23
‘We were so close. How much of a shock must this have been for her?’
On the way back from the execution site, Eliza collapsed again and was carried back on Brandon’s back.
When Nancy finally burst into tears, Eliza blinked and gave a faint smile.
“Why are you crying?”
“Because I’m upset!”
For the past few days, there had been hardly anyone besides Nancy who checked on Eliza first.
Nancy had known for a long time how the young lady was treated within the estate, but seeing it even in such a difficult situation was shocking to her all over again.
“Why on earth are you like this? If even the physician doesn’t know what illness you have, isn’t he a quack? We should call another physician……”
Eliza was grateful for her concern, but she slowly shook her head. It was psychological, so there was no illness to diagnose.
“Mother won’t allow it.”
Nancy could not argue and closed her mouth.
She had already gone to Countess of Waluer once, but she had merely waved her hand as though it were a nuisance.
“Are you not overreacting? Women can become sensitive about their physical condition sometimes.”
“Madam is really too much. To say she’s pretending to be sick.”
Hearing Nancy grumble, Eliza was reminded of what had happened two days ago.
Countess of Waluer had called Eliza to the dining table, telling her not to pretend to be sick and to attend the meal.
It was hardly unusual for Eliza to eat separately, so she wondered why she had been called this time, only for the Count to rebuke her with a stern expression.
“You acted wisely, after all. You were so close to them. did you sense something was wrong and distance yourself?”
The family she had been so close to had committed a grave crime, so he must have been terrified.
He had investigated in case they, too, became involved, but once Eliza appeared to have sided with the Crown Prince, he was relieved.
He did not even notice his daughter’s face, pale as a sheet of paper.
“In any case, it is a good thing. We owe those people not even a penny of gratitude.”
With the destruction of the Hagen family, almost all of the debt Waluer owed them had been erased. Only the remaining amount recorded in the documents taken over by the royal family had to be repaid.
The Count was more pleased than ever, but Eliza did not welcome the first recognition she had received from her father at all.
To be praised for causing the death of those whom they had once called a blessing from heaven, and who had been, at least outwardly, her dearest friends.
“Ugh……”
“Are you feeling sick again? Miss, would you like some water?”
“No, no. Would you go out, Nancy? I want to be alone.”
Nancy hesitated as she looked at Eliza’s cheeks, which had become flat from losing weight.
No matter how ill she was, her young lady’s once-radiant beauty was losing its luster.
“Are you getting enough sleep?”
“Yes. Don’t worry.”
“Please call me if you need anything. All right?”
“All right, I will.”
Only after hearing Eliza’s answer did Nancy slowly begin to walk away.
However, every word Eliza had said was a smooth lie. Eliza, who had been staring blankly into space without any strength, looked toward the bed.
‘I need to sleep.’
As she remembered last night’s nightmare and bit down again and again on her split lips, that was when she heard a strange sound.
It was the sound of something tapping lightly.
After recognizing the sound, Eliza searched for its direction and unconsciously turned toward the window.
And she abruptly stood up, only to stagger.
“……How?”
Eliza staggered toward the window and looked outside. A bird was sitting on the protruding windowsill.
It was the blue bird she had definitely sent away. The bird, which had been tapping on the window with its beak, tilted its head from side to side when the window did not open.
Eliza watched the bird with wide eyes, but there was no sign of danger from it at all.
When Eliza did not open the window, the bluebird dropped what it had been holding in its beak and flew away.
After hesitating, Eliza carefully unfolded the note left there.
「In three days, at the White Fox Inn.」
The moment she saw the crumpled handwriting, her breath caught in her throat.
Eliza hurriedly raised her head in the direction the bird had disappeared, but there was no way she could see a bird that had already flown away.
Yet she felt as though a blue light was wavering before her eyes like an afterimage. In the end, Eliza was forced to recall once more the sight of that day that would never be erased.
The sight of Leopold, battered and tattered from whatever investigation he had undergone.
“……I’m sorry.”
It was something she had never been able to tell him directly. However, she would never be able to tell him for the rest of her life.
Now she had become his perpetrator. But with what shame could she face him?
It was a choice she had made herself, so she had no regrets. But Eliza was afraid.
She knew it was selfish, but she did not want to see him resent her.
“I didn’t know I was such a coward……”
She had chosen betrayal because she wanted to live, but apparently, she had not been prepared to bear the consequences afterward.
Reality was always more terrible than imagination. So if she had to face his resentment directly, something she could not even bring herself to picture in her mind.
If she really had to see Leopold resenting her with her own eyes.
“I’m scared.”
Even after doing everything, Eliza was still not ready to face Leopold.
She did not have the courage to confront reality and see what kind of expression he would be wearing.
Thus, the decision Eliza made was simple.
‘Let’s run away. Just as planned, far, far away until the original story begins.’
***
“I want to go on a trip.”
At Eliza’s sudden declaration, her family’s movements came to a halt.
Eliza set down her utensils and wiped her mouth with a napkin. Nancy had done her utmost to cover the sickly, haggard appearance of her face.
“Eliza Waluer. Where do you think a lady can go wandering around so recklessly?”
“But I thought this might be my last chance.”
“Speak so that I can understand you.”
The Count sternly pressed her for an explanation. Eliza hid her trembling hands beneath the table and relaxed her tension as she looked at Helreos’s distorted face.
“If I become the Crown Princess, I won’t be free anymore.”
“Oh my!”
Countess of Waluer let out a startled sound without realizing it. The knife Helreos was holding fell to the floor with a clatter.
“Was it really true? Oh, I heard His Highness even visited you personally, but of course I thought it was merely a brief amusement!”
“Hmm……”
The Count’s eyebrow twitched. Seeing his parents’ relaxed expressions, Helreos shouted in exasperation.
“Don’t talk nonsense! What makes you think you’re good enough to stand by His side?”
“Oh, Helreos. Your sister is at least pleasing to look at.”
“Mother, what is wrong with your eyes? What is pretty about this?”
“Well…… she could use a little more care. If she uses the newly acquired scented oil and gains a little weight so that she looks somewhat fuller……”
Countess of Waluer began chattering as she looked Eliza up and down. She remarked that her wrists were too thin and that her shoulders were too sharp, evaluating each part one by one, until the sound of the Count clearing his throat brought her to a stop.
“His Highness the Crown Prince has also accomplished great deeds this time, so his position has become even more secure.”
“……”
“Our family may perhaps produce not merely a princess, but an even more noble lady.”
The Count smiled, a smile that could not be hidden even behind the wine glass he had raised.
Eliza found their expectations simply amusing. So she smiled back with a hint of mockery.
“You cannot go on a trip. What if you go out and acquire some unnecessary blemish? Instead, I will increase your allowance for maintaining your dignity.”
“Thank you.”
“From today onward, see to it that Eliza is properly taken care of.”
“Of course. Leave it to me!”
Eliza silently lowered her eyes and rinsed her mouth with water.
She had forced herself to eat only to create this opportunity, and she had no desire whatsoever to eat anything.
“May I go upstairs first? I haven’t been sleeping well.”
“Tsk, tsk, no wonder your face looks so dull. Dear, I think this child should gain some weight. Let’s send her upstairs.”
Following the quiet Count’s agreement, Eliza immediately returned to her room.
While she was resting, the scented oils and cosmetics sent by Countess of Waluer arrived in her room that evening, and at night, the butler came and informed her of the amount of money she would receive.
Things she had never received in her life were easily placed into her hands simply because of the name of the Crown Prince.
Unaware that, the more she received, the more she would make yet another decision to betray them.
