“Are you really… thinking of doing that?”
Yuria, struggling to keep her lips from quivering, asked back.
It must have been a perplexing answer for her.
To put off a conversation with the Lady of the House and choose to return to me instead— it sounded entirely like she was siding with me.
Of course, Miragen probably just blurted that out in a huff. But for Yuria, it was likely quite shocking.
“Yes, I still have things to discuss with Lord Robert.”
“But you must have things you want to talk about with me too.”
“Let’s do it later. I don’t think it’s urgent enough to talk about right now.”
It seemed Miragen had an inkling of what Yuria wanted to say, replying in a lower voice.
She probably thought talking about that would be pretty awkward.
The imperial family’s stance was obviously against the southern campaign, and Yuria’s reason for coming to talk was plain as day.
For a moment, biting her lips tightly, Yuria glared at me.
Her expression seemed to want to say something else, but she probably felt she couldn’t do that in front of a princess.
Moreover, since the princess seemed to be siding with me as well, it must have been all the more confusing.
As I feigned a smile and shrugged my shoulders, Yuria’s fists trembled slightly.
…It’s true that having good connections pays off.
I never expected things would turn around like this, but when I locked eyes with Miragen, she winked at me with a subtle smile.
Ultimately, it was Yuria who retreated first.
Now that Miragen had refused, there was no justification for pushing further, and I figured she would try to seize another opportunity later.
Yuria bowed her head toward the princess, and then she looked at me and spoke.
“Well then, I’ll be going first. I hope my younger sibling doesn’t cause any inconvenience.”
“It’s fine. Lord Robert isn’t that kind of person.”
“…Understood.”
For a moment, her eyes, trying hard to feign calm, trembled, and then Yuria turned around and vanished into the carriage.
As the sound of hooves faded into the distance and she could no longer be seen,
Miragen stuck out her tongue at me and grinned.
“Well, how about that? I was quite helpful, wasn’t I?”
“Can you handle it?”
“If it’s Yuria Taylor, she must have been itching to talk to me from the start. She probably thinks her chatting will smooth over the campaign situation. It seems she was standing against you.”
“Not that, I was asking about what you just said.”
She declared she would borrow “a man” for the whole day.
It wouldn’t matter another time, but it was completely dark night right now.
As I pointed to the moon, Miragen’s face turned a little red while she stared at it blankly.
“Ah.”
I knew it would come to this.
As I let out a small sigh, Miragen’s trembling eyes met mine.
What she could be imagining… even a fool would understand.
#
With a determined attitude, Miragen reached out her hand toward me.
With a resolute expression and tone, Miragen, her hand almost brushing against my chest, opened her mouth.
In a firm tone, Miragen reached out, almost touching my chest, and spoke.
“First of all, don’t get me wrong. No matter how light-hearted I may seem, I do know where to draw the line.”
“I see.”
“What’s with that tone as if I looked clueless? Anyway, when I said I’d borrow Lord Robert, I didn’t mean it that way. Think of it as throwing you a lifeline.”
A lifeline, indeed. Without her, I might have ended up in an argument with Yuria, and she could have provoked me quite a bit.
Plus, I felt a bit of satisfaction for putting Yuria in her place. The feelings I had for Miragen were purely gratitude.
She was busy wrapping her actions in careful words when she asked me, looking a bit puzzled.
“But it doesn’t seem like you two get along well. I didn’t hear everything, but it felt like you were intentionally rubbing the prince the wrong way.”
“At this point, I’m not too worried about that. I did think about responding, but thanks to Her Highness the Princess, I was able to ease my mind a little.”
Upon hearing that, Miragen seemed a bit more cheerful, tilting her lips upward and staring at me intently. It was the kind of expression that said I could compliment her more. But if she was wearing that face, perhaps I should hold off.
As I fell silent, Miragen’s earlier confident demeanor began to fade away.
“…Well, I’m glad it got resolved. So, what are you planning to do now?”
“What do you mean?”
“When I said I’d borrow you, it was meant to be a helping hand, right? I can’t keep dragging you around late at night. Are you thinking of going back to the Ducal Residence?”
“I don’t mind staying outside. No one really cares whether I’m around or not.”
She seemed ready to protest against that, but understanding my situation, Miragen soon sealed her lips. My circumstances were, to some extent, quite tragic, so it was natural she wouldn’t want to bring it up.
Honestly, I didn’t mind where I stayed. If she wanted, I could stay at the Imperial Palace for a day, but it was better to avoid that.
While I didn’t think Yuria would go around blabbing about the princess, it wouldn’t hurt to avoid any unnecessary gossip.
Since I was going back to the Ducal Residence anyway, it was better to return early.
After all, there was no reason to avoid Yuria.
In the current situation, if you were to ask who stood taller between Yuria and me, I might just say it was me, showing I had the princess’s support.
“I think it’s best if we just head back.”
“That seems right, doesn’t it?”
“You don’t have to trouble yourself because of me. If that was a repayment for earlier advice, what just happened was enough.”
“That wasn’t my intention… But it can’t be helped now. If you need a carriage, just say so. I can call for one.”
“I’m fine. There’s already a carriage I rode to the Imperial Palace.”
As I pointed to the lone carriage with my finger, Miragen finally nodded, as if she had just realized it.
As I pointed to the carriage, Miragen nodded as if she finally understood.
Yet, there was a hint of curiosity in her gaze about my affairs.
She might know my reputation isn’t great, but this was probably the first time she was seeing the rift between Yuria and me.
Though I traveled publicly with Yuria, it was solely to assist her.
To outsiders, I probably looked like the younger sibling supporting the Lady of the House…
No matter how incompetent I was, my attempts at supporting her turned into rumors of our strong sibling bond.
From my perspective, there couldn’t be a more ridiculous rumor than that.
“Are you going to be okay?”
Miragen said as she watched me get onto the carriage.
After pondering for a moment over her multifaceted voice, I smiled faintly and nodded.
“I’m fine. And this…”
I lightly touched the artifact on my chest.
Normally, I wouldn’t think to contact her privately, but she had helped me in various ways.
Giving her a bit of advice now and then about the Northwest should be okay.
Understanding my actions, Miragen waved her hand with a noticeably brightened expression.
“I’ll be waiting for your message. It’s fine to chit-chat sometimes, right?”
I slightly bowed my head in response to her playful answer and then leaned back into the carriage.
As the rattling carriage began to move, Miragen’s figure heading back to the Imperial Palace came into view.
I’ve often thought about this, but I feel like I’ve been tangled up with Miragen in many ways.
The first connection happened when we met at the ball; I missed seeing her this time because I met Adele and Adrian instead.
Yet, the first time I met Miragen was always on her birthday.
At first, I considered it an honor just to have met her, and later, I even tempted her to use her.
When I think about being lovers, it wasn’t bad after all.
She was the one who mourned me the most when I died, so it offered me a bit of solace.
If she had turned her back on me, my reincarnation might have stopped right there and been stuck in limbo forever.
It was Miragen who wielded the sword when I was going insane, and during those times, she always wore a sad expression.
As if she knew I wouldn’t be the kind of person to do that.
Her expression looked ready to burst into tears any moment. So I thought, what if I tried to avoid that this time?
I contemplated how it would turn out if I erased our connections by becoming just a public relation.
But since we ended up meeting like this, I suppose that was just another failure.
I didn’t believe in destiny.
However, if connections were predetermined, I thought the probability of me being tied to Miragen in this manner was quite high.
In the end, this life turned out to be quite an interesting relationship too.
Fiddling with the artifact on my chest, I forced a smile and slid it back away.
I put it back in.
“…Winter is coming soon.”
To be exact, there are only a few days left before heading to the North, but there were definitely things I needed to finish before that.
Gaining support within the Ducal Residence could be done slowly, but Yuria’s attitude was a problem.
She thinks everything I do is wrong and simply moves on according to her stubbornness. Isn’t that the situation right now?
Even if she tries, she will only stumble over her own mistakes, and that’s not the outcome I wanted.
I had to make her think a little more seriously about me.
To the point where my steps would irritate her—she should feel like I’m a serious competitor.
What I desired was for her to fall from the highest place.
When she becomes arrogant, thinking she’s achieved everything by herself, when she believes she’s finally reached the peak of her own plans.
That kind of fall would truly be despair.
While I was away, she would prepare in her own way, but when winter ends and spring arrives, I would likely have prepared even more than she did.
By then, I would probably be ready to send her tumbling down.
I didn’t think Yuria would regret her past actions.
Most likely, she believed every action she took was genuinely right.
Recalling the things she did made my brows furrow involuntarily.
When I was too young to even reach the floor from my chair, I was locked in the basement and had my nails pulled out.
My mouth was stuffed with cotton, and I choked, feeling the pain entirely.
Each moment my nails were gripped by thick pincers and pulled out was engraved in my mind.
I pleaded for them to pull them out quickly.
Knowing that they wouldn’t stop even if I asked them to, I thought it would be better to feel the pain quickly.
Even as saltwater was poured into the spots where my nails had been pulled out, I stifled my screams, believing that I would be forgiven afterward.
Blood flowed from my clenched teeth, and fragments from broken teeth roamed my mouth.
I was probably about ten years old then.
I knew quite well how Yuria views that time, so I didn’t think for a moment that she would regret it.
My desire to become the Head of the Family was merely a process of preparing for betrayal.
However, a thought arose simultaneously.
What expression would Yuria hold when looking at Head Robert Taylor?
If the family that she held so dearly was taken and sullied by the younger sibling she so often deemed pathetic, what kind of face would she make then?
What I wanted was not for her to repent for her own sins.
Just her own arrogance, her own complacency.
I only hoped it would ultimately grasp her ankles, scattering everything into nothingness as it crumbled.
Isn’t that the fitting end for Yuria Taylor?
Just as I did with Teresa, it was time to plant the seeds with Yuria too.
One day, seeds that would sprout more splendidly than anything else.
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