Episode 38

The tear-soaked embrace of the brothers came to an end.

“So, there are no further objections regarding Emma Caston’s disposition,” the Duke concluded.

It seemed there would be no overturning the decision to expel Emma.

‘…To think it would be resolved this easily.’

I still felt dazed. At the same time, a bit of regret and disappointment lingered.

‘I should have spoken honestly to the Duke in my previous life and asked for help…’

I had assumed the Duke would inevitably be lenient with Emma.

By the time I arrived at the Duke’s mansion in my previous life, she had already become a key figure in the household.

Serving both the Duchess and the younger son after their deaths meant she held an irreplaceable position.

So, despite clashing with Emma repeatedly, I never said a word about it to the Duke or Edwin.

I believed that if I complained about her and the long-serving staff of the mansion, it would be me who would be expelled.

‘In reality, it wasn’t such a big deal after all…’

As I bitterly reflected on the past, the Duke suddenly issued an order to his sons.

“Now, Edwin and Joshua, you may leave.”

“Belze, stay. I have something to discuss with you.”

“M-me?”

“Yes.”

My relaxed body tensed up again.

‘What does he want to say to me after sending Edwin and Joshua out?’

It wasn’t just me who was curious. Edwin turned to the Duke and asked.

“What is it?”

“It’s a secret.”

“A secret…?”

“Yes.”

The Duke responded confidently.

Not quite convinced, Edwin frowned slightly.

“Is there a secret that Joshua and I shouldn’t know?” <Edwin>

“Why. Didn’t you also secretly use your private funds last night?”

The Duke casually glanced at me, or more precisely, at the tiara on my head.

“That…”

At a loss for words, Edwin stammered, uncharacteristically.

“And then you came this morning, acting nonchalant and suggesting we go to Main Street. How amusing.”

“…”

The Duke scoffed, and Edwin’s cheeks turned red.

‘Main Street… luxury shops?!’

I realized that their destination today was the high-end shopping district.

But I still couldn’t fully grasp their conversation.

‘I understand it’s about the tiara, but… why is Edwin blushing? Adorable!’

I tried to piece together the context from observing their faces but failed.

Edwin, returning to his usual demeanor, spoke defensively.

“Once again, Belze did nothing wrong. It was just something I…”

“Anyone would think I’m going to eat the kid alive for spending a few coins.”

“…”

“As Belze’s guardian, I have something to discuss with her. You may leave now.”

Finally, Edwin closed his mouth and slowly rose from his seat.

The butler, noticing the cue, quickly ushered Joshua out.

“Let’s go, young master. It’s time for your medicine.”

“Ugh…”

Joshua’s face instantly fell at the mention of ‘medicine.’

But, unable to whine in front of his father, he forced a bright face and waved his hand energetically at me.

“See you tomorrow, Sister Belze!”

“Okay! See you tomorrow, Brother Josh!”
Tl/N: She called him Oppa <Brother> soo….

Remembering my promise to call him ‘Brother’ if he didn’t cry and took his medicine well, I greeted him cheerfully to encourage him.

“Hehe! Yes! I am your brother!”

Joshua happily followed the butler out.

“…”

The Duke and Edwin simultaneously looked at me with astonished expressions.

Only then did I realize how strange we must have looked.

“…Ahem. It seems you both are still too young to understand properly.”

“N-no! I understand!”

“I will take the time to teach Joshua proper titles.”

“I’ll handle it. Belze, Joshua is the same age as you. The term ‘brother’ is for older boys like Edwin…”

“I-I know that already…!”

By the time the lesson on titles ended, only the Duke and I were left in the office.

“…Thanks to you, I got to see those two reconciling.”

After a brief silence, the Duke spoke up.

I blinked and asked.

“They didn’t usually reconcile?”

“Normally, Edwin is the one who bears it and lets it go.”

That made sense if it was Edwin.

The Duke continued, his expression tinged with regret.

“Joshua has been spoiled, and he often behaves rudely. He probably doesn’t mean any harm, but…”

“…”

“If he ever behaved unpleasantly towards you, I apologize on his behalf.”

“That never happened!”

I shook my head vigorously.

‘Although he has some unexpected sides to him…’

Josh was a cute and lovable child.

Besides, I couldn’t be unhappy that he liked me more than Diana!

“Josh is a good boy! He takes his medicine well and responds well to treatment!”

“Is that so?”

“Yes! And he probably wanted to apologize to Edwin sooner…”

I trailed off, thinking of Joshua crying sorrowfully a moment ago.

Though he hadn’t said it outright, it was obvious he intended to give his brother the ring as a gesture of reconciliation.

But Emma had disrupted everything.

The Duke sighed briefly and spoke.

“I heard everything from the butler about today’s commotion.”

“…I’m sorry.”

I lowered my head and mumbled.

The Duke coldly asked again.

“There you go again. What exactly are you apologizing for?”

Of course, I hadn’t done anything wrong.

I was the one who had been falsely accused of theft and mistreated.

But sometimes, even when it felt maddeningly unjust, you had to accept and endure it.

I wasn’t the beloved protagonist, but a detestable foreign substance.

A mere villainous extra.

‘In my past life, I didn’t realize this and spent my entire life feeling bitter until the end…’

I was fortunate to understand this now.

I answered with an awkward smile.

“Since I arrived, there’s been a lot of commotion because of me…”

“I’m saying it’s my fault.”

“…Pardon?”

“I brought you here, claiming it would be better than the temple, yet you’ve experienced nothing but trouble.”

The Duke added with a hint of self-mockery.

“At this rate, I’m no different from that scoundrel Dunkeski.”

At his words, I quickly raised my head.

“N-no! It’s much, much better here than the temple!”

How could anyone compare this heavenly Duke’s residence to that wretched place?

Here, there was no madman torturing me with water every morning.

I got delicious meals on time and wasn’t beaten for not copying scriptures.

Instead, they took care of me with utmost sincerity when I was sick!

‘And to say there’s no difference with Dunkeski…!’

That balding old fart would have already locked me in the repentance room for causing such a disturbance.

Just imagining it made me shudder.

“Your Grace, you haven’t done anything wrong!”

I shuddered once and then shouted resolutely.

“It’s all Emma’s fault! Emma is bad! Bad!”

“……”

“Your Grace trusted her to take care of the children specially, but everyone is too much!”

As I said it, anger welled up within me anew.

‘Why can’t they just stick to their roles?’

Of course, not everyone lives their life according to a set mold.

But if those people didn’t have such strange insecurities, none of this would have happened.

Adults should act like adults, employees like employees. Why can’t they do such a simple thing?

‘Why do the innocent ones like me and Your Grace have to argue about what’s right or wrong?’

The more I thought about it, the angrier I got.

I had my hands on my hips and was fuming when I suddenly heard a soft, deflating laugh near me.

Startled, I looked up and was bewildered.

The Duke was looking at me with eyes full of amusement.

“You know how to speak up well. Why do you always blame yourself?”

“Uh…”

“Even today. If I hadn’t called you separately, you wouldn’t have come to tell me you were being treated unfairly, would you?”

“…”

His words were true. I mumbled and fell silent.

In both my past and current life, the option of tattling to the Duke never existed.

Partly because I thought it wouldn’t help even if I told him…

Contrary to what the Duke told me yesterday, I didn’t want to act spoiled.

I didn’t want to bother him, already busy as he was.

If I ran to him every time something happened, I’d only look like an incapable and useless child.

‘Oh…?’

As I thought that far, a strong sense of déjà vu hit me.

‘So that’s why Edwin didn’t tell the Duke about that scoundrel…’

Just as I had this thought, the Duke sighed deeply.

“You and Edwin. Why are you both so stubborn about the wrong things, I wonder…”

When blood dries on your head, you die.

I barely swallowed that thought when the Duke suddenly stood up.

“Yes. No matter how much I press you, if something like today happens again, it won’t matter.”

“Uh…?”

“Follow me, Belze.”

He walked towards the desk beyond the sofa.

Behind the desk was a massive bookshelf filling an entire wall.

Standing in front of the bookshelf, the Duke grabbed what looked like a book and pulled it.

Then.

Thud-thud-thud-thud—

With a dull, sudden noise, the center of the bookshelf split open, revealing a narrow gap just wide enough for a person to pass through.

The Duke looked back at me, his mouth agape, and gestured.

“Come on, follow me.”

But I couldn’t move easily.

I thought we’d just talk more about Emma.

‘Suddenly… a secret passage?’