IWAP - Chapter 69

"I am embarrassed to show this side of myself."

"Why would you say it's embarrassing? Please don't mind us, Young Lady."

"That is correct. You must be the very surprised one."

Marchioness Engrail and Baroness Vizdel comforted me at the same time. Whether it was the power of the gift or not, their attitude had become more favorable than it had been during the hunting competition.

"More importantly, how do you intend to return in this state?"

"A carriage is waiting at the back."

"Yes."

Unlike the Marchioness de Angrail, who elegantly nodded at my answer and stepped back, Baroness Vizdel reached out her hand toward me with a look of regret.

I quickly dodged her hand at her sudden action. It would be very troublesome if the spies noticed that the dye on her hand was dye and not blood.

I smiled at the flustered Baroness Vizdel, conveying that it was by no means a rejection of her.

"The dye is staining. Baroness Vizdel."

“Ah! I’m sorry.”

Marchioness Engrail stepped forward instead of Baroness Vizdel, whose face was flushed red and who didn't know what to do.

"It seems she got carried away while trying to thank Young Lady. She is quite sentimental, so she sometimes acts impulsively like this. Please understand, Young Lady."

"It's alright. I'm the one who should be apologizing for not being able to talk for long because I look like this."

"I fully understand, Young Lady. Let's finish our conversation when we meet later. I will thank you for the gift then."

Marchioness Engrail made way with an elegant gesture. Although she was a Princess born to a concubine, she displayed the demeanor of a former member of the royal family who had been educated in high-class etiquette.

Baroness Vizdel also stepped back slightly from in front of me, following the Marchioness, but she did not avert her gaze, dripping with lingering longing.

"Let's make sure to meet again soon, Young Lady."

As I smiled and nodded at Baroness Vizdel's earnest voice, the Marchioness's soft voice followed.

"I will send an invitation to the Elliot family soon. I would be happy if you accepted."

"I would gladly accept your invitation. Then, I will see you then. Marchioness Engrail, Baroness Vizdel."

After parting ways with them, I received a cloak from Madame Miela. The cloak, which reached down to my feet and even had a hood, was perfect for this purpose.

"It's a bit thick."

"Because winter is approaching. This is my masterpiece that will be trending this winter."

Madame Miela spoke with a face full of pride. I was served by her and put on the cloak. As expected, the cloak covered my entire body from head to toe.

However, with every step, the hem of the skirt stained with red dye stood out slightly through the slits in the cloak. I smiled with satisfaction as I watched that sight.

"There is no one here, Young Lady."

Madame Miela, who had been observing the situation outside, gestured to me. Following her instructions, I wrapped myself in a cloak and stepped out of the building with cautious movements. The carriage was standing about three or four steps away, just as planned. The carriage door opened, and I hurriedly boarded.

Bam!

As soon as the carriage door closed, the horse began to move. I leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes. The strength drained from my body at the thought that I had overcome a hurdle. It seems that even if I pretend nothing is wrong, I cannot fool my body, which was tense.

For a while, only the sound of the moving carriage lingered in the space.

"What happened to the surroundings?"

Anasha, who had been silent along with me in the carriage, finally spoke up at my question.

"I spotted a few watchful eyes even where the carriage was parked."

"She must have seen it, right?" 

"She even wore a light-colored dress so the red would stand out, so unless she was colorblind, she must have seen it well."

Anasha chuckled softly.

Just as Anasha said, the thing she did while even deliberately wearing a light sky-blue dress with prominent red...

It was our side that would be in trouble if they didn't look closely.

"Now, the real show begins."

***

When I arrived at the mansion, what awaited me was, as expected, my father's stern face upon his return from the Imperial Palace. I took off the hood I had been wearing. The hair hidden inside was revealed in all its nakedness.

Father merely frowned briefly at my appearance covered in dye, showing no signs of surprise or embarrassment. He stared at me with an unreadable gaze, then soon uttered just a single word and turned away.

"Come to the study when you are ready."

I had been nervous all the way to the mansion, wondering how he would react, but seeing him act just like usual, I felt strangely drained.

"Miss, what on earth is going on!"

Marie and the ladies-in-waiting who were waiting in the main building rushed at me in a panic upon seeing me like that. I saw some of them staggering and collapsing to the floor, as if they had become dizzy, mistaking the dye for blood.

The head maid, who could be considered the most experienced, was the first to come to her senses and began to strictly discipline the maids. I dismissed the other maids and ordered that only the head maid follow me. This was to prevent them from noticing that what I was covered in was dye, not blood.

No matter how carefully I managed the situation, spies constantly infiltrated. I had already noticed long ago that some of the servants were acting as the eyes and ears of others. The reason I had pretended not to know and let them be, despite being aware of it, was all for a time like this.

"I will escort you to the bathroom first, Miss."

I took off my cloak and handed it to the head maid. Although she must have been curious, she did not raise any questions and quietly followed behind me, holding the cloak.

She was someone who had worked for the Elliott family for a long time. Even when the mansion was in disarray after the nanny was dismissed, she remained unwavering and did her best in her role. She was discreet and serious, making her one of the people I trusted.

"The Head Maid must personally burn the cloaks and dresses, and report anyone showing suspicious behavior without exception."

“Yes, Miss.”

“What about Landt?”

"He is studying in the room on the master's orders. Shall I bring him over?"

"No, I'll go up later."

I thought it was strange that Landt, who would normally be the first to come out to greet me, was nowhere to be seen. I was worried that Landt might see me covered in blood, so I considered it a relief that he wasn't there.

I never imagined that Landt’s failure to come out to meet me was due to his father’s command rather than the child’s own autonomous will.

I knew that my father had assigned a shadow to me. It seemed that all the reports had already been sent up before I even arrived at the mansion. Feeling his thoughtfulness in his own way, a smile formed on my lips without me realizing it.

Squeak.

Amidst the prevailing silence, only the sound of tea being poured into a cup echoed through the quiet space. The steam rising from the tea was hot enough to be felt without touching it.

Father did not speak until I entered the study and the butler prepared my portion of tea. A teacup with the bottom already lay before him.

The butler filled my father's empty cup naturally, as if it were a habit, even though my father had not given any specific instructions.

Taptaptap.

The sound of fingernails clashing against the smooth armrests of the solid wood sofa filled the space instead of the sound of pouring tea. Father's face remained expressionless, but his fingers moved rhythmically, as if representing his complex thoughts.

A deep shadow fell across my father's blue eyes, as if he were lost in deep thought. He appeared completely unaware of his own actions.

I discovered something my father and I had in common once again in an unexpected place. For some reason, a tingling sensation spread from deep within my chest.

I met the eyes of the butler who had been standing quietly behind my father. He gave a meaningful smile, as if he knew exactly what I was thinking. Avoiding his gaze, I raised my teacup.

"You..."

Father, who had remained silent for a long time, finally spoke. I set the teacup back down just as I was about to take a drink. I straightened my back and listened intently to what my father was saying. He paused for a moment, then spoke again.

"You know those kids who are hard to deal with from a young age?"

Even though I had uttered just a single sentence, Father, as if his throat were parched, lifted the teacup and gulped down the steaming tea. True to his ingrained manners, he quietly and carefully set the cup down, leaving only about half the tea remaining.

"You didn't pester me for anything or throw a tantrum. I was proud of that, yet..."

While he paused for a moment, my father's Adam's apple bobbed violently.

"I felt disappointed."

My father's gaze was directed entirely at me. Although no emotion appeared on his face, his eyes held so much.

"You're not asking me for help this time either."

A faint but painful look settled in my father's blue eyes, which I had always thought held a coolness.

"It must all be my fault."

A bitter, self-deprecating smile hung on my father's expressionless face, as if his mask were shattering.

I felt I should say something to my father, but no voice came out, as if my throat were blocked. I was not sure how he interpreted my appearance, but the dark emotion etched on his face—whether it was sadness or regret—intensified.

“Bjornne.”

"Yes."

I was only able to answer after my father called.

"You are my daughter."

“I know.”

“Yeah, I see.”

With my father’s words ending in a murmur, silence fell between him and me once again.

As I lowered my gaze, I saw the blue tea quietly contained in the teacup. Although I had enjoyed drinking it until now, I had never really consciously noticed it, but the blue hue resembled the color of my father's eyes.

A small lemon slice was prepared next to the teacup along with some simple snacks. I picked up the slice and dropped it into the teacup. With the sound of water droplets splashing, the blue tea instantly turned a warm crimson.

"A few years ago, I asked you if you wanted to become the Empress. Do you remember?"

"Yes. I remember."

It was the day I remembered the lives of the two of us as if waking from a dream, and for me now, it was the day everything began. It was also the day the Marquise, my biological mother and my father's wife, committed suicide. I can never forget it.

It was a memory I had no memory of.

"You asked me back if I could choose as I wanted."

Father had asked the same question in the carriage on the way to the Imperial Palace on the day I went to meet Sis for the first time.

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