STVC 08

Chapter 08

“Pardon?”

The crimson-stained bedding had been replaced, and the clothes in the wardrobe were thrown out.

I felt a pang seeing the clothes I had been somewhat attached to go, but the duke beside me said something that felt like a bolt from the blue.

“Since there was an unfortunate incident, we’ll change your room. Is there any reason you insist on staying in this one?”

“No, there’s no reason, it’s just… it’s so sudden,” I replied.

“I was planning to move you anyway, sooner or later,” he said.

It was the first I’d heard of it.

I looked at Dane with a puzzled expression, and he nodded in agreement with the duke.

“This room is too far away anyway.”

Wait… did I hear that correctly?

My room was at the very back of the fourth floor. When I first came to the duke’s house, I had chosen the room farthest from the duchess’s, so I wouldn’t catch her attention.

I had been living in this room ever since.

‘It’s not particularly uncomfortable.’

But apparently, the duke had been concerned enough that he didn’t even let me respond before stating there would be no reversal.

“Where shall we move you?”

“Where would be good?” Dane asked the duke, who then turned to me.

I answered without hesitation.

“Next to the twins!”

“Understood. Ask Dane for any furniture you need.”

“No, the current setup is fine,” I said.

The duke’s brow furrowed slightly at my refusal. I didn’t want to replace the furniture, so I quickly diverted his attention with a question.

“By the way, uncle, what would you have done if Lady Bern had denied everything? Did you have other evidence?”

The duke’s expression softened slightly, showing he was a little less irritated.

“Yes. If you mix Hargen and Reifroof, it becomes a potion that enhances magic. It doesn’t need to be ingested—just applied. Someone who can’t sense magic might not notice, but I could see it. Even if faintly, the magic around her increased.”

Ah, so that’s why the duke had known from the start that Bern was the culprit.

I couldn’t help but admire his insight.

“Wow! Uncle, you’re amazing!”

“It’s nothing,” he said modestly.

I clapped and praised him, which brought a satisfied smile to his face. Perhaps he had forgotten about the furniture, because he then suggested we resume our tea time, and I returned with him to where the twins were waiting.

That night, the twins, who had only just learned of the incident, worried about me all day. Of course, I had explained it to them in milder terms.

I had also worried that perhaps, like in the original story, they might not trust me—but it was an unnecessary concern.

It was clear they genuinely trusted me.

“Shall the three of us sleep together tonight?”

After age ten, I usually refused when the twins suggested sleeping with me.

They tended to be overly dependent. At first, they fussed a bit, but over time they seemed to recognize that it wasn’t appropriate, and the fussing gradually decreased.

I felt a little sad but knew I couldn’t keep indulging them forever.

“Sure!!”

“Sure!!”

Perhaps because it had been a long time since I suggested it, the twins lit up with smiles at the idea of sleeping together, seemingly forgetting the events of the day.

It was the first night in the new room. The wallpaper and furniture arrangement were unfamiliar, but being with the twins made it more comfortable than ever.

Winter passed, and fresh sprouts began to appear.

I stared absentmindedly at the traces of the quickly passing season, worrying about the upcoming big event.

“Miss, it’s chilly today. Shall I bring you a shawl?”

“Yes, thank you. Around the time Ariel and Ariel finish their lessons, prepare tea time in the greenhouse.”

“Yes, understood.”

As I headed outside, a passing maid handed me a shawl.

There were only kind people around me.

The sky was as gray as my eyes.

Thick gray clouds promised rain at any moment, yet the rose fragrance in the damp air was unusually strong.

‘As long as the crown prince’s birthday celebration passes safely, Ariel’s villain route can be completely avoided.’

The main setting of the novel was the academy! One year later, the heroine, capable of using magic and elemental arts, would enroll and the story would begin.

In a side story, 15-year-old Ariel attended the crown prince’s birthday celebration and fell for Prince Helios!

‘It should be fine since I’ve already badmouthed the crown prince.’

Becoming empress came with mountains of responsibilities, and Ariel had described all the cons in detail.

Yet Ariel stubbornly said, “If my sister dislikes him, so do I!”

But still, there’s always the “what if.” First love can be overwhelming and instantaneous, sweeping someone off their feet.

‘Sigh, Riel… I trust you.’

I dragged my heavy steps into the greenhouse, thinking about the crown prince’s birthday celebration next week.

“Why are you so late, sister?!”

“Huh?”

“Dummy! There must be a reason for your being late! Don’t scold her!”

“You both came early.”

“We studied hard so we could play with you quickly!”

“Give us praise!”

At fifteen, were they still craving my approval?

Entering adolescence, the twins’ eyes sparkled as they looked up at me, raised in love.

They wanted me to quickly stroke their hair.

“Good! Amazing! My little siblings, as expected,” I said.

“Of course!”

“This is nothing!”

I ran my right hand through Ariel’s hair, my left through Ariel’s.

The twins, satisfied, snuggled up to me.

“Don’t get married, live with me forever.”

“No! I’ll live with my sister. You go over there.”

“Why not the three of us together? Just like now.”

“Hmm… I don’t want to live with Ariel forever, but if you say so, I’ll endure it.”

“Hmph. I don’t like you either! If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t even want to be around someone like you for a moment.”

Why were they so blindly obedient? Perhaps it was like how animals imprint their parents upon first sight. I watched my adorable twins with a fond smile.

“Family by blood is precious. You two are twins, so treasure each other.”

“You’re family too, sister. You’re the most precious.”

“That’s right. You are also family by blood with me!”

Oops. That wasn’t the intention behind my words.

Having lost our parents early and with no siblings, they looked at me with concern.

“I know. You are most precious to me as well.”

If they had tails, they’d be wagging them enthusiastically at my words.

We enjoyed a leisurely tea time.

Amid sweet cakes and slightly bitter black tea, our conversation turned to the crown prince’s birthday celebration.

“Why aren’t you going, sister?”

Ariel asked which dress I would wear. She wanted to wear matching dresses with me.

Was she trying to turn me into a squid? At fifteen, Ariel was more dazzling than the Little Mermaid. The novel declared her the empire’s top beauty.

Anyway, I casually said I wouldn’t wear a dress since I wasn’t attending the party, which seemed to shock Ariel. She shook my shoulder, asking why I wasn’t going.

The twins had assumed I would naturally go.

‘Well, I wasn’t in that part of the story… how do I explain it?’

“Um, I’ve felt a bit of a cold since yesterday. I’ll rest at home, so you two have fun.”

“But sister, how can we have fun if you’re not there? I won’t go if you’re not going.”

“Me neither!”

Hmm? Not going together is fine by me.

Then, an uninvited guest arrived.

“No.”

A low, heavy voice spoke.

Unexpectedly, the person appearing in the greenhouse was the duke.

‘Wow. The duke still hasn’t lost his looks with age.’

The first thing I noticed about the duke after a month was his dazzling face.

I couldn’t imagine he had two children.

‘Wrinkle-free? He’s nearly forty, right? They say high magic slows aging… maybe I should try building up magic too.’

Ridiculous. If I could sense magic, I’d already be in the magic tower.

Yet his nearly flawless, jade-white skin, dark red hair less saturated than the twins’, and emerald-like shining green eyes made him look like a 2D anime character.

“You must attend the birthday celebration.”

“You must not push yourself if you’re sick!”

Ariel bristled and spoke, but the duke didn’t budge, his gaze drifting.

I wondered why he was looking at me.

“Are you sick?”

“Huh? Oh, I think I have a slight cold.”

“I’ll call a priest.”

“Huh? A priest?”

Not a doctor, but a priest. In this world, priests heal with divine power. Their fees were far higher than a normal doctor’s.

It was just a slight cold, yet he suggested a priest!?

“No, it’s not that serious. I’ll be fine if I rest,” I said.

It was partly my fault for underestimating the duke’s resources, but who could have guessed he would call a priest first?

I prayed he’d drop the issue, insisting rest would suffice.

“Then rest well before going,” he said.

My prayers did nothing. The duke continued to look at me with his unflinching gaze.

His gaze exerted such pressure that I felt like kneeling immediately and shouting, “I will obey!”

‘No. I won’t back down. I wasn’t going to bring this up, but if he pushes, I’ll play my hidden card!’

“Actually… I haven’t received an invitation from the palace.”

For large parties, there’s always a guest list. Even family members might not receive one. Occasionally, someone else could attend on their behalf.

“……”

“……”

“……”

Silence fell.

What? This atmosphere… it’s heavier than I expected.

Well, of course. I wasn’t direct family of the duke, and my parents weren’t here either…

Wait, am I the one who missed the cue?

I intended only to say I couldn’t go because I hadn’t received an invitation, but apparently, they interpreted it completely differently.

“Sister, there’s no need to go to such parties.”

In an instant, the crown prince’s birthday celebration became a party I didn’t need to attend.

Ariel’s eyes cooled.

“Don’t worry about her. She’s just someone who doesn’t know your value.”

Even Ariel, who usually teased me, spoke coldly for the first time, wearing a serious expression.

I wasn’t hurt or upset at all.

Not knowing how to handle the odd atmosphere, I glanced at the duke.

Maybe he’d resolve it since he was an adult.

“It doesn’t matter. Remember this—you are an Ardentain. No one can stop an Ardentain.”

“!”

“!”

The twins were in awe, looking up at their charismatic father, while I was left speechless.

Excuse me, sir… there’s an emperor above the duke, you know.

No wonder the twins in the novel thought rebellion would be easy.