When she first possessed Danae Windsor’s body and returned to the Windsor mansion from the sanctuary, for the first six months, she didn’t reveal that she was a possessor. It was because she was terrified, overwhelmed, and preoccupied with adapting to a new world and a new body. She simply didn’t have the mental strength to speak the truth.
However, six months after the possession, once she began to adapt, Dana made a decision. It was to reveal the truth about her identity as a possessor. She believed it was the right thing to do for the people who cared for her as ‘Danae Windsor’.
And so, I revealed my identity.
From that moment, the reaction was divided. There were those who accepted her and those who didn’t. Viego and Noah were among the latter.
Dana understood them. Of course, it’s understandable. For half a year, they treated me as their sister, only to find out I wasn’t. She silently accepted this, thinking of it as the price she had to pay for her deception. Feeling it was her atonement, she devoted herself to the Windsor family and its members.
Perhaps that’s why she hesitated now. Was it right to harm the Windsor family? Could she live at peace with herself afterward?
It was then.
“Milady.”
Her secretary knocked on the door.
“Duke Windsor has returned.”
* * *
Viego Windsor had returned. Upon hearing that news, Dana immediately went to see him. He was practicing shooting at the shooting range.
He doesn’t rest even after just returning.
Under the dazzling morning sunlight, Viego Windsor aimed his long rifle at the target. The sight was striking enough to make Dana stop in her tracks.
He looks like a statue standing there. The way he tilted his head slightly to peer through the scope… Even when shooting, he looks elegant.
Bang. A loud sound rang out. It was a perfect hit.
Would he still be elegant even when killing someone with a gun?
“So.” Clak. Viego said, reloading the rifle and asked with a calm, icy voice, “What’s your business?”
“…”
Ah, he’s asking me. Since he spoke without even looking at her, it took Dana a moment to realize.
“It’s been a few days since we last met, Brother. I was wondering where you have been.”
“I see.”
“There’s something I need to discuss.”
“Is it urgent?”
“It’s not urgent, but—”
“Then wait.”
Bang— Another bullet hit the target.
“As you can see, I’m busy right now.”
Ah. Yes. You seem very busy…
“It’s not urgent,” Dana continued, her voice steady yet firm, “But it’s important.”
The next moment, Viego slowly lowered his rifle. Dana clearly saw the annoyance creeping onto his face. He’s annoyed with me.
Sure enough, he pulled out his pocket watch and said, “I can spare about 3 minutes.”
Three minutes? That was really too much… Even as she thought that, time was ticking, so Dana quickly got to the point.
‘I want to break off my engagement with Raios.’ That’s what she intended to say, but—
“Brother, by any chance,” her tongue betrayed her intentions, “Did you know about Allice and Raios’s relationship?”
Dana hadn’t planned to ask that. She hadn’t even thought about it. Yet the question tumbled out. It wasn’t until after she asked that she realized—this was what she truly wanted to know.
“Did you know that Allice and Raios were seeing each other behind my back? That they were deceiving me?”
If even one person in the Windsor family hadn’t betrayed her—she must have hoped for that deep down. Therefore,
“Yes.”
This must be why she was acting like an idiot. Even though she had sworn not to act like an idiot again.
“Of course, I knew.”
In fact, she had expected Viego to know.
“I see.”
Dana looked at Viego with empty eyes. A tide of emotions—expectations, hopes, lingering attachments—receded within her.
“Right…”
She felt everything within her swept away.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked, her voice dry and cracked. “You knew Allice and Raios were deceiving me. You knew it was wrong. How could you just stand by and watch?”
“If you were truly my sister, of course, I wouldn’t have let you be humiliated like that,” Viego said, looking at her as if she were a complete stranger. “But are you my sister?”
“…”
“Danae Windsor. I call you by that name, but it doesn’t mean I think of you as my younger sister.”
His gaze was one of perfect indifference. Neither her happiness nor her suffering mattered to him in the slightest. All she saw was a man who found her presence bothersome.
Facing those eyes, she suddenly remembered the past. It was when she first became ‘Danae Windsor.’ The day when she hadn’t yet confessed to them that she was a possessor.
“Stretch your arms more, Dana.”
Right here, in this place, Viego had taught her how to shoot.
“You’re doing well.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“I must be doing well because Brother Viego is such a good teacher.”
“That’s also true.”
That memory had been beautiful to her—until now. Now, it withered to black and white.
“…I want to break off my engagement with Raios.”
“You think breaking off an engagement with the imperial family is that simple?” Viego reloaded his rifle with a slightly irritated tone. “Even if you do break it off, there won’t be any decent marriage proposals for you, having been the fiancée of the crown prince. Don’t you understand something as simple as that?”
“It doesn’t matter. I don’t need to get married.”
“What?”
“I don’t want to get married. I have no desire to date men anymore.”
Viego’s eyebrows furrowed, whether out of anger or disbelief.
“Would you hate it if I stayed in the Windsor family for the rest of my life?”
“…”
“Not as someone’s wife, but as Viego Windsor’s younger sister. I want to live in the Windsor family.”
Just for a moment, until she obtained the relic and returned to her world. She chose not to voice that thought and instead said something else.
“Anyway, I’m… Danae Windsor, aren’t I? At least this body is your younger sister.”
“…”
“I’ll do my best to be of help to the Windsor family.”
Silence stretched between them. Viego didn’t check his watch, which was strange when she thought about it again that time.
“Prove your worth,” he said, turning his body away. Raising the long rifle, he added, “We can talk again after that. There’s no rush.”
The conversation was truly over now. But,
“Brother, what if,” perhaps unable to suppress her lingering attachment, Dana asked impulsively, “What if I fail to prove my worth, and I say I’d rather die than marry Raios?”
“…”
“What would you do?”
Perhaps it was irritation at her persistent questions. Perhaps it was annoyance. Or perhaps it was anger. Whatever it was, a chilling spark flickered momentarily in his eyes. But it was fleeting.
“Then go die.”
Viego Windsor’s voice was as calm and elegant as always.
“Go die with honor, Danae Windsor.”
“…”
Dana said nothing in response, offering only a faint smile. Deep down, she felt a strange sense of relief. Thank goodness. Now, her heart no longer ached. He really didn’t care anymore.
Whether she was deceived, hurt, or even died, Viego Windsor didn’t care at all. Even if her life is sinking like a shipwreck, he wouldn’t even bother to watch.
So, I won’t care anymore.
The deal with the emperor. Even if it brought harm to the Windsor family, it didn’t matter. She would only obtain the holy relic and open the dimensional gate to return to her original world.
Other than that, it’s none of my business, right?
Because, as he said, she wasn’t his younger sister after all.
Thank you a lot for the chapter!❤️🔥
ahhh my heart hurts