Guidelines for the Perfect Goodbye - Chapter 70
Indeed, how could a delicate noble lady know what this was? She was just a girl sincere in her love.
Did she have intentions of spending the night with Ulysses by spraying this scent? She had never entertained such a thought.
‘At least, if I approach him after spraying this, might his heart soften more than usual?’
…It was just a simple hope.
A fervent wish that Ulysses would join her in opposing the annulment, convincing her father, and furthermore, making him fall in love with her.
Did Caroline herself love him? Honestly, she wasn’t very certain about that.
Anyhow, his courteous and noble appearance seemed to perfectly match her clear and graceful self.
He had been the perfect suit tailored for her over 18 years. She, too, had made her own efforts to match him.
So, while she might not know about love, she definitely had ‘fond feelings’ for him. Caroline liked Ulysses more than her most cherished dress.
‘So, there must be an effect.’
She sprayed Louise’s potion on her wrist and grabbed the annex’s front door handle.
Just as she was about to pull the door open.
“Sister?”
A familiar voice called out from behind her. She stopped her actions and turned to see who it was. The silver-blue eyes that matched the night sky curved like a crescent moon.
“Ceci? Why are you outside at this hour…?”
“Um, I couldn’t sleep, so thought I’d get some fresh air.”
Cecilia replied amicably.
***
Cecilia had been watching Caroline’s actions from behind for a while. Finally acknowledging it, she inwardly clicked her tongue.
‘I knew it, something felt off.’
She wasn’t the type to just ignore a bad hunch.
If something seemed off, there was surely a reason for it. At the very least, she had the will to verify it with her own eyes.
The moment she felt uneasy, Cecilia got out of bed. Prepared to face whatever music, she went to Caroline’s room. However, Caroline wasn’t there.
If there was nothing special, she would always be in bed at a fixed time after completing her bedtime preparations.
Caroline’s absence meant that something unusual had happened to her.
At this point, the only significant matter for Caroline was the annulment of her engagement with Ulysses.
As Cecilia’s thoughts reached that conclusion, she immediately headed towards the annex where Ulysses was sleeping. And late at night, she found Caroline loitering in front of the annex.
Her back resembled that of Hannah Linfitt, who had entered the main house holding poison. The nervousness and hesitation of someone harboring a secret were palpable in the way she fiddled with the perfume bottle.
‘How could I pretend not to notice when she’s acting so suspiciously?’
Instead of letting out a sigh that was on the verge of escaping, Cecilia put on a smile.
“I saw you on my way back inside and called out.”
“Ah…”
“What are you doing out here at this time of night?”
“It’s nothing for you to worry about.”
Even though she made a face that obviously showed she was concerned, she said it was nothing to worry about.
Whether on the balcony or now, Caroline was the same. In her teens, she looked so foolish it was almost pitiful.
‘It seems she had some business with Ulysses. Business at such a late hour…’
It was a situation ripe for misunderstandings. Considering Caroline’s behavior after their marriage, it didn’t seem like much of a misunderstanding at all.
Currently, she firmly believed she would become Ulysses’s sunflower, but she was the child who inherited most of their father’s fickle nature.
The scandal with Young Duke Pierce, which she vehemently denied in court, was the stark truth. Cecilia, who exchanged letters with her, knew it to be true.
Knowing well that Cecilia had no social circle to spread rumors, Caroline occasionally used her as an emotional dumping ground. Her letters tended to become lengthy only when she had complaints to vent.
She would often end with a request to burn them, which Cecilia foolishly did. Straight into the fireplace they went.
Had those letters remained as evidence in court, the outcome might have been different.
In the past, she considered Caroline a sister.
But now, she was faced with the nineteen-year-old Caroline once more.
With a completely different perspective than in her previous life.
Caroline herself probably couldn’t easily explain what she wanted now. She herself might not admit it. It wasn’t something a chaste lady would dare think about.
Truthfully, whether Caroline spends the night making history with Ulysses or gets tragically rejected, it was none of Cecilia’s concern.
However, the item Caroline was about to use was not suitable for her purpose.
“That in your sleeve.”
Cecilia hinted with a glance.
“What is it?”
