âI didnât know that Lady was so knowledgeable in carriages.â
âItâs not like thatâŚâ
Suddenly, I felt like I was on the same level as the young Giuseppe who was crazy about wheels.
I changed the subject.
âAnd, you should call me Sister, not you, you know?â
âHmph! Whatâs with that sister thing. So, when are you going to ride this carriage?â
At that time, Roseanne, who had been watching us silently, said as if she was surprised.
âYou two look pretty close.â
Giuseppe jumped.
âWhat are you talking about, Mother! Iâm not close to her at all!â
âIs that how you should talk to your sister, Giuseppe?â
Giuseppe couldnât stand Roseanneâs words and kept his mouth shut in a sulky manner.
It seemed he didnât want to talk to his sister even if he had to die.
Libby fidgeted with her hands behind her back, then popped out and said.
âThe carriage is so pretty.â
âUh? Ah, yes.â
Hey, I donât think youâve even looked at the carriage since a while ago.
Now that Iâd looked at the carriage, I wanted to go back to my room.
âAt this rate, Iâve done my role as the eldest daughter of the family.â
I said while looking at Raul and Roseanne.
âIâll go back to my room for now. There are still preparations for the opening of the semester.â
âAh, wait!â
Libby, worried that I might leave, reached out and held out a small box.
âItâs nothing special, but itâs a birthday present.â
I was handed a box decorated with small flowers.
â⌠It must have been today.â
It was a scene where Libby belatedly found out about Theresaâs birthday and handed her a present.
In the original story, Theresa, of course, threw it on the floor without even looking at it.
If I did that now, I would be smoothly running to the death route.
âCan I open it now?â
Libby nodded, her head lowered with a red face.
The present was a handmade thread bracelet.
Indeed, the color was pretty and the knot was meticulous, befitting the setting that she was good with her hands.
I put on the bracelet right away.
âPretty. Thank you.â
Roseanne saw me wearing the bracelet obediently and took off her own bracelet.
It was a thin thread bracelet that looked similar to mine.
âHer sincerity is good, but itâs not enough for Squireâs eldest daughter.â
Roseanne took out the clear sky-blue jewel pendant from the thread bracelet and attached it to mine.
âItâs a jewel I brought when I got married, so itâs not as good as jewelry these days, but itâs aquamarine with good quality.â
I stared at the jewel the size of a fingernail.
The clear aquamarine shimmered dazzlingly in the sunlight like a piece of ice in the North Sea.
Theresa didnât share these warm, family anecdotes with them.
There was no such scene in the original.
I felt nauseous.
I felt like I was going to feel emotions that didnât fit my limit.
I was silent for a moment, not knowing how to react.
It was the first time I received a gift containing someoneâs sincerity and history.
Raul frowned as I remained silent.
âShouldnât you say thank you?â
Raoul was especially impatient with Theresaâs rudeness to his wife.
I thought I made a mistake and quickly thanked her.
âThank you. Itâs the first time Iâve received something like this-â
Ah. I closed my lips with a surprised face.
The thoughts that should have been left to rot inside sprung out of my mouth.
âThank you for the gift. Iâm sorry, but I have to go.â
Then I left the spot as if I was running away.
âTheresa!â
I heard a voice calling me from behind, but I didnât look back.
The Constellations kept sending donations nonstop and it was distracting me.
âItâs a toy, Miss Jiwoo.â
It was as if I could hear Ozworldâs sneers in my ears.
It was only for a short while, but I thought maybe this event had happened because I was a person worthy of love.
âI donât even know the subject.â
Libby, who still didnât know how to spend the dukeâs fortune, only did what she could.
Also, Roseanne behaved wisely so that Libbyâs innocent gift would not be reproached.
I knew that.
I didnât grow up being loved, so I found this unusual.
So I knew everything, even the fact that in the end, I would only become more miserable and shabby.
I cut myself down to protect myself. That was the best self-defense Iâd ever learned in my life.
âGasp⌠GaspâŚ.â
When I returned to the room, I was out of breath.
The maids were surprised when they saw me almost running to the room.
âIs something wrong?â
âNo, thereâs nothing wrong.â
Unless they were quite ignorant, they should notice that I wanted to change the subject.
The maids looked at me with perplexed faces, not knowing what to do.
After catching my breath, I checked the room filled with birthday presents from various families.
I needed something to distract me, but I thought this might work well.
âI need to finish my birthday letter reply. Are all the presents organized?â
Eloise, the oldest maid, answered my question.
âI finished organizing the list in the morning. The family name that needs to be checked has been written down.â
I sat at my desk and focused on the documents.
As time passed, my jittery mood gradually subsided.
I was just a possessor.
There was no need to overlap Thereseâs situation with mine.
After repeating that thought several times, I really felt a little better.
âI guess itâs because itâs been a while.â
Hopeful and disappointed, and then I hated myself for expecting it again.
That was my daily routine.
However, it was something I had gradually stopped doing after getting out of the house, so it seemed I felt mild panic after experiencing a similar situation for the first time in a while.
âIt wasnât a big deal, really.â
I checked the gift list in a much lighter mood and stuck out my tongue.
âNo matter how I see it, isnât this thing would never end?â
The maids shook their heads, saying that there were especially many letters on this birthday.
âEveryone was curious about Libbyâs news, so they sent a letter to gather information under the guise of congratulations.â
Because I canceled the birthday party, the nobles were excited.
The beginning of the letter started with a happy birthday, why didnât you throw a party, there seems to be various news in the family, when would we be able to see each other, etc.
The contents were similar enough that I was suspicious everyone had planned it together in advance and written it.
Most of it was taken care of down the line, but there were a few where I had to write the reply myself.
âThe birthday of the upper class is not just a day to enjoy.â
It wasnât just the letters that bothered me.
Ring!
[The Constellation âI love Mikaâ has sponsored 100 coins.]
[Why are you seeing this? lol fcking no fun; Everyone, to Mikaâs broadcast, letâs go.]
As the channel grew and new constellations flowed in, the so-called âaggressorsâ among them began to play havoc.
[Many Constellations frown.]
Ring!
[The Constellation âDoxxerâ has sponsored 1,000 coins.]
[Mikappa came to the silver channel and said that; Is she about to be blocked?]
At the same time as the Constellationâs sponsorship, a system window appeared.
[Channel Manager-Ozworld has blocked the Constellation âI love Mikaâ.]
The aggro referring to other broadcasts was quickly blocked by Ozworld.
He said he was the channel manager but he really did manage it.
I frowned in displeasure.
The aggressors themselves were fine, but they kept confirming Ozworldâs presence.
âI donât want to be aware that the bastard is watching me.â
âLetâs just think about good things. Only good things.â
Letâs think of only good things instead the damn bully who cut down my mood mercilessly just by thinking about him.