I Thought It Was a Common Transmigration - Chapter 69

“Wow, what is this?”

“Cliff!”

Cliff feigned admiration as he entered the room of unopened boxes.

Lizé, who had come home with a huge pile of gifts today, hadn’t bothered to unwrap them and was staring blankly out the window.

“You look tired.”

“I guess I pushed myself a little too hard.”

Sitting down in front of Lizé, who responded with a perky smile, Cliff scanned the stack of gifts.

“Killian has been trying to win your favor again today, hasn’t he?”

“It’s not like that. All Killian cares about is Edith, so don’t get that wrong.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I should have just gone out on my own today, I feel like I’ve been bothering Killian for nothing……”

With a tired look on her face, Lizé turned her head again and stared out the window into the darkness.

Cliff wrapped his arms around her from behind and pressed his lips to the nape of her neck.

“Lizé.”

“Yes, Cliff.”

“Do you care about Killian?”

“I care about Killian, and I care about Cliff all the time. I can’t do anything for you, but–”

“You know that’s not what I’m saying. I mean, can I be your one and only?”

His voice was sweet, but there was a hint of obsession and lust in it that Lizé knew he was trying hard to keep from boiling over.

“What do you mean, Cliff? You know very well that I love you.”

“I know. I know but……”

Cliff’s golden eyes grew as cold as moonlight on a winter’s night.

“I want you to trust me completely and rely on me alone, Lizé.”

“I do.”

“No, you don’t. You’re feeling some kind of way toward Killian right now,” Cliff whispered, nibbling at Lizé’s earlobe with his lips.

Lizé shrunk her shoulders in embarrassment, but her expression didn’t change much.

“What are you talking about? Why would I……”

“Sabina. Isn’t it because Killian was so nonchalant even after hearing about Sabina’s story?”

Cliff was referring to the maid who had recently been going around telling the other maids that Edith had tried to kill Lizé.

“Sabina said she saw it with her own two eyes, that Miss Edith poisoned the embroidery thread she gave to me.”

“Why did you not tell me that before?”

“T- that, I don’t know, for she has suddenly disappeared……”

The maid who came to report Sabina’s disappearance insisted that Edith must have had something to do with it.

But before Edith could be suspected, Sabina’s behavior was strange.

She’d kept her mouth shut when they were investigating everything inside and outside the mansion to find the culprit, but now that they’d buried the case, she’d started talking about it.

Furthermore, there were questions about when and where she’d seen it, how she’d known what Edith was putting on it was poison, and how she’d known that the object Edith was putting something on was embroidery thread for Lizé.

“I really don’t understand that maid’s story, why did she just show up out of nowhere and……”

Lizé had confided in Killian about Sabina, but in truth, it was almost impossible for her to do anything without Cliff’s knowledge.

“We don’t even know for sure yet, I’m still investigating the maids around Sabina who said they heard about it……”

Cliff hugged the confused-looking Lizé a little tighter.

“Cliff, I really don’t mind, it’s something I already said I’d cover up, and of course we need to find the maid, but I don’t want to break Killian’s heart by putting the blame on Edith.”

Cliff thought Lizé was firmly heartbroken over Killian.

It didn’t feel good to confirm that Lizé still had a little bit of a crush on Killian, but it would be great if she could definitely take her mind off of him through this process.

“Anyway, what did you do today, Cliff?” Lizé asked, trying to change the subject.

“Did you ever wonder what I do to pass the time?”

“Sure. I couldn’t stop thinking about you the whole time I was out. I would have rather gone out with you.”

“Of course you would, if you were with an indifferent, inconsiderate married man.”

Lizé giggled, her shoulders shaking.

Cliff kissed her on the shoulder and said, “I had a quick tea with my sister-in-law earlier.”

“With Edith?”

Lizé looked up, surprised.

But Cliff kept his lips pressed to her shoulder with a smile and muttered, “I want my brother and sister-in-law to be happy, so I gave her a few suggestions on how to win Killian’s favor……”

“And?”

“Well, whether she’ll try them or not, that’s beyond me.”

Now that it was completely dark outside, the window reflected Lizé and Cliff’s figures.

Their faces were shadowed, but their eyes shone brightly, reflecting the candlelight.

“What did you tell her?”

“That Killian likes to go sailing on the lake. I told her that he enjoys looking at art, but she seemed to have already tried that.”

“Sailing on the lake……”

Lizé was mulling over his words when Cliff added quietly, “Lizé, I exist only for you, and I’ll give you anything you want.”

Lizé looked up at Cliff at the words spoken in a meaningful tone.

He was still wearing that crooked smile.

She studied his eyes, then asked, “Are you sure…… you’ll do it for me?”

“Of course. I’ll always worship you, my spring goddess.”

Cliff lifted Lizé’s hand and kissed the back of it.

Lizé met his gaze, not avoiding his intense stare, and spoke softly, “I love you, Cliff. I want you to look at only me.”

“More than this? It would be a little dangerous……”

With a smirk on his face, Cliff slowly kissed Lizé.

It was a kiss of unidentifiable passion and meaning.

***

Killian even bought me a gift, which gave me a little more courage.

It was such an important change to have him think about me, not just when he could see me, but also when he couldn’t.

‘Okay. I guess it can’t hurt to take Cliff’s recommendation.’

Since Killian was making the effort to find out what I liked, I figured I should make the effort to find out what he liked, too.

I cautiously broached the subject with Killian as we ate.

“Come to think of it, I haven’t even been to Lake Everton this summer.”

“I haven’t been there this year either.”

“I’ve been wanting to try boating on the lake……”

Killian’s eyes lit up as soon as I dropped the bait.

But Killian, who is naturally a bit of a tsundere, is never one to give in right off the bat.

“You say you’ve never been to an opera, but have you ever been on a boat?”

“Yeah. I think I’ve done that a couple of times,” I replied, tracing Edith’s vague memories.

I think she’s been on a boat a few times with men who were courting her, but they always drove the boat to a secluded spot and then touched her slender ankles.

Each time, she’d respond flirtatiously, “I don’t want to be on a boat because I’m scared,” and then she’d extract the information she needed from him and head back to the dock.

To the disappointment of her partners, who were looking forward to a hot night, Edith was promptly picked up by the Riegelhoff knights and taken home.

Killian’s gaze turned cold as she recalled the memory.

“Yes, it’s a popular activity for lovers, as they can be left alone in a confined space.”

Hey, are you jealous again?

No, I appreciate the jealousy, but I don’t know how I’m going to get out of this one.

I need to get the conversation back to the boat.

“It’s not just for lovers. Who doesn’t love to take a boat out on the lake on a nice day? Of course, the small boats are a little scary but……”

“Small boats with oars are dangerous. They can easily lead to accidents. Don’t you know that every year there are accidents in lakes where people fall into the water?”

“Yeah, that’s why I was always so paranoid.”

Killian’s expression became strangely smug as the conversation turned to boats.

“I have a yacht, so I’ve never had an accident like that.”

“A yacht? You have a yacht?”

Apparently, Cliff wasn’t lying when he said Killian liked sailing.

Killian’s eyes lit up and he quickly described the specifications of his yacht.

When, where, and who built it, how luxurious the materials were used, how meticulously it was finished, who had sailed on it, and what accolades it had received.

It was a feast for the eyes, but as I listened, I started to get a little excited.

“Wow…… that’s a yacht I’d really like to go for a ride on.”

“Well…… then…… would you like to go for a ride?”

“Uh? Are you sure?”

Killian pretended to be nonchalant, but he immediately suggested that we go for a ride on the yacht.

I did my best to show how happy I was, and Killian looked very satisfied as he sent a servant to relay the order to the helmsman.

“We’ll go for a ride tomorrow, and tell him to make sure the yacht is in good shape.”

“Yes, sir.”

The servant quickly ran to the helmsman with a brisk demeanor.

At first, I was just trying to win Killian’s favor, but as things progressed, my heart was pounding.

I had never been on a duck boat in my previous life, let alone a Han River cruise ship.

I thought I’d be on a boat crossing the Jordan River when I died, but I never thought I’d be on a yacht here.