Translator and Editor: Maru and Aki

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Chapter 12

Mesmerized by her peacefulness and radiance, Tidwell opened his mouth unintendedly.

“I want to see you up close, sister.”

Her gaze and voice. He wanted to see her prideful expression and the peacefulness she brought upon a little closer.

“Why?”

At Ravia’s question, Tidwell smiled softly. The answer to that question had already been found.

“…Aren’t we family? Whatever the circumstances.”

It was brazen of him to say that they were family after taking Ravia’s spot, but Tidwell had no other way of explaining it.

Sister. He was very happy to define Ravia with that word.

“Are you going to say that I’m shameless?”

“Honestly, I never thought about it that way.” Ravia admitted.

Of course, it was because she couldn’t believe what Tidwell said. Rather than seeing her up close, he just wanted to monitor her.

‘But why?’

Why did he look at her with that gaze?

Tidwell, unaware of Ravia’s doubts, stood before her and leaned his upper body with the tip of his eyebrows lowered.

And he asked with his deep and muffled voice.

“Then do you hate me?”

Here she was supposed to say the opposite to lessen Tidwell’s guard, but she didn’t want to lie. Ravia hated Tidwell. So instead of answering, she asked back.

“Do you want me to hate you?”

“I hope not.”

Why on earth?

Ravia looked at him blankly. His blue eyes were deep. No, his eyes were persistent. He always looked at her that way.

‘Was it because he lacked affection?’

In the novel, he was twisted not because he had been through so much dirty work, but because he had never been loved.

Since he was abandoned at a young age in the backstreet, he must have learned how to curse before he could even learn how to greet others properly.

The heroine’s smile was so affectionate and honest that he fell in love with her helplessly several times. This was written in the book.

[Tidwell needed somebody to love]

He needed a place to relax. When he was exhausted and fed up with everything, he needed a place to lean on. He was desperate for someone who could relieve his mind when he suffered from chronic anxiety and insomnia.

He said he didn’t trust people, but in fact, no one was desperate for love as much as he did.

He was truly the male lead of a dark romance novel.

‘I can relate to that one thing.’

Ravia knew about the feeling of wanting to be loved better than anyone else.

Each time she tried to think of someone for help at difficult times, her mind went blank. She couldn’t think of anyone. Because there was always no one beside Ravia.

Although her past wasn’t as tough as Tidwell’s, her longing for love was also apparent.

-I’m going to leave…so nobody can look down at me… It will be enough if I could find love and live on.

What she said to Tidwell in the rose garden were her true feelings.

‘At least you have the heroine.’

Soon, Laricia would become Tidwell’s salvation. For Tidwell, she was a blessing. However,

“I can’t say I’m happy to have a brother.”

There was no one else in the room aside from the man in front of Ravia.

“I don’t hate you.”

Wouldn’t it be okay if I comforted him a little? Because I know that lonely heart better than anyone else.

“Because we are family.”

If only this word could stop his plan to kill me in the future even a little. If only he pitied me, who wasn’t given the main lead’s role.

So, Ravia reached out and touched the cheek of the man whose upper body was bent toward her. Ravia’s jewelry on her wrist and finger clinked, which made a light sound.

Before her cold hand could wrap his warm cheek completely, weight was placed on top of it. Tidwell grabbed her hand and leaned over it. His smiling lips were buried in Ravia’s palm.

Just like a satisfied lion, whose belly was full, in a drowsy afternoon, Tidwell said.

“I’m glad you said that.”

He’s pretty good at acting, too. Ravia thought as she smiled at him.

The strength he put on her hand was quite strong. Rather than simply feeling good, Tidwell felt intoxicated with unknown satisfaction.

‘This feels a little…weird.’

Ravia closed her eyes and looked at Tidwell, who was buried in her hand with a complicated look.

When should I release my hand?

That was her main concern. It was her first time comforting someone, and it was the first time someone leaned over her hand like this.

How should I remove my hand naturally so he won’t be offended?

But Ravia’s worries were quickly resolved as a knock was heard from outside.

“Young Master, I brought what you asked.”

The satisfaction in Tidwell’s face was instantly shattered.

“…Bring it in.”

Thank you, butler. Ravia inwardly thanked her savior.

A tea party in the library looked oddly out of place. But it was good because there were only a few people, and Ravia liked the smell of books. Moreover, everything that the butler brought suited Ravia’s tastes.

Ravia had a tea party that perfectly matched her taste after a long time. But the problem was something else.

‘Why is it sunset already?’

Because she enjoyed it so much, she didn’t realize that time flew by. Ravia frowned as she glanced at the ivy covered wall. The sun had already set, and she was looking for an escape route.

‘This wasn’t my original plan.’

The original plan was to attend the tea party to lessen Tidwell’s guard, read some books in the library once Tidwell leaves, and then exit the mansion at sunset.

But the tea party was more fun than she expected.

She thought about what to talk with Tidwell, but they got along better than expected.

They had similar ideas about philosophy, and their taste in music was almost in sync. Even down to the details like they both prefer viola better than the violin.

‘There was no such thing in the novel!’

Ravia inwardly blamed the innocent book [His and Her Spring].

The novel didn’t really depict Tidwell’s personal taste. It was all about his love for the heroine, Leticia. His distraught and decadent appearance. His crazy obsession and among others.

In order to explain the male lead’s crazy obsession to the heroine, who melted his frozen heart, the fact that he preferred the interlude more than the prelude in the opera didn’t matter.

Ravia recalled some of the conversations she had with Tidwell a little while ago.

-Still, opera is all about aria. Have you heard of Laricia’s aria?

-Yeah, I’ve heard of it.

-I had only one chance to experience it, and I still remember it vividly. It was a very fascinating melody. I think I know why people are so enthusiastic about it.

As Tidwell talked about Laricia, he somehow looked so youthful as if he was a boy who just had his first love.

Laricia and Tidwell’s first meeting. Ravia knew about it as it was written on [His and Her Spring].

In fact, there must be at least one past event that united them to make the story more fun. As usual, it was such an obvious story.

Just when the male lead was exhausted and fed up with his livelihood in the underworld, he happened to hear Primadonna Laricia singing.

The male lead, who was greatly impressed by it, regained his energy. He was deeply grateful, and thus, his admiration grew for Laricia.

‘The spring ability is quite amazing.’

In fact, he gained his energy not just because the song was too impressive, but because she put her power in the song so that it would leave a deep impression on the listeners and the emotions they felt would not disappear easily.

Thanks to this, Ravia felt as if cold water was poured down on her as soon as he talked about the heroine.

Yeah, right. This is inside the book. This fun tea party and brother-sister act made me so immersed that I forgot for a second.

‘Don’t let your guard down until the end.’

Tuk-! Tuk-!

The dense ivy vines that covered the wall were torn helplessly by Ravia’s hand. Ravia snapped off the vines and put pressure on a few bricks on the exposed wall.

There must be a place that could be opened around here.

‘Ah, here it is.’

Leontine’s secret installation.

It was an installation that only those who inherit the duchy for generations would know along with some other secret places.

In [His and Her Spring], it was the escape route used by the heroine who was locked up in the residence.

The guards change shifts twice. The shift was at 8 p.m, after dinner. The security tends to be sloppy during the shift.

Ravia glanced at the guards who conversed from afar and carefully went out through the hole on the wall.

Kururung-!

The bricks made a heavy sound and interlocked. Soon enough, only the guards who already had their dinner guarded the garden.

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