Chapter 8

“Where are we going, sister?”

Leana rubbed her sleepy eyes. Her pale face and white, chapped lips made the child look even more pitiful. Elena rubbed Leana’s lips with a somehow sorrowful feeling.

“Ouch. That hurts, what are you doing?”

Leana pouted and shook her head. Whether the rattling hired carriage was uncomfortable, Leana kept twisting her body. Then she hugged Elena’s arm tightly and asked.

“Won’t you tell me where we’re going? What about mother?”

“…We’re going somewhere mother can’t find us.”

Elena spoke as coldly as possible. Her gaze toward her sister was more resolute than ever before. Leana blinked her large eyes with a puzzled face. They were blue eyes that looked exactly like Elena’s.

“A place mother doesn’t know? Then we won’t see mother?”

“…Would you hate that?”

Come to think of it, she belatedly realized she had started this without even asking Leana. She had been so busy finishing her translation work, packing their few belongings, and preparing medicine for Leana to take for a while that she hadn’t thought of it.

Elena’s heart raced.

Leana blinked and then shook her head.

“No. Leana likes anywhere sister goes. Sister is coming with me, right? Right?”

Elena nodded with a relieved face. The hired carriage soon stopped. She paid the coachman who had rushed through the dawn roads. The coachman glanced at Elena and Leana and then left again.

“Wow… Where is this place?”

Leana’s world had been limited to the small house in Levonto. This would be the first time in her life seeing such a huge mansion. Elena found Leana with sparkling eyes adorable and stroked her head.

“It’s just like a castle where a princess lives! Why did we come here?”

Leana chattered with an excited face. This was the first time she had looked so excited recently.

Elena put down her bag and crouched down. Then she tidied Leana’s clothing and arranged her hair braided in two parts.

“Leana. Do you remember what sister taught you?”

“Of course! Leana is smart like sister.”

My lovable little sister. Elena kissed the cheek of Leana, who was grinning widely.

“Well, whose sister are you? Don’t forget how to greet people.”

“Okay!”

Leana nodded. Elena straightened her back again and firmly grasped the child’s hand. This was the first door to leap into a new life.

Elena pressed the doorbell of the Presto Count’s house.

---

Hazel pushed up her glasses with her fingertips. On the front page of the newspaper that a diligent delivery person had brought early in the morning, Maxim’s photo was printed.

“Heartless fellow.”

Hazel grumbled. He was too heartless even for being heartless. Even knowing this aunt’s heart that wanted him to stay nearby for a long time, the ruthless Maxim had gone up to Andres. What kind of honey was smeared on that capital of his?

Hazel clicked her tongue briefly.

Seeing that he just went up leaving that woman behind, were they really nothing to each other?

Since Elena’s visit, she had held onto the annoying Maxim and asked several times. What kind of relationship they had, what kind of conversation they shared, when they planned to meet next, how he asked for a date, and so on.

She couldn’t get any answer from Maxim, who sat like a stone without wavering under the bombardment of pouring questions. Then she had to leave hurriedly, pushed by the aide who was watching Maxim’s mood.

After enduring for several days, when she couldn’t stand it anymore and was about to go find Elena, Maxim, who had come out neatly dressed, announced he was returning and added one more thing.

[‘Ah, Elena will come looking for you. Please help that woman. I ask you, aunt.’]

A request, a request! And calling her “that woman”? She had thought he surely wasn’t making any contact, but he had been doing such cunning things. It was very admirable. She could grant such a request a thousand times.

And finally, the guest she had been waiting for came.

“Miss Elena has come with her sister, my lady!”

---

Maxim briefly raised his head from the documents he had been burying his nose in. Maxim, who let out a light sigh, stared ahead. He could see Camellia drinking tea with a stubborn face.

“Aren’t you going back?”

“Let’s eat.”

Camellia said with a cold face. The face looking back at Maxim was shrouded with emotions that couldn’t be described in one word, all tangled together. It was the first face he was seeing since coming up from Levonto.

Maxim frowned and scolded.

“I told you I’m busy. Go back now.”

“Maxim, you might not know about others, but you shouldn’t do this to me.”

Camellia spat out one sentence filled with surging emotions. In Camellia’s cat-like eyes glaring at him, emotions that were hard to carelessly touch had pooled.

Maxim threw his fountain pen onto the desk with a thud.

Maxim, who crossed his arms in front of his chest, said.

“What are you to me? What’s so special about you?”

“Maxim!”

Camellia trembled. The scene of Maxim dancing with another woman in Levonto wouldn’t leave her mind. Until then, Maxim had maintained his position like a lofty dragon.

No one could covet Maxim, and no one could approach Maxim.

What happened in Levonto caused a big stir in social circles. People chattered that Maxim might be thinking of a new woman. That fueled Camellia’s sense of crisis. She glared at Maxim with venomous eyes.

“Would there be a woman as special as me in your life?”

Camellia, who rose eerily from the sofa, approached Maxim.

Click, click.

The sound of her heels created a chilliness beyond ominousness.

Camellia slowly bent her waist. Leaning on Maxim’s desk, she soon moved her lips.

“My sister died because of you. Should you be allowed to be happy?”

At that moment, Maxim’s face hardened to a pale, chilling degree. A silence and coldness that seemed to frost over surged between the two. A cold light pooled in Maxim’s green eyes.

“You’re unhappy when you see me, aren’t you? So wouldn’t I be the most unsuitable for you?”

Every word had bite to it. Maxim let out a sneer. In Camellia’s eyes that stood on end pale, black desire was shrouded.

“Don’t even dream of it, Camellia.”

“Maxim…!”

Maxim stood up from his seat. Camellia smelled like that woman. He felt nauseous enough to vomit. Everything that made up Camellia aroused Maxim’s hatred.

Maxim passed by Camellia and left the room.

Before closing the door, Maxim, who had stopped, scolded coldly.

“Don’t ever come again. It’s disgusting.”

Bang!

Only Camellia remained in the room Maxim had left. Camellia slowly clenched her fists. Her whole body trembled. The dress she had excitedly dressed up in all morning and the makeup she had carefully applied all became useless.

Camellia slowly caught her breath.

“If not sister, then it should be me.”

Camellia muttered.

“That would be right.”

This was Camellia’s true feelings that she had been hiding until now. Even the adults were eager to hush up and bury the past events. But Camellia thought everyone should remember that incident.

More than anyone else, Maxim should!

The passionate and beautiful Rosalynn was Camellia’s light and pride. The day Rosalynn was designated as Maxim’s fiancée, Camellia cried and laughed. She could give way because it was Rosalynn.

She could give up any feelings she had been secretly nurturing toward Maxim. But the beloved Rosalynn died and Maxim survived alone. To Camellia, Maxim was a sinner.

When she saw Maxim, anger and hatred surged, but emotions of similar intensity would also ripple.

Camellia bit her lips tightly.

Her swollen lips were as red as if they would burst.

Her heart, hurt by Maxim’s words, was filled with greed. How dare he try to escape from this yoke alone?

As much as she herself was unhappy and in pain, Maxim should be too.

Camellia also left the room afterward. With a more composed appearance than anyone else.