I stayed up for several nights in the lab. I was extremely tired, but working was better than having nightmares.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
I heard a knock. It must be mealtime.
“Come in.”
"Um... Miss."
"You just need to leave it there and go out."
"That's not it..."
I wondered why Mary was stammering like that, but she was in the middle of an important task. Without taking my eyes off the workbench, I raised my finger and pointed at the shelf.
"If it's vitality medicine, it's over there."
“Selinia.”
This voice was not Mary's. No matter how busy I was, I had no choice but to turn my head.
“Count?”
Count Hyrn walked in. I hurriedly straightened my clothes. It was the first time he had visited my studio.
"What brings you here?"
Even as I asked, only one thing came to mind. There must have been a problem with the potion I gave Mary last time. Otherwise, the Count wouldn't have chased me all the way here.
"By any chance, the advanced recovery potion I gave you last time..."
Before I could even finish speaking, sparks flew before my eyes. Before I could even realize what was happening, I staggered and collapsed.
"What on earth were you doing here!"
Just as I thought the thunderous shout felt unfamiliar, my eyes fell upon the Count's clasped hand. At that very moment, a dull pain ran down my cheek and the nape of my neck.
"What..."
My jaw wouldn't move properly. I felt a fishy liquid in my mouth.
"I built you a studio because you said you wanted to paint. Are you secretly making drugs in here? I cherished your little talent, but to think you would do something like this."
"I don't know what you mean by that all of a sudden."
Rubbing my chin with my hand, I barely managed to open my mouth. As soon as I uttered that single word, the Count poured out words as if he had been waiting for it.
"So, you intend to deny it. You still haven't been able to shake off your old habits and continue to pick out only ugly things to do. What does that make me, who raised you all this time? Didn't you realize that you have tarnished the honor of the Hyrn family?"
I was stupid. I was definitely stupid. I should have realized long ago why the Count was suddenly putting on such a show. I shouldn't have let my guard down just because I got punched in the face once.
"Please stop, Count."
A voice as cold as a midwinter wind was heard. Only then did I realize that there was someone else there, not Count Hyrn and Mary.
"I am sorry. I never imagined such an unpleasant incident would occur in my family."
As the Count stepped aside, unfamiliar shoes caught my eye. A bad premonition washed over me.
I slowly moved my gaze from the floor upward, as if sketching a person. The black cashmere coat and the watch chain sticking out of the pocket passed by meaninglessly. Perhaps I had already figured out the other person's identity. I was stalling for time out of fear of having to face someone I did not want to meet.
My attempt to ignore reality came to an end the moment I saw the earring dangling from the man's left ear.
'Earrings that look like long, dangling silver threads.'
Is it a coincidence? It must be a coincidence. I desperately hoped it was a coincidence. I wished that such earrings had become fashionable among the young men of high society while I was in seclusion.
I averted my gaze from the man. Then I lowered my head. I knew all too well that just because I wasn't looking, the other person wouldn't disappear. Even so, I no longer dared to verify it.
It was then.
A face that was new but not unfamiliar came into view.
'The purple eyes smiled affectionately like the edge of darkness, then instantly emitted a cruel light.'
He was a person who naturally brought to mind the descriptions I had read in books.
"It is the Lord of the Magic Tower. He found out you were illegally distributing potions and came all the way to our house."
The Count's words felt comforting. Despite all my efforts, I ended up being discovered by the murderer—and in my hideout, the place I considered the safest.
'What have I been cooping up at home all this time? And now we're meeting like this?'
I was in vain.
"Hello, Miss Selinia."
The name he called sounded like a death sentence.
"I am Eon de Grannois."
Eon gently held my left hand and lightly kissed the back of it. His lips, which should have been warm, were like snowflakes in the middle of winter. It felt as if the blood was freezing cold where they had landed.
“Do you know me?”
Asking if I know him—surely he isn't asking if I know he is a murderer. While I hesitated, the Count answered on my behalf.
"There is no way there is anyone in this empire who doesn't know the Tower Master."
As if the Count's answer did not matter, he spoke to me again.
"Your eyes, like greenery, are beautiful. They go very well with your luscious brown hair."
Eon's eyes were fixed on me, but he was by no means looking at me as a person. To him, I must have been nothing more than a doll with brown hair and green eyes.
"To treat such a beautiful young lady so roughly, the Count is more violent than he looks."
"I apologize. I merely intended to discipline..."
“It’s called discipline.”
As Eon's hand reached for my cheek, I flinched involuntarily. But his hand stopped in mid-air. Something warm reached out from his hand and enveloped my face.
'Healing magic?'
The throbbing pain in my jaw disappeared. I carefully ran my tongue over the inside of my mouth. It had healed cleanly, as if it had never been torn.
"You don't have to be so concerned about the sinner."
"A sinner. Is that so? A sinner..."
Eon muttered the word 'sinner' as if filtering sand from his mouth.
"If so, will you entrust the disposition of this sinner to me?"
“Of course.”
"However, she is a member of the Count Hyrn family. If you wish to defend her, I will allow it."
"A fellow who has broken the law can no longer be called a member of the Hyrn family. I will leave everything to the Tower Master's disposition."
Count Hyrn bowed his head so low that he looked subservient, and spoke.
"Please make sure to remember that this was that guy's unilateral action."
It looks like I'm going to end up taking the blame for everything while I'm just standing there like a dazed fool.
'Why do only things like this happen to me?'
In my previous life, I was also an orphan. I could accept having no parents. However, not even having friends was miserable. At our first meeting, people showed a brief interest in my exotic looks, but that was all. There were no instances where our relationship progressed to the point of calling each other friends.
I believed it was because I had nothing. That is why I studied relentlessly, secured a scholarship, and entered a prestigious university. I covered my living expenses through various part-time jobs. I carved out time from my busy schedule to build up my credentials, such as foreign language scores and competition awards.
Once I got a job, my financial situation improved enough to actually save money. Still, there was no one by my side. I was starved for human connection, to the point where I could accept someone even if they approached me with impure intentions. But even that was gone.
It felt like the whole world was pushing me away, as if this wasn't where I belonged.
After my pet dog crossed the Rainbow Bridge, I completely lost my will to live. I even stopped taking all the medications I had been using to try and survive somehow. My preparations were perfect. That night, my car crashed into a guardrail.
'I thought that was the end of it.'
If life were to be like this again, possession would be meaningless. Once again, I was an orphan, and there was no one by my side. Horrifically, even my face was similar to my previous life. The only difference was that my hair had become slightly lighter and my eyes had turned green.
'What on earth am I...'
Just as the word 'resignation' was about to take over my mind, a sense of injustice and resentment burst forth from deep within. The images of those I had been craving affection for overlapped with the Count's face.
"You shouldn't say that! Wasn't this all ordered by the Count? Ordering the making of the potions, and selling them off somewhere—it was all you did, wasn't it?"
"W-what an ungrateful person!"
The Count's face turned bright red at my unexpected counterattack. Since I had always been so obedient, he must have assumed that I would silently take his place again this time.
"That fellow is an orphan I sponsored. You don't need to pay attention to the words of such a rootless fellow."
"You said we were family! You said that since we're family now, I just need to do whatever you tell me to do, right?"
The Count turned his head away from me and looked at Eon, pleading.
"She probably needed money without me knowing."
"I've never even seen the money from selling the potions!"
A petty argument ensued. It was surprising that we could engage in such a verbal battle even with a murderer right in front of us.
“Stop it.”
The Count's mouth closed at a cold remark.
"I have something to discuss with Miss Selinia, so would you please step out for a moment, Count?"
It was a polite remark, yet it carried an undeniable dignity. Eventually, the Count left, and the door closed.
The air in my cozy sanctuary froze solid because of him. I could smell the lingering scent of a burnt-out campfire from him. It was the very smell I had encountered in my dream.
I spoke as if I were the one who stayed behind to interrogate Eon.
"I am also at fault, so I will gladly accept the punishment. I will go to prison."
It was because of the thought that the safest place right now might be prison.
"Prison?"
The weight of the word 'prison' became infinitely lighter at the chuckle that escaped Eon's lips.
"Why don't we stop talking such useless things now?"
With a couple of steps, the distance between him and me narrowed in an instant. I hesitated and stepped back, but soon found myself blocked by a desk.
Eon bent down slightly and brought his face close to my ear.
"I came to take you away."
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