Episode 8
***
‘What did I just hear?’
It felt like I’d just heard an excuse.
I blinked in surprise, doubting my ears.
Then, Alexis suddenly glanced toward the door, leaned in, and whispered.
“You didn’t tell Father you’ve been wandering around on your own, did you? So don’t get all stubborn—just keep quiet.”
When I looked at him in shock, Alexis flinched and looked away.
His ears were tinged red.
“……”
I had hoped Alexis wouldn’t tattle, but I didn’t expect it to go like this.
Without realizing what expression I was making, I simply stared at him, despite my normally cynical thoughts.
Sensing my gaze, Alexis looked back at me.
“You… why are you looking like that again…?”
He was about to say something more when the closed door clicked and slowly opened.
“Do you know where you are to be engaging in such idle chatter?”
A cold voice dropped from above, making my chest tighten.
“Brother! It’s not like that….”
“Be silent.”
The only person Alexis would call ‘brother.’
It was Sionel, the eldest son of the Basilian Duke and the young duke himself, who responded coldly.
Slowly lifting my head, I looked steadily at Sionel’s face.
With the same dark hair as Evgenia and eyes that were chillingly blue, Sionel possessed strikingly handsome features.
Yet, facing him, all the blood in my body seemed to freeze, and my breath caught in my throat.
I clenched my fists tightly.
I had felt this inexplicable anger once before.
When I looked into Richard’s red eyes.
I had desperately hoped it was wrong, but it seemed my theory was correct.
Possessed in Evgenia’s body, I lacked her memories, yet her emotions surged vividly within me.
I had started suspecting this since meeting Richard yesterday, and I thought it would be confirmed when I met the Basilian Duke.
And now, seeing Sionel, whose appearance was so strikingly similar to the Duke’s description in the novel, unfamiliar emotions began to surge up my throat.
“If you’re here to cause a disturbance like last time, you might as well leave. Nothing will turn out the way you want it to.”
Sionel, looking down at me, spoke coldly.
A surge of hostility was rising, and a sharp retort was about to slip out.
But I clenched my teeth, suppressed my emotions, and forced a gentle expression.
“I didn’t come here to… cause trouble.”
“……”
Sionel’s reaction was indifferent.
Though his left eyebrow twitched slightly, his eyes held no trust whatsoever.
There was no helping it.
“Brother, let’s go inside. We can’t keep Father waiting any longer.”
Thinking it would be better to get things settled quickly by meeting the Duke, I spoke.
“What… did you just say?”
Sionel’s eyes, which had barely shown a hint of expression until now, widened in a way that even a stranger could notice.
I watched the blue eyes, similar to Alexis’s yet deeper, waver and then spoke clearly.
“Let’s go inside. Father is waiting.”
Thud. At that, a loud noise came from inside the office as if something had been dropped.
“Hey, are you seriously… out of your mind…?”
“Shut up.”
I pushed Alexis’s hand off my shoulder, which he had placed there as if doubting my sanity, and finally, I couldn’t hold back anymore.
Feeling my displeasure, he flinched and pulled his hand back.
Suppressing my rising anger, I turned back around.
Unlike Evgenia, the impulsive and hot-tempered wild child of the Basilian household, I faced Sionel—someone completely different.
The young duke known for his perfection and cold rationality looked somewhat dazed.
But only for a moment. I saw the muscles in his jaw tighten.
It was as if he was hurt by his own momentary lapse, and he quickly turned, opening the door wide.
***
It was both a test and a stubborn challenge.
Knowing everyone would be shocked, I deliberately addressed Sionel as ‘brother’ and the Duke as ‘father.’
I wasn’t sure where Evgenia’s deep-seated resentment and anger toward her family originated, but I am not the real Evgenia.
Without regard to my will, even the thought of wavering at the sight of the Crown Prince or wanting to distance myself from Euclid was horrifying.
Fortunately, my words or actions were not restricted.
As time passed, my feelings gradually faded.
So, determined not to be swayed, I crossed the large office and finally stood before Duke Basilian, who was seated at his desk.
But it was as if all my resolve melted away.
“…!”
The moment I faced Duke Basilian—a middle-aged man with neatly combed black hair exuding a chilly aura—I felt my eyes quickly grow hot.
“E-Evgenia?!”
The duke, who had been looking at me as coldly as a frozen lake in midwinter, stood up abruptly with a loud exclamation.
“Why are you crying? Are you hurt somewhere?”
“Ah…”
I touched my cheek at his words.
It seemed my eyes had indeed felt hot. Without realizing it, tears had started to fall.
Had he never seen his daughter cry before?
With a face as cold as ice but with a less detached expression, the duke quickly left his desk and approached me. As if he had some experience with Evgenia, he cautiously handed me a handkerchief instead of touching me directly.
Accepting it carefully, I looked up at his blue eyes, now filled with concern, as my blurred vision cleared a bit. Strangely, I found it harder to control my emotions.
‘This won’t do. I need to just say what I prepared to tell the Duke and then leave.’
“I’m sorry, Father.”
I quickly brought the handkerchief to my eyes. Even with my view obstructed, I could sense the duke’s body tense up, but I continued speaking undeterred.
“You must have been shocked by the commotion I caused in the office last time. I won’t do that again. I’ve given up on His Highness, the Crown Prince.”
“Is… is that true?”
After moving his lips for a while, the duke asked.
Fearing he might not believe me, I lowered my hand and nodded quickly.
Perhaps expressing some of the intense feelings through tears had made my heart ache less, though I wasn’t completely free from my emotions.
“I also have pride. Knowing how I felt, he proposed marriage to Melissa.”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
Despite my firm tone, the duke trailed off, sounding uncertain.
Of course, it was hard to believe, as Evgenia had persistently shown her feelings for the Crown Prince. Just days ago, she’d even resorted to threats involving her life. So, to give up so easily might seem unbelievable.
But on this matter, I couldn’t back down.
Having shed tears, I decided to use it to my advantage. Pretending to hold back sobs, I bit my lip, releasing it solemnly as I spoke.
“So I’ve decided to marry.”
“…Hmm?”
“I will get married.”
“W-What?”
The duke’s eyes widened just as they had when he saw my tears earlier.
“Right now, I feel betrayed by His Highness, but I don’t know when my heart might waver again. However, I don’t want that. At least, if I get married and start a family, I’ll have responsibilities, so I won’t act recklessly as I did before.”
Of course, Evgenia had no sense of responsibility and would chase after the Crown Prince even after marriage!
“So I’ll marry. As soon as possible.”
From now on, I’ll only live for my husband, Euclid!
Having finished my vow, binding myself with my own words, I looked at the duke with a pleading gaze.
“Are you serious?”
At that moment, Sionel asked in a flat voice.
Noticing his clear lack of trust, I clicked my tongue inwardly and answered more firmly.
“Yes, it’s a sincere decision from the depths of my heart. Please, you and my brother decide who it will be.”
“….”
Twitch.
Oh, I saw it clearly this time.
Sionel’s eyebrow shot up briefly before lowering again.
Taking it as a good sign, I swallowed and put on a desperate expression.
“However, if possible, I’d like to do it before His Highness, the Crown Prince.”
Anyway, that’s the plan; it would be better to hasten things, so I can meet Euclid sooner!
“There’s no need for a lengthy engagement, and the wedding doesn’t have to be grand. I just… I just want to leave the capital where His Highness is, as soon as possible.”
And then I will enjoy a blissful time… no, my honeymoon at Duke Rudion’s estate!
Just the thought made me tingle with excitement, and my lips twitched slightly.
But then, a sudden unease crept over me.
‘What if, because I pushed for marriage first, my partner changes?’
No, that shouldn’t happen.
Most likely, the Duke and Sionel had already left the capital to inspect the northern territory, specifically Duke Rudion’s estate, under the pretext of merchant business.
And they had probably already met Euclid.
Still, to prevent any possible variables, I moistened my dry lips and spoke again.
“Well, about that…”
The Duke and Sionel, who had been exchanging glances, turned their eyes to me as soon as I opened my mouth.
• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Esraa• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
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