Chapter : 04
“……Excuse me?”
Even when Diana asked back, the other person tilted his head as if he didn’t understand what she meant.
His expression looked genuinely innocent, which only made her more confused.
‘No.’
He must really mean it purely. After all, there was no reason for Ersivan to suspect Lillian’s existence.
“I’ll believe that Your Highness did not understand the meaning of those words.”
Coming back to reality, Diana showed the kind of reaction most people would have.
Normally, people would get angry first.
Saying “It would suit you if you had a twin” was no different from saying “You and your sister are perfect witches!”—a clear insult.
Because in the Empire, twins were a symbol of witches.
This belief came from a famous imperial legend, The Curse of Twins.
About a hundred years ago, the Empress was pregnant with twins, but only gave birth to the elder one.
The prince, born as the eldest, grew up loved by many, but later betrayed everyone and started a rebellion.
The Emperor, the Empress, his siblings, cousins, and servants—he killed them all and seized the throne.
He was the first twin ever born in the imperial family.
Since the first existence born against such low odds turned into evil, people declared it to be the curse of a witch.
“Twins are evil. How can something that devours each other’s life be anything but darkness?”
“So that’s why you abandoned me.”
“If I hadn’t, you would have died long ago. Branded as a witch or a demon. Rather than becoming a disgrace to the family, this was the better choice.”
The Count showed no guilt for abandoning such a small life. His expression seemed to say, Why ask something so obvious?
Because of that one person, the rumor continued to spread until the present, and many in the Empire still believed it as truth.
One of them was Count Mernard.
Worried about the disgrace the curse of twins would bring, he chose to abandon Diana.
Not killing her was, according to him, his only conscience. He said he could not bear to imagine his noble bloodline dying.
How could someone remain so selfish until the very end? Diana trembled with anger.
Perhaps it would have been better if she had never been born.
Rather than living her whole life unable to show herself to the world, it would have been better to die as a pure being that knew nothing.
“It seems I may have offended you.”
Ersivan’s voice broke her long train of thoughts.
“To be honest, I was worried my first impression might not be a good one.”
It was the typical noble way of indirectly admitting rudeness. Diana deliberately responded strongly to hide her sudden embarrassment.
Fortunately, he seemed well-mannered and quickly apologized. Ersivan lowered his head deeply, like a ripened grain bending.
“I apologize. To think my carelessness disturbed your mood—I am too ashamed to raise my head.”
“I’ve heard that overlooking mistakes generously is a virtue. So please raise your head, Your Highness.”
Diana felt burdened by his more intense apology than expected and urged him to look up.
He slowly raised his head, his gaze asking if she was truly fine.
Of course. She nodded repeatedly, signaling him to stop.
“I caused a misunderstanding because we think differently.”
“A misunderstanding?”
“I have never once thought that twins are bad.”
Thinking he was making an excuse, Diana silently listened.
“Isn’t it nice? Quite useful too. Since no one would know if the two pretended to be each other, you could ask them for small favors to handle your work. Or an assassin trying to kill me might get confused and kill my sibling instead…”
“……”
“And who knows? Even if their lives were switched, people wouldn’t notice.”
While flowers bloomed across the Empire, she alone felt as if she stood in the middle of winter.
Her body stiffened from tension, her skin tight, her breathing rough and uneven.
…Did he really, truly not know her identity?
“That is quite a frightening opinion. Dangerous, even.”
“Is that so? If you see me as a shameless person who even treats siblings as tools, I suppose that would be a little sad.”
It wasn’t that his intention was frightening—his words were just too accurate.
And yet, hearing such strange answers made it seem like he truly knew nothing.
“By the way, it seems you also believe in that legend, my lady.”
“In this Empire, you may be the only one who doesn’t.”
The story of the mad tyrant was recorded in history books. That was why so many believed in the curse.
“I gain far more by not believing it.”
“Gain?”
“Someday, my belief will shine. Even if the people I love turn out to be remnants of that curse, they won’t be hurt and will endure it calmly.”
“It seems Your Highness wouldn’t mind, even if someone you love were such a being.”
“If anything, I would only feel sorry that such a trivial story could hurt them.”
He spoke of using even his own sibling, yet he was endlessly gentle toward those he cared about.
Well, perhaps that was why he could accept Lillian so easily in the future.
Diana stared at Ersivan.
She wondered if he truly understood the meaning of his own words.
To others, his words might sound absurd—but to Diana, they felt like medicine that soothed her wounds.
She was touched by this unexpected side of him, yet at the same time felt humiliated. How could she feel something like this toward someone she should be wary of?
“……Ersivan.”
Why did she—
Diana, who had unknowingly spoken his name, widened her eyes in surprise.
“You don’t have to call me ‘Your Highness.’ It feels rather distant.”
“Th-then… should I call you Valencia…sir?”
“Valencia?”
“Your Highness—no, Valencia—no… anyway, it seems that’s not what you want.”
“That’s not it. Didn’t you already call me something just now?”
If it was the name she had just used—
‘…Ersivan?’
Saying his name properly now felt strangely embarrassing.
Diana hesitated, moving her lips awkwardly before finally speaking.
“Ersivan…”
It came out naturally, like a passing breeze between them. Yet even that soft whisper made her cheeks burn.
“It sounds nice. But there’s an even easier name to call me by.”
“An easier name?”
Ersivan suddenly stepped closer. The shadow falling over his face made her realize his tall height.
“How about Evan?”
Was that a nickname used only between close people?
It felt too early for that, but she couldn’t easily refuse.
After all, she needed to leave a good impression on Ersivan. It was best to win his favor.
“Evan.”
Diana glanced at him, as if asking if that was enough.
“……Your Highness?”
“Again.”
“……”
“Will you say it again?”
For a moment, he had stiffened, but after regaining himself, he made an unexpected request.
Even Ersivan, who tried to remain calm, couldn’t fully hide his tension.
“Evan.”
“……”
“Evan.”
She repeated his name three more times, as he asked.
After a moment, when Diana slowly raised her tilted head, Ersivan lowered his instead.
She couldn’t see his expression. The only thing she caught a glimpse of was his pale neck.
The silence grew awkward.
His large hand covered half of his face. Through the gaps, she saw the corner of his lips clearly curved upward.
‘Is he… smiling?’
Just as that strange smile left a lingering confusion, a soft voice followed.
“What should I call you, then?”
“……You can call me Lily.”
“Lily.”
His voice trailed off slightly, the end cracking faintly—yet even that sounded charming.
“It feels nice, becoming closer.”
His slender fingers brushed lightly along his chin in a sensual motion.
“Don’t you think so, Lily?”
This time, his fingers traced upward across his nose and eyes. The smile in his eyes was dazzlingly beautiful.
He was dangerous in a different way.
Somehow, it felt like he had a natural talent for captivating people.
At that perfect timing, a line from the book came to her mind.
If there were a demon in this era, it would probably be Ersivan Valencia.
