Chapter 94
‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.
Dahlia noticed a shadow lurking outside the Duke’s estate.
Unable to sleep, she turned off the light and stared blankly out the window when she saw someone moving in the darkness.
“Huh?”
It was unlikely that the Duke’s knights were unaware of it, yet they seemed to deliberately ignore the suspicious figure entering the estate.
“Things are really getting interesting.”
Whether it was the unexpected visit from the king or the woman who looked at her brother with eyes full of love.
It was suffocating to silently observe all these developments from here.
“Serina, so that’s all that happened today?”
“Yes. Nothing else other than that. The estate was in disarray with the sudden arrival of those two.”
“For some reason, it feels like a storm is about to hit.”
Dahlia drew the curtains and headed to her bedroom.
“I need to get fitted for a dress for my brother’s wedding.”
“I’ll ask His Grace for permission.”
“It seems I really can’t do anything on my own.”
“I’m sorry. But we need approval for outsiders to enter.”
“I can’t even leave. Well, I never went to the tailor myself before anyway.”
She hadn’t realized before, but now she felt the claustrophobia of the mansion. Dahlia was looking forward to tomorrow.
“Right, bring me the newspaper tomorrow too.”
“I’ll bring it first thing in the morning.”
“I see why people read them now. They’re interesting. Even the gossip columns, which I thought were useless, are proving quite helpful. Seems there really is nothing in the world that’s completely useless.”
Seeing how her needs had changed just with the changing circumstances, what was unnecessary to her might be essential to someone else.
This was true for Dahlia as well. Previously, she had no need to pay attention to others’ emotions or circumstances, but now, she needed to understand them more than anyone.
Dahlia yawned and lay down in bed. Staying up late was not good, even for her, as her porcelain-like skin might become dry and dull. For Dahlia, her appearance was a very important aspect.
If one is born with something others do not have, shouldn’t they strive to preserve it?
That day, Dahlia had a rather strange dream.
* * *
Thud!
Thud!
Emilia stirred half-asleep at the loud noises.
Thud!
“Huh?”
She eventually woke up and looked around, but everything was quiet.
‘Did I hear that wrong?’
She listened intently, but as no further sounds came, she drifted back to sleep.
The noises resumed intermittently, but by then, Emilia had fallen asleep and did not wake up until morning.
Whether due to the noises at night or simply not having slept well, she woke up unusually early.
Normally, Dell would have checked on her by this hour, but even after waiting for a while, there was no sign of her.
Emilia lay in bed and stared blankly at the ceiling before sitting up.
She pulled the bell cord next to her bed, but unusually, Dell, who would normally have rushed in by now, did not respond.
“That’s odd.”
Perhaps something urgent had come up.
She pulled the bell cord again and waited for Dell.
After waiting for a while, Emilia sensed something was off.
As she moved to open the door, it suddenly shut with a thud, blocked from the outside.
“…Dell?”
“Ma, Madam, please don’t come out!”
“Dell, what’s going on?”
“It’s nothing. Please stay in your room! Don’t come out!”
Dell’s voice was unusually agitated. Emilia tried to push the door open.
“Get out of there first. I need to know what’s happening too.”
“It’s better if you don’t see. Just stay there for a moment, just a moment.”
Emilia tapped on the door with her hand, but Dell stubbornly held it shut.
“I need to know what’s happening here too.”
“But… it’s really better if you don’t see…”
Dell’s voice faded. Eventually, realizing she could not keep it up forever, she stepped away from the door.
Emilia attempted to open the door.
“Just a moment! Madam, take a deep breath, or rather, don’t be too shocked. The situation is over now.”
Between the slightly open door, Emilia caught a glimpse of Dell’s pale face.
“Are you okay? You look very pale,” Emilia asked through the crack in the door.
Just as she touched the door and then pulled her hand away, she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her palm.
“Ah!”
“Madam!”
Startled, Dell opened the door and grabbed Emilia’s hand.
“My goodness! Come here and sit down. We need to treat this first.”
“Why are there thorns on the door…?”
Emilia frowned as she examined the deep splinter embedded in her palm. Her gaze then shifted back to the door.
“…”
Emilia doubted her own eyes. The outside of the door was damaged, as if it had been jabbed with something sharp.
“Dell, what happened to the door…?”
“That… I was afraid you’d be shocked if you saw it… I hoped you wouldn’t see this…”
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