Translator: Nabi

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T/N: The title for Cassius will be changed from ‘Duke’ to ‘Lord’ as there were some changes in the novel and I happened to notice it too late. The changes are already made on the website until the latest chapter, so anyone who has early access to the chapters from Patreon can go read the corrected version there. I apologize for the mistake again.

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Chapter 13

I left my seat and got up.

The wine glass fell, staining the expensive tablecloth scarlet red, but it did not bother me at all.

I stared at Cassius coldly.

“Lord, what kind of joke is this?”

“Obviously, I have confirmed earlier, you only talked about your parents and Miss Ophelia. Am I wrong?”

“….”

As I blinked my eyes, tears rose up.

When stress was extremely high, Evelyn’s body would be unable to withstand and this happened.

I clenched my teeth and held it back.

‘Wake up… Only then can you survive, Evelyn Garneid!’

Composing myself, I opened my mouth slowly.

“So, by making me stay here… What are you going to do?”

Cassius thought for a moment.

“Well, talk?”

“If you are looking for someone to talk to, then go to the salon.”

“But, the salon is not you.”

“If you use me as a companion, you will be disappointed. I am not very eloquent.”

“You are modest.”

Before he continued his words, Cassius leaned over and the smell of musk reached me.

“In my whole life, I have never seen anyone as entertaining as you.”

I am sure that is the case.

Crazy people are always fun to look at from a distance. Just like I thought it was funny when I got to know Cassius Brudenell as a character in a novel. However, now that it has come to reality right now, it was not fun at all.

I widened my eyes.

I have no intention of sitting here and joking around with Cassius.

“Then, just send Ophelia back. Right Now!”

“…As you command.”

At that, he clapped his hand and called for a servant whom I had not even noticed until a moment ago.

Soon, the attendant appeared with Ophelia.

“Sister…?”

It seemed that she had sensed something unusual.

“Ophelia, go home first. I have to… talk to Duke Cassius here first.”

“I do not want to!”

Ophelia’s reaction was intense. “I will stay with sister.”

“Ophelia.”

I called her sternly.

“Are you disobeying my orders now?”

“I… I do not want to go back alone. Please!”

I sighed.

The situation was completely understandable.

Of course, she does not want to go back.

Without me in that house, there would be no one on Ophelia’s side.

Besides, to the extent that Ophelia has been a great will to me in this world, it seems that I have also become that kind of existence to her.

Even though what I did was nothing compared to what she did for me…

Looking at the situation, Cassius opened his mouth quietly.

“Young Lady, if Miss Ophelia does not want to leave that much, do you really have to send her back?”

“….”

I turned my head.

Cassius was already gazing at me with a funny expression when we made eye contact.

‘He was aiming for this…’

A realization came upon me.

Only when I am not an idiot can I realize that Ophelia relies on me and follows me. In other words, if he holds onto me, no matter how much I try to send Ophelia back, she will always come with me.

I had to admit that Cassius Brudenell was not just a madman. He was a smart madman.

With that in mind, I made up my mind and strode towards Ophelia.

“Sister…!”

Ophelia called me in a trembling voice.

Slap!

I slapped Ophelia’s cheek as hard as I could, trying to be as ferocious as possible.

“Where are you trying to climb presumptuously? Go back right now. I am ashamed to regard someone like you as my younger sister for a while and keep you by my side.”

I could feel a tingling pain in my hand.

Ophelia grabbed her cheek and only shed her tears, but she did not say anything.

I clenched my teeth.

It hurts a little, it has to hurt a little—please hate me a little more… This would be better than accepting Ophelia’s foreordained future without struggling.

I continued coldly.

“Did you not hear me? Go back now.”

“…Yes, Miss.”

Eventually, Ophelia spoke in an emotionless voice, then turned slowly and left the hall. Standing still while staring at her back, which was slowly disappearing, I could barely breathe her after the appearance of her had completely disappeared.

“It is a great sisterhood.”

Again, the tone of admiration.

I suppressed the urge to smack Cassius in the face.

Once Ophelia goes back to the house, he cannot touch her while I am here. So, there was no need to provoke him unnecessarily.

Cassius gazed down at me and smiled faintly.

“Finally, I am alone with you.”

“…You are crazy.”

I repeated my words again. It was because I could not think of anything other than those words.

“Yes, I am crazy.”

He raised one of my hands and put it to his mouth.

“To you.”

“….”

Goosebumps rose from the soft touch of his lips. I immediately pulled away my hand.

Because of that, Cassius looked slightly disappointed though he did not show much.

“Then, would you please sit down again?”

“Why?”

“ I’d like to talk to you.”

“I refuse.”

He then spoke in a soft voice, as if he had not heard my refusal. “Since I have returned Miss Ophelia, can you please grant me this kind of request?”

I bit my lip.

Just as Ophelia could not leave this place because of me, I could not leave this place because of her either.

In the end, he led me not to where I had spilled the wine, though to the chair on the other side of the seat where I had been sitting.

“This is not my seat?”

“How can I get a lady to sit in a seat that is still sticky with wine?”

“You can just call the servant and tell him to clean it up.”

“I do not want to interrupt our time alone. So, we can wait a minute, I hope Young Lady understands.”

“….”

And so, I shut my mouth and sat down on the chair.

Cassius sat in the wine-stained seat and looked at me with a pleased face.

I had no choice but to admit it. The fact that things are completely going the way this person wants them to be.

‘….’

Unable to withstand the one-sided, friendly silence, I asked any questions that came to my mind.

“What would you do if I told you not to go near me, Ophelia, and my parents?”

Having said that, it was a question I was very curious about. If I had been a little smarter, Cassius would have been forced to withdraw from Ophelia forever.

His eyes folded softly.

“Evelyn, I knew you would not make a wish on yourself.”

“What do you mean…”

“Even if you pretend you do not, you are the one who puts others before yourself in the end.”

I frowned.

It was a compliment, but I was not happy to hear it at all. After all, it was as if he was saying that I am an idiot who does not know how to take care of myself.

Cassius asked again gently.

“Any other questions?”

“…Do I have to continue to keep living here? Until when?”

As if it was an unexpected question, a different look showed in his eyes.

“You can stay as long as you want.”

“Yes…?”

A foolish sound erupted from my mouth.

For… as long as I want?

“Why are you so surprised? Did you think that I was rude enough to imprison the Count of Garneid?”

“….”

I studied the man in front of me.

‘Strictly speaking, I am not a countess yet, though he would probably imprison an unwanted woman, anyway!’

Still, I managed to suppress the urge to say that, and asked a much more important question.

“So… you are just sending me back?”

“Yes.”

Cassius nodded his head.

“Even if I want to go right now?”

“Do you not like this place that much?”

“Yes.”

When I replied, he sighed slowly, “Well, I can’t help it. Evelyn, I have tried my best to make it according to your tastes… I am sorry.”

Oh.

I suddenly realized one thing.

These fancy decorated dining tables and chairs…

It was to the taste of the original Evelynn Garneid!

Eventually, Cassius reached out to me, who was still in shock.

“Please get up. David will escort you to your mansion.”

The road back would not be very long, but it felt like an eternity. Maybe it was because I am sitting alone in the lavish carriage and mulling on what I’ve done today.

In any case, the carriage finally arrived at Count Garneid’s residence, and David, who had been escorting me all the way, opened the door.

“We have arrived, Miss.”

As soon as I got off, I heard voices calling me from all directions, but my destination was different.

“Evelyn!”

“Lady Evelyn!”

I left them all behind and ran straight to Ophelia’s room right away.

“Oh, uh… Lady.”

Ophelia stood up from her seat and faltered.

“Ophelia.”

I tried to call her name calmly, but it collapsed in an instant. Because my voice was swallowed up by tears.

“… I-I am sorry—”

“Sister… what are you sorry for?”

The child shook her head vigorously and approached me. The pure emotion that appeared on the child’s face made my heart ached as the marks from when I had hit her a few hours ago overlapped.

“I hit you…”

“It did not hurt at all.”

“It does not? You cannot lie.”

Ophelia laughed wildly.

“I know everything. I can see it in your eyes that you did not mean to do that.”

I hugged Ophelia tightly.

It seemed that Ophelia was also dying and hugged me as she was putting on more strength than usual. Thanks to the kind and gentle Ophelia, we were able to be like sisters again.

After that, I spent as much time as possible with her. Partly, it was because I wanted to keep an eye on Ophelia, but I cannot deny that it was also because I wanted to be with the child.

In the end, I spent a dreamy week with Ophelia.

Everything was peaceful until my parents called me again…

I swallowed dry saliva and opened the office door slowly.

No matter how much I thought about it, my parents did not have any reason to call me like this. Since returning, I have worked tirelessly to live as a good heir. I even went to several tea parties, and I have never had an accident as well.

As I slowly entered the office, my mother and father were waiting for me with solemn faces.

“My lovely daughter.”

I had a bad feeling.

Whenever my mother called me like that, something big would always happen—for example… putting the five handmaids surrounding me.

“Do you know what this is?”

Father spoke as he pointed to the desk.

Looking down, I saw a splendid scroll of parchment bearing the seal of the Duke of Brudenell.

‘….!’

My legs trembled, and my heart pounded rapidly as though it would be thumping to the moon.

I managed to push the words out in a hoarse voice.

“What… is this…?”

“It is a marriage proposal… sent to you by Lord Cassius Brudenell.”

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