Be Fascinated - Chapter 41

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Chapter 41

Philia took in the mansion with her eyes. The mansion was still beautiful as if separated from the world.

Pure white walls, a sophisticated gray roof. The tree with straight, pale green leaves that Philia loved, shimmering like a jewel in the evening.

After walking for a while, she saw colorful flowers that she liked.

The white table that looked like she could drink tea right away if she wanted to.

As she walked a little further, she saw a beautiful statue of an angel.

Philia looked around the mansion with a faint expression on her face, then turned and looked out the window.

There, Claude lay unconscious. Philia closed her eyes painfully.

And without hesitation, she dropped the lit lamp she was holding. The fire started spreading quickly. A red flame blazed out.

Red. A bright red color engulfed everything. It was very easy to sprinkle oil all over the mansion.

Philia decided to burn this mansion down. The process of burning and removing it was not as difficult as she thought.

The actual owner was Claude, but he was poisoned and was asleep, so he had no authority.

The servants found Philia’s request strange, but after granting the request to sprinkle oil, they left the mansion. She stared at the burning mansion for a long time, where Claude still slept.

Philia burned everything with her own hands. Her peace, and her prison, the happy and unhappy place that held her.

Tears flowed quietly from her eyes. Now this place will turn to black ashes, leaving nothing behind.

Philia turned her back on the mansion and walked forward. With this, she decided to throw away all the past.

Everything.

She will be free from all her past and be happy. Philia smiled brightly.

Ah, now she finally has the ‘choice’ she wanted from her heart. Not bound by anything, not pushed to anything, not forced.

She chooses only for herself.

A dry wind blew with the hot flames. Still, Philia smiled brightly. A sense of pride filled her heart.

Philia listened to the seamstresses and passed them on. She had to make all these clothes by today.

It wasn’t easy for her to become a seamstress. Philia always practiced sewing, and she studied the clothes by looking at the patterns. The other local clothing store, where she returned to work, did not favor her.

Each time she struggled, she took the blue ring out of her hand and looked at it. The blue ring is engraved with ornate work. When she saw the ring, various emotions came to her, and she was able to concentrate on my work.

“Philia! What color is this dress? Who put purple and yellow?! What a waste of precious cloth like this!”

But Philia always received Jessie’s scorn. She had no way of knowing whether her abilities were so unreliable, or whether it was because of her territoriality towards Philia who suddenly appeared.

“I got it from the pansy flower. Purple and yellow are too bright, but when placed well like this, they are in a spot that deserves attention…”

“If you’re going to take on such a frivolous challenge, you better go to the capital! Are you bragging now that you’re from the capital?!”

The clothes Philia had made fell to the floor. She sighed.

Then, there was a bang and the door opened. The staff and Philia looked at the door in unison, startled. Beyond the door stood a man. Philia’s heart began to pound and beat. It was Claude.

Philia looked at Claude. Although his face was slightly pale, he looked healthy. His reddish-brown eyes moved, and he turned right to Philia.

‘Maybe he’s alive?’ she thought. Because no national funeral was held in the country.

“You’re alive,” Philia commented bluntly.

“It took quite a while to get my body moving,” Claude answered.

That day, Philia used her divine powers, and she healed him. That was all she had done there.

Philia set fire to the mansion without even checking if Claude would get up. She cured him and saved him, but it was also true that she dangerously set fire to the mansion he was in.

Did she want him to live or die? Those feelings were also abandoned at that time. Now her choice was not tied to Claude.

After all, he was not a great man to have died easily. He didn’t even have enough strength to survive there, yet as soon as his body recovered, he came looking for her, so it didn’t seem like he had changed at all.

But Philia was surprised that she herself could have all of these thoughts. She was judging him dryly.

Now when she saw Claude, she felt nothing. In particular, it was very strange that there was no fear or anger.

“What are you doing?”

“I came to find what’s mine.”

Her heart was pounding and ringing. Mine, was he thinking of claiming her again?

“What you stole when I was asleep.”

Philia knew what it was. Philia saw the ring in her own hand. He was talking about the ring.

“Didn’t it all disappear when the mansion burned down in the first place?”

“No, it was put in a secured box so it couldn’t burn. If so, who else would have taken it?”

If she had known this would be the case, she would have just left. Why did she have to see that pair of rings? In Claude’s room, at the table right next to him, Philia saw them.

There was a man’s ring and a woman’s ring. They were definitely wedding rings.

She couldn’t overcome her curiosity and ended up wearing the ring. The ring fit Philia’s ring finger. She realized what he wanted.

At that moment in the mansion, Claude moved as if he was about to wake up. Philia was startled. There was no hesitation in her eyes. She reached out to Claude, but soon set down her hand again as if she had come to her senses. She hurriedly left as if to run away that night. It wasn’t until Philia returned here that she saw that she was wearing the ring.

That’s how it played out. She couldn’t throw it away, so she kept it.

“Don’t tell me, Philia, did you do anything in the capital?!”

Jessie shouted, but Philia didn’t care. Rather, Philia spoke bluntly.

“It was meant to be given to me. How can I steal it?”

“…….”

Claude looked slightly taken aback.

“Why did you take it?”

“I was going to sell it.”

“…….”

“I sold it. I can’t find it anymore.”

Claude did not respond to Philia’s words. Instead, his eyes widened with anger.

“Kill me or spare me, it is up to you to decide.”

Philia walked out of the sewing room. There was a chilling silence. Claude didn’t stop her. Claude looked at the other employees.

“W-Well, Sir. What the hell has that kid done… Shall I kick her out?”

“Bring those clothes.”

Claude arrogantly ordered with his chin. It was Philia’s clothes that Jessie threw away. The maid brought him the clothes Philia had made.

The combination of a purple and a yellow fabric was an impressive outfit.

It’s flashy and catchy, but never overdone. The combination of the calm purple color and the dark yellow went surprisingly well.

But Claude didn’t judge that. All he did was bury his nose in the dress, where Philia’s fingertips touched.

He could feel Philia’s faint scent. The smell that he was so drawn to.

The employees sent him out as they looked at him sadly burying his face in a woman’s dress. He immediately followed Philia out, as if possessed.

Philia was waiting for him in front of the clothing store without running away.

“Philia.”

“Follow me.”

She said annoyingly. Philia has changed subtly. From the gentle and docile personality, she became a little honest, like a woman of her age.

That’s what Claude wanted so much. After freeing herself from Claude, Philia finally found her own colors.

Philia stopped under a large tree by the river. She looked around and said,

“Why did you come? The ring is probably just an excuse.”

“That ring is important to me.”

“A ring to propose to me?”

“…….”

“How strange, why didn’t you propose to me while I was imprisoned at that time? I would have been forced to get married.”

Claude did not answer Philia’s question. She didn’t ask because she wanted to hear his answer.

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