My Will Did Not Mean This

The chamberlain, upon receiving Aslan’s gaze, immediately bowed his head.

 

“What you said is correct. This worker has many inexperiences and has caused many problems on a regular basis, so as of today, I will fire him from the mansion.”

 

“Well, you were wrong! I have a family to feed! If I get fired, the rest of my family…!”

 

It was an unwritten rule in aristocratic society that employees who were kicked out for causing trouble could not get a job in an aristocratic house. The astonished servant immediately fell to his knees. But Aslan remained silent until he was dragged out of the mansion.

 

“Aslan, wouldn’t it be better to bring him back now? I was a little surprised, but that’s it.”

 

“You are too weak-hearted.”

 

“Could you please say it’s nothing?”

 

“Well.”

 

“It’s true.”

 

Vivian felt unfair. But the look in Aslan’s eyes was so scary that she decided to just think about it in her heart. They entered the mansion, receiving even more hospitable hospitality. At the crossroads, the chamberlain bowed his head.

 

“Your Highness, please go to the guest room over here. You can use the same bedroom you used to stay in.”

 

“No, I don’t want to go through the trouble of moving. I’ll use the same place as Vivian.”

 

“Your Highness, there must be many shortcomings in your life. The princess recently used the annex at the back of the mansion alone for her recuperation.”

 

“I’m going to stay for a short time, so I’ll accept the hassle. Guide me.”

 

For some reason, she could hear a short intake of breath from people around her. But Vivian couldn’t understand their reaction.

 

‘What’s wrong with the outbuildings? I thought it was nice because it was spacious, gorgeous, and even had a garden.’

 

Vivian shook her head, remembering the place where she stayed for about a month right after the possession.

 

“This is a separate building.”

 

And the moment she arrived, Vivian quickly canceled her previous thoughts. She definitely thought it was good when she was there. It was like a 5 star hotel and she was very satisfied.

 

‘But why does it look so shabby now?’

 

She rubbed his eyes to see if there was something wrong with her eyesight, but nothing changed. She thought the furniture had changed in the meantime, but it was the same.

 

‘My goodness, living in Aslan’s mansion must have made my eyesight so high.’

 

Aslan’s sentiments seemed to be similar to her own. He massaged his eyebrows as if he was not praying.

 

“Ha…”

 

“If you feel uncomfortable, I will take you back to the guest room.”

 

“No, it’s the room my fiancee stayed in, and I really want to stay there too.”

 

He sent away all his servants. Then he slowly looked around the bedroom.

 

“I have no idea where to start.”

 

“It’s a little empty, right? I was quite satisfied with my stay, but that’s because your mansion is so big and gorgeous.”

 

“Did they move you to this room because you had the lung disease?”

 

“That…”

 

Vivian hesitated to answer. It was not for any other reason, but because she had no memory. It was as if she had lost her entire memory, and there was nothing left in her mind. The memories before possession were the same. Every time she tried to remember who she really was and what kind of person she was, her head throbbed and a chill ran down her spine. Like a warning not to think about anything. In conclusion, what she inherited from Vivian in the original work was a body suffering from lung disease and excellent swordsmanship skills. As a bonus, Vivian’s habits and customs as a noble naturally remained. So she didn’t have any problems living even without her memories.

 

‘But sometimes, when you ask questions like this, it’s hard to know how to answer. Should I say that in moderation?’

 

Aslan’s stern expression relaxed as he interpreted Vivian’s silence. Then she lightly squeezed both of her hands.

 

“I don’t mean to criticize you, Vivian. Don’t look so scared.”

 

“I didn’t think like that.”

 

“If you are satisfied with your stay here, I think it is good too, but…”

 

Aslan’s voice subtly lowered. He muttered something inaudibly and then laughed as if nothing had happened.

 

“Would you like to show me around?”

 

“Great.”

 

Aslan took Vivian’s hand – she tried to pull it away, but he wouldn’t let go – and she walked around the place where she had been. Because the outbuilding was not large, the tour ended quickly. The two sat on the garden bench attached to the annex. The sun was already setting.

 

“The day is over without me even meeting my sister.”

 

Only then did Vivian remember why she had come to Eleonora Mansion. She had to make Aslan meet the original heroine, but she was so caught up in the situation as soon as she arrived that she didn’t think about it.

 

“I hope we can meet tomorrow.”

 

“Right. That way we can leave quickly.”

 

“Aren’t you busy? Aren’t you pushing yourself too hard because of me?”

 

“I don’t know what you think of me, Vivian. Your fiancé is a much more capable and handsome person than you think.”

 

“Self-praise?”

 

“It’s tempting.”

 

Aslan’s long, strong fingers touched her cheek. That was when his head tilted and Vivian, startled, stopped breathing.

 

“Vivian, your brother is back!”

 

A loud voice echoed in the small garden. Quick footsteps were heard from beyond the tall bushes. Someone was approaching at high speed.

 

‘Who is it? Could it be Alex?’

 

Vivian quickly recalled the contents of the original story. Duke Eleonora had three children. They were Alex and Vivian, born to the Duchess, and Iris, the child born out of wedlock. Among them, Alex excelled at his swordsmanship from a young age and received training as a knight at a foreign academy. Then, upon hearing the news of Vivian’s death, he returned halfway and participated in the final battle against Aslan on the side of Crown Prince Johannes. This was his actions in the original work.

 

“Vivian, this brother…!”

 

Her thoughts could not continue for long. The bushes behind her bench opened wide and Alex’s face popped out. He stared at the two, man and woman, who were promiscuously entangled—only for Alex’s eyes—without blinking, and then he shouted.

 

“What the hell are you doing to my innocent little sister!”

 

Alex pulled out his sword in the blink of an eye without giving him time to explain. The sword’s trajectory was clearly heading towards Aslan’s neck.

 

‘This human?!’

 

Vivian’s body moved faster than her head. As she had known from the beginning, she pulled the dagger from Alex’s waist and immediately blocked the attack. A refreshing sound rang in her ears. The two swords clashed.

 

“Vivian, I can’t believe you’re going to stand up to this brother just because of a man!”

 

“Is it normal to try to hit people by the neck first?”

 

“That damn bastard was messing with you! How did I raise you!”

 

Alex’s voice trembled as if tears were filling his eyes just thinking about it.

 

“Not only did I feed you with my milk, but I also changed your diaper, taught you how to walk, and even taught you swordsmanship! Yes, actually, I tried to breastfeed you too! But you refused!”

 

“Oh, it’s dirty! How can I drink your milk?!”

 

A fierce war broke out between siblings. Alex rushed forward to slit Aslan’s head, and Vivian threw herself to protect Aslan. The sound of swords clashing against each other rang loudly. However, the fierce battle between the two did not last long.

 

“Cough!”

 

Just as Vivian, struggling to breathe, stumbled, Aslan intervened and blocked Alex’s attack.

 

“I understand that you are happy to see your family after a long time, but Vivian is not feeling well.”

 

“You did such a shameful thing to my sister…!”

 

“Aren’t we going to become one family soon, brother?”

 

“Brother?! Whoever you like!”

 

Aslan smiled lazily and picked up Vivian, who was coughing.

 

“Vivian, are you okay?”

 

“Cough! It’s a little hard to breathe.”

 

“I didn’t want to disturb you because you seemed happy, but I couldn’t help it.”

 

“It wasn’t fun.”

 

“Yes, yes.”

 

Alex stopped trying to snatch Vivian away and blinked blankly.

 

‘There was no one who didn’t know the rumor that the Grand Duke was treating Vivian poorly.’

 

The voices of the two people were becoming distant.

 

＊ ＊ ＊

 

At the same time, Iris was eating with her father, the Duke. It was a sumptuous dinner like she had never eaten before in her life. But she never had an appetite. She looked awkward, as if she was wearing clothes that didn’t fit her. Iris was an orphan from the moment she was born. Her mother died after giving birth to her in a faraway place without any relatives of her own. She knew nothing about her mother’s story. Her only keepsake was a gold button with the emblem of a noble family that her mother kept. When Iris finally put down her fork, the Duke’s eyes widened.

 

“Doesn’t it suit your taste?”

 

“No. It’s really delicious, father.”

 

“But why can’t you lift it?”

 

“That is…”

 

Iris couldn’t bring herself to open her mouth and she hesitated. The Duke’s voice urging her several times lingered in her head.

 

‘You have to be careful with Vivian. She is a very cunning and scary child, just like her dead mother. I’m sure she’s sharpening her sword inside to hurt you.’

 

According to her father, the dead Duchess was a very scary person. As soon as she found out her mother was pregnant, she beat her to death and kicked her out of her mansion. By the time her father, who was only the family’s son-in-law, found out the truth, it was too late, and father and daughter had to spend over 20 years separate. However, Vivian, who was said to look exactly like the Duchess, came back to meet her.

 

“Iris, I think I said something unnecessary and scared you.”

 

“Oh, no.”

 

“There is nothing to hide. I’ve tried everything to find you. I can’t lose my hard-won daughter again.”

 

“Don’t worry, father. I am okay.”

 

Iris grinned to ease her father’s worries. The Duke nodded his head.

 

“Wait just a moment. I will give you back everything you should have had in order.”

 

“Yes?”

 

“First, I need to find a good marriage partner. I think being the Grand Duchess would be appropriate. Since you have grown so beautifully and wonderfully, it will not be difficult to capture His Highness’ heart.”

 

Iris tilted her head. This was because she knew of only one unmarried Grand Duke. Her sister Vivian’s fiancé. Aslan Rezef Astaroth, the second prince of the empire.

 

‘It’s probably not him, and since I don’t know much about nobles, there must be another Grand Duke.’

 

Iris engraved the Duke’s instructions into her mind. She had her own reasons for quickly settling into the Duchy. She ‘must meet the benefactor who restored her mother’s belongings.’

 

—————————————————————

Translator Note: