The next day, Dalia woke up in her room.
The sun was high. She seemed to have fainted since yesterday’s carriage accident.
It was so ridiculous to think that Hikan came, so she thought that seeing Hikan was all a dream.
“Did you wake up?”
Then she heard a friendly voice.Dalia saw the Duchess Blueport sitting by her bedside. She was knitting naturally as if she were waiting for Dalia to wake up.
“Duchess!”
Dalia raised her upper body in surprise. A smile appeared on her face without her realizing it.
“What brings you here?”
“I’m worried that Dalia might have been in big trouble.”
Duchess Blueport smiled slightly as she adjusted the position of her mask.
Dalia was relieved at the usual sight.Indeed, the fact that there is Duchess Blueport here means that Hikan has never been here. It was obvious that she had a dream.
It was fortunate that it was a dream. If it were real, it would have been too embarrassing.
“The Young Duke Hikan is now the Duke of Pesteros. How’s it going with him?”
Dalia shook her head.
She gave an impassioned speech about what Hikan had said to her from the moment they walked out of the palace. Hikan might hear it like last time, but she really wanted to say this. (*t/n: not so sure about the last sentence)
“But this time, brother saved me.”
“……”
“I really thought I wouldn’t be saved because he seemed to be contemplating about it until the last minute.”
Duchess Blueport was listening to Dalia with a serious expression. Then, she smiled once Dalia finished talking.
“This generation Duke Pesteros, even if he says he doesn’t like it, he’s not being honest.”
Dalia looked up at her, asking for an explanation because she didn’t know what the Duchess was talking about.
The Duchess said in a gentle voice, sweeping her lovely brown hair aside.
“You know, for the transcendents like me. We’re very good at dealing with the world in terms of efficiency. If he really saves you because you’re useful just as you said before, then you don’t need to worry about it because it’s still within his realm of rationality.” (*t/n: i tried my best for this part )
“……”
“It must have been his pure will to save Dalia, not because you were useful. So Dalia too, don’t worry too much about it.”
She didn’t expect it at all.
Dalia felt strange. It felt similar to when she first saw Hikan’s lonely face.
Duchess Blueport seemed to understand everything.
“Dalia, I also used to have a very strong personality.”
Dalia replied in surprise.
“Goodness. You’re lying, aren’t you?”
“It’s true.”
Even so, Duchess Blueport with a bad personality like Hikan sounds totally absurd.
“I’ve changed since I met my husband. People can change. So Dalia, don’t forget that.”
“……”
Dalia saw the Duchess smile.
The Duchess’s gaze at her was really warm as if she were looking at her own child. Even though most of her face was covered with a mask, she still could see it.
It was a smile that always made her happy, but now she feels sad for some reason.
‘But I know the future of this world.’
She knows what happens to Hikan later.
But Dalia could not say that. It is lonely to be the only one who knows the future of the world.
Dalia looked at the Duchess Blueport.
Why it feels so sad, in fact, she knows why.
Watching Hikan inherit the Duke’s title, she recalled one possibility she had foolishly missed out.
‘Why, 4 years from now, the Duchess of Blueport is not there?’
At the beginning of the original work, the Duke of Blueport was not the one now in front of Dalia’s eyes, but the male lead, Levine Blueport. (*t/n: she means the head of the Blueport family.)
So, what happened to the Duchess Mary Blueport when the original started?
Why did she change her mind after four years and pass the title to her son?
Maybe……maybe Duchess Blueport was already not in this world?
‘No, it can’t be.’
She must have been mistaken.
No matter how many times she played the original game, she didn’t know the whole situation.
Among all the text that I’ve roughly flipped through, it must have included the life of the Duchess Blueport, who lives happily in her hometown.
Surely it must be like that.
Dalia pushed the thought back to the corner of her head. The Duchess smiled.
“Soon, since the Young Duke has become the Duke, so there will be a ball to celebrate the ascension of the new Duke of Pesteros. I’ll also be there then to take a look.”
“Really?”
Dalia was delighted.
Since she always confined herself at home, she appeared at a ball only once a year.
“Yes. Since Dalia would be bored without me.”
Such a kind word. Dalia smiled.
“I’ll make sure to send you an invitation later.”
“Don’t draw it yourself last time. Even though it’s cute, it looks silly.”
The two laughed facing each other.
* * *
Hikan would have known that Dalia had woken up, but he did not come to visit her. Still, he was at the dinner that day.
She wasn’t very upset in particular.
Listening to the story from the Duchess Blueport, Dalia decided to open up to him a little, just a little.
She still couldn’t believe it, but Hikan saved Dalia by his own will. That is something that she needs to be thankful for.
Besides, Dalia doesn’t know if it’s her illusion, but Hikan wasn’t as cold as he used to be. Sometimes he flinched a little when she smiled.
Therefore Dalia thought.
‘This is the chance. Let’s get rid of Hikan’s doubts completely.’
She made up her mind to gather all the cuteness that she never had in her previous life until now and decided to pour it out on Hikan.
It was a little easier because she hated Hikan less than before.
Most of their conversation took place at this time, as the only official place to see Hikan was during the mealtime.
“Wow! Brother! This is so delicious! Enjoy your food, brother!”
Dalia smiled and put her portion of lamb on Hikan’s plate. In fact, it was a secret that she hated lamb.
“……”
Hikan ate, avoiding only the parts that Dalia cut.
‘……Ah, no. I won’t give up.’
Dalia clenched her fists with a firm determination.
Just then, Hikan saw her.
Then for some reason Dalia seemed to have a strange face, as if she had pumped her fist to hit her brother who was not eating what she had given him.
“……”
Hikan looked at Dalia with a slightly perplexed look.
‘Ah, no!’
She raised both her fists above her head and made an awkward little heart.
Hikan’s expression became even more strange.
He looked indifferent as if he was looking at his younger sister who seemed to have hurt her head a little, but his eyes were filled with warmth.
“……”
He sighed heavily and picked up the meat Dalia had put on the plate and ate it with a fork.
Dalia feels like she wanted to disappear right away.
As soon as Dalia returned to her room, she looked in the mirror immediately and tried again the heart she did to Hikan. Because she had to know the reality of what the hell it was like.
However, the results were different from Dalia’s expectations.
‘No, it’s a little weird. How can this not be cute?’
As a matter of fact, the 13-year-old Dalia was just as cute as she could be.
Dalia went to the butler wondering if she was too confident with her appearance.
“Oh my, Miss Dalia, what are you doing here……”
“Butler! I really love you!”
Dalia made the same heart as she did to Hikan.
The butler stood there blankly for a while, and then sat down with one knee in front of Dalia.
“Mi-miss! You should never do it in front of anyone else!”
“Huh? Why?”
‘As expected, is it not good?’
“Because it’s so……you may be kidnapped!”
Judging by the reaction, what he couldn’t say as a butler is either “cute” or “lovely.
Dalia’s self-esteem has gone up.
‘As expected, I wasn’t the one who was weird!’
Dalia went around the mansion excitedly, shooting hearts to the gardener, nanny and maids.
Everyone was taken down without being able to fight back.
“Kyaa! Miss!”
“Goodness… how can a lovely person like that…”
This mansion was at Dalia’s feet.
Dalia became more elated and went about the mansion with her chest high.
Then she bumped into Hikan who was turning around the corner.
It was when Dalia was shooting hearts at a maid who was begging to show her one more time.
“……”
“……”
“……You seem to have a strange hobby these days.”
Hikan’s expressions at that time couldn’t be expressed with Dalia’s lack of vocabulary.
A look of disappointment, with an indifferent and cold face.
“I didn’t know you were so full of love to anyone.”
‘Yo-you don’t have to be so disappointed.’
Dalia awkwardly lowered the hand that was shooting hearts. I think it would be better to stop doing cute things that don’t suit your constitution in the future.
