Chapter 6
Just like how that beautiful face had killed me, just like how that bright, innocent smile had driven my brother into despair…
‘I must give you and them a taste of hell. That way, my resentment will be less unbearable.’
As Cecenia fiddled with the necklace around her neck, she forced herself to calm down and quickened her pace.
“Let’s hurry to Father. He doesn’t like it when we’re late.”
“Even if we’re late, I can just act cute for Father. Men love that.”
Elzer was always like this. No matter what she did wrong, she believed that a little charm would make all men fall for her. According to her, there was no man who wouldn’t be swayed by it.
‘Even the Emperor must have fallen for her in the same way.’
“Really?”
“Cecenia, your problem is that you have no charm. Why do you make life so difficult for yourself? If you act like this, everyone will just do as you wish.”
“Sister.”
“Hmm?”
“I hate the way you handle everything so carelessly. I hate how you smooth over everything with tricks. And don’t assume that everyone will always do as you please.”
For a moment, Cecenia couldn’t hold back her true feelings.
‘I know very well that she is not the same person. Maybe I’m just being stubborn about my past. But my heart keeps twisting in resentment.’
Realizing that she might have said too much, Cecenia hurriedly tried to change the subject. But Elzer clicked her tongue with an exasperated look.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean—”
“This is why no one likes you.”
“What?”
“If you keep acting like this, no one will want to marry you. Even though you’re my sister, your life seems incredibly dull. Be careful. Right now, the Crown Prince is trying to maintain ties with our family no matter what. But if he gets tired of your attitude, he might just call off the engagement.”
Only now did Cecenia realize it. Her sister had always looked down on her, openly mocking her. It wasn’t just the woman from her past. From the time they were little, Elzer had always belittled her.
Cecenia had once thought that was just her sister’s way of showing love. But now, she even started to wonder—was this woman actually the one who killed her in the past?
‘This must be her true nature. She’s making it so easy for me to seek revenge. Sister, you’re really helping me out.’
A cold smile crept onto Cecenia’s lips. Her expression was uncomfortably icy.
“I think my life is plenty interesting.”
“What?”
“My life. I find it quite enjoyable.”
Perhaps she disliked Cecenia talking back for the first time, as Elzer’s expression hardened.
“Cecenia, today you seem unwilling to yield at all. It’s as if you’ve become a completely different person.”
“That’s impossible. I’m just saying what I think. Now, let’s go to Father quickly.”
Annoyed that Cecenia wasn’t acting as she wished, Elzer pressed her lips tightly together. Instead of arguing, she simply let go of Cecenia’s arm and quickly headed toward their father’s room.
In Cecenia’s memory, her sister had been a kind and wonderful person. Someone who would do anything for her. But now she finally realized how mistaken she had been.
How had she ever convinced herself that Elzer was a good person? Had her sister changed over time? Or had she just been blind to her true nature?
Cecenia watched her sister’s back as she walked ahead for a long while.
“My Lady, aren’t you going?”
It was Lisbet who urged her forward. Standing a step behind her, Lisbet had an uneasy expression.
“Ah… Yes, I should go.”
“Please don’t take what Lady Elzer says too seriously. She only feels satisfied when things go her way.”
“Right?”
Cecenia’s gaze naturally turned to Lisbet.
“She can be an angel when things go her way, but when they don’t, she speaks harshly. Don’t let it upset you too much.”
“I see.”
Only then did Cecenia recall something. It was after hearing Lisbet’s words that she understood why she had always remembered Elzer as a kind person. It was simple—Cecenia had been an obedient younger sister who never opposed her. They had never really clashed before.
To young Cecenia, who lost her mother early, Elzer had been like a mother, a sister, and a best friend. She had been the most trusted person in her life.
‘But in truth, that wasn’t the case at all.’
She found the thought amusing. Come to think of it, there had been several times when Elzer had caused an uproar among the servants—over a dress not being ready, or the wrong tea being served, over trivial things.
Suddenly, those memories resurfaced.
‘Sister, you were never truly a good person, were you? Hardly an angel.’
If she had been a real angel, if the person everyone saw was her true self, she wouldn’t have been capable of killing her own sister just to achieve her own goals.
Finding the situation more amusing than expected, Cecenia clicked her tongue and resumed walking.
‘Well, I’ll become a devil myself soon enough. What a sight to behold—two sisters, both rotten to the core.’
“This will be interesting.”
“What?”
Lisbet, walking beside her, looked at her in surprise.
“Nothing. Let’s hurry.”
Cecenia resolved to wear her mask.
She forced herself to act like the twenty-year-old version of herself—the naive girl who knew nothing of the world, rather than the twenty-five-year-old who had seen and endured too much. She brainwashed herself over and over.
‘I am… twenty years old.’
**
“Father, I’m sorry for being late.”
Elzer had entered their father’s study first and was already standing beside him, smiling at Cecenia as she arrived late.
“You should be more punctual. Making your father wait is not acceptable.”
“That’s right, Cecenia. From now on, be more punctual. You should take after your sister.”
“Yes.”
“Since we are gathered here today, I have something to discuss. You two are my only children, and I’ve been thinking about who will inherit our family. Now that Cecenia has come of age, it’s time to decide.”
So it’s today.
“Originally, I thought it was only right for your sister to inherit it. After all, Elzer is the eldest. You don’t have any objections, do you, Cecenia?”
This was the moment when Cecenia had once voiced her true opinion.
‘But if I speak my mind now like I did in the past, I might end up being killed by Elzer again. In her mind, the family already belongs to her. There’s no reason for me to protect it. What I need is something of my own. The fate of the family has nothing to do with me.’
Cecenia’s eyes shifted to Elzer, who was leaning against their father’s armrest with a satisfied expression.
Her once-stiff expression brightened.
“Of course. It’s only right for my sister to inherit it.”
She smiled.
