Chapter 99
It was a violent action. For a moment, my body let out an “ugh” sound as I was pulled toward Rohen.
“There’s no way that’ll happen. Aisha will only be close with me— with us.”
“Aisha isn’t your possession, Rohen.”
“…….”
“Shouldn’t Aisha’s opinion matter too?”
“Even if Aisha wants to be close with you, I won’t allow it. So get lost.”
At the unexpected words, Jepli let out a hollow laugh.
“Still, telling your older brother to get lost seems a bit harsh.”
“If anyone tries to take what’s mine, I’ll kill them. So get lost.”
Whether it was instinctive rejection toward Jepli, or simply because he disliked that I had talked with Jepli, Rohen’s voice was firmer than ever. It was chillingly cold—and chillingly sincere.
That determination to never let me get close to anyone else. He looked like a beast refusing to let anyone steal what belonged to him. Dangerously so. Like an untamable wild creature. Faced with that unsettlingly extreme 모습, Jepli took a step back.
“Whenever you’re like this… you really do carry the Grand Duke’s blood exactly as it is.”
“…….”
“Fine. I’ll go. But you’d better be careful, Rohen. You can’t protect anyone with emotions alone. To protect someone, you need to be strong. Right? Even this time… you couldn’t do anything when Her Grace the Grand Duchess was causing such chaos.”
“Stop it.”
In the end, I stepped between the two.
What’s wrong with him? In the original novel, he was actually excessively kind to Rohen and Lari, to the point it became a problem—but now it was the opposite.
A novel isn’t a scriptbook. Not everything was shown. How he gained the twins’ favor, how he won the children’s hearts—none of that had been explained.
But no matter how much I thought about it, this wasn’t the way.
At this rate, Rohen wouldn’t listen to Jepli at all—he looked like he might actually kill him.
“I’ll stop since Aisha asked me to, but come to your senses, Rohen. Right now, you’re nothing more than a tantrum-throwing child.”
“You—!!”
Unable to hold back any longer, Rohen lunged forward as if he might kill Jepli on the spot. But Jepli merely smirked and stepped back.
“A brat who can’t do anything without His Highness the Grand Duke’s protection.”
That was all. Like scraping burnt rice from a pot, Jepli thoroughly scraped at the boy’s insides before leaving the place.
“Rohen…”
I hurriedly hugged Rohen.
“…….”
“Are you okay?”
“I don’t like that bastard.”
“Yeah. I don’t like him either.”
“Don’t ever stay with him again. It makes me feel bad.”
Still fuming, Rohen turned his head and looked at me.
“That won’t happen. I didn’t like how he suddenly appeared and acted close either.”
“…….”
“So don’t worry. I won’t get involved with that person at all.”
Only then did Rohen stop fuming. Even so, he didn’t look any better. His uncomfortable expression and mood still lingered.
“Let’s go inside.”
“Where did you go?”
“Huh?”
“I went to the library with Lari… but you weren’t there.”
“Ah, I went to the temple for a bit.”
“…If you keep going places without saying anything… I’ll break your legs.”
For something said out of hurt feelings, it sounded frighteningly serious.
“You shouldn’t say things like that, even as a joke, Rohen.”
“Why?”
“Well… that’s… because…”
Because it sounds too sincere. Like you might actually break my legs just to keep me by your side.
I smiled awkwardly at Rohen.
“Anyway, don’t say that. Okay?”
“…Do you think I wouldn’t do it just because you said so? So tell me whenever you go somewhere. And whenever possible, go with us. It hasn’t even been that long since that incident.”
“You were worried?”
“That’s just how I said it.”
As if embarrassed, Rohen cleared his throat and suddenly grabbed my hand.
“Let’s go. Lari will be worried.”
“Mm…”
“Really, don’t go anywhere alone anymore. Okay?”
“I won’t. Never.”
Satisfied with that much, Rohen swung our joined hands as we headed toward Lari. Fortunately, it seemed Lari and Rohen had only recently realized I’d gone out, so Lari didn’t get angry like Rohen did.
Surprisingly, though I thought Rohen would tell Lari everything, he said nothing. He simply kept his gaze fixed on me the entire time.
“I plan to properly begin the children’s education.”
The Grand Duke, who had deliberately kept the children separated whenever I helped with his work, spoke as if he had been waiting for this moment.
“Education?”
“Yes. Until now, I left everything to you, but it can’t continue forever. I intend to educate them according to what suits each child. Would that be alright?”
“If Your Highness the Grand Duke wishes it, then that’s how it should be. I’m fine with it.”
“I thought you might feel disappointed. When the children were first brought here, I said I would entrust everything to you.”
“Things are very different now compared to then.”
Rohen, who couldn’t adapt at first, had now grown accustomed to everything in the Grand Duke’s household. The children who couldn’t even read had gradually learned letters thanks to the lessons I gave them whenever I had spare time. Now they could read the books I brought them quite well.
Honestly, I knew better than anyone that there wasn’t much I could do. The reason I had insisted at first that I would stay by the children’s side and manage everything about them was because the Grand Duchess had been there. But now that she was gone, I thought perhaps it would be alright.
Just then, a knock sounded and the door opened.
“Your Highness the Grand Duke. A guest has arrived.”
“I don’t recall having any appointments. And even if there were, I said not to let anyone in unless it was urgent.”
The aide who entered looked quite troubled. He was the man who always trailed behind the Grand Duke. His presence was faint to begin with, and perhaps because the Grand Duke worked him relentlessly, dark circles hung nearly to his chin.
He was also the one who received the harshest words from the Grand Duke, which made me feel sorry for him. As a former Korean office worker… I knew very well how hard it was to have a difficult boss.
Perhaps because of that, the aide let out a deep sigh.
“It is Marquis Selsetrox.”
“…That man.”
I didn’t live in the capital, nor had I received noble education, so I didn’t know much about nobles—who belonged to which family and such. But I had heard that name. Or rather, that family name.
Judging by the Grand Duke’s reaction, it must be the person I was thinking of.
“Should I leave?”
“No. He’s not someone worth seeing. Send him back. Tell him I’m busy today.”
But before the message could even be delivered, a man stepped into the room.
The Grand Duke himself was quite large, but this man was just as big—broad-shouldered and imposing. And he resembled someone.
He was the Grand Duchess’s father. Marquis Selsetrox. That was why I knew the name.
“Haha. You don’t seem that busy. Why not spare me a little time, Grand Duke?”
“I don’t believe there’s anything we need to discuss between us, Marquis Selsetrox.”
“Nothing? I believe I have quite a lot to say.”
“If you have something to say, please arrange a formal appointment.”
“You refused every request I made to meet, and now you say that? How amusing.”
The Marquis shamelessly walked in and seated himself on the sofa.
“Please leave. Forcibly dragging you out would look bad to others.”
“Why would you need to drag me out? I’m not asking for anything grand. I only wished to talk. Why so sensitive?”
He instead treated the Grand Duke as if he were the unreasonable one.
I wanted to say that simply not wanting to meet someone should be reason enough. Why did people in this country cling to someone who clearly didn’t want to see them? But somehow, this felt like a place where I absolutely shouldn’t intervene.
So I quietly watched the two. Of course, the Marquis had noticed my presence from the start and looked very uncomfortable, but leaving now would also look strange.
“I’m telling you I don’t want to have that conversation. What are you here to say? That the Grand Duchess did nothing wrong and the investigation should be reopened? Or that you intend to make an issue out of this and question why I would cast her out over such a small matter? Are you trying again to force everything into being my fault and paint me as incompetent? As a flawed man?”
As if recalling everything he had endured, the Grand Duke vented his resentment.
Perhaps surprised by the intensity of his reaction, the Marquis cleared his throat awkwardly. It seemed that wasn’t what he had originally planned to say, as he forced a stiff smile.
“That’s not it… well… yes. This time, I won’t claim my daughter did nothing wrong.”
“This time? Last time as well, the one at fault was that woman, yet you spoke as if she weren’t.”
“Hmm… about that…”
“Why? Are you still going to insist that Ron is a child of the Grand Duke’s house until the very end? I have no reason to listen to such nonsense anymore, Marquis. So please leave.”
Apparently not expecting such immediate rejection, the Marquis laughed awkwardly.
“So it was true that you knew everything… Just how did you find out?”
“Is that what matters right now?”
