Chapter 4
A hint of doubt appeared in Lilien’s eyes.
It was understandable. Who would believe someone who suddenly appeared and claimed their lover was a married man?
“Well, I…”
She hesitated for a moment. Revealing her identity would put the other person in a difficult position.
She might assume I had come to pull her hair out and get scared in advance.
But there was no reason to hide it anymore.
‘She’ll find out eventually during social events anyway.’
After pausing for a moment to ease the impact, I opened my mouth.
“Your lover is Devon Buell, the Earl. And I am his wife.”
“…The Earl? He told me he was a commoner.”
“He lied to you.”
Lilien’s brown eyes trembled with confusion.
“W-wait, I don’t understand. You’re saying… the person in front of me is the Countess of Buell?”
Bingo. I smiled lightly.
“Eek!” Lilien gasped, turning pale and flustered. Then, as if on instinct, she clutched her head with both hands.
Her eyes were filled with a reasonable fear that I might grab her hair.
Watching her tremble, I let out a hearty laugh.
“Relax. I’m not here to harm you.”
If I tried to pull her hair, her younger brother would probably pull mine out instead. I thought to myself as I reached out and held her trembling hands.
“Lady Lilien, I came here because I was worried about you.”
“W-worried?”
She looked up at me with wary eyes, her eyelids fluttering. Her innocent and kind face made me harden my expression as I spoke seriously.
“That man isn’t worth it. You deserve better.”
Lilien’s eyes widened as if she had heard something unimaginable for the first time.
“I… I deserve better?”
“Of course.”
That was obvious.
I smiled and patted the back of her hand, expressing the faint guilt and sympathy I felt for nearly killing her.
“So, don’t see that man anymore, okay?”
Lilien nodded blankly as if she had been hypnotized by a new belief.
‘Good. She’s a gentle one.’
It would have been troublesome if she had insisted she was a victim and demanded compensation, or worse, claimed she loved Devon and refused to let go.
Feeling relieved, I let go of her hands. I figured it was time to leave.
We were both victims, and my apology and comfort for almost killing her should be enough.
If I lingered, her overly protective younger brother might find us and trigger another disaster.
“Then, I wish you luck, Lady Lilien.”
At that moment, Lilien suddenly grabbed my clothes in alarm.
“W-wait, Countess!”
“What is it?”
I looked back at her indifferently, blinking.
“C-Countess, please give me a chance to apologize properly. I’ll invite you to my mansion later, and we can have tea—”
“Wouldn’t it be strange for us to sit together for tea? This isn’t exactly a pleasant memory.”
“That’s true, but… Could you at least give me a chance to explain? I only met him by chance while traveling. Then, he followed me to my lodging and kept pushing letters into my hands. I had no choice but to read them…”
Yes, yes. She wasn’t at fault. Devon was persistent.
Just as I was nodding, already expecting this, cheerful laughter echoed from the alley.
Lilien’s eyes lit up with excitement.
“Oh, my friends are here.”
Friends? Did Lilien have friends? I glanced around. In the original story, no one visited her funeral.
Blushing slightly, Lilien continued.
“I met them at a pastry class recently. I guess they came looking for me since I was late—”
“Lilien, if we send you on an errand, it takes half a day! Are you slow or something?”
A sharp, high-pitched female voice rang through the empty alley.
Lilien flinched.
I noticed a fallen box near the alley entrance. Oh, so she was running an errand.
The women’s chatter continued.
“I know, right? And her hair is ridiculous.”
“I thought hanging out with a noble lady would be interesting, but she’s nothing special.”
“That’s all in the past. She’s so clueless that I once told her, ‘You still live like a little girl, Lady Lilien,’ and she actually smiled, not even understanding the insult. And why does she bother baking when she just started learning?”
Thud—. A dessert box was thrown to the ground, bouncing near my feet.
When I looked down, I saw her silver hair tremble as she bit her lips tightly.
She must have felt betrayed. Humiliated to the point of wanting to bite her own tongue.
But since she had caused me trouble, she couldn’t even let her anger show.
Seeing her trying to hold back tears until blood formed on her lips, I couldn’t help but soften.
I sighed and took hold of Lilien’s trembling hand.
“Lady, do you know what kind of person others fear the most?”
Lilien slowly lifted her head and shook it quickly. Her tears had vanished.
“A crazy person.”
“…”
“So, if anyone treats you like you’re worthless, act crazy and bite them back. Your big, round eyes will look adorable even if they turn red, but it’s a waste to cry over people like them.”
I pressed my cool fingers against her eyes to soothe them, smiling.
Fortunately, the hostility in her gaze had faded, and she nodded as if entranced.
I patted her shoulder and walked toward the fallen dessert box.
Inside the crushed box was a madeleine. It smelled rich and sweet, as if she had put great effort into making it.
Throwing away something like this? Ridiculous.
I picked it up and dusted it off.
There’s a three-second rule for food. Maybe this was already past three seconds, but still.
“You said you’d invite me for tea as an apology? Instead, let’s call it even with this.”
Without hesitation, I popped the madeleine into my mouth.
I usually dislike dry textures, but this was dense with a strong lemon flavor. Not bad.
As I finished eating, I turned back to see Lilien staring at me with her mouth slightly open.
“C-Countess?”
A noblewoman eating a madeleine off the ground with her bare hands—of course, she was shocked.
Calmly, I wiped my hands with a handkerchief and smiled.
“It was delicious. Thank you.”
As I put away the handkerchief and turned to leave, I suddenly remembered something and turned back halfway.
Gently tapping Lilien’s head, I said,
“By the way, your hair looks good on you. Don’t change yourself or give up what you like just because of people like them, okay?”
Lilien stared at me blankly, then nodded belatedly. Satisfied, I smiled and walked away.
“Goodbye, then.”
With a relieved expression, I headed for the end of the alley.
