because the Marchioness was staring straight at me. I wasn't even allowed to look away.
“You look like that kid. The kid we had to send away.”
A soft hand gently wrapped its hand around mine.
“Tria.”
I forgot to breathe for a moment.
“When we saw you, who looked similar to her, even had a similar name, both he and I were breathless.”
Green eyes that had found focus became wet.
"And I'm grateful that we were able to adopt you among so many. Just the thought of His Highness the Crown Prince suggesting it to someone else is enough to make this place feel like a stalemate."
The Marchioness pressed her hand firmly against her heart. She took a few deep breaths, then opened her mouth. The voice that came out was laced with suppressed tremors.
“Tri, this might be an uncomfortable story for you.”
It was uncomfortable.
However, the reason will be different from what the Marchioness guesses.
“You and I are still in the process of getting to know each other.”
She seemed to know that I would be offended or dislike them for overlapping her dead daughter with me.
"Tri, you must be unfamiliar with us. Don't rush too much. We'll take our time."
The reason goosebumps ran down my spine was something else.
"So, please stay here. If you still feel uncomfortable, you can stay at the palace. Otherwise, I'd like to ask His Excellency the Prime Minister to let you stay in Milan."
Adoptive parents who want to do anything for their daughter because she resembles the daughter they lost in the past? How could something like this happen? And why did they pick her up?
My senior may have known and prepared for it, but I couldn't help but be shocked.
It feels like the world is perfectly prepared for me.
On the one hand, I felt relieved. It felt like I had been given permission to be here.
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