Please Support My Revenge - Chapter 56

Aina was too stunned to say anything. Her lips trembled as if trying to utter something, but no words came out.

A single tear fell from Aina’s eye, followed by another, and then a torrential flow streamed down her cheeks.

“How could you…?”

After a long moment, Aina managed to speak in a thin voice.

“How could you say such a thing?”

“Because it’s the truth,”

Lobelia replied in a dry tone. Aina covered her mouth with both hands, and through her fingers, a faint sob escaped.

“But I… I like you!”

“I don’t like you,”

Lobelia cut Aina off sharply.

Aina couldn’t even cry from the immense shock. She stared blankly at Lobelia.

Lobelia sighed again. She tilted her head down towards Ayina, wiping away the tears that stained her cheeks.

“But I don’t dislike you either,”

She spoke sincerely.

Since realizing the truth, Lobelia hadn’t had enough time to focus on Marlon, let alone on Aina, who didn’t even know she had been abused by Josephine.

Lobelia withdrew her hand after neatly wiping Aina’s cheek. Aina’s gaze remained fixed on Lobelia’s hand as it moved away.

“So just stay quiet,”

Lobelia said calmly.

“Don’t make me dislike you. It’s a waste of energy.”

With that, Lobelia swallowed her words and turned away.

The sound of Aina collapsing onto the grassy field behind her reached Lobelia’s ears. It felt like there was a tiny voice calling out to her, but Lobelia didn’t turn back.

Just as Lobelia was about to leave Aina behind and move on, Aina’s voice stopped her in her tracks.

“Sister! Is there something… something I don’t know?”

Lobelia’s footsteps halted for a moment. She started moving again shortly after, but that brief pause gave Aina a clue, prompting her to continue shouting.

“If there is, tell me! Just tell me! What happened that I don’t know about? Why does it have to be like this?”

Aina got up and ran towards Lobelia again. She reached out and grabbed Lobelia’s hand once more. But this time, it lacked the same strength as before, just a gentle touch at her fingertips.

“Please tell me. I’ll listen. I’ll understand.”

Aina pleaded. But to Lobelia, all of this seemed merely ridiculous.

Lobelia removed her hand from Ayina’s grip.

“You’ve had plenty of chances already.”

Lobelia said without looking back.

Five years. It had been five long years. It has been five years since Lobelia fell ill and became dependent on the Marquis of Evelentia’s household, enduring relentless abuse from Josephine and Marlon.

If Aina had shown even the slightest interest during that time, if she had made any effort to seek the truth, she could have known everything.

Yet despite that, it was Aina herself who always believed that the world was already complete and chose to turn away from the truth.

And now, when things turned sour and didn’t go her way, she wanted to know the truth belatedly.

“All the chances have passed. There are no more chances left for you.”

Lobelia walked away without hesitation.

****

After parting ways with Aina, Lobelia immediately joined Jade.

“Lobelia.”

Jade quickly approached her and escorted her. Without a word, Lobelia accepted his escort and decided to take a walk in the White Lily Palace garden with him.

“You don’t look well. What happened?”

Jade inquired, noticing her troubled expression.

Jade cautiously spoke up.

Nothing happened….

But Lobelia closed her mouth before she could say that nothing had happened. The sound of Aina’s sobs lingered in her mind, making it hard to dismiss it as insignificant. Yet, it also felt trivial to spill everything out right then and there.

“I talked with Miss Aina a bit,”

Lobelia said, leaving it at that. Fortunately, Jade didn’t press for further details.

Instead, he led Lobelia to a sunny spot, making light jokes to lift her spirits.

Lobelia felt a sense of relief she didn’t know she needed, thanks to Jade’s efforts. She felt as if she had grown closer to him, now that she was drifting away from Aina.

No, there wasn’t really any distance between Aina and me in the first place.

Lobelia brushed off any lingering feelings towards Aina from her mind and smiled at Jade.

“Thank you,”

It was a heartfelt expression of gratitude. She was thankful he didn’t pry about what happened with Aina, thankful for guiding her to the sunny spot, and grateful for his attempts at making her laugh.

“Now you’re smiling properly.”

Jade smiled back at Lobelia, a genuinely warm and bright smile.

The moment Lobelia saw Jade’s smile, she felt a bit dazed.

Jade’s smile was undoubtedly for her. It was a smile borne out of joy for her regained spirits.

And that confused Lobelia.

She had never seen a man exert so much effort to uplift her mood, nor had she seen a man smile so genuinely in response to her own feelings.

Seeing Jade’s smile felt like something warmer than the sun seeping into her heart.

Is this what it’s like when you become close? Is this what friendship means? Caring for each other, valuing each other’s feelings, and making each other happy?

For Lobelia, who had no proper same-gender friends, let alone acquaintances of the opposite sex, it was an unsolved puzzle that wouldn’t unravel.

Suddenly, a strange feeling rose in her heart. As much as Jade cared for her, there was a peculiar and ticklish desire within her to reciprocate that care.

Lobelia shook her head, dismissing her thoughts.

“Lobelia?”

Responding to Jade’s puzzled voice calling her, Lobelia fully regained her composure and spoke up.

“I… I’m planning to drop out of the academy.”

“It’s about time,”

Jade acquiesced readily.

“Even if you leave the academy now, the Marquis of Evelentia won’t be able to confine you as he pleases.”

Lobelia was now the Empress Consort. Furthermore, she had received official recognition to wield power as she pleased.

And if Marlon were to try to abuse or confine her forcibly, not only the Empress Consort but also other nobles aligned with the imperial faction wouldn’t stand idly by.

The fact that Marlon couldn’t handle her as he pleased Lobelia.

“In that case, there’s no need to delay any further. When you return the day after tomorrow, bring your withdrawal application. Bridge Nile will take care of it.”

“I’ll do that.”

The two of them continued discussing business a bit longer before heading back to the glass conservatory.

Having regained her spirits, the Empress Consort concluded the second part of her duties, and the nobles paid their respects to her before leaving the palace.

Lobelia stayed at the Duke of Ferrado’s mansion for one more night and set off for the academy early the next morning. She held her withdrawal application in one hand.

“I’ll be back soon.”

Lobelia told Joachim, who had brought the carriage for her.

“I’ll start packing Miss Lobelia’s belongings.”

Joachim headed towards the dormitory, and Lobelia made her way to the administrative office.

“Back when I was attending, it felt dull, but now that I’m about to drop out, it’s both refreshing and bittersweet. The library was really nice.”

Lobelia strolled leisurely, taking in the scenery of the academy, which had become quite familiar to her now. Perhaps she wanted to savor this last moment, knowing that such leisurely times wouldn’t come back again.

As she turned towards the hallway leading to the administrative office, she spotted someone familiar in the distance.

“Huh?”

It was the boy who had collided with Lobelia and tumbled down last time. Today, he was once again busy, carrying a multitude of books and documents that obstructed his view.

“Excuse me!”

Lobelia stepped aside to avoid a collision, then called out to the boy loudly.

The boy paused in his hurried steps. Peering over the stack of books he was holding, he tilted his head this way and that, trying to get a better look.

Finding the right angle, the boy’s eyes widened in recognition when he saw Lobelia.

“Do you remember me?”

Lobelia approached the boy and asked. The boy seemed momentarily tongue-tied, but with a little prompting from Lobelia, he finally spoke up.

“Y-yes, of course, I remember.”

“You’re the one who collided with me and fell over around the corner, right?”

At Lobelia’s question, the boy nodded.

“You left some documents behind back then. Just in case, I kept them safe. It’s fortunate we met again. I’ll return them to you.”

“Huh?”

“The documents, I’m returning them to you.”

Lobelia spoke again, suspecting that the boy’s ears might be a bit dim.

The boy’s face flushed bright red.

“T-thank you. They were essential documents… containing my research findings.”

The boy stuttered, unsure of how to express his gratitude.

“Did you just leave such important documents behind and run off?” Lobelia asked, surprised. The boy’s face now seemed on the verge of bursting with redness.

“Th-th-that’s…,”

The boy’s voice grew smaller and fainter. Later on, it became so blurry that you had to strain your ears to hear him.

“I was too flustered at the time, and meeting someone I’d only heard about made me so nervous.”

“Someone you’d only heard about? Ah, you mean the Duke of Ferado?” Lobelia’s words didn’t elicit a confirmation or denial from the boy. She concluded that he must be intimidated by Jade.

“Let’s go to the administrative office first. No, it’s better to return the documents first. Wait here. I’ll go to the dormitory and come back.”

“G-g-g…”

When Lobelia suggested he wait, the boy suddenly lifted his head.

“G-g-go with you. I can’t let a lady go alone.”

The way the boy used the word ‘lady’ felt awkward and amusing. It was like someone forcing themselves into unfamiliar clothes and ending up looking like a clown because they got the order wrong.

Lobelia almost burst out laughing but managed to finish with a fake cough.

“You can relax. I’m not a lady.”

“But…”

The boy’s eyes darted aimlessly at Lobelia’s words.

“But?”

When Lobelia asked, the boy dropped his head deeply and muttered.

“But the lady helped our family, didn’t she? I’m grateful. I must escort the lady.”

“Huh?”

Lobelia couldn’t quite comprehend what the boy was saying, so she cocked her head in confusion.

“I heard it from my brother! When our family was about to face a terrible curse, the lady took care of it.”

“Your brother? A curse?”

“Uh, that’s… um…”

The boy became even more flustered, stumbling over his words.

“Did your brother not tell you about me?”

Lobelia raised an eyebrow.

“I… I apologize for the delay in introductions!”

The boy started to introduce himself with great difficulty.

“I formally introduce myself. I am… Louis Regritina.”

“Ah!”

Lobelia exclaimed in surprise.

This boy was none other than Eylan’s brother, who attended the academy.