"They said you have to be careful for a month, even if you don't like it. Please take it easy and let's me take care of your body."
Anna lifted my clothes with her skillful hands and spoke in a clerical voice. But I know the sincerity behind that clerical voice. When everyone said bad things about me or said they didn't know or didn't see me, Anna endured all the tough interrogation and supported me to the end.
'If I go to Ryzen, I should keep her as my close maid for a few years, and then I should promote her to my head maid, right?'
Anna is still young. So it would make her feel burdened if we appointed her as head maid now. However, since she's good at everything with her job and quick notice. I have to wait a few years before appointing Anna as the head maid.
After cleaning me up, Anna went straight to prepare my breakfast. Originally, it was common to have breakfast and lunch around 11 to 12 o'clock, but Killian insisted that i have a light soup for my breakfast. Of course, it's not just a 'light' soup because Kilian asked them to use precious ingredients on it.
"Today's soup is minced mushroom and beef."
Just hearing Anna's talking, it's sound like a 'X-taugeh soup' that i used to made sometime in my previous life and it's very clearly, this beef is premium beef that can only be obtained from well-known producers area. Besides, these mushrooms were more expensive than beef.
"I'll eat well."
When Anna fed me spoon after spoon, Killian went to the bathroom to wash himself and change his clothes. And while Killian did what he had to do that day, Anna stayed by my side, and when Killian came back and stayed by my side, then Anna went doing other things. The same thing repeated every day. But today, Killian came back a little earlier than usual and had lunch with me, and his expression wasn't good.
"What's going on?"
"It's nothing. Just. . . ."
"Just. . . . ?"
Killian, who had a complicated expression on his face for a while, sighed and said.
"I just realized that I was a person who had no perspective on people, and I couldn't be objective."
"What do you mean by that all of a sudden?"
"I don't know why I thought of Lizzy as an angel all this time. Moreover, I thought my father and older brother were morally flawless people. I'm not even a child, really. . . . "
That's because you had to follow the flow of the original. . . . However, I couldn't tell Killian about this fact, so I just laughed.
"What's wrong with you again?"
"Lizzy still couldn't remember what happened that day. Even though there were so many witnesses. . . .and my mother and Cliff felt sorry for her."
Looking back at him, Killian looked a little angry. His expression looked so complicated because he was deliberately trying to keep his temper in front of me.
"My father distanced himself from Lizzy, but I think Cliff persuaded my mother, who knew nothing about the incident. So my mother asked me. . . .if I could forgive Lizzy just once. I got angry and said it was up to me, and. . . . She also asked me to ask you, too."
I nodded. Apart from Cliff, it seemed like he couldn't understand the Duchess feelings. No matter how sorry she is, she only knows me for a year, and she has been treating Lizzy like her own daughter for the past six years. If I think back about Lizzy in the original, it's very clear that she was a very kind, smart, and supportive person before I came into this house. Moreover, since the Duchess knew nothing about what happened at the execution site that day and what happened in the recent past, so even if Lizzy had done something strange, as if she had written on something, there was no way the Duchess could hate Lizzy to the point of throwing her out of this house. So, if I say that I can't forgive Lizzy, it just hurts our feelings.
"Killian, as the Duchess and Cliff said, let's just pretend it didn't happen. Just for once."
"I knew you would say that. That's why I didn't want to ask."
Killian gnashed his teeth.
"What she did that day was very despicable, so it's hard for me to forgive her. Lizzy didn't come to you with empty-handed that day, so I don't know why you want me to forgive the person who deceived us all this time. I can't even forgive myself!"
Ugh, I still can't get used to the fact that the people who once wanted to drive me out of here are behaving like this. Of course, I understand Killian's feelings as much as I understand the Duchess or Cliff.
Cliff has a bit of a crazy personality to begin with, He's someone who will use some bribery or conspiracy as a means to achieve his own goals. However, contrary to Kiilan's appearance, who is quite rough, but in fact, he has a pure side. He had no such thing as favoritism. but as he places the name of Ludwig as his pride, he hates dishonest person.
'However, since Cliff still obsessed with Lizzy, they can't kick Lizzy out anyway. If Killian tried to lay his hands on Lizzy for no reason, it would only get him into trouble.'
Of course, I was also annoyed with Lizzy. When I think about how she tried to deceive me and tried to kill me with her angelic smile. I felt shivers down on my spine, just remembering it made me so angry that all my hair stood on end. But there is an understandable situation. 'She is the main character who will be most influenced by the original author.'
In the end, I decided to take this path as a practical way to seize this opportunity rather than protect my pride by fighting without getting anything.
"Should we kick out the person who has been your mother's daughter for the past six years? Besides, she's a person who has nowhere to go."
"That's true, but. . . . "
"And even if we kicked Her out of here, Cliff will still marry Lizzy. So, she'll still end up being your sister-in-law anyway."
Killian clenched his fist.
"If only I was born as a twin with my brother. . . . "
"Are you going to take the successor's seat? Then you wouldn't have married me."
"Umm. . . .that's not the case. . . ."
I don't know if he intended to please me, but I chuckled at his spoiled tone.
"Honestly, I used to feel jealous of Lizzy. so maybe Lizzy feels the same way. She might want to get your attention back from me."
"She said she loves my brother, then why?"
"There are many people who think that money and affection are the best."
Killian still looked like he didn't understand, but he didn't seem to protest about my opinion. I grinned at his disgruntled face and put conditions on him.
"Instead. . . . "
"Hmm?"
"Outwardly, I can pretend nothing happened too, but I would like to have a conversation directly with the person who is responsible. If you want to end this quietly, please don't say no to this."
Killian finally grinned as if he was feeling better.
"I really like the way you look down."
"That's a dangerous taste."
The way they look at each other and smile makes them look like a couple of con artists or villains.
But I'm the victim here! The one who has a generous heart is me!
* * *
That evening, after Killian delivered my words, Lizzy who looked a bit thin, and Cliff came into Killian's room where I was lying.
"It's been a long time, both of you."
I greeted them with a smile as brightly as possible. Of course, they are not so naive people who can't understand that this is sarcasm.
"I'm sorry for coming late."
The person who was actually supposed to apologize to me was avoiding my gaze, and Cliff apologized on her behalf.
"First of all, I'm sorry for misunderstanding you, Edith. . . ."
"Cliff."
I boldly cut off Cliff's words. I don't want to waste my time talking about the obvious.
"I'm sorry, but I don't really have any questions about you, Cliff. I'd like to have a personal conversation with Lizzy alone."
Then Cliff and Killian made a worried face at the same time. Cliff was worried about Lizzy. Killian, Of course he worried about me, because Lizzy already tried to harm me once.
"Don't worry, Killian, it's alright. I don't think the same thing will happen again, right Lizzy?"
Lizzy reluctantly nodded with an extremely anxious expression. In the end, they relented, giving me and Lizzy room to talk alone in the bedroom. Killian and Cliff decided to wait outside the bedroom just in case something might have happened. When Killian and Cliff went outside, the bedroom became so quiet. Then, I stared at Lizzy for a while. She was still a dazzling, beautiful woman, but I no longer felt the splendor I felt when I first saw her. This wasn't because I was used to Lizzy's beauty. She lost her light by herself.
"No one will hear our conversation here. So, let's be honest."
". . . . It's already happened anyway. So let's do that."
It's hard to tell, whether the way Lizzy's talking now isn't the same as she used to be. When I finally found out Lizzy's identity, my heart pounded.
"I'll ask you one by one. First of all, shall we start with the document leak incident about a year ago? Did you forge my handwriting?"
Lizzy sighed loudly and nodded. I'm just guessing, but the answer that came out of her mouth without hesitation was quite absurd.
"Then the incident where you were poisoned by the embroidery thread I gave you. . . . Did you do it yourself?"
Again, Lizzy nodded lightly this time.
"You put poison on it yourself and put it in your own mouth. . . . ?"
"It's not difficult."
"I don't think you can do it. . . . because it's too strong."
I shook my head and felt ridiculous. But suddenly someone came to mind.
"No way. . . . that maid. . . . Did you kill the maid because she saw you poison the embroidery thread. . . ?"
She nodded easily this time as well.