6.

Serenity, who had blurted out her true feelings, felt a slight sense of regret. She wondered if she had been too blunt.

She worried that Adele might be upset.

However, Adele, after skillfully tying up Serenity’s hair, spoke in a cheerful tone.

“I respect your preferences, Miss! Now, you’re all set. Shall we go have breakfast?”

While it was a somewhat frosty response, Adele smoothly brushed off Serenity’s words.

Feeling relieved, Serenity gave a faint smile.

‘I keep becoming more considerate.’

As Adele took care of her, Serenity found herself wanting to be considerate of Adele in return, even though their positions were different.

It was true that Clagenn had an impressive network of connections. He knew how to adapt and adjust himself to different situations.

‘…I’m not Julie Liv anymore.’

There was no need for her to follow him around like a shadow. Instead, she could use his connections to meet the best teachers for her.

She didn’t want to lose to anyone in the social circles she would enter as Serenity.

Especially.

Definitely not to Yulia Liv.

One more thing with him.

Clagen was obviously taking the time to meet Serenity, not just for his connections with Yustian Zeros but also to build a friendship with Serenity. After all, Zeros was a connection Clagen needed to maintain.

‘He probably won’t try to make me blush.’

She wanted to see a bit of gold in that smiling face.

It wouldn’t be bad to shoot back with some sharpness at his always kind smile and face.

* * *

Breakfast was to Serenity’s liking. Fresh vegetables and fruits had just come from the estate. The table was laden with juicy fruits like peaches, watermelon, and tangerines, regardless of the season.

With each bite, the mouthful of juice made her salivate again even while eating.

The cream soup, prepared for Serenity, and the freshly baked bread were also delicious. A mouthful of soup, with steam rising, and a bite of the soft, fluffy bread dipped in soup. She had never known that mealtime could be so enjoyable.

After finishing breakfast and returning to her room, Serenity changed into a dress to receive the guests.

The dress, made of smooth fabric, was simple. It was focused on ease of movement, perhaps because it was what she wore when she was lying down.

It was comfortable to move in, but it was distinctly different from the fashionable dresses with puffed sleeves and thick hems.

Adele seemed to know that, as she carefully unfolded the wrinkled dress sleeve before opening the door.

“Miss Cordelia will be going to the shop with you soon.”

“What kind of shop?”

“Bryden’s shop. It seems to be the latest trend among young ladies. Oh, Miss, can I go with you too when you go? I’d like to look around. Of course, I know there will be household chores to catch up on…”

Adele was someone who made an effort to maintain her place.

“Sure, let’s go together.”

But Serenity hoped that Adele would occasionally break free from her constraints.

“Really? I won’t take up too much of your time!”

She couldn’t say no to that.

Smiling, Serenity headed to the living room. As she took her seat, the doctor entered. The same questions and the examination of her condition from before continued.

After the doctor, the priest came in. Finally, it was Dante’s turn. He chose to see Serenity last, as if he didn’t want to be interrupted while talking to her.

Serenity looked at his face when he entered the room. She wasn’t surprised, as she already knew he would come.

“Long time no see. How have you been?”

He began with a polite greeting, but Serenity remembered his attitude from last time, and it felt sarcastic.

Straightening her mouth, Serenity kept her face composed.

“I’m fine.”

“I’ll check your condition.”

Dante didn’t rush. Although examining Serenity’s body was a secondary task, his main job seemed to be finding out about her awakening from her unconscious state.

Serenity didn’t bother to speak.

Just like the last time he came, he reached out his hand. After checking the flow of mana, Dante withdrew his hand. Her condition was unchanged.

Nothing had changed at all.

“Then let’s continue the conversation we couldn’t finish last time…”

“No.”

Serenity interrupted Dante, who was about to continue the conversation while sitting in front of her.

“…Have you thought about it?”

Dante asked, puzzled by her quick response.

Serenity nodded.

She had thought about it more than anyone else. She was afraid she might want to say something at least a little, but that wasn’t the case. His suspicion was understandable, but somehow, it made her feel uneasy.

“Do you think I’m going to lie?”

“I see that I could have made you upset with my words. I’m sorry, that wasn’t my intention.”

Dante apologized obediently.

As he chewed on his lips, Serenity noticed that he looked uneasy.

‘…I thought this was his behavior when he was anxious.’

Serenity was surprised that she couldn’t get any information from him. How close had their relationship been with Julien?

She clenched her fist, recalling Julien’s sharp, if not cruel, last farewell.

“After returning last week, I looked up information about Julie Liv as well. I was curious.”

This was true. She was able to gather information about Julie due to their similar positions.

The objective information about Julie was meager, as if it wouldn’t even fill half a page.

“There was really nothing special about her. She was an orphan from the start. She couldn’t leave the mansion due to her illness, right? She has been lying in bed for over a year.”

These were the facts known to the public.

In the end, Julie, who couldn’t even manifest the mark of elements, couldn’t be officially announced as an heir to the elements. Meetings between Julie and other potential elemental heirs often happened in secret.

One-on-one meetings. The feeling that they were opening up to Julie was perhaps an inevitable illusion.

Serenity couldn’t find much objective information about Julie. The details were limited.

“I really think it was a miracle for me to wake up. I consider waking up to be miraculous because I think miracles don’t happen easily.”

She had learned a lot in just a week, and she wondered if it might be a new chance given to her by God.

A chance to live as Serenity in a normal family, to receive love. A chance to break free from the relentless connection she had with the three people.

Whether it was a short or long time, Serenity felt the urgency.

She didn’t want to go back.

All my life, I don’t want to wake up from this dream, from this reality.

I don’t want to become Julie Liv.

“What are you trying to say?”

Dante pushed up his glasses. Beyond the reflected light, his sharp, sharp eyes were visible.

Serenity saw a different Dante from the one she knew.

“Do you think it’s worth going to such lengths for a magician? She seems like a nobody.”

Serenity refrained from using his name and used a title instead.

She seemed to choke on her words for a moment. It wasn’t clear if she was speaking to Dante or to herself because it was impossible to tell.

Dante frowned.

It was slightly different from his usual scowl.

There was a subtle mixture of annoyance and other emotions. His slightly lowered gaze seemed to avoid direct eye contact.

His wandering gaze eventually settled on Serenity.

Dante firmly said, “That’s enough. You’ve only been awake for a short time. Do you know how annoying it is for me to hear you talk like that?”

Of course, Serenity couldn’t care less.

‘How much does she know?’

He knows very well.

He knows everything, even Julie Liv’s innermost thoughts.

“But I can see things.”

“Don’t talk like that without knowing the situation. If you keep saying things like that outside, you might end up getting slapped.”

Serenity clenched her fists.

Dante, who had extended his arm for a handshake, spoke calmly. His tone was concerned, but it was easy to tell that his words didn’t carry that meaning.

“You won’t need to come visit or ask about this matter in the future. So please don’t concern yourself with my work.”

His negation was refreshing.

Serenity became curious about how much Dante actually knew about Julie. Did he know why Julie had tried to end her life in the first place?

Regardless, the message was clear: Don’t pay any attention to it from now on.

“Yes, I won’t be concerned with it at all from now on. I hope I won’t receive questions like this anymore either.”

“Understood.”

Although there was silence between them, Dante answered.

There wouldn’t be any more involvement between them regarding this issue. It seemed he had planted a negative impression well.

‘I don’t want to be gentle anymore, I just said what I wanted… Well, then, everything we had to do today is done.’

She had no desire to stay in the same room. As Serenity stood up from her seat, Dante collected his bag. Gazing at his still rigid face, Serenity stood in front of the door to see him off.

“Next week will be the last time for the check-up.”

“Then I’ll see you next time. If you have anything else to say, feel free to tell me.”

“No, I didn’t ask you to tell me anything, so it’s not necessary. Well, then, I’ll be on my way. Thank you, Serenity.”

Serenity bid farewell to Dante, and he walked out of the room.

His behavior was no different from the Dante of the past, who only said what he wanted until the end. I don’t know whether I should feel relieved that he hasn’t changed or get angry at his discourteous attitude.

He had escalated the argument even further, saying that I would be slapped if I spoke like that outside. But what was even more astonishing was that Serenity herself was accepting Dante’s anger so naturally. It had already become immune to her.

‘Getting used to this is so scary.’

She chuckled. In Serenity’s view, Dante’s figure grew smaller at the end of the corridor. In an instant, he appeared to be moving away from her as far as possible.