Chapter 49

49

'With this broken body, I probably won’t live long.'

At most, maybe five years.

My doctor, Jane, always tried to be positive, saying that with good management, things could improve...

But when I secretly looked at her medical records later, it wasn’t so. The chances of my health improving were slim.

So I decided to give up. With so little time left, struggling like the old Lily Everett would be meaningless.

“...Let’s stop talking and get some rest. It’s late.”

I changed the subject like that. I had no intention of explaining my state of mind to Theodore.

Theodore’s lips moved as if he had more to say, but he soon nodded and approached the bed.

Today, I was pretending to share a bed with him. But the thought of truly lying beside Theodore... I didn’t want to at all.

I still found him uncomfortable and couldn’t trust him.

...Why did he cover for me even after seeing my true self? I had thought about it countless times, but still couldn’t understand.

The sound of Theodore rustling the sheets and covering himself reached my ears. I waited for him to fall asleep, and after a while, I quietly approached the bed.

He looked genuinely asleep. But he might just be pretending.

“...”

I watched him silently and carefully lay down beside him, keeping a distance.

The fire in the hearth crackled, burning the logs.

As autumn approached, the weather in the north turned cold, making the summer days seem like a mirage.

In the darkness faintly illuminated by the hearth fire, I could hear the shallow breathing of the person sleeping beside me.

The sound kept tickling my ears, tormenting my heart. I sighed, tossed and turned, and finally closed my eyes tightly.

...It was a night I couldn’t fall asleep easily.

* * *

The next morning, an emergency was declared in the Valentina Castle.

Numerous cracks had erupted simultaneously in Veronis, the territory of the Valentina family.

“I’m off.”

“...Please be careful.”

The lord, Theodore, set out to block the monster horde and close the cracks. With dozens of cracks, not just a few... how long would this take? I sighed, feeling a mix of emotions as I saw him off.

Regardless of the complicated situation between us, such bad news always weighed heavily on my heart.

“...My lady, it’s getting cold. It’s autumn, and it gets colder here in the north earlier. Please go inside.”

I stood there, dazed, watching Theodore and the knights leave. Charlotte’s words snapped me back to reality. I turned to her and nodded with a faint smile.

“...Yes, I should.”

When I entered the main house with Charlotte, the atmosphere inside the castle was chaotic. Many of the servants were family members of the knights who had set out, so the air was always heavy when such events occurred.

For two days, almost everyone walked around with gloomy faces.

Unable to bear the oppressive atmosphere, I finally decided to do something. ...As the lady of the castle.

‘Usually, Mrs. Seymour would start such things without even asking me...’

Lately, she mostly stayed in her room, rarely coming out. I didn’t know the details, but after the theft of the medical records, she had another argument with Theodore.

Perhaps affected by that, Mrs. Seymour acted as if she had lost her enthusiasm for the Valentina family.

But Charlotte found her suspicious and repeatedly warned me to be careful.

Indeed... even I thought Mrs. Seymour seemed suspicious lately. Her determination for the Valentina family wasn’t the kind that would easily fade.

‘It won’t hurt to be careful.’

I took Charlotte’s advice to heart and approached the task I had planned for today with seriousness.

“Are the materials ready?”

“Yes, my lady. Everything is prepared.”

Today’s task was to make knots to pray for the knights’ safety and hang them on the largest tree in the garden. This tree, known as the ‘Wishing Tree,’ was a long-standing tradition in Veronis.

“Then let’s start. Everyone, take your seats.”

The servants gathered in the Avery Hall followed my instructions, sat down, and began making knots.

The colors of the threads used to make the knots are mainly red, blue, yellow, and gold. Purple and black are not used as they symbolize death. White, which symbolizes the soul and purity, is also not suitable for making wishing knots.

‘I should pray for Theodore’s safe return...’

It would look good to the people of Valentina Castle if I pretended... no, this time, regardless of my feelings for him, I should genuinely pray for his safe return. It’s the right thing to do.

“Will my lady make a knot for the lord?”

“Yes, I will.”

“But does my lady know how to make knots...?”

“...”

Even without trying to listen, the voices of the people gathered in the hall were clear.

How to make knots? Of course, I don’t know.

I just follow what Charlotte does in front of me.

‘I would know if I had ever participated in such an event before.’

Mrs. Seymour and the people of Valentina Castle always excluded me. It was a daily occurrence in the past.

There were many times when people made knots and decorated the wishing tree, but I couldn’t join them.

Charlotte was the same, but because she was such a friendly child, people sometimes took care of her. That’s why Charlotte knew how to make knots.

“Wow! My lady, you’re doing so well for your first time! You’re amazing!”

“...Thank you.”

Charlotte’s loud praise drew everyone’s attention. I was making a knot with blue, red, and gold threads. Blue symbolizes eternity and hope, red symbolizes passion and life, and gold symbolizes prosperity and light.

“The knot my lady made... the colors are beautiful, and the shape is so pretty. I should make one like that.”

“Indeed... It’s surprising. My lady is making this for the first time, right?”

“My lady must have good hands. She draws, doesn’t she!”

“That’s right, she does.”

...I never thought the servants of Valentina Castle would say positive things about me.

It felt like something that would make the dead rise from their graves.

After making knots for a while, they were piled up in the center of the hall.

I kept the knot I made for Theodore separately. Usually, the lady of the house decorates the wishing tree first, so I planned to use it then.

“Hmm... Let’s take a short break. Don’t overwork yourselves.”

I stood up first and called the maids to bring snacks and drinks. To let those who had worked hard making knots rest and have a snack.

Soon, the maids entered the hall and set up the table, and people gathered around, eating and chatting.

“I made one for the poor Sir Johnson. He’s forty-five and still unmarried.”

“Sir Johnson doesn’t have any inherited wealth, so there’s no woman who wants to marry him...”

“But didn’t he have a fiancée before?”

“Are you talking about the past? They broke up over ten years ago!”

“His fiancée ran away with a rich merchant! That’s when Sir Johnson was deeply hurt...”

The noise of people chatting made me feel slightly dizzy, but I couldn’t tell them to stop.

‘...I feel like I’m going to vomit.’

I stopped eating the sandwich and took a sip of water when the entrance to the hall suddenly became noisy.

‘...What’s happening?’

I tilted my head to look, and decided I had to step in.

And then I saw it. Mrs. Seymour staggering towards the center of the hall.

“What...”

I was shocked. Mrs. Seymour’s appearance was... not normal.

Her hair was disheveled, and her eyes were wide and unfocused, like those of a drug user.

Her clothes were in disarray. The always neatly dressed Mrs. Seymour was now in a nightgown and barefoot.

She looked like a madwoman.

I stood there, stunned, and managed to speak.

“...Mrs. Seymour... What is this...”

At that moment.

Mrs. Seymour, who had turned to look at me, walked towards me with a fierce look.

Charlotte quickly blocked me, but Mrs. Seymour didn’t stop. She approached and stretched out her hands towards me, shouting in a hoarse voice.

“Take it!”

I stood behind Charlotte, moving my lips.

“What...”

“Take it! Take it!”

Mrs. Seymour, who had lost her mind, threw what she was holding at me.

Charlotte tried to intercept it, but the object hit my face precisely.

A sharp pain shot through my skin. One side of my cheek felt numb, as if I had been slapped.

“...”

I was shocked and stiffened, then slowly looked down.

The object that had fallen to the floor came into view.

At that moment, my heart sank, and I involuntarily gasped.

What Mrs. Seymour had thrown at me was...

A knot made of purple and black threads, symbolizing death.