Chapter 58

Before long, the morning sunlight seeped into the room.

Lying in bed, Cynthia shivered and shook off the chill, then instinctively turned toward the warmth she felt nearby.

“Oh, it’s warm.”

She reached out toward the source of warmth, feeling it over—then her eyes snapped open.

It was because a large, warm hand had caught hers.

“Where exactly are you touching?”

Cynthia opened her mouth silently the moment she realized Massera was lying in bed with her.

To make matters worse, the hard surface she’d been groping was his chest.

Knock knock—

At that moment, a knock sounded along with a maid’s voice.

“May I come in?”

Massera, undoing his neatly buttoned shirt with one hand, looked over at Cynthia.

“Let’s at least pretend for now.”

“Pretend I was feeling you up?”

“...”

Massera, giving her a look of disbelief, pulled up the strap of her slip that had fallen off her shoulder and covered her with the blanket.

“Come in.”

At Massera’s words, the door clicked open and the maid entered.

“I brought the laundry and morning tea... should I come back later?”

The maid blushed faintly upon seeing Massera’s disheveled shirt and Cynthia wrapped up in the blanket.

“You can just leave it there. Thanks.”

Cynthia simply waved her hand dismissively.

“Yes, and don’t forget about the luncheon hosted by General Izak today...”

The maid stammered through her words and left the room.

Massera, watching the door close, got up from bed.

“I’ll go wash up.”

‘Is he going to get ready here?’

Seeing him head for the bathroom, Cynthia hurriedly grabbed new clothes and headed to the other bathroom.

After finishing her bath, Cynthia looked at Massera, who had already changed.

‘Why is his tie crooked?’

His tie, usually perfectly knotted, was oddly crooked today.

“Geez, did you tie it in a hurry?”

Massera instinctively dodged when Cynthia reached out to him, but then leaned his upper body toward her again.

Perhaps she had changed her bath products—her glossy white hair now carried a fresh rose scent.

“There. All done.”

Her small hands deftly straightened his tie and gave it a few gentle pats.

“Thank you.”

After expressing his gratitude, Massera recalled the bare hand of hers he had held earlier.

He had heard that noble ladies' hands were supposed to be soft and smooth like a baby's, so why were hers rough and blemished?

Is that why she always wears gloves?

Massera glanced down at his own callused hands, then looked back up.

For some reason, he didn’t want to question her.

***

At lunchtime, they attended a social party held at General Izak’s villa.

Since General Izak held significant influence within the military, many officers and their wives had gathered.

“Oh my, Lady Vicente. It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

“I heard you recently became a company head. That’s truly impressive.”

The ladies approached Cynthia with warm greetings—it was their way of ensuring they'd be invited to her future social events.

Cynthia smiled sweetly at them and asked—

“Did you enjoy the macarons?”

“Pardon? What macarons?”

Beyond the puzzled ladies, the officers who had once received macarons from Cynthia began to panic.

She had given them to be shared with their wives, but they had scoffed at the meager gift and thrown them away.

The officers gave their wives subtle looks.

“Oh, of course! They were absolutely delicious!”

One of the ladies, quick to catch on to her husband’s cue, responded smoothly.

“Which flavor did you like best?”

But at Cynthia’s sharp question, she was left speechless.

Just then, one of the ladies who had actually received the macarons appeared.

“They were from that famous dessert shop, weren’t they? I really love them. I was wondering why my husband brought dessert home, but then he told me it was a gift from you, Your Highness.”

The others tried to use her response as a hint to pretend they’d also received macarons—but the most important detail, the name of the shop, wasn’t mentioned.

‘A famous dessert shop? Which one...?’

Saying the wrong name could backfire badly.

Cynthia silently memorized the faces and names of those who had actually received the gift.

In fact, it had all been part of her plan from the moment she bought the macarons.

Just then, Helene’s voice rang out, carrying its usual air of elegance.

“Oh my, Cynthia. Did you hand out snacks to the officers?”

Her husband, the Duke, often interacted with military officials as well, so it seemed they had both attended the event.

“It’s customary to give valuable gifts first. You didn’t know that, did you? How innocent of you.”

With a single remark, she painted Cynthia as ignorant.

Seeing several people nod in agreement, Cynthia responded with a question of her own.

“Isn’t it a waste to just give everyone expensive gifts?”

“Calling it a waste to take care of the officers? If you’re short on funds, I can help you.”

Cynthia smiled slyly and shook her head.

“I’ll take care of them just fine on my own. But only the ones I’ve chosen carefully as my people.”

Seeing Helene’s expression stiffen slightly, she added—

“You want me to treat someone insincere the same as someone sincere? That’s what’s unfair. Expensive gifts can buy someone off, but they can’t weed them out.”

At that, Helene let out a laugh.

‘There’s nothing in Nox anyway. Look at her—clinging on to something that isn’t even certain.’

Recently, the ducal house had been funding development in the Diez region. Once the results were out, how would Cynthia take responsibility then?

“Yes, my younger sister is very wise indeed.”

Helene spoke in a composed tone.

A maid who could be discarded any time she’s no longer useful—let’s see how long she can stay so full of herself.

‘That’s why I prepared a little gift.’

Helene smiled sweetly and pointed somewhere.

“Cynthia, our eldest brother is here too.”

Cynthia looked in the direction she was pointing, and there stood Carlos, meeting her red eyes.

He smiled brightly and waved his hand.

“It’s been a while, my dear sisters.”

Helene, still expressionless, leaned in and whispered softly to Cynthia.

"Smile—we’re technically family, after all. He’ll be in the capital for a while. There’s even talk of him marrying the Prime Minister’s daughter.

If it had been the old Cynthia who once liked him, she would’ve been quite shocked to hear that—

—but the current Cynthia just thought, “So what?”

‘He must’ve come here to get in my head.’

Standing next to Carlos was a woman who had come with him as his partner—a beautiful woman with luscious blonde hair and blue eyes.

“Greetings, Your Highnesses. I’m Valeria Eldrin.”

Valeria greeted both Helene and Cynthia warmly.

Seeing Cynthia’s polite smile, Helene set the stage with her next words.

“Our youngest used to be so fond of our eldest brother. I wonder if she’s feeling jealous now.”

Carlos approached Cynthia and wrapped his arm around her shoulder with a kind smile.

“Cindy, your big brother has to get married too. You’ll understand, right?”

Cynthia was completely dumbfounded.

‘So they’re trying to stage something weird? Fine. I’ll make it real then.’

Cynthia wrapped her arms tightly around Helene’s waist and rubbed her cheek against her shoulder.

“I like Sister Helene. Isn’t it obvious I came to the capital just to follow her?”

She was reenacting the very tactic that used to make her sister from her past life recoil in horror.

“U-Ugh, why are you acting so gross?”

Helene tried to push Cynthia off, appalled, but Cynthia muttered like a clear-eyed madwoman.

“There was a time I wished we’d be the only two left in the world... I believed you were mine forever, and even performed a blood ritual alone... Why would you leave me and marry another man? You traitor.”

“Are you crazy?”

Helene backed away, flustered, drawing her hands in defensively.

Lady Valeria looked slightly frightened as well.

Just then, Massera returned after finishing a conversation with some officers. Cynthia hurried to his side and clung to him.

“Betrayed by the sister I loved so dearly, I turned my obsessive attachment to the General.”

“...?”

Massera blinked in confusion and looked down at Cynthia.

Cynthia narrowed her eyes and whispered softly.

“Hug me.”

“What...?”

“I said hug me. Strongly.”

At her firm command, Massera found himself pulling her into an embrace.

Firmly held in Massera’s arms, Cynthia turned back to look at Carlos.

“Lady Valeria and Brother Carlos look so good together. I wish you two a happy marriage!”

Carlos, expecting Cynthia to waver even for a moment, felt his expression gradually harden.