Under the dazzling chandelier, two women sat facing each other. The Duke of Diany’s young lady, Hayley, in a dress embroidered with sky-blue flowers, set down her teacup. Gentle waves spread across the orange tea.

“What Miss Lilia is essentially saying is… that you want my support, correct?”

“I’m sorry for visiting so suddenly and bringing this up. There is something I’m desperately trying to achieve, and although I knew it would cause you trouble, I asked for your help first.”

“You must know very well what it means to ask for my help.”

Lilia nodded. Having cried earlier, her eyes were red and swollen, and fresh tears threatened to well up beneath them. Her trembling hands clasped the damp handkerchief she was holding.

‘I’d heard she’d been so shocked she’d stopped eating.’

Seeing her already slender wrists now reduced to mere bones, Hayley bit into the tender flesh in her mouth. Swallowing a sigh, she pulled out her own handkerchief and held it out to Lilia.

“Thank you.”

“Not at all. Between friends, lending things is nothing. But, Miss Lilia.”

The golden eyes, softened with sympathy, turned sharp in an instant.

“As a young lady of the Dianys family, I must know what happened at the Duke of Icarus’ party.”

Lilia’s trembling suddenly stopped. But soon she buried her face in her handkerchief and sobbed as she began to speak.

“It’s all my fault.”

Lilia leaned forward, her face almost touching her knees.

“When you told me to distance myself from my sister, I should have listened. But I trusted her, and this…”

The tears dripped one by one, quickly soaking the pale pink handkerchief.

“I’m sorry. Every time I think about what happened that day, my chest fills with betrayal and I can’t even speak properly. H-heuuuk.”

“Miss Lilia.”

“My sister, how could she? I still trusted her. No, I want to trust her, even now. H-heuuuuu…”

Her broken voice came out in disjointed fragments, trembling with fear. Hayley clutched her skirt tightly in her hands. Unable to watch any longer, she lowered her gaze and the reflection of the teacup’s contents caught her golden eyes.

It wasn’t the poised, dignified young woman she had become staring back, but the younger version of herself, her face still soft with baby fat, appearing in the rippling tea.

A younger Hayley, devastated by bitter betrayal, crying silently in misery. And beside her, Lilia, who had stayed by her side.

Both reflected in the tea.

“You don’t have to answer today, Miss Lilia.”

Hayley said, letting out the breath she had been holding in. She moved to sit beside Lilia and gently wrapped her arms around her trembling form in a comforting embrace.

“Hayley… h-heuuuk.”

“Instead, next time, when the other young ladies are present, you must speak up.”

Hayley said softly. Her voice was as soft as her softened gaze.

“Many people, myself included, remember how cruel Ciela Arcel is. There are young ladies who want an explanation for what happened that day.”

Her tone, though firm, carried warmth and reassurance.

“So that I can support you.”

“Yes. I understand. Thank you, thank you, Lady Hayley.”

Lilia expressed her gratitude through sobs. Listening to the kind, soothing voice that comforted her, she subtly curved her lips into a faint smile, unseen by anyone.

As time passed, Lilia left the Duke of Diany’s estate and boarded her carriage. The vehicle took both her and her maid, Tiffany, away from the Duchy’s grounds. A short time later, the carriage came to a halt in a quiet, secluded area. Tiffany handed Lilia a fresh handkerchief.

“My lady, you’ve done well.”

“Thank you.”

Lilia wiped her face, and the reflection in the carriage window revealed a face far more alive and vibrant than when she had first appeared before Hayley.

“It’s a relief that no one noticed that my make-up had smudged.”

“It was fortunate that Lady Hayley kept a low profile. Even when you were hiding your face behind your handkerchief the whole time, she didn’t say a word”.

“She really is a kind person! Though not as kind as you, of course, my lady.”

“That’s right.”

Lilia smiled warmly as she looked back at Tiffany.

“Now go back and sit with the coachman.”

“Yes, my lady. Understood.”

Without a word of protest, Tiffany opened the carriage Standing at the front of the carriage, Lilia’s escort, Jace, held out his hand to Tiffany with a greasy smile.

“Allow me to help you down.”

Ugh. Tiffany frowned and hesitated before reluctantly taking his hand and stepping out of the carriage. Once she was seated next to the coachman, the carriage began to move smoothly again.

“Is it that late?”

Lilia checked the time and fiddled absently with her necklace. It was a new magical item from the Mage Tower that allowed items to be stored within it. Although its storage capacity was incredibly small, it was perfect for discreetly hiding things.

Lilia gripped the necklace tightly, and a translucent list of the items stored within it appeared in the air.

Thunk.

She reached for a transparent glass vial in the projection and pulled it into reality. The golden liquid inside swirled, its brilliance catching the light as it seemed to assert its presence.

“The golden potion will have no effect on those with strong mental powers, but it will help you achieve what you desire, Lady Lilia.”

She removed the stopper without hesitation. A pungent stench, more overwhelming than before, assaulted her nose, sharp and repulsive like the smell of stagnant water. She frowned at the stench, but only for a moment.

“There are two methods. If Lady Lilia chooses to drink it, be sure to observe the specific timing.”

Without a second thought, she raised the vial to her lips.

Swallow. Swallow.

With each movement of her throat, the liquid in the vial diminished rapidly, the golden substance disappearing as it slid down her throat.

“Hah.”

Lilia set the empty vial down, her shiny lips curling into a lazy, blooming smile.

“Ha… Heh… Hah.”

She felt good. No, more than good.

“Thank you, Hayley.”

For still caring about me. 

For still trusting me.

She held the necklace tightly as her blue eyes carefully scanned the translucent window floating in the air.

“Teacher, can’t you make him look at me forever?”

There were about fourteen glass vials that had contained the golden liquid she drank, and apart from those, there were three different vials engraved with leaf patterns.

“Nothing is impossible for him.” 

One of the glass vials, engraved with delicate leaf patterns, was already empty. The other two still contained a soft pink liquid that glowed faintly within.

“Thanks to this, I managed to save one.”

Lilia murmured, her eyes narrowing in delight, her gaze softening to the point where the corners of her eyes crinkled as if she were admiring a priceless treasure.

“May His Grace help Lady Lilia achieve her desires.” 

She let go of the necklace and turned her gaze to the window, where her reflection was clearly visible in the transparent glass. Her clear eyes and pure golden hair shone without blemish. As she toyed with her hair with her fingers, the image of a woman with reddish-golden hair, as if imitating her own, suddenly came to mind.

“Foolish sister.”

Her sister, who had taken what was rightfully hers and refused to give it back, had annoyed her for far too long, to the point where her patience had almost run out. The very thought of her sister breathing freely in her presence was enough to send shivers down her spine and raise the fine hairs on her body from head to toe.

“I could barely stop myself from getting rid of her every day.”

How dare she try to take back what’s mine.

“So arrogant.”

It was too late to regret not staying quietly in her room, just breathing. Lilia leaned her head against the window, her smile blossoming.

The time to get it all back was approaching.

—

“So you’re saying the servants’ behaviour seems to have changed too suddenly.”

“Yes.” 

Sarah replied briefly with a nod.

It was true that the servants appreciated Lilia because she was favoured by the Arcel couple, but because of a recent incident, some had begun to criticise her behind her back. But when Lilia finally ended her seclusion and came out into the open, the attitudes of those same people changed abruptly, as if by magic.

“She tries so hard to be cheerful, I feel sorry for her.”

“She seems to have lost weight. She must have been going through a lot emotionally.” 

“Although Miss Lilia may have wronged Miss Ciela, she’s always been kind to us. I regret speaking ill of her now.”

The human heart is like the depths of the ocean – difficult to understand. Still, it was hard to ignore how sudden this change was.

“How many are there? It doesn’t seem like just one person, considering you thought it was worth telling me.”

“Five people.”

…Five.

Ciela nodded. There was no doubt that something was strange. The changes were noticeable, but many of their causes remained unclear. The chain of thoughts running through her mind made her even more confused and she put a hand to her forehead.

‘Still, hearing all this seems to have made it clearer what I have to do.’

She resolved to uncover Lilia’s plans, find the cause of the changes and ensure that Lilia never rose again.

With a cold smile, Ciela gave Sarah an order.

“Could you keep an eye on the garden where the baby angel statue is tomorrow at 3pm?”

“Yes, I understand.”

Sarah bowed her head and accepted the order. When their conversation was over, she placed the empty dishes on a tray and left the room. Left alone, Ciela was lost in thought until the sound of a window opening made her quickly turn her head.

“Meow!”

“Titi, you’re here?”

“Meow!”

Titi rubbed her soft cheeks and wagged her tail gently. Ciela let out a soft laugh as she watched her cat look around curiously. She hopped off the desk and scurried under the bed.

“Titi? Why are you under there?”

Ciela stood up, confused. She had never seen Titi go under the bed before. Moments later, Titi emerged, pushing a box much larger than her own body out with her head.

“Huh? That’s…”

It was the box she had brought from the orphanage. Titi’s whiskers twitched slightly. Ciela blinked slowly, her gaze fixed on her only cat.

“Are you curious about this?”

Nod!

Titi bobbed her head up and down as if to say yes. Seeing the familiar curious expression on Titi’s face, Ciela crouched down to take a closer look.

“……”

It was true that Titi was exceptionally clever. It was almost as if they could communicate, and Titi was clever enough to open doors for himself. It wasn’t unusual for Titi to show curiosity about things he hadn’t seen before, or to seem interested in what she was saying.

‘But…’

Titi had never found and taken out anything she had hidden before. Why did he take out this box?

Almost as if he knew exactly what it was.

Ciela realised that her thoughts were going too far and let out a faint, wry smile. Logically, it was impossible for Titi to know what was in the box or why it was there, especially since Titi hadn’t been there when it was hidden.

‘But there was someone with a scent similar to Titi’s.’

A man with jet black hair like the night and red eyes that seemed capable of burning everything in their gaze. Someone who would never give in, no matter what the circumstances. As she thought of Calix, Ciela let out a small chuckle. Once again a ridiculous thought had crossed her mind.

“Meow?”

“Oh, sorry. I just got lost in silly thoughts for a moment.”

“Meow?”

Ciela stroked Titi’s head gently as she spoke. 

“Could it be that you’re… Calix?” 

Titi’s pupils trembled violently.