Episode 72
“You’re not greedy. Most people would be tempted by something like this, but you’re refusing, concerned about your mistress.”
I liked jewels that didn’t come with strings attached. But Prea’s gifts weren’t like that. There was no way I would accept them.
I hid my true intentions and said what she wanted to hear.
“I do like jewels. But this is too much for me. And I’m already happy just spending time with you, Lady Seirthe. Your time is precious.”
“Are you saying spending time with me is more important than jewels? Then you must want to talk to me more.”
Since it was better to talk more to make her lower her guard and use me, I readily nodded.
Her haughty eyes softened. Startled by her transformation, like a rose without thorns, I blinked.
“Shall we go then? I apologize, but I can only take you to shops for nobles, so there’s nowhere for us to comfortably chat.”
“Pardon? Then what should we do?”
“Well, would you like to chat briefly in the carriage?”
Prea put her robe back on. Then, she gestured vaguely at the jewels on the table and said,
“Have these sent to my mansion.”
“Understood.”
I glanced at the jewels with a tinge of regret and left the jewelry store. The Marquisate’s carriage was waiting, as if on cue.
“Get in. You’re not going to refuse, saying even the Marquisate’s carriage is too much for you, are you?”
“N-no.”
I denied it and got into the carriage with her.
I was about to turn around, wondering if the spirit had gotten in, when I saw it already inside, smiling at me, and I couldn’t help but chuckle.
The carriage rode smoothly towards her mansion.
And Prea was quiet. I had expected her to bombard me with questions about Sylvia, but her unexpected silence surprised me.
Then, the spirit playing with my hair spoke,
—Heron says he’ll come pick you up if you get off the carriage midway. Is that alright?
I nodded, making sure Prea didn’t notice, and looked at the spirit, thinking of the question I hadn’t been able to ask.
—I won’t tell you, even if you look at me like that, little bird.
The spirit’s firm words made my heart sink.
‘He’s just like Heron. Why won’t he tell me, even though he knows?’
I knew they didn’t have bad intentions, but it was still frustrating.
“…Could you let me off midway?”
“Ah, yes. I’d appreciate that.”
I calmed my startled heart, having been suddenly addressed. Prea’s behavior had been strangely odd since we left the jewelry store.
“Did I perhaps offend you at the jewelry store, Lady Seirthe?”
“No, not at all. If I was offended, I wouldn’t let a maid like you make eye contact with me.”
I closed my mouth at her perfectly reasonable answer.
‘Then why isn’t she asking me about Sylvia?’
“It’s just…”
‘Just?’
“I was intrigued. It’s the first time I’ve met someone who prioritized conversation with me over jewels.”
Her captivating red eyes were looking at me. Her eyes crinkled at the corners, and a bright smile graced her lips. It was a different smile from her usual business smile, a more playful one.
It was truly detrimental to my heart.
‘Is it okay for a villainess to be this beautiful? Well, beauty is an essential element for a main villainess.’
—The person in front of you is calling. It would be best to stop staring, entranced, and answer her.
The spirit’s words snapped me back to reality, and I focused on Prea.
“Valerie. Don’t you have anything you’re curious about?”
I racked my brain, trying to come up with a plausible question. It would be easier to just answer her questions, since she was clearly trying to use me.
“Do you have someone you love, Lady Seirthe?”
‘Why did I ask such a thing…?’
I wanted to slap myself for asking such a question to Prea, who was practically obsessed with the Crown Prince.
“…Love? I think I love his position more.”
Her answer was ambiguous. Just as I was hoping for the situation to become a little more amicable,
“But I won’t lose him to anyone. I’ve decided to have him.”
She firmly drew a line.
‘It seems like a friendly relationship is out of the question.’
It seemed like either Sylvia or Prea would have to fall from grace.
“But I do have a conscience.”
‘A conscience? If you did, you wouldn’t have committed all those…’
I couldn’t bring myself to question how she could say that, the atrocities Prea committed in the novel flashing through my mind.
‘I guess a villainess’s conscience is different from an ordinary person’s.’
I decided to define it that way and pushed away the complicated thoughts.
“I feel bad about taking everything.”
“…Ah, I see.”
The spirit commented on my reaction,
—That was an empty response.
I knew.
‘But how can I give a heartfelt response to such a statement?!’
But Prea didn’t seem to mind my insincere reply.
“So I’m thinking about it. What to take.”
“…Do you want it that much?”
“Yes. I’ve become interested in something new.”
“If there’s something new, it means there was something you wanted before.”
“That’s right. But there was also a sense of obligation. I wondered if I should really have it. But I think I was clinging to the thought that it was mine, my rightful place.”
‘Her rightful place… is she talking about the position of Crown Princess?’
She had been talking about not losing something, then shifted to a contemplative tone. My eyes sparkled with hope, thinking that perhaps she could have a good relationship with Sylvia after all.
“Then wouldn’t it be better to consider which one would make you happier?”
“Happier?”
“Yes. Wouldn’t it be better to let go of the obligation and choose what truly makes you happy, what you would regret losing?”
“…Hmm.”
Her silence stretched on. I desperately wished for her to give up the Crown Princess position to Sylvia.
“I think I need more time to think. I’ve only just become interested in it, so it’s not an easy decision.”
‘That’s a shame.’
Disappointment was evident on my face. Just then, the carriage stopped.
Knowing I didn’t have much time to steer her towards the right choice, I spoke quickly,
“Lady Seirthe, I believe people should choose what their heart desires. If there’s a sense of obligation, it means it’s not what you truly want.”
“I said I would think about it. Are you saying I don’t even need to consider it?”
“That’s not what I meant, but if your heart is already set on something, I believe that’s what you truly desire!”
As I insisted, clenching my fists, she chuckled.
“You’re a brazen child.”
I wondered if I had been too impudent. If she slapped me for being disrespectful to a noble, I would have to ask the head chef for some ice when I returned to the mansion.
But she didn’t slap or scold me; she just said,
“If a strange person becomes interested in you, just accept it, since it’s partly your fault.”
‘My fault?’
“What do you mean?”
“I’m saying this because even normal people seem to change when they’re with you. Now, would you mind letting me off here? I’d like some quiet until we arrive at the Marquisate. I’ll be displeased if you don’t respect that.”
As her beautiful face frowned, her haughty eyes became more prominent. I swallowed my words and quietly got out of the carriage.
“I hope to see you again, Valerie.”
Saying that, Prea turned her head. I watched the carriage disappear.
“It’s a good thing I refused the gifts. But a strange person becoming interested in me is partly my fault?”
It was true that people around me seemed to develop a strange obsession with me… and it was also true that few normal people seemed to like me…
—It’s natural to become obsessed with something precious.
“If something is precious, shouldn’t you cherish it?”
—When we spirits find a human we cherish, we try to bring them to the spirit world and turn them into spirits. But most of them die, so it doesn’t usually end well.
Her calm voice was comforting, but her words sent chills down my spine.
I thought of the spirits who had been unusually friendly towards me and wondered if they would have tried to drag me away if they were bigger.
Spirits were like grim reapers.
“I’m not going to the spirit world.”
—Why? The spirit world isn’t that bad. If you reject it so vehemently, you’re closing off possibilities.
‘You said I would die if I went to the spirit world! Of course, I’ll reject it vehemently!’
As I bickered with the spirit, Heron suddenly appeared and intervened.
“It seems like nothing dangerous happened. But why are you arguing with my spirit?”
“We weren’t arguing. We just had a slight disagreement.”
“It’s natural for spirits and humans to have different ways of thinking. So it’s better to understand and move on.”
I nodded, admitting defeat.
The spirit, after arguing with me, was now leisurely walking beside me. Its personality, similar to its summoner’s, was strangely annoying.
I saw the spirit trying to smooth my furrowed brows.
—Sorry, I was a bit mischievous because I enjoy being with you.
“…It’s okay. You were just looking out for me, checking if I was in danger. Thank you.”
—I’m glad you’re not angry. I wouldn’t be able to bear it if you hated me.