Chapter 12
After Mari closed the door and left, Ines slowly traced back through her memories in her mind.
Continental Year 560.
The time when her father’s rebellion failed and everyone was sentenced to death was five years from now.
Cedric, who was four years older than her, was now at marriageable age. Her own marriage to Cedric had been in Continental Year 562. Within that time, Cedric needed to marry another woman.
The twenty-three-year-old Cedric she had met again was even more impressive than in her memories. Beautiful golden hair, sparkling blue eyes. Despite his flashy appearance, his upright and courteous demeanor was truly gentlemanly.
So, finding another marriage partner wouldn’t be difficult for him. Any woman would surely accept a proposal if he so much as glanced her way. And on top of that, he was the Duke of Angel. Everything about him made him worthy of being called the most outstanding groom in Laitenia.
‘With someone other than me…’
Just the thought made her chest ache with a dull pain. Ines was utterly fed up with herself for still shamelessly loving him, just as Cedric had confidently claimed.
‘Get a grip, Ines Greenwood.’
No matter how much she could say it was a mistake committed under the Empress’s deception, she had inflicted an unforgivable sin upon Cedric.
‘This time, I absolutely cannot let him get entangled in our family’s affairs.’
No, she wouldn’t allow him to be dragged in.
Renewing her resolve, Ines unlocked her diary.
The entry from just the day before caught her eye.
It was the day she had heard from her father that her engagement to Cedric was decided.
When she heard the news, she was so shocked that she couldn’t even show her joy, but once back in her room, she had jumped around excitedly and scribbled in her diary in a rush.
Without realizing it, Ines began reading the entry.
Unlike her usual neat handwriting, the cursive scrawled as if flying across the page vividly conveyed how happy and excited she had been.
Yes.
That day, she had truly been happy.
Her fiancé was Cedric, whom she had harbored a one-sided love for so long.
Ines traced the letters in her diary with her finger.
In Continental Year 565, the Greenwood family would be annihilated by the Empress.
Her life had a time limit—five years left.
In this bonus life she had been granted, there was only one thing she had to do.
To quietly end her life without causing harm to those who had died unjustly because of her.
Mari, Cedric, and the many servants of the Angel and Greenwood households.
“I can do it.”
No. Ines corrected herself.
“I have to.”
Her resolute voice echoed softly.
* * *
“Miss, are you really going out dressed like that?”
Despite Mari’s horrified reaction, Ines remained steadfast.
“Yes. Why?”
“Why? Why, you ask? That outfit is really… Miss, please, I beg you. How about changing into something else?”
Mari couldn’t bring herself to finish with “It doesn’t suit you at all!” and just stamped her feet in frustration.
Where on earth did she dig up something like that!
The serene brown-haired, deep green-eyed lovely countess she served usually pulled off most outfits splendidly. Except for that drab yellow dress.
“There’s the new outfit you had tailored a few days ago, right? The gray dress the Count ordered specially.”
“Yes, Miss. If you don’t like that one, how about the deep green dress you usually favor? It would suit you so well…”
But the more the maids stamped their feet, the brighter Ines’s expression became.
“No. I’m wearing this. Definitely.”
“Miss.”
“Go check if the carriage is ready. If we’re late for the appointment because of this, that would be a bigger problem, wouldn’t it?”
“Ah, well… Ah, fine, I’ll hurry down and come back! Don’t move a muscle. Okay?”
The sound of Mari rushing down the stairs, skipping two or three at a time, echoed loudly. If even her personal maid Mari couldn’t persuade her, there was no way the other maids could. They exchanged glances and wore sullen expressions.
Regardless of the maids’ gazes, Ines was reasonably satisfied with her reflection in the mirror.
Finding this dress in the wardrobe had been a stroke of luck. It was a dress she had bought due to a mistaken fabric order and never worn once, stashed deep in the closet. A drab yellow like this might have been briefly in fashion ten years ago, if at all.
‘Even I think it looks terribly tacky.’
Their first date.
A date, of all things.
Ines clenched her fist tightly.
‘This is an unavoidable meeting. It’s absolutely not a date.’
In response to Cedric’s words that he would back out if she found a major flaw in him that made engagement impossible, she had unwittingly confessed her true feelings.
Saying there couldn’t possibly be such a flaw in him.
Having once lived as his wife, she knew better than anyone. Cedric was a faithful and caring husband. If she couldn’t find any flaws back then, there was no way they’d suddenly appear now that she’d returned to before that time. It was no different even before the engagement.
But time was not on Ines’s side. She needed to sever ties with him as quickly as possible to find peace of mind. That’s why Ines had chosen a more aggressive approach.
It was unfortunate for Cedric, but if she dressed in something so tacky that it would be embarrassing to be seen with her, perhaps she could shatter his goodwill in one go?
His attitude toward her, as a political engagement partner, was bewilderingly warm. Ines found it hard to fathom where his affection stemmed from.
No. Whatever the reason, it didn’t matter.
They had barely any connection until now, after all.
It must be a feeling that had only recently sprouted, so nipping it in the bud shouldn’t be difficult.
‘There should still be room to maneuver.’
It had to be. As Ines thought this, Mari came rushing back, panting, her voice calling out.
“Miss, the carriage is ready. If you change right now, you won’t be too late. Come on…”
“No, Mari. I like this outfit. I’ll go like this.”
Lest Mari grab her, Ines quickly left the room. Worried that her miss, whose leg had only just healed, might trip, Mari had no choice but to cut short her nagging about changing clothes.
* * *
Eltra South Square.
The coachman looked at Ines with concerned eyes.
“Miss, are you really okay on your own? There’s still quite a bit of time left.”
The coachman’s gaze turned to the clock tower. There were still about ten minutes until her appointment.
“I’m really fine.”
“But your leg hasn’t been healed for long. Why not stay in the carriage? We can park for ten minutes or so.”
The Greenwood family’s coachman, reluctant to leave Ines alone, urged her again. It was rare for the miss to go out without the Count’s orders. Having been with the Greenwood family for a long time, the coachman knew well that her avoidance of outings was due to the whispers around her.
Rumors that she acted arrogantly with her father and aunt’s influence backing her, that her shameless pursuit of unattainable things mirrored her family’s lack of decency—how many times had the miss left social events or tea parties early because of such baseless gossip directed at her?
Grinding his teeth anew at what he saw as utter slander, the coachman thought it was truly outrageous treatment for someone who couldn’t even kill an ant, let alone speak harshly to others, and who swallowed her grievances in tears behind closed doors.
‘It’s too harsh on someone who couldn’t hurt a fly.’
Though Eltra’s southern square wasn’t a place noble ladies frequented, the coachman worried that some unpleasant incident might occur during today’s outing.
“I can’t just leave. You told me to go back first, but I’ll wait until your business with Duke Angel is done.”
At his words, Ines waved her hands in alarm.
“No. Don’t. Go back right away.”
If the coachman waited, her entire plan would fall apart. Her voice, trying to persuade him, was filled with urgency.
“My leg doesn’t hurt at all. Besides, the doctor said that not walking properly might have weakened the muscles. Some moderate exercise would help.”
“But…”
The coachman frowned and asked.
“What about the way back? If I wait, you can return to the mansion comfortably whenever.”
At his words, Ines smiled slightly with a tense face. She only hoped her expression didn’t look awkward.
“Do you think Duke Angel wouldn’t offer his date a carriage ride? So go back already. You know what I mean, right?”
At her words, the coachman’s eyes widened like saucers. It was a sly and cute ploy, unlike her usual demure self.
‘So the miss does like Duke Angel.’
Sending the carriage back first and asking for a ride was a common excuse lovers used to spend even a few extra minutes together when parting was hard. To hear such a thing from the miss.
‘When did our miss grow up so much?’
The little girl he remembered was now going on dates with her fiancé. Feeling the passage of time anew, the coachman felt a surge of emotion.
“I didn’t realize… I was being stubborn for nothing. Understood. I’ll head back to the mansion right away.”
The coachman looked at Ines with a pleased expression. It was such a wonderful time in life. How delighted the late madam would have been to see this.
Even as the carriage rolled away, he kept glancing back. A smile crept onto his face without him realizing.
Waving to the coachman, Ines finally let out a sigh of relief.
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