Chapter 49: Embers of Change

It was a modest one-person room with a single desk—neither too spacious nor too cramped. Inside, Elina II spotted Lara Schmord scribbling on the back of a document and smiled warmly.

“Lara! I heard you ran away!”

“Hehe, how’d you know?”

“I have my ways. Since we’re here, why not come to my place?”

“Really, is that okay?”

“Of course! You can share my room or even move into the adjacent one. Let’s go.”

“But I’m not off work yet ….”

Grabbing Lara, Elina II led her outside. At the Training Ground, Elina I—sweating as she practiced her sword skills—and her instructor Elina III exchanged glances with Lara, who offered a clumsy greeting before boarding a carriage.

Elina I, massaging her trembling arms, stepped down from the carriage alongside Elina III. The sunset gracefully bathed the vast roof of the Duke Liniat estate.

Typically, at this hour she would be embroidering indoors, but her recent changes felt refreshing—almost a newfound realization that she couldn’t always count on someone else for protection.

On the day she leapt off a cliff with Diches, something stirred inside Elina I—a determination to change. She thought if she were stronger, she wouldn’t have been so vulnerable.

“You two look like you need a bath. Anje, heat up the water, please.”

The ever-dedicated maid Anje offered a quiet smile as Elina I turned to enter the room.

“Oh my, that fits perfectly!”

“…You really didn’t have to do this, Lady Duchess.”

The cheerful chatter drifting from her room made Elina I pause. Glancing back at the maid, she suddenly recalled the explanation.

“Lady Elina II has brought Schomord Youngae into the family, but there aren’t any suitable clothes for her. Now the madam is searching through the wardrobe for something that fits—among the outfits the lady used to wear.”

“Ah, I see.”

Elina I smiled as she stepped inside. In the familiar living room she saw her mother and Lara standing together—Lara, notably, wearing the very clothes Elina I had adored two years ago.

“Elina I, you’re here?”

“Yes, Mother.”

“I don’t know what you and Elina III have been up to outside lately, but you look exhausted. Take it slow. Lara, please step aside.”

The Duchess gracefully smiled as she led Lara away. Watching from the doorway, Elina I soon heard that the maid had prepared the bath, and she headed off to the bathroom.

After her bath, she descended to the mansion’s dining hall, where warmth filled the room for the first time in a while.

Her busy father and mother, rarely seen together at meals, were seated side-by-side, flanked orderly by Elina II, Elina III, Elina IV, and Elina V.

And there was Lara too, donning a dress that she hadn’t been able to wear two years ago because it didn’t fit.

“Lara, don’t be shy—eat up!”

“Hoho, thank you, Madam.”

“Seeing you eat well is a blessing.”

“Thank you, Duke.”

Lara looked cheerful. As Elina I quietly settled in and reached for tongs to serve sausage onto her plate, a hand from across the table snatched them first—it was Lara’s.

When their eyes met, Lara’s gaze widened just a bit.

“Oh, sorry. Elina I, would you like to take them first?”

“No, it’s fine.”

Shaking her head with a soft smile, Elina I’s eyes drifted to Lara’s hand.

The tongs had picked up her favorite bulgogi-flavored sausage. A sudden hollowness surged through her chest.

‘I love these… but why bulgogi of all flavors?’

Startled, Elina I shivered.

‘Oh, what was I thinking… No, Lara wouldn’t have done that intentionally. It must be a misunderstanding.’

With that thought, Elina I nodded to herself, then served other sausages onto her plate, chopping them up as she relished their melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness.

“Lara, here, have this one.”

At the sound of Elina II’s voice, Elina I stopped chewing and turned. She saw Elina II using a fork to transfer a pea to Lara’s plate.

Though it might seem she was simply too picky to eat it herself and thus passed it off to Lara, to Elina I it appeared more meaningful.

‘Have they really become that close—to share even a single pea?’

She’d never experienced such kindness directed at her, yet Lara accepted the gesture naturally.

“Have some of my peas too.”

“I want some of mine as well.”

“Please, try some of mine too.”

Following suit, Elina III, 4, and 5 all tossed peas onto Lara’s plate. Everyone adored Lara. At that moment, as Elina I lowered her head in quiet sorrow…

“Are you all sure nothing’s off?”

“Maybe you should head upstairs instead?”

Mother’s gentle suggestion—that she stop forcing herself to eat and go upstairs to rest—unexpectedly sounded cold. Swallowing her tears, Elina I rose from her seat.

In truth, Lara had done nothing wrong, yet Elina I couldn’t help feeling that her envy made her a terrible person.

“I’m sorry… everyone. I’m just so worthless…”

“……?”

Lara, seething silently over the pea exchange, looked up as a faint, spiritless voice spoke from across the table. Elina I offered a fragile, wistful smile before turning away and leaving.

‘…What happened to Elina I?’

〈Adopted Daughter Cliché. The new adopted daughter is always cherished, while the female lead is gradually sidelined by her family, causing her self-esteem to crumble—and if her beloved ends up with the adopted daughter, that’s just icing on the cake.〉

‘Icing on the cake?!’

〈By the end, she might even become a runaway ninja or attempt suicide—such unabashed actions are not uncommon.〉

‘Unabashed actions?!’

〈Anyway, it’s unfolding just as the clichés predict.〉

‘That just makes me look like a total loser!’

〈Sometimes, to magnify the pure and kind female lead, those around her must seem unlikeable. That’s the price clichés demand.〉

‘…Hmph.’

Lara reluctantly accepted it, though her eyes remained fixed on one empty seat.

* * *

“Your Majesty, Schomord Youngae has been located. It’s confirmed that she is at the Duke Liniat estate.”

“Well done.”

Karlahee abruptly rose from her state affairs desk. As she grabbed her traveling robe and moved to leave, a guard moved to follow her, but she waved him off.

“It’s a personal matter. I’ll go alone; guard this place.”

“Understood….”

As the guard began to protest, he bowed his head in deference. Yet Karlahee’s cool blue eyes revealed a hint of impatience.

Less than a minute after the report, Karlahee swept out of the office, her dark-blue robe billowing behind her.

* * *

When bedtime arrived, Lara quietly opened the guest room door and stepped out. She was worried about Elina I’s well-being. Although being around her often escalated minor issues, Elina I remained a gentle, albeit fragile, soul.

‘She can be so troublesome sometimes…’

Without further ado, Lara knocked on Elina I’s door.

“Elina I, are you asleep?”

“Mm, no—come in.”

The door opened to reveal a stunning silver-haired woman in pajamas, her natural beauty dazzling like that of a celebrity. Lara shrank back, feeling ordinary in comparison.

Normally kind to everyone, Elina I now wore an unmistakable expression. Her awkward smile and bowed head clearly hinted that something was wrong.

“Hey, Elina I, I’m just a guest here for a few days—don’t worry so much. I wonder if I’m acting like the adopted daughter… hoho.”

Initiating conversation, Lara subtly gauged Elina I’s reaction. Soon, Elina I’s slender shoulders began to tremble as she bowed her head and tears welled up.

‘…Argh! Now it seems I’ve made her cry.’

Fortunately, her sniffles didn’t last long.

“Lara, you’re so kind—and so different from me… That’s why the family seems to care more for you than for me.”

“No, maybe they just treat you better because you’re a guest.”

“I just feel so inadequate… Watching you share peas, savor that bulgogi sausage, and wear the clothes I can’t fit into while you smile so brightly…”

“Honestly, you might need some serious therapy for that, huh?”

Lara struggled to find a retort to such a barrage of complaints. Even if the scenario was cliché, it felt absurdly overblown.

“But even if you wish to be like me, you never could. Your eyes aren’t too big or too small, your face isn’t either, and your nose is perfectly average. Every time I’m compared to you, I feel so insignificant… I just hate feeling this way. I envy you.”

“No, which part makes you feel insignificant? Everyone only sees you as the one who comes off as pathetic!”

“I… was born with doe-like eyes, a tiny face, and a pronounced nose. No matter how much you wish to be me, it can never be…”

‘Damn it.’

Feeling it best to depart before any misunderstanding could label her as a notorious villain, Lara mustered every bit of patience to offer some comfort.

“Phew, alright… don’t cry. But I’d really love to be you for just one day.”

“That’s something I’ve never heard before. Thank you, Lara. Sniff.”

Elina I collapsed into Lara’s arms, softly weeping.

Twenty minutes later, exhausted Lara returned to the guest room and sprawled on the bed.

‘Sigh, from tomorrow on I’ll have to rely on Mikhail—or maybe even Rahi…’