Missing Cinderella

“I don’t know.” 

Siella was stunned when she heard the very irresponsible answer coming from Eschert. 

“Right now… did you say you don’t know?” 

“Yes, I didn’t know.” 

Eschert raised his large hand and ran it through his hair after answering. His face seemed to have nothing more to say to her as he looked  down at Siella. 

Siella wanted to strangle the past her when she put her trust to the man in front of her for the last time. She sincerely wanted to if she could. 

“Do you think that should be an answer?” 

After a long time, the best answer he could come up was like this. ‘I don’t know,’ ‘I have no idea,’ those kinds of absurd words. 

“This shouldn’t be something you didn’t know about.” 

Siella lost her temper and ran to Eschert to argue when she found out that the letter was from Kyle. She then passed out. She spent some time with Edwin, who took care of her, after she woke up and she gradually regained her sanity. So she first went back to her room and calmly collected her thoughts. She decided to calmly ask Eschert about the letter and how the letter could have come from Kyle. 

And that is why she came to meet him like this. However… I never thought he would give me such an irresponsible response. 

“This isn’t something you can just say you don’t know and be done with.” 

Confining Kyle in a house located on an island in the south – it was one of the few requirements Siella presented as a condition of extending a contract without a deadline that could end any time. 

“Whether that man had escaped the island or not, you should be aware of his whereabouts.” 

Eschert knew better than anyone else what Kyle had done to Siella. That’s because Eschert was the one who saved Siella from being strangled by Kyle. 

“You shouldn’t evade this situation by giving me such an irresponsible answer like you don’t know.” 

“…” 

“I tell you, at least for now, that you should find out if Kyle got out of the island.” 

Siella had a great shock as if she had been hit hard in the back of her head. She couldn’t have imagined even in her dreams that Eschert would be like this. 

It doesn’t matter whether he had feelings for her or not. It doesn’t matter whether he pity her or have sympathy for her. Even if he doesn’t feel a sense of fidelity although they had been together for such a long time. Eschert is not innocent in this matter. 

Her personal safety against Kyle was one of the clauses she had firmly nailed down since they had agreed to the first contract between the two of them. So this was clearly a breach of their contract. 

“I will give you a week.” With these appalling words, Siella casually threw the letter on Eschert’s chest. “So it would be better for you to know what exactly happened back there.” 

She then passed by Eschert, who was standing still and stiff on the same spot. Coming back to his senses after a while, Eschert looked back but Siella had already gone back to the second floor. 

“Duke….” 

As Eschert was contemplating whether he should go after Siella, a thin and soft voice rang in his ears. 

“Did something happen between you and Miss Siella?”

When he turned his head, he saw Camellia had already gone up and didn’t know when she got this close. Eschert let out a long sigh at the sight of the approaching Camellia and shook his head. 

“No.” He turned his back on Camellia, who was looking at him anxiously, and then bent down to pick up the letter that had fallen on the floor. “Nothing happened.” 

He only glanced down at the crumpled letter for a moment. Without even thinking of reading them, he just folded them and put them inside the pocket of his overcoat. And in the end, he completely forgot about the existence of the letter itself. 

(T/N: I smell something really~ smelly with Camellia, hmm. Another thing, my anger is reaching its limit.)

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

Siella waited. She gave Eschert ample time to make up his mind and kept quite during the grace period without urging him. However, Eschert didn’t take any particular actions during the days she closely watched him. 

A week had quickly passed by. To be more precise, the one-week Siella gave Eschert had passed and two more days since then. 

People from the boutique visit the mansion every day, and as a result, Edwin and Camellia’s clothes are finished. Just as their clothes were finished, the preparations for the banquet were also almost finished. It has been such a long time. 

When Siella came down to check the empty hallway with no sign of the tray of food, she saw Eschert sitting on the sofa as she came down on the first floor. Looking back, it had already been a month since Eschert stayed in the mansion. Thanks to Eschert, who had been always staying at his private residence under the pretext of being busy, this situation felt very new to Siella as she had been living a separate life with him. 

Siella quietly moved her steps to where Eschert was sitting. At that moment when she was about to open her mouth to call Eschert, the door nearby the living room opened, revealing Camellia inside. Camellia was wearing a pure white dress with a hint of blue. Flipping through the papers in his seat with a bored look, Eschert raised his head. 

“It looks good on you.” 

“… Really?” 

It looks like she had been served by attendants inside and even helped her put on makeup, Camellia’s face was livelier than usual. 

“Then, can I wear this dress to the banquet in four days?” 

(T/N: Bold for someone who neither had the qualities to ask someone else’s fiancee [roll eyes].)  

In response to Camellia’s bright smile, Eschert nodded his head with his mouth slightly raised. Siella silently watched as she looked at the two people smiling at each other. When Camellia went back inside the room, Siella resumed her halted steps. 

“Eschert.” 

It wasn’t the affectionate exchange between Eschert and Camellia that pained Siella’s heart a moment ago. 

“Is the banquet in four days?” 

A fine crack formed in Eschert’s face as he looked up at Siella’s question. 

“You didn’t hear it from the Head Butler?” 

He had an expression that he didn’t understand. 

“Yes, I haven’t heard from him,” Siella said calmly. 

The fact that there would be a banquet was something Siella noticed when she saw servants busily walking around the mansion. As always, neither Eschert nor the butler gave her word about that. But that didn’t matter anymore. There was something really important to Siella right at this moment. 

“And as of today, a week has passed since I told you about that.” 

A week and a half had already passed to be more exact, but Siella only said that. 

Eschert didn’t reply for quite some time. Was it because he was speechless? Or maybe he just didn’t feel it was worth talking about. Eschert just stared at Siella with an expression as if telling her he doesn’t understand what she means. 

“It has been a week, Eschert Nocturm.” Siella spoke again. 

Only then did Eschert sighed and got up from his seat. In an instant, Siella raised her head and looked up at Eschert, who was just at her eye level until just a moment ago. Eschert stood still for quite some time and stared at Siella, then opened his mouth moments later. 

“I’ve already sent someone to the island. We will find out something as soon as he contacts me. We will talk again until then.” 

“Did you even read the letter I gave you?” Siella questioned him in an uncharacteristically shar voice. With startled eyes, Eschert shut his mouth. “It was stated in the letter that he would come to see me in fifteen days. That man was kind enough to write the exact date on the letter and sent it.” 

“…” 

Siella could easily tell that Eschert hadn’t read the letter seeing how his face had subtly stiffened. 

“Hah….” 

Swallowing her despondent laugh, Siella wordlessly looked at Eschert for a moment before quietly turning around. 

“I shouldn’t have trusted you.” 

She couldn’t believe that the person she trusted for the last time had changed like this. At this point, Siella began to wonder if she was the problem. Am I the problem, or was it the countless people who continuously betrayed my belief and trust? I really don’t know anything now.    

(T/N: I am at a loss for words. I’m just… speechless….)