Don't Ask, It'll Hurt If You Know - Chapter 23
Her cheeks were burning as if scalded, and her vision was hazy as if covered in fog. Beyond that, she could see a building intricately carved from pure white marble.
If her memory was correct, this was the Basilok Temple in the Empire’s capital. She knew it well since her youngest brother Jeremy took his priest training here, and she had visited several times for various events.
Why am I here?
Though it was a familiar place, being alone here without knowing why made her a bit uneasy.
As Chloe stared blankly at the temple, she hastily covered her mouth when she felt something welling up from deep in her chest.
“Hic, hic hic…….”
A thin sobbing sound escaped between her fingers. Tears hotter than her burning cheeks streamed down her face.
Since she hadn’t intended to cry at all, Chloe wiped away her tears in bewilderment. The more she tried to stop crying, the more tears poured out.
After crying for a while without knowing why, Chloe paused when a pure white handkerchief fell at her feet. Her crying naturally stopped, and a tear that had been precariously hanging from her long eyelashes dropped onto the handkerchief.
Slowly bending down to pick up the handkerchief, Chloe looked around. There was a black dot in a world full of fresh greenery. It was someone’s head. Perhaps sensing her intense stare, the person turned around.
A face so handsome and refined it was recognizable even from a distance.
It was unmistakably Ian MacMilden.
Although she usually grumbled at Ian while calling him her rival, she didn’t dislike him. Rather, Chloe liked him. Of course, she liked him as a classmate and friend, not as a man.
She was about to call out to him, feeling glad to see him, but strangely, her voice wouldn’t come out. While Chloe was flustered by this, Ian looked her way.
His eyes, usually indifferent as if everything in the world was bothersome, gradually narrowed until they curved prettily like crescent moons. As his lips curved up into a smile so beautiful it would make the goddess of beauty jealous, Chloe, startled for a different reason now, stepped back with a jolt.
* * *
Thump-
“Ughh……!”
Tears welled up from the shock traveling up from her tailbone. When a sharp pain spread across her entire backside, Chloe got up while rubbing her bottom. She also picked up the blanket that had fallen from the bed with her and put it back in place.
“Falling out of bed at this age.”
Finding it absurd even to herself, Chloe clicked her tongue. It was fortunate no one had seen it, if someone had been nearby, they would have laughed and teased her for still being childish.
“This is all because of Ian.”
What business did he have appearing in her dream suddenly? That was bothersome enough, but what troubled her even more was his smile.
Though she had known Ian MacMilden for quite a while, she had never seen him smile so prettily. No, this was the first time he had even appeared in her dreams.
“Maybe it’s because he helped me yesterday.”
Thinking of Ian naturally brought back the memory of his smiling face from the dream. The sound of her rapidly beating heart, thump thump, felt so unfamiliar that Chloe covered her reddening face with both hands.
* * *
“Good day, Lady!”
The young enthusiastic investigator came to visit Chloe again around lunchtime that day. It was also the fifth day since the maid Lina had died. And exactly a week since Chloe had entered Bianca’s body.
“You’ve become even more beautiful since I last saw you. The rose I gave you seems shabby in comparison, haha.”
“…….”
Judging by how he was trying to curry favor with such meaningless words, it seemed he hadn’t found the maid’s killer.
“Have you found the culprit?”
Chloe asked the investigator while pretending not to notice anything. His face darkened dramatically, presumably because they hadn’t found anything. His cheeks were sunken, and dark circles under his eyes made him look quite haggard.
“I apologize, Lady. We haven’t found even a clue, let alone the culprit. Even though you graciously allowed us to search the mansion…… I’m ashamed.”
“No, it’s alright. There’s no need to bow your head so much.”
It was an empty platitude. She had hoped the investigator would catch the culprit, or at least find some clues if they couldn’t catch them, but they hadn’t found anything.
It seems passion and ability don’t necessarily go hand in hand. Chloe drank her coffee with a bitter smile. Perhaps because her disappointment was so great, the coffee tasted more bitter than usual today.
“Thank you for being so understanding, Lady. You truly are kindhearted, just as I heard.”
