Despite the shock that felt like my head was collapsing, when I opened my eyes, my body was surprisingly fine.
My limbs moved properly, and aside from a tingling sensation in my head and a slight throbbing in my lower abdomen, there wasn’t much discomfort.
“Hoe…”
In front of me, Ruela was lying down with her face flushed red. No, to be precise, my childhood friend was lying there.
I knew she was an evil being. But for some reason, the moment I heard her say she loved me, all reason began to blur.
To the point where I wanted to offer her my soul.
Even though I knew she was bad, she was the friend who stayed by my side when I was struggling, so I told her she could eat my soul…
But then she suddenly started spinning and fainted.
“…I thought she was inside me.”
I gently pressed Ruela’s nose as she slept.
I never imagined that she, who I thought was inside me all this time, was hiding in Ruela’s body.
It felt like she had left me, and I couldn’t help but feel a little sad.
But well, she said she loved me enough to come find me again… so it’s fine, right?
Thump-thump—
Remembering that she loved me made my heart race again. My mind grew hazy, and my body felt hot once more.
‘This is strange, I wasn’t like this before…’
Since that flower burrowed into my head yesterday, something seemed to have changed, but I couldn’t pinpoint what it was.
Leaving my sleeping childhood friend behind, I slowly got up.
A neatly wrapped gift box on the desk caught my eye.
Come to think of it, I was supposed to go to the Empire today. These boxes were gifts I prepared for the people I love.
“I miss Mother…”
I hugged the gift box tightly.
After sitting at the desk, I began writing a letter for my sleeping childhood friend.
If Lillian found out about Ruela’s true identity, she wouldn’t stay still.
Others might call her a devil, but to me, she was a precious friend. And I believed my childhood friend felt the same about me.
I never wanted to lose such a friend.
I whispered softly into the ear of my sleeping childhood friend.
“If you stay quiet… I’ll give you what you want.”
I slipped the letter under her arm and quietly opened the room door to leave.
Grandma Miranda seemed to have already left for the tavern. I had told her I was taking the day off, so she must have gone alone.
Come to think of it, there were some noises last night, and it’s strange that Grandma Miranda didn’t wake up.
My childhood friend must have played some prank in the room. Given her sinister personality, it made sense.
I sat at the dining table in the living room and waited quietly until the clock struck 9.
As the promised time approached, I stepped outside, and a large carriage was waiting in front of the house.
Standing by the carriage door was the person I had been longing to see.
“Lady Viviana!”
“Tina.”
Without hesitation, I ran into her arms. Viviana wrapped her strong arms around me.
“You really came to pick me up… I told you I could go alone.”
“I promised. And it’s dangerous for you to go alone now.”
I had sent a letter saying I’d visit today, and Viviana replied that she would come pick me up herself.
I tried to dissuade her, but I couldn’t break Viviana’s stubbornness.
Either way, thanks to her, I could return to the Empire comfortably, so it wasn’t a bad thing.
“Lady Viviana… I have something for you.”
Before getting into the carriage, I handed her a gift. It was a small black box wrapped with a purple ribbon.
“What’s this?”
“I, I prepared it while thinking of you.”
Viviana’s eyes widened. Her violet eyes shook slightly as she carefully examined the gift box.
“Can I open it now?”
“Yes…”
Viviana unwrapped the box without hesitation. Inside was a luxurious black handkerchief embroidered with intricate patterns. She held it gently in her hand.
“Since you wield your sword often… I thought you might sweat a lot.”
“This embroidery…”
“Ah, that embroidery… I did it myself.”
The crossed sword embroidery. It was a pattern I personally and carefully stitched while thinking of Viviana.
“……”
Viviana silently looked at me. Countless emotions flickered in her violet eyes.
As the silence dragged on, my face grew hot. Suddenly, Viviana reached out and wrapped her arm around my waist, then gently pressed her lips to my forehead.
Mwah—
“Huh?”
“Thank you, Tina. I’ll treasure this gift forever.”
I was stunned. The spot where Viviana’s lips touched my forehead burned as if it had been scorched.
It was just a simple forehead kiss. Between us, it shouldn’t have been a big deal. But strangely, the lingering sensation on my forehead didn’t fade easily.
Why? It was just a simple kiss…
My whole body began to heat up. My brain tingled, and an unknown vibration resonated in my lower abdomen.
It felt similar to when that strange plant burrowed into my head yesterday.
“Tina?”
Perhaps noticing something unusual about my face, Viviana tilted her head slightly and asked with a curious look.
“Uh, let’s go.”
Why is this happening? Why am I so shaken by something like this?
I couldn’t bear Viviana’s gaze any longer. With my burning face lowered, I quickly pushed her into the carriage.
Maybe the wind from the moving carriage would calm me down a bit.
As I sat across from Viviana, the carriage slowly began to move.
Despite the poor condition of Rachel Village’s roads, the large carriage was surprisingly steady.
I slightly opened the window and took in the outside air. The cool breeze felt comforting for a moment, but the heat rising inside me didn’t subside easily.
“Tina, are you okay? Your face is red.”
“It’s nothing.”
It’s something.
I tried to act calm, but my reflection in the window was still flushed red.
I couldn’t even meet Viviana’s eyes properly. Even her soft breaths stimulated my body.
That flower from yesterday must have done something. There’s no way I’d be like this otherwise.
Of course, Viviana is close to my ideal type from my past life, and seeing her well-defined muscles makes my heart race…!
But I was never this embarrassed before.
While lost in my own torment, Viviana placed her hand on my forehead. Her cold palm gently brushed over my forehead.
After touching my forehead a few times, she looked at me with a deep gaze.
“Tina, you should rest when we get back.”
“Huh? Why…? I’m fine…”
“You’ve caught a cold. You’re running a fever like this, where do you think you’re going?”
“I, I don’t have a cold.”
“Tina.”
Viviana continued in a soft but firm voice.
“I’ve said it before, but you’re my top priority. I can’t let you wander around in this state.”
Her tone was resolute, but it carried a warm affection. This was Viviana’s special kindness.
“Why… do you worry about me so much?”
I couldn’t help but ask. No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t understand why someone like Viviana would care about someone as insignificant as me.
“I think I’ve told you before.”
Despite it being a potentially annoying question, she answered calmly with a loving smile.
“Tina, because I love you.”
Love.
That single word threw my mind into disarray.
“You’ve become someone I can’t live without.”
Her straightforward confession made my whole body tense. I could barely even breathe.
“So Tina, please… take care of yourself.”
Her warm voice pierced deep into my heart. My breathing grew rougher, and my mind grew hazier.
“…Tina?”
Viviana’s worried violet eyes stared at me. But unfortunately, her words didn’t reach me properly.
My mind was already overloaded.
And it was filled with just one thought.
‘Lady Viviana said she loves me, Lady Viviana said she loves me, Lady Viviana said she loves me, Lady Viviana said she loves me, Lady Viviana said she loves me, Lady Viviana said she loves me, Lady Viviana said she loves me, Lady Viviana said she loves me…!’
I couldn’t stop my trembling waist.
Was this a hallucination?
Suddenly, I saw a heart-shaped line in my reflection in the window.
No matter how much I tried to calm my heart, every effort was in vain when I looked into Viviana’s beautiful eyes.
Ah, I don’t even know anymore…
I’ve come to like Lady Viviana so much…
“Lady Viviana…”
I got up and moved closer to her, and Viviana’s eyes widened in surprise.
I spread my legs wide and sat on her lap.
“Ti, Tina?”
Viviana looked flustered, not knowing what to do, but she firmly held my waist.
She was being considerate, making sure I wouldn’t fall backward.
‘Lady Viviana is kind, I like her, she’s strong, I like her so much, I love her, I love her. Love me more, love me more.’
I buried my face in Viviana’s neck and tightly hugged her waist.
“Ti, Tina… ah…”
Every time my breath brushed Viviana’s neck, her body trembled slightly.
I looked up at Viviana.
The expression reflected in her eyes was anything but normal.
But this wasn’t my fault.
It was Viviana’s fault for loving me so much.
I became like this because Lady Viviana is so amazing…
Exhaling a heated breath, I pressed my lips to Viviana’s ear.
“Thank you for coming all this way to get me… You must be tired…?”
Rubbing my trembling waist against her legs, I whispered softly into her ear.
“Can I… serve your tired body a little…?”
At my whispered words.
Viviana’s eyes began to shake violently.
