FWTR Chapter 34

Chapter 34: A Pathetic Misunderstanding

A pitiful child?

So, just because we’ve lived as a family until now, I’m supposed to accept her?

It felt as if I were being painted as some kind of wicked woman who refused to acknowledge her struggling stepsister.

“…What? Why is Melody pitiful? She has something I never had.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Lucas sighed in frustration, scratching the back of his head.

“Then what exactly do you mean by ‘pitiful’?”

Hatred toward Melody had piled up inside me for so long.

I had held back even when it surged up, dizzying and overwhelming, begging to be released.

But now, I didn’t want to suppress it. I simply couldn’t.

“I… What, do you think I never considered her family? I liked her too!”

“Estelle, you’re upset. Take a deep breath before you speak.”

I hated Melody. I resented her. I ignored her, pretended not to see her, and refused to acknowledge her greetings.

Pink eyes.

Just because she had those pink eyes, she stole everything that should have been mine.

Whenever I looked at her, I always wondered—

If I had been born with pink eyes like her, would I not have been abandoned?

Would I have been loved?

Of course, deep down, I knew I could never change what I lacked.

And yet, I despised myself even more for indulging in such pathetic fantasies.

Realizing how pathetic I was, I stopped ignoring Melody.

Well, I also stopped because I got punished for it.

Even while I tried to charm Duke Winchester, I would occasionally catch Melody glancing around anxiously.

She was always on edge, afraid of falling out of favor with the father who loved her most.

And when I realized that was her way of confirming his affection, I accepted her.

Melody was like a mirror to me.

I saw my younger self in her—

A child who held back loneliness to avoid bothering Grandfather.

A child who barely dared to breathe freely, afraid of upsetting his new wife.

I couldn’t bring myself to truly hate her.

In the end, I loved her.

“I loved her. I thought of her as my family…”

But I was the fool.

I had been worrying about Melody, completely unaware that she was simply waiting for me to die.

“…I see. I suppose that does make sense.”

Now that I thought about it, it wasn’t so strange for Lucas to call Melody pitiful.

He had always treated her as someone closer than even his own sister, always showering her with affection.

Of course, he’d hate it if I belittled someone within his circle.

I didn’t need him to say it. I already knew.

“Do whatever you want. Whether you pity her or not, I don’t care. But please… just never say something like that to me again.”

She wasn’t pitiful at all.

And I could never love her again.

Estelle closed her eyes. The darkness behind her eyelids was comforting.

Avoiding those who continued living their lives was the only way to escape.

Perhaps because her eyes were shut, exhaustion crashed over her like a tidal wave.

She let it take her under.

—

“Estelle.”

“…”

Lucas placed a hand near Estelle’s nose.

“She’s asleep. Her dark circles are worse… Did she not sleep last night?”

Feeling the steady rhythm of her soft breaths, Lucas carefully shifted to let her rest against his shoulder.

‘A pitiful child.’

He hadn’t meant anything by it.

He was sure of that.

And yet, Estelle’s once-calm gaze had erupted into turmoil.

Rage, affection, resignation…

All of it flickered through her eyes.

He couldn’t begin to guess why she had fallen out with Melody, or why she spoke of their relationship in the past tense.

‘Was it because Melody suggested a purple dress and hurt her feelings? Maybe it was just a misunderstanding.’

But even if it wasn’t, Melody wasn’t the type to deliberately harm anyone.

He was sure she hadn’t meant anything by it.

‘Why is she so furious at her? It must have been an accident.’

No—he should stay out of it.

If he called it a mistake, Estelle would probably make that same expression again.

He didn’t want to provoke her.

‘I should avoid mentioning Melody around her for now.’

A psychology professor once told him something after hearing about the time she tried to end her life with sleeping pills.

‘Don’t poke at her emotions.’

‘Don’t try to dig into her too deeply.’

A subtle frown.

Estelle’s nose wrinkled ever so slightly.

Lucas carefully reached out a finger and gently stroked it.

“She looks pretty… maybe because she takes after me.”

As silence settled between them, a forgotten thought suddenly resurfaced in his mind.

In two days, the fencing students had a sparring test. He hadn’t even informed the academy that he would be absent yet.

He’d been too busy sabotaging the carriage wheel to make sure Estelle didn’t take a different one.

“…Well, I’ll figure something out. It was a good decision to follow her. Something about her sudden insistence on going south seemed off—like someone seeking out their final destination before they die.”

It was better to be here with her than to hear later that she had made an irreversible choice out of his sight.

—

A firm weight pressed against her cheek. Another rested atop her head.

Slowly opening her eyes, Estelle found herself leaning against Lucas, who had fallen asleep beside her.

She shoved him away immediately.

“W-what the—?! Who are you?!”

Still half-asleep, Lucas instinctively reached for the hilt of his sword and moved in front of Estelle to shield her.

The way he reacted without even realizing who had pushed him oddly reminded her of Michael.

“No one’s intruding, it was just me. Wake up properly first. I’m getting off first.”

“What? It was you? Unbelievable…”

Stretching his arms with a long yawn, Lucas rubbed his sore shoulder.

Estelle, not wanting to stay in the carriage any longer, got off before him.

By the time they arrived, they were already near the train station. The area bustled with people stepping out of parked carriages, hurrying toward their destinations.

“Are you awake, my lady? Both you and the young master were sleeping so soundly that I waited.”

Their longtime coachman, who had been adjusting the horses’ reins, approached them with a warm smile.

“It’s been so long since I’ve seen you two riding in the same carriage like this… I was quite surprised, my lady.”

The coachman, who had served the Winchesters for years, rambled on, touched by the sight.

Lucas leapt lightly off the carriage, stretched his body with a groan, and complained, “Ugh, did you gain weight? My whole body hurts after just a short while.”

“My lord, what are you saying? The young lady is as slender as ever.”

“Yeah. It’s not because she’s heavy—it’s because she pushed me.”

Estelle flushed. She had said too much before falling asleep, and the embarrassment lingered.

‘No matter how angry I was, I should have controlled myself. Now he knows I hate Melody.’

The coachman retrieved Estelle’s luggage, but there was none for Lucas.

‘Why doesn’t he have any bags? He had plenty of time to pack. Or maybe he’s so used to going to Madel that he doesn’t need to?’

Lucas took her suitcase from the coachman, effortlessly lifting it with one hand.

“Shall I load it onto the luggage car for you, young master?”

“No, it’s fine. You can head back now. The train’s leaving soon anyway.”

With that, Lucas strolled toward the train station. Estelle exchanged a quick glance with the coachman before following him.

“I’ll carry it.”

“It’s not even heavy. See? I can hold it with one hand.”

“That’s not the point. Just give it to me.”

Feeling awkward and uncomfortable about receiving help from Lucas, she reached for her bag. But he simply raised it higher, keeping it out of reach.

“The train to Ascalitz in the South will be departing shortly. Passengers, please board now. Thank you.”

The station’s loudspeaker announcement echoed through the area.

Estelle gave up, worried they’d miss the train if they kept arguing.

Just as she was about to board, a pair of golden eyes entered her view.

‘Michael?’

Their eyes met. He stood not too far away, maintaining a small distance.

“El, why are you just standing there? Hurry up and get on.”

Beside him, Olivia held onto his arm, urging him along.

“El?”

So they were close enough to use affectionate nicknames.

‘They’re boarding a train together, traveling somewhere far, calling each other so familiarly…’

‘That’s right.’

‘Back then, too, he entered Olivia’s room so naturally.’

In that moment, Estelle realized.

Michael and Olivia were together.

It made sense why Michael had sent her the masquerade ball invitation under Olivia’s name.

Was Olivia the reason he agreed to divorce her so easily?

‘Are they heading south together? That makes sense… The South is warm, a popular vacation spot.’

The moment she grasped the reality of it, her throat felt oddly dry.

‘Why do I feel like this? It’s not like I even like Michael…’

A sharp ache pricked at her heart.

“Estelle, what are you staring at? See someone you know?”

Lucas placed a hand on her shoulder and gave it a light tap.

Michael hesitated for a moment as if about to approach her, but then he turned away and boarded the train. Olivia followed right behind him.

Estelle quickly grabbed Lucas’s sleeve before he could enter the first-class cabin.

That was where Michael and Olivia were.

“Let’s just sit here.”

She took a seat in an empty spot in the general seating area.

Her chest still felt heavy.

‘It was because of the necklace. Because of the way he looked at me… I got the wrong idea.’

Thinking she had been someone special to him—

It was pathetic.

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