NIYTR 30

Chapter 30

The Hallucination of That Day

“All right. I understand. Take care, Edel. I’m heading to see Violet.”

The Marquis of Blossomweaver didn’t press her further, simply respecting her decision.

He turned and entered the office where the Marchioness was.

“My lady, it’s chilly outside because of the rain. Please dress warmly.”

“Thank you for taking care of me, Anna.”

Anna, holding a thick coat, draped it over Edelweiss and tied the ribbon herself.

Jane, watching someone else do what she used to, couldn’t hide her envy and bitterness.

“Lady Edelweiss, shall I escort you to Duke Stern’s estate?”

Anna ignored Jane completely, focusing solely on Edelweiss.

“There’s no need. I’ll be accompanying her. Just me is more than enough to serve Lady Edelweiss. I’m sure she also feels more comfortable with someone she’s known longer.”

Jane openly bristled at Anna.

“I was Lady Edelweiss’s exclusive maid, you know. Do you even understand how long I’ve served her?”

“I didn’t ask about that.”

“…Wh-what the—”

Jane, fuming from being ignored, was visibly seething.

“Anna, I think I might have left the window open in my room. Could you go check and close it?”

“Yes, my lady.”

Edelweiss offered a gentle excuse so Anna wouldn’t feel embarrassed, sending her off.

Jane exhaled sharply through her nose in disbelief, then scoffed dramatically.

“Hmph, did you see that? She completely ignored me. I’m sure it’s because she’s jealous—I’ve known you longer and served you more closely.”

Not really.

In truth, Anna didn’t seem to care about that at all.

“Jane.”

“Yes?”

“Have you always been this talkative? I told you earlier that I was tired. And didn’t you say my sister is on the verge of death right now? Do you really think all this trivial stuff matters right now?”

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Adoption

adoption

coat

Jane shook her head in frustration, looking hurt.

“My lady, it’s not that—actually, Lady Rosemary threw herself down the stairs on purpose.”

“…What are you talking about?”

“I saw it. She deliberately missed a step and fell. I guess that’s why I started rambling without realizing it…”

“You must’ve seen it wrong. Why would my sister do something like that?”

On purpose? Edelweiss pressed Jane for an explanation.

“I swear! I saw it with my own two eyes!”

Jane clutched her chest in frustration.

“Lately, Duke Stern hasn’t been spending time with Lady Rosemary. They eat separately, and he goes out early and returns late every day.”

“So?”

“She wanted to go see an opera she’d been excited about, but he forgot all about it.”

“Did something happen between them?”

“Not exactly, but lately, the Duke’s been focused on finding a way to revoke the adoption.”

Edelweiss let out a dry laugh. Trying to undo an adoption, now of all times.

He never acted like a father, so what was he thinking?

“Anyway, I’m certain Lady Rosemary fell on purpose to get the Duke’s attention.”

“…”

“That way, he’ll at least focus on her for a while.”

“You probably don’t know, but she used to fake illnesses a lot. There was even a time she paid a physician with gold coins to tell the Duke she was seriously ill.”

Jane seemed to look down on Rosemary for hurting herself just for attention—and frankly, she looked pleased.

Considering the trouble she went through at the Shubrets Boutique, I guess it’s no surprise.

It looked like the bond between Rosemary and Jane had completely shattered, just as Edelweiss had hoped.

“Throwing yourself down the stairs for attention… Why would she go that far?”

“Right? I don’t understand her at all. She even asked me to brew—”

“What?”

Lily Tea.

Jane caught herself mid-sentence, her throat visibly bobbing.

“Why’d you stop?”

Edelweiss didn’t let it slide. She pushed, intentionally trying to intimidate Jane.

“I-I must’ve misspoken… I’m sorry, my lady. It’s nothing.”

Jane couldn’t meet Edelweiss’s eyes anymore. Her earlier arrogance had vanished.

Where did all that boldness go? The same boldness you had when you shamelessly served me Lily Tea.

She wasn’t feeling guilty—just scared of getting caught now that she’d distanced herself from Rosemary.

Your turn will come right after Rosemary’s. Wait for it, Jane.

Edelweiss had no intention of forgiving her.

Perhaps it was because she had trusted Jane even more than Rosemary, and that made the betrayal so much worse.

For now, she would wait—only because it wasn’t the right time yet.

Could she have done it deliberately in the previous life too?

Looking back, Duke Stern had seemed busy then as well—often away for days, likely for some other reason.

He’d also broken the same promise to attend the opera with Rosemary.

The adoption issue might just be a surface excuse.

There had to be a deeper reason—and it seemed worth investigating what Duke Stern was really up to.

It might be related to Rosemary’s origins.

To think I got a broken ankle saving someone who deliberately threw herself down the stairs.

My actions were so foolish it made me furious.

And yet she had no guilt at all as she said to me, wasn’t it laughable that a limping woman would become the crown princess.

How delighted she must’ve been every time she looked at herself—a cripple who gained the Duke of Stern’s attention and took what she wanted.

‘Rosemary, I truly hope your ankle isn’t intact.’

Edelweiss kept her eyes closed the entire way, trying to shut out the sound of rain piercing her ears.

Because the coachman drove carefully through the wet roads, it took longer than usual to arrive at the Duke of Stern’s estate.

As soon as she entered, the servants were rushing around in chaos.

“…Lady Edelweiss!”

The butler ran up as if he’d been waiting.

“The estate is in quite the turmoil.”

“Lady Rosemary has yet to regain consciousness… The Duke has ordered more physicians to be summoned. The young master also arrived not long ago.”

Of course. The most cherished one, the one he perhaps valued as his own life.

‘If she’s still unconscious, then I guess it’s not a feigned illness. Her condition must be serious.’

Edelweiss, intending to leave soon, didn’t take off her coat and headed straight to Rosemary’s room.

“Sweetheart, open your eyes, will you?”

The Duke of Stern, nervously sitting at Rosemary’s bedside, continuously stroked her pale cheeks.

Next to him, Tessen stood with his hands clasped behind his back.

“Edelweiss?”

A look of confusion colored Tessen’s otherwise bored eyes.

“Why did you call Edelweiss here, Father?”

he immediately asked the Duke.

Thanks to that, the Duke noticed Edelweiss had arrived and raised his voice.

“Of course I called her. Rosie’s not even opening her eyes right now! Edelweiss, what took you so long?”

“It was raining. I left immediately after hearing from Jane.”

“…Anyway, come quickly and look after your sister.”

He seemed to forget it was raining, now slightly embarrassed for having gotten angry.

Déjà vu overlapped.

That day too, the Duke of Stern stayed by the unconscious Rosemary’s side.

Edelweiss had limped to Rosemary’s room after being told she’d live the rest of her life crippled.

But he had shown not a shred of concern for Edelweiss.

‘She’ll wake up soon enough. You’re so desperate it’s embarrassing. Someone might think she’s dead.’

From outside the room, the image of herself feeling resentful toward the worried Duke played like a hallucination.

She hadn’t been able to say it aloud at the time, but she had desperately wanted to.

‘I’m injured too, Father.

I’ve become a cripple now. They say I’ll live like this forever.

Forget my sister—please, just look at me.’

But fearing his scolding, she never spoke those words and turned away.

“Indeed, I’m curious too. Why was I called here?”