FWTR Chapter 49

Chapter 49: Indulgence

‘…A prophetic dream?’

A prophetic dream.
A phenomenon in which one foresees an event in reality through a dream.

Rahelrn hadn’t returned to the past. He had simply known fragmented information from a dream.

Estelle felt a sense of futility over her tension but was relieved that she hadn’t revealed all her cards.

“Well… something like that. What does big brother know? Shall we exchange what we each know?”

Rahelrn, who had been visibly flustered, quickly masked his emotions.

“Hah.”

He tilted his head back and let out a loud, almost mad laugh before locking eyes with her again.

“I never expected you to have prophetic dreams like me. But… Estelle. You’re kind of annoying.”

“If you tell me what you don’t like, I’ll fix it.”

Thinking about the information she could gain from him, Estelle spoke in a gentle voice.

“I don’t like anything about you.”

What on earth?

She was calling him ‘big brother’ just as he wanted and was acting as obediently as possible.

“You only call me ‘big brother’ when you need something from me. Earlier, and even now. If I give you the information you want, you’ll go right back to calling me ‘young duke,’ won’t you? Because you’ll have nothing left to take from me?”

‘Crazy bastard.’

She barely stopped herself from saying it out loud.

Her heart was pounding so hard from the madness gleaming in Rahelrn’s eyes that her chest ached.

“…That won’t happen. Big brother, you’re going to teach me how to protect Luenbien properly. In a way, you’re like my mentor, so how could I change my attitude so easily?”

She sweetly flattered him to avoid provoking his temper.

Yet Rahelrn’s expression did not improve.

‘Why is he getting upset?’

Instead, another faint crack appeared on his forehead.

“Don’t be nervous, Estelle. I don’t mean to scare you. It’s disappointing that you’re afraid of me.”

“Big brother, we’re family. I’m… not scared.”

‘I’m terrified.’

Just moments ago, he had been so serious, and now his voice had turned teasing.

‘It was ridiculous to think I could handle him. Was he always like this?’

The Rahelrn Estelle remembered rarely showed emotions and was a rigid person.

His nature couldn’t have changed. He must have just been hiding it all this time—so thoroughly that even his family never noticed.

“That’s right. You’re my family. My little sister. If you want something from me, don’t make it a transaction—just ask. I’ll give you anything.”

Usually, it was the other way around.

People disliked giving without receiving something in return.

Rahelrn, in particular, had been trained from birth as the heir to the Winchester family, learning how to always gain the upper hand and never suffer a loss.

“…Alright. I’ll keep that in mind.”

Estelle preferred fair exchanges. That’s why she had proposed a trade.

Asking him for something one-sidedly felt like accumulating debt, which left a bad taste in her mouth.

She’d rather forgo his information entirely.

‘Even if I don’t have the information, I still know the future. I don’t need him.’

Rahelrn stepped closer, gently cupping both her cheeks. Then, as he narrowed the distance between them, his gaze fixated on her lips.

“Your lips are swollen. Doesn’t seem like you bit them yourself. Who was it?”

He didn’t even bother hiding it anymore—his words were blunt.

“Big brother, even if we’re family, you can’t interfere in my personal life.”

Because Rahelrn didn’t let go of her cheeks, Estelle had to put effort into speaking properly.

“Let go of me.”

Rahelrn, lost in thought for a moment, eventually released her. His grip had been firm enough to make her cheeks sore.

“Alright. I won’t interfere. But Estelle, you’re not an adult yet, are you? You should be careful.”

“…There are only two months left until my coming-of-age ceremony.”

Mentally, she had long since reached adulthood, and even in this life, her ceremony was fast approaching, so his words were absurd to her.

“Regardless, you’re not an adult yet.”

Talking to him was exhausting.

“Big brother, I want to rest. Please leave.”

Estelle pushed him out of the room.

“Come to my office tomorrow morning. We’ll be doing the test I mentioned before, so be prepared. Oh, and…”

“?”

“Pretty soon, you’ll be dealing with diamonds. If you’re thinking about investing, don’t hesitate. If you’re short on funds, just tell me.”

Estelle leaned against the closed door for a moment before slowly sinking to the floor.

“He must be talking about the diamonds found in the Tarshan Mine.”

Even without Rahelrn telling her, she already knew it would be successful—that was why she had insisted on investing in the Tarshan Mine in the first place.

“…Why is he suddenly being so kind?”

It wasn’t just him—several people had already changed their attitudes.

It was becoming overwhelming, and Estelle bit down on her lips in frustration.

At least Lucas was fine. Although there was still some lingering resentment, they had made amends.

But Rahelrn was different.

“Dealing with the Duke of Winchester is infuriating enough… Why couldn’t he just act the way he used to? Why now, after all this time? He didn’t even bother coming to my funeral.”

Did they only start showing her the affection she wanted once she had given up and stopped seeking it?

At the very moment when she couldn’t even allow herself to be happy—when everything felt unfamiliar, overwhelming, suffocating.

She had already learned to breathe on her own.

Even if she were swept away by the waves, she would not drown.

“It’s fine, Estelle. Don’t waver. They’re only curious because you’ve changed from the quiet person you used to be. It’s just a fleeting emotion.”

She knew all too well that expectations only led to disappointment.

‘Don’t hope. Don’t mistake temporary kindness for something real. It’s all a lie. They don’t care about you. They’re just being nice to entertain themselves.’

‘Family? Love? How disgusting.’

‘…Never forgive them.’

—

Despite sleeping for a long time, Estelle still felt exhausted.

“Big brother told me to come in the morning for the test… What should I do?”

It was already noon when she finally woke up and began washing her face.

“My lady, the young duke left for the territory early this morning due to urgent business. He’ll likely be gone for about three days,” said Anna, handing her a dry towel.

“Good. I didn’t want to see him anyway.”

She had fallen asleep last night while stewing in hatred.

In her dreams, she relived the scene from her funeral.

To be honest, the only reason she kept reminding herself not to expect anything was to suppress the urge to forgive Rahelrn.

‘Could he have had a reason, like Lucas?’

Maybe—just maybe—there had been some unavoidable circumstance that had prevented him from attending her funeral.

Like a fool, she found herself trying to reignite the ashes of a burnt-out fire.

“My lady, if you’re tired, should I send them away?”

“…Hm? Who’s here?”

Lost in thought, she had barely registered Anna’s words.

“Lady Gannet Marchioness and Lady Charel Countess are in the drawing room. When I told them you were sleeping, they said they’d wait until you woke up.”

“Liliana and Lady Charel are here?”

Surprised by the unexpected visitors, Estelle quickly changed clothes and hurried to the drawing room.

She had expected Lady Charel to come and offer her greetings, and Liliana had mentioned they would meet again soon…

‘But I didn’t think ‘soon’ meant the very next day.’

Upon entering, she saw Liliana and Lady Charel eating strawberry cake.

“Estelle!”

Liliana jumped up, about to hug her, but hesitated.

She glanced at Estelle’s shoulder, as if just now remembering her injury.

Lady Charel clutched her dress tightly, trembling slightly. She still seemed unwell—she must have forced herself to come.

“I’m sorry for showing up unannounced, Lady Estelle. Everything was so chaotic yesterday that I couldn’t properly thank you, and it was weighing on my mind…”

“It’s fine. I wasn’t particularly busy anyway. Are you feeling better, Lady Charel?”

“Yes, I’m much better. If it weren’t for you, I… I don’t even know how to repay this debt.”

Gone was the confident young lady who once referred to her as ‘Duke of the Borderlands.’

Now, Lady Charel seemed much more fragile.

‘Well, almost dying will do that to someone. And on top of that, she must feel guilty because I got hurt saving her.’

Liliana gently patted Lady Charel’s back in comfort. Estelle also stepped forward to reassure her.

“My lady, I am the only heir of the Charel family. If not for you, our family line would have ended. If you ever need anything from Charel, please don’t hesitate to ask. No matter what it is, I will remember.”

Unconditional support from Charel, which managed a large trading company, was a valuable asset.

“Have you two eaten?”

Both of them shook their heads.

“The weather is lovely today. Why don’t we go outside and have lunch in the garden?”

“That sounds wonderful! Let’s go right away!”

“Yes, the weather is perfect, Lady Estelle.”

Estelle called a servant and instructed them to prepare a meal in the garden.

Just as they were getting ready to leave, a sharp voice rang out.

“Liliana. Why are you here again?”

Melody approached with a scowl, clearly annoyed.

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