Episode 35
“I’ll go with your decision.”
Emilia looked down at Henry, who was now kneeling on the floor.
Before Edwin showed up, Henry had been all arrogance and bluster. Now, that was gone.
He was bowing his head, groveling just to stay alive.
Emilia was so disgusted she sighed toward the ceiling, then bent down to pick up the sword lying on the floor.
Edwin, the knights, and even the people who had been watching the scene unfold were all holding their breath,
waiting to see what she’d do.
“E-Emilia…”
But no one stepped in to stop her.
Standing right in front of him, she said,
“I’ll give you a chance.”
A chance. That one word made Henry’s face light up. It was like he’d just been handed a lifeline.
If she told him to lick her boots, he’d do it. No matter how humiliating, if it meant he could live, he’d agree. He smiled
at her, ready to accept anything until he heard her next words.
“A chance to kill yourself for the glory of the proud Hermann family.”
She was basically asking if he had the guts to take his own life for the “noble” family name he was always bragging
about.
Her voice was calm, almost casual, but it made everyone else’s eyes widen in shock.
Emilia stood there like nothing was unusual, looking down at Henry.
He stared back at her, bewildered.
“I’m your brother!” he shouted.
She almost laughed. she’d heard the exact same line earlier.
Yes, they shared blood. But she was sick of hearing that tired excuse.
And in truth, this “chance” she was offering was the last thing she’d ever give him as family.
“You’re saying no to the great honor of dying for the Hermann name?”
“Emilia!”
“You’re not deaf, are you? I told you, I’m giving you a chance.”
Henry’s face started to harden. Emilia didn’t care and she was waiting for his answer.
This was a chance.
A chance to die like a man, if nothing else.
She wanted nothing more to do with him.
No matter whether it helped or hurt her plans, she couldn’t forgive Henry for ruining everything she’d tried to do.
And it wasn’t like she had fond memories of the Hermann estate anyway. Neither she nor the original Emilia before
her had ever lived there like a human being.
“Henry Hermann. As a noble, and as the last head of the Hermann family, you know exactly what I mean.”
He stayed silent. Either way, her words meant death. He looked at her with desperate eyes, hoping for even the
tiniest mercy.
But her face didn’t change at all. He realized then she wasn’t going to change her mind.
Finally, he lowered his head for a moment, then spoke like he’d made up his mind.
“You were never any use to me.”
“There it is again.”
“You cost my mother her life, and now you’ve destroyed our whole family.”
Henry’s voice was full of blame.
The others nearby couldn’t stand to hear it and moved to shut him up, but Emilia stopped them with just a look.
Then Henry held his hand out to her.
He clearly wasn’t about to die honorably, but it seemed he still wanted to cling to some scrap of pride.
So she handed him the Hermann family’s sword.
But
“If I’m going to die, you’re coming with me. You’ve got the Hermann blood too!”
The second the sword touched his hand, he turned on her.
Of course, Henry didn’t disappoint and he acted exactly how she’d expected.
She gave a dry laugh. Even with him about to attack, she didn’t look nervous in the slightest.
That only made Henry more furious, and he swung the sword at her but with a loud clang, the blade hit the floor.
“Argh!”
Edwin had simply flicked Henry’s sword aside.
It wasn’t even a heavy blow, but Henry’s hand hurt so much he dropped the weapon.
Pathetic, Emilia thought.
He’d thrown away the last chance she’d offered.
“Henry, do you know how it felt when you had me locked in that dungeon?” she asked.
It had only been a few days, but those days had been enough to break her. The cold, pitch-black darkness, the fear
that someone might appear out of nowhere, it was the kind of place that made you never want to fight back again.
She smiled coldly.
“Rot in that dungeon for the rest of your life. That’s the path you’ve chosen.”
At her words, the knights closed in on Henry.
Edwin didn’t have to give orders; they already treated her as the duchess, driven by guilt for failing to protect her
before.
Henry tried to grab the sword again, but a knight kicked it away. His face fell apart in panic.
He shouted and begged for mercy, but Emilia only glanced at him once before walking out.
Edwin followed right behind her.
“It’s not even satisfying. I gave the person I hate most the worst punishment I could think of, and it still doesn’t feel
good.”
“Emilia, I don’t have anything to say to you.”
Outside, a huge crowd was waiting.
The stares could have been intimidating, but they ignored everyone else and just looked at each other.
“I don’t have anything to say to you either.”
“How could you not? I’m the one who’s guilty here.”
They both claimed to have nothing to say, but Emilia remembered what Edwin had told her earlier.
That he’d wanted to marry her first.
She’d been shocked, not just because it meant Diana wasn’t involved, but because everything in this world had
followed the original story so closely that she’d been living in despair.
Every time she tried to change things, something went wrong and events fell back into place.
So of course she’d assumed Edwin would want Diana, and that he’d go to her the moment Emilia left.
But now, to hear that his feelings had been different from the start… it shook her.
“Was that true?”
“What was?”
From the tavern until now, Edwin hadn’t looked away from her once.
And right now, his gaze held no lies—only the truth he wanted her to see.
“What you said to me.”
Her blunt question made Edwin want to take a step back—not to run away, but because for once, he was scared.
If she didn’t feel the same way… if she looked at him with disappointment…
He stayed silent, and Emilia found herself hesitating too.
What if what Henry had said earlier had all been a misunderstanding? What if she’d just heard wrong?
But then another worry crept in: what if Edwin suddenly changed his words?
She’d learned that without courage, you get nothing. So she asked,
“You said you wanted to marry me. Was that true?”
“…It was.”
“Then why didn’t you tell me?”
She’d already heard pieces of the story from Henry, but she wanted to hear it from Edwin’s mouth.
He was still anxious, but since she’d had the courage to ask, he decided not to hide anymore.
“Emilia… you’re my only weakness. If anyone, especially the Hermann family, knew I liked you, every threat aimed
at me would go to you instead. That terrified me.”
That was why he never said anything. Why he’d acted so cold.
She’d only just escaped the Hermann family, he couldn’t bear the thought of them targeting her again.
Emilia didn’t know what to say. She could understand parts of his reasoning, but other parts were still hard to believe.
“I’m your weakness?”
“You’re more important to me than my own life, Emilia.”
And that… was the part she found hardest to believe.
