Miss, It’s Just a Cold

Chapter 28: “A Greeting.”

A few days passed after Fabian stormed out, but my mother hadn’t summoned me.

I guess he didn’t tell her what I said.

How long will I keep fearing her?

Looking into the bathroom mirror, I noticed my right eye was oddly redder than usual.

Touching the corner of my eye revealed dried blood.

I washed my face and wiped it clean.

I’m falling apart bit by bit.

I needed to do something before things got worse.

After applying light makeup, I put on a modest dress that wouldn’t attract too much attention.

After taking a moment to catch my breath in a chair, I fumbled in my pocket for some pills and swallowed them.

Worried I might collapse on the street, I brought extras just in case.

Out in public, I always had to appear dignified—like someone of high standing.

Even if things were like this at home, I was still treated as a noblewoman.

I started walking again.

Today was the day I was meeting Aria.

“…You’re late.”

“I’m not late. You just arrived early.”

“You were the one who asked me to meet, though. Isn’t showing up five minutes early basic etiquette?”

That kind of rigid thinking is for merchants doing business.

People of our stature should live with at least a bit of leisure, don’t you think?

Aria was waiting for me in front of her house.

Rather than going to a dessert shop, we decided to spend time in the drawing room at her estate.

I wondered if my mother would object, but she didn’t. Aria had a younger brother, and my mother’s actual concern was whether that boy might fall in love with me.

Not my thoughts, mind you—my mother’s words.

She even said it casually while eating.

She always talks as if everything she says is completely normal.

But I doubt it’s normal to frame visiting someone’s home as a calculated effort to seduce their younger sibling.

“Listening to you talk, you really seem like someone born and raised here.”

“That’s not entirely wrong.”

“What does that mean? Didn’t you say you and I came from the same place?”

“Same place, sure. But you had a ring, and I had an apartment.”

“…That’s because I was still a student! I had to live within my means.”

“Maybe this is just punishment for living comfortably back there.”

If it’s that upsetting, hanging yourself is always an option. No need for all the sarcasm.

We chatted as we walked to Aria’s estate.

And there, I ran into a familiar face.

Ernst.

“Aria, did you invite him?”

“…What’s the problem?”

“The problem? There’s plenty. Should I just say it outright?

We’re basically lunatics convinced we were born in another world.”

“It’s not insanity; it’s the truth.”

“Ha.”

Well, Aria might laugh it off, thinking it was just nonsense.

Meanwhile, I’d be mulling over whether my friend had finally lost it and figure out how to get them proper help.

Probably a one-way trip to an asylum.

Tied up so they can’t die, stuck in bed or a chair. Trapped in a padded room, they’d breathe like a corpse until they withered away.

Listening to the sounds of carriages passing by, happy families laughing, and people chatting outside the window.

Over time, they’d dry up, their body and mind both shriveling into nothing.

And no, biting your tongue doesn’t kill you.

Even if you cut it off, it’s just a matter of stopping the bleeding. You wouldn’t die unless you choked on it.

But trying that, even when you’re out of your mind, would be incredibly difficult.

“Ernst, long time no see.”

“Has it been that long?”

“Yeah, after the ball, we just passed by each other without really greeting.”

“So, when did you and Aria become friends? Didn’t seem like you were too fond of her before.”

We’re not friends.

She keeps clinging to me, trying to befriend me.

Maybe it’s a type of unrequited love.

Ernst scratched the back of his head, unable to respond.

“By the way, your sister, Ellie, was it?”

“What about Ellie?”

“Could you tell her to stop sending me letters?

Most people stop after one or two, but since she lives next door, she’s been sending them every other day.”

“…You want me to tell her that?”

“Never mind, I’ll tell her myself if it’s uncomfortable for you.”

For a moment, Ernst’s face darkened.

Noticing the shift in atmosphere, Aria thankfully suggested we head inside.

The estate—what was it called again? Eisenach?

It was beautiful.

Though lavishly adorned, it felt elegant and clean rather than gaudy.

My house, though, was filled with too many old items, making it feel more antique than luxurious.

To put it unkindly, it was a relic.

The portraits on the walls were slightly creepy; it’d be nice if someone moved them, but it wasn’t my house, so it didn’t matter.

The drawing room was as well-maintained as the estate.

The armchairs looked comfortable enough to sit or lounge in for hours. The table was set with sugar and a variety of teas, likely for frequent guests. The jar of sugar looked so inviting I was tempted to take it for myself.

A single item like that could easily buy a house anywhere.

I’ve only ever seen a household casually leave things like that lying around in Ernst’s home, and now there’s one more.

“So, why’d you bring Ernst along?”

“When I told him I meet you once a week, he said he wanted to join us.”

At that, I turned to Ernst and asked bluntly, “Why?”

“…Does someone need a reason to meet a friend?”

Of course, they do. Until now, we’ve barely even acknowledged each other, like passing strangers.

It’s not like we’ve ever cared, so why the sudden interest…?

I trailed off as a wave of dizziness hit me.

“We run into each other all the time, but lately, it feels like we haven’t had a proper chat or spent time together.”

If my mother knew, she’d be so overjoyed she might roll on the floor laughing.

She might even agree to let me slap him just once if I asked.

Not that it would stop her from locking me in the punishment room for days if I actually did it.

“You didn’t look too well, so I thought I’d check on you.”

“It’s just a cold. You don’t need to worry about it.”

“Colds don’t usually last this long.”

“Maybe this one does.”

“…….”

Aria thanked the servant who brought tea and a variety of snacks.

It wasn’t the formal kind of thanks you’d expect from a noblewoman to her servant but rather like she was speaking to a friend.

The two of them exchanged pleasantries and laughed together.

The servant, seemingly pleased, left the room with a spring in her step.

Once she was gone, I couldn’t resist asking a question. Though it might come across as rude—very rude, even.

“So, is she a friend or what?”

“Are you about to say something like, ‘You can’t be friends with someone beneath you’?”

“How can you even call her a friend when you’re the one labeling her as beneath you?

At best, you’re just an employer, and she’s a worker.”

“And what’s wrong with that?”

“There’s a power imbalance.

Sure, friends can be on different financial levels, but it’s hard to truly call someone a friend when they’re your subordinate.

That maid has to smile and answer cheerfully even when she’s in a bad mood if you greet her brightly. But you? You don’t owe her the same courtesy.”

Aria doesn’t need to consider the maid’s feelings, but the maid always has to consider Aria’s.

The closer the relationship, the more dangerous it becomes. If things ever go wrong, the secrets shared in trust become vulnerabilities.

I was just being petty.

Having Ernst dragged along annoyed me, so I lashed out.

At least I waited until the servant left to say it—I’d call that a considerable act of restraint.

As expected, the atmosphere grew cold after such a conversation.

But Ernst, with his ever-placid demeanor, broke the tension by lightening the mood.

More accurately, he soothed Aria’s mood.

As for me, well, I’m always like this, so it’s not like anyone paid it much mind.

The conversation dragged on, filled with trivial, pointless chatter.

I hardly contributed.

While Ernst and Aria talked like a perfectly harmonious couple, I quietly sipped tea, having loaded it with sugar.

Even with a full spoonful, it wasn’t very sweet. I wondered just how much sugar the dessert shop must have dumped into their cakes to make them taste like that.

Probably half sugar, I mused.

Anyway, the two were so engrossed in their conversation they barely noticed me.

My vision blurred slightly.

My cheeks felt like they were burning.

Though my right hand rested on the sofa, it trembled slightly.

Each exhale stung faintly.

Feeling dizzy, I casually pulled some pills from my pocket and swallowed them, pretending nothing was amiss.

The two were still deep in their chat, so I assumed they wouldn’t notice.

But then Ernst spoke up suddenly.

“Oh, by the way, Emily.”

“Yeah? What is it?”

“What was that pill you just took?”

“What pill?”

“I’m not here because I wanted to be.

Aria told me. She said you’ve been miserably sick, silently suffering through it.”

“The so-called arrogant and foolish lady must’ve fallen into some delusional fantasy.”

Ernst glared at me, his face contorted with anger.

Was he upset because I insulted Aria in front of him? Or was it because I was like this?

Knowing him, he’s probably mad because I’m sick. A textbook good guy like him would only get angry over something like that.

“…Hey.”

“Look, Ernst, even lowering your voice doesn’t make you scared.”

I’ve been far more terrified when my mother called my name sweetly before beating me.

What’s he going to do? Hit me once in the face?

And then he’ll come back to apologize later, saying he’s sorry.

I told you before—you don’t need to concern yourself with me.

And I just said it again earlier. We’re barely acquaintances, so why did you even bother coming?

At best, we’re the kind of people who just exchange pleasantries.

TL Note: Rate us on NOVEL UPDATES