Chapter 158

The young woman went on to share the story of herself and her friend. Born and raised in Rowendel, the two had known each other since childhood, both daughters of baronial houses, often in and out of one another’s homes.

“She was always so pure and delicate… I worried for her constantly.”

Because Dahlia was easily hurt by even the smallest things, Isabel had stayed by her side, protecting her as though she were her own sister.

But as the memories unfurled, her face grew steadily shadowed.

“But I think it started around that time, when Dahlia began distancing herself from me.”

“Lady Lorenheim… distanced herself from you?”

Is she about to bring up the story of the fever?

Evelyn recalled what her subordinate had told her that Dahlia had changed three years ago.

Isabel’s eyes brimmed with sorrow as she swept her trembling hands over her face.

“If only I hadn’t asked her to go on that picnic… none of it would have happened.”

She explained that during their outing, Dahlia had accidentally lost something precious. They searched the lake late into the evening, trying to find the item that had fallen into the water, but in the end, they couldn’t retrieve it. Dahlia, who was consumed by self-blame and a sense of loss, fell severely ill with a fever afterward.  

Evelyn, who had been quietly listening to the woman’s story, cautiously ventured.  

“It must have been something very precious.”

“It was the only keepsake her mother left her.”

“….?”

Evelyn’s pupils flickered with confusion. Hadn’t Dahlia lost her mother’s keepsake during the last hunting festival and recovered it?

What in the world is going on?

Suppressing her startled heart, she clasped her hands tightly together on her lap. Then, after gathering her thoughts, Evelyn asked in a steady voice.

“Are you referring to a tanzanite necklace?”

“Necklace…?”

Isabel tilted her head as if she were hearing about a tanzanite necklace for the first time.  

“The one Lady Lorenheim carried with her every day.”

Evelyn explained further, but the young woman only shook her head, replying with clear bewilderment.

“It seems there’s been a misunderstanding. She had no other keepsake.”

“…Pardon?”

Evelyn’s lips parted slightly for a moment. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. The image of Dahlia, who was overjoyed when she claimed to have found her mother’s keepsake, rose vividly in her mind.

But Isabel continued in a voice filled with conviction.

“I remember it clearly since I was there and saw it myself.”

She explained that five years ago, Dahlia’s family had suffered repeated business failures and their fortunes had crumbled. In the aftermath, she had been forced to surrender all her valuables, including her mother’s keepsake.

Amidst it all, there was one item she managed to secretly hide away: an amethyst brooch. 

“An… amethyst brooch?”

Not a tanzanite necklace?

Evelyn’s mouth felt suddenly dry, parched with unease.

If Isabel’s words were true, then there was only one explanation, which was that the female lead of the original story had lied to her.

“Yes, it seems the shock was too much for her.”  

She recalled how something about Dahlia felt strangely different after her fever broke. At first, she hadn’t even recognized Isabel, but from a certain point on, she began acting aloof and detached. Unlike before, she had become noticeably brighter, facing everything with spirited determination.

“Were there any other changes besides that?”

Isabel fell into thought at her question, then released a soft sigh before continuing.

“It was as though she was watching her own life through the eyes of another.”

“Through another’s eyes?”

“Yes, like someone who already knew how her fate would unfold.”

Isabel explained that Dahlia would often say things that no one could quite understand.

“Nothing will happen. Everything will unfold exactly as I wish.”

What on earth was that supposed to mean?

A tangle of questions twisted through Evelyn’s mind, but the thread that might unravel them remained stubbornly out of reach.

Just as she sank deeper into her silence, Isabel hesitated before finally revealing one more thing.

“There was a time when Dahlia seemed unusually anxious, though I never knew why.”

As if being chased by something, she stayed shut in her room for a while. And then, at last, when she did step outside the manor…

“After that, she devoted herself entirely to religious activities.”