Thank you Astarria for editing this chapter.
Nikolai Rojas.
A brother as deplorable as the one I had in my previous life when I was Han So-yi.
The so-called real-life siblings were, by my standards, heavenly. A friendly relationship that can only be found in a harmonious family.
“It’s not like I wanted to come.”
“I see you are still as foul-mouthed as ever, even after all this time.”
Attila’s mother and the current Empress used to be the previous Empress’s maid. To put it simply, it’s a case of a rolling stone displacing a set stone.
That’s why Nikolai, who was born to the former empress, couldn’t stand his sister. Of course, Attila was equally disgusted by her half-brother’s existence.
“I didn’t see your gift on the list. Did you come empty-handed, and leave your manners behind in Listane?”
“What are you talking about. I definitely brought it with me.”
I stared directly at the puzzled Nikolai, pointing arrogantly at my face.
“Here.”
“…… what?”
“I personally attended.”
“…….”
“Did you think you had any friends with that terrible personality of yours? Why would all these people come to celebrate your birthday? They came to see me.”
“This crazy…….”
To be honest, even I found my words harsh, but they weren’t entirely untrue.
Bad temper did run in the family.
Nikolai possessed the same dog-like personality as his father, the Emperor, so his friends were either as wretched as him or opportunists seeking to benefit from the prince’s status.
Some of these leeches admired the beautiful princess, and Attila’s marriage didn’t deter them much.
After all, in high society, adultery was not considered a bad thing.
“Has your personality become even worse in my absence?”
“Your introduction skills have improved.”
“Now that’s the real deal!”
Unable to control his anger, Nikolai menacingly raised his right hand.
I tried not to flinch.
Mostly because I was confident in my ability to take a hit, having grown accustomed to it, but also as a means of preserving my last bit of dignity.
Yet, despite my efforts, my body reflexively twitched as memories flooded back.
“…….”
However, even after waiting for a while, I didn’t feel any pain. Slowly lifting my eyelids, another arm blocking Nikolai’s came into view.
“Brother, there are many eyes watching. Please, be cautious.”
With hair darker than Attila’s, almost black, and dark blue eyes reminiscent of the deep sea, a vague piece of memory, as if about to fly away, came forth as I laid eyes on the new person.
“…Who says you’re my brother? How disgusting,” Nikolai glared, alternating between the new individual and me before walking away.
His remark, however, allowed me to deduce the other man’s identity.
“Dexter.”
Dexter Crest.
The man Countess Crest, the Emperor’s mistress, relentlessly claimed was the Emperor’s blood.
However, the Emperor himself vehemently denied it.
Yet, despite never being acknowledged by his father, Dexter, who couldn’t use the Rojas last name, bore a stronger resemblance to the Emperor than Nikolai, leading most to believe he was indeed his son.
“Why are you being so polite to me? You even called me by my name.”
“.….”
While Nikolai would curse at him, Attila would take things one step further and treat him like a ghost.
Although it wasn’t my doing, I felt the need to make excuses.
“My temperament isn’t so lacking that I would ignore the person who helped me.”
“Is that so.”
At least he wasn’t as hostile as Nikolai. With a face tinged with a hint of a smile, he politely reciprocated, becoming the first person here to inquire about my well-being.
“Have you been well?”
Even though Attila’s suicide attempt happened far from the imperial capital, the news had undoubtedly spread throughout the whole empire.
So I wondered if Dexter genuinely didn’t know or did but just had nothing else to say.
“Oh, you know. What about you?”
Not knowing how to respond, I quickly deflected the question, to which he smiled.
“Are you even inquiring about my well-being now?”
“…….”
Wasn’t it customary for one party to inquire when the other did? It seemed Attila had lowered many people’s expectations.
“If you don’t want to talk, then don’t.” I blurted out, embarrassed, and he let out a small laugh.
“I was in Chishan until recently.”
“Chishan?”
The name sounded familiar.
Wasn’t it a country famous for tourism? It seemed like a good place to find solace after a divorce.
“His Majesty had entrusted me with a task. The Chishan royal family is currently in the palace to negotiate an agreement.”
Come to think of it, I think I heard somewhere that Marquis Crest was a competent diplomat.
He won’t acknowledge his son, but he sure uses him shamelessly; My heart went out to the man as my resentment towards the Emperor increased.
“Still, you must have seen a lot of beautiful scenery. I’m considering moving there myself.”
“What?” Nikolai asked with widened eyes.
He seemed quite taken aback by my sudden statement.
Well, it must have felt unexpected since I literally just thought of it.
Lately, whenever I was bored, I found myself imagining life after divorce; enjoying the beauty of nature in Chishan and living quietly there seemed like a good idea.
“Did the King of Chishan recruit Marquis Listane? I didn’t hear anything about that,” he questioned, looking quite serious at my impromptu nonsense.
If Evandel, who held the title of Sword Master and Dragon Slayer, were to go to another country, it would be a huge loss of power, so the shock was understandable.
This would be especially nerve-wracking for Nikolai as the person responsible for our diplomatic relationship with Chishan.
“It’s not like that. I just did it because I was wondering if it would be a good place to go if I got divorced,” I hurriedly waved my hand to ease his concerns.
“…… Divorce?”
Ahh, how did I even end up talking about this here?
“It’s not easy, but I’m trying,” I wrinkled the bridge of my nose and blurted out.
“Your Ladyship already started the process?”
It seemed unbelievable to him that the obsessed Attila would be the first to mention divorce.
Not wanting to go into details, I gave a vague response.
“Yeah. Well, If it works out, write me a list of tourist spots in Chishan. I’ll be off then”
“..….”
Concerned that he might follow me, wanting to continue the conversation, I quickened my pace.
While I didn’t harbor any ill feelings towards him like Attila did, I was still uneasy about talking to him about a divorce that hadn’t even happened yet.
“Anyway, where should I go?” I asked myself.
It was bold of me to storm away like that, but I didn’t really have anywhere to go.
I didn’t particularly want to return to the fervently judgmental atmosphere of the young men and women measuring each other’s worth at the reception. Nor did I have a group to mingle with on another floor.
It wasn’t a matter of keeping my noble dignity, but rather the inevitable fate of someone with no other options.
After wandering in circles for a while, i ended up outside in the garden.
“Juliet, you seem even more naughty today.”
“Oh, my.”
Of all the scenes to witness, it had to be the rendezvous between the Prince and some woman.
Feeling like my eyes were going to rot, I immediately turned my back; the champagne I had just sipped seemed to rise up to my throat.
“Damn it, talk about unlucky.”
Where did he leave the fiancée he had known since childhood to go fool around with that woman?
That guy inherited nothing but the Emperor’s penchant for debauchery.
However, not long after going to the opposite side, I found myself regretting even stepping into the garden.
“Yes,” a sound louder than the one before made itself heard.
In the corridor leading to the garden, I found a lover who was engaging in an intense love affair that was incomparable to that of the Crown Prince.
“…… Crazy,”I chuckled bitterly, echoing the Prince’s earlier words.
The person passionately kissing the woman against the wall was none other than Dexter.
The modest image I had of him earlier was completely gone as he seemed ready to devour the woman right then and there.
“Hold up. Isn’t that…… Karita?”
What’s more, the woman’s face looked eerily familiar.
Attila’s memories were telling me that woman is Karita O’Phelan.
The Crown Prince’s fiancée, whose whereabouts I had wondered about earlier, was right here.
To think she was engaging in such behavior with someone who could potentially be her fiance’s sibling. It was absolute chaos from all sides.
Then, Dexter, who seemed completely immersed in their own world moments ago, suddenly turned his head towards me.
“…Ah,” a surprise cry escape my lips as our eyes finally met.
For a moment, it seemed like his blue eyes turned completely black while for some sick reason, he never stop touching Karita.
…… What the hell is he doing? Why isn’t he looking away?
Even though Dexter clearly saw me, he didn’t turn his gaze away or stop whatever he was doing, which felt extremely unsettling.
“Ah, Dexter!”
A series of moans that were embarrassing to hear continued to echo in the air, leaving me no choice than to turn away first.
I had no intention of engaging in a staring contest with him, and I especially did not want to witness the escapade of my prospective sister-in-law.
Setting foot in this garden was a mistake in the first place.
So, taking extra care not to go back to where I encountered the Crown Prince, I hurried back to the reception hall.
“Where did Evandel go?” I groaned.
Facing all those stressful situations, one after the other, had left me extremely exhausted. I just wanted to hurry back home or at least find a room to rest in.
As I walked through the place, I noticed a balcony on one side of the corridor.
“…Should I go there?”
It seemed better to pass time in a quiet place than to go back into the noisy reception hall.
With somewhat lighter steps, I reached the balcony.
As I leaned against the railing, feeling the cool breeze, it seemed like some of the discomfort I felt from the shocking scenes earlier was dissipating.
“Ahhh, this is nice.”
I should have just come straight here instead. Looks like I’ll have to rent this place out the next time I attend a royal party; I said inwardly.
However, the peace I had finally found didn’t last long.
“Wow, what a stunning beauty!”
“…..”
A drunken noble, unable to control their body properly, invaded my sanctuary.
Despite the distance between us, the smell of alcohol wafted over to me.
“Lady, care to join me for a drink?”
“Get lost.” I spoke harshly as my blood pressure soared, but the drunkard seemed oblivious to my stern words.
He stumbled closer, dragging his uncooperative legs until he was right in front of me.
As the man drew nearer, a conflict arose within me.
Should I strike him, even though it seems futile?
“Hehehe! Lady!”
This bastard even had the audacity to grab the hem of my dress.
Unable to control himself due to the alcohol, he crashed down, taking parts off my dress with him.
The excessive rudeness made my hair stand on end. Just as I was about to step on him with my shoe, a familiar silver hair appeared in my peripheral vision.
“Van!”
It was Evandel.
When I spotted him, presumably on his way back to the reception hall, a moment of relief washed over me.
Even if it was a staggering drunkard, dealing with a grown man one-on-one was a bit daunting, so his timely appearance was more than welcome.
However, instead of offering assistance, Evandel simply frowned as he stared at me.
We made eye contact, so why isn’t he coming over?
Unable to understand his lack of action, I felt puzzled, but what happened next was beyond imagination.
“What the…”
That lunatic was actually heading back to the place he came from!
Thank you for the chapter!
Thanks for reading hun.
سلام ممنون خسته نباشد تورو خدا بزارین قسمت بعدشو من❤️ 😢تو خماری قسمت بعد موندم
Thanks for translating, loving it so far!
Thank you for reading hun.