ITETP Chapter 7

“Noah.”

 

Then, Dana smiled brightly, like the radiant sun.

 

“Who would think of you as a younger brother who cares for his older sister?”

 

“Le-Let go of me!”

 

Dana didn’t let go. Instead, she gripped tighter. “If Danae’s soul were still in this body, she would have said this to you.”

 

“What?”

 

“Stop pretending to be a kind younger brother now. It reeks of hypocrisy.”

 

“…!”

 

Noah’s eyes wavered. But Dana continued in a soft voice.

 

“If you really considered Danae as your sister, you would have visited her at least once while she was ill.”

 

“You…”

 

“Danae spent 17 years convalescing in the holy sanctuary. Not once did any family member visit her.”

 

“!”

 

“You abandoned your sister who suffered Doll Disease in the holy sanctuary for her entire life, treated her as if she didn’t even exist.”

 

Noah’s complexion turned pale, and his lips trembled. It was as if his conscience was tearing apart.

 

Yes, she had struck a nerve.

 

“And now, when she’s finally moving normally, it seems to displease you?”

 

The former Duke Windsor had sent his daughter, Danae, to the holy sanctuary to recover. Danae wasn’t the only one. Every Windsor afflicted with Doll Disease ended their life in the sanctuary.

 

Doll Disease. A grotesque hereditary disease, unique to the Windsor family, where a body is born without a soul. Every few generations, a family member would be born with this disease. Whenever that happened, the head of the Windsor family would send them away to the distant sanctuary for ‘treatment’. But treatment was just an excuse—it was no different from abandonment, a way to hide them from sight.

 

Right. It was as if they had thrown you away. But why did I ignore this fact?

 

For 17 years, Danae’s empty body lay in the sanctuary, ‘cared’ for by priests. Not once in those 17 years did her family visit. In other words, they treated her as though she didn’t exist.

 

“When this body was an empty shell, you acted like she didn’t exist. And now, you’re acting like a caring brother…” Dana held back her laughter. “It feels deceitful.”

 

At that time, Noah was completely speechless. It seemed like he had been shocked beyond embarrassment.

 

I should have done this sooner.

 

Dana, expressionless, let go of his finger, which she had been gripping.

 

“Now, please leave my room, Noah Windsor.”

 

She would be leaving this body soon.

 

* * *

“Carl, how could you!” Upon returning to their room, Sandra Windsor screamed. “How could you do that!”

 

Her heart felt like it was breaking, and her body trembled with rage.

 

“How could you take Danae’s side like that!”

 

Allice—their daughter—had been beaten. She had been struck in front of her parents! And yet, her husband defended the girl who committed the violence?

 

“It’s about Danae’s guardianship. I had no choice.” Carl, seeming embarrassed, couldn’t meet Sandra’s eyes. “Just endure for one year, Sandra. One more year.”

 

“You’re unbelievable!”

 

“One year later, Danae’s inheritance will be ours. You know how vast my older brother’s wealth is.”

 

His older brother’s wealth. At those words, Sandra bit her lip.

 

“You know. Brother Demian discovered the treasure island—the stuff of legends.” Carl gently grasped his wife’s shoulders and whispered seductively. “It’s because of that treasure island that the Windsor family became the richest in the continent.”

 

“But still!”

 

“And half of the treasure from that island was inherited by Danae. Do you have any idea how much is that?”

 

Sandra glared at Carl but couldn’t refute. Because he was right.

 

Originally, the Windsor family was a prestigious military family. And soldiers don’t usually earn much wealth. But now, Windsor was wealthier than the imperial family, all thanks to the treasure island.

 

It was Demian Windsor, Carl’s older brother, who had found the island’s gold and brought unimaginable richest to the family. Of course, his son, Viego Windsor, has also thrived as a businessman… But without the gold from that island, such a scale of business wouldn’t have been possible. Now, half of that treasure― an unimaginable amount― had been inherited by Danae.

 

“Just one year, then Danae’s inheritance will come to me, Honey.”

 

“I know! Who doesn’t understand that?!”

 

“Please, just bear with it. Why am I doing all this? It’s for our family.”

 

Gradually, Sandra’s anger subsided. Not just because of the inheritance. There was another reason entirely. Why does my husband have to be so handsome! That was it—her husband’s breathtaking appearance.

 

Ten years younger than Sandra, Carl Windsor was exceptionally attractive. Who would believe he was a man with two children? Even in his thirties, Carl looked like he was in his twenties and was still stunningly handsome. He even remained as one of the most sought-after gentlemen in society.

 

How could I stay angry when I look at that face? It was frustrating, but her anger melted away like snow in spring.

 

“Still, you didn’t have to go that far with Danae.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“Neglecting your own daughter while comforting your niece—was that really necessary? You could have just talked it through, with words!”

 

“Alright. I won’t do it again, so calm down, Sandra.”

 

Looking into her husband’s lake-like eyes, Sandra felt a deep sense of helplessness. Yes, this was the burden of having such a handsome husband.

 

“One year. I’ll put up with it until then.”

 

Carl sighed in relief, thankful that his wife seemed to understand.

 

“But what about Allice? Where did she go?”

 

“She went to see the crown prince,” Sandra muttered with a face full of resentment. “Hopefully, the crown prince will understand Allice’s suffering.”

 

* * *

Allice shivered with misery. How could Dad do this to me?

 

She didn’t fully understand, but she knew it had to do with keeping Sister Dana’s guardianship. But even so…

 

And how could Sister Dana do this to me?

 

She even knelt and begged. How could she not forgive me?

 

I thought Sister Dana would surely understand.

 

Dana had always understood Allice. When they liked the same dress, Dana always let her have it; when she found pretty jewelry, she would gift it to Allice if she showed any interest. Always. Never once had Dana refused her.

 

So, of course, Allice had thought Dana would understand this time too. But instead of forgiving her, Dana had poured water on her, slapped her, pulled her hair, and even manipulate her dad into whipping her!

 

 Who knew Sister Dana could be so narrow-minded!

 

“Sob, sniffle, sob.”

 

On her away to meet Raios, Allice cried nonstop in the carriage. Her situation felt unbearably wretched. Even when she met Raios, her tears didn’t stop.

 

“Allice, why are you crying?”

 

“I-I’m sorry, Your Highness…”

 

“What happened? Tell me.”

 

“No, it’s all my fault.”

 

“What?”

 

“I just… feel so sorry for Sister Dana. How hurt she must feel to do such things to me…”

 

At her words, Raios’s expression hardened.

 

“What did Dana do to you?”

 

“Yes? No-Nothing! She didn’t do anything!”

 

Startled, Allice shook her head vigorously. She didn’t want to seem like someone who tattled! She wasn’t going to stoop to that. And she didn’t want to make Sister Dana look bad either!

 

“N-N-No, i-it’s really nothing at all!”

 

Ah, but she’s so bad at lying. Allice ended up stuttering like an idiot.

 

“No, really, it’s not like that, hic…”

 

And now she was crying like a fool

 

“What exactly happened, Allice?”

 

Allice really didn’t want to tell. She wanted to protect Sister Dana and keep her actions hidden. She really did, but… Deceiving someone who trusts me is wrong. For the sake of Raios, who trusted her, telling the truth was the right thing to do.

 

“The truth is…”

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