Chapter 15

Unrequited Love Is Harsh

꒦︶꒷‧₊★₊‧꒷︶꒷‧₊ଓ₊‧꒷︶꒷‧₊★₊‧꒷︶꒦

(Hildea’s POV)

“Lira, where are the guests staying?”

“Guests? But I thought that you hated them.”

“Oh no, it’s not like that.”

Lira asked with her eyes wide open. Somehow, I felt embarrassed and immediately turned my head away.

“The guests are staying in the annex. And there is no particular movement as well.”

“I see. The annex.”

Then that means we wouldn’t have that many encounters in the future.

I was thinking about it without realizing it, but then Lira asked abruptly.

“Do you have any instructions regarding the guests, my lady? If you are going to visit, then I will contact the Duke of Belfius-”

“Oh, no. I just asked randomly.”

Lira, who was still expressionless despite my fuss, nodded her head as if she understood what I meant, then came up to me and finished tying my hair.

“What kind of ribbon style should we do today? Did you have anything in mind?”

“Yes, I’ll use the red color on the left.”

“All right. Then let’s go with that my lady, and let’s also choose your dress according to your ribbon.”

Even today, Lira’s face as always was expressionless.

However, I can feel in her hands how she cares for me, that’s why I don’t feel upset when I see her only smiling at Rose.

Because I know very well that she cares for me too.

Also, I can’t smile properly, so it’s not a shock if she does the same.

“But Lira.”

“Yes, my lady?”

I couldn’t stand the silence and brought up another topic.

“Does Rosé seem excited these days? Is it because a new guest has arrived? It seems that the house has been a little noisy these past few days.”

“Lady Rosériel has always been like that. I can’t see any difference from her before.”

“So nothing was different from what I saw.”

Within a few days after Gabriel’s arrival, several changes had taken place inside the mansion.

One of the changes was that Rosé’s movement was suspicious.

‘It must mean something good.’

Perhaps the curiosity of our little lively Rosériel had been activated, there were times when I couldn’t see her all day.

It’s obvious.

‘I’m very sure that she went out to meet Gabriel today… Well isn’t that a good thing?’

Even in the novel, there was no major event in which Gabriel and Rosériel fell in love.

Meetings that were mere coincidences continue, and then we would find out that they were already talking about getting married.

Since the two of them held each other in their hearts as if their feelings in which they had secretly kept, had ignited without any major reasons.

Of course, this novel was not without any conflicts or events.

For example, what may happen in the Imperial Palace.

Thinking about the future made me want to run away.

“I think that Rosé likes the Duke of Belfius. And it would also be better if he chose Rose so that they can get married right away.”

Lira suddenly blinked her eyes.

“Did you see them like that?”

“Yes, because I noticed that Rose was very fond of him and the Duke of Belfius seemed to like her as well.”

I just nodded my head.

At that moment, I did not notice Lira with a questionable look on her face.

“There are people who fall in love at first sight. Maybe that’s the case with those two.”

“But everyone is still young.”

“The nobles get engaged early, Lira.”

“Hmm, it seems like someone else is excited ….”

“Huh? What did you say?”

I tilted my head. It was because I couldn’t hear Lira’s murmur very well.

“Again. I didn’t hear it.”

Lira shrugged.

“It’s nothing, my lady. More than that, is it really okay for you not to visit the Duke?”

“Huh?”

“He might really end up with Lady Rose if this continues. You wouldn’t have a chance again in the future?”

No chance?

“Yes. Because I know that it would be the best decision.”

“If it’s the Duke of Belfius, it would be the marriage that everyone wanted. Are you not interested at all?”

I blinked and lost strength in the corners of my lips.

Because I laughed.

It must have been a small movement, but for a moment, Lira’s gaze seemed to touch my face.

“The Duke of Belfius can’t choose me, nor can I choose him.”

“But, my lady-“

“I’m sure that Lia already heard about me falling from a tree. I’m already thankful that it didn’t get worse. Our story was already over before it even started.”

It was so funny to think that I have the right to be greedy for the engagement.

‘I almost killed him by crushing him, I don’t think that I would still stand a chance after that. And I’m neither foul nor pervert.’

I grunted and finished organizing my clothes.

I had already been scolded by my father for falling from a tree.

‘I’m not talking about you climbing a tree. But you know how worried I am after knowing that you almost got hurt, Hildea.’

‘Yes. I know, father.’

‘It’s better not to climb trees when you’re alone.’

‘Yes, father. I’m well aware of it now.’

‘…… Are you calling me father now?’

‘Yes?’

‘… Oh.’

How scary it was to be scolded with a calm voice. And I think he said something weird at the end.

“Lira, I want to go out now.”

I shook off my complicated thoughts as I opened the door and stepped out.

We didn’t have any classes for today. On such days, I would usually go horseback riding or observe the people of the mansion.

“Where should we go today?”

“Well, today….”

It was then that my steps towards the garden stopped.

Because I heard a clear laughter from somewhere like a bird chirping.

‘Isn’t that, Rosé?’

I can see the happy smiling face of my younger sister, Rosériel.

And the person sitting in front of her…

-ˏˋ ━━━━━━ ʚ ɞ ━━━━━━ ˊˎ-

A smiling boy and girl in a wide open glass greenhouse at the end of the garden.

It may be the description made by looking at that figure to say that they were a well-matched couple.

Rosé was bright originally, but today, she shone brightly like the sun.

While holding her chin cutely with her hand and concentrating on the other person’s words, Rosé bursted out laughing intermittently.

Her pink hair fluttering in the wind and red rabbit-like eyes were so adorable that made you want to hug her.

Gabriel, a kind boy who was eager to explain something to Rosé without sparing a smile from his face.

‘It seems to be a place just for the two of them that no one could reach.’

It was a scene to look forward to when the years passed and the boy returned safely from the battlefield.

But why?

It was a scene I was drawn to while reading the novel several times, so I thought that seeing it in person would only make me very excited and happy.

‘But why do I feel lonely?’

Was it because Rosé, who normally greets me with a wide smile when she hears me coming to her, is now focusing her attention on other people?

‘A sister who has a sister complex.’

Or was it because Gabriel, who showed only a hard and calm expression toward me, was smiling so softly and gently to Rosé?

‘This isn’t right.’

If this was jealousy, then it’s a feeling that I should not have.

I’m not really an eight-year-old girl, so I guess I just wanted to be friends with him.

I bit my lips. It was embarrassing.

‘After all, the person who got hurt is the one who leans on, and I don’t have the hobby of holding onto another person. I don’t like to beg for a person who doesn’t like me.’

Gabriel was uncomfortable with me, and Rose didn’t seem to want to be disturbed by their friendly time either.

‘Do your best, Rosé.’

I turned around, pretending that I didn’t see them while thinking about where to head off to.

The laughter seemed to have stopped for a moment, but I knew it had nothing to do with me, so I decided not to care and disappeared.

-ˏˋ ━━━━━━ ʚ ɞ ━━━━━━ ˊˎ-

(Gabriel’s 3rd person POV)

Gabriel swallowed a dry saliva.

Seeing the tense look evident, the girl in front of him smiled wickedly.

“Wow, my sister is very shy. So it’s clear to me that it’s more difficult than hating Gabriel!”

Wouldn’t it be great if that were true.

Gabriel’s heart swelled as he saw the sparkling silver waves approaching from afar.

Rosériel’s voice, which chirped like a bird, also flowed into one ear and out the other.

‘What should I say when she comes closer?’

‘Will I be able to smile this time?’

‘Would it be okay if I asked again if there were any injuries when she fell?’

Should I say ‘I heard you were scolded for falling from a tree by your father.’

Thinking that that might have made Hildea hate him even more, he suddenly became worried.

‘I’m very upset.’

‘Why is it that my facial expression that can move freely at any time is always broken in front of Hildea?’

‘But this time…’

It will be different since I have a facilitator.

Gabriel looked at the pink-haired girl who was smiling in front of him with significant eyes.

Rosériel, a girl who looked cheerful and innocent, but more mischievous.

This girl was Gabriel’s new helper.

-ˏˋ ━━━━━━ ʚ ɞ ━━━━━━ ˊˎ-

(Gabriel’s POV)

A few days ago, the girl suddenly appeared and said,

“You look like you’re crying!”

I was frustrated.

It was not a monkey, and I was wondering if this was the other daughter of the Duke.

I narrowed my eyes with a suspicious look, but the girl dangling and waving her legs above the tree did not disappear.

“… Are you by any chance, young Rosériel?”

“Just call me Rosé! And I’m going to call you Gabriel as well.”

It was an unbearable affinity, but I didn’t want to get too close.

“I don’t want to.”

“Huh? But that would be difficult for me…?”

“That won’t happen.”

Because I didn’t want to be misunderstood that I wanted to get married to Rosé.

However, the following words of the girl caught my attention.

“By the way, if you keep waiting like that, you won’t be able to get along with my sister, will you?”

Gabriel was surprised.

No one knew why he kept walking around under the tree, but how did that innocent twin know the reason?

‘…What do you mean by that?’

“Aren’t you waiting for my sister?”

What’s even more surprising is that Rosériel, whose eyes were twinkling, asked.

“Do you need my help, Duke?”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

-ˏˋ ━━━━━━ ʚ ɞ ━━━━━━ ˊˎ-

(Gabriel’s 3rd person POV)

At the present time.

Gabriel’s cheeks flushed.

Hildea was looking this way.

But things didn’t go the way he hoped.

The girl who had been waiting for a long time turned around casually and started to go back.

He was in great despair.

‘But why?’

“Didn’t she see me?”

‘Is she avoiding me?’

Gabriel felt like his heart was breaking.

Perhaps if Rosériel hadn’t stopped him, he would have gotten up immediately and followed Hildea.

“I said I would help you get close to her, but I will never forgive you for harassing my sister!”

“What did you say? Why would I do that to Hildea?”

“If you chase after her even though she doesn’t like you, that’s what’s bothering her!”

“No way… Did Hildea say that she hates me?”

The young lady, who seemed innocent and a little foolish, was quite bitter about what she said, and her sharp red eyes pierced him.

TO BE CONTINUED….