When You Turned Your Back On Me, We Became Strangers [EN]: Chapter 10

Turning Away, a Stranger (9)

“Are you deceiving me again?”

“……Reilly, this is a letter from Count Heriond.”

Reilly couldn’t believe it. The letter contained a brief sentence stating Leta had died, along with a declaration that no funeral would be held.

The letter didn’t include Leta’s will. It only expressed brief condolences for Leta’s death and offered sympathy to the Traila family.

“I shouldn’t have sent her… I should have kept her by force!”

Reilly writhed in despair. Her hands trembled, then lost strength. She shook her head in a daze, rereading the letter again and again.

Her eyes blurred with tears, but the words became even clearer. Reilly felt suffocated by complex emotions, including guilt and sorrow.

“Ah… Ah….”

A choked feeling prevented words from escaping her mouth.

Theo, unable to watch any longer, crouched down to meet Reilly’s gaze. His voice, unusually gentle, was tinged with pity.

“Reilly, it’s not your fault.”

You shouldn’t say that to me.

Theo’s detached demeanor ignited anger within her.

If he hadn’t said he loved me, wouldn’t Leta still be alive?

If he hadn’t brought Anna, wouldn’t Leta still be alive?

No. If I hadn’t hidden the crest, if I had given up everything and lived as an imperial knight, Leta wouldn’t have died.

Because of him, I fled home, blinded by Theo’s false words.

All I wanted was to live as Reilly, to indulge in that desire….

“Ah… Ah….”

Reilly couldn’t utter a single word. Her mind was trapped in a loop of what-ifs and denial.

It’s all my fault.

‘…No, no. She said she was okay yesterday.’

Without realizing it, she was rationalizing to escape the pain. She wrapped her arms around herself, disgusted by her own behavior.

Soon, Leta’s face surfaced in her mind, and Reilly tore at her hair, banging her head on the floor.

‘No, no! It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have sent her away just because she said she was okay!’

Leta’s smile from yesterday kept replaying in her mind, along with her sister’s warm voice saying she was fine and her gaunt fingers.

She could still feel Leta’s gentle touch.

“……Reilly. Ah!”

Theo, seeing Reilly’s state, seemed to remember something and approached the desk. Opening a drawer, he retrieved a small hairpin.

It was a butterfly-shaped pin.

Carefully approaching Reilly, Theo took hold of her shoulders and lifted her up. Reilly’s eyes were empty, and her face was streaked with countless tears.

“……She asked me to give this to you.”

“…….”

I wish all of this were a lie. Even if it was a cruel deception to inflict pain, I could have accepted it. Leta’s death was incomprehensible.

But when Theo handed her Leta’s belonging, the truth crashed down, and an unbearable sorrow engulfed her.

Reilly trembled as she grasped the pin, wondering if it was Leta’s keepsake.

‘…Leta, did you leave this for me?’

The design seemed a bit childish for Leta. Reilly clutched the pin and lowered her head. She knew nothing about how her sister had died or what she had suffered.

If the Count killed my sister… what should I do then?

Tears welled up and streamed down her face. Her voice, wet with tears, trembled with sorrow.

As she began to face reality, the choked voice finally broke free.

“……I, I have to go. No, I must go!”

“That is not possible.”

“……Move. Even this time arguing with you is a waste!”

“You won’t be able to see her even if you go. The Traila family didn’t even protest. They received a letter saying to hold the funeral quietly and quickly.”

“……What?”

Reilly staggered, grabbing the wall for support. Her whole body ached, and she felt faint from the shock. She felt pain in her stomach and tried to calm herself, but it was no use.

She didn’t even have the strength to struggle against the overwhelming emotions.

Her mind was consumed with the thought of seeing Leta. She hated Theo, this house, everything that stood in her way.

“……You and Father are insane. Don’t you feel sorry for Leta, who must have been terrified? It was only one day! It took me over a year to see Leta, and now I can’t even be there for my sister’s final journey?”

“You’ve already suffered enough shock. Any more could be dangerous.”

Theo was resolute, unwilling to budge. Reilly stared into his eyes and tried to push him aside by grabbing his collar.

Seeing Reilly’s determination, Theo sighed deeply.

“Then calm down. I will go with you.”

Theo summoned a maid to bring warm water. Supported by the maid, Reilly sat in a chair and drank with difficulty.

Soon, Theo approached Reilly. His voice whispered in her ear, causing Reilly’s eyes to droop.

“Madam, please forgive me. It’s all for our family and for you.”

* * *

I had a long dream. I saw myself as a child, living ordinary days at home, talking with Leta.

Memories flashed by like film: Leta’s bright smile, secretly chatting and stifling laughter in our room, and wiping away Leta’s tears after she fell in the garden.

And memories of laughing and facing an unknown child along with Leta.

‘Leta…….’

I felt my body being pulled downwards, becoming heavy.

The weight pressing down on me made it hard to breathe.

Reilly struggled to open her eyes. Sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating the room.

“Why am I……. Why…….”

Sitting blankly on the bed, Reilly was lost in thought and rose from her seat.

She couldn’t understand why she was sleeping in bed or what this situation was. She had no memory after drinking the water Theo gave her.

‘How could he do this!’

He must have drugged her. At least a day had passed.

‘……Theo.’

Reilly suddenly became calm.

“Ren, proceed as planned.”

“I don’t particularly like it, but if you wish.”

A man called Ren appeared as if answering Reilly’s call.

Eyelids covering black hair and matching red eyes drew a beautiful curve.

Reilly opened the door and went outside, looking for a maid. But no one answered her call.

She searched the kitchen and the rooms, but no one was in sight. She turned to head to the study where the Duke would be.

“Oh, Madam. You’re awake.”

Anna emerged stealthily, as if she had been in the house all along. Her eyes curved with a smile, seemingly delighted.

“…….”

Reilly ignored Anna’s words and approached the stairs leading to the second floor. Anna frowned, displeased that Reilly didn’t respond to her.

“You must be happy these days, aren’t you? The Duke is always by your side.”

Her words were sarcastic, and her eyes followed Reilly with a thorny gaze.

Remembering Leta’s situation, Reilly gripped the railing tightly. The one who hid the letter and drove Leta to the edge of the cliff. If it hadn’t been for her, at least I would have noticed Leta’s situation sooner.

“Do you know how Theo treats me because of the strange things you said to him?”

Anna lashed out at Reilly. She hadn’t seen her all day and asked the maids, who said Reilly was asleep. After Reilly drank the medicine the Duke gave her and fell asleep, the Duke stayed by her side, preventing Anna from even getting close.

The maids all said that the Duke was so attentive, it was like seeing the two of them as they were when Reilly first arrived.

The maids were swayed by the Duke’s attitude. They subtly mocked Anna, saying that Reilly was the Duchess after all.

“How is it? Receiving his love after so long, does it feel like you’ve returned to the past? After saying you’d abandon him!”

Reilly took her foot off the step and turned around. She saw Anna’s eyes full of hostility and her lips tightly pressed as if she felt wronged.

Reilly strode towards Anna and gently stroked Anna’s cheek.

“It seems like you thought it looked good. I have no interest in that kind of love, so you can have it.”

Anna slapped away Reilly’s hand and sneered. She hated Reilly for not craving his love like she did. She also disliked Reilly’s attitude, as if she didn’t care what happened to him.

Being around her made her feel more pathetic. I was the one who took it, so why am I feeling anxious and insecure?

“Hypocrite! You’re secretly enjoying it! Anyway, Theo is the father of your child!”

“Anna, is that all you have to say? Leta left my side because of your jealousy.”

My hands are still trembling like this, but Anna showed no sadness or guilt.

Anger surged within me. But I quickly composed myself and looked at Anna.

“Ha! Isn’t it your fault for marrying her off to such a man? If you knew it and still sent her, then you’re just as bad, abandoned……!”

Reilly reached out and covered Anna’s mouth. Anna’s eyes widened in surprise as she grabbed Reilly’s hand.

“Anna, don’t be impatient. I’ve prepared a big gift for you.”

“Ugh!”

“Of course, there’s no need to thank me.”

Reilly removed her hand from Anna’s mouth, took out a handkerchief, and wiped her hand. Reilly threw the handkerchief on the floor and looked down at Anna with cold eyes.

The day Anna and the maid conspired, Reilly secretly called Bote and Philia in the middle of the night. She handed them paper and told them to write down everything that had happened at the Duke’s residence.

Reilly told the maids that she would tell Theo to send them elsewhere, but that was a lie. Bote and Philia believed Reilly and wrote down everything Anna had done, but they were not introduced to new jobs.

She gave the organized documents to Ren. It was a divorce petition to the Emperor and a document detailing Anna’s misdeeds.

Reilly planned to send the documents to the Imperial Family through Ren. Because the time he could materialize as a knight was not long, he would have to go back and forth several times, but thanks to that, he would be able to handle it without being caught.

She had also contacted the newspaper. If she couldn’t be reached for even a day, the newspaper would proceed as contracted.

Since she had collapsed last night and couldn’t be reached, the newspaper would have started moving as Reilly had requested.

“I’ll ask just in case. Anna, do you have anything?”

“Ha……! What are you suddenly talking about?”

“I thought you wanted this position quickly, so I used the law a little.”

“What, what did you say?”

Anna was startled and asked Reilly. She hadn’t noticed any signs, so when did she contact the outside?

“Don’t be too surprised. It will be on the front page of the newspaper in a few days.”