“Is it true that the youngest miss blamed her cheating on Ronan?”


  It was the first peaceful morning after a long time.

  Leticia was busily moving around the kitchen, she looked embarrassed for a moment before sighing and answering.

  “Yes, that’s right.”


  “Huh, how could she do that?”


  Mary gasped, unable to believe what she was hearing.

  “What the heck is wrong with her? Why did she do that to Ronan?”


  “Well… um… I don’t know either…”


  She wanted to ask her why she had gone to such an extent as well.

  Of course, she knew she wouldn’t learn anything from a selfish person who only thought about themself. In fact, it might only make her feel more disappointed.

  “Thank you for helping Ronan, My Lady.”


  “Mary…”


  “If it weren’t for you, Ronan would have continued to be thought of as a cheater, even though he didn’t even do it.”


  While facing her heartfelt gratitude, Leticia couldn’t hide her distress.

  “I’m ashamed to show my face to you.”


  Her sister was out of her hands, but she still felt bad that she’d harmed others. Leticia felt guilty for not being able to stop her from doing so.

  She’d turn her hard work into cowardly expedience.

  “Don’t say that. I’m just really grateful.”


  “I feel a little relieved to hear that.”


  With Mary’s words, Leticia felt relieved and began to put her wrapped cookies into a basket. Mary was watching from the side, and asked with her head tilted.

  “What are you taking with you?”


  “Oh, this?”


  Leticia held out the basket of cookies to Mary, who stared at it curiously.

  “Pick one.”


  “What?”


  “You can take whichever one you want.”


  Mary hesisted, unsure if she should really take one. Leticia gestured to the cookies again and Mary finally picked one.

  It didn’t look like a normal cookie.

  “I’ve never seen a cookie like this before.”


  “Right? I did it on purpose. I’m trying to make them stand out a bit.”


  “I see.”


  Mary turned the cookie around with a curious look, before she tried to put the cookie in her mouth.

  Leticia smiled and stopped Mary before she could put it in her mouth.

  “That’s not food.”


  “What?”


  “If you break it in half, there’s a note inside.”


  “There’s a note?”


  “Just a little pressure with your hand and it will break.”


  Mary gripped the cookie tightly like Leticia instructed. With a crunching noise, a long note appeared among the cookie crumbs.

  “Oh, there’s really a note.”


  “Hurry up and read it.”


  Leticia’s voice went up slightly in excitement as she spoke, but Mary couldn’t take her eyes off the note.

  ‘The time of heartache has passed, and days of happiness await you.’


  For some reason, the phrase seemed to fit her situation exactly, and it made her smile.

  “What do you think?”


  Leticia asked Mary, as she quietly watched her as she began to bite her lips in nervousness. Mary answered her with a big smile on her face.

  “I think it’s good. It says there are happy days awaiting me. “


  “Really?”


  After hearing Mary’s answer, Leticia sighed in relief.

  “I hope that other people like them too.”


  “What are you planning to do?”


  “I want to go outside and see how other people react to them.”


  Everyone is moving forward with their goals, and she didn’t want to stay still by herself. She hadn’t found what she’s good at and what she would like yet, but she really wanted to make a difference.

  Mary held Leticia’s hand tightly and said with great sincerity.

  “These words are meaningful, and I’m sure you’ll get a good response.”


  “Thank you, Mary.”


  She felt a little more energized because there was someone cheering her on.

  ***

  Leticia has been working diligently since morning. She went to the square with the basket of cookies in her arms.

  Today was when she’d present the cookies she’d baked with the positive notes.

  ‘I hope the reaction is good.’


  The first time she came out, Countess Aster bought them all, so she couldn’t see anyone else’s reaction to them.

  Leticia stared at the people walking around, she shifted from foot to foot with a nervous look. Unfortunately, no one passing-by was interested.

  Leticia needed to attract attention to her cookies but she was not good at talking.

  “Ha…”


  Leticia let out a complicated sigh as she touched the table.

  ‘What did Elle do when she came out?’


  She remembered the day when they went to the square to see people’s reaction to the wishing bracelets. That day, Elle actively showed people her wishing bracelets and drew attention to it.

  ‘I have to be active, too.’


  She tried to smile, but her lips quivered. She lightly pushed at her mouth and cheek, hoping that a touch would make it a little better.

  Then, a large shadow fell over her head.

  As soon as she looked up to see who it was, Leticia froze.

  “Long time no see. It’s difficult to see your face.”


  She rolled her eyes at the sight of someone she hadn’t expected to see, but then sighed with an unsympathetic expression.

  ‘I’m not sure why he’s here…’


  She never thought she’d see Levion in a place like this.

  She felt his purple eyes blatantly staring at her, but Leticia turned her head as if she didn’t care.

  Unconcerned, Levion took a step closer to Leticia.

  “You’re selling strange looking cookies

  He frowned as he took the liberty of picking up one of the wrapped cookies and looking it over. He didn’t know what he was supposed to do with it.

  Levion eventually put it down with a click of his tongue and said.

  “I’ll buy what you have, so give them to me.”


  “What?”


  She didn’t want to be here anymore, so she thought she had misheard him and looked at Levion again.

  He said again, so she understood what he said.

  “I’ll buy it from you, give it all to me.”


  “….”


  “I’m saying I’m going to help you.”


  She was so taken aback that she was speechless for a moment.

  Leticia barely came to her senses, as she said with bewilderment.

  “How is this supposed to help? Did I even ask for your help?”


  “You kept saying that you wouldn’t make any effort to awaken your abilities, and then you got angry when I didn’t help you.”


  “What? What are you talking about…”


  Before Leticia could finish talking, Levion put something down on the table. She heard the clink of metal in the heavy coin purse.

  She could guess what was in the purse, but Leticia hoped it wasn’t what she was thinking it was.

  The words that followed hardened her heart.

  “I think you need money first, so I’ll help you.”


  “….”


  “It’s enough money to get out of that mansion and live on your own.”


  What Levion was trying to give her was gold coins.

  Leticia couldn’t believe it, so she burst into laughter. Levion ignored Leticia’s reaction and continued what he was saying.

  “Then let’s find a way to awaken your ability together.”


  Now that he’d said what he wanted, she was going to ask if he was satisfied. Leticia couldn’t even laugh at the fact that Levion had done this all for himself.

  “You’re not serious, are you?”


  She could feel the coldness deep inside. She was so angry she couldn’t stand it.

  “Did you think I would thank you?”


  “….”


  Seeing that there was no answer coming, everything he’d said so far seemed sincere.

  Leticia managed to calm herself down, and spoke with strength in every word.

  “I never asked for help. In addition, I don’t need this kind of help.”


  “Leticia.”


  “I will not ask you to help me if anything happens.”


  “What? You?”


  Levion continued to try and push the back of gold coins towards Leticia, and looked at her fiercely.

  Leticia faced his gaze head on, instead of avoiding it, and continued.

  “It’s not about making money.”


  If money was the only purpose, she would have never been so nervous or anxious.

  She was only worried about whether her true feelings would come across to other people.

  “I made them because I wanted to make others smile, even just a little bit, after a hard day.”


  He didn’t even care about why she was making these cookies, so he’ll just buy them up or give her money.

  “So I won’t sell them to you.”


  She didn’t want to sell them to someone who didn’t even want them, and even more so, she didn’t want to sell them to Levion.

  Levion sighed furiously at Leticia’s unexpected refusal.

  “You’ve been doing this for a while now.”


  Levion ruffled his hair in irritation and glared at Leticia.

  “How long have we been together? Doesn’t it feel lonely to be called ‘you’.”


  Contrary to his words, the corners of his mouth raise up obliquely, he didn’t look upset at all.

  Leticia gave him a bored look and calmly said.

  “You have no right to talk to me about being lonely.”


  “….”


  She never thought she would ever hear the man in front of her talk about loneliness.

  Levion was speechless with a smile fixed on his face.

  Since they were meeting like this, she had something to say.

  “I hope we don’t see each other like this in the future.”


  “What?”


  “I’m not comfortable around you.”


  Now she could completely let go.

  No, it’s been a long time since she put it so perfectly.

  ***

  “I need you to do something for me.”


  Emil couldn’t stand it anymore. He couldn’t concentrate on his second examination for the Imperial Civil service. He had tried to find out after his first exam, but was forced to leave it for the time being.

  “Give me your orders.”


  The butler spoke as if he would do anything, Emil ordered in a more subdued voice.

  “Find out what’s been happening around my eldest sister, focus on anything bad.”


  “I see.”


  The butler looked more curious than Emil expected.

  He nodded and handed a letter to Emil.

  “This is a letter from Young Master Grace.”


  “Leave it there.”


  He gestured towards the desk, the butler bowed and left the room.

  Emil was left alone in the room, leaned against the chair and rubbed his temples with a tired look on his face.

  ‘There must be something going on since my eldest sister was excommunicated.’


  It reminded him of the gloomy atmosphere around the family.

  He sighed and opened the letter with a letter opener.

  What he read turned his expression stony.

  “….”


  There was a question about whether he knew that Ian had passed the first round of the Imperial Civil Service exam.