âItâs not about trying to clear up the story, not the reason you told me before, but the real reason.â
âYou didnât even mean to accept the invitation. Lady Alice Limorand disappeared as soon as she handed over the invitation, and Lord Claymore sent a reply of refusal. And you didnât come.â
âIs that my fault?â
âI feel guilty for inviting you. You donât even have to pretend to be sick if I donât invite you, do you? Thatâs what I came here thinking, but Iâm embarrassed that you really didnât look well .â
As he said so, Nocton frowned his forehead and moved his fingertips.
Maybe he really thinks itâs an excuse.
I guess it sounds naive to say that on the day we were invited to a tea party of someone we want to avaid, we couldnât go out because weâre not well.
But now it didnât matter what he thought.
Nocton Edgarâs suspicion is inescapable.
If he hadnât suspected me, he wouldnât have come to the Marquis and hypnotize Sadie.
However, I was facing Nocton, it was difficult for me to endurse this conversation while my heart was pounding,
Fear-stricken, the past Roa Valrose, who believed that Nocton Edgar was not evil, probably her friend, popped out of me.
With all the affection left behind, with nothing but hatred, injustice and anger.
âYouâre saying that now?â
What do you mean you want it to work out as you
wish.
Whether the original story was true or not, even though I recall what had actually happened, I could not say such a thing.
It shouldnât have come out.
It was unknown whether was brainwashed or not, but I headed to the Dukeâs residence like his toy.
I was tested, ridiculed even though I thought he was my friend, and he widened our distance everytime I tried to get a little closer.
Even if not every moment, I have lived under Nocton.
No matter how many times Iâve been rejected and hurt, I visited him and stayed with him, and I didnât know if it was because of the brainwashing or not.
Everything was done according to Noctonâs will, to his wish.
âIf anyone hears you, they will think you lived by me. I donât think you have any memories of the old days with that smart head of yours. Or did you erase it because it was nothing?â
Nocton Edgar looked down at me with a pleased smile for the first time today.
Heaven forbid that I should be happy because my stomach is turned upside down and Iâm upset because it was such a Noctonâs smile.
âAs you say. You were the one who matched it.â
âIs that my fault?â
âHow could it be your fault, my dear Valrose, it was wrong from the start. Everything.â
He whispered in a cracked voice and lifted his bowed waist.
Then, he turned away.
From earlier on, Nocton Edgar has been selfish.
He just said what he wanted to say and didnât even listen to me.
It used to be that way, but it has been more and more these days, and today he even ignored my anger.
Having cut off the conversation, Norton calmly walked as if he had not brought up such a topic from the beginning.
The sound of his feet rang as if half eaten on the carpet.
I glared hard at his back.
Whether or not Nocton knew it, Nocton took over the robe that was hanging over the knightâs arm.
It seemed that he was about to return, but because of that, his intention was further unknown.
I opened my mouth to vent my broken anger.
But a little earlier than that.
âI donât know if I can reach Alice Limorand, but I wasnât thinking about getting engaged from the start. Itâs also good for her to come to the capital. However, If she wants to stay in Ernhardt, I donât mind her staying there for the rest of her life.â
Noctonâs words splashed cold water to me again.
Does he know Alice is in Ernhardt?
The fact that Alice was under surveillance was a clear fact that I had heard it myself from his own mouth.
Unfortunately, after warning me about Nocton, Alice headed to Ernhardt, so I couldnât tell her the truth.
However, I couldnât imagine that Alice, who had spoken about Nocton so frightened, had neglected her vigilance as she headed for Ernhardt.
Since Duke Limorand was a thorough person, he must have prepared the journey to Ernhardt much more secretive than usual so that bad news about his daughter wouldnât come out.
Although they have informed me of Aliceâs whereabouts, it is because I know her since childhood.
Maybe there is someone planted by Nocton in Limorand.
If itâs notâŚ.
No, come to think of it, there was someone by my side who knew Aliceâs whereabouts.
âI think Lady Alice Limorand is not feeling well. Sheâs been taking a rest in Ernhardt for a while.â
âThe ladyâs destination is a secret, so she told me to tell you privately. I think thatâs what Lady Alice ordered before she left.â
No way.
I stared blankly at Nocton, who was ready to go back.
âThen, Valrose.â
âHow did you know Alice was there?â
My vacant mouth threw a question without realizing it.
However, it was obvious that he would not answer with these words.
I pressed the reason that I should not let out the fact that I knew, and I asked again.
âYou, Sadie, you brainwashed my maid?â
Silence weighed down the air heavier than ever.
In a quiet space where the sound of the movement could be heard clearly, the sigh of the young man also reverberated louder than ever.
A sigh, vomited in the air, coldly clings to my flesh.
I want to miss the reason, who came back belatedly, but I couldnât turn back the time.
Noctonâs head, which was headed for the door, returned to me.
His face was not a bit bright.
âItâs different from brainwashing. Itâs a long-term concept, so it would be better to say hypnosis.â
âThat meansâŚ.â
âYou know that, right? That day, the day you were terrified. You didnât shiver for no reason, Valrose.â
Thatâs as straightforward as I say.
My head was blank as if I had been beaten.
I wasnât as angry as I was a while ago, nor was I as scared as I was before.
I donât know what Nocton is thinking, and I donât know what to say.
Is it because I heard an unexpected answer or did I not want to recognize the situation?
The moments when I was worried, suspicious, and afraid of him, but still tried to believe in Nocton collapsed in vain.
The moment I knew what kind of novel <
He and Alice
> was, it might not be a big deal, because a decade had collapsed.
Now I canât even understand why I was talking to Nocton.
I donât even know what heâs trying to do with me.
If Nocton was convinced that I knew his secret, why didnât he do anything to me?
I donât know. I donât know anything.
My head was blank and I didnât even have the energy to think.
âBut it was only then. You wouldnât believe what I said, but Iâll say it again anyway.â
He grimaced his eyes and covered his face with his hands.
The neck moved as if it were holding something back.
The image reminded me of the item that Nocton had brought, and I turned to the table.
On it was still a bottle with a tight lid.
A glass bottle of blue holy water. A huge gift that would have been considered a favor if someone else had brought it.
Something that confuses me.
âI never spied on you. And in the futureâŚ.â
At that time, the sound knocking on the drawing roomâs door interrupted Noctonâs words.
The door opened.
âMy lady, I apologize for coming in during the talk. Another guest is looking for you.â
It was Carissa, in charge of the butlerâs job on behalf of Duvel, who is probating like me.