I Became the Regretful Male Lead's Sister (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 4

At Cassian’s command, the viscount’s knights emerged and dragged Maximilian away.

The moment he was chased out the door, Maximilian ran off somewhere, leaving me alone.

I stood there helplessly, rolling my eyes, when Cassian quietly appeared.

Her hostility had lessened considerably since our first meeting, but her gaze remained cold. She glared at Maximilian and said to me,

“The young lord has serious character flaws. How could he suspect Teresa of impropriety with men she’s never even met—especially when he himself showed up with Her Imperial Highness at his side?”

“Huh?”

“Since you seem to care about Teresa, I have a request. If the young lord insists on treating Teresa this way, please tell him to just call off the engagement. Teresa… she could never bring herself to abandon him first.”

Having said that, she turned and walked back into the mansion.

Only after I climbed into the carriage waiting at the door did I realize I’d forgotten something.

“Ha. His Imperial Highness…”

Because of this sudden incident, bringing him along had become utterly pointless.

I sighed, clutching my head in my hands.

[Exclusive! Unusual Tensions Between the Winters Dukedom and the Menisil Earldom]

The next day, the front page of every newspaper was plastered with the story of Teresa slapping Maximilian’s cheek.

Upon reading the article, Father immediately summoned us.

The duke must have known their relationship was strained, but surely never expected it to become public news.

“What on earth is going on, Max?”

“……”

“Why won’t you speak! Jaina, you explain.”

Maximilian shot me a warning glare, but that wasn’t enough to make me hold my tongue.

One reason it was difficult for Teresa’s side to propose breaking off the engagement was the compensation fee—it was customary for the party initiating the annulment to pay it.

Though the sum seemed modest to the ducal household, it was somewhat burdensome for the Menisil family.

‘So even breaking an engagement comes down to money…’

The simplest way to resolve this was to strike at Father’s pride.

He was fiercely proud of his status and extremely sensitive about anything that might tarnish the ducal family’s honor.

Thus, if he learned the root of this problem lay with Maximilian, he’d clearly accept little to no compensation.

After all, that’s exactly how it happened in the original story.

“Father, did you know our household was crawling with spies from other families?”

“What?”

So he’d hidden this too. I recounted everything Teresa had endured within our household.

I explained how numerous families had used the Winters ducal staff to slander and harass her.

“Does that even make sense?! Right under the nose of the family’s rightful heir!”

Father, furious beyond measure, shouted at the top of his lungs. Maximilian kept his head bowed low, unable to utter a word.

“That’s not all. Without giving Lady Menisil any prior notice, my brother entered a banquet with other women, spreading scandalous rumors.”

Our hot-tempered father grabbed a stack of documents from the side and hurled them at his elder son.

“Are you truly out of your mind?! You, with a fiancée already, what in blazes were you thinking?!”

Then I delivered my final blow—like tossing a gas canister into a burning house.

It was a little sad that the house in question was our own.

“And yesterday, in front of everyone, he cornered the clueless Lady Menisil, accusing her of infidelity with another man.”

“You… you lunatic!”

In the end, Father stood up and began beating his elder son. The sound of the duke—who had once been the empire’s greatest knight—striking Maximilian was almost cheerful.

After pummeling him for a while, Father bellowed,

“Go apologize right now! Kneel and beg if you have to, but bring back Lady Menisil’s forgiveness!”

With those words, we were thrown out of the study.

Maximilian bit his lip and looked at me.

“Feeling better now?”

“If we’d just left it alone, Father would’ve drawn his own conclusions. He wouldn’t have known you’d done something so absurd, and might’ve even interrogated the Menisil family instead. And our kind sister Teresa would’ve taken the blame herself.”

It had happened several times in the original story—Teresa always stayed silent about the troubles caused by Maximilian’s misdeeds.

Because she believed speaking up would end their relationship.

“Just treat Teresa well from now on! You were just furious after hearing what I said that day—it wasn’t your true intention.”

“Isn’t it worse to hurt someone with words you don’t even mean?”

At my words, Maximilian fell silent.

“You’re a cruel person, brother.”

“Jaina!”

“Shouting won’t change anything—figure it out yourself.”

He was talking as if he meant it. I intended to use this opportunity to drive them completely apart.

A few days later, I received a letter from Teresa. Though its contents were ordinary, it expressed concern for Maximilian’s well-being.

Whether sincere or not, Maximilian had been visiting Teresa daily to beg her forgiveness. However, thanks to the letter I’d secretly sent the Menisil family detailing everything that had happened,

the family had blocked all their meetings.

[I don’t know what will become of my relationship with Maximilian, but I’d like to stay close friends with you, Jaina. If you have time, would you come to the earl’s mansion tomorrow?]

Her polite wording subtly suggested she was already considering breaking off the engagement with Maximilian.

Seizing the moment, I immediately sent a reply saying I’d visit right away.

And the next day.

Teresa, whom I hadn’t seen in days, looked haggard. Her eyes were swollen from crying.

“Sister…”

“Welcome, Jaina.”

Her faint smile pained my heart.

Even if I knew nothing else, I knew just how deeply she loved Maximilian.

“This way. It’s your first time visiting the Menisil earl’s mansion, isn’t it?”

The tea room I was shown to was small but charmingly decorated. Tea and cookies were set before me as I took my seat.

“Thank you for coming, Jaina.”

“Don’t mention it. Are you feeling any better?”

“I’m just… getting by. Is Maximilian doing well?”

“You don’t need to worry about my brother. He’s always been the type who eats and lives well.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

Her voice carried no strength at all.

We passed the time drinking tea. I didn’t recklessly bring up what had happened that day.

I waited for Teresa to speak, and finally, she began talking about the banquet.

“I thought I knew Max well… but that day was different. It was the first time I’d ever seen him so angry with me.”

Teresa recounted the whole incident, tears streaming down her face.

Cassian’s younger brother had returned after a long absence to pay his respects, when Maximilian interrupted. He then started accusing her of infidelity.

All the vile rumors that had been spread to ruin Teresa’s reputation poured from Maximilian’s own mouth—

that she clung to him for his money, that she had another man.

He repeated every unfiltered rumor circulated by those who’d wanted Teresa’s engagement broken.

Though she spoke softly, her simmering anger was unmistakable.

“I thought he didn’t know. I’d never once said anything like that.”

Watching Teresa finally break down sobbing, I let out a long sigh.

“And when he kept pressing me whether those rumors were true, I just couldn’t take it anymore.”

I wanted Teresa to be happy.

More deeply than all the tears she’d shed, longer than all the heartache she’d endured.

For that to happen, Teresa needed to look at her love with clear eyes.

“Sister Teresa, it’s not that my brother Max did the right thing.”

I handed her a handkerchief as I spoke.

“But I think it’s a problem that you always try to shoulder everything alone like this.”

“Jaina…”

Fundamentally, their issue was a complete lack of communication.

Teresa suffered in silence, thinking she was being considerate, while Maximilian, utterly oblivious, paid no attention. A relationship can’t survive on one person’s sacrifice alone.

It wouldn’t be resolved just by Teresa changing.

If Maximilian himself didn’t change at his core, this couple’s future was bleak.

And having read the original story, I knew one thing for certain:

Maximilian would only change after losing Teresa.

“If you love each other, you need to talk more and tell each other what’s wrong. How else will you know what the other is thinking?”

Teresa fell into thought at my words. We drank our tea in silence for a long while.

The most important thing was for Teresa to withdraw her affection from Maximilian.

Hoping she’d find clarity in her heart, I said,

“And this might sound harsh, but even I think our brother is trash. It’s time to throw that trash into the bin.”

Teresa gave me a faint, hazy smile.

It wasn’t her usual bright and gentle smile—it was one that seemed ready to vanish at any moment.

Whether my words had an effect or not, Teresa began avoiding meetings with my brother.

Upon receiving her reply that she needed time to think, Maximilian started unraveling.

Moreover, their discord was being broadcast daily in the newspapers.

Unlike Teresa, who remained secluded in the earl’s mansion, Maximilian had many obligations and appeared frequently in public.

People, assuming the engagement was nearly over, kept trying to introduce him to women wherever he went, making him increasingly irritable.

‘He still has a long way to fall.’

Though it saddened me that Teresa couldn’t see him, I consoled myself by watching Maximilian suffer up close.

Besides, I was busy with another plan of my own.

Since my attempt to arrange a meeting between Nathaniel and her at the last banquet had failed, I needed to orchestrate another encounter elsewhere.

‘First, I should build some rapport with His Imperial Highness.’

Fortunately, I knew someone close to the crown prince.

It was Cassian herself.

Though our brief friendship had shattered when I was chased from her home, I had no choice but to try.

Taking out a sheet of letter paper, I wrote confidently.

I explained that one forgets an old man by meeting a new one, and asked for Cassian’s help in introducing a new man to Teresa.

I also added how much Teresa valued appearance.

Finally, I wrote down the name of the new man I had in mind.

Not long after sending the letter, I received a reply.

Fortunately, Cassian agreed with my suggestion. We communicated only through letters,

to prevent any leaks.

Given Teresa’s reputation, this caution was only natural. She hadn’t yet broken off the engagement with Maximilian, and her standing in society was already at its worst.

We proceeded with utmost care.

[Her Imperial Highness’s birthday celebration isn’t far off. I’ll find a way to bring Teresa that day—please be ready. — Cassian]

Though it didn’t specify what I needed to prepare, I understood exactly.

Cassian had informed me a few days earlier that Nathaniel had been visiting a temple outside the city. I decided to cautiously arrange a meeting with him.

‘If he gets upset, both Cassian and I are finished.’

In the original story, Nathaniel was depicted as quite ruthless.

There were frequent scenes where, if provoked, he’d use his immense power to decapitate his opponent.

I certainly didn’t want that to happen.

‘I must be polite!’

Repeating this to myself again and again, I climbed into the carriage.

The temple I arrived at by carriage looked ordinary, unlike the grand central cathedral.

I didn’t know why someone of his stature—the crown prince himself—would come here, but I entered the temple cautiously.

Inside, only a few priests were praying.

I searched everywhere for Nathaniel, but he didn’t seem to be inside the temple.

‘Could he be in the sanctuary?’

The only reason devotees visited this small temple was the lake where a dragon was said to have bathed.

There was a rumor that bathing there could cure illnesses.

‘You’d be better off paying a priest for healing.’

Even in a fantasy world, no one believed in such ancient legends anymore.

Thus, only the most devout believers came here.

‘Nathaniel didn’t strike me as particularly devout.’

Still, I had nothing to lose, so I headed toward the sanctuary.

The path wasn’t complicated.

Not long after I started walking, a wide, blue lake appeared before me.

Surprisingly deserted, not even an ant was crawling nearby.

I slowly circled the area, searching for Nathaniel, but not a single hair of the tall man was in sight.

“Peep.”

“No sign of the person I’m looking for—just strange noises… Huh?”

Hearing a whimper from somewhere, I stopped in my tracks. Glancing around, I saw a low shrub shaking.