Chapter 41
“…Brother?”
Recognizing him, I suddenly sat up.
“How… did you get here?”
“When I went to your room, you weren’t there.”
“…What is it that you want?”
“I wanted to have a conversation.”
His reply left me dumbfounded.
‘You… want to talk to me? Why?’
Until now, I hardly ever had one-on-one conversations with Ethan, and didn’t we just raise our voices and fought two days ago?
― …Who else have you been fighting with?
Recalling the incident at the palace made my anger flare up again.
‘What should I do? I have nothing to say.’
I wanted to smirk and tease him sarcastically.
Honestly, being alone with him in this enclosed space felt a little awkward.
But the reason I didn’t push him away coldly was…
70%
…because my “rage” meter had risen slightly again.
‘Anyway, I have to ask to confirm.’
Ethan had left early on the day of the banquet to ask Raelin to be his partner.
Perhaps he might know something about her disappearance.
I fully stood and led him to a table set in the corner of the greenhouse.
“Please, sit.”
Unlike me, who hesitated, he sat opposite with an indifferent air.
“Would you like some tea?”
“No.”
I gestured to the call bell on the table, but he shook his head.
Then he added,
“Are you… feeling any better?”
I hadn’t expected him to care, but it was a surprise.
I glanced at him and nodded.
“Yes. I received healing from a healer.”
“……”
A silence fell.
‘It’s suffocating. So uncomfortable…!’
I didn’t know what he wanted to say, and I wished he would just leave.
Unable to endure the awkwardness, I spoke first.
“I wanted to ask about that…”
“About the other day…”
But of course, we spoke at the same time.
That made the situation even more awkward!
Rolling my eyes, I glanced at him and gave a stiff smile.
“You go first.”
“…At the palace.”
He hesitated for a moment, then said something that could make anyone’s jaw drop.
“I misspoke.”
“…Excuse me?”
“I asked because I was worried when I saw you hurt, not to scold you.”
“……”
I gaped.
‘So… he actually came to apologize to me?’
Staring blankly at Ethan, I saw him flinch and turn his head, avoiding my gaze.
His ear turned faintly red.
‘He’s… embarrassed?’
Even seeing it with my own eyes, I couldn’t believe it.
That cold, arrogant Ethan Blake… embarrassed?
I felt strangely unsettled.
Looking at him with a curious gaze, I carefully probed.
“…So, have you found the person I fought with?”
“Of course not.”
I had asked partly seriously, but he frowned and answered irritably.
“…I saw flowers scattered throughout the banquet hall. You tend to get irritable when you have an allergic reaction.”
“……”
“I happened to have medicine with me, so I came to find you, and I saw you like that…”
“……”
“…I misunderstood when I saw you. You might remember, but you’ve had arguments with other noble daughters at banquets more than once…”
“……”
“I didn’t investigate separately. I asked to confirm, not because I didn’t believe you.”
It was a confession so straightforward that it left me speechless.
‘He says he believed me…?’
― Say it now. Don’t make it worse later.
― …Is he trying to make sure Father hears this too?
Threatening to tell the Duke and then claiming he just asked to confirm—he was shameless.
I clenched my tongue at his smooth talk but swallowed my frustration.
“Anyway… if my suspicion upset you, I apologize.”
“……”
“I’m sorry, Edith.”
Despite his earlier long explanation, Ethan’s apology was surprisingly concise.
I glanced at him to see if he had some hidden motive, but his expression was sincere.
‘Maybe he’s been dealt with too much by Vincent.’
I was at the point where even apologies from male leads didn’t feel genuine.
“…Thank you for speaking first.”
I wasn’t entirely pleased, but I decided to accept Ethan’s apology willingly.
It was surprising that someone so arrogant and rude could apologize first.
We’d have to keep seeing each other in the same household anyway, and leaving a tense relationship would only be uncomfortable.
‘So he’s not completely unreasonable.’
Amid all the crazy people around us, he could be considered relatively rational.
So, I offered a mild excuse in return.
“I’m also sorry for that day.”
“……”
“I was sensitive because of people’s stares, and I was having breathing difficulties, so I wasn’t in my right mind.”
“……”
“I didn’t mean what I said, so please forget it.”
Not a lie. I really did have breathing difficulties.
“……”
But this time, he looked at me speechless.
“…Why?”
“Ever since I woke from my coma, I feel like a completely different person.”
He muttered in disbelief.
I had gotten used to these kinds of remarks, so I didn’t flinch anymore.
“I hear that a lot these days.”
“You weren’t the type to know what an apology was…”
“Guess I grew up a bit after almost dying.”
I replied flatly, and he shut his mouth in surprise.
After a pause, Ethan finally asked in a calmer voice than before,
“…Your memories?”
“……”
“When did you return?”
He was the type to obsess over my memories, so of course he would ask.
I answered casually, prepared for the question.
“Not fully. They come back only in bits and pieces.”
“There’s a misunderstanding about what happened at Torlen Gate.”
“What misunderstanding?”
“It really was a bad situation at the time.”
I’d heard that excuse somewhere before.
“I don’t know why you thought that, but I swear I wasn’t ignoring or trying to hurt you on purpose.”
“……”
“If necessary, I can bring the incident report and witness statements.”
He was proactive, but it wouldn’t change anything.
‘They probably coordinated the reports anyway. What good would that do?’
I let out a small laugh at his feeble attempt to ease guilt.
“…Why are you laughing?”
“You’re saying the same things Vincent did.”
“What…?”
“Misunderstanding, accident, unfortunate circumstances…”
Repeating Vincent’s words stiffened Ethan’s face.
I, on the other hand, tilted my head and smiled.
“Isn’t it strange, Brother? Even experiencing the same event, people can remember it so differently.”
Like throwing a stone into a clear lake, his blue eyes flickered.
‘It was fine until the apologies were exchanged.’
My mood sank instantly.
I suddenly recalled the dream I had when I first woke up at the Duke’s mansion.
― Take me too! Huh? It’s all my fault!
― Brother! Ethan Brother! Ugh, scary. Don’t leave me behind!
The terrified, sobbing voice gradually turned into my voice, filled with rage.
― Yoo, Yujihan! Wait! You crazy… no, brother! Yoo Jihan―!
― Yujihan! Yujihan, you damn bastard―!
Those who leave don’t understand the fear, despair, and helplessness of those left behind.
If I hadn’t possessed this body, if Edith had truly died as in the novel…
Could you have still said such things so nonchalantly back then?
“I still remember calling out ‘Brother!’ at the top of my lungs so vividly.”
“……”
“Every night, to the point of recurring nightmares….”
“……”
“So vividly.”
I looked Ethan straight in the eyes and spoke each word precisely.
Whether out of guilt or something else, ripples spread in his pale blue eyes.
That made my feelings twist even more.
“Isn’t that strange? Right?”
“……Edith.”
“Are you done? I’m done.”
I pushed back roughly in my chair, stood, and asked, and he hurriedly rose after me.
“Wait.”
“……”
“Calm down, wait a moment. I’ll just give you this and leave.”
Funny, he’s the one who needs to calm down.
Ethan rummaged through his clothes frantically.
For a moment, I thought his hand was trembling.
“Here. Take this.”
He suddenly handed me something.
A small box wrapped in luxurious velvet.
It clearly looked like it contained jewelry, which made me frown.
“What… is this?”
“I noticed one of the earrings was missing.”
An earring?
Confused, I watched as he opened the box and added,
“It’s not as good as the gift your father gave you, but I tried to match it as closely as possible to the necklace.”
“If it’s from Father…”
There had only been one gift from the Duke.
‘A blue diamond set?!’
I asked Ethan urgently,
“You’re saying one earring was missing that day?”
“…You didn’t notice?”
Of course he didn’t.
I had fainted and only woke up the next day!
