I Thought It Was a Common Transmigration

A bountiful fall and cold winter have passed. In the meantime, Duke Ludwig was a hot potato in the social world, but they were in an inexplicable sense of desolation and spent the fall and winter in desolate silence. He did not attend the Hunt International event and declined all invitations. But it couldn’t go on like that forever. As buds sprouted everywhere and the sound of bees flapping near the flowers that were just blooming could be heard, the Ludwig family slowly shook off the pain and began to wake up. It was Erdin who supported the Duke and Duchess.

 

“Happaa-.”

 

“Yes, yes. I am your grandfather. Hehehe!”

 

“Kyaha!”

 

Erdin was so excited that he even drooled every time the Duke picked him up and rocked him, but the Duke didn’t care at all that his high-quality cravat or jacket got wet with Erdin’s saliva.

 

“Erdin! Look at this!”

 

Beside him, the Duchess was shaking all kinds of rattles and dolls. Then, her eyes sparkled as Erdin struggled with her hand to hold it, and the Duke and Duchess blinked, thinking that was cute too. Thanks to this, Erdin’s luggage to take to Rysen was increasing day by day. In fact, the person she was more worried about than the Duke and Duchess was Cliff.

 

“Thank you so much for saving Lise’s life.”

 

Two seasons later, she still couldn’t forget Cliff’s face as he greeted her with an extremely lonely face as he watched the prisoner carriage carrying Lise leave. No matter how much of an estrangement they had had for a while, it would have been difficult to let go of his feelings for Lise. In fact, last fall and winter, he barely came out of his room unless it was absolutely necessary. However, Cliff also seemed to have made up his mind in the spring.

 

“My brother invited me to tea time.”

 

“Cliff? Do you think he is okay now?”

 

“On the outside, it doesn’t look any different from before. I don’t know how he felt on the inside.”

 

Killian said, smiling bitterly. Even the tea time place he invited was the balcony of the grand corridor where he, Killian, and Lise often drank tea. At that warm sunny spot, Cliff was waiting for them with his luxurious refreshments prepared.

 

“The tea smells nice. Thank you for having me at tea time, Cliff.”

 

“Welcome. It’s embarrassing to receive a thank you word when I don’t have anything special to offer. Haha!”

 

As Killian said, he was smiling confidently and leisurely like before. However, looking at his thin cheeks, rough skin, and physique that seemed to be slightly smaller than before, she realized that he had suffered greatly. She didn’t think he even ate properly, so how could he have slept properly? And what were the thoughts that invaded his sleepless mind throughout the quiet winter night? Self-blame, regret, sadness… In those feelings, wouldn’t he have been tempted to just let go of everything? She had a rough idea of how hard it must have been for him, but smiled brightly as if she knew nothing. Just like she did.

 

“When is Erdin’s baptism?”

 

“We will do it on March 20th, St. Rupello’s Day.”

 

“It’s almost now. Are you planning to go back immediately after the baptism?”

 

“I was thinking about doing that, but I think Erdin still needs to be with his grandmother and grandfather a little longer, so I’m going to stay for one more month.”

 

“Well thought out. Thank you, Killian. Thank you, Edith.”

 

He gave them a lonely look again as he greeted them. However, Killian took this opportunity to ask a question with the intention of getting Cliff’s confirmation.

 

“What do you plan to do, brother? You can’t continue to live like this.”

 

“Killian!”

 

She stabbed him in the side, but Killian didn’t back down. And Cliff also did not avoid answering.

 

“You are right. I can’t live like this forever. I am the eldest son of the Ludwig family.”

 

“I’m not asking you to stand up just out of a sense of duty. I want my brother to be happy.”

 

Cliff looked a little surprised, but then burst into laughter.

 

“Thanks.”

 

Then, after looking down at the courtyard for a while, he slowly opened his mouth.

 

“But do I have the right to be happy?”

 

“What kind of nonsense is that? Did you eat something wrong this morning?”

 

Killian tried to lighten the heavy atmosphere with a joke, but Cliff continued speaking in a heavy voice.

 

“Meantime… I looked back on my relationship with Lise itself. I blindly thought only of Lise and would not hesitate to do anything for Lise. Because of that, I put you and Edith in danger.”

 

There was a hint of guilt in his eyes.

 

“To stand by the person you love unconditionally, to fill them to the fullest… I thought that was love. But now that this has happened, I can’t help but think that I was the one who made Lise like that. So I also deserve to pay for my sins.”

 

“Brother!”

 

Killian and she tried to console him, but it was difficult to find words to comfort him. If you think about it calmly, he was right. Cliff turned to her and bowed his head in apology.

 

“I think I was too busy protecting Lise before and couldn’t apologize properly. “I’m so sorry, Edith.”

 

“Hey, don’t do this. It’s all in the past.”

 

“No matter how long ago it was, it doesn’t change the fact that I did something shameful.”

 

He sighed.

 

“When I think about it now, the relationship between me and Lise was very abnormal… I don’t know why I didn’t think of that at the time.”

 

She suddenly wondered if Cliff had finally escaped the control of the original author. In fact, it may be a violation of probability if emotions that were so strong in a person disappeared in an instant simply because they escaped the control of the original author.

 

“When he is buried in an emotion, he doesn’t even know he is buried in it. It wasn’t until I got out that everything became clear.”

 

Killian glanced at her, speaking in a somewhat regretful voice. He, too, had been cruel to her because of his feelings for Lisze. But she didn’t really feel anything about Cliff or Killian past actions. Rather, because of Lise, she was also suffering from a feeling of futility that was difficult to explain. Now, on the main stage of <I refuse to be obsessed>, there was no one who had possessed a character like her.

 

‘Maybe that’s why I was generous to Lise.’

 

When she found out that Lise was behind everything that tried to harm her, she might have been able to get rid of Lise if he had just tried to get revenge. But for some reason she didn’t want to do that. She was afraid that if she, who knows like her that this was a world in a novel, disappears, she would feel like she was left alone in this world. But as Killian said, she couldn’t remain immersed in this feeling forever.

 

“Even if we have regrets and heartache, we must look forward and move forward. We have a lot to overcome to be stuck in the past.”

 

She didn’t even know if what she said was something that should have been said to her. Cliff nodded, putting down his teacup and saying.

 

“So… I also thought about my future. It is not a lie to say that I will pay for my sins.”

 

“What are you trying to say? Uneasy…”

 

“You, Killian, will be the successor to the dukedom rather than me, who has many flaws…”

 

“Shut up!”

 

Killian angrily covered Cliff’s mouth before he could finish his sentence.

 

“I’m not just saying this. You have already given birth to an heir…”

 

“Is changing my life like you want the punishment you’re talking about? Do you think that the effort that Edith and I are currently putting into Ryzen is so insignificant that it should be overturned by your sentimental thoughts?”

 

“…I didn’t mean that.”

 

Killian let out a deep exasperated breath to calm his mood. And she also agreed with Killian’s opinion. Ryzen has only just taken the first step toward change, and if they suddenly leave, their efforts would disappear without even seeing the light of day.

 

“We understand what Cliff means. However, if Cliff feels responsible for things related to Rize, he should become the successor even more. Please take responsibility and make the Ludwig family stronger than before.”

 

Instead of giving up everything and running away, it is more painful to stand and endure. If you think about it that way, she didn’t even know that Killian and she were being cruel to him. But if Cliff was really going to pay for his crime, he had to. Cliff’s eyebrows twisted as if in pain, but he eventually nodded.

 

“I almost made a fool of myself this time. Sorry, Edith. I’m sorry, Killian.”

 

“For the sake of the Duke and his wife, and for Mr. Cliff himself, please take heart.”

 

“Edith is right. It’s a little early, but I’m thinking about getting married.”

 

At Killian’s comment, a faint smile that seemed both embarrassed and bitter appeared on Cliff’s lips. It was certainly reprehensible for the heir of the Ludwig family to grow old without a wife or children, but that did not mean it would be easy for him.

 

“That’s right. If my marriage and the production of an heir are delayed, it will be a burden to my parents and you.”

 

As was the norm for romantic comedy male leads, Cliff’s first and only love was Lise. For him, marrying another woman would be like changing his whole world. And it meant that the contents of <House·Emissary> would completely disappear from this world they live in. However, in this world that had already become reality, it was impossible to live by picking up the crumbs of a lost novel. She decided to support his decision.

 

“I sincerely hope that you can escape from Lise’s shadow. I hope you can build a truly warm family, not just a marriage out of a sense of duty.”

 

“I will remember your advice. I don’t know if I can be as happy as Killian and you.”

 

They didn’t laugh very loudly or act cheerful. They just sipped on some warm tea, hoping that the day would come when they could look back on this as a memory.

 

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Translator Note:

There is only one chapter left and since next week I will take a break, you will have it tomorrow 😉