Chapter 4

“Haa…….”

Eliza let out a deep sigh as she absentmindedly scribbled lines across a sheet of paper.

After organizing everything she could remember from the original novel, the conclusion was still obvious.

To survive, she had to strike against Hagen first.

‘I need to break off the engagement first. But there’s no way Father will allow it.’

In this family, Eliza had no power at all.

She rubbed her dry face with both hands before burying her face in her palms.

How long had she been sitting like that?

A visitor came to her room.

“Dear, are you in there?”

“Yes. Come in.”

Eliza raised her head.

The door swung open, revealing the Countess wearing an extravagantly puffed dress.

Several layers of ribbons hung from it, and her hat was covered in feathers.

Judging by her appearance, she was probably heading to another party.

“You still haven’t heard anything?”

“Pardon?”

“About the young master of Hagen. Don’t tell me you still haven’t received a marriage proposal!”

“We…….”

Eliza’s lips parted, then firmly closed again as she lowered her head.

Whenever her mother behaved like this, quietly obeying was the quickest way to get through the situation.

‘Why is she pressuring me again today?’

The Countess looked Eliza up and down before clicking her tongue.

“You’re already nineteen years old. You’re at an age when it wouldn’t even be enough merely to give birth to the heir of a family, so how is it that there hasn’t even been any news of a marriage? I hear Lady Wilhelm is so busy worrying over all the proposals piled up before her that she hardly has any time! And yet you, despite already having a fiancé, can’t even manage to get married…….”

Eliza let her mother’s continuing nagging go in one ear and out the other.

Apparently, she was attending a party hosted by House Wilhelm today.

The daughter of House Wilhelm was both of excellent blood and gentle disposition, making her extremely popular in the marriage market.

If talk about her daughter came up at a party where that girl would be the center of attention, the Countess would lose face.

That was probably why she had come to pressure Eliza before leaving.

“I didn’t raise you lacking anything, so what on earth is the problem? Haa…….”

As her mother continued pouring out words, Eliza forced the wrinkle between her brows to smooth out.

Did her mother even remember that it had been less than a week since her daughter had returned from being kidnapped?

“Mother, what if I were to break off my engagement with House Hagen……?”

“What?! What are you talking about? Did the young master of Hagen say something to you?”

The Countess hurriedly approached Eliza in surprise.

Eliza quickly shook her head.

“It’s not that. It’s just—”

“If that’s not the case, don’t even think about breaking off the engagement. You know how deep a relationship your father has built with Hagen, don’t you? If everything falls apart now, what are we supposed to do about the losses?”

Eliza swallowed the sigh rising all the way to her throat.

She didn’t know exactly how much debt had accumulated with Hagen in exchange for essentially selling her off.

But she knew it was enough that her family was too ashamed to pressure Hagen first, yet also couldn’t afford to give up on the marriage.

“……Have a good time.”

“Don’t entertain any foolish thoughts and hurry up and make sure you can marry him. Is it possible you lack enough charm as a woman? Tsk. Perhaps the young master of Hagen doesn’t like skinny women. You should put on some weight and become more voluptuous……”

“Mother, you’re going to be late.”

At Eliza’s subtle reminder, the Countess finally made a startled noise and hurried outside.

The strong smell of cosmetics lingered where she had been.

Only then did Eliza finally release the exhaustion she had been suppressing.

“Haa.”

Eliza hated strong fragrances like this.

That was why she had always felt comfortable whenever she visited the room of the Marchioness of Hagen, Vanessa…….

“My lady, hold that side a little tighter.”

“Yes, dear. For the sake of the Great Darkness.”

“For our Great Darkness!”

According to the original novel, it was Vanessa who fastened shackles around Eliza’s ankles and pushed Eliza’s chest toward the blade.

It was difficult to imagine such a scene when thinking of Vanessa’s innocent impression.

But Eliza could no longer trust anything about Hagen.

She would have preferred it if this had all been the Marquis’s own decision.

Yet when she had visited Vanessa’s room under the pretext of paying her respects, Eliza had discovered an evil grimoire there as well.

What kind of cruel fate was it that Vanessa happened to leave the room at exactly that moment, and that the book within her line of sight happened to be suspicious?

“……Hah.”

When Eliza had been a little girl, Vanessa’s gentle hand brushing her shoulder and telling her to come visit whenever she wanted had been so soft and warm that she had believed it was genuine affection.

That illusion had shattered, and the dark emptiness left behind by reality was still painful.

To fill that emptiness, Eliza deliberately forced herself to think rationally.

‘I should have brought the book back as evidence. No. If I’d done that, they would have discovered me immediately.’

Just as she was about to sink back onto the sofa and resume thinking—

Knock, knock.

Someone tapped on the balcony window.

“……Has he lost his mind?”

Eliza’s brow immediately furrowed as she looked toward the window.

Leopold had climbed up the tree to the balcony of her room and was smiling brightly at her from outside.

He mouthed the words:

‘Open. It.’

Just looking at that face made her feel another headache coming on.

Eliza strode toward the window but didn’t open it. Instead, she waved her hand dismissively.

“I’m not opening it. Go away.”

Leopold, who had been resting his hand against the window as though he naturally expected her to open it, blinked.

Then he calmly knocked again.

“I said go away!”

When Eliza snapped at him, Leopold opened his eyes wide and tilted his head.

Perhaps it had been cute when he was young, but did he really not realize that making that expression on the face of a grown man was simply creepy?

‘Open it.’

His low voice sounded like a mumble through the glass.

Eliza firmly shook her head.

Then she turned around.

A loud bang suddenly came from behind her.

Eliza hurriedly turned back.

Leopold had taken his hand off the window and was looking directly at her.

With a creak, the balcony door slowly swung open.

“Looks like the window broke, Illy.”

Leopold spoke shamelessly, his long eyes curved into a broad smile.

Eliza stared incredulously at the shattered lock.

That crazy bastard……?

“Send the repair bill to Hagen.”

“Why did you come here in the first place? I told you I couldn’t meet you.”

“Did you?”

Leopold lightly dusted off the hand he had used to break the lock and approached Eliza.

The wrinkle between Eliza’s brows showed no sign of disappearing.

“I was worried someone might be bothering our Illy.”

“I think Leopold Hagen is the one bothering me.”

“Like this?”

Leopold lightly tapped her eyebrow with his finger.

Eliza instinctively slapped his hand away.

The smack echoed louder than expected.

Eliza clutched her hand and stepped backward.

Leopold stared expressionlessly at the back of her hand.

“Why do I feel like you’re avoiding me?”

“You’re imagining things.”

Eliza sighed loudly enough for him to hear and walked over to her desk.

She sat down and naturally began organizing the papers scattered across it as she scolded him.

“You could have just assumed I was busy. A lady has her own circumstances.”

The documents on which she had written information from the original novel in Korean disappeared into a drawer.

Leopold watched every one of her movements intently.

“I was curious why you couldn’t meet me.”

“You got my letter, after all.”

When Eliza raised her head, she immediately met his vivid blue gaze.

Leopold’s eyes sparkled as he approached her.

“That is true. But you didn’t write the reason.”

“Haa…… Leopold. Even if I’m your only friend……”

“Aren’t you the only person I have too?”

“You and I are different.”

“Then what’s the reason?”

Eliza ran her tongue over her parched lips.

It wasn’t difficult to deliver the excuse she had prepared in advance.

“I met someone I like.”

“You? As if.”

But Leopold scoffed at her words and dismissed them.

Just as Eliza knew him well, Leopold knew every detail of her extremely limited social circle.

“Illy. Your fiancé is right here.”

He bent down and placed both hands on the desk.

As the distance between them narrowed, their shadows mingled together.

“If you’re going to like someone, you should like me.”