The Bad Ending of an Otome

…Cassio Brahamdorff’s gifts have increased. 

I’m unsure if this is all in my head, but it started after Raretis gave me an amethyst necklace… 

I gave the man, who was beaming brightly, an indescribable expression. 

Mrs. Nelly, the skilled housekeeper, moved away from us quietly. 

Kitty reluctantly followed her.

Yes, he is still the precious young master of this mansion, so speaking severely in front of the servants feels a little strange. 

I lifted the box Cassio had boldly slid among the letters with a farewell glance.

The black velvet-wrapped box was approximately the size of my palm. 

The bright red color was the first thing that drew my eye when I lifted the lid. 

It was a small red blossom the size of a quail’s egg. 

It wasn’t a genuine flower but a lovely piece of ruby or garnet, each carefully sculpted and piled like petals. 

Cassio reached out his hand and removed the flower from the box while I was still looking at it. 

It turned out to be a ring upon closer scrutiny. 

Behind the flower, a small silver ring sparkled brightly.

“It’s a ring for your little finger.”

“How did you know the size of my little finger… No, never mind, I won’t ask.”

I shook my head, thinking that it was a ridiculous question. 

But Cassio, who doesn’t easily let such things slip, promptly retaliated.

“It’s disappointing, Emilia. Of course, it was easy to find out since there was a record of you ordering gloves.”

“Yes, I suppose so.”

“But haven’t I held Lady Emilia’s hand countless times? The touch left in my hand was enough to estimate.”

I gazed up at Cassio with a surprised face. 

The man was as slick and naturally nonchalant as always.

“I’m being serious, Mr. Cassio Brahamdorff. With remarks like that, you’ll inevitably get into major problems someday.”

“I wouldn’t carelessly make such comments everywhere, Lady Emilia.”

“So you mean to say that because I don’t have anywhere else to turn, it’s okay for you to act like a pervert towards me?”

“Pervert? You misjudge my feelings towards Lady Emilia, and that makes me unhappy.”

While doing so, the man extended his hand to me, suggesting he intended to put the ring on my finger. 

His purposefully sorrowful face was brilliant white, like a freshly created plaster statue. 

His face was always pallid, haughty, and aristocratic. 

I obediently extended my hand, thinking it was too late to withdraw my hand and feel shy.

A little rose bloom landed on my ring finger. 

The petals, which shone in a translucent red, were so carefully created that I was curious how they were made and were truly lovely.

“It’s a ring for now, but there’s another way to wear it.”

Cassio removed the ring he had placed on my finger and flipped it so the round ring portion was visible. 

Then, as if twisting it ingeniously, he put effort into the ring, which split in half, disclosing a short loop from the back of the rose. 

Because the ring was little, it appeared to be a miniature brooch when flipped over.

“Oh…”

Softly, I exclaimed. 

Cassio’s face was flushed with pride.

“If you can’t wear it as a ring, you can simply pin it to your clothes. I’d like you to keep it with you at all times.”

I tilted my head as I looked at the jewel rose petal, now a brooch.

“Can I take it with me wherever I go? It’s not big so that it won’t be tough, but depending on your wardrobe for the day, it might not work as an accessory.”

“Do you know the saying that a beautiful flower has thorns?”

“Do you know how much I wanted to feed the guts of a toad to those bastards who used such words to justify Ophelia’s rotten personality?”

Cassio avoided my direct sight and spoke quietly.

“I’m talking about this part of the rose, the ring part.”

When turned into a brooch, it resembles a silver decorative pin.

“A poison that dissolves in human body fluids is released if you pull and remove this part with all your strength. It dissolves specifically in saliva.”

“…”

“It’s the size of a bean. It’s almost colorless and odorless, but it has a subtle sweet taste, so it’d be wonderful in a tea.”

“Were you intrigued by Ophelia’s special poison recipe? Should I cook it for you with this?”

“No.”

Cassio Brahamdorff became solemn right away. 

His honesty shone through.

“It’s for emergencies.”

“Does it kill if ingested?”

“It’s not a lethal dose, but it turns you into a corpse for about 24 hours. You cannot possibly wake up in the middle of it. Your body temperature decreases, and your pulse becomes practically undetectable, giving the impression that you are dead.”

“…”

This toxin is similar to that one. 

From Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet… 

Juliet’s poison to feign death and avoid marriage… 

It was bizarre. 

Especially since it wasn’t a quick self-defense weapon.

“Wouldn’t something more immediate and obvious be preferable for self-defense? Something that bleeds when stabbed or cut?”

“Carrying something like that would be difficult.”

That is correct. 

It could be concealed in the folds of a voluminous skirt, but this would be cumbersome and difficult to transport. 

Especially when the weather was warming up. 

Furthermore, thin and soft textiles became popular. 

Even during the holiday season, everyone craves comfort. 

I proposed.

“Should I embed a steel core in the heel of my shoe?”

“That’s a brilliant idea, but Lady Emilia, if you happen to dance…”

Cassio appeared dissatisfied. 

I agreed by nodding.

“It would be difficult for me, wouldn’t it?”

Cassio responded with a delicate expression.

“Wouldn’t that hurt my instep?”

“You’ll manage somehow, Cassio.”

“That sounds like you don’t care what happens.”

“It’s not like a cavalier has to carry around his partner like a goldfish’s poop, right?”

“Goldfish’s poop, Emilia…”

Cassio lowered his eyelashes with grief. 

He resembled a slightly unpleasant silver fox. 

His cantankerous personality was fully displayed as he ignored someone’s extended hand without even a snort. 

But there he was, looking as forlorn as an abandoned pet, which was far from hilarious.

“You can’t give up one instep for my safety? Your sincerity is lacking.”

“Lady Emilia, if something happens and my foot is not in good condition, who will protect you?”

“My swift feet and strong hands.”

“…It’s reassuring that even at the brink of death, you won’t claim to sacrifice yourself for me.”

What a ridiculous thing to say at this time. 

I ignored Cassio, who appeared glum and refashioned the rose brooch into a ring. 

When I placed it on my little finger, it glowed brightly in vivid red, just as before. 

I had gotten various gifts that may be classified as nonsense, but this type of ornament was unusual among them.

I liked how it was designed to be worn on the little finger without being too heavy and wasn’t a necklace. 

When I wore clothes that didn’t draw attention to necklaces, I wore the amethyst necklace Raretis had given me. 

I had peculiar feelings whenever I saw that jewelry. 

Even if I hid it in the back of the drawer, I’m not the type who will forget about it simply because it’s out of sight. 

I hadn’t given up Ophelia’s name and was still linked by a single letter from her.

Wasn’t just being here, following Cassio Brahamdorff around like a child after the Pied Piper, proof enough? 

So I wore that necklace with a peculiar feeling, judging the warmth of a fingernail-sized jewel rolling around my collarbone, warmed by my body temperature, a purple fragment sliding tepidly across the tip of my nail. 

If Cassio had given me a necklace, I would have been forced to pick between two. 

I’m curious if he thought about it, choosing an ornament that wouldn’t overlap with the other.

“It’s lovely. Thank you very much.”

The ring was stunning, whether it contained poison or medicine. 

I thanked him sincerely. 

A dazzling glow suffused the man’s face, which had been feigning a depressed expression.

“If you ever need the antidote, just break the rose part. It resembles the poison, so don’t get them mixed up.”

“You’re very meticulous.”

“Doesn’t this make me a perfect cavalier?”

“It’s a pity that you praise yourself so much.”

“Do you still have no change in your plan to visit the Gloucester family personally?”

“Yes.”

Cassio’s expression stayed unchanged as he glanced at me. 

A face that appeared to be both a mask and a deception.

“What if you get hurt in a different place than your cheek this time?”

“If I’m harmed, I only feel satisfied if the perpetrator suffers doubly.”

“What if I say I’ll accompany you?”

“He already dislikes you and me, so wouldn’t it be better if I went alone instead of provoking him? I’ll bring Kitty, and there will be staff at the house. Furthermore, suppose I vanish in ‘this’ position…”

Cassio’s cravat drew closer to me. 

With a dry sound, a sapphire-like gemstone struck the tip of my fingernail. 

Cassio’s grey eyes widened in amazement.

“You wouldn’t just stay put, would you?”

The man’s eyes were visible because he was so near to me. 

His eyes, like the surface of mercury that had just cooled after a storm, showed no sign of disruption as he stared at me, mirroring my features. 

Cassio was deafeningly quiet, as if at a loss for words.

Cassio Brahamdorff is unlikely to give up his life for me. 

I have no intention of underestimating his enthusiasm for me. 

Regardless of what the additional letters indicate, this man is too prominent to behave only bound by the shadow of the dead Ophelia. 

Therefore, I trust the estimates of this man who has invested in me.

I am insignificant on my own. 

If I disappeared, Edmund Gloucester, if he put his mind to it, could arrange it so that no one could locate me. 

But behind me stands the Brahamdorff family. 

This man is here, and so is Raretis Hope, who whispered to me as if swearing to protect me.

Even when I realized that this man’s adoration could never be mine, I thought he would never reduce me to nothing, not even in the shadow of Ophelia. 

Even if I lived like a shadow, he was not the kind to dismiss me once I lost worth. 

In the most tumultuous moments, he was a man who would never turn his back. 

The hope that lurked at the bottom of my heart was sometimes so near to despair that it might be terrifying.