34
Of course, magical communication devices can't actually transmit mana during a conversation, so it was just a metaphor.
However, Railey sensed something odd in the atmosphere.
'Huh? No way...'
Aidelica continued speaking without noticing the discomfort in her childhood friend's reaction.
"Of course, I planned to explain everything properly later. That's why I…"
As Railey listened to her explanation, she understood the Lady's plan.
She intended to move to the Magic Tower first, securing her safety, and then take the initiative to push forward with another marriage proposal so that the current engagement would never even come to fruition.
Once she was already in talks with someone else, there would be no room for Duke Thosses of the Donovan Kingdom to interfere.
"That's why I concluded that running away was the best course of action."
When Aidelica finished speaking, silence fell over the room.
Everyone was struck by the realization of just how heavy a burden she had been bearing.
The first to break that silence was Paulton.
[Delica. I understand what you're trying to do.]
"….."
[Forget the bet. If that's what you want, I'll help you come here immediately.]
Now that he fully understood her situation, Paulton openly expressed his willingness to protect her.
"…Thank you, Paulton."
[But-]
"But?"
[About the engagement… No, I'll talk to you about that face-to-face later.]
Paulton smoothly changed the subject and got to the main point.
[So, when are you planning to move? I could get you out of there as early as today if needed.]
"For now… I'll need to think about it. Leaving the Grand Duke's estate is really my last resort. I'd hoped to earn some money in the meantime while considering my options…"
[..…]
"I want to first see if there's a peaceful solution. And if there isn't… I'll accept your help then."
[I know how responsible you are. But still, make sure to put yourself first.]
"I will."
As Railey listened to the conversation between the two, she fell into deep thought.
'…Something's off.'
She had begun to notice inconsistencies with the original storyline.
Given the current circumstances, even without her interference, Aidelica likely would have confessed everything to Paulton eventually.
Even if it meant hurting her pride, that wasn't more important than the safety of the Grand Duchy or the Empire.
'But in the original story, Aidelica remained a puppet lady until the moment she died.'
Of course, in the original work, she was a minor character who wasn't given much narrative attention.
However, since her story intersected with a main arc, the political backdrop and her circumstances were explained to some extent.
Hearing about the Kingdom of Donovan brought everything back to memory more clearly.
In the end, Aidelica marries Duke Thosses, and inherits the Grand Duchy title. Just as feared, the marriage is exploited for Donovan's political gain.
In that situation, she's portrayed as a weak and incompetent ruler, just a typical puppet character who hands everything over under pressure.
'And that's how she ultimately got swept up in political turmoil and lost her life.'
But looking at her now, it doesn't seem like her situation had to spiral that far.
Especially now, with her childhood friend Paulton so willing to help her, it wouldn't be hard for her to carry out her plan.
'That's not the only strange thing.'
Unlike what was written in the original story, the real Aidelica she was facing now was rational and intelligent.
She saw through the hidden dangers behind the arranged marriage with her sharp mind.
Yet, in the original story, she was portrayed as a dim-witted fool. Even when she did appear and speak, there was no hint of intellect.
'When I first met her, she seemed immature, so I just assumed she'd grown up that way, ignorant and naïve. I didn't question it much…'
But the truth was, her reckless behavior had reasons behind it, and she didn't seem like someone who'd turn into the dull-witted version from the original.
'Then there's only one possible conclusion.'
For some reason, Aidelica wasn't able to run away and remained a puppet.
And either she was pretending to be foolish on purpose, or something had caused her to truly lose herself and become that way.
"You must be tired of all this talking. Jennifer will probably return soon, so let's head back to the residence."
"Yes, Lady Aidelica."
[Delica. Even if it's late at night, contact me whenever you need. Don't hesitate.]
"I will. Sorry for making you worry."
[Don't apologize. Just let me know as soon as you decide.]
After the call with Paulton ended, Aidelica stood up with a bitter smile and turned to Railey.
"I ended up revealing too much to a third party like you. You must've been quite shocked."
"I… was a bit surprised. I didn't expect you to tell me everything."
"Well, once you caught me sneaking out, there wasn't much point in hiding anything anymore. Even if you tried to use this against me, it would still be my own foolishness to blame."
"That's not it. I'd never think of leaking this information."
Railey wanted to reassure her further, but the two of them had only just met.
It wouldn't be strange if she didn't fully trust her yet.
Aidelica blinked and then made a playful face.
"Well, even if you did blab and my mother found out, locking the place down with tighter security, Paulton would help me escape easily."
'I knew it…'
She seemed strangely relaxed, and now she realized it was because she had someone dependable backing her.
That only made Railey's doubts deepen.
There were clearly many paths Aidelica could've taken, and yet in the original story, she still ended up as the foolish puppet lady.
"Now you see, don't you? I'm not someone with enough power to be considered a 'connection' for you."
".....!"
"I just wanted to let you know that. I'm sorry."
Realizing why she had chosen to reveal everything, Railey swallowed hard.
"But still, your words… made me happy and grateful. That you were honest about wanting to befriend me, and that you were the first to sense there was a deeper reason behind my wanting to run away."
"….."
"Thank you for coming today."
Railey hesitated for a moment, then opened her mouth to speak.
"Um, Lady Aidelica."
"Hm?"
"Even so, I still want to get closer to you… and be someone you can rely on."
"You're a clever girl. You must know that wouldn't benefit you in any way, right?"
Aidelica was going to have to break free from the Grand Duchess's influence, arrange her own marriage, and fight to properly inherit her position as Grand Duke.
But none of that would be easy.
She was still just a young successor without an established faction, while the current Grand Duchess still had a firm grip on power.
Finding a suitable marriage candidate would likely be a difficult process as well.
Getting close to Aidelica, someone caught in the eye of such intense political conflict, wouldn't bring any real gain to the Elestine family, who preferred to stay far away from central political strife.
"Why not? If Your Ladyship rises to power as the Grand Duke, I'd benefit greatly from that, wouldn't I?"
"..…"
"A real friend stands by you in tough times, right? So someday, when I'm in trouble, maybe Your Ladyship will stand by me too?"
"You know, from the moment I first met you, I thought you were quite amusing."
"You're not saying I'm too cheeky to be friends with, are you?"
Railey's playful comment made Aidelica burst into laughter.
It was a silent sign of acceptance.
Railey let out a small sigh of relief on the inside.
The reason she decided to continue building a relationship with Aidelica, even knowing the risks, was because she had calculated that the benefits would outweigh them.
But there was also… another reason.
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
1 Comments
Aww... the cute little ending part!! ♥️
ReplyDelete