Episode 25
A long time ago—
Back when Emilia hadn’t even been given a proper name by the marquis, she grew up ignored. The marquis never
acknowledged her, and while the servants called her “young lady,” Henry didn’t even know what to call the strange,
unwanted figure standing in front of him.
“B… Brother.”
There had been a time when Henry lived happily, like any other noble.
But that happiness vanished, and he knew exactly whose fault it was—that child.
The child who had taken it all from him.
The marchioness had been nothing like the rest of House Herman lively, warmhearted, and incapable of malice.
She had been both Henry and Emilia’s mother.
Thanks to her, there were even times when House Herman refrained from its usual cruelty—when the marquis
actually prioritized family.
But the one who had ripped all of that away was standing right there.
“Who are you calling brother?”
The little girl, too young to understand, stood with her shoulders hunched.
Adults might think kids don’t notice such things, but in truth, children are often more sensitive to the atmosphere
around them.
From the way people looked at her, Emilia already understood what she was—someone no one wanted.
The marchioness had died giving birth to her.
Right up until her last breath, she’d said the baby wasn’t to blame and had begged everyone to take care of her. But
no one honored that wish.
They couldn’t.
She had been the one bright light in the family, and this child was the reason they’d lost her.
Maybe it was unfair to hold a newborn responsible—but grief didn’t care about logic.
“Listen, you idiot. I’m not your brother.”
Henry didn’t think she was worth his time.
The family would be his someday, and this girl would inherit nothing. She was basically nonexistent—so he could treat
her however he wanted.
“Still… if you obey me, I might find you a place here.”
“R… really?”
Even though she was completely cowed, her eyes lit up at those words.
That tiny spark of hope annoyed him.
She was trying to claw her way out of despair, and he hated it.
She quickly looked back down again, but from that day on, she worked desperately to please him.
Not like a sister—more like a servant.
If Henry told her to spill tea on a lady he disliked, she did it.
If he told her to insult someone, she did it without hesitation.
Henry liked that. She was a tool—someone to help him reach his goals without dirtying his own hands.
But eventually, Emilia changed. He didn’t know why, but her attitude toward him shifted completely.
She stopped obeying him blindly. Worse, she started doing things that threatened his position.
Did she think she could actually become head of the family?
So he crushed her.
He stole credit for her work, tormented her in every way he could—anything to force her back into obedience.
When that didn’t work, he decided to plant her in House Casper as a spy.
But that plan collapsed too.
The family was destroyed, and Henry ended up running for his life, drowning in debt.
“This is all your fault. My life is ruined because you were born.”
If she hadn’t been born, he could have lived happily with the marquis and marchioness.
It was the unchangeable past, and none of it was actually Emilia’s fault—but Henry dumped all the blame on her
anyway.
“So now you’re going to repay that debt.”
When he learned she’d fled to the Grand Forest, he’d planned to catch her and sell her to a bandit gang.
The money would buy him a fresh start.
But for some reason, Prince Leo had interfered.
Leo had even confronted him directly, warning him never to seek her again.
But Henry had just been waiting for another chance.
Now that Leo was gone, he grabbed a knife and headed into Cardinal Village.
“You’re the kind of girl this can happen to.”
But he’d been so focused on Leo that he’d failed to notice something else—he didn’t know Edwin Casper was in the
village.
Hoo…
Time passed, and before she knew it, evening had fallen.
Emilia was still deep in thought.
She knew thinking alone wouldn’t change anything—but what had happened today wasn’t something she could just
brush off.
“If I went back to House Casper…”
The name slipped from her lips, despite her vow never to return.
It was absurd, but once she’d said it aloud, the thought wouldn’t leave her alone.
“Could I endure it?”
Back then, she’d survived by focusing on one man.
After being reborn, she’d had no one to lean on, and living every day under constant hatred had been painfully lonely.
And then he had appeared—like a shining jewel.
She knew what her heart wanted, but she kept forcing herself to deny it.
It was time to stop letting herself believe things that weren’t true.
Like the fantasy that maybe, just maybe, Edwin’s feelings were for her and not Diana.
“Still… maybe this time would be different.”
Maybe.
Without realizing it, her bad habit returned—she bit her lip hard enough to draw blood.
When Edwin had kissed her earlier, she’d been too shocked to react or think.
She’d never imagined she’d receive anything warm from the man who had always been cold to her.
Thinking about him all day had made her realize she was hungry. She shook herself from her thoughts, determined to
focus on something else.
In the kitchen, she found some bread and eggs—enough for a simple meal.
Then someone pounded on the front door—hard enough to break it down.
“Huh… who could that be at this hour?”
For a second, she wondered if it was Edwin—but quickly dismissed the thought.
Not Edwin.
If it were him, he wouldn’t be pounding like that.
The last time he’d come, he’d knocked politely.
He was too much of a noble to cause that kind of disturbance—she knew that better than anyone.
Then who?
Her chest tightened.
If it were a villager, they’d have called her name first.
Could it be… a thief?
It seemed ridiculous for a thief to come here, but not impossible.
Her house looked like the nicest in the village—it would be the first target.
The other homes had families, but she lived alone. That made her an easy mark.
“Guess I got complacent because it’s been so quiet…”
She looked around the kitchen for a weapon. All she found was a kitchen knife or a frying pan.
If the intruder was determined, they wouldn’t do much good.
“Of all times, Leo had to be away…”
Leo often patrolled the village, keeping an eye out for trouble, and sometimes stopping by her house for snacks.
If he were here, she could just wait it out. But with him gone, she had no one to rely on.
She swallowed hard.
Maybe it was someone harmless… she couldn’t be sure yet. She moved toward the door.
“Who is it?”
She made her voice as steady as she could.
In a village this quiet, there was no way she’d misheard someone pounding like that.
She tightened her grip on the knife.
If it’s a stranger, point it right away.
Leo’s advice rang in her head.
If there was no answer and the door began to open, she’d shove the blade forward the instant there was a gap.
She was holding her breath when a voice finally came through the door.
“It’s me, Emilia.”
“Edwin?”
Her eyes went wide.
Of all the voices she might have expected, it wasn’t his.
