Since When Were You The Villain?

Chapter 114

Sophia, taken aback, turned her body towards the wall and avoided eye contact.

It was an extremely awkward situation.

Unfortunately, there were no paintings on the wall to pretend to admire.

There were only sconces to light up the dark corridor at night.

“Oh, so this is it! If you apply oil to a beast’s skin, the fire won’t go out, even if it rains. That’s why they made candle wicks out of leather.”

Finally, Sophia’s gaze fell on the sconces, and she blurted out what she had learned from books.

“…”

A moment of silence passed.

Sophia closed her eyes tightly, facing the wall.

She wished she had just picked up the fallen books without saying anything. Bringing up the topic of candle wicks out of the blue…!

“What are you doing?”

Ian, sensing something suspicious about her behaviour, spoke up.

Sophia took a deep breath and forced a smile as she turned to face Ian.

“Oh, Ian. Were you inside?”

Given the situation, she had no choice but to act composed.

“Did you overhear?”

“Huh? Oh, you? What did I overhear? Why? Did you say something weird?”

“You’re so obvious.”

Ian narrowed his eyes, looking at her as if she were pathetic.

Sophia felt a cold sweat on her cheek.

In the end, she just laughed awkwardly.

“…Well, it wasn’t anything important we were discussing.” (Ian)

She realised it wasn’t worth making a fuss over, yet she couldn’t help but feel embarrassed.

Ian looked at Sophia awkwardly, smiling.

‘That girl isn’t Fraus.’

As soon as he faced her, his father’s words echoed in his mind.

His heart pounded strangely.

“…Sophia.”

Ian called out to Sophia.

Sophia pursed her lips and shook her head.

“No matter how many times I tell you, you never call me sister, right?”

Sophia rebuked Ian.

With a face that knew nothing about her own origins.

Ian felt a surge of anger for some reason.

It wasn’t as though Sophia had deceived him, yet everything seemed to be her fault.

To me, you were Fraus, but if you’re not Fraus, then who are you?

Then what was the Fraus that I knew?

The Fraus I loved so much, the Frau I longed for.

“So? Why are you calling me?”

Sophia looked at Ian, who remained silent even after calling her by her name.

Ian looked into her emerald green eyes.

There had been a time when he admired her clear and transparent emerald green eyes more than his own deep emerald green eyes.

He had thought they were more beautiful than any other eyes in the world and wished he could carry them around like jewels every day.

Thinking about it, even though his deep emerald eyes resembled Count Fraus’s much more, he believed her clear eyes were more ‘right’.

The soft chestnut-coloured hair is completely different from that of Count Fraus.

Ian had admired those sunlit, golden-bright strands, thinking he had inherited the colour of the former countess’s hair.

But…

“What are you, exactly?”

‘What are you exactly?

What exactly are you, that you would ruin everything I believed in, everything I built my world upon?’

Ian asked, laden with meaning.

Then Sophia replied.

“What’s with you? I’m just me.”

She found his question very strange, almost as if it were obvious.
I’m just me.

Ian thought about her answer over and over again.

Sophia looked straight into his serious expression. Then her prickling heart began to beat a little faster.

“…Are you going through puberty?”

Sophia asked him.

“Puberty…?”

“No, it’s just that your expression is different from usual. You don’t seem irritated, but suddenly you’re asking me strange questions.”

As Ian’s forehead furrowed, Sophia said.

Then she murmured, “No, characters like that are always going to be crazy until they die.”

Then she shrugged and looked at Ian again.

“Well, people have to live while contemplating existential issues, too.”

“…”

“You’re growing up, Ian.”

Sophia lightly laughed and tapped Ian’s shoulder fearlessly.

Her light touch made his skin sensitively tingle, even though he was wearing clothes.

Feeling that sensation was dangerously unsettling, Ian brushed away Sophia’s hand from his shoulder.

“Don’t touch.”

Ian said with furrowed brows, causing Sophia to retract her hand slightly with pursed lips.

Ian added, as if making an excuse for Sophia’s slightly rough expression.

“…It’s because the match ended not too long ago.”

“Right. You got injured during the match…! Is it hurting where I touched?”

Ian stared at Sophia, who was looking around to check his condition.

The discomfort that had just been stuck in his neck seemed to dissipate with her concerned words.

“It’s okay. My shoulder is fine.”

“What’s with you? But why did you act like you were in pain?”

Sophia’s eye corners rose sharply, looking quite cute.

“…I just told you not to touch.”

“I said it’s because the match ended not too long ago.”

“It’s not because it hurts; I just don’t like being touched.”

Sophia replied with a sheepish smile. But at the same time, she gently touched Ian’s waist, legs, and arms.

“…Are you okay where you got hurt?”

“Only now you’re asking?”

Ian retorted sarcastically at Sophia’s belated concern.

“Even if you worry, it’s not like…”

“I said it’s fine. It’s just a little scratch.”

You don’t need to worry, so just relax.

That’s how it sounded to Sophia’s ears.

“Just a little scratch?”

Sophia retorted bluntly.

Ian looked at Sophia.

Despite her rough tone and disgruntled face, Ian liked the expression of concern from Sophia.

“Neither you nor Your Excellency are snowmen that get bigger and harder the more you roll, so why are you rolling around so recklessly?”

But when ‘Your Excellency’ came out of her mouth, one side of Ian’s heart that was about to loosen up tightened again firmly. (T/L: The hell is wrong with Ian 🙂)

With a strange sensation, Ian clenched his fist.

What is this discomfort?

“It’s none of your concern.”

Yes, there is no need to mix words with something that is not even Fraus.

He turned away from Sophia and walked back to the room.

Sophia watched Ian’s retreating figure in the corridor.

Somehow, Ian’s mood seemed different from usual.

But Sophia didn’t think much of it, feeling relieved that Ian didn’t ask about overhearing the conversation.

“I should look into Rosarphi as well while searching for information about the beast.”

Rather than worrying about Ian, she focused on her main job.

* * *

Upon returning to his room, Ian sat at his desk and idly flipped through the records related to the Black Moon incidents.

The records he had been reading with interest just moments ago now seemed like trivial matters as soon as Sophia appeared, distracting him with her presence.

Instead of thinking about the skilled individual behind the Black Moon, thoughts of Sophia filled his mind.

For some reason, he felt an impulse to tell her everything.

‘You’re not Fraus. You’re not someone who shares a drop of blood with me.’

The real Fraus is him, and she is… all fake.

Once it’s revealed that she’s not Fraus, everything will be fine.

Once that’s revealed, the Empress will break off the engagement. Killian will suggest a breakup, and Sophia will be rejected and eventually return here.

It may cause some trouble for the family for a while, but eventually? It will all be revealed.

That’s all he hoped for.

That’s how it should have been from the start.

Sophia, after all, is not fit to marry a Grand Duke.

“But if that happens, then Sophia…”

His thoughts, fueled by emotion, suddenly came to a halt and cooled down.

“Damn it.”

How could he say such a thing?

Ian could never say it.

He vividly remembered what Sophia had done a few months ago.

* * *

Last winter, shortly after the Knights of Ruchtainer returned from handling a dispute at the border.

So, before Sophia and Killian’s engagement was decided.

That day was unusually cold, with snow falling heavily.

Ian was already irritated due to his father’s words at the welcoming reception.

“Her Majesty the Empress has arranged for Sophia to be engaged to Duke Rivelon.”

Engaged. Sophia?

Ian couldn’t accept it.

Naturally, even Rubisella opposed the engagement.

She shouted that she couldn’t give the title of Grand Duchess to that woman, and Ian agreed with his mother’s words.

“Why do we even have to use that useless woman in the first place? Where are we going to use her?”

Count Fraus persuaded him, saying that it would be advantageous to have a connection between the Count and the Grand Duke.

There was a heated argument between the count and countess, and Ian, siding with his mother, left the room feeling uncomfortable.

And he looked for Sophia, as he always did.

(T/L: Ian taking the crazy man route….tch tch)