Episode 88

As I was led to the drawing room and seated, the strange feeling of disbelief lingered.

‘Eunice wanted to meet me?’

I had always thought that Tielli or Eunice might know about Igon, but I was certain they wouldn’t know anything about me.

Even the King of Winium hadn’t known who I was until Igon introduced me.

Yes, I had met Tielli once before, but I was so sure that the encounter hadn’t been particularly memorable for her.

After all, she had grown up surrounded by luxury—as a lady of a duchy and now as the Queen of a kingdom. Encounters like ours would be as common as air to someone like her.

When she claimed to remember me, I assumed it was because I hadn’t spoken much during our first meeting, leaving a somewhat unusual impression.

But things had become more complicated when she looked at me with that peculiar expression and said, ‘Eunice wanted to meet you.’

‘Could it be that she heard rumors about me being Igon’s lover?’

That seemed like the most plausible explanation.

Yet, Igon and I—me, inhabiting Lily’s body—had only recently reached the point where we could be called lovers.

Even in the capital’s social circles, very few, if any, knew about our relationship.

So how could Eunice, who hadn’t even left Winium, have heard about it?

The idea felt like too much of a leap.

And if not that, then what other reason could there possibly be?

“Lily.”

Igon’s voice pulled me from my thoughts as his hand rested lightly on my shoulder.

The warmth of his touch against my bare skin brought me back to reality in an instant.

“Look over there.”

He raised a finger, pointing toward a corner of the garden visible across the colonnaded hallway.

Following the direction of his finger, I spotted a group of kittens playing in the shade of a tree with drooping branches.

Their golden fur gleamed in the sunlight filtering through the leaves as they nipped at each other’s ears and tumbled around. The sight was utterly endearing.

Nearby, their mother watched over them, grooming her fur.

The tranquil scene began to ease the tension in my chest.

Igon gently patted my shoulder.

I nodded, rolling my stiff neck to release some of the tension, and felt noticeably more relaxed.

When we finally entered the drawing room, a servant skillfully poured tea for us.

As dried flowers were added to the cups, their petals unfurled like blossoms in bloom.

“The aroma is lovely. We should secure some of this before we return,” Igon remarked, taking a sip and raising an eyebrow in quiet admiration.

It was a rare reaction from him.

I lifted the fragrant tea to my lips and took a sip. The taste was delightful.

“It seems the future Duchess enjoys it as well?” Igon said with a teasing smile, mimicking Tielli’s earlier words.

The memory of Igon’s earlier bombshell statement resurfaced, and I couldn’t help but laugh along with him.

Then Tielli’s words to Igon came back to me. She had said, ‘If Igon had come, I wouldn’t have let Eunice out to meet him.’

It was at that moment that a question began to form in my mind.

Of course, if anyone knew that Igon had been behind the downfall of the Duran family, their reaction would be the same.

However, while Igon might have steered them toward their ruin by planting interest in the demonic beasts, the actual downfall was caused by the Count’s greed and Ash’s manipulations.

Moreover, I had heard from the Duke’s household staff that Igon had arranged for Eunice, who had been gravely injured by the demonic beasts, to receive treatment.

She had been treated fairly well at the Duke’s estate, and when she fled, Igon even sent Liam to ensure she reached Winium safely.

Igon’s actions had clearly been well-intentioned.

Without his intervention, Eunice might have succumbed to the poison or faced trouble during her escape.

That’s what puzzled me.

The Eunice I knew wasn’t the type to disregard such kindness.

And someone as perceptive as her wouldn’t have failed to notice Igon’s assistance.

So what could have happened that I wasn’t aware of?

Why had Tielli insisted on not letting Igon meet Eunice?

“Try this,” Igon said, interrupting my thoughts.

Unlike me, who was lost in contemplation, he seemed utterly carefree.

He handed me a piece of dried fruit from the small plate in front of him.

Caught off guard, I accepted and ate it.

The aroma spread through my mouth. It was incredibly sweet, and its chewy texture was delightful.

“Do you like it?” Igon asked, watching my expression closely.

I nodded lightly.

“Then try this too,” he said, offering me a pastry soaked in honey.

As soon as I bit into it, the overwhelming sweetness and crunchiness filled my senses, leaving me momentarily stunned.

Seeing my slightly perplexed expression, Igon handed me the tea.

“Drink this,” he said.

He raised the cup to my lips, and I sipped from it as he held it for me.

A fleeting thought crossed my mind—if someone were to see this, I might feel a bit embarrassed.

“How is it?”

The bitterness of the tea washed away the intense sweetness lingering in my mouth, leaving behind a delicate aftertaste of high-quality honey and the tea’s subtle fragrance.

“It’s good, isn’t it?”

When I nodded emphatically, Igon smiled, clearly satisfied.

After eating the sweet treats, my head felt noticeably lighter.

I let out a deep breath and turned my head to see Igon smiling faintly, the corners of his mouth lifted in amusement.

He must have noticed my restless thoughts and offered the refreshments to ease them.

Even after that, Igon continued to feed me snacks, and when I declined, he got up to explore the room.

I sank deeply into the sofa, letting my body relax.

‘That’s right.’

In hindsight, there was no reason for me to feel so anxious.

With Igon by my side, the likelihood of danger was low, and it was me—no one else—who had insisted on coming here.

I wanted to resolve things with Eunice and had chosen to meet her myself.

So I, as the one initiating this visit, should not be the one feeling uncomfortable.

‘But why does my heart feel so uneasy…?’

When I lifted my gaze, I saw Igon inspecting a tall vase with golden embellishments.

His relaxed expression and upright posture exuded elegance, even in a moment of idleness.

As I silently admired him, a realization dawned on me: my unease stemmed from Igon.

I didn’t like the idea of him and Eunice meeting.

It had little to do with how firm Igon’s feelings for me were—rather, it was because, in the original story I had read, they had been lovers.

What I felt wasn’t exactly fear, but it was a discomfort close to it.

A bitter smile crept across my lips as I recognized the irony of my own thoughts.

Even though I was well aware that the original story and my current life were different, my subconscious still clung to that narrative.

It was almost laughable, like a small animal spinning endlessly in a wheel, convinced it was making progress.

Knock, knock.

A knock at the door snapped me out of my reverie.

Through the door, I could faintly hear a servant announcing something.

Though the words weren’t entirely clear, I could guess what they meant: Eunice had arrived.

Igon responded with a calm permission to let her in and took slow steps back toward the seating area.

The door opened, and a familiar figure in unfamiliar clothes entered.

As she lightly bowed, her golden hair cascaded over her shoulders.

“It’s been a long time,” Eunice greeted.

Igon responded with a slight nod, his answer succinct.

She sat down across from us.

Compared to the last time I had seen her, she looked thinner, though her complexion wasn’t entirely poor.

Eunice sat straight-backed, her hands neatly folded on her lap, her expression betraying a hint of tension.

“How have you been?” Igon asked in a casual tone.

Eunice forced a stiff smile and nodded.

“Thanks to your care, I have been well.”

Her voice was gentle, but her face was rigid.

A heavy silence followed, the air in the room growing tense.

Sensing the weight of the atmosphere, I subtly glanced between the two.

After what felt like an eternity, Eunice finally lifted her head and looked at me.

“…I’m sorry,” she said, bowing deeply.

As she straightened again, I was seized by confusion.

Eunice had never met me in my current form, had she?

Why was she apologizing out of the blue?

The message scrawled on the wall back then suddenly came to mind.

Could it be that the apology she had written was meant for me?

But why?

What reason could she possibly have to feel sorry toward me?

For a moment, I even wondered if she had mistaken me for someone else.

It might have been that Eunice’s apology was directed at Igon, and I had misunderstood it.

I looked up at Igon, trying to make sense of it, but Eunice continued speaking.

“I know,” she said.

Know what?

My heart pounded violently, as if trying to leap out of my chest.

I instinctively knew that whatever came next would push me further into confusion, yet I waited for Eunice’s words.

“That you… are Evelyn Rodore.”

The shock hit me like a punch, leaving me breathless.

Eunice’s revelation struck far beyond anything I had anticipated or guessed.

It was as if someone had slammed the back of my head—my mind went blank.

How?

How could Eunice possibly know that I was Evelyn?

My thoughts spiraled into panic, and Eunice, as though unburdening herself, continued speaking slowly, her voice laced with pain.

“I know… that my father tried to kill you… and that he and my aunt… succeeded in doing so…”

Her voice grew faint, like someone being strangled.

The trembling of her hands, clutching her chest, was unmistakable.

She looked as though the words were physically painful for her to say.

If I weren’t the subject of her story—if I were in my right mind—I might have comforted her, told her she could take her time.

But unfortunately, the person at the center of this tale was me.

I barely managed to suppress the storm of emotions and remain seated.

There were so many questions I wanted to ask, but I couldn’t speak.

All I could do was listen as Eunice continued.

Taking a deep breath, she reached for her teacup.

Her trembling hands spilled a few drops as she lifted it.

“Tell her how you found out. She doesn’t know,” Igon said gently, like a teacher guiding a student.

Eunice’s lips quivered as she responded.

“I… I have memories too.”

I turned to look up at Igon in shock.

Did that mean Eunice, like Igon, also remembered a past life?

“It’s not the same as the Duke. I didn’t relive a past life. Instead… I read a book.”

The words hit me like a jolt.

The same as me.

For a moment, I could hear the sound of my heart thundering in my chest.

 

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