HTNSA 123

Chapter 123

As rage surged within him, Cedric’s heart pounded like mad.

He wanted to fling the door open and scream at Rosia right that moment.

Demand to know what scheme she’d used to crawl her way into this house. He wanted to kick her out immediately.

But he barely held himself back, recalling what Eila had said earlier.

“Please keep everything we talked about today a secret for now.”
“A secret? Why?”
“Rosia is powerful enough to manipulate magical tools used for paternity tests. If she finds out her identity has been exposed, she won’t sit quietly.”
“Are you saying we might be in danger?”
“Yes. So please, hold back until we find definitive proof.”

Even after saying that, Eila had seemed uneasy, repeatedly asking him and their mother to be careful.

Until everything was revealed, she asked them to avoid provoking Rosia and stay quiet.

Honestly, Cedric hadn’t fully understood why they had to go to such lengths.

Sure, Rosia was skilled, but how could she survive once the entire duke’s household turned against her?

Still, Eila must’ve expected him to question it—she had begged him sincerely, saying if he truly felt remorse, he’d listen.

After hearing that… how could he act recklessly?

Cedric pushed down his emotions and slowly walked toward Gerard.

“What are you doing here, Brother?”

“Ah… Cedric.”

Gerard glanced over his shoulder, then looked back at the door.

“I was worried about Rosia. I heard she didn’t come to the academy today. Maybe she’s not feeling well?”

“…She’s sick?”

“Yeah. Maybe she’s still tired from the Subjugation Festival. Apparently, she’s barely eating. One of the maids told me. So I came to check on her… but she won’t open the door.”

Gerard sighed deeply and ran a hand over his face.

Looking pale and worn, he turned to Cedric.

“Cedric… don’t you think it’s time we forgive Rosia?”

“Forgive?”

“Yeah. Sure, she was careless for accusing Eila that day… but anyone can make mistakes.”

“…”

“When I think about it, I can sort of understand how she felt. Even if she pretended otherwise, she must’ve resented Eila. We’re still not over her either, are we?”

Watching Gerard, who was cluelessly worried about Rosia, Cedric felt another surge of temptation—to finally tell the truth.

That their real sister wasn’t the one locked inside this room, but the one who had been thrown out.

That the person Gerard should be worried about wasn’t Rosia.

But he bit his tongue, remembering Eila’s warning.

Gerard, noticing Cedric’s grim expression, realized his brother’s anger still hadn’t gone away.

Lowering his voice to a more coaxing tone, Gerard added:

“And you know, after the Subjugation Festival, there’s been a lot of talk about Eila’s performance.”

“Hah.”

Cedric let out a dry, almost laugh-like scoff.

Seeing Gerard’s troubled face only made it harder to suppress the bitter amusement.

“People love to make a fuss over nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

“I know, but still… Rosia might feel hurt hearing that stuff.”

Watching his brother continue to believe Rosia was their real sister, Cedric could only sigh inwardly.

‘Is this why Eila wanted to keep things secret?’

Their father and Gerard both believed—without a shadow of a doubt—that Rosia was their real daughter.

In such a situation, it wouldn’t matter how much Cedric insisted Eila was the true family member.

Unless the magical paternity tool itself backed up his claim.

“As long as Rosia continues living as the Blanche family’s daughter, this kind of thing is inevitable. Eila dealt with it constantly. Don’t you remember?”

At the mention of the past, Gerard’s face darkened.

“…Yeah, Eila went through a lot back then.”

Ignoring his brother’s pensive look, Cedric turned back toward the door.

If Gerard was right, Rosia might be inside listening to everything they were saying.

Just imagining her eavesdropping while pretending not to care made Cedric nauseous.

But he took a deep breath and calmed himself.

‘If we’re going to fool Rosia…’

It might be better to fully commit—to play along and uncover her weaknesses.

Even though Eila asked him to stay quiet, how could he possibly let that fragile girl bear everything on her own?

Cedric realized he needed to be more rational, not emotional, if he wanted to help.

He exhaled deeply, then lightly squeezed Gerard’s shoulder and let go.

Raising his voice just enough for those nearby to hear, he said:

“Well, I get what you’re saying. You think I don’t care about Rosia? Like it or not, she’s still my sister.”

“Cedric…”

“I can’t say I’m ready to make peace with her right away, but… I’ll try. She does look like she’s struggling.”

Cedric forced a smile.

The words felt disgusting as they left his mouth, but he figured the lie was convincing enough.

Seeing his usually stubborn younger brother seem to yield, Gerard let out a sigh of relief.

“Thanks, Cedric.”

Cedric gave a small nod, then turned away as if nothing had happened.

He wasn’t sure if Rosia had overheard their conversation or not.

But starting tomorrow, he planned to act like he’d completely forgiven her—just as he’d said to Gerard.

It was the only thing he could do for now: stay close and keep an eye on her.

Of course, no matter how hard he tried, Eila would probably never forgive him.

Maybe she never would. The pain he caused her had run that deep.

‘But this is the only way I can atone.’

And it was what he truly wished for, from the bottom of his heart—

For the day to come when everything was revealed, and Rosia was finally kicked out of the Blanche family to face justice.

* * *

She had no idea how she even made it back to the dorm.

Eila pressed her cold hands to her burning cheeks, trying to calm her racing heart.

‘How could he ask what we are, just like that?’

When Felix casually changed the topic right after the kiss, she thought it had all been brushed aside as a fleeting moment.

But then, just when her guard was down, he had stubbornly brought it up again.

To be honest, her mind had gone completely blank. She couldn’t form a single sentence.

‘So I just stuttered like an idiot… and ran away…’

The more she thought about it, the more embarrassed she became. But then, a wave of frustration suddenly hit her.

‘Come on… After everything that happened, did he really need to ask how I feel?’

Accepting his kiss should’ve been enough of a sign—wasn’t that already an answer in itself?

And judging by Felix’s confident expression, he seemed to have a pretty good idea of what was in her heart.

Even so, he kept pestering her, asking again and again what their relationship was.

‘So unfair…’

But on the other hand, she kind of understood where Felix was coming from.

If he had been the one acting vague and avoiding answers like she had, she’d have felt just as frustrated.

Felix always approached her first. Never ashamed, he was always open about his feelings.

And all she ever did was run away from him.

Remembering that, Eila slowly slumped to the floor and finally accepted the truth.

‘…Yeah. At this point, I should probably just be honest with him.’

She knew that in her head. But whenever she stood in front of Felix, all her confidence melted away.

She kept wondering—what if he’d already grown tired of her constant hesitation?

Could someone like her, who had nothing, really hope to stand by his side?

The doubts never stopped.

‘And what if Felix gets hurt because of me?’

She knew it was cowardly to keep running away.

But having witnessed the original story’s tragic ending, she couldn’t bring herself to be brave.