“The task here is done. Head there.”
Shortly after leaving the boutique, the carriage carrying me started to move.
Finally, I was left alone.
I had been scowling the entire time, but now, I could finally relax my face.
The corners of my mouth, which I had been forcing down, finally found their way back up, and I smiled brightly, lifting my face toward the sky. I covered my mouth, laughing happily. It was a look I could never show in front of others.
‘Ha… Is this a dream or reality? Lilliana actually wore the dress I picked for her…’
Although I had maintained an air of dissatisfaction in the boutique, in truth, my mind had been in a state of emergency for quite some time.
And for good reason—Lilliana is my favorite.
How could I stay calm when that lovely girl was wearing the clothes I had chosen for her?
Though I had hidden my joy to maintain the image of a villainess, I had almost let my true feelings slip.
‘Our Lilliana… she really was beautiful.’
I recalled the image of Lilliana in her light blue dress.
The cool hue complemented her ivory skin so perfectly that it felt as though I was meeting a water fairy.
Before I knew it, I had bought five more dresses in similar shades.
‘Ha… Thank you. Thank you, whoever you are, thank you for letting me witness such a precious sight!’
I didn’t know who had reincarnated me into this world, but I offered them my heartfelt thanks.
In the original story, I had often thought about how I wanted to dress Lilliana up myself.
There were frequent descriptions of how she didn’t realize her own charm. It wasn’t until the very end of the story that she finally began to notice.
It was truly such a shame—wasting her charm because she didn’t know herself.
Of course, even the unadorned Lilliana looked like a pure little rabbit to me—adorable, but still…
‘I hope this gives her a bit more confidence.’
Lilliana was often compared to Tristan when she was younger, which made her think of herself as ordinary.
‘I mean, it’s not completely unreasonable. Tristan is… truly indescribable in his handsomeness.’
I recalled the face of Tristan, whom I had met before my marriage, when I was still a princess of the Kingdom of Onz.
Even as a young boy, he possessed a stunning appearance that left anyone who saw him in awe.
‘I’m sure he’s even more handsome now…’
I regretted not getting a good look at his face the last time we met, but I shook my head.
That wasn’t important right now.
‘What matters is that I went on a shopping date with my favorite today…’
Oh, what a happy experience.
‘Though the problem is, I hadn’t intended to get closer to Lilliana…’
Well, the wine she gifted me was truly excellent, so I couldn’t help but take care of her a little. After all, I’m someone who repays kindness.
It’s not like I was just making excuses to stay with her because I like her so much.
‘Still, from now on, I need to keep my distance. Being close to me won’t have a good effect on Lilliana.’
I am Vanessa Winder.
The most notorious villainess in the empire.
Nothing good would come from being near me, someone who is often pointed at and criticized.
‘Besides, after Lilliana and Jeremyon break up, I’ll just be her ex-future mother-in-law…’
If I stay too close to her, even Lilliana might get strange looks from people.
‘I don’t want that… I need to be careful from now on.’
Just then, I felt a bitterness in my mouth, as if I had drunk coffee.
“Madam, we’ve arrived at the wine shop.”
“Alright, understood.”
Today, just like yesterday, I was at the wine shop on Wellington Street No. 12
For the time being, I planned to buy wine here every day and drink it at the estate.
‘What should I buy?’
After a brief hesitation, I chose a wine with a rather high alcohol content.
‘Today is a good day, so I should celebrate.’
No one is more charming than someone who truly knows themselves.
Now that Lilliana knows herself better, she’ll undoubtedly appear even more attractive to others.
‘So, forget that idiot Jeremyon and meet someone even more handsome and kind, Lilliana…!’
I silently cheered for her new beginning, and the night deepened.
***
About two weeks passed.
Around this time of day, Jeremyon Winder, the lord of the estate who was always in his office, was heading towards the living room with an unreadable expression.
It was to meet an unexpected guest, Lilliana Locke.
‘My lord, you have a guest.’
‘Coming unannounced? How rude. Who is it?’
‘It… it is Lady Lilliana Locke.’
Jeremyon recalled the conversation he’d had with his servant just moments ago.
He had been annoyed at first upon hearing a guest had arrived, but the moment he realized it was Lilliana, he couldn’t help but laugh bitterly.
‘It’s been so long since we ended our contract relationship, and now she comes back with regrets?’
Not too long ago, Jeremyon and Lilliana were in a mutually beneficial contract relationship.
Jeremyon for reputation, and Lilliana for her family. It was the perfect agreement where both pursued their own interests.
Jeremyon had spent a significant amount of time displaying intimacy with Lilliana in social circles, trying to solidify their image as a couple in the eyes of others.
Then came the day when he thought it was time to start preparing for marriage.
“Jeremyon, I have something to tell you.”
“I’m busy today. If it’s not important, let’s discuss it later…”
“It’s important for both of us. I’m sorry, but… I want to break up.”
“What? What did you just say?”
“I mean it. Let’s terminate our contract.”
“Wait, Lilliana!”
“I have nothing more to say. I’ll leave first.”
After maintaining the contract relationship for a whole two months, it abruptly ended with that one-sided declaration.
Her actions had felt unnatural, and he’d thought something was strange all along.
About two weeks later, when he heard that her brother, Tristan Locke, had returned alive, he wondered if that was the reason.
But now, here was Lilliana, showing up unexpectedly. It seemed she had another motive.
‘Could it be… she’s trying to get my attention?’
Come to think of it, there were always people like that—those who would do absurd things to catch Jeremyon’s eye.
It seemed that Lilliana, whom he had thought noble, was no different.
“Lilliana Locke. So, you’re just a ridiculous woman, after all. You didn’t actually want to break up, you were just throwing a tantrum.”
With a mocking expression, Jeremyon calmly headed to the parlor.
The moment he faced Lilliana, his suspicions were confirmed.
She was completely different from her usual self.
Normally, she would have her hair covering half her face, but today, she had tied her golden hair to the side, fully revealing her face.
Even her dress was different from the ones she typically wore.
It was a light-colored dress that accentuated her slender waist, perfectly matching her river-blue eyes.
‘I never thought Lilliana was pretty before…’
But today, she was undeniably beautiful. No, she was stunning.
Even to Jeremyon, who wasn’t usually swayed by appearances, she looked that way.
‘She said she wanted to break up, and yet she shows up looking like this? Clearly… she didn’t mean it.’
And next to Lilliana was a bottle of expensive-looking wine.
‘Did she bring it as a gift?’
It was clear that Lilliana wanted to resume their relationship.
‘Even though I can’t control her with money anymore… it doesn’t matter. All I need is her lineage.’
Whatever Lilliana wanted from him—be it money or attention— Jeremyon was willing to give, all because of the value of the Locke name.
“Lilliana.”
“Yes, Jeremyon?”
Lilliana, who had been staring nervously at the floor, looked up at him in surprise when he called her name.
“You came here, so you must have something to say.”
“N-no, it’s not…”
“We’re both busy, so let’s skip the unnecessary formalities. Just be honest. You want to start our contract relationship again.”
Jeremyon hated inefficiency. That’s why he cut straight to the point. But Lilliana’s reaction was strange.
“I think you’re misunderstanding something. I didn’t come to see you.”
“What a funny thing to say. Who else in this house would you come to see but me?”
He spoke in a dismissive tone, and Lilliana, flustered, stood up.
“I’ll come back when the lady is here and you’re not.”
She took the wine and headed out.
Jeremyon scoffed as he watched her leave.
“So, she came to see my stepmother? What a ridiculous lie.”
Trying to win his favor with such a cute act, Jeremyon couldn’t help but sneer.
“Shall I investigate what’s really going on, my lord?” his aide, who had been watching, asked.
But Jeremyon simply shook his head arrogantly.
“No need. She’ll be back soon enough, anyway.”
His dismissive reply clearly showed the contempt he held for Lilliana.
• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Esraa• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
