Marriage with the Younger Brother of the Man Who Betrayed Me - Chapter 48

As Ernant continued to speak, the blurry memories became clearer.

Looking at the now cold fireplace, unlike in the past, I recalled those times.

Now I serve Ernant as Emperor, but when I was young, I followed him as a close older brother.

A caring brother who never showed displeasure at my annoying requests to read the same fairy tale over and over.

Perhaps I loved Ernant because those happy memories remained unconsciously.

“Hah…”

I let out a long sigh, filled with welling emotions.

As I covered my eyes with my hands and lowered my head, Ernant approached me.

“Yulia?”

“Why did you do it?”

“Hm?”

I asked him again in a voice tinged with sadness.

“Why did you change?”

Why did he really?

If he hadn’t changed and remained that warm boy from the past, I surely would still love him now.

But he changed.

Because he changed, he tried to poison me, and because he changed, he conducted horrific experiments on monsters.

That fact was unbearably sorrowful.

After a brief silence at my question, he slowly opened his mouth again.

“I had to change. I was cursed. Like a character in the fairy tales I used to read to you.”

I lowered my hands from my eyes and looked at him carefully.

He said without a hint of a smile as he looked at me:

“With the curse of incompetence.”

“…”

“I don’t have special abilities. So I’m incompetent. This is a curse. A curse I must struggle to break free from for my entire life.”

He took another step closer to me.

“I need help to break free from this curse.”

“…”

“It’s like in fairy tales, isn’t it? The prince couldn’t break the curse by himself.”

Ernant, who had been approaching little by little, stopped right in front of me.

Soon, his head slowly lowered.

He bent down to bring his lips close to my ear and whispered:

“Help me, Yulia. Bring me monsters for my sake. I need them to break free from this terrible curse.”

“…”

Ernant was a man who knew how to handle people’s hearts.

He knew how to gain someone’s favor, and also how to break them down.

That’s probably why he brought me all the way to this villa to make his request.

This place, filled with our memories, would be the optimal location to break down the walls of my heart.

“Will you help me?”

The still cunning Ernant urged me for an answer.

He was asking like that, with an expression that weakened my heart, in a place that weakened my heart.

Instead of answering, I quietly looked around.

I slowly scanned the interior of the old mansion where we had played happily as children.

The memories engraved everywhere made my insides ache.

After looking around thoroughly, I finally gazed at Ernant.

He was quietly watching me, looking so different from the past.

“You said you were cursed, Your Majesty?”

Addressing Ernant, who was silently listening to my words, I spoke again with a trembling voice:

“I cannot break that curse for you.”

“…”

“Only you can break that curse, Your Majesty. Because that curse… is one you placed on yourself.”

After saying that, I slowly stepped back.

Creating distance from Ernant like that, I continued speaking:

“You are not an incompetent person. You were never under such a curse to begin with. What binds you is the curse of inferiority that you created yourself.”

“…”

“So this is not something I can help with. I sincerely hope you will break free from the curse yourself and stop these horrific experiments.”

I pleaded as politely as I could.

Only if he stopped the monster experiments could we prevent people from dying.

But as expected, Ernant ignored my plea.

“You won’t help me?”

“…”

“You’ve changed, Yulia. You’ve changed too much.”

With a bitter smile, he slowly shook his head.

I could read an emotion similar to contempt in his gaze as he looked at me.

Just as I felt he had changed, he too must have started to find me unfamiliar.

I could understand.

The past me who blindly offered love to him and the current me were completely different people.

Looking at me as if at an unfamiliar being, Ernant went on to warn:

“If you really intend to refuse my request, leave this place. But remember this. If you leave here, you will regret today’s choice for the rest of your life.”

I wanted to persuade him to stop the monster experiments, but it wasn’t a situation where persuasion would work.

He gave me only two choices.

Either stay here and say I would help him, or leave.

And the choice I would make was already decided.

“…”

Silently bowing my head to him, I moved my steps towards the exit of the mansion.

Ernant just quietly watched me leave.

With a gaze that was sharp and cold as a blade, unlike before.

I pretended not to see that gaze, and just before crossing the threshold, I turned back to look at him.

He was still watching me.

“…”

We didn’t exchange any farewells.

We both knew well. That we were no longer in a position to exchange farewells.

By refusing his request, our connection was now completely severed.

I had no regrets about this choice, so I resumed my halted steps.

Just as I was about to leave the villa.

“I’ll tell you one last thing.”

Just as I was about to leave the villa, Ernant stopped my steps with those words.

I paused briefly again and turned to look at him.

Still staring at me with eyes full of anger, he said:

“Don’t think I’ll stop just because you refused my request. There’s already someone bringing me monsters.”

“…”

“And they’re very close to you.”

It seemed there was indeed someone within the Silver Knights bringing monsters to Ernant.

I clenched my fists and replied to him:

“I will find them soon and stop them.”

“Sure. I’ll be cheering you on.”

A cruel smile flashed across Ernant’s face for a moment.

It was a cruel yet pure smile that a boy might wear while expecting a rain-soaked butterfly to fall into his hands.

Perhaps because I saw that smile, an ominous feeling suddenly washed over me, but I ignored it and left the villa.

The sky that had been clear was now darkened with storm clouds.

After leaving the villa, I headed to a nearby town.

It was to acquire a horse to ride.

Having refused Ernant’s request, I couldn’t very well borrow an imperial carriage.

So after purchasing a suitable horse, I immediately returned to the garrison.

It was already pitch black night when I arrived, but for some reason, the captain was still awake at that late hour.

“Did the conversation go well?”

As soon as I entered his tent to report my return, I was immediately met with such a question.

I nodded towards the captain with a somewhat weary gesture.

“Yes, His Majesty will not approach me anymore.”

“You must have rejected him quite firmly?”

“I did. It wasn’t difficult. My heart was already resolved long ago. However—”

After hesitating for a moment, I poured out my inner thoughts with a long sigh.

“I felt sorry for him.”

“Hmm?”

“Apart from my resentment towards him, I felt pity for His Majesty. It seems he carries a deep wound in his heart. Is such a statement perhaps an insult to the imperial family?”

Hearing my question, the captain burst out laughing.

Then, putting down the pen he had been holding while working, he started to approach me.

The captain, who had come closer, looked down at me with his tall stature, arms folded.

“It’s not an insult to the imperial family. But I’m not particularly pleased.”

“…?”

“The truth is, I’m quite narrow-minded. I don’t like you feeling emotions for other men besides me. Whether it’s sympathy or hatred.”

Somewhat surprised, I immediately asked him:

“You don’t like me hating other people either?”

“I want to monopolize all your emotions, including hatred. Rather than you hating others, I’d prefer you to hate me. How about it, isn’t that narrow-minded?”

Unable to deny it in response to his question, I nodded.

“You are narrow-minded. I don’t want to monopolize your hatred though.”

“Really?”

“Yes, please hate others instead. If you were to dislike me… I think it would make me very sad.”

In the past, I wouldn’t have cared if the captain disliked me.

After all, I disliked him just as much.

But now it was different.

Now that I’ve come to desire the captain, if he were to hate me, it would be quite painful.

Translation complete. 100% of original text translated.