Chapter 56 : Even Among Close Friends, There Are Secrets You Can’t Share

It should have become familiar by now, but whenever this moment comes, I get anxious and want to interfere, though I can’t.

“Did you prepare everything properly? You didn’t forget anything, did you?”

“I told you it’s fine. Really, how long are you going to treat me like a child?”

“Still, I can’t help but worry…”

About once or twice a month, Serena and Lilia visit each other’s homes.

They both don’t have many friends, so their bond has become stronger, but to be exact, it’s because their tastes and hobbies match, making them the closest of friends.

Of course, that doesn’t mean I don’t worry.

Even if Serena wouldn’t lose to any bad guys, as a guardian, I can’t help but feel concerned.

“If anything dangerous happens, run away immediately. Got it?”

“Ord. Please stop her. At this rate, she won’t let me go.”

But Ord, who had been watching, forcibly pulled me away from Serena.

“It’s not the first time, so surely you can trust her by now, Lady.”

I know in my head.

Simply shielding her isn’t always the best.

So I decided to forcefully hold back my unease.

“Okay, okay. Just don’t cause too much trouble for Mrs. Lins.”

“Got it. Thanks for worrying about me.”

Before leaving, Serena gave me a kiss on the cheek.

It felt weird, like I had been tricked by my younger sibling.

Should I say I was excited, or should I say it was humiliating?

“It’s almost embarrassing how fresh you two look.”

“I’m the one who got tricked.”

“Considering that, you seem pretty happy though, don’t you think?”

It wasn’t wrong, but I didn’t want to admit it, so I avoided answering.

*

After about an hour of flying, Serena arrived at the Logjein family mansion.

She knocked on the door casually, and a maid peeked her head out.

“Oh, Count Christian’s house… please wait a moment.”

The maid, probably thinking of her as an uninvited guest, looked visibly annoyed and hurriedly ran off somewhere.

A little while later.

“Oh, you’re here? You came faster than expected.”

A woman with round glasses and braided hair greeted her with a bright smile.

Her white dress and flowing navy blue skirt gave her an old-fashioned appearance for her age.

However, for a brief moment, her gaze shifted toward the woman’s swaying chest, but she quickly readjusted her gaze and greeted her with a smile.

“Yeah. I didn’t come too suddenly, right?”

“Serena, you can come anytime! Now, come in.”

When Lilia opened the door, Serena, after politely apologizing, entered.

“You’re just in time. I recently got my hands on something interesting.”

With a confident smile on her face, Lilia led the way to her room.

Her cheerful demeanor meant that she must have gotten her hands on a good book.

At least when it comes to books, Lilia’s taste has never disappointed, so Serena was secretly looking forward to it.

Entering Lilia’s room, there were ten bookshelves lined up in a row.

To anyone who didn’t know, they’d mistake it for a library.

The room was filled with books on magic, history, various educational subjects, and books of all genres.

The strong smell of paper seemed to fill the air.

It was clear that her interest in books was sincere, and Serena could tell that she loved the scent of the place.

“I always think this, but don’t you think the space is too cramped because of all these books? It seems like it would be uncomfortable.”

“Should I say it’s a price to pay, or perhaps it’s the fact that it takes up half of the room, making it a bit cramped for the owner of the room to live in?”

But Lilia shook her head and said.

“Not at all. How happy I am to have these books with me, whether I’m asleep or awake. Hehe.”

The content smile didn’t contain any lies or pretension.

It seems there was no need for persuasion when it came to someone who loved books so much she called them her children.

Well, if the person herself says it’s fine, then it’s fine, I guess.

“I envy you sometimes, Lilia. It’s nice to have something you truly enjoy like that.”

“Hmm. Don’t you like dolls quite a bit too, Serena?”

“That’s not it. I only cherish them because my older sister gave them to me.”

In fact, she still kept Pumpkin as her number one treasure, but lately, she hadn’t played with it or anything.

After all, how old was she?

She wouldn’t act like a child in front of others.

Although, when it came to sleeping, she still hugged it for a good night’s rest.

“How about taking up a hobby in magic research? Your talent is something my mother even acknowledges.”

“Well… I’m not sure. How about we talk about hobbies later? You mentioned you had a book to show me.”

“Oh, my mind! I totally forgot about it.”

When Serena changed the subject, Lilia hurriedly moved to grab the book from the desk.

The cover was bright red, like a rose.

And unusually, the book didn’t have a title, which would normally be engraved on the front.

“…What’s this? It doesn’t even have a title.”

“The book is quite old, so that part got worn out. I tried to restore it, but it’s so old that the title is completely erased.”

“Hmm.”

If that’s the case, it must have been left untouched for decades.

Where on earth did she get it from?

“I know a shop that sells old books. I visit it occasionally, and I found this one by chance.”

“Oh, that’s amazing.”

Since there was no such shop in her domain, Serena was impressed and said it quietly.

“Well, then, let me try reading it—”

“Wait, just a moment before you do.”

“Uh?”

Just as she was about to open the book, Lilia grabbed Serena’s wrist.

“Before you read it, you have to promise me something.”

“What, what is it? It’s not something dangerous, right?”

“It’s not that, it’s just one thing. You have to promise me you won’t tell my mother or the count about this book. Got it?”

Her expression was so serious and intense, making it seem like she meant every word.

How many people could refuse that kind of gaze?

At least Serena wasn’t one of them, so she nodded under the pressure.

What kind of book could it be to make her so serious about it?

Anyway, having gained permission, Serena opened the book with a nervous heart.

When she turned to the first page, what appeared was a large line of text that seemed to be the book’s title.

[The Scent of a Lily Dipped in Rose]

‘So it’s probably a romance.’

Lilia liked a variety of books, but among them, she especially enjoyed romance novels where the love between a man and a woman was portrayed intensely.

Serena didn’t dislike them, but they didn’t really resonate with her.

Was it the difference between those who dream of love and those who are in love, she wondered.

Anyway, she started reading and turned the pages one by one.

The story began from the perspective of a very arrogant noblewoman.

She had been born into a high status, so no one could treat her rudely, and even her family had raised her with indulgence, making her more and more cruel as time went on.

Having grown up as an overbearing human being, she didn’t hesitate to torment even her servants with harsh words and bullying.

But one day, she got slapped by a new maid who had entered the mansion.

Her bullying had gone too far, and the maid’s pride was stronger than anyone else’s.

‘You slapped me? You’re the first one to do that.’

And from that incident, the noblewoman became obsessively attached to the maid.

She threatened the maid’s family to satisfy her sadistic desires, hoping for her to eventually submit.

In the middle of the night, she called the maid to her bedroom.

Thud!

“Wh-what is this…?”

As Serena was reading the content with her eyes, she slammed the book shut with such force that it made a sound.

Her face was bright red, as if it would explode any moment.

“This… this is an erotic novel…”

The book that Lilia had shown her was clearly something adults would read.

She had seen such books a few times, thanks to Lilia, but even so, she still felt embarrassed.

And she was also surprised because she hadn’t expected this kind of book.

“If you were going to show me this kind of book, you should have told me earlier!”

“Well, I thought you wouldn’t want to read it if I told you…”

“Still, you should have asked!”

“S-sorry! I just really wanted you to read it, so…”

When Serena glared at her with reproachful eyes, Lilia shook her shoulders and repeatedly apologized.

“…Huff. It’s okay. You don’t need to apologize. I was just really shocked.”

With a small sigh, Serena regained her composure and cooled down the heat rising in her head.

She didn’t feel betrayed by her friend.

It was just that the book she thought would be a simple romance novel turned out to be an erotic one.

And even more surprisingly, it wasn’t about the love between a man and a woman, but rather about distorted desires between women, which confused her.

“By the way, is there a reason you wanted to show me this book? I thought this wasn’t really your type.”

“Of course there is! I didn’t know it would be like that at first, either. B-but…”

When Serena asked, Lilia fumbled her words as if embarrassed.

“Well, the more I read it, how should I put it… it’s like I’m indirectly experiencing the guilt of doing something I shouldn’t, and I kept feeling my heart race over this new form of love.

Honestly, I know it’s a problem to call it love… but I couldn’t help but imagine how the next part would be, how they would caress and torment each other. Hehe…”

However, as she expressed her thoughts about the book, there was a faint ecstasy on her face.

She knew it was wrong, but she kept getting drawn into it.

Seeing Lilia, already enchanted by that distortion, Serena shook her head slightly.

‘She’ll probably be stuck in that feeling for a while.’

Then, as she handed the book back, she spoke.

“You’re right, the writing is good. The descriptions of the actions and emotions are explicitly portrayed, which is excellent.”

However, she paused for a moment and took a breath.

“To be honest, I didn’t like it.”

“Wh-what exactly didn’t you like about it?”

“There’s nothing wrong with the book itself. But the protagonist in there… I didn’t like him.”

How dare such an arrogant and rude character torment others and claim that forcing someone to bend to their will is love?

Serena couldn’t accept the idea of sexual arousal being mistaken for noble and pure emotions.

“Love isn’t about hurting the person you care about. Love means sharing the pain together.”

At least, that was what she, who had grown up with sincerity, had to believe.

“Wow…”

At Serena’s words, Lilia’s eyes sparkled.

“That just now, you were completely sincere.”

“Really? I didn’t realize.”

“Yes. Did someone you like appear?”

Then, she got so close that her large chest almost touched Serena’s, and with an intense look right in front of her, Serena let out a nervous laugh.

“Did I? I just thought so, but…”

“Hey, come on, tell me. I won’t tell anyone, I promise.”

“No, it’s not like that.”

Despite Serena’s refusal, Lilia persisted, but Serena didn’t tell the truth.

After all, who could she tell?

That she had romantic feelings for her dear sister, who had raised her all this time.