Previously
Evgenia prepares to meet Duke Basilian, feeling nervous and physically unwell. She encounters the guard Grisel Fion and attempts to secure his loyalty by asking his name, which confuses him and leads Anne to suspect Evgenia has a romantic interest in him.
What had I just heard?
It sounded an awful lot like an excuse.
I blinked in surprise, doubting my own ears.
Alexis then glanced nervously toward the door, leaned in, and whispered,
When I stared at him in utter disbelief, Alexis flinched and looked away.
The tips of his ears flushed bright red.
“…”
I had hoped Alexis wouldn't blab, but I never expected things to play out like this.
Without realizing what face I was making, I just stared at him, my usual cynical thoughts drifting away.
Sensing my gaze, Alexis looked back at me.
He was about to say something more when the closed door clicked and slowly swung open.
A chilled voice drifted down from above, instantly making my chest tighten.
The only person Alexis ever called “Brother.”
It was Sionel, the eldest son of Duke Basilian and the Young Duke himself, who had spoken so coldly.
I raised my head slowly and looked steadily at Sionel’s face.
With the same dark hair as Evgenia and intimidating blue eyes, Sionel possessed strikingly handsome features.
Yet standing before him, all the blood in my body felt frozen, and my breath caught in my throat.
I clenched my fists tight.
I had felt this inexplicable surge of anger once before.
When I looked into Richard's crimson eyes.
I had desperately hoped I was mistaken, but it seemed my theory was right.
I possessed Evgenia’s body and lacked her memories, yet her emotions surged powerfully inside me.
I had begun suspecting this ever since I met Richard yesterday, and had assumed it would be confirmed once I met Duke Basilian.
Now, seeing Sionel—whose appearance was strikingly similar to the novel’s description of the Duke—unfamiliar emotions rose choking in my throat.
Sionel looked down at me and spoke coldly.
A wave of hostility flared within me, and a sharp retort rose to the tip of my tongue.
Gritting my teeth, I choked down the feeling and forced a gentle expression onto my face.
“…”
Sionel’s response was entirely indifferent.
Though his left brow twitched slightly, his eyes remained devoid of trust.
There was no helping it.
Thinking it would be best to get things over with quickly by seeing the Duke, I spoke up.
Sionel’s eyes, which had barely shown any flicker of emotion until now, widened enough that even a total stranger would have noticed.
I watched those blue eyes—so much like Alexis’s, yet noticeably deeper—waver, then said clearly,
Clatter. A loud noise suddenly echoed from within the office, as if something had dropped.
I shoved away Alexis’s hand, which he had slapped onto my shoulder as though genuinely questioning my sanity; I couldn't hold back any longer.
Sensing my sharp irritation, he shrank back and pulled his hand away.
To suppress my mounting anger, I turned back toward the door.
Standing opposite Evgenia, the impetuous, rage-filled wild child of the Basilian family, was Sionel—a completely different person.
The Young Duke, famed for his chilling rationality and perfection, looked utterly flustered.
It only lasted an instant, though. I saw his jaw muscles tighten.
As if stung by his momentary lapse, he spun around briskly and pushed the door wide open.
It was both a test and a stubborn act of defiance.
Knowing full well it would shock everyone, I intentionally addressed Sionel as “Brother” and the Duke as “Father.”
I didn't know where Evgenia’s deep-seated resentment and rage toward her family came from, but I was not the real Evgenia.
Regardless of my own will, even the thought of wavering at the sight of the Crown Prince or wanting to pull away from Euclid terrified me.
Fortunately, neither my words nor my actions were restrained.
And with time, those foreign emotions gradually subsided.
Determined not to be swayed, I crossed the grand office and finally stood before Duke Basilian, who sat at his desk.
Yet it was as if all my resolve melted away in an instant.
“…!”
The moment I laid eyes on Duke Basilian—a middle-aged man with impeccably styled black hair radiating an icy aura—my eyes stung with sudden heat.
The Duke, who had been glaring at me as cold as a frozen lake in dead winter, abruptly stood up with a loud clatter.
At his words, my hand went to my cheek.
My eyes truly had grown burning hot. Before I even realized it, tears were streaming down.
Had he never seen his daughter cry before?
His face still set like ice yet noticeably less detached, the Duke hurried around his desk toward me. As though accustomed to dealing with Evgenia, he cautiously held out a handkerchief instead of touching me directly.
Accepting it gently, I looked into his blue eyes, now clouded with concern as my vision blurred. Strangely enough, I found it hard to rein in my emotions.
‘This won’t do. I just need to say what I prepared to say to the Duke and get out.’
I brought the handkerchief quickly to my eyes. Even with my vision blocked, I could sense the Duke’s body tense up, but I pressed on undeterred.
His lips worked for a moment before the Duke finally managed to ask.
Fearing he wouldn't believe me, I lowered my hands and nodded vigorously.
Perhaps releasing some of the intense emotions through tears had lessened the ache in my heart, though I wasn't entirely free of them.
Despite my firm tone, the Duke hesitated, sounding uncertain.
Naturally, it was hard to believe. Evgenia had persistently pursued the Crown Prince, and only days ago she had even resorted to threatening her own life. So giving up so easily had to sound completely unbelievable.
Still, on this matter, I could not back down.
Since I had already shed tears, I decided to use them to my advantage. Feigning a stifled sob, I bit my lip, then parted them with solemn resolve as I spoke.
The Duke’s eyes went wide, just as they had when he saw my tears earlier.
Of course, Evgenia had never possessed a shred of responsibility and would have chased the Crown Prince even after marriage!
“So I will marry. As soon as possible.”
From now on, I will live solely for my husband, Euclid!
Having finished my vow and bound myself to my own words, I looked at the Duke with an earnest gaze.
At that moment, Sionel asked in a flat voice.
Catching his obvious distrust, I clicked my tongue inwardly and answered all the more resolutely.
“…”
Oh, I saw it clearly this time.
Sionel’s brow shot up briefly before settling back down.
Taking it as a good sign, I swallowed hard and put on a desperate expression.
Either way, that was the plan. It would be best to rush things along so I could meet Euclid all the sooner!
And after that, I would enjoy a blissful life… no, a blissful honeymoon in the Duchy of Rodion!
The mere thought sent a shiver of delight through me, and my lips twitched slightly.
But then, a sudden wave of anxiety washed over me.
( ‘What if my partner changes because I pushed for marriage first?’ )
No, that shouldn't happen.
Most likely, the Duke and Sionel had already left the capital to inspect the northern territories, specifically Duke Rodion's estate, under the pretense of business.
And they probably had already met Euclid.
Still, to eliminate any potential variables, I moistened my dry lips and spoke again.
The Duke and Sionel, who had been exchanging glances, snapped their eyes toward me the moment I opened my mouth.