Scathach pushed through the still dawn air with difficulty. Even making a footstep was burdensome, so she returned to her lodging building, floating like a ghost, and stopped short just before opening the door.
The duke must have seen the lady he called ‘Iriel’… That’s why he used the term ‘lover.’
The term ‘lover’ is also a rather distasteful subject. Thanks to the noble lady’s consideration, I rather felt my own situation.
A great duke of a vast empire and a princess of a ruined kingdom that shouldn’t exist being lovers. It must be an impossible thing.
No matter how affectionately he pretended to be a lover, nothing changed in the end.
Between deception and mockery. That was all there was to their relationship.
I felt the weight of a revolver near the thigh where the duke’s lips had touched. The absurdity of my situation was so unrealistic that a smirk escaped me.
I had vowed revenge for the misery of having to leave Lindkom disgracefully, but I’d been caught in the duke’s trap.
In the end, I didn’t even get the necklace back.
Creak.
“Scathach.”
Ah! Scathach screamed inwardly and collapsed to the floor. She never imagined anyone would be awake at this time.
“Shh, shh! It’s me.”
The person who opened the door and came out was Eriu. She moved to help Scathach up and dust her off, but Scathach instinctively recoiled.
She was afraid that the hidden revolver in her thigh would be discovered.
“You… You’ve been with Admiral His Highness all this time?”
“……”
“Hmm? Tell me honestly, you! What’s the deal with Admiral His Highness and you?”
“……”
Scathach didn’t answer easily, and Eriu glared at her with arms crossed.
“Spit it out. Why does Admiral His Highness seek you out?”
As Eriu questioned her, arms crossed, Scathach just bit her lower lip hard. She couldn’t bring herself to answer, and Eriu’s mouth twitched into a smile.
“You mischievous thing! No wonder you don’t even look at Mr. Lugard!”
“No, that’s not it. Really… Just…”
Scathach realized she could no longer deceive Eriu and bit her lip tightly. She didn’t want to lie.
Even if Eriu ended up despising me, I wanted to be honest with her.
“I… like him.”
“What…? What did you say…?”
“That’s all it is…”
“What, what do you mean…?”
A flustered Eriu stumbled over her words. She’d asked jokingly to lighten the serious mood with the Admiral.
But if Scathach truly liked the Admiral, it would be a tragedy for her.
“After the military service ends…”
As Scathach slowly raised her head, a quiet sorrow settled in her eyes, making Eriu feel as though she should sob on her behalf.
“I’m going to leave…”
I can’t control my feelings.
I don’t know how to not give my heart to him. Pretending not to care is too painful.
Scathach, unable to confess even this much to Eriu, managed a bitter smile instead of tears.
[Star Icon][Star Icon][Star Icon]The moment Attila saw Cassard enter the barracks, he slid down onto his seat, sprawling as if his strength had been drained.
“Who were you with?”
“You’re still awake.”
“Who were you with?”
Iriel had been gone an hour. Enough time for the act agreed upon between Iriel and the Duchess to have taken place. Attila was desperate for Cassard’s answer.
He’d let Iriel go without any fuss, but he knew what was going on between the Duchess and Iriel since she’d come to the royal palace and asked for permission.
“Are you my wife? Whoever I’m with.”
The mastermind acted as if it were no big deal, walking in and massaging his neck as if tired. It was hard to tell who was the emperor and who was the deity.
“That brat said he was going to get medicine and took over three hours.”
“It’s a medicine that takes some time to consume.”
Cassard recalled a pretty girl he’d sucked and bitten into instead of a sleeping pill. On the days he’d rolled around with a woman, he could sleep without sleeping pills.
Someone once said to count sheep if you can’t sleep. He thought of this and couldn’t help but laugh. Counting sheep at his age? A ridiculous notion.
“Who are you thinking of that makes you laugh?”
“Enough. It’s not fun.”
“Iriel, did you meet her?”
“……”
“Did you sleep with her?”
“What?”
Finally, Cassard’s brows furrowed, showing a human reaction, and Attila rocked in his chair.
“Answer me, quickly.”
“Was it Your Majesty who sent Agno to the medicine warehouse?”
“I thought Ariel might lose affection when she sees you playing around with other women.”
“Playing around, who is…”
“Ah, just answer. Did you sleep with her?”
Even while thinking that it couldn’t be, since the nurse seemed to have her eyes on him, Attila could not hide his impatience and asked again.
After all, he couldn’t marry the nurse, so his engagement to Ariel was a separate issue.
Cassard stared intently at the impatient Attila, withholding his response.
“Are you really curious, Your Majesty?”
“You really annoy me.”
“You cannot become a good ruler if you are so desperate over a woman.”
My Step-brother Is Obsessed With Me (Female-dominant)
A gentle female protagonist vs pitiful in the early stage, and a sick male protagonist in the later stage
Cheng Songer transmigrated into the body of a vicious cannon fodder female supporting character with the same name as her in a female-dominant novel.
In the original story, the cannon fodder female supporting character was inhumane, committing domestic violence, gambling excessively, being lustful, and even wanting to sell her stepbrother to a brothel for money.
As luck would have it, she just happened to transmigrate at this time.
Seeing Cheng Qingzhi biting his lip, enduring the tears in his eyes, looking pitiful, her heart softened.
She stuffed the money back into the Madam’s hand and reached out to him.
“Brother, come home with me.”
