“Did I make a mistake?”

In response to the question of whether she was angry, Yerpi shook her head.

“No. I’m just… so embarrassed.”

He hadn’t done anything wrong. Only she herself felt ashamed.

Yerpi was well aware that her past was stained with abuse.

How could the person who endured it not know?

But that was different from having others find out.

She could bear the stares of strangers.

But the fact that Raymond knew her past was unbearably humiliating.

In truth, she wanted to flee from this place right now.

Yet, considering that Raymond had chased after her all this way, running away wasn’t easy.

“I’m sorry for having you investigated. I was rude.”

Raymond apologized for mentioning Yerpi’s painful secret. Hearing his apology, her chest tightened painfully.

“…What do you mean, your father became disabled?”

“The Baron broke into the ice wall surrounding Growen. Probably tried to meet me to demand more money.”

The Baron had wandered into the icy barrier around Growen and encountered a pack of winter spirits living there, resulting in an accident.

He barely survived and managed to escape to Kerast, but one of his legs had been completely crippled.

“So that happened.”

A father who limped. She had never imagined such a thing. The father she knew had always been authoritative, never hesitating to use violence and verbal abuse against her.

Yet, hearing news of an accident involving the very person who abused her didn’t bring any sense of satisfaction.

She only thought that the Baron had met his fate. After all, his greed had gone too far, and in the end, he brought disaster upon himself.

“I see.”

The fact that such a man was her father made her feel even less able to hold her head up.

Then, Raymond pulled Yerpi into an embrace. Her forehead pressed against his firm chest.

His body temperature, higher than average, soothed her cold and frozen heart.

“No one can choose their parents. So don’t be ashamed of your past. You’re a victim, not a perpetrator.”

Yerpi held her breath. She didn’t want to cry, yet tears streamed down her face.

Raymond’s comfort just now had embraced even her past life, when she had been abandoned by her parents.

Held in Raymond’s arms, her ragged breathing gradually calmed. Her eyes were red, but now she could meet his gaze without lowering her head.

“Have you calmed down a little?”

“Thanks to you.”

She felt embarrassed showing him such tears, but unlike before, she no longer wanted to run away.

In fact, she wanted to stay in his arms a little longer.

Wanting to lean on someone—what a strange feeling.

“Your younger sister. She seems rather twisted.”

“Charlotte?”

Yerpi was surprised and repeated the question as he mentioned her sister.

Raymond might have been the first to call Charlotte “twisted.”

But Raymond’s suspicion toward Charlotte could not be stopped.

“She watched your suffering right beside you, yet casually brought up your past as if it meant nothing.”

“She’s not a bad child. She was raised from birth to become a Saintess.”

She was a child whom everyone loved, raised with such love that she naturally grew into the Saintess.

The pain of others never became her own pain.

Charlotte, who had grown up without ever being pricked by a thorn, would never understand Yerpi’s heart. Perhaps never, not even for her entire life.

“Heard the news that her beloved father became disabled, yet didn’t even blink an eye.”

“That’s…”

“You seem to be making an effort not to see your sister in a bad light. But haven’t you already gone too far? Or perhaps taking her side has simply become a habit.”

His words might have sounded cold at first glance. But his eyes held genuine concern.

She wanted to say that wasn’t true. But the words stuck in her mouth refused to come out.

In Raymond’s arms, she had to be honest. By now, she wore a bitter smile.

“Maybe I have.”

Perhaps she had simply accepted her reality, taking for granted that Charlotte was the only one who shone.

At the same time as this belated realization, she understood something new.

“But I, and others too, are all alive.”

Even if this world was fictional, every character was breathing and living.

Each had their own life, their own joys and sorrows intertwined.

This wasn’t a world where only the protagonist shone.

“Think of yourself, not your sister. This isn’t the Empire—it’s Growen.”

She never expected to hear the comfort she most longed for from the one person she thought would despise her the most. She closed her eyes in his arms.

“Regardless, it would be better to send her away from Growen as soon as possible. Otherwise, conflict with the outside might arise.”

Raymond truly intended to send Charlotte away. Yet, his words didn’t quite feel real.

“Is it really alright?”

Did he truly have not even a trace of feeling for Charlotte?

Even if the female lead and male lead didn’t end up together, even if the story unfolded completely differently from the original—would this world still be safe?

“…Do you truly wish for Charlotte to leave?”

“What reason would I have to keep her? The only reason I haven’t punished her immediately is out of mercy.”

There was no hesitation in his words. Then, suddenly, a long-suppressed, resentful complaint burst out before she could think.

“But you invited her to dinner.”

It was already strange to invite a guest and then enjoy breakfast alone with someone else.

But since the other person was Charlotte, even the normal etiquette of hosting a guest had hurt her feelings.

Truthfully, even saying such a thing felt embarrassing. Yet Raymond looked at her with utter confusion.

“Me? No.”

He immediately denied it, explaining that Charlotte had already been in the dining room first.

It wasn’t that strange. She might have asked a maid where the meal was being served.

‘But it seemed like she came because she knew I was having breakfast with Raymond.’

Was she mistaken? But the resentment she felt earlier had completely faded.

“I see. I didn’t know.”

From her perspective, Raymond truly seemed to feel nothing at all for Charlotte.

If he truly wanted to send Charlotte away—

“…I’ll ask Charlotte when she plans to leave.”

“If you think it’s alright.”

Hearing this, Yerpi felt relieved once more. She buried her face in his chest.

She was grateful for his comfort. The guilt of ruining the original story still lingered, but knowing that neither party held feelings for the other brought her peace.

“Then… I’ll go see Charlotte.”

She regretted having to leave suddenly, but apologized and excused herself.

She asked other maids about Charlotte’s whereabouts, but found her in an unexpected place.

Charlotte, sipping tea in the reception room attached to the Dowager Duchess’s chamber, greeted Yerpi with a bright smile.

“Sister, you came?”

Before she could even respond to the greeting, Yerpi realized the source of the discomfort she had felt whenever she was with her sister.

No matter what she did or where she was, Charlotte acted as if everything belonged to her.

“What are you doing? Why aren’t you sitting?”

“Right.”

She sat down without protest, and Charlotte smiled. It was natural, in her eyes, that Yerpi obeyed her.

“Your husband seems like a really good person. I’ve never seen anyone show so much interest in you before.”

She said she was very surprised to see him rush out after Yerpi. Charlotte chatted on, sipping her tea and sharing her thoughts.

“And you and the Duke are the first ones who’ve ever left me behind.”

“I feel bad about that.”

She hadn’t meant to, but it was true—they had left a guest alone at the meal. Charlotte smiled silently at Yerpi’s apology.

Her quiet smile appeared almost pure. Yerpi unconsciously asked,

“Didn’t you know Father was injured?”

“No, I knew. But back then, the Former Saintess was critically ill, so I was busy. A letter did arrive, but I was too busy to reply. Just reading it was a blessing from the goddess.”

Charlotte shrugged, expressing mild regret about the limp.

Yerpi might not have known, but Charlotte had grown up drenched in the Baron’s love.

A child raised on the love of others had grown into a Saintess who cherished only herself.

At the same moment, Yerpi realized something.

“I’ve never actually liked Charlotte.”

Her unease upon reuniting with her younger sister wasn’t because she knew the future of the original story.

It was because she had finally, belatedly, recognized Charlotte’s unique selfishness.