CHAPTER 17
As the eclipse approached, the violent energy in the air became more palpable.
Clea instinctively took a step back.
She wanted to shout, “Stay back!” as she felt the intense murderous aura aimed at her—but she swallowed the urge.
[A sense of intimidation has been triggered. You cannot withstand the opponent’s murderous intent. Organ function has been limited to 70%.]
As expected, the system notification appeared.
At the same time, breathing became difficult.
Lack of oxygen made her heartbeat quicken.
As she tried to take another step back, Isaac stepped in front of her.
“Congratulations on your title, Sir Eclipse.”
“…Yes, thank you. …Duke Detroit?”
“Yes. We’re practically family, so feel free to call me casually.”
“…Yes, sir…”
Eclipse answered with clear reluctance.
He prided himself on knowing his older sister better than anyone—his only remaining family.
He had been shocked when he heard, from afar, that she had gotten married. But still, he had his doubts.
What kind of threat or trick had she used to pull this off this time? He couldn’t help but wonder.
It was almost comical.
That woman, whose pride towered higher than any spire, walking in while wrapped in someone else’s arms like some public spectacle?
Eclipse honestly thought it must be a dream.
But he could confidently say—it was not a dream.
“I heard the rumors, but… did you really get married, sister?”
“…Yes.”
Clea barely managed to answer, her voice tight, in response to his biting tone.
Thanks to Isaac, the murderous pressure in the air had faded.
As her organs resumed their normal functions, she let out an internal sigh of relief.
“So what are you aiming for this time?”
“…Nothing?”
“Are you after the Grand Duke’s fortune?”
Even though he asked in a hushed voice, as if trying not to draw attention, Clea briefly wondered if she should be proud that he still had the sense to keep things discreet.
After a pause, Eclipse pointed beyond the terrace.
“How about a conversation between siblings, for old time’s sake?”
“Let’s do that.”
Clea nodded obediently.
“Uh… uh…”
Eclipse responded, flustered.
His head tilted slightly, as if confused by how innocent and docile she seemed.
Was this really Clea Leno he was speaking to?
In Eclipse’s memories, Clea Leno was always sharp-eyed and sharp-tongued—a woman who stabbed with her words.
A person so prideful she’d rather die than ever say sorry.
“I’ll have a quick talk with him on the terrace, Isaac.”
“…I’ll escort you.”
“It’s just ten steps away. I can manage ten steps.”
With a determined look, Clea hopped lightly in place as if to prove her vitality.
Isaac eyed the distance between Clea and the terrace before reluctantly nodding with a worried expression.
“If anything happens, call me immediately.”
“Yes.”
Only after receiving Isaac’s permission did Clea finally start moving.
It was pitiful.
They were her own legs, and yet she couldn’t move them freely. It was frustrating, but she had a history of wrongdoing, so she endured it.
‘What should I even say?’
After all, they were family. There was a high chance Eclipse would notice she wasn’t the real Clea Leno.
Then again, since Eclipse had left home in his mid-teens, she couldn’t be sure.
With a serious expression, Clea opened the terrace door.
Luckily, she still had the strength to push it open.
The fact that she had to pay attention to even something like this made her feel just a bit miserable.
‘Ugh…’
Honestly, she wanted to cry a little.
“What are you thinking?”
Eclipse snapped the moment he closed the terrace door behind him.
It was expected, so Clea simply looked at him silently.
She had no idea how to begin.
How was she supposed to explain this?
“I died, made a deal with the Demon King, and ended up in your sister’s body”?
“I’m trying to live happily for six months”?
“This body will die soon, so just bear with me for half a year”?
She had thought of a few excuses, but none seemed particularly convincing.
After a short pause, Clea made a decision.
She’d pretend not to know anything and come clean if she got caught.
After all, Eclipse had despised Clea Leno deeply. Even if he learned she was going to die soon, it probably wouldn’t shock him much.
It might be a cold thought—but she figured he might even be glad.
‘…How pitiful Clea Leno has become.’
Clea and Eclipse’s parents had been assassinated.
That event was what led Eclipse to leave home.
Clea had taken over as acting count at quite a young age.
In Eclipse’s memory, he had cried bitterly at the funeral, but Clea had not.
She had simply watched him cry, silently.
Since she had only inherited fragments of Clea’s memory, she didn’t know what the real Clea was thinking at the time.
“What do you mean by that?”
“Who are you trying to devour this time by marrying someone? The Grand Duke? Are you after his fortune? Or do you want to act as regent or something?”
His cutting tone left Clea speechless.
What was certain was that Eclipse hated Clea Leno far more than she’d expected.
“I’m not thinking anything.”
“Ha! You expect me to believe that? A cat running a fish market would be more believable.”
Clea leaned helplessly against the railing.
There’s nothing more exhausting than talking to someone who refuses to listen.
She simply stared at Eclipse.
If he had something to say, she was willing to listen.
“What! What are you staring at?!”
“Do you have more to say? If not, I’ll start talking.”
“…What the hell? Who are you? Did you mellow with age? No, your reputation in society was terrible just until recently—what change are you even talking about…”
She had no idea how he managed to keep up with such gossip while wandering around.
Not that she said anything—her goal was to muddle through this situation.
“I married Isaac because I liked him. I was the one who proposed.”
“Who’d marry someone like you? You’re selfish, think only of yourself, and your actions got our parents killed! Mom and Dad died cold and clueless because of you!”
Clea said nothing as his blame poured out.
She understood the grief of losing parents at a young age better than anyone.
Death never announces itself.
It crashes into your ordinary life, uninvited.
And so, people grieve, and they blame.
“Yeah. That wasn’t what I wanted either.”
“…You’re not even human. You’re a demon in disguise. You say you love the Grand Duke? Lies! Someone like you can’t love anyone sincerely!”
Clea just listened in silence.
Losing someone precious—it does that to a person.
You start needing someone to blame.
And the clearer the target of that blame, the stronger the resentment.
Sudden death leaves those behind with emptiness and shock.
It might feel like a normal morning to you, but someone slices out a huge piece of your daily life—and it’s gone.
At first, the reality doesn’t register.
The hole left behind doesn’t hit during the funeral.
Nor when saying goodbye.
It hits when you try to live normally again, and the absence is gaping like a sinkhole.
When you realize you can’t walk the same path anymore.
When you’re forced to find a new way forward.
That’s when true grief arrives, quietly, in the middle of daily life.
“…It’s true. I love Isaac.”
Only when Eclipse finally quieted down did Clea softly speak.
From what she could tell, the real Clea Leno probably didn’t hate Eclipse as much as he believed.
In fact, she might have missed him.
Sitting alone in the office, Clea must have gradually realized—
That there was no one left in that huge house.
That there was no one she could turn to for answers anymore.
In that big, empty mansion, there was no one she could truly lean on.
Like a sheet of paper slowly soaking up water.
Like your clothes quietly getting drenched in a drizzle before you even notice.
And eventually, like getting soaked to the bone with no way to ignore it—Clea must have felt it too.
“I’ve liked him for a long time. And now I’ve finally confessed and decided to be with him.”
Clea said with a heavy voice.
