HTNSA 121

Chapter 121

She had promised Felix many times that, someday, she would tell him everything.

‘Maybe now is that moment.’

Eila slowly opened her mouth.

“Felix, what I’m about to tell you… can you keep it a secret?”

Felix nodded without hesitation.

“Of course.”

Even after hearing his answer, Eila found it hard to continue.

Telling someone the entire truth meant that she trusted them deeply.

And she knew all too well how deeply it hurt when that trust was betrayed.

‘What if Felix hears this and thinks it’s ridiculous?’

Eila knew better than anyone how absurd what she was about to say would sound.

If someone had come to her with such a story, she wouldn’t have believed it easily either.

But Felix had always approached her with courage, over and over again.

Now it was her turn to respond to that courage.

“You probably won’t believe this, but… I’m actually the true daughter of the Blanche family. Rosia tampered with the magical device for the blood test and stole my place.”

Felix didn’t flinch as he quietly listened.

His calm acceptance gave Eila the courage to continue.

“But as you know, I couldn’t tell anyone about this. Who would believe me if I said the device was tampered with? It sounds insane. But…”

“…”

“Today, Cedric and my mother came to see me… and they apologized. I hadn’t said anything, but… it seemed like they realized I was really their family.”

Eila stopped there and looked at Felix.

“That’s why I cried. I never imagined they would recognize me as family before I even had the chance to prove the truth.”

“So that’s what happened.”

Felix murmured quietly, then reached out and gently took her hand in his.

Feeling his warmth, Eila realized she had been trembling all this time.

“So… were you able to talk with them properly?”

At Felix’s question, Eila hesitated for a moment before nodding.

“There wasn’t much to resolve with my mother. She was always worried about me, even when I wasn’t the Blanche family’s daughter. But Cedric… I guess he felt guilty about everything he’d done, because he got down on his knees in front of me.”

Eila let out a self-mocking laugh.

The more she thought about it, the more unbelievable the day’s events felt.

Not only had she met the mother she had tried so hard to stay away from, but proud Cedric had even knelt down in front of her to apologize.

Before that, as mother and daughter clung to each other in tears, Cedric had called out to her in a weak voice.

“Eila.”

At the sound of his voice, Eila turned her head slowly.

She saw Cedric kneel beside them, bowing his head deeply, his lips moving soundlessly before he finally spoke.

“I’m sorry. For not recognizing you, for saying such harsh things, for just standing by and watching as you were cast out and suffered…”

Cedric’s face twisted in pain as he swallowed hard, his dry, trembling voice continuing.

“Looking back now, I don’t even know why I acted that way. I must have been out of my mind.”

Cedric was the type who would never bow his head unless he truly believed he was in the wrong.

For someone like him to kneel and admit his mistakes…

When Eila remained silent, Cedric’s shoulders shrank even more.

“I’m sorry. I’m truly sorry, Eila.”

But in the end, Eila couldn’t respond to his apology.

Countless “what ifs” swirled in her mind.

‘If I hadn’t regained my memories of the original story… what would have happened?’

If she had remained unaware, Rosia would have trampled over her, and Cedric would never have reflected on his actions.

Only after her death would they have realized the truth and wept.

Of course, she knew they had been brainwashed by Rosia’s magic.

But if they had believed in her from the start, like her mother had, they wouldn’t have been swayed by that magic in the first place.

She knew what kind of ending the original story had.

That was why she couldn’t easily forgive Cedric.

“…”

In any case, she didn’t want to think about Cedric anymore right now.

What worried her more was how Felix would react after hearing everything.

‘He might think it’s a ridiculous story.’

Eila recalled the day she had mustered up the courage to speak to her older brothers before leaving the family.

What had their reactions been back then?

“Is that really what you wanted to say? Just a while ago, you told Rosia to stand tall, and now you’re saying we should retake the blood test? Why are you suddenly like this?”

“You’re saying I’ve changed?”

“Yeah, you don’t know how much Rosia worries about you, do you? And now you come to us saying the results were wrong, trying to slander her…”

“Look, no matter what you say, it doesn’t change the fact that Rosia is a member of the Blanche family. You need to accept that, Eila. Stop holding onto false hope.”

“…”

“I don’t think you lied to us on purpose. So let’s end it here. Just live your life from now on.”

Eila clenched her fists as a tight pain gripped her chest.

At that moment, she heard a soft sigh beside her.

“Ah… so that’s what it meant.”

Eila turned her head, looking at Felix with puzzled eyes.

His brows were furrowed in deep thought, his expression conflicted.

Then, as if realizing her gaze, Felix’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Ah, sorry. Listening to your story just now… something came to mind.”

He sighed, looking troubled, and bit his lip.

“Actually, even before hearing this, I had my suspicions about Rosia Blanche. There were too many strange things happening.”

“Ah…”

“But to think she was a fake princess… now it all makes sense.”

Felix muttered to himself, then turned his body toward Eila, looking at her with serious eyes.

He placed his other hand over the one already holding hers, completely enveloping it, making her face flush from the warmth.

Felix met her eyes without a hint of a smile, and spoke firmly.

“You’ve done well to endure.”

“…”

“It must have been so hard, carrying it all alone… Thank you for enduring, and for being honest with me.”

His sincere gaze and voice made Eila’s heart pound.

“…You believe me?”

“Of course. I already suspected you were carrying something heavy when you stayed silent.”

“But… even my own family didn’t believe me…”

“But in the end, they recognized you, didn’t they?”

Felix grinned as he continued.

“And honestly, anyone who saw how you handled things in the Ritsia Forest would be crazy not to believe you.”

At those words, tears welled up in Eila’s eyes again.

She bit her lip, trying to hold back the emotions, but it wasn’t easy.

Seeing her struggle, Felix gently reached out and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.

“Are you okay?”

“…”

Eila blinked instead of answering, and in that moment, she realized how close Felix’s face was.

His light green eyes made her breath catch and her heart race.

‘…Is Felix feeling the same way right now?’

Eila’s cheeks turned red, but this time, she didn’t want to run away like before.

As she slowly closed her eyes, Felix’s breath brushed gently against her cheek, as if on cue.

And then, their lips softly met.

Despite her heart pounding as if it would burst, his kiss was so gentle, as if trying to comfort her trembling heart.