Chapter 14
‘Whew. What a handful.’
I blew on the tea until it was cool enough, then handed the cup to Larisa.
“Here, your throat must be dry. Have some tea.”
Had she not eaten any snacks or treats while she was locked up?
Larisa looked at the tea and cookies with wide-eyed wonder as she ate.
Well, I had never shown the slightest interest in her before, let alone gone down to the basement, so I wouldn’t have known.
The only thing I knew about Larisa was that she cried diamond tears.
Because she inherited fairy blood.
Our mother was a fairy.
Despite being of different species, she and our human father had shared a love so deep they couldn’t live without each other—so I heard.
But our mother died right after giving birth to Larisa, so I had no memory of her.
‘Even if I did have memories, they probably wouldn’t be good ones anyway.’
Because of my ability to hear other people’s pain, dissatisfaction, and suffering, I had grown up resenting my mother.
‘I bet this child feels the same way…’
I sipped my tea and looked at Larisa’s pale profile.
There wasn’t a trace of childlike innocence on her face.
No—more than just a lack of innocence, she had no expression at all, to the point where she didn’t even seem human.
‘Poor thing…’
I had heard that fairies cried tears made of jewels.
It was said that fairies had nearly gone extinct long ago due to human greed.
‘The few survivors left the human realm, if I recall.’
The tears that tormented Larisa were proof that she had inherited the purest fairy blood among us siblings.
Because of that, this little girl was repeating the tragic fate of the fairies.
‘If she hadn’t inherited fairy blood, maybe we could’ve actually gotten along.’
Just then, a knock pulled me out of my thoughts.
The butler entered the parlor.
“The Duke has arrived.”
I jumped to my feet.
At last, the prince who would rescue Larisa had arrived.
Two people entered after the butler.
One was a servant pushing a wheelchair.
Naturally, my eyes went to the person sitting in it.
The one in the wheelchair was an elderly man with snowy white hair.
‘Huh? An old man…?’
I forgot my manners and just blinked with my mouth slightly open.
The dignified old man soon spoke.
“So, you’re the one who requested to see me?”
…No way.
“Y-Your Grace? Are you the Duke?”
“I am.”
Why did everything I do end up like this?
‘What the hell… who wrote this story?’
What kind of fairy tale was this?! Larisa was only thirteen years old!
I screamed internally.
‘This can’t be. I’m definitely inside a fairy tale…’
I saw her tears turn into jewels with my own eyes!
Had I misunderstood something?
The prince rescuing Larisa was a sure thing.
But the kingdom’s prince was married—with a child.
A man like that couldn’t be the fairy tale prince.
The only one with a “Prince” title left was Duke Laurent…
Could this old geezer actually be Larisa’s future husband?
‘No. I can’t allow that!’
It had only been five days since I, not Marcia but me in Marcia’s body, became Larisa’s sister.
Still, no matter how many days passed, I couldn’t allow this marriage as her sister!
They didn’t look eight years apart—they looked eighty years apart.
In what universe is this a fairy tale?!
‘No. I won’t allow it. I refuse!’
I stared straight at the old man in the wheelchair.
Despite being too old to stand on his own, he was still clearly handsome.
In other words, a silver fox.
His face was lined with wrinkles, but his features were striking.
His eyes were deep, his large hands knotted, and his long legs stretched under a lap blanket.
If it had been fifty years ago—or even just thirty—he would’ve been a stunning man.
Well, fine. That’s what a prince should look like. It’s just the age that’s the problem!
‘…But the family registry clearly said he was twenty-one.’
Could it be that he was cursed to look old on the outside?
Like the Frog Prince—maybe a kiss would return him to his younger self…
“C-Cursed…”
I almost blurted the thought out loud, but bit my tongue just in time.
Even I knew there were things you shouldn’t say.
“Hmm?”
The Duke raised an eyebrow.
As a storm of realization thundered in my head, I asked in despair:
“Fabian Laurent, Your Grace…?”
“What did you say? Fabian Laurent?”
“Ah, you’re… not him?”
I stuttered.
After a moment’s thought, the old man said to the servant behind his wheelchair,
“Go fetch Fabian.”
“Yes, sir.”
The servant quickly ran out of the room.
The old man’s aged but sharp gaze bore into me.
Smacking his lips, he said,
“He’s not Duke yet. Not until I’m dead. And your name is?”
“M-Marcia Blick. And this is my sister, Larisa Blick.”
I quickly grabbed the hem of my dress and gave a slight curtsy.
“I’ve brought him.”
The servant returned soon. He must not have been far.
I turned toward the entrance of the room.
There stood a tall young man who resembled the old man.
Slightly tousled black hair with a soft sheen, crimson eyes.
Pale, porcelain-like skin.
He’d bathed and changed clothes—he almost looked like a different person.
A blindingly handsome man with a smug grin on his face, as if he found this hilarious.
“You’re Arno!”
I half-screamed.
He—or rather, the man who had been Arno—calmly replied,
“My full name is Fabian Laurent. But Arno is certainly one of my names. It’s the name I used as a child. I use it for my private affairs, those not connected to the Laurent estate, Miss Marcia.”
He called me Miss Marcia, not Lady Blick.
A clear way of saying, You didn’t give me your real name either, remember?
‘Okay, fair point, but I still feel tricked!’
Fabian Laurent. That was Arno.
Suddenly, it hit me like lightning.
‘So he really was the prince!’
In the end, I had found the right person.
In three years, he would be twenty-four.
A young Duke with the title “Prince,” who was handsome, rich, and had it all.
He fit the image of a fairy tale prince perfectly.
He just hadn’t inherited the title yet.
Because the previous Duke—no, the current Duke—was still alive.
Then I realized what mistake I’d made.
When looking through the noble registry, I checked the heir of the dukedom but hadn’t looked at the generations above him in detail.
I saw Fabian’s parents were deceased, and never thought to check if his grandfather was still alive.
‘I mean, who would think the grandfather would be alive when both parents are dead?’
But I should’ve checked thoroughly.
Because in real life, things like that do happen.
‘Ugh, idiot.’
I barely stopped myself from ripping my hair out.
Arno—no, Fabian—smiled and strode confidently across the room to the wheelchair.
“You called, Grandfather?”
“Yes, Fabian. Your guest, I presume? Don’t toy with her too much.”
The Duke waved his hand dismissively.
The servant quickly came over to push the wheelchair.
“I’m tired, so I’ll excuse myself. Lady Blick, enjoy your stay.”
“Ah, yes. Thank you.”
I bowed deeply to the Duke.
I could feel Fabian’s amused gaze on me.
As soon as the Duke’s wheelchair disappeared from sight, I whirled around and glared at him.
“You didn’t tell me your name on purpose, did you?!”
“I did.”
He smiled and admitted it easily.
I could guess why. He must’ve taken an interest after overhearing us in the restaurant talking about going to the Duke’s estate.
That must’ve been why he stared at us mid-meal.
Two unknown girls claiming to be heading to his house—of course that was suspicious.
‘And then the dad who claimed his daughters had run away from home showed up.’
Fine, I get it. If I were him, I wouldn’t have revealed my identity either.
But why was I still so angry?
I felt a surge of frustration but swallowed it down.
‘Don’t forget. This is a fairy tale.’
The prince and the beautiful girl fall in love at first sight and live happily ever after.
That’s the ending of the fairy tale. I just sped things up a little.
Now it was time to hand Larisa over to the prince.
‘Then I’ll go live my own life.’
I turned to glance at Larisa, still frozen stiff, and then looked back at Fabian.
Very carefully.
‘Hmm…’
…No matter how I looked at it, that face didn’t look like someone in love.
