Chapter 27
‘It’s okay. She’s not holding anything, just changing clothes.’
I activated the scanning function on my stick, worried that something might fly at me if the door opened. Luckily, my sister wasn’t holding anything.
She had taken off the flashy dress and corset she’d been wearing. Perhaps because she was expecting a guest from outside—or maybe simply because she was my sister—the maid who touched the Stomarker did so very cautiously.
I took a deep breath, right into my lungs, and knocked on the door, knock knock.
“Y-yes~ Come in.”
A sweet yet sultry voice responded. Holding back a rising nausea, I called out to my sister in a voice filled with unease.
“Sis…”
“Ah, it’s you?”
A clear note of disappointment laced her tone. Don’t get intimidated. I inhaled deeply and asked my sister:
“Why… why are you here?”
Lena let out a slight, teasing laugh.
“I rushed here because I was worried about you. What else?”
“Don’t lie.”
Thunk. As my sister kicked off her heels, I heard them hit the floor. Goosebumps rose as I hugged myself with the other arm, trembling.
Then Lena, in a cold and haughty voice, commanded the maid attending her clothes:
“Step outside. I want to be alone with my sister.”
“Ah… y-yes!”
Sensing the tense atmosphere, the maid hurried out, and the sound of the door opening and closing echoed. Then, silence.
I cursed my sister silently, imagining her expression.
‘Creepy.’
Good thing I’m holding the stick tightly. Otherwise, my body would tremble so badly I’d probably drop it. How does my sister see me like this? Does she think I’m pathetic, laughable?
‘No matter what anyone says, he’s my fiancé. So don’t shake.’
Why does that man’s words come to mind now?
Strangely, thinking about it stopped my body from trembling.
Before I could even ponder why, I heard the sound of barefoot steps approaching. In a panic, I stepped backward and collided with the wall behind me.
“You still look at me like a worthless bug, huh. Classic.”
My sister smiled, pressing her index finger firmly into my solar plexus.
“They say in a den without lions, the fox is king. Seems to fit you perfectly, Piana.”
“Ah!”
A sharp pain like my scalp was being torn off shot through me, and I couldn’t help but scream.
Lena had forcibly pulled off the ornament in my hair. Then, in a bored tone, she spoke:
“They said the duke of the north brings bloodstorms. I thought he’d be beastly in looks, bulky like a bear… but wow.”
Clap. Her hands met in a sharp sound. Her voice was dreamy, almost intoxicated with admiration.
“Such a surprisingly handsome gentleman. It even gave me some motivation.”
“If that’s the case, go back.”
Clatter. I heard the sound of her earrings being removed. She set them on the bedside table and spoke:
“Your tone is still lowborn, Piana. Are you scared?”
“…What?”
In a proud tone, she said:
“Are you afraid I’ll steal the duke from you?”
My lips froze, my mind stopped. A whirlwind of emotions surged—not just shock at her words, but something deeper.
Afraid she’d take Russell? Yes… maybe I am. From my past life to this one, I’ve had nothing.
This life, I’ve developed the desire to hold on to something of my own. Maybe that’s why I feel such intense hatred from her.
“What is it about you… that makes you so greedy all the time?”
“…What did you just say?”
Her voice turned cold. When she was with Russell or Prater, it had been sweet, teasing, seductive—but now, without anyone to charm, she returned to her true voice.
A violent disgust churned in my stomach. Unlike me, she had been born with everything.
She had our parents’ undivided love, healthy eyes, and a strong body.
They didn’t care how she treated the servants, or how indulgent or extravagant she was.
Meanwhile, I was treated as invisible, a disgrace to the family. In my past life and this one, I hadn’t received what I should have.
And now she wants to take away what I’ve barely gained. It felt unfair. Not from a possessive desire, but simply from the injustice of potentially losing what’s mine.
What is she lacking that she’s so greedy?
‘If it were me… I would never do that.’
My hand gripping the stick tensed. Lena glanced at it and sneered, raising one side of her mouth.
“Hah. Can’t even see straight and now mute too?”
I felt her hand brush across my forehead. She continued her verbal assault without pause.
“Everything you have, I should have received.”
As if answering my earlier question, she snapped:
“This dress, these earrings, this hair ornament! All should have been mine!”
“What nonsense are you talking about?!”
I pushed her hard. I felt her move backward, and I took a breath, furious.
I didn’t feel it worth my energy to continue arguing. If we fought further, I’d be the one emotionally exhausted.
“Go ahead, do as you please.”
I said that and turned, slamming the door shut. I walked quickly, desperate to put distance between us.
If only I could get past the rising nausea.
If only I could control this boiling revulsion inside me.
No one in the hallway, just the hollow echo of my stick hitting the floor. Clutching my dress, I pressed my face against the cold wall.
The chill from outside cooled my cheeks and forehead.
‘Afraid I’ll steal the duke from you?’
It’s not that. I wasn’t anxious about losing him—I felt that if he moved, something ominous might happen.
I bit my lower lip.
Russell looks kind and respectful outwardly, but who knows what’s in his heart.
‘He even has a somewhat eerie side.’
He had reacted overly sensitive when I had recklessly touched a gravestone.
That sensitivity might be closer to his true self.
Perhaps the side he showed at Glacies Castle until now was false.
But what about revealing the color? Or showing his face? Was that his true self?
‘I don’t know.’
The more I tried to understand Russell, the deeper I felt I was sinking into uncertainty.
“Hmph hmph hmph…”
Lena hummed a tune while brushing her abundant blonde hair.
She didn’t seem to care at all that her only sister had just stormed out crying.
Suddenly, a sharp pain in her index finger made her wince.
“Ouch… that hurts.”
She put the drop of blood on her finger to her mouth and sucked it with a smack.
Perhaps a wound from our earlier fight.
She twisted her lips into a smile.
A future duchess must endure this kind of pain. That is, if Piana chooses to forfeit becoming a duchess herself.
Or… maybe not. If she shows her pain openly, the duke might take notice. Men are weak to women’s injuries.
She sprayed a sensual perfume and applied a blood-red lipstick.
“All done. Shall we go?”
She drew a circle with her lips, smiling quietly.
As the cold day passed, darkness descended on Glacies Castle.
