Episode 34
Emilia clearly heard Edwin’s words with her own ears and the moment she processed them, the sword in her hand
slipped and clattered to the floor.
It didn’t leave so much as a scratch on him.
Did I really just hear that right?
She had.
Unless she’d suddenly gone deaf, there was no way she could’ve mistaken it in this heavy silence. Even with the noise
outside, his voice had come through perfectly.
But it was so hard to believe that she started wondering if maybe she was dreaming.
“Emilia.”
She lifted her hand, ready to slap her own cheek. If it hurt, it was real; if it didn’t, it was a dream.
That was how she’d always told reality from dreams. Back in the damn Hermann estate or the Casper estate if she
felt pain, it was real. If not, it was a dream.
But Edwin caught her hand before she could hit herself. There was a flicker of sadness in his eyes, and just seeing it
made her hesitate.
So it’s not a dream.
For the first time, she didn’t need the slap to tell the difference. In her dreams, Edwin had never stopped her—he’d
only stood at a distance, watching, no matter what she did.
So the moment he stopped her now, she knew this was reality.
And with that realization came a sudden, burning heat in her chest like someone had lit a fire deep inside her.
She wanted to let it out.
“Now now you tell me this? What am I supposed to do with that?”
“I’m sorry.”
“Why? Why are you only telling me now?”
She didn’t want to be angry at him. If anything, she was grateful he’d finally told her the truth.
But at the same time, one thought kept eating at her.
Then… where am I supposed to put all this hurt I’ve been carrying?
It had all been a misunderstanding from the very start.
She’d always thought their engagement was something forced on them by the marquis, and so she believed there was
no real bond between her and Edwin.
That’s why she ran far away, where no one could see them and felt like she could finally breathe.
She thought they were just two people hurt by an unwanted marriage, each finally free to live their own lives. That
the original story’s ending for “Emilia” would never happen now.
And now this…
With one confession, Edwin had smashed everything she’d built to survive.
She looked up at him, feeling as if all the effort she’d made had been for nothing.
Edwin was looking down at her with sad eyes. She’d seen that face before but back then, his eyes had been cold,
distant, telling her he didn’t even want to deal with her.
She bit her lip hard.
If there was ever a moment she could be selfish, it was now. He was the one who’d been wrong, and she was the one
who’d been hurt.
But even now, she found herself worrying about him. She’d left because she wanted him to be happy, but instead,
she’d ended up hurting him in the worst way possible.
“I left because I wanted you to be happy.”
Her tears wouldn’t stop, no matter how much she tried to hold them back. She bit her lip so hard that blood dripped
onto the floor.
Edwin would’ve preferred her to just yell at him, curse him out but instead, she was blaming herself, and it made
him hate the situation even more.
“Don’t blame yourself. It’s all my fault.”
“How can you say that? You gave me my freedom!”
She poured her heart out. The Hermann family, its people, its blood ties none of it meant anything to her, someone
who’d just ended up in this world.
He was the one person who had shone a light into her dark, survival-driven life.
If she’d stayed in that family, she would’ve been pushed right over the cliff no matter how hard she fought.
She had kept her distance, knowing they could never be close, never be a real family.
“Everything’s a mess.”
The truth she’d just learned was so absurd it almost made her laugh.
Edwin frowned as he watched her blame herself. If only he’d given her even a hint earlier—maybe their future
would’ve been filled with sunlight, and they could’ve faced it together, smiling.
He regretted it bitterly. He should’ve told her the moment they met again, not here, not now. But he’d been afraid—
afraid she’d get angry and swear never to come back to him.
For a whole year, he’d had no light in his life. Not even hope—just searching for the day he’d die.
If he couldn’t find her, he’d planned to follow her into death, just to say sorry.
But here she was.
“I was scared you’d disappear.”
Scared she’d get sick of him.
His voice trembled. Emilia looked up at him again.
His eyes were closed tight, so she gently cupped his face with both hands.
Startled by the sudden warmth, Edwin opened his eyes and looked down at her.
“All I can say is… I’m sorry, Emil”
But he couldn’t finish.
Emilia had risen on her toes and kissed him.
That faint, sour taste she’d noticed before was still there, but he didn’t hate it. He closed his eyes again and rested his
hands on her shoulders.
“I told you yesterday, Edwin.”
“Emilia.”
“You’re still my light.”
They stared at each other, hearts aching. There was still so much left unsaid—but right now, something else needed
to be dealt with first.
“You went there, like I told you that day.”
“…Yeah. And I left the family’s treasured sword there.”
It could’ve ended as nothing more than a small stain on the Casper family’s honor a simple case of losing an heirloom
and letting Hermann use it for leverage.
But Edwin’s interest in Emilia had grown… and turned into something more.
So he’d ordered someone to leave the sword—the one the first head of the family had used—right there.
No one had understood why. Even now, only Emilia knew… and one other person in this room.
Edwin’s eyes shifted to Henry.
“I haven’t forgotten what you said to me that day.”
“What are you talking about?!”
Henry’s voice was sharp with panic, but no one here was intimidated.
Edwin walked past Emilia toward him, and Henry began to shrink back.
“You told me Emilia didn’t love me. That she already had someone else in her heart, so I should stop trying.”
Hearing that, Emilia remembered her wedding day.
She’d wondered why Edwin had looked so displeased… Turns out Henry had been whispering nonsense in his ear. It
was so typically Henry it almost made her laugh.
“I also heard you locked her in the dungeon from the day you got the engagement notice until the wedding.”
And like an idiot, Edwin had believed him.
He thought she’d rejected his touch because she had a secret lover. That she’d been locked up just to keep her from
running away.
But he’d since learned the truth—she’d never had anyone else. During the destruction of the Hermann family, he’d
found out she hadn’t even admired anyone.
“So… what should I do with you?”
His voice was cold now nothing like the gentle tone he’d used with Emilia just moments ago.
Henry could tell instantly: say one wrong word, and he’d die here.
He didn’t want to die not like this so he dropped to his knees.
“P-please, spare me.”
“Hah? And what happened to all that ‘glorious Hermann honor’ you were so proud of?”
“Please! I’ll give you every sword I have!”
Watching him grovel, Emilia was at a loss for words.
The man who’d always preached about the family’s pride and honor was nowhere to be found just a pathetic,
cowardly figure.
So in the face of death, even honor means nothing.
Her tears were gone now. She stared at Henry coldly.
Then Edwin turned to her. His eyes said it clearly he was leaving the choice of Henry’s fate in her hands.
