Nestled tightly together like clusters of raspberries, the small, round fruits were anything but ordinary. Their faint golden glow set them apart, hinting at their extraordinary nature.

“…A golden light… could it be Sirka?”

She quickly recognized the golden, raspberry-like fruits before her.

‘This is far rarer than the Fairy’s Apple—an unparalleled elixir.’

Sirka was the stuff of legends, revered in countless tales. One story told of a mage who, after consuming the fruit, saw their magical abilities surge to an entirely new level. Another spoke of a man with burns covering his entire body, miraculously healed after eating it.

‘It grows randomly, and even then, it’s said to appear maybe once every fifty years. How could something like this possibly be here?’

The realization that she was holding a fruit so rare and precious that it could ensure a life of luxury for three generations made her hands tremble faintly. The weight of its value and significance was almost too much to process.

“Meow.”

Titi, now off the desk, tapped the box lightly with his paw, revealing a white sheet of paper tucked beneath the Sirka fruit.

‘Who in the world puts a letter under an elixir?’

Ciela let out a small, incredulous laugh before carefully retrieving the letter. Its contents, when summarized, read as follows:

“This is a small gift prepared for my ailing partner. I trust that Miss Ciela will consume it herself. Please don’t even consider selling it. How would you think I’d feel if you did?
—Kalyx Icarus”

“…What in the world…”

Setting the letter down, Ciela shook her head in disbelief. If anyone read this, they’d think Calix was the one who had possessed knowledge of her, not the other way around. The accuracy of his letter made her skin crawl with goosebumps.

‘But why would he go so far as to give me Sirka?’

What was Calix’s real motive? She found it impossible to read his intentions.

‘If I only judged by his actions, it’s almost like he…’

Ciela quickly shook her head. No, that’s impossible. They had only met for the first time today, and there was no reason for Calix to harbor any feelings for her.

‘There must be another reason, but there’s no point in overthinking it.’

What truly mattered wasn’t Calix’s intentions but something else entirely. At this moment, her focus needed to remain fixed on her revenge.

‘What should I do with the Sirka?’

If her condition had been caused by an ordinary illness, she might have consumed it in the hope of recovery. However, her frail body was the result of a curse, not a mere ailment. Even an elixir as powerful as Sirka might have no effect—or worse, cause unforeseen consequences.

After a moment of careful deliberation, she reached a decision.

‘I’ll sell it in secret.’

Rather than gambling on uncertain outcomes, it seemed far more practical to use the Sirka as a resource for something she could control, funneling its immense value into her plans.

“Meow!”

Titi’s cry broke her concentration. The cat batted at a letter resting on the table, her paw striking Calix’s name with deliberate intent. Her sharp claws seemed to point directly at it, as if urging Ciela to pay attention.

“…”

It was as if even the cat was reminding her of the gift’s true sender.

“Why would His Grace…?”

“Meowww—”

Titi let out a sly, drawn-out cry, his yellow eyes narrowing seductively as he looked up at Ciela from below.

“Meowww—”

With a gentle tap of his paw, Titi nudged the box, his tail swaying lazily behind her. The elegant movements of his tail eventually formed a large, unmistakable heart in the air. It was almost as if the cat were implying, Doesn’t this gift suggest that the duke might have other intentions toward you?

“Meow?”

Titi’s voice lifted at the end, carrying a tone of inquiry, as though to say, Well? Doesn’t it seem that way?

“…”

Caught completely off guard, Ciela’s mouth hung open, her cheeks flushing a deep shade of peach. The realization—or rather the suggestion—was so absurd yet flustering that she placed a hand over her chest, trying to steady her shaky breath. Her heart raced uncontrollably, for reasons she couldn’t quite pinpoint.

“Meow!”

Like a mischievous mastermind pulling strings from the shadows, Titi let out a cheeky laugh, his lips curling into a sly grin that revealed sharp fangs glinting under the light. However, his smug expression didn’t last long.

“…Titi, you’re seriously going to give me a heart attack.”

Finally breaking her stillness, she clutched her chest and dropped her face onto the desk. A loud thud echoed as her forehead hit the wooden surface, followed by a low, muffled groan.

Titi, who usually basked in praise and affection while purring in contentment, couldn’t enjoy the moment—not this time.

“Meow! Meow!”

He cried out, clearly flustered, alternating between tapping Ciela’s hand and the letter with his paw. His urgent meows seemed to implore, Stop focusing on me! Pay attention to the human Calix instead!

“Meowww!”

But Ciela stubbornly kept her head down, unwilling to meet his gaze. It wasn’t until a single tear welled up in Titi’s golden eyes that she, now slightly more composed, finally raised her head just enough to glance at the Sirka fruit.

‘Still, receiving something like this really drives it home—I’ve truly stolen the male protagonist away.’

The male protagonist, the one the female lead had longed for so deeply, was now hers. Though not in the way she had originally planned.

‘Even better this way.’

After all, she now had Calix’s full cooperation, which only tipped the scales further in her favor. A small, satisfied smile tugged at the corners of her lips, unable to resist the quiet triumph she felt. All that remained was…

After giving Titi a gentle stroke along his head, Ciela stood up, her resolve firm.

‘It’s not exactly something I’m eager to do, but…’

With Calix’s involvement now in play, Ciela knew her plans required some fine-tuning.

“I’ll be back.”

She said briefly to Titi before leaving the room. Her destination: Lilia’s quarters.

“…Sister?”

Lilia peeked out from behind the door, opening it just enough for her small face to be half-visible. Her wide, rabbit-like eyes, filled with surprise, betrayed her startled reaction. The sister who had been so cold to her that very morning was now knocking on her door.

“I came because I have something I want to say.”

“You can come in.”

Lilia replied after a moment’s hesitation, her nervous gaze flickering about as she stepped back to allow Ciela inside.

After a moment’s hesitation, Lilia opened the door all the way and let Ciela in. The room wasn’t overly ostentatious; it tended towards understated elegance. But a closer look revealed how carefully it had been designed.

‘Unlike my room, cluttered with flashy, expensive pieces hastily chosen from furniture shops, hers is filled with custom-made items crafted by skilled artisans.’

In the past, the sight of Lilia’s room had always triggered a bitter pang in Ciela’s chest—a sharp reminder of the blatant favoritism shown by their family.

‘Now, it doesn’t bother me in the slightest.’

“What brings you here? Honestly, I didn’t think you’d come.”

‘Neither did I.’

With practiced ease, she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, masking her true intentions behind an apologetic expression as she began to speak.

“I’m sorry about earlier.”

“…Why are you saying this all of a sudden?”

“I spent some time cooling off and reflecting, and I realized I was being overly emotional. When I thought about it, you were right. You apologized first and told me the truth, but I…”

Ciela let her voice falter as she trailed off, bowing her head.

She lifted a handkerchief to her eyes, her body trembling subtly as though she were crying. The silence stretched between them, heavy and deliberate, as she waited. Every so often, she sneaked glances upward, trying to gauge Lilia’s reaction.

Lilia fidgeted nervously with her hands, her expression a mix of confusion and hesitation.

‘That’s unexpected.’

In the past, Lilia would have accepted her apology without hesitation, eager to smooth things over.

‘Then again, I did come down pretty hard this time.’

Ciela reasoned, recalling how cold and unforgiving she had been earlier.

Finally, Lilia let out a soft sigh, her shoulders relaxing slightly as though she had reached a decision. She raised her head, her gaze nearly meeting Ciela’s. Caught off guard, Ciela quickly averted her eyes, lowering them to the floor in an attempt to maintain her carefully crafted act.

“I’m sorry. This time… I was really hurt. I don’t think I can forgive you just yet.”

“…I see.”

Ciela replied, letting her shoulders droop as though weighed down by regret.

“I don’t want to see anyone right now. So if you’re finished, I’d appreciate it if you’d leave.

“Actually, I didn’t come here just to apologize. There’s something else I need to tell you. I’ll leave after I’ve said it.”

Ciela replied, placing her dry handkerchief neatly on her lap. She lifted her head to meet Lilia’s gaze directly.

“Today, I met with His Grace the Duke.”

“…What did you say?”

Lilia’s voice was barely above a whisper, her wide eyes betraying disbelief. Her face turned pale, the composed innocence she usually wore slipping away.

“Oh, I should clarify.”

Ciela said quickly, her tone light as if to dispel any potential misunderstanding.

“It was just a chance encounter in the bustling marketplace.”

Lilia let out a soft sigh of relief, her features relaxing as she regained her usual innocent expression.

“Then why are you telling me this?”

“Well, when we happened to meet, His Grace approached me first.”

“I see.”

Lilia’s fists clenched tightly once more, her knuckles turning pale, but Ciela, propping her chin lazily in her hand, continued to speak at an unhurried pace.

“To clear up any misunderstanding, I should mention that the reason His Grace spoke to me… was because of you.”

“…What? Because of me?”

Lilia’s lips parted slightly, her wide eyes fixed on Ciela in bewilderment, completely caught off guard.

“Yeah.”

Ciela replied casually, a faint smile tugging at her lips.

“Remember how you used to follow His Grace Calix everywhere he went? Apparently, he remembers your face because of that.”

“And? What did His Grace say to you?”

“Oh, he just asked how you’ve been and a few other things.”

Ciela said lightly, pausing for effect. Then she leaned forward slightly, closing the distance between them. The change in proximity created an atmosphere that felt strangely intimate, almost conspiratorial.

“But there’s one thing I’m certain about…”

Ciela added, her voice dropping just enough to draw Lilia in further, her words hanging tantalizingly in the air.

“He seemed interested in you.”

Ciela whispered, smiling alluringly, her tone as seductive as a devil tempting a soul.

“R-really?”

“Mm-hmm. Really.”

Lilia’s face flushed a deep, fiery red, her emotions plainly etched across her features. Her tear-filled blue eyes trembled helplessly, betraying the turmoil raging within her.

“…That can’t be true, can it? They’ve never once responded positively to a birthday party invitation. And this year, they already declined to attend again.”

“That’s true.”

Ciela acknowledged with a calm smile.

“But if they really had no interest, would they have gone out of their way to ask me about you?”

“…”

Lilia bit her lips hard, struggling to find the words. Eventually, her gaze fell to the floor, her head lowering as she remained silent. Her hesitation revealed the conflict tearing at her—a mix of doubt and fragile hope.

“If you don’t believe me, there’s nothing I can do about it. I’ll take my leave now.”

Watching Lilia’s conflicted expression, Ciela couldn’t help but feel a quiet satisfaction.

‘That should be enough to plant the seed.’

Someone else would inevitably fan the flames, pushing Lilia further down the path. Turning completely away from her sister, Ciela’s lips curled into a meaningful smile, her face alight with a quiet sense of purpose as she walked away.

A few days later, while Ciela was reading a book about fairies… 

“Sister!” 

Without waiting for permission, the door flew open, and Lilia walked in. The awkward glances she had been giving Ciela just the day before had vanished, replaced with a bright and cheerful expression. 

‘Looks like the moment has come.’ 

Ciela’s eyes glimmered briefly with a flicker of intrigue as she closed the book she’d been reading. However, she quickly feigned ignorance, tilting her head in apparent confusion as she asked.

“What’s the matter?”