Chapter 114
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115.
Lily's eyes landed on an adorable rabbit-shaped desk clock as she busily gathered items for the picnic.
The clock's hands had already reached three o'clock.
"Josephine!"
Having checked the time, Lily called out to Josephine and scurried toward the window.
Josephine quickly brought over a chair and opened the window wide.
The autumn breeze tickled Lily's small nose.
Lily rested her arms on the windowsill in a practiced motion and gazed down at the Garden.
For the next several dozen minutes, she would remain in that exact same position.
Josephine gently stroked Lily's hair as she gazed distractedly outside, then quietly excused herself to attend to her duties.
Not interfering was actually the best way to help Lily.
Ever since the new Duchess had arrived, Lily had been eagerly awaiting three o'clock in the afternoon.
At three o'clock, Rebecca would invariably venture out for a stroll in the Garden.
Julian watched with keen attention, monitoring whether Rebecca took her walk.
He was strict about Rebecca's health above all else.
Rebecca had no choice but to rouse her weary body at the appointed hours, no matter how urgent her affairs might be.
"Today she's wearing a sky-blue velvet dress. That butterfly ornament in her hair matches it perfectly!"
Lily swung her feet, which didn't quite reach the floor, and peered at Rebecca through a telescope, examining her from every angle.
In fact, Lily had met her before she came here as the Duchess.
That day had been Rebecca's first visit to the Duke's Castle.
At that time, Lily had been deeply absorbed in an escape game where she would sneak out of her room.
There wasn't much to do for entertainment at the Duke's Castle.
Though Julian bought her rare toys every month, there was no one her own age to play with.
Playing with her governess or the maids had its limits.
They did their best, but from an adult's perspective, they couldn't keep pace with a child's boundless imagination.
So Lily devised games of her own.
She would make ropes and escape through windows, or hide among the laundry and slip out of the Separate Quarters.
And when Josephine came searching for her with a pale face, it felt just like playing hide-and-seek, which delighted her.
She usually attempted her escapes late at night.
But that day, the Duke's Castle was unusually bustling.
When Josephine told her about the mysterious guest, Lily's heart raced with curiosity, something she hadn't felt in a long time.
She eventually managed to escape the Separate Quarters shortly after dinner time.
Having hidden herself in a toy box destined for the Orphanage, Lily slipped out of the Separate Quarters and made her way straight to the Garden.
She'd heard that the mysterious guest had even dined at the Duke's Castle.
Based on her analysis of previous guest visits, Lily had concluded that her brother and guests would take a walk after dinner.
Thinking she would confirm the guest's face at that moment, Lily concealed herself in the bushes.
The question was which garden they would stroll through, but this posed no real problem for Lily.
Lily had tied strings of different colors to each entrance of the three gardens.
And all the strings led back to the Rose Garden, the first garden where Lily now stood.
Julian had discovered the strings, but thinking they were merely Lily's prank, he left them intact rather than cutting them.
Being a child had its conveniences at times like this.
Though confined, Lily had received an education far superior to her peers.
At merely eleven years old, her knowledge surpassed that of children two or three years her senior.
Lily had inherited her mother's brilliant mind—the woman who had dreamed of becoming a scholar.
The suffocating wait continued.
Just as I fought to keep my drooping eyes open, the green thread began to tremble. Simultaneously, the blue thread moved as well.
One connected to the Training Ground through the Maze Garden, and the other to the Garden of Eternal Light.
Faced with two choices, Lily tugged at her cotton-candy-pink hair in frustration.
'When guests arrive, I do frequent the Garden of Eternal Light....'
The Garden of Eternal Light housed Lux flowers that bloomed year-round, crafted through alchemy.
More akin to carved magical stone than an actual flower, the Lux blooms emitted a brilliant radiance when night fell, making them perfectly suited to captivate the guests' attention.
But today, the Maze Garden called to me. Somehow, I felt compelled to go there.
After deliberating a moment longer, Lily finally made her way toward the Maze Garden.
"Where on earth is this place...."
And her judgment proved remarkably sound.
A lost guest was wandering through the Maze Garden.
"Over here! Over here! I know the way well!"
After confirming that neither Julian nor any other servants were nearby, Lily quickly burst from the bushes.
The woman in the black veil paused, regarding the girl who had suddenly appeared.
The girl's fluffy pink hair was hopelessly tangled with leaves, and dirt smudged the bridge of her nose.
Rebecca tilted her head at the sight of a girl who seemed anything but demure.
'Is she an employee's daughter?'
Yet the dress the girl wore was far too refined for a commoner to don.
Rebecca narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing the lustrous fabric of the elegant gown.
Lily rubbed her dirt-covered hands against her skirt to clean them, then extended her small hand to Rebecca.
"My name is Lily!"
Rebecca froze at those words.
'Poor Miss Lily, how unfortunate that she was born a boy....'
Croa's murmur from my previous life brushed past my ears.
It seemed the charming girl before me was indeed Julian's younger sister.
Rebecca observed Lily with meticulous care.
Remarkably, Lily bore almost no resemblance to Julian whatsoever.
Unlike Julian's sharp, piercing gaze, Lily blinked with large, round eyes like a rabbit's.
While her brother possessed bold, distinct features, Lily's face was better described as compact and delicate, like a smooth pebble.
In no aspect of her appearance could I discern any trace of Julian.
Yet only in the brilliance that sparkled in her eyes did she resemble him so perfectly that Rebecca found herself smiling without realizing it.
"My name is Rebecca."
"Rebecca.... Then may I call you Becky?"
The child immediately adopted Rebecca's nickname.
Rebecca was quite taken aback by Lily's unguarded familiarity, despite not even knowing her face.
'I thought she'd be cautious after being confined for so long, but...'
She was actually less shy than girls her own age.
Lily added her explanation with a slightly dejected tone.
"It's just that I can't tell you my real name either. Everyone calls me by my nickname. So it's only fair if I call you by yours too, right?"
Her real name? Lily was a nickname?
Though many questions arose, Rebecca couldn't press the child who was watching her expression so carefully.
"Of course. Call me whatever feels natural."
"Great! Then Becky! I'll help you find your way out of here!"
Lily proved to be an excellent guide. She navigated the Maze Garden as though it lay in the palm of her hand, every path transparent to her.
"This way! If we go this direction, we'll reach the Training Ground. Once we find that, getting back to the castle should be easy."
This was her first time meeting an outsider besides her tutor.
Lily's eyes sparkled with vitality as she broke into a radiant smile.
Wondering what face might be hidden beneath that black veil, Lily safely guided her mysterious guest out of the Maze Garden.
Rebecca thought the bouncing girl resembled a squirrel.
"I was right, wasn't I?"
The open dirt ground of the Training Ground came into view.
Lily placed her hands triumphantly on her hips and looked at Rebecca.
"If you follow that path, you'll reach the castle in no time."
The shortcut through the Training Ground that Lily indicated led directly back to the main castle, just as she'd said.
In the distance, Julian's voice called out her name.
Hearing it too, Lily's voice became noticeably deflated.
"You have to go now, don't you? It's alright. Even though it was brief, I had fun!"
Rebecca's eyes alternated between the direction of Julian's call and Lily.
Lily was smiling, but she avoided Rebecca's gaze and absently scraped at the dirt with her toes.
It was the first time Rebecca realized a child could smile with such bitterness.
"If you have a moment, perhaps we could stay a little longer."
"Really?"
"Would you show me around? This is the most impressive Training Ground I've ever seen."
Though Training Grounds were largely the same everywhere, Rebecca realized she'd made the right choice when she saw Lily's face brighten noticeably.
Rebecca strolled slowly through the spacious Training Ground, listening to Lily's enthusiastic explanations.
"We practice swordplay here. You have no idea how fun it is to strike down these straw dummies."
"My, Lily knows how to use a sword?"
"My brother said I should at least be able to protect myself. It would be nice if he taught me directly, but..."
"A brother? Lily has a brother?"
Rebecca asked as though she didn't know Lily's identity.
Lily gasped and covered her mouth, flailing her limbs.
"I, it's..."
But then she realized that having a brother was something ordinary children had too, and she nodded.
Rebecca suddenly found herself curious about what Julian was like as an older brother.
"What kind of person is your brother? I've always wished I had one, so whenever I see someone with a brother, I'm always envious and curious."
"My brother? He's the most wonderful person in the world! He's so handsome and tall. Incredibly strong! I secretly watched him spar with the knights once, and it was truly amazing! And he brings me so many delicious things! Of course, we don't eat together very often, but I know they're from him because he gives them to me. And my brother also...."
Lily rattled off praise for Julian without pause.
Rebecca watched Lily with quiet affection, her mouth moving ceaselessly like a rabbit munching carrots.
Lily's cheeks flushed as Rebecca listened to her with genuine sincerity.
She had long since realized that whenever she spoke of Julian, Josephine and the Maids would wear expressions of "here we go again" and listen to her only out of obligation.
Children starved of affection develop an uncanny perceptiveness.
Though Lily knew they found her stories tedious, she could not help but continue speaking of her brother.
She was always hungry for conversation.
Yet she was forbidden from sharing information about herself with tutors or outsiders.
Because of this, only Josephine and a handful of Maids would listen to her.
The Runaway Countess Returns
E-book Publication
January 12, 2022
Author
Ginnambahaneul
Publisher
Desert Fox
Published by
Woongjin ThinkBig Co., Ltd.
Submission Inquiry
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Blog
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@wjt_fennecfox
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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