Episode 50
The moment they met, Cedric almost lost his composure and reached out for the child. It felt like the first time he had met Agnes.
Odile bore such a striking resemblance to Agnes that even though Cedric’s obsession with the idea of his child had lessened, his love for his deceased wife was still as strong. It made it incredibly difficult for him to handle the situation.
‘Get a hold of yourself.’
However, he was a father, and what he needed to do was clear. He had to protect his daughter, who was in front of him, from getting hurt. This situation would not bode well for Lillian.
Cedric needed to separate Lady Kenis and Odile from this place.
“Isaac, for now, please assist Lady Kenis and Odile.”
“Oh, Agnes?”
At that moment, the voice he least wanted to hear echoed. It was an unwelcome interruption that disturbed his already shaken state. When Cedric turned his gaze, he saw Agnes’s father, the man who had remained a complete stranger even at the moment of her death.
Lord Napier, who had become Cedric’s father-in-law on official records, approached Odile with tearful eyes and eventually began shedding tears.
“She truly resembles Agnes… I thought Agnes had come back to life.”
“Excuse me, but who are you?”
“I am Agnes… Lady Maynard’s father. I wanted to see my granddaughter at least once since I can’t undo the past, but you are undoubtedly Lady Maynard. Aren’t you?”
“Oh, no. I am—”
As Odile was about to say something, Cedric’s anger erupted.
“Get Lord Napier out of here immediately! Who allowed an uninvited guest to enter this place!”
“I’m so sorry, Your Grace!”
“It seems the gatekeepers didn’t pay much attention to nobility. I’m truly sorry!”
“Release him! You can’t sever the ties of blood even with a sword! How could a father prevent his granddaughter from seeing him? Duke!”
Although Lord Napier, who was unjustly dragged away, pleaded his case, everything he said had already been heard.
People’s glances toward Odile changed, sensing a shift in the situation.
“Did you just see that? They were calling her Agnes.”
“When you really look, she resembles her grandfather’s side too. Seems she inherited a lot from the maternal side.”
“But the Lady herself…”
Perhaps the thoughts of those who initially considered Odile might be the true Lady had now turned into certainty.
Simultaneously, Lillian’s reputation took a nosedive.
On her birthday, especially during her debut, having such an incident occur was quite unthinkable. It could have become a lifelong trauma. Cedric quickly summoned Isaac to manage the event.
“Isaac, first, let’s find Lillian and—”
While he was speaking, he realized that something was amiss.
The reason was simple.
“Where is Lillian?”
There was no sign of Lillian anywhere in the ballroom.
* * *
Lillian was walking down the hallway. No, she was running away.
– She truly resembles Agnes….
She couldn’t recall anything that happened after those words. The moment she felt the gazes passing back and forth between Odile and herself, Lillian couldn’t bear the nauseating feeling rising within her, and running away became her top priority.
Her thoughts were in complete disarray.
‘Swan is gone.’
Swan is no more. Despite the mornings when she’d wake up with the desperate hope that she was still alive, she was forced to accept the fact that Swan was dead. She had to choke down the fact that Swan was no longer among the living, no matter how much she wished otherwise.
Swan is gone.
But why?
‘It’s clear that it was Swan’s face.’
Even if she claimed to sometimes not remember, it was impossible to completely forget the overwhelming longing that filled her every morning. Lillian could be certain that Odile had Swan’s face. According to the words she overheard, the timing and the location when the child entered the orphanage were quite similar.
If that’s the case, the possibility that there’s more than one child who disappeared from Maynard…
‘…I don’t know!’
The story of Maynard’s lady being twins is something Lillian had never heard of before. If such a story existed, it would have at least been mentioned at the Maynard estate.
Was it truly Swan? Or another genuine child? Or a fake like herself?
Yearning, fear, terror, and despair intertwined and left her mind in chaos.
What was certain was that when Lillian saw Odile’s face, fear had filled her mind.
Lillian was afraid.
What if she would be cast out after the truth was known?
Or if others would look at her with disappointed eyes?
Or if she couldn’t exact Swan’s revenge?
None of it was the right answer, and at the same time, all of it was.
Lillian could feel a hand climbing up her spine.
Swan’s kind smile floated before Lillian’s eyes.
‘Lily, when did I ask you to seek revenge? I just wanted you to live in my place, but you couldn’t even do that properly.’
‘No, no…’
‘Lily, you enjoyed yourself at the estate while forgetting about me. I did so much for you, but what did you do for me?’
‘ I… I did my best… I took your place..’
Lillian had truly lived her life earnestly. She believed that since she was living the life Swan left behind, she had to fulfill Swan’s role and couldn’t live carelessly. Lillian had desperately and diligently lived, thinking she had to take on Swan’s responsibilities.
– You don’t have to push yourself this hard. Overexerting yourself isn’t good for your health.
– I started studying late compared to others, so I have to work harder, right, Mary?
– But my nose is bleeding…
Externally, she had announced that she had started studying late and was trying to catch up with her studies. But what was truly making Lillian anxious was the fear of not being able to fulfill Swan’s role. She was concerned that if Swan, living as a beloved lady at this place, received the love she should have received, she might miss her share. Lillian was constantly in agony, fearing she might not be able to fulfill Swan’s role.
If Swan had lived as a beloved lady for Lillian’s sake, Lillian was afraid of missing her part. That was the unspoken pact formed through Swan’s death.
Lillian ended up vomiting again.
After her shoulders had risen and fallen several times, Lillian could finally catch her breath.
The apparition of Swan, who had been plaguing her, had also disappeared by then.
Lillian knew Swan would never say such things, but sometimes her guilt would whip her like this. Lillian forced her hunched body up and wiped her dry face. Her steps continued.
“What will happen now?”
She couldn’t simply return to the party after running away.
Before fleeing, Lillian had also glanced at Cedric. It had become a sort of habit. Just as she would call a known name when drowning, Lillian always ended up looking at Cedric.
And Cedric couldn’t take his eyes off Odile.
‘What was I expecting?’
When Swan died and she had pretended to be Swan’s understudy entering this house, she knew this day would come.
That someday she would have to be alone from the start.
Even though she knew she had to be alone eventually…
Lillian’s steps abruptly stopped.
It wasn’t because she had a vomiting reflex again.
It was just that she had spotted a shadow in front of her.
Lillian had been looking at the ground while walking, so she had to slowly raise her head to meet the eyes of the person.
But somehow, when Lillian saw her feet, she felt like she might be able to identify the person.
It was because only that person was capable of exuding such a neat aura with just his feet.
“… Damian?”
“Hello, Lillian.”
Damian slowly smiled with his eyes. Whether it was because they were meeting at night, Damian looked different from his usual self.
The usual him was like a dandelion, woven from the warmest spring sunshine. But today’s him was like shattered glass fragments. The gleam remained, but he seemed utterly untameable, radiating a sharp atmosphere.
There had been a lot of things that felt strange today.
Lillian unconsciously took a step back.
“You came now? I didn’t see you at the party.”
“I haven’t come just now. I’ve been here since a while ago. You wouldn’t know because you weren’t looking for me.”
In that case, had Damian seen Odile and the commotion too?
Lillian’s complexion turned worse. Her wrist was gripped.
“You didn’t put on the bracelet.”
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