“Episode 24”
Well, maybe it’s because the Countess’s heart is wavering?”
Anna finally thought she had come up with a sentence she could understand and proudly answered.
Yuliana, who was staring at Anna without any fear, responded.
“I know too. Hamster.”
Ignoring whether Anna was angry or not, Yuliana continued to brood over her thoughts.
“The heroine is coming in a month. She’ll appear at the Emerald Lake of the Hillchen family… But come to think of it, she usually appears out of nowhere in the backyard of the Count’s mansion, right? Oh, no…”
“Ack!”
“Whoa! Countess, you were already strange, but today you’re even stranger.”
“…I don’t know. I’ve entered the original story without a choice. Now I just have to steel my heart and hold my ground.”
“…?”
Filled with confusion, Anna began to whimper again, saying, “Our Countess is also strange,” and Yuliana threw a pillow in frustration. Although it didn’t hit Anna, she pretended to fall over, making a groaning sound.
“Ouch! You’ll kill me with your maid accusations!”
“Hey! Do you want to say that again?!”
Yuliana, unable to rush forward, just grunted and turned the blanket over. The spirited Yuliana soon fell into regret.
“Of all things, the maid who took the bribe is such a fake hamster. Real hamsters are cute.”
Whether she said it or not, the plot of the novel was moving forward.
One month later, the real female protagonist of the novel appears at the Emerald Lake of the Hillchen mansion. In the original work, she receives praise from all the characters. It was a work with the essence of “the threads of destiny” and “heroine worship”.
“I can’t just sit and watch that.”
Yuliana glared.
With the male lead’s flirting going a bit too far, the time had come for ‘that’ Yulmucha Ohbon, who had died early in the story, to start working properly.
Whether they liked it or not, it was unavoidable.
—
“…No matter what I try to do, my HP is low.”
“Huh?”
Upon hearing her husband’s curious remark, Yuliana glanced down at her. Lost in her own thoughts, she absentmindedly murmured something.
While Yuliana was simply lamenting her own situation, Evan perceived that she was seriously contemplating something.
So, without pressing for her response, a silence settled between them, expanding in the space they occupied, enveloped by the mellifluous music from the palace orchestra, as if defying the silence.
During this time, Yuliana listened to the music with a dry heart.
Perhaps it was due to her recent illness. Her body felt drained of energy and her limbs felt heavy. Moreover, the Empress Mama had sent invitations to congratulate the Countess’s recovery, precisely timed with the upcoming court ball.
So, as soon as she got out of bed, Yuliana had to unconsciously go through the motions of buying new dresses and jewelry to match, after stacking up a pile of dresses. And after fitting into those mountainous dresses, she had to take time to cast defensive spells around the Emerald Lake to prevent the imminent appearance of the heroine. So, there was no avoiding her body feeling even more exhausted.
“Sigh. Becoming someone who stealthily casts defensive spells at night, like a thief… Even the Countess isn’t all that. No, maybe it’s because I’m just an extra who dies early in the story…”
Yuliana hung on her husband’s arm, thinking sadly.
“Becoming someone who casts defensive spells around her own lake in case some other woman pops up? There’s no one else but me for such a job, right? In my past life, I died in a drunk driving accident, and in this life, even though I’m wide awake, I ended up in the Countess’s position…”
With a melancholy air, she responded gloomily to her husband.
“It’s nothing, really. I’m just a little tired. Maybe it’s because I haven’t attended a ball in a long time. It’s, how should I put it, refreshing.”
“Just smile and nod, and then go back.”
“Do you really think I look happy just by saying that?”
“Me?”
Evan chuckled softly.
The formal wear suited him very well. Perhaps that’s why. Today, his eyes, which usually shone with a melancholic blue depending on the angle of the light, seemed to sparkle even more like a brilliant blue sea.
Blushing at her husband’s firm jawline, Yuliana glanced away. Indeed, it was a typically masculine and charmingly clumsy reaction from him, which had shaken her heart in two months.
Yuliana made an effort to answer.
“To be honest, I think I like it when I’m feeling weak and whiny. Besides, I’ve always liked being in bed.”
“To tell the truth, I’d rather have you in my bed than yours.”
“Well, um…”
Surprised, Yuliana cleared her throat as if trying to appear nonchalant after hearing such a casual joke.
Then she tried to change the subject, speaking with a newfound voice.
“Let’s go meet the Empress Mama! Since she invited us personally.”
“Alright. But we’ll have to wait.”
As Evan said, around the petite Empress Mama, various nobles gathered. It seemed amusing to see nobles who had previously ridiculed the powerless empress, now trailing behind her with apprehension.
Yuliana narrowed her eyes, gauging the situation.
“Hmm. It seems that the Empress Mama has clearly demonstrated her skills at this competition.”
“After that incident, the relationship between the Empress and the Emperor became unusually close. Even the old man Lucien Bue Arniac, who was so cautious about appearances, eventually turned out to be just a man.”
“Ah, but why didn’t the Emperor cherish the Empress Mama before?”
Yuliana couldn’t help but express her thoughts.
No matter how much she thought about it, Buwa was cunning. Even though she had stepped down from the original novel, she still liked the unfortunate stammering Empress from the original story.
Evan, murmuring to his wife who seemed to be pondering like Buwa, responded in a calm tone.
“In my opinion, he did cherish her in his own way.”
“What? Cherish her? You know, the nobles dared to ridicule the Empress Mama, and it was even talked about in the newspapers. They talked about her pitiful household situation. You’re not unaware of that, are you?”
In response to Yuliana’s puzzled question, Evan answered with a measured tone.
“The Empress Mama is very wise, but her relatives are different. Her relatives, how should I put it, are very materialistic and short-sighted. If the Empress Mama had been protected from the beginning, wouldn’t her relatives have stepped forward to urge her downfall? Believing in the Emperor’s meager affection and stirring up the politics. Sometimes in the palace, the Emperor’s affection is considered proportional to power, but in the end, the Emperor’s affection is different from power. And Lucien Bue Arniac is a man who strictly separates power and affection.”
“Hmm. You speak like an ardent follower of His Majesty. It seems you understand his thoughts very well.”
At Yuliana’s straightforward remark, Evan chuckled.
“Didn’t you know? Lucien Bue Arniac is my academy classmate.”
“….?”
Yuliana blinked her large bronze-colored eyes.
And unable to contain her curiosity, she leaned in a bit closer to Evan’s ear. Talking about the Emperor was not something she could do openly.
“But, the nobles don’t attend the academy, do they?”
“Lucien Bue Arniac isn’t a noble.”
“….Really?”
Yuliana looked at Evan with wide eyes.
And with a joyful smile, as if enjoying her surprise, Evan chuckled.
“The stories about that guy aren’t very interesting, but it’s fun talking to you.”
“Wait a minute!”
“Why?”
With an innocent glint in her eyes, Yuliana held out her fan to ward off Evan, who was approaching.
“Don’t come too close to me.”
“But if we’re going to talk about secrets, I have to whisper. I didn’t mean anything else.”
‘Lies!’
Yuliana flicked her fan swiftly, revealing her face. Skillfully hiding her face behind the fan, she sniffed.
“You have saliva on your lips and you’re lying.”
“It hurts my heart when my only wife doesn’t believe me.”
“Evan, I’ll whisper, so you keep an appropriate distance.”
“Why?”
“…Why, because…”
Because I’m too nervous…?
It was the right thing to say, but it was so right that it hurt her pride.
Yuliana quickly tried to change the subject, whether Evan was puzzled or not.
“It’s not so bad for me to whisper, is it? Right?”
“Instead, you have to do it often.”
Evan reached out his hand as if making a promise.
Yuliana hesitantly reached out her hand in response. In an instant, he led her to the center of the ballroom.
“By any chance, do you have the stamina to dance?”
Evan asked with a grin. Yuliana was both impressed by her bold husband’s actions and nervous about her racing heart.
A faint warmth mixed with the noticeable sparkle in Yuliana’s bronze-colored eyes.
“I’m twice as sturdy as you. Worried I might collapse?”
Yuliana held his hand firmly.
And so, they began their second dance of a lifetime in the midst of young lovers’ escapades.
As Yuliana danced, a blue rose, a gift from Evan Hillen, adorned her bosom.
Meanwhile, nobles who secretly observed the two whispered to each other.
“Look at that. Is it true that Lady Yuliana O’Brian has regained her senses?”
“But she’s ‘that’ Lady.”
“We don’t know. People can change after a fall.”
Someone muttered, but after that, there was no more snide remarks or complaints.
Before the awkward silence settled among the nobles, one astute individual brought up a different topic.
“By the way, that tournament was truly remarkable. We knew the Duchess was a famous magician, but who knew she would participate in such an interesting way?”
“Although she fell, it was quite a splendid scene. And about the blue rose the Duchess pinned, wasn’t it previously…?”
“Oh. Didn’t Her Majesty the Queen Mother win the tournament? She bestowed the blue rose upon the Duchess instead of presenting it to Her Majesty.”
“That was quite remarkable too! Her Majesty the Queen Mother exuded such dignity.”
“But she still stuttered, didn’t she?”
A young noble, dressed awkwardly in a black tailcoat like a black crow, added while stuffing cake into his mouth.
As the flow of conversation was disrupted, another young noble stared pointedly at the cake on the young man’s plate and said:
“That’s not a problem anymore. The important thing is that it was a very splendid scene. By the way, Young Lord Eunsik, there’s some delicious cake on that table over there. Would you like to go and see?”
“Oh, alright!”
Responding to that, Young Lord Eunsik put down the piece of cake he was eating and went to explore the desserts. Behind him, the nobles openly whispered.
“That Young Lord Eunsik is always the same. Lord Burnett must be quite troubled.”
“That’s right. He’s so oblivious. Tsk, tsk…”
“Oh, did you hear the news? Lady Annebury has apparently strayed from her fiancé!”
“Oh. The one who was in a hurry to get married. She’s quite something.”
The story once again shifted its focus to someone else. Rumors swept through the ballroom, engulfing the lips of everyone who attended the event, indiscriminately. However, like all rumors, they were somewhat exaggerated and devoid of much meaning.
—
Around the time when the Hillen Duke and Duchess were dancing, Empress Elerina was darting around, trying to escape the nobles trailing behind her.
Feeling annoyed by their persistent attempts to engage her in conversation, despite knowing that she stuttered, Elerina couldn’t help but feel a bit angry. If she could, she would have liked to cut off her tongue that stuttered so embarrassingly, not even knowing where she lived.
Or perhaps, “Do they know and still persist?” she wondered. Finally, Elerina gathered her resolve.
As she raised her trembling hand to swiftly open her fan, intending to mimic the cool demeanor of a lady of the court, she was about to speak when suddenly—
“Your Majesty.”
“M-Majesty!”
Elerina’s cheeks flushed as she forgot her prepared words upon the sudden appearance of the Emperor.
The Emperor, who had said he might not attend the palace ball due to working late the previous night, had come personally.
The nobles hurriedly kneeled, but the Emperor waved his hand as if it were bothersome. Then, with a gentle smile, he spoke condescendingly.
“Oh dear, seems I’ve been troubling the Empress. Haven’t I? Empress, you can tell them to leave at times like this.”
“E-Empress.”
Elerina was startled and hunched her shoulders. Was there really a need for him to speak like that, now that they finally seemed to like her?
However, the nobles were not surprised by the Emperor’s lowly words; instead, they hastily departed. Watching them flee in surprise, Lucian briefly hardened his expression coldly. But soon, he brightened his smile and turned his head, speaking affectionately to his small Empress.
“From now on, just do it like this. By the way, hosting the palace ball for the first time must have been exhausting, right? I came here because I was worried that you might need some support.”
Elerina looked hesitantly at Lucian, who was smiling slyly.
Her husband, with eyes sparkling like a fairy’s, was as enchanting as a siren who lured sailors to their doom with her captivating songs whenever he smiled like that.
“N-No, it wasn’t exhausting. Oh, I was actually worried that you wouldn’t come…”
It was the first time she had directly expressed that she was waiting for him.
Lucian, who was observing Elerina with a complex gaze filled with newfound confidence after the event, spoke.
“Wasn’t it to celebrate the duchess’s recovery that I arranged this gathering?”
“Ah, um…”
Elerina was momentarily taken aback.
Lucian called over a servant carrying a tray of wine on the other side and received a glass. Then, he smoothly handed one to Elerina.
“Elerina.”
“Yes…?”
Elerina lifted her head in surprise. It was the first time he had called her by her name.
Actually, everything recently had been a first. He used to ask about her sleep, her daily life, but those seemed more like questions to remind her of her position as a guest in the palace. So, the current situation felt like a dream that would soon shatter, making her heart ache.
Moreover, now he was even calling her by name. Joy and fear swelled up inside her uncontrollably, as if they were about to engulf her.
Elerina received the wine and lifted the trembling glass to her lips, trying to cover them. Lucian, who was gazing intently at her brown eyes, continued speaking.
“I want to warn you.”
“Yes?”
“You can’t be friends with the nobles. They are nothing but cunning predators trying to snatch your position. Can a predator and its prey be friends?”
“W-Well, that’s true. But, Lady Yuliana, she…she helped me…”
“Helped, you say. It was the Empress’s power that was demonstrated at the event.”
“B-But…”
“Of course, you may get along well with the duchess. However, you can’t become friends.”
“B-But Your… Your Majesty, even you are friends with the duke.”
Lucian furrowed his brows.
It wasn’t a look of displeasure or disdain for her foolish question. Elerina couldn’t quite grasp it at first as she looked at her husband for a moment before realizing.
Ah.
He was pitying himself.
‘Why? I am your wife. Why do you look at me as if I’m pitiful—’
Elerina touched her trembling lips with the wine. The drops of red wine filled her mouth like blood.
They had always been like strangers to each other, just circling around each other. Now that she thought they had finally connected, perhaps they had only skimmed the surface all along.
It was unfair.
Why don’t you ever show it? I’ve always shown my heart to you, completely exposed and yet dangling from your fingertips.
“We used to be friends with the duke.”
Lucian smiled bitterly, shaking his head towards his wife, whose face had paled.
“We used to be.”
His tone was firm with each word, as if to say that their relationship wouldn’t change, just like that.
Elerina cast a distant glance at the dancing duke and duchess.
Lucian Bu Arlachne trusts no one. Not even the duke who was once his friend, or the friend’s wife. Perhaps not even his own wife.
It was both sad and infuriating. Elerina swallowed the wine pooling in her mouth and impulsively spoke before the alcohol could dissipate.
“I’ll handle it myself.”
The once stuttering Elerina Walter spoke like her old self, before she started stuttering.
Upon hearing those words, Elerina’s eyes widened with even more surprise than Lucian’s, and before her husband could grasp what he had said, she fled in confusion.
Left alone, Lucian sat still for a moment before bursting into laughter.
“Haha!”
The laughter continued unabated for a moment before abruptly stopping. Lucian glanced anxiously around the extravagant ballroom, feeling as scattered and confused as the gazes darting around.
He felt uneasy about the changes he was seeing in his wife, who had been left alone to change in ways he couldn’t predict. It was a positive change, but he was anxious about her venturing into unknown territory for the first time. For a moment, he entertained a violent thought of forcibly holding her back, but he shook his head at the idea.
If he did that, the little bird would surely fly away, riding on her own words. Then the bird with clipped wings left behind in the cage would die of loneliness.
His mischievous golden eyes hardened coldly. Lucian looked beyond the empty wine glass his wife had left behind and watched the duchess twirl gracefully beyond the transparent glass, shining brighter than the chandeliers in the ballroom, her cheeks flushed with laughter.
—
“Hahaha!”
Laughing, Yuliana danced with her husband, holding onto his waist.
Was it the alcohol they had drunk after so long, or was it the joy of being with Evan?
Her head was spinning round and round. And yet, amidst the spinning, Yuliana never let go of the glass of wine she was pulling towards herself.
Drinking several glasses of wine handed to her by the servants, Yuliana briskly exited the ballroom. She knew her husband would follow.
Outside, Yuliana, giggling, sat down on an unoccupied chair on the side street.
Beside her, Evan skillfully made his way through the crowd to sit down. With flushed cheeks from the alcohol, Yuliana raised her glass to the empty air with only her eyes looking up.
“Drinking well, aren’t you?”
With a playful wink, Yuliana was about to sip her wine when Evan’s hand snatched the glass away.
“Oops!”
Yuliana jumped in her seat. She was about to ask what he was doing, but her tipsy tongue spoke first, spewing out a jumble of words.
“Wha-what are y-you doi-doing…?”
“You’ve only just gotten up from the sickbed. I’m worried.”
Evan placed the wine glass on the table close to her chair.
Yuliana rested her arm on the armrest, gazing at the swirling contents of the wine.
“Do you have any worries?”
At that moment, Evan, quick-witted as ever, sipped his own drink with a smirk. It occurred to her then that he hadn’t drunk at all.
‘Just like a fox-like male lead,’ Yuliana grumbled inwardly.
“Do I look like I have worries?”
“Overindulgence is often a sign of underlying worries that haven’t been properly addressed. It’s a way of escaping with alcohol.”
“…”
Yuliana remained silent, running her dry hand over her face.
Despite his recent calm demeanor, Evan, who had been dancing and holding hands with her just moments ago, had regained his composure, but she hadn’t. Yuliana felt entangled in her complicated emotions, unsure of how to explain her feelings.
Now she truly felt trapped in the narrative, unable to escape like an extra who dies due to a misunderstanding early on. What could she do to avoid that fate?
The solution was simple: become the heroine of this world. That was the path she, Yuliana O’Vane in this life, Isianne in her past life, had chosen.
But why did it feel so uncomfortable?
‘I can’t just keep pondering like this without moving forward.’
Regardless, soon after, the “true heroine” from the original work appears. Since this world is the setting of the novel “Threads of Fate,” there is a possibility that Evan may be drawn to the heroine when she appears. As Yuliana, she needed to confirm that his heart was fully devoted to her.
“So, is it time for the final act…?”
Yuliana took a deep breath.
Evan was watching her with an intrigued look. His eyes sparkled with excitement, as if he knew some of her thoughts and was waiting for the prey to fall into his trap.
Yuliana looked blankly at her husband, pondering.
Come to think of it, the male lead in this world had loved her, the Extra Yuliana O’Vane, who was almost half of her life, with a dirty personality and only her face to explain the possibility of love.
“Why do you love me?”
That thought itself made her feel despondent due to her low self-esteem.
“Damn it. Why am I still like this even after being reincarnated…?”
“Evan, I, I…”
Yuliana raised her head, trying to dispel her confused thoughts.
This was all a good thing. It was a perfect opportunity to love someone, even for her, who couldn’t fully accept and affirm herself yet.
Meanwhile, Evan patiently waited for her words, hoping that his intoxicated wife would blurt out what she wanted to say, even if it was meaningless.
“I-I-I…”
Bubbling and bubbling—
“!”
What shattered Evan Helchen’s perfect moment was a slight disturbance.
The noisy commotion from the back gate of the palace seemed louder, perhaps because Yuliana and Evan were sitting near the back garden.
In an attempt to prevent the disturbance from reaching the distinguished guests of the ball, the guards were trying to block the instigators of the chaos.
It was a complete mess.
Evan swiftly stood up and enveloped Yuliana.
“What’s that noise?”
“I don’t know.”
Evan frowned.
His expression was terrifyingly bitter, as befitting a man who had admitted to having a dirty personality. He seemed annoyed at being interrupted.
Seeing his expression, Yuliana couldn’t help but laugh. There was no need for him to make such a face. She could speak up anytime now.
“Even though it’s the back gate, this is still the palace. To think such a commotion would happen at the Empress Mama’s first garden party. I wonder who it could be.”
Yuliana chuckled nervously.
Trying to calmly continue her next words to suppress her pounding heart, Yuliana froze at the voice calling her name.
“Sister!”
“…Sister?”
Evan turned stiffly towards his frozen wife.
It was the first time he had heard that term. She was the illegitimate daughter of Lord O’Vane. The mention of siblings to her, of all people—
“Oh.”
Evan caught a passing thought.
She was undoubtedly Lord O’Vane’s illegitimate daughter. But looking at her impressive mother, Teresa Cavener, she clearly wasn’t. She was definitely—
“Why would my sister intrude on a party she wasn’t even invited to? She doesn’t have the connections to be invited to such a party.”
Sure enough, Yuliana said, her tone chilling.
However, despite her cold words, her face was stiff with what seemed like fear. Evan could do nothing but hold his wife tightly in his arms.
As if trying to escape from the voice searching for her, Yuliana buried her face into Evan’s chest and breathed heavily.
Her hand, now devoid of alcohol, was pale and cold, almost like a corpse. Holding Evan with that hand made him feel as if he were being held by a lifeless being he had forced to live.
Pushing aside the creeping self-loathing, Yuliana closed her eyes. As if by doing so, the voice of her step-sister wouldn’t reach her.
—
“Sister!”
“Please, Miss O’Vane. You must identify yourself properly.”
“I-I heard my sister was here, so I came.”
“What is the meaning of your sister being here at the palace ball?”
The guards blocked the small girl.
Though she looked like she came from the countryside, her clothes were still in the style from ten years ago. Yet, her demeanor was refined, but her hands showed signs of hard labor.
‘She seems to be a noblewoman, but…’
“Pant, pant…”
Suddenly, a chubby, white man emerged from the bushes.
The guards, initially frowning at his sudden appearance, were taken aback.
“…Lord O’Vane?”
Sweaty and out of breath from chasing after the fleet-footed Iris Cavener, Lord O’Vane addressed the guards with a troubled expression.
“I told you to wait until the end of the ball, but this child suddenly started acting up. Come here, Iris. You couldn’t wait for Yuliana to come home, so you came here. Since you weren’t invited, you can’t go in.”
“But, Lord O’Vane. Mother… She really wants to see her sister.”
“…”
Lord O’Vane hardened his expression, his eyes reddened with complex emotions as he sighed heavily.
“…Fine. I’ll help you convey a message…”
Just as they were about to negotiate with the guards, someone approached them briskly.
“Mother? Who is that person?”
“Sister!”
Iris grasped Yuliana’s hands firmly, showing a positive response despite the cold demeanor of the newcomer. Yuliana trembled with anger at the sight, but also struggled to calm herself.
“…Right. I’ve been reincarnated. So, I should be less emotional about this. After all, the current ‘mother’ is just like a stranger.”
Yuliana reminded herself of the ‘fact’.
However, her memories as Yuliana O’Vane still lingered, making it impossible to stop thinking about Teresa, her mother.
Yuliana spoke coldly.
“What brings you from that distant countryside to here? Setting foot in the capital only now, and expecting to be included in high society parties like this?”
She tried to restrain herself, but impulsive words burst out unexpectedly. Yuliana cursed inwardly. She tried to hold back, but couldn’t.
Whether Iris knew Yuliana’s feelings or not, her response, as always, was kind-hearted. Iris sparkled with innocent eyes as she spoke.
“Sister, I know you’re very angry with Mother. But… Mother has been worrying about you a lot. Please trust her.”
“I see. So, because of that, you left home and wrote those nagging letters about how you’d rather mingle less with strangers at parties? But those letters stopped a year ago. I thought you got bored of that woman and stopped…”
“No! Mother was sick!”
Iris scolded Yuliana, bewildered by her thoughts. Iris nervously brushed her black hair, so different from her step-sister’s, and continued speaking.
“Ah, I couldn’t even write a letter to you because Mother was so ill. She’s on the verge of passing away now. But, she wanted to see you.”
“…So, you came here to deliver that message, even to the unwelcoming palace? You knew I wouldn’t have met you if I heard you were coming, didn’t you?”
Yuliana sneered.
Then, the guards standing next to her approached Yuliana before they could grasp the situation. With a friendly smile, Evan, who stood by her side, spoke.
“I’ll take care of things here, so you’d better go.”
“Y-Your Grace.”
The guards exchanged glances.
It was indeed an honor to guard this rarely visited back gate, which was a long-time friend of the current emperor and a hero of the empire. However, they didn’t want to be criticized for negligence on duty.
Sensing their mood, Evan mentioned the Commander of the Guard.
“Is Clodie doing well?”
“C-Commander Clodie is always striving to protect her Majesty, like the sun, Your Grace…”
Clodie, the demon-like Commander of the Guard, was a woman who sent them to the northern border for training to fight to the brink of death against monsters.
Did Evan and the Duke know each other well because of this beautifully mad superior?
As soon as Evan mentioned Clodie, the guards began to pour out praise naturally.
Listening to their respectful voices with one ear and letting it flow out of the other, Evan grinned.
“Ah, of course, I know. If you’re diligently listening to the nobles’ conversations, you might even be able to pass on other messages to Clodie.”
“Huff!”
As soon as he said that, the guards remembered to salute properly before fleeing.
Watching them run away, Evan turned his gaze to the eyes directed at him.
“What’s the matter?” he asked, slightly amused, as Yuliana, who had been half-angry and excited, calmed down instead.
Perplexed, she turned to her husband and inquired.
