Missing Cinderella

“You can go to one of these places right now, if you want.” 

So take your pick. Leonard added, pushing the paper to the center of the table. 

Siella stood for a while, looking worried, and then approached the table. She stood up in front of the table as she glanced at Leonard and finally picked up the paper. 

Leonard patiently waited at Siella as she silently and slowly went through the list. It was a long time after that. Siella and Leonard’s eyes met. 

Making her decision, Siella said in a firm voice, “I’ve decided.” 

Leonard lowered his gaze to where Siella pointed with her index finger as she put down the paper on the table. The place Siella chose was a manor house adjacent to the port. 

Lightly nodding his head at her pick, Leonard looked up at the standing Siella and asked her, “Then when would be a good time to leave?” 

At those words, Siella immediately answered without hesitation, “Tomorrow.” 

“Tomorrow?” 

“I’ve already delayed it for too long, so I want to leave as soon as possible” 

“Alright, then that’s decided.” 

She had no intention of leaving this place as if she was running away. There was no reason for that. However, she doesn’t want to deal with Eschert and argue with him again. Moreover, she was tired of being terrified and trembling at Kyle’s presence, someone who she doesn’t know when to show up. 

“Tomorrow night is alright with me.” 

Siella intended to disappear quietly from here late at night – unnoticed. 

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

After parting ways with Leonard, Siella went straight back to her room and packed her things. She didn’t bring many things with her in the first place, and she didn’t have any additional things after that, so her preparations for leaving were quickly finished. All that was left was to create a situation where Eschert had no choice but to go out tomorrow. 

For the past five years, Eschert had been living in the private residence, so Siella wouldn’t have to go through such trouble if it was still like that now. Eschert didn’t go back to his private residence ever since Edwin’s return, and he didn’t even go out unless it was absolutely necessary. That’s why Siella had to come up with an excuse for him to go out, and she plans to use Camellia for that. 

Siella glanced at the setting sun outside her window and went out of her bedroom. But as she was about to go to meet Camellia, her feet stopped without even taking a single step outside her bedroom. 

Blue flowers were scattered in front of her bedroom, in the hallway. It was a blue rose. As soon as she opened the door, Siella forgot to even breathe, and she froze as the feast of blue color filled her vision. 

She couldn’t believe the sight that was unfolding before her eyes. She wonders if this was a dream or reality, is what she’s seeing now real or not. How is this possible? Was it really possible? 

She felt afraid before she could even ask one realistic question. She felt dizzy. She felt as if the place she was standing completely sunk and collapsed. 

It couldn’t be Kyle. Kyle couldn’t have done this. She thought and tried to calm down, but it was in vain. It was Kyle. This was obviously done by Kyle. 

[“I heard this was expensive. It was also difficult to find. Pretty things are indeed expensive, right?”] 

[“That only means that it suits you.”] 

Siella tightly closed her eyes. Kyle’s voice rang in her ears as she recalled one day when he forced a bouquet of blue roses and laughed. 

‘I should have run away sooner.’ 

I shouldn’t have minded whether Leonard was acting strange or not. I should have just gone out on my own. 

She thought that Kyle wouldn’t be so quick to act in such a crowded place, since most of the guests who attended the banquet were still staying in the annex. It was a foolish thought. Siella couldn’t come back to her senses at all. 

Obsessed with that distant feeling and standing there for a long time, she absent-mindedly stayed rooted to her position. 

“… Noona?” 

It was a boy’s sweet voice that brought Siella, who was in a daze, back to reality. 

“Noona, what’s wrong?” 

Siella turned her stiff head. She then saw the boy coming from the main hall of the mansion, who looked exactly like Demian Nocturm, the former Duke. 

The child asked cautiously, “… What’s wrong? Are you in pain again?” 

Edwin looked at Siella’s complexion with slightly worried eyes. It was an affectionate gaze. It naturally doesn’t have any resemblance to Eschert Nocturm. 

As Edwin moved closer to where Siella was standing, he said, “Are you alright, noona?” 

“…” 

“But what is all this…?” 

Edwin tilted his head as he looked back at the messy petals strewn across the hallway. Siella saw how Edwin bent his body and picked up the petals, and only then did she come back to her senses. 

She had hoped that it wasn’t real, but it was. It wasn’t fantasy or anything, but an undeniable reality. She realized that fact when she saw Edwin playing with the petals. 

“It’s dirty.” 

Siella pulled out a petal from between Edwin’s slender fingers and took it away. As she threw it back to the floor, Edwin widened his eyes and looked at Siella. He had a confused look on his face. 

Siella calmly faced Edwin’s bewildered blue eyes. Because of Eschert’s sudden visit yesterday, she remembered that Edwin had to go back. 

“It’s late, Prince Edwin.” Siella naturally changed the subject. “Shall we move somewhere else for now and talk there?” 

Edwin was still bewildered. But even so, he nodded his head without saying anything and obediently followed as Siella had suggested. That was fortunate. For Siella couldn’t bear to be in the same space where those blue petals were scattered. 

“Noona, you can tell me honestly if you’re feeling sick.” Edwin spoke when the two of them walked down the stairs to the first floor of the mansion. “I am worried that noona is overdoing it and hiding your pain when you’re sick.” 

His words weren’t grammatically correct, but she could clearly read the kind affection on those words. 

“I am alright, thanks to Prince Edwin. It was the same last time and today. “ 

Rather than pointing out Edwin’s wrong grammar, Siella smiled and simply chose to reciprocate the child’s warm words. 

“Thank you.” 

Edwin’s cheeks slightly blushed, and he slowly lowered his gaze. 

Siella led Edwin to the parlor on the first floor of the mansion, a short distance from the central hall. She spent some time with Edwin inside the parlor, and she planned to visit Camellia after. 

“Since mealtime is over, shall we just have a light tea today?” 

As Siella sat down, Edwin looked at her with a sorry gaze and said, “Ah, I promised to visit noona yesterday at lunch today….” Edwin’s expression became quite sullen, feeling apologetic that he couldn’t have a meal with her. “I met with the teachers today and had dessert with Camellia noona…. Noona didn’t leave the room today, so I couldn’t go out either.” 

Siella inadvertently frowned at the mention of Camellia’s name. But as Edwin was only focused on what he wanted to say, he failed to notice the subtle changes in Siella’s expression. 

It took a long time for Edwin to explain why he couldn’t visit Siella at the promised time. It wasn’t until evening that Camellia went out of the bedroom that he could barely get out of the bedroom by himself. 

But Siella didn’t find it boring at all. She sat there in silence as she listened to what Edwin was saying with a pout. Edwin continued more excitedly when he noticed that Siella was in a good mood as she listened to him. And how long has it been? 

“Actually, I went to noona’s room after dinner earlier.” 

Siella paused when she heard Edwin say that they could have met earlier than now. However, as usual, Edwin continued talking without noticing any changes in Siella. 

“But there were guests who came to visit noona first, so I went out for a short walk and came back.” 

“A guest?” 

Siella remembered the feast of blue flowers in the hallway in front of her bedroom that she had witnessed as soon as she came out of her room, which she had been trying hard to forget. It didn’t take long for her to connect the scene that had been stuck to her mind with the existence of the ‘guest’ Edwin had seen. 

“About that guest, did you see his face by any chance?” 

“Yes! Uh… it was the mister I’ve seen a few times in the garden over there….” 

Edwin said as he pointed to the side of the drawing room, beyond the large windows, to the garden that spreads out wide. 

“I saw that mister standing in front of noona’s door.” 

(T/N: Holy cow!)