Chapter 87

87

The content of the letter from Owen was brief.

He wrote that he would visit the Valentino Castle to celebrate your birthday tomorrow, that he wanted to see you after a long time, and...

that he hoped you were still a loyal member of the Everett family, Lily.

“...”

It felt as if I had been transported back to the past. As always, Owen was trying to manipulate me to his liking.

‘He hasn’t figured out that I made a contract with the spirit of dreams yet.’

...No, that’s not right. There are several spies Owen has planted in Veronice. They must have already told him everything. He’s just pretending not to know.

If Owen were to follow his usual tactics... he would first try to gauge my psychological state.

‘Annoying Owen Everett.’

Owen was even more despicable than Hessen. Hessen was just a fool who couldn’t control his anger, but Owen tried to control others with his cunning words and actions.

This was a unique trait of Owen, different from my father. My father would reach out for anything that caught his eye due to his endless greed, while Owen would step back and guide the situation in the direction he wanted.

‘This visit must have some ulterior motive.’

I wanted to tell him to go to hell, but... I should only do that in my imagination. Provoking Owen would do me no good.

‘It’s actually a good thing. I can use this opportunity to gauge Owen’s intentions.’

...The truly ironic part is that I know Owen’s tactics better than anyone and can mimic them just as well.

I know him too well because I’ve been tormented by him for too long. The silver lining is that I haven’t been brainwashed by him.

It was about 10 years. ...No, maybe a bit more? Anyway, I grew up in a world of abuse and control throughout my childhood and adolescence. At the time, I didn’t realize it, but now, looking back, I’m amazed that I survived those years.

I managed to keep my identity intact even in that hell, probably because...

‘...it was thanks to the hatred and desire for revenge that I accumulated inside me.’

I have never forgiven the scum of the Everett family.

I have never tried to understand them in a positive light.

I separated myself from them and saw them as targets for revenge, even if I was powerless and had to endure them, or if I had to become a vengeful spirit to do so.

I endured the long years with that grudge.

‘And now, I have the power.’

Somnium, reacting to my emotions, stirred deep within my consciousness.

It seemed to be saying that it would help me take revenge if I wanted to.

‘First, I need to create a situation where Owen might attack me.’

He must try to harm me directly so that I can retaliate in kind.

Unfortunately, it’s said that the events before I made the contract with Somnium don’t count.

If they did... I would have driven the devils of Everett mad long ago...

‘...But, Owen is a bit ambiguous.’

Indeed, Owen was the biggest problem compared to the other two.

He was more adept at slowly eroding a person’s mind rather than using physical violence.

‘Hessen is easier. That fool will resort to violence as soon as I provoke him a little.’

And my father. It wasn’t hard to get a beating from him.

The problem was that after provoking them, Owen might start to suspect me...

...So, I had to take down Owen first, before anyone else.

He was the worst and the most difficult to take revenge on.

‘Tomorrow... it’s best to treat Owen the same as before.’

I need to make him relax and underestimate me.

That way, he’ll let his guard down.

‘For now, I need to reply to this letter.’

After tearing Owen’s letter and throwing it into the fireplace, I sat at my desk and took out paper and a pen.

The reply had to be brief and written in a way that made it seem like the old me. I could easily mimic this, so it didn’t take long.

In less than five minutes, I finished writing the letter, sealed it with wax, and handed it to Charlotte.

“Charlotte, have a messenger deliver this letter to the Everett family.”

“Yes, my lady. But...”

Charlotte hesitated for a moment, then pulled out another letter from her pocket and handed it to me.

It seemed she had kept this letter secret.

“...This is from the young Duke Delacroix.”

Charlotte whispered. I took the letter and asked,

“Is there a reason to keep this letter a secret?”

“...The Duke said that any letter from the young Duke Delacroix to you must be burned, my lady...”

“...”

I was speechless. Even after hearing my declaration of divorce, Theodore was still jealous of Jean.

After I take revenge on the Everett family, we will be strangers.

‘If he tries to imprison me again...’

...I should have an escape plan ready, just in case.

I sighed and opened the letter. My head started to throb. I just found everything so tiring.

‘Why is Jean...’

I glared at the letter with a bad feeling, then paused.

“...”

Jean Delacroix’s handwriting... was incredibly bad.

I blinked several times, disbelieving, but no matter how many times I looked... Jean’s handwriting was a mess.

How... how could someone write so poorly...?

‘Did he write it carelessly...?’

I hoped so, but I soon realized it wasn’t the case. The beginning of the letter read:

Dear Lily, how are you? Ha ha, my handwriting is pretty bad, isn’t it? This is actually the 21st time I’ve written this letter. The previous 20 were just practice. After 20 tries, it’s a bit more readable, don’t you think?

“...”

What could I say? It was a miracle that it was even readable, given how sloppy it was. It seemed he had managed to write legible text after 20 tries.

The content was simple. He was curious if I was feeling better, if anything was wrong, and so on...

‘Just a simple letter of greeting... hmm?’

I was reading it without much thought when I was startled by an unexpected line.

Tomorrow, the 12th, is Lily’s birthday, right? It’s a Sunday! Actually, I prepared a gift. Can I see you for a bit?

...How did Jean... know about my birthday?

Last year, only Charlotte remembered my birthday. ...No, the Everett family did send a gift, but it was a piece of jewelry that I immediately sold to a merchant. And Theodore...

‘...Today, actually, I...’

‘I don’t have time, we’ll talk later.’

I wasn’t sure if he really didn’t know about my birthday or was just pretending, but he didn’t acknowledge it.

I didn’t even hear a short congratulatory message from him.

Since the head of the family, Theodore, ignored it, everyone else did too. There was no party, no banquet, nothing to look forward to.

...I wasn’t particularly upset. It was just...

‘That one word of congratulations...’

I was disappointed that I didn’t hear it from Theodore.

I never placed much importance on birthdays. I became less and less interested in them as I grew older, and by the time I married Theodore, I didn’t care about birthdays at all.

However, the day one is born is universally recognized as special, and I was no exception.

So, when Theodore became someone special to me, I wanted to hear him wish me a happy birthday.

He ignored it cruelly...

“...”

But now, someone I’ve only met a few times knows about my birthday and wants to celebrate it, which felt strange.

Of course, Jean is already a friend, and I’ve received a lot of help from him.

‘But tomorrow, because of Owen...’

Then, a thought suddenly came to mind.

Maybe I could get Jean’s help tomorrow?

Of course, only if he agrees.

‘...I might be involving Jean too deeply.’

There were many reasons to involve Jean. If the Everett family falls, it would be a great benefit to Delacroix.

...Actually, it’s not just Delacroix. The Everett family has many enemies in this kingdom due to their aggressive expansion.

If I told them about my plan to bring down the Everett family...

...anyone would be interested.

But it’s a risky endeavor.

...So, I could only ask Jean to form an alliance based on objective reasons.

The choice was his.

“Charlotte, can you secretly entrust this letter to someone you trust?”

I handed the reply to Jean to Charlotte, who nodded solemnly.

“You can count on me, my lady.”

I smiled and then got up to prepare to leave.

Owen would be coming tomorrow, so there was something I had to do today.

* * *

“Now, I will fill in the gaps in your memory with Somnium’s power.”

Theo nodded slightly, looking a bit tense.

I considered asking him about the letter from Jean that he had burned, but I didn’t want to start an unnecessary argument, so I let it go.

I just said, “I plan to invite Jean tomorrow, so keep that in mind.”

Theo seemed secretly displeased but didn’t protest. He looked like a withered leaf these days. Sometimes he looked at me with dead eyes, and other times with a fierce determination.

In short, he was unpredictable. His mental state was clearly unstable, and even his doctor was worried enough to mention it to me.

But that’s not my concern.

I don’t want to comfort him.

Why should I?

I have no obligation to.

Now, the only thing left between us is the alliance to bring down the Everett family.

“Close your eyes and take a deep breath.”

“...Lily, maybe...”

“Don’t speak.”

“...”

Theo immediately fell silent, as if his lips were sealed with honey. But he kept staring at me with his eyes open, so I had to ask again.

“Close your eyes.”

“...”

Finally, he closed his eyes. I sighed, focused my mind, and summoned Somnium.

Soon, Somnium appeared, swirling in the air, and enveloped me like a warm blanket. Somnium’s mysterious voice whispered in my ear.

You just need to fill in the gaps in Theo’s memory, right?

“Yes. There are memories he hasn’t recovered yet.”

Not just the brief period when the memory-loss Theo was kind to me...

...but also how he injured his head and what exactly happened that day.

I intended to uncover the unsolved mystery with Somnium’s power.

Alright. I’ll start.

Somnium moved over Theo, embracing him from head to toe without a gap.

Soon, the memories Somnium was seeing began to flow into my mind.

But this memory...

‘Somnium, this is...’

‘My lord, will you accept the Duke of Everett’s proposal?’

‘Proposal? It’s a threat, more like.’

...It was the memory of the first time Theo and I met in the garden of Everett Castle, two years ago.