Chapter 37
#037. Not Going Back
Esella followed Olivia down the stairs of the Grand Duke's Residence. The servants they passed bowed their heads to Olivia.
With each pause in their steps, the distinct sound of Esella's and Olivia's heels clacking against the floor echoed.
Was it because of the subtly diverging sounds of their heels, or was it because of the ambiguous distance between her and her sister? Esella visually measured the space between herself and Olivia.
Exactly three steps.
An ambiguous distance, close enough to touch, yet just out of reach. If she stretched her arm out with all her might, she could probably grab her sister walking ahead...
Esella bit her lip hard. As she clenched her fist tightly, her nails dug painfully into the palm of her hand.
She couldn't tell what expression Olivia, walking elegantly and upright, was wearing right now. Just a moment ago, she had been sitting right next to Olivia.
Where did it all go wrong?
Esella lowered her head gloomily, recalling the moments before.
She had been hugging Olivia when she suddenly felt thirsty and coughed dryly. She moved away slightly and drank some cold tea. And when their eyes met, they even smiled a little, both with reddened eyes.
Perhaps. She might have been harboring a small hope.
That she had been forgiven by her sister, and that they could see each other again. Perhaps. If she dared to hope a little more.
But then, the emotionless butler's words, delivered with a knock, slammed Esella back into reality.
"Young Duke Madeleine has come to the front gate."
Conrad had come looking for her. Worry about Veronica and Sally rose above her fleeting joy. If her brother knew, then her father must know as well.
She had steeled herself, but she couldn't help the creeping fear. Esella unconsciously looked at her sister. What would Olivia say in a situation like this?
The moment she looked up and saw Olivia's face, Esella fell silent. Olivia said with an indifferent expression.
"...Has the time already come? I suppose I should be going now?"
But Esella saw it. Olivia's true feelings, which had vanished in an instant.
They were a jumble of very complex emotions. But Esella could distinguish a few of them.
Among them, the faint smile that seemed to say, "I knew it," held resignation.
Ah, now that she thought about it, it was because of that face. That was why her foolish "what ifs" had been swept away in an instant.
Her sister would never be in Madeleine...
Esella couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence. The moment she put a period to that thought, she felt like her sister would be gone forever.
In the meantime, the two of them reached the entrance hall on the first floor. The brown-haired Knight she had seen earlier was standing in front of a carriage outside the entrance.
As Olivia and Esella stepped out of the entrance, the chirping of insects filled the air. It was late at night, the night sky dyed black and the stars high in the sky.
The brown-haired Knight opened the carriage door and said.
"You can take this carriage to the front gate."
If she got into that carriage, she probably wouldn't see her sister again. Esella, who had been walking towards the carriage, turned around with a desperate look on her face. She wanted to do something, anything, before the end came.
"Young lady. I think the Madeleine princess left this behind."
"Oh? Thank you, Hanna."
A maid who had run up from behind handed something to her sister. Olivia naturally accepted the item, shook it at her, and smiled.
"Esella. You left this behind."
In her sister's hand was her Pink Diamond Necklace.
She had left that behind.
No, in fact, there was something even more shocking than the fact that she had left her necklace behind.
It was that her sister had responded so naturally to being called "young lady."
It felt like someone had hit her in the back of the head.
Her sister had always been Madeleine, and she had always looked so elegant and well-suited to the title of princess.
Esella stared blankly at her face.
It was strange. Olivia's face, smiling so brightly that it seemed to shine, was unfamiliar. But there was no point in wondering why.
It meant that she had never seen her smile like that at Madeleine.
What was it about this Grand Duke's Residence, where she had only been for a few days?
Esella's heart grew heavy as she saw how comfortable Olivia looked.
What was Madeleine to her sister?
The question, which she couldn't bring herself to ask, floated around in her head. Meanwhile, Olivia tilted her head, looking puzzled, and held out the necklace.
"Aren't you going to take it?"
"Sister... Could you put it on for me?"
"Shall I?"
Olivia nodded, her face lighting up. Esella turned her back to Olivia and lifted her hair. Olivia placed the Pink Diamond Necklace around Esella's neck.
Suddenly, she was reminded of her date with Leopold. The day Esella had casually taken off the necklace with the pink gem that she was wearing and put it around her neck.
Leopold's memory of touching the necklace and saying that it didn't suit her faded. That day should only be remembered as a pleasant day, like cotton candy.
The day Esella and Sally had told her she was beautiful, the day Esella had put the necklace on her, the day she had met Edwin at the coffee house. Just like that.
"All done."
Olivia, who had been smiling and looking at Esella, widened her eyes. Esella, who had the necklace on, had tears welling up in her amethyst eyes.
"Why are you crying again?"
A gentle voice soothed Esella. Esella barely managed to suppress the urge to burst into tears.
It was ridiculous. She was crying because her sister looked so good in this Grand Duke's Residence.
She didn't even have to ask her sister to know.
Madeleine was no longer in her sister's heart.
The sister who always looked at her from afar with a smile, the sister who had done her best to become a princess, was no more.
Here, everything about her sister was natural and comfortable.
Esella, with a mixture of relief and desperation, unconsciously asked Olivia.
"...Sister. You're still my sister, right?"
The terribly selfish Esella Madeleine.
Esella berated herself. But in the end, all she could do was cling like this.
It was fortunate that her vision was blurred by tears. She couldn't see what kind of expression her sister was making.
One second felt like several minutes. She shouldn't have said anything. Why did she want to confirm her sister's feelings? Regret washed over her.
The hand that wrapped around her shoulder was warm.
"...Of course. Of course, I am."
Olivia patted Esella on the back. She thought she was all grown up. But Esella, crying, still seemed like a child. But it didn't matter.
She, who had become an adult before Esella, had only just realized it now.
Madeleine, which she had clung to so desperately. Even without that boundary.
The fact that Esella and she were sisters would not change.
* * *
At that moment, Conrad glared at the Grand Duke Vikander's Residence, grinding his teeth.
To be precise, he was glaring at the carriage that was moving away towards the inside of the Grand Duke's Residence.
The face of Grand Duke Bikander, who had haughtily ridden away in the carriage, appeared before his eyes. The face that had looked at him with contempt, smiling faintly as if he were so noble.
Ha. It was ridiculous. Conrad recalled the Grand Duke's first words when he had suddenly appeared.
"Should I file a formal complaint about Madeleine continuously occupying the front of my mansion?"
Conrad had simply followed Esella, who had gone to see Olivia. He had no intention of even running into Olivia. Even less so with the Grand Duke.
He had only asked the guard guarding the gate to quietly inform them that he had arrived. But it was the Grand Duke who had personally come to the gate.
"...I greet the great hero, Grand Duke. I have only come here to pick up my sister."
Conrad said, paying his respects and stating his business.
"Sister, you say. Who are you talking about?"
"Esella Madeleine. I heard that she went inside the Grand Duke's Residence a while ago."
At that moment, the Grand Duke, who had been smiling sarcastically, smiled brilliantly.
It was a smile so beautiful that some might forget to breathe, but Conrad instinctively thought that the smile was like a poisonous weed.
At the same time, a heavy atmosphere pressed down on Conrad.
If he hadn't been standing with strength from the moment he saw the Grand Duke, he would have staggered ungracefully. The Grand Duke clicked his tongue softly, as if he didn't like the fact that Conrad was standing so upright.
"...The young duke has good posture."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
He pretended to be nonchalant, but it was difficult to bear the raw sense of oppression.
The Grand Duke, who had no influence in the system, was deliberately acting in a way that would antagonize him, who was from the Emperor's faction. Conrad's brilliant mind couldn't easily understand it.
Then Conrad chuckled derisively.
If he was doing this to him just because of Olivia. He had to downgrade his assessment of the Grand Duke by a lot.
A man who had gained fame as a war hero but wasn't very smart. Just that much.
That was when it happened. The fierce momentum disappeared, and the sound of the Grand Duke clicking his tongue grew louder.
"...Really, it seems that the only one in Madeleine who doesn't miss an opportunity is the princess."
"What...!"
Conrad shouted without realizing it. But the Grand Duke simply got into his carriage and went deep into the Grand Duke's Residence, as if he was done with his business.
Conrad glared at the carriage with eyes full of anger. And finally, when the carriage that the Grand Duke was riding in became as small as a dot, Conrad spat out through his teeth.
"What do you know."
Perhaps because of the title of war hero, the Grand Duke was clearly indulging in playing the hero right now. He might be feeling like he had become a hero again by protecting Olivia.
What kind of child is Olivia?
Just as his angry breathing was not easily subsiding, the gate of the Grand Duke's Residence, which was like an iron fortress, opened and a carriage came out.
"Brother."
A strangely cracked voice was heard as the carriage door opened. It was Esella.
He was about to get angry. But the moment he faced Esella's swollen face, Conrad's fighting spirit was broken.
Conrad composed his rough breathing at the sight of Esella, who was approaching timidly. And he gestured towards the Duke's carriage.
"...Get in first."
.
.
.
At Conrad's signal, the carriage departed. Esella lowered her head, knowing that she was in the wrong. Conrad scolded Esella. But everyone could tell that there was a gentle affection underlying it.
"...You. Father clearly told you not to come here. If Father had known, you wouldn't have gotten away with just being confined to your room."
"But I had to come."
"...What?"
Conrad's keen senses immediately noticed the strange crack that had appeared in Esella. It was not like Esella to speak so clearly while being so cautious.
"I had to apologize to my sister."
"Esella!"
Eventually, when Conrad called her name in an angry voice. Esella widened her eyes without realizing it. It was the first time her brother had ever done this to her.
But at the same time, Conrad took a breath as if to calm himself down. And he looked at her kindly, as he always had.
"...I don't know what you're thinking right now. Esella Madeleine. I hope you think wisely."
And that familiar affection was unbearably painful today. What if even a little bit of this affection that she had taken for granted had reached her sister?
Esella swallowed the anger that was welling up inside her and said.
"Why didn't you do this for my sister?"
"Esella!"
"Even if you had given her just a little bit. Even if you had given her just a little bit of what you give me, it would have been different."
Esella's words, which had been swallowing her sorrow, trailed off. Conrad spoke softly, as if he was frustrated.
"That's because!"
"My sister didn't do anything."
Esella's tearful words struck Conrad's head.
She didn't do anything? That couldn't be.
The reason for hating Olivia was clear.
From the moment that child came into our house, our happiness was shattered. Mother passed away, Father only focused on work, Jade was angry every day and wandered around the battlefield.
But.
That child didn't do anything?
Conrad tried to correct Esella's words. But strangely, his lips wouldn't move.
In the end, Conrad turned his head to the window. Seeing the Grand Duke's Residence moving away made him feel even more uncomfortable. It was all because of Olivia. But he didn't even have the energy to blame her right now. The sound of Esella's sobbing faded.
If he had thought about it a little more, he would have realized that the crack he felt in Esella had also appeared inside Conrad himself.
But Conrad didn't think about it any further. Instead, he looked for the target he had been hating so familiarly.
The person he could blame most easily. That was, of course, Olivia.
