The room was unnecessarily spacious, taking far too long to search through.

It took even longer since she had to move without leaving any trace that she’d opened things here and there.

Growing impatient, Serena moved nimbly.

Her pupils suddenly widened as she pushed her arm deep into the back of Olivia’s vanity drawer.

‘This is…!’

A clear gleam appeared in her jade eyes upon finally discovering what she’d been searching for.

It was the key to the back door the maids used.

Serena belatedly realized that her previous escape attempt, thwarted by Kyle, had actually been doomed to fail even without him.

She’d known about the back door the maids used, but hadn’t known it required a separate key to open.

Only after escaping confinement and secretly examining the back door did Serena learn about the key.

And only two people possessed keys to the back door.

The head maid and Olivia.

Clutching the key, Serena quickly hid it deep in her clothes.

That’s when it happened.

“What are you doing?”

A chill ran down her spine at the voice behind her.

“Brother.”

Pretending nothing was wrong, she turned and bowed her head.

Kyle’s cold gaze slowly swept over Serena and Olivia, who was fast asleep, as he entered the room.

Like a snake crawling over her entire body, goosebumps rose wherever his eyes touched.

“You said you were nursing her, but you’re up to something again.”

“No, I was just—”

Serena trailed off to appear weak.

Since not much time had passed since she’d defied him, whether he’d believe her was uncertain, but there was nothing else she could do.

“That flower over there is so beautiful…”

At the end of her pale finger was a poinsettia with brilliantly spread red petals.

It was certainly pretty enough to catch one’s eye, but did Kyle know that flower was also visible from Serena’s room?

Serena secretly clenched her fist at the excuse she’d blurted out in the moment.

“……”

Kyle, who’d been staring at her with dry eyes devoid of warmth, soon turned his head.

She could practically hear him thinking: how pathetic that something so weak and useless likes the same things I do.

Proving her thoughts weren’t paranoid, someone appeared behind Kyle.

A woman with more refinement than a maid but too deferential a posture to be nobility bowed beside Kyle.

“A caregiver.”

“……Pardon?”

At the unexpected statement, Serena unconsciously questioned him.

“Have you ever done anything properly? Nursing aside, your illness might even spread to Mother.”

“Brother, my illness isn’t contagious…”

“Quiet.”

He cut her off firmly.

“They said it’s a rare disease. How would you know what symptoms it might have that you’re unaware of? It’s suspicious that you can move enough to care for others while claiming to be sick.”

Ha.

Lost for words, Serena sighed inwardly.

Olivia losing energy briefly in early winter was an annual occurrence.

During all that long time, he’d never once checked on Olivia.

She was dumbfounded by his behavior of calling in a caregiver just because Serena had gotten involved.

Ignoring her reaction, Kyle continued, his brow furrowed like he’d seen something unpleasant.

“It irritates me that someone like you keeps trying to do things. You should stay quiet while being raised, but you keep causing trouble, which I don’t like.”

His sharp gaze turned toward Serena.

“Live like you’re dead. That’s the only thing you need to do.”

“……”

“Isn’t that what you were born for anyway?”

A sneer leaked between his smooth lips.

In the clear green eyes looking down at her lay contempt too deep to measure.

Meeting his gaze head-on, Serena reflexively covered her mouth as nausea surged up.

In that moment, murderous intent cold enough to freeze blood turned toward her.

A persistent gaze that seemed ready to devour Serena at any moment stared through her.

Only then realizing she’d failed to control her expression, Serena hastily bent at the waist.

The key hidden in her clothes felt hot, like it had caught fire.

Please let it end here.

Please ignore her like he always had.

Serena prayed while staring only at the floor.

Fortunately, before long she heard the sound of neat footsteps leaving the room.

She couldn’t understand why he was leaving quietly, but she didn’t need to understand, so she didn’t care.

What mattered was that she’d obtained what she needed most, and Kyle had quietly left the room.

Her heart still pounded from receiving that murderous gaze, but at least she’d gotten through it safely.

The tension throughout her body released like letting out a held breath.

Since there was nothing more to gain from that room where a caregiver would now reside, Serena left without regret.

‘It’s unfortunate, though.’

Having caught Kyle’s attention, this method had instantly become a card better discarded.

Returning to her room, Serena rubbed her throbbing temples.

The headache wasn’t severe, but a distant ringing echoed in her eardrums.

The small key she’d successfully hidden rolled between her slender fingers.

‘This alone isn’t enough.’

After her last escape attempt, the mansion had strengthened security.

All by Kyle Ashterton’s orders.

If it had been before he caught her, disguising herself in maid’s clothes would have avoided much suspicion, but now that level of disguise was woefully inadequate.

Lost in thought, Serena bit down hard on her lower lip.

‘I didn’t want to go that far.’

To escape from the Count’s mansion, Serena had something she still needed to do.

Something she’d desperately wanted to avoid—seeking out Count Ashterton.

* * *

Her gaze casually turned toward the window as she walked down the corridor.

The always-busy maids hurried back and forth across the green lawn.

Serena’s eyes lingered briefly on the empty space after they passed.

Kyle’s green eyes from yesterday, which had seemed ready to strangle her at any moment, disturbed her vision.

‘What did I even do?’

Why should she have to endure such hatred?

The one who should be angry was her instead.

The Count and his wife, who habitually abused her, were clearly different from Kyle.

If there was a reason he hated her so much—

She couldn’t know exactly, but there was one point she vaguely suspected.

Though she didn’t know how it had become reason enough to want to kill her.

Before Serena was adopted, Kyle had a younger sister.

With brilliant golden hair, she’d been a lovely child almost unbelievable as an Ashterton.

‘And she was my only friend.’

Among all the poor people, Serena was adopted by the Ashtertons specifically because her mother was a woman who ran errands for this place.

On days when the head maid was busy, her mother would fetch things from the market instead, and since hands were short, even Serena had to help.

Every time Serena came here, her mother instructed her:

Never raise your head.

Don’t make eye contact with anyone.

The people here are all noble, and you’re a lowborn who can’t even step on their shadows.

Know your place and bow down—her mother taught her repeatedly.

She was only permitted as far as the kitchen’s back door.

Only her mother could enter the building and meet the head maid directly.

So after her mother disappeared, Serena would crouch in a corner like a rock, doing her best to bury her head so no one would discover her.

— What’s there?

Phaelynn Ashterton was the first person to approach her like that.

Startled by the sudden voice, she’d unconsciously raised her head, and Serena’s gaze was captured by the sparkling eyes directed at her.

After meeting her gaze briefly, Phaelynn’s lips soon collapsed and a smile bloomed on her face like flowers.

That smile easily crumbled even the walls Serena had built.

That’s how they became secret friends.

Serena always thought of Phaelynn and collected anything she saw—even if it was merely a pebble vaguely resembling a frog—in her pockets if she thought it would make her happy.

And Phaelynn always brought her foods she’d never tasted before.

But what Serena loved wasn’t the food she brought.

Phaelynn’s very existence, which made even those watching her happy, was joy to Serena.

That’s why she hadn’t wanted to come this far.

She hadn’t wanted to use Phaelynn’s death—her only happiness—in this way.

Standing before the Count’s study, Serena fell into deep contemplation once more.

But no matter how much she agonized, there was only one choice.

She was too weak to protect beautiful memories.

Instead of shedding tears, she chewed the tender flesh inside her mouth.

Until the metallic taste of blood filled her mouth, she begged forgiveness from Phaelynn in her memories.

‘I’ll come to your grave that no one remembers, even after death, and beg forgiveness.’

Please forgive this pathetic friend just once.

Swallowing the blood that wouldn’t stop, she knocked on the study door.