I Thought It Was a Common Transmigration - Chapter 62

“Raw strawberries are a bit tart, so I prefer sweetened or just strawberry scent.”

“Your perfume doesn’t smell like strawberries, it smells like roses.”

“When I wear perfume on my body, I like it to be flowers rather than smell like food.”

Killian nodded, a look of new-found information on his face, then leaned toward me and sniffed the scent.

“Not bad.”

Ugh, what’s wrong with him today?

Huh? Wait…… is he trying to stir up Lizé’s jealousy, and do I need to help him with this?

I had mixed feelings, but I didn’t have time to dwell on them.

For now, I decided to pretend to be friendly with Killian. Even if I’m wrong, there’s no harm in pretending to be friendly.

“Are you saying it’s not bad but not good either?” I asked in a low, flirtatious voice.

Killian stared at me before answering, “I think…… it’s good.”

“I’m glad to hear that the scent I wear all the time appeals to you, too.”

Lizé and Cliff’s stares stung, but I feigned ignorance and kept my eyes on Killian.

Killian kept his eyes locked on me and smiled softly.

As if to lighten the mood, Lizé began pouring tea into the teacups.

“This is a strawberry black tea I got from Martinez’s. I don’t know if it will suit Edith’s taste.”

“The tea you gave me last time was delicious. I trust your taste.”

As I praised Lizé, I heard her laugh again.

With that, the four of us made light small talk and leisurely enjoyed our tea and light snacks.

All the while, my mind was racing, trying to figure out how the story would flow.

‘If there are things happening that aren’t in the original story…… and there’s a three-level exception condition, doesn’t that mean that the ending of the original story doesn’t change if I don’t pass those levels?’

If I can avoid dying without fulfilling the third condition, then there is no reason for the third condition to exist.

While I was thinking about that, Lizé said to Killian in an apologetic voice, “By the way, Killian. I’m sorry, but I was wondering if you could come with me to Le Belle-Marie next Friday? I got a call that the shoes I customized with you the other day are finished.”

“Oh! I can’t believe it’s already been that long.”

“Yes. If you’re busy, that’s okay……”

“No, no, I’ll come with you.”

Killian accepted lightly, and Lizé smiled brightly.

Then she caught sight of me a moment too late.

“Oh, if it’s something Edith doesn’t like, Killian doesn’t have to come with me! I- I can go alone.”

The way she waved her hands in the air was cute.

But I found her attitude strangely off-putting.

I saw Lizé and Cliff make eye contact before she made this offer, so I wondered why she asked Killian to go with her and not Cliff.

I mean, I know she ordered the shoes with Killian, but why does she have to go with Killian to pick them up?

‘Weird…… I can’t stop feeling that something is off whenever I see Lizé Sinclair…… or is it just me?’

Now, I couldn’t even tell if I was having these thoughts because of her weird behavior or because I was feeling inferior to her.

Worse, not long ago, I was able to pat Killian on the back and say, “Yeah, have fun with Lizé!” but now I can’t do that.

‘Why do I feel so bad……’

Killian didn’t seem to put much meaning into the outing with Lizé. I know that.

I know, but it still makes me feel a little sad.

It broke my heart to think that Killian would be as sweet to Lizé as he was to me when we went to the opera, or even more so.

‘I…… think I’m in trouble……’

There’s nothing I can do about my jealousy of Lizé, and I’m sure I’ll be treated like a prostitute again if I act like I’m seducing Killian.

I can’t do anything about it, and I’m just waiting for Killian to dispose of me.

It was bitter.

***

It was three days after the outdoor tea that the strange happiness I had been enjoying lately began to take an uneasy turn.

The Count of Sinclair and his eldest son, Damien Sinclair, who should hardly appear in volume four of “I Refuse Your Obsession”, were visiting the Duke of Ludwig.

‘What’s going on? Why is the Earl of Sinclair suddenly appearing?’

There had been a few temper tantrums between the extras who were close to the Count of Sinclair, but I didn’t expect him to show up so directly.

‘This is the Duke of Ludwig, who would not make an occasion of meeting with the Count of Sinclair, even for Lizé’s sake. So what on earth is going on?’

I was curious, but I couldn’t bring myself to ask what was going on.

Then Anna came and informed me that the guests were leaving, so I put on my best nonchalant face and went down to the ground-floor parlor.

In the parlor stood the Duke and Duchess, as well as Cliff and Killian, seeing off Count Sinclair.

“Please stop by sometime. My wife is looking forward to serving the Duke and Duchess. Hahaha!”

The slim man, who must have been quite handsome in his youth, smiled gently at the Duke of Ludwig.

His eyes seemed to share a similarity with Lizé’s, but the impression was completely different.

Where Lizé was a ray of sunshine or an innocent blonde angel, Count Sinclair reminded me of a gargoyle or a rat.

“I’ll be sure to stop by when I have time, and thank you for your visit today.”

The Duke of Ludwig didn’t look all that displeased.

In fact, he looked a little harmless.

I stepped quietly to Killian’s side. I looked around to see if Lizé hadn’t come down after all, and my eyes locked with Damien Sinclair.

‘What? Are you looking at me now?’

It was only a moment, but Damien gave me a very unpleasant look.

‘Are the aristocrats of this world only going to acknowledge you if you’re not polite, what’s wrong with you all?’

I wanted to run over and grab him by the collar and tell him to watch out for his eyeballs.

But I knew that if I showed my displeasure here, I’d be attacked again.

“Goodbye.”

“……goodbye.”

In the end, I swallowed my pride and smiled. Of course, I couldn’t help but glare at Damien.

As they pulled away in the carriage, I tugged on the end of Killian’s sleeve and asked in a low voice, “Why did they come?”

Killian looked around as if he hadn’t heard my question, then answered slowly as he led me to my room.

“I have a feeling that you or Count Riegelhoff are going to be in some trouble.”

That’s not a good start to the conversation.

“It looks like Count Sinclair will be signing a distribution rights deal with a northern iron ore miner soon, and it looks like the groundwork has already been done.”

What do they have to do with me, I thought, and then I remembered why I was able to marry Killian in the first place.

‘It was because Count Riegelhoff had the southern iron ore distribution rights.’

If he were just a wealthy count, the Duke of Ludwig wouldn’t have cared much whether the Riegelhoffs sided with Archduke Langston or not.

But the Riegelhoffs were almost the only family with a steady supply of iron ore, and they were a hard nut to crack for the Duke of Ludwig, who was active in creating new weapons.

It would be unsettling if such a family sided with the Langstons.

‘That’s why Duke Ludwig has been turning a blind eye to what Count Riegelhoff is doing, but if suddenly Count Sinclair gets the rights to distribute iron ore……!’

Needless to say at length, I would be a duck egg in the Nakdonggang River [1].

[1] An expression to describe someone’s miserable situation because he/she is deserted or alienated from a group of people.

But I suspected there was more to it than that.

“And he’s already here to talk about iron ore distribution rights that he doesn’t even have yet?”

Killian opened my door and pushed me in first, then closed it quietly.

“The Sinclairs are trying to unseat the Riegelhoffs.”

“Then I’m sure I’m very intrusive in their eyes, but they didn’t tell you about me?”

“They probably didn’t think it was time yet, but they will eventually.”

I felt a little bitter as I watched Killian talking like it was someone else’s business.

‘Well, I don’t know what’s wrong with him.’

I was growing increasingly uneasy with Killian’s reaction to this, coupled with his casual acceptance of Lizé’s offer to go out.

“Edith. What’s with the look on your face?”

“No, it’s nothing. Damien Sinclair gave me a rather nasty look earlier.”

“Were you thinking about taking revenge?” Killian asked playfully.

“I’d do it any day if I could.”

“I look forward to that day.”

If only I could joke around with Killian like this for the rest of my life.

‘But I can’t just count on Killian.’

He’s the one who loved Lizé and yet accepted to marry me. How easy it would be for him to toy with me, a woman he doesn’t love.

I smiled at Killian as he walked away, but inside I mulled over my thoughts.

***

I don’t usually let myself get depressed.

It’s a habit I have had since my second year of middle school, when I realized that if I’m depressed, there’s no one to take care of me.

I can still clearly remember the day I realized this.