Chapter 40
Turns Out She Was a Villain
No matter how much he wanted information, spending several days catering to someone’s whims just to get it was unbearable to even imagine. Yet Roel seemed completely unfazed.
“Seeing her like this, I figured that even if I tried talking to Libe, she wouldn’t say much. So I thought I’d find out a bit myself.”
It was convenient for me that Roel was taking the initiative to dig for reasons. The fake Libera still trembled in front of me and couldn’t speak a word. Rather than questioning her myself, it might be faster for Roel to handle it. After all, he was so sociable that he was good at easing people’s defenses.
“I’ll cancel today’s plans for now.”
“Why bother canceling?”
“Well, your plans with Libe should take priority.”
Roel smiled brightly, speaking casually.
‘That’s a talent too.’
I chuckled dryly. He was very good at saying the right things, even if they were empty words.
“But either way, that plan would have to be canceled. She’ll have to come to dinner too.”
Since it was a family gathering, the fake Libera would surely be there.
“Kevin just invited everyone to have dinner together.”
“You told Libe directly?”
“Yeah. She was waiting in the hallway.”
Immediately, Roel’s expression brightened.
“That’s great!”
He was as happy as I was.
“Libera, you were worried you wouldn’t get to talk properly with the Duke, right? Looks like things are fine now.”
“…Yeah, they’re fine.”
I had wanted to get along with Kevin from the start, so it was good that he had taken the first step.
“Then there’s no need to go tell her to cancel her plans.”
Since the fake Libera would hear about the dinner anyway, her original plans would naturally be canceled. Having said all that needed to be said, I got up without hesitation.
“I still need to tell Yujin, so I’ll go.”
“Okay! See you at dinner.”
As I was about to leave the room, Roel called out to me.
“Hey, Libe.”
I looked back at him.
“This might annoy you, but…”
“…?”
Roel gave a small, shy smile.
“Seeing you get a little jealous feels kind of nice.”
“….”
I scrunched my face in disbelief, ignored him, and slammed the door behind me. The sudden noise startled the waiting maids in the hallway.
I let out a small, incredulous laugh.
Me? Jealous?
Ridiculous. What did he mean I was jealous? The guy had some nerve and confidence.
I truly didn’t care whether those two were dating or not. If I cut off Roel properly, that would be the end of it. There would be no lingering feelings.
Probably.
‘Probably?’
I immediately recoiled at my own thought. No, there really was nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
“….”
Annoyed, I stomped my foot hard. The loud thud made the maids glance at me again, a little scared by my strange behavior.
…Jealousy, my foot.
Grumbling, I ran my fingers through my hair and walked elsewhere.
After finishing my conversation with Roel, I went to find Yujin.
“Being forced to join the Duke and the noble family at dinner? Please, spare me…”
Yujin immediately pouted upon hearing me. She clearly disliked the idea of the dinner. Understandably so—she generally avoided nobles.
“Just say I suddenly fell ill.”
“Dislike that much?”
“It’s not dislike… it’s just a burden.”
It seemed like the same thing to me, but I didn’t force it, so I nodded. She had always hated nobles. While Roel got along with them effortlessly, Yujin disliked them as much as commoners were looked down on in Allenhart.
I wondered why she stayed in the mansion despite her hatred for nobles. With misunderstandings cleared with the family and Roel being here, Yujin had no reason to remain.
“Then why don’t you just leave?”
“See? You speak so coldly again.”
Yujin looked hurt, and I met her gaze indifferently.
“…I originally planned to leave as soon as Roel came. Now I’m staying because I’m worried about what might happen with that girl.”
So that’s why she stayed, despite all her complaints about the orphanage and the director. It was because of me.
“I’ll go back once you two finish your conversation. Until then, I can’t leave you alone worrying about what might happen.”
Even when grumbling, she looked after me carefully. Yujin’s kindness had become familiar. I smiled faintly.
“I’ll make sure to talk to my brothers properly, so just eat something tasty even if you’re alone.”
“Okay, got it!”
Her expression brightened at the thought of not having to go alone.
When we entered the dining room, everyone had already arrived.
Kevin, Chester, and Roel. But somehow, the fake Libera was nowhere to be seen.
I took a seat, and Kevin asked me,
“Libera, where’s your friend?”
“She’s not feeling well. She asked me to apologize for her.”
“Then there’s nothing we can do.”
Luckily, Kevin didn’t seem upset. He might have even been glad. Given his personality, having a commoner at a noble meal would normally be uncomfortable. It was fortunate that both Yujin and Kevin equally avoided each other.
I glanced around and spoke quietly.
“…And her?”
I didn’t specify, but everyone present would know who I meant.
“Of course she wasn’t invited.”
Kevin said firmly.
“There’s no reason to call her.”
“….”
Looking at it this way, Kevin and I had a lot in common. Like me, he didn’t hesitate to cut ties.
I expected that the fake Libera would have been invited, but Kevin didn’t.
I glanced at Roel.
‘Did she cancel her plans…?’
Roel probably assumed the fake Libera would attend, so he didn’t tell her to cancel. In effect, she had broken the appointment without permission.
When our eyes met, Roel smiled lightly, as if nothing was wrong.
‘So he did tell her.’
He wouldn’t look so calm if she had broken plans without notice. My unease lifted.
“Does this mean the Duke fully trusts you now?”
Roel asked Kevin. He seemed curious about Kevin’s favorable attitude toward me.
“There’s no reason not to trust now. The evidence is too clear.”
Thanks to the files Chester prepared, Kevin seemed to fully understand the situation.
“I was just stubbornly denying something I should have believed in long ago.”
Kevin was usually rational, but this situation was hard to process purely logically. Especially after the shock of discovering that the sister he grew up with for ten years was a fake.
Chester, who had been quiet throughout, cautiously spoke.
“…What does she intend to do?”
“She’ll decide everything herself, of course.”
“To me?”
I widened my eyes.
Kevin’s question surprised me, but it made sense. I was the one most affected.
“Libera, what do you want to do?”
Kevin was asking directly. Everyone’s attention in the dining room turned to me. I avoided their gazes.
“…I need to think. I haven’t even had a proper conversation with her yet.”
“Haven’t you heard about the dark magic?”
“Not even that. I haven’t even talked properly.”
“….”
While Kevin and I spoke, Chester quietly listened, looking somewhat uneasy. Kevin didn’t seem to notice and continued.
“If it doesn’t work, I’ll handle it. Just tell me.”
“That’s fine. If he intervenes, she’ll probably faint again and make it even more troublesome.”
If Kevin tried to intimidate her, it would only make her tremble and collapse.
‘Looking at it this way, Roel’s method might not be so bad.’
Roel approached the fake Libera to gather information. At the time, I thought it was pointless, but now, seeing that proper conversation wasn’t possible, his method seemed the most sensible.
After finishing the topic about the fake Libera, we just had ordinary conversation, mainly about how I had been doing.
Strangely, Roel seemed far more excited than I was, chatting animatedly. I had always brushed over this topic, so my brothers were probably quite curious. They seemed to enjoy listening to Roel.
I smiled faintly at the three of them talking quietly.
‘It’s really amazing.’
With Roel around, the atmosphere was always warm. Even my usually stern brothers smiled while enjoying his conversation.
Perhaps his most useful trait in life was this warmth. I found myself slightly envious.
As the meal progressed smoothly, I suddenly felt a gaze. I turned toward it.
Through a slightly open door, I met a pair of blue eyes.
“…!”
I jumped up from my seat.
“Libera?”
Chester called out, confused, but I dashed out of the dining room without answering.
Outside, I immediately spotted her.
The fake Libera, standing by the door.
“…!”
She widened her eyes upon seeing me. She clearly hadn’t expected me to come out.
The fake Libera looked flustered, bowed her head slightly, and walked away. I chuckled.
“Hey.”
“….”
At my call, she froze.
Without meeting my eyes, she muttered in a timid voice,
“…I’m sorry.”
She left the words and walked away even faster than before.
‘She’s openly running away?’
Her audacity left me stunned.
“Is that her?”
I looked back to see Roel had followed me out of the dining room.
“You noticed too?”
“I’ve known for a while.”
“…Why didn’t you say anything?”
“I didn’t want to ruin the mood.”
Roel shrugged, seemingly unconcerned about the fake Libera watching.
