Previously
Evgenia uses a magical protective bracelet to safely enter the prison and free Richard, providing him with clothes and a bag of jewels. Despite her sincere apology and declaration of his freedom, Richard reacts with unexpected desperation, kneeling and begging her not to abandon him.
The man’s eyebrow twitched as he fixed me with a strange look.
( ‘Could he really not be Alexis?’ )
My confidence suddenly drained away, and panic started to rise. Fortunately, the corner of his mouth curled into a smirk.
Every word out of his mouth grated on my nerves, but I was relieved to know I hadn’t gotten the wrong person. I kept my mouth shut without making an excuse.
Even so, I naturally felt a little aggrieved.
( ‘Damn it, I just wanted to slip past quietly.’ )
My plan had been to sneak back into the main building unnoticed, then quietly bribe the guard at the door to keep quiet. He wouldn’t want anyone finding out I had slipped out of my room on his watch either, so I figured he would readily agree to keep things hushed up.
( ‘Of all people, why did I have to run into him…?’ )
I let out a heavy, frustrated sigh.
Then, Alexis’s mocking sneer suddenly turned puzzled.
“…?”
Wasn’t that a bit harsh, even for him?
From the moment I ran into Alexis, an inexplicable irritation had been gnawing at me. Still, I held back and endured his remarks, since everything he said stemmed from something I had done wrong anyway.
I fully expected him to sneer and snap back, but his expression shifted oddly once more.
This time, Alexis looked utterly baffled. He took another step forward, planting himself right in front of me. Leaning down, he studied my face intently.
Was this the visceral revulsion real siblings felt toward each other?
I scowled and took a step back, but Alexis kept his eyes locked on me. Then, he suddenly asked:
Evgenia wasn’t short by any means, but Alexis was so much taller that his looming presence intimidated me, leaving me both slightly unnerved and increasingly annoyed.
After that?
Not grasping what he was getting at, I tilted my head and retraced my words.
Thrown off guard by his reaction, I fumbled over my words. Then, irritated with myself for hesitating, I raised my voice with brazen confidence.
Meanwhile, Alexis’s expression became utterly bewildered, and my mind started racing frantically.
Wasn’t Evgenia his older sister? No, that couldn’t be wrong. Alexis was definitely two years younger than her.
Yet his reaction was so chilly that I started feeling embarrassed.
I had grown up an only child. Though I had cousins, I was never particularly close to them, so I had no real grasp of typical sibling dynamics.
Even so, from what I knew, Alexis’s attitude seemed wildly disrespectful.
As I scowled in discontent, I noticed him staring blankly at my face before he roughly dragged a hand through his hair.
I knew their relationship was strained, but to this extent?
Stunned by this unexpected revelation, I froze.
‘Could he actually realize I’m not Evgenia?’
Honestly, I had only planned to be careful around Anne; I never thought anyone else, especially in the Basilian family, would notice a thing.
Yet a sudden wave of unease washed over me, reminding me that family was still family after all.
Alexis called my name in a displeased tone.
Unable to bring myself to demand he call me ‘Older Sister’ again, I merely glared at him as if asking why he was staring, which only made his expression turn graver.
Terrified he might see right through me, I snapped back without shame.
With that coldly dismissive parting shot, a heavy silence fell between us.
I could almost feel a chill sweep through the air.
( ‘Ah!’ )
It wasn’t just my imagination.
After my earlier ordeal with Richard down in the underground dungeon, my body was already ice-cold, and now a very real gust of biting wind blew past…
‘Oh, no.’ I think I’m going to sneeze!
This was such a serious moment, and I had just delivered an exceptionally cold-hearted speech.
Sneezing right now? Utterly unacceptable. Absolutely not.
Fortunately, my nose didn’t feel runny, but it tickled so fiercely it was driving me insane.
Determined to protect my pride—to say nothing of maintaining an ‘Evgenia-like dignity’—I clenched my fists tight and rubbed my face.
Somehow, scowling fiercely, I managed to hold back the sneeze…
Then, through narrowed eyes, I caught sight of Alexis staring at me with a bizarre, blank expression.
There was an unmistakable mix of surprise and confusion in his eyes.
( ‘Oh… could he tell?’ )
That I had just awkwardly suppressed a sneeze!
Right at that moment, an immediate crisis struck.
Hurriedly covering my face with my hands, I whipped around.
And then…
…I ended up sneezing after all.
Thanks to clamping down on my nose, it hardly made any sound, but my shoulders jerked noticeably, making it impossible to hide.
‘Damn it, whatever.’ They say love and sneezes can’t be hidden, after all.
I tried to console myself, but a burning wave of embarrassment washed over me.
At that moment, Alexis parted his lips, seemingly about to say something.
( ‘Is this heartless jerk trying to humiliate me right now?’ )
Determined not to suffer any more disgrace, I spun on my heel and fled.
Well, I say fled, but in reality, I stormed toward the main building, letting my fury show with every rapid stomp.
I didn’t realize it then, far too busy smothering my mortification.
I never could have guessed that Alexis would mutter something so ridiculous while watching my retreating back.
Damn it. I ended up catching it.
I’d caught a nasty cold, of all things!
If I’d known, I would have listened to Anne when she told me to bundle up.
It was too late for regrets now.
Leaving Alexis behind, I had headed straight for the main building, frightening the bewildered knight stationed at the entrance before diving straight into bed.
I drank the hot tea Anne prepared and wrapped myself tightly in blankets, hoping to warm up, but even as dawn approached, the chill refused to leave.
When I woke up in the morning, my throat felt like it had been shredded, and the headache that had been nagging me already was making my head spin with dizziness.
Even in my groggy state, the commotion outside caught my attention. Pulling the covers over my head and blinking away the tears pooling in my eyes, I dragged myself to the window.
( ‘Oh no, is he here already?’ )
In fact, the reason the estate had been so loud and chaotic since morning was the news that the Duke, who had been away from the capital, would be returning shortly.
In front of the manor, the servants stood lined up to greet him, with Alexis and the heroine, Melissa, visible among them.
Did he sense my gaze at that exact moment? Alexis turned his head toward my window.
He was too far away to really see me, but it felt as if our eyes met, and I instinctively shrank back.
Even though I had spoken recklessly yesterday, looking back on it made me feel genuinely wronged.
I could understand the Duke and his eldest son being absent since they weren’t in the capital. But Alexis? He commuted to and from the palace every single day.
Even if Evgenia was treated like an outcast, couldn’t he have checked on me at least once after I lost consciousness?
Honestly, I thought he might have chased after me yesterday, but instead, he hadn’t even tried to stop me.
Sure, he might have just been angry that I threw a fit when I had openly flouted the Duke’s orders… but still.
It was obvious he didn’t have an ounce of real concern for Evgenia.
Yet here I was, feeling hurt.
Maybe it was just because I was feeling so sick, but I couldn’t stop myself from feeling resentful, even though he wasn’t truly my family.
Yet at the same time, I paradoxically wished Alexis wouldn’t feel guilty over what I’d said yesterday, and that he would just keep ignoring me as he always did.
And if possible, turn a blind eye to my little rebellion from yesterday as well.