Chapter 19

‘Ah, in the end, I didn’t gain anything except his name.’

She had never planned to ask for it.

She didn’t want to get more involved. She didn’t want to grow more attached.

And yet, somehow, things had ended up like this.

Unfortunately, Damian had already carved a place for himself in a corner of Doha’s heart.

‘No wonder he reminds me of my own childhood.’

She had hesitated for so long, debating whether to throw away the artifact or not—perhaps she had already foreseen this outcome.

She should have told him about other constellations, too. Instead, she had made him wait all the way until winter.

In the end, she had given him the location of the medicine, but would he be able to find it on his own?

Would he survive the harsh winter?

More importantly… could that young child endure the cruel fate awaiting him?

‘I’m worrying about him way too much.’

Doha sighed.

‘Get it together. The person with the worst fate right now is me.’

Now that she had confirmed the imperial princes were a dead end according to their birth charts, she had to find another noble or royal connection to secure her survival.

Shaking off her thoughts, Doha lightly shook her head and continued down the stairs.

“Hey!”

Just as she was on her way back to her room, a familiar figure suddenly appeared before her.

Of all people, she had to run into Salvador.

“Why are you coming down from the library?”

“…….”

“What scheme are you up to now…?”

“I went there to study alone.”

Salvador had been about to pick a fight, but then he abruptly shut his mouth.

A passing servant had widened their eyes in shock, staring at them.

To an outsider, it must have looked like Salvador was interrogating Ophelia aggressively, like a criminal suspect.

“What are you looking at? Get lost!”

At his command, the servant instantly disappeared, leaving only Doha and Salvador behind.

Annoyed, he ruffled his disheveled curls, looking utterly exasperated just from seeing her face.

“Study? What could you possibly be studying alone?”

“I was looking at the family genealogy. I realized I don’t know much about the Kredel family.”

“What? My brother never hired a tutor for you?”

Well, even if he had, there was a high chance they wouldn’t have been a proper tutor.

For a family as powerful as Kredel—second only to the imperial family—their personnel management was a disaster.

Frauds were running rampant, and she was the one cleaning up their mess.

Internally, she scoffed, but outwardly, she answered obediently.

“He said he’d wait for a month until I recovered.”

“Recovered?”

“Yes. The doctor said I need to rest because of my malnutrition.”

“Mal… what?”

“Malnutrition.”

“…….”

Wait. Hold on.

Salvador muttered to himself, pressing his fingers against his forehead.

“So, you’re telling me that after spending two years in the Grand Duke’s castle, you somehow ended up with malnutrition—a condition that only beggars get?”

Well, malnutrition wasn’t only caused by poverty.

But in Bunny’s case, she had starved, so Doha simply nodded.

At that, veins popped up on Salvador’s forehead and neck at the same time.

“Are you an idiot?”

“?”

She hadn’t expected him to suddenly curse at her.

‘Is he really a Kredel?’

For a moment, Doha genuinely wondered if Salvador was the one who had been adopted instead.

The so-called noble bloodline of Azure Moon, the lineage of heroes—was this really how they talked?

‘Did he attend etiquette lessons with his nostrils?’

Kredel was supposed to be the pride of the nobility, the very model of noblesse oblige.

He was a disgrace to the family name.

“You—you gave away all the food I sent you to the servants, didn’t you?”

“I did.”

“You did?”

Mocking her words, Salvador let out a scornful laugh.

“Are you defying me?”

Doha, ever calm, responded to the thug-like Salvador with complete composure.

“I have malnutrition. There’s no way my body could handle such greasy food.”

“If you eat dirt all the time, of course you’d get sick!”

“It was weeds, actually.”

“Same difference!”

Wait.

Salvador suddenly narrowed his eyes.

“You were fine eating poisonous weeds, but you’re telling me you couldn’t digest the food I sent you?”

His sharpness was unnecessary.

Doha, feeling too lazy to explain herself, just blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

“Well, my body only accepts poisonous plants.”

“That’s complete nonsense!”

Salvador exploded, unable to contain his fury.

Doha simply observed him, fascinated.

Even without reading his birth chart, she could tell he had an abundance of fire in his fate.

It was interesting how different he was from Damian, who also carried the same fire element.

“You lost your sense of taste eating garbage in the slums, huh? Is that it? You can’t enjoy normal food anymore unless it’s actual trash?”

Doha silently stared up at him as he bared his teeth like a furious beast.

What the hell was his problem?

Doha had no idea why he was getting so worked up, so she found it easy to remain calm.

“As you said, I drank filthy water from the slums, stole dog food, and chewed on tree bark. I guess that’s how I ended up like this.”

She responded flatly, recalling Bunny’s memories.

Salvador stiffened.

As if he had heard something so unexpected that he didn’t know how to respond.

“Why the hell would you…? Don’t you have any pride?”

“…….”

Spoken like someone who had probably only ever skipped a meal out of stubbornness, not true hunger.

Doha was honestly impressed.

He really knew nothing about how Bunny had survived. He had never cared, not even a little.

“Have you ever gone two weeks without food?”

Of course, this was Bunny’s experience, not hers. Doha had never endured something like that.

No matter how mentally strained her past life had been, she had never been starved.

‘No matter how psychotic my family was, they still made sure I ate. Must be the Korean way.’

Bunny, on the other hand, was too lowborn and poor to have anyone looking out for her.

“If you starve long enough, your mind goes blank. All that’s left is the need to eat.”

Beg. Steal. Kill. Take.

Eat. Eat. Eat. Eat.

That’s all that runs through your head.

“I’ve seen people eat human corpses.”

“What kind of nonsense…? The war ended ten years ago. We live in a time of peace….”

Salvador trailed off, his face turning pale.

“War isn’t anything special. When someone you talked to yesterday becomes a meal today, that’s war.”

“…….”

“I never managed to eat a corpse myself. But considering I ended up in Kredel, I think that was the right choice.”

Right?

Doha tilted her head as if she were asking for his agreement.

Her voice was detached, devoid of emotion. After all, it wasn’t her story—it was Bunny’s.

“Compared to that, soup made from dishwater feels like a feast. I’m always grateful.”

That had always been Bunny’s way of thinking.

No matter how miserable life was, it was still better than the slums. This place was a paradise in comparison.

That was why she had fought so desperately to become Ophelia.

Salvador clenched his teeth, his sharp gaze narrowing.

“No matter what life you lived before, you’re a noble lady now. So how the hell does malnutrition make any sense? On top of that, you let them steal from you, you let those damn servants take all your food like an idiot…!”

“Was that really such an important issue?”

“…What?”

“I didn’t think it mattered.”

Doha cut him off coldly before he could finish.

‘What’s the point of arguing with me about this now?’

Bunny didn’t exist anymore.

“It matters! If those bastards were messing with you, you should have reported it to me immediately!”

“And if I had, would you have listened?”

Doha chuckled.

“Did you ever care about what I ate? What I wore? What I went through? Not even once.”

“…….”

“No one cared about me. That’s why I ended up being treated that way.”

Would Bunny have had the courage to accuse her maids?

And even if she had, who would have actually listened?

No one. She could say that with certainty.

“And now, because I collapsed from malnutrition, now you suddenly care?”

At first, Doha had thought Salvador’s reaction was just another way to torment her.

But now, she understood.

It was nothing more than misplaced guilt.

He had been indoctrinated since childhood.

The Kredels of Azure Moon must be righteous. They must show compassion to the weak. They must extend a helping hand to those in need.

‘That’s the foundation of Kredel’s values.’

Bunny had been taught this lesson before anything else.

But now, Salvador had been forced to realize something uncomfortable.

The girl he had seen only as a villain… was actually a weak and helpless child.

That must be eating away at him.

Right now, he probably felt like he should treat her a little better.

‘But what about when I get better? When people start following me, believing I’m really Ophelia?’

Would he then turn on her again, claiming a fraud was threatening his sister’s rightful place?

This flimsy, half-hearted concern was exhausting.

It was better to draw a clear line now, even if it meant hearing some harsh words.

If she accepted his kindness now, it would only lead to bigger problems later.

“Don’t misunderstand me.”

Doha sighed.

“You know as well as I do—I have nothing. And I never will.”

“Then take it all! You’re a noble now! I’m offering it to you—!”

“No. The only thing I’ve ever had in my life is a false title as a fake noble. What more could I possibly want?”

“…….”

“If I start relying on the little kindness the second son of the Grand Duke decides to throw my way… and if I crumble when it’s inevitably taken away again…”

Doha trailed off, lowering her gaze.

Her red eyes shimmered precariously, long lashes trembling slightly.

If Bunny were in her position, she would have taken Salvador’s hand without hesitation.

She would have let herself be swayed by his guilt and his sense of responsibility, believing that this time, things would be different.

She would have clung desperately to whatever scraps of sympathy he offered, regaining her strength and her health.

And then, if things went back to how they were before…

If no one cared about what she ate, what she wore, what she suffered through…

If the real Ophelia came back…

“Then I wouldn’t be able to stand on my own anymore.”

A suppressed breath. A slight tremble in her shoulders.

A posture that made it seem like she was about to cry.

Unconsciously, Salvador reached out toward her.

“Hey, you little worm—”

He didn’t even understand why he was reacting this way.

Why the hell did he care if a worm was crying?

But before his hand could reach her shoulder, she suddenly lifted her head.

Her red eyes weren’t filled with tears.

They burned with fury.

A blazing, searing anger, wild and untamed, as if she could incinerate everything in her path.

“So just ignore me like you always have.”

“…….”

“Don’t start acting out of character now.”