“Vivian, Vivian! I keep hearing that name! The young marquis, the princess, what on earth is going on!”

Leonie and the marchioness were both startled by the marquis’s ear-splitting shout.

However, Leonie was startled not so much by the loudness, but by the unexpected name in her father’s words.

Forgetting to pretend to be sad, she asked urgently.

“What about Young Marquis Belvedere?”

“Do you know what that man said to me? He finally said he would marry my daughter, so I offered to introduce you, but he refused. He said he would marry that Vivian woman, not you! The more I think about it, the angrier I get!”

But it wasn’t just the marquis who was getting angrier.

‘He said he would marry Vivian? How do they even know each other?’

Suddenly, memories from Leonie’s childhood flashed through her mind.

From the beginning, the marquis and his wife didn’t openly treat Vivian as an illegitimate child and persecute her.

Rather, there was a time when they treated Vivian equally with her, hiding the fact that she was illegitimate.

Because of this, even though Vivian’s hair color was different from the marquis and his wife, Leonie never dreamed that her elder sister was an impure existence unlike herself.

The people around them were the same.

They were all fooled by her pretty face and seemingly kind attitude, not knowing that impure blood flowed through Vivian’s body.

At that time, 6-year-old Leonie had a boy she liked.

As is often the case with young children, it wasn’t a serious emotion or anything, but she still liked him quite a lot.

However, her childhood love soon crumbled.

It was all because of Vivian. That boy went around saying he liked Vivian.

At that time, Leonie didn’t know that Vivian was an illegitimate child, so she just quietly accepted the fact.

‘Elder sister is pretty. She’s kind. It’s understandable to like her.’

Later, when she happened to learn that she was an illegitimate child, it was shocking, but Leonie could never forgive her half-sister.

A being flawed from birth. That’s what an ‘illegitimate child’ was.

Yet she pretended to be innocent while taking things that should rightfully be hers.

It wasn’t just about losing the boy she had a crush on.

Her parents’ love and support, and even the favor of those around her.

How dare this fake half-breed covet everything that should fully belong to her. And while deceiving her as if she were her real elder sister.

Despite her young age, Leonie could neither forgive nor accept this fact.

So she schemed to make Vivian ostracized by the family.

Pretending not to know anything, she secretly spread word of Vivian’s origins to others.

As expected, everything around Vivian disappeared.

Leonie found it very satisfying.

It was justice and morality to put back in place the things that a lowborn had obtained by pretending to be real.

‘Now you’re trying to take what’s mine again?’

The marriage with Dietrich was practically confirmed.

Now that the tide was turning in favor of Prince Siegfried rather than Princess Veronica, anyone who wasn’t a fool would side with him.

That’s why she could confidently tell Vivian when she visited home recently.

That she would propose to Dietrich.

Vivian was clearly shocked by that story that day.

As if even hearing the name of such a high nobleman was an honor.

But was all that behavior just an act?

While Leonie was lost in thought, the marquis continued speaking.

“That’s not all. He spouted all sorts of nonsense about how he had known her for a while, how he had always been interested in her. In the end, he even insulted me, saying we were a family that looked down on illegitimate children. And at the same time, you were being slapped by that woman! I can’t forgive the Belvederes or that woman!”

At those words, Leonie rather felt like laughing.

They knew each other from before? It seems Vivian had put on quite an act for her the day she came to the mansion.

While in fact she had such an intimate relationship with Dietrich that she was even close with the reclusive princess.

‘How excited she must have been when she heard I was sending a marriage proposal.’

Thinking of Vivian, who must have been inwardly mocking her while shamelessly pretending to be kind, Leonie couldn’t stand it.

Without realizing it, her clenched fists trembled with hatred and contempt.

But no matter how much Vivian tried to fly high, she and Leonie were different from birth.

She didn’t need a man stupid enough to fall head over heels for an illegitimate child and talk about marriage.

Above all, Leonie still had another option she had put off.

“Father, do you remember what you said before?”

Wiping the sadness from her face in an instant, the marquis was bewildered but asked again.

“What are you talking about? Surely not Prince Siegfried…?”

“Yes, Father. That’s right. I refused before because the position of empress was burdensome, but…”

The marquis swallowed hard.

“Now it seems it’s not the time for that.”

Leonie’s brown eyes, identical to her half-sister’s, glinted with malice.

Vivian coldly said to her half-sister who had suddenly visited her home.

“What were you thinking, coming all the way here?”

Leonie was surprised by the attitude so clearly different from before, but quickly accepted it calmly.

‘I guess she’s finally decided to stop that disgusting act.’

She had always hated how Vivian pretended to be good and a victim, but this was rather better.

“I came all the way here because I have something I want to tell elder sister. Surely you’re not planning to turn away a guest who came all this way?”

“A guest, you say… Fine. Come in.”

Vivian climbed the stairs to the house, not hiding her bewilderment.

Normally she wouldn’t have let Leonie into the house herself, but not today.

Vivian had a lot to say to Leonie.

After being bottled up for over a decade, it wasn’t perfectly organized yet, but it seemed today would be the opportunity to pour it all out.

Feeling a bit nervous, Vivian guided Leonie into the room.

It would have been nice if there was a reception room, but this was a small, shabby house where she lived alone, so there was no such place.

For lack of a better option, she sat her sister at the dining table and took a seat across from her.

Where should she start?

The size of the long-held emotions was too vast, and Vivian hesitated to open her mouth.

There were countless things she wanted to ask Leonie, but she didn’t know where to start.

Why did you touch Mother’s keepsakes? Wasn’t once enough? Why do you hate me so much? What on earth did I do wrong to you? Is it simply because I’m an illegitimate child?

Vivian felt choked up, feeling like dozens of questions would pour out of her mouth if she just touched on it.

Silence fell between them for a moment, but was suddenly broken by Leonie’s statement.

“Elder sister.”

“…”

“I’ve decided to get married.”

The surprising news made Vivian lose track of the questions swirling in her mouth.

Marriage? It was obvious who the partner was. She had said before that she had someone to propose to.

“…So you’ve decided to form a connection with the Belvedere family after all.”

Ahahaha! Kyahahahaha!

Incomprehensible laughter eerily filled the space.

Leonie began clapping her hands, cackling with a strange expression.

It was an expression of her sister that Vivian had never seen before.

“Elder sister, you’re really something. You know everything but you keep pretending to be stupid every time.”

“…What on earth are you talking about?”

“Father already told me everything. That you’re in that kind of relationship with Young Marquis Belvedere.”

“What?”

“Why are you pretending not to know again? I heard he told Father he wants to marry you.”

Vivian stood up abruptly in surprise.

Marriage with Dietrich? That was truly the biggest nonsense she had ever heard in her life.

“I don’t know what you heard, but it’s absolutely not true.”

She tried to explain hurriedly, but Leonie didn’t even pretend to listen.

“You don’t need to pretend it’s not true. I don’t need a low-quality man who likes an illegitimate child either.”

Leonie walked up close to Vivian. Then she slammed her fist on the table beside her.

“Aren’t you thrilled and amused to have stolen what’s mine? You might be making a stupid face now, but you must be laughing inside.”

Vivian couldn’t understand what she was saying.

“But elder sister, my case is different from yours. I have many options besides the young marquis.”

“What on earth are you talking about?”

Leonie thrust her face towards her elder sister.

Vivian swallowed nervously at the suddenly shortened distance.

The eyes mixed with hatred and contempt looked like they might harm her.

Soon Leonie replied in a low voice.

“You can have the Belvederes or whatever violent and low-class family. I’ll form a connection with a more noble man.”

“Wait, you don’t mean…”

A man of higher status than Dietrich? Excluding those already married, there was only one person left.

Vivian urgently grabbed her half-sister’s shoulders.

It just couldn’t be that man.

It was an action born of worry, but to Leonie’s eyes it was merely amusing. She chuckled at Vivian.

“What. Disappointed you can’t steal this one? That’s right, I’ve promised to marry Prince Siegfried.”

“No!”

Vivian shouted loudly, forgetting even the fact that she should maintain her composure.

Her brown eyes shook back and forth, filled with terror.

‘No matter how much I resent and hate Leonie, anyone but Siegfried. That man…’

Vivian began urgently persuading her sister.

“Please change your mind, okay? You’re still too young to get married, please…”

But the more Vivian wailed, the more pleased Leonie looked.

To show such dislike. It really was the right choice. Choosing Siegfried.

She shook off her elder sister’s hands grasping her. Then she went straight outside.

Vivian followed, but Leonie had already boarded the carriage.

Watching the back of the departing carriage, Vivian murmured softly to herself.

“Siegfried is a devil…”

But her voice did not reach Leonie.