After Sinclair came to the mansion and wreaked havoc, the members of the Aswald family were experiencing hell for the first time in their lives.

“Hic…”

Melissa’s sorrowful sobs echoed throughout the devastated mansion. She who always wore expensive dresses and jewelry now had a completely different appearance.

Her dress was tattered and covered in dust, her bare feet were swollen, and her face was streaked with tears like a cow’s.

In fact, it wasn’t just Melissa who looked worse than a beggar. Melvin and Leila were in the same state.

“Ungrateful… piece of trash…”

Leila, in her disheveled state, was steadily and diligently spewing curses, seemingly with no intention of suppressing her anger.

No, it might be more accurate to say that it was growing stronger with each passing day.

…That damn girl.

How dare she.

How dare she!

Unlike Melissa, who realized there was no hope and resigned herself to crying fountains of tears, Leila couldn’t accept this situation at all.

Elaina Aswald.

That cursed woman who, despite being a cripple, always received attention as if it were natural and always made her blood boil.

At least in others’ eyes, there was a reason why Leila, who was born into a wealthy family and lived without want, came to truly hate Elaina, who seemed pitiful in contrast.

Melvin and Melissa maintained a seemingly decent marital relationship on the surface, but in reality, it was not so at all.

Even though she was an illegitimate child, Melvin’s cruelty in inflicting violence on young Elaina, his own flesh and blood, could not be avoided by Melissa and Leila either.

Of course, the violence against mother and daughter did not continue indefinitely.

Surprisingly, Melvin was also a person with a brain. He knew that if things continued this way, his reputation would hit rock bottom.

After all, Leila and Melissa were people who engaged in social activities, and the nobles who enjoyed boring tea times and vain banquets almost daily were always ready to slander others.

In other words, it meant that they could very easily notice Melvin’s violence.

Swollen eyes. Faint bruise marks that hadn’t fully healed. Such pitiful things.

So for Melvin, there was no outlet as easy and good as Elaina.

The halfwit, crippled Elaina endured whatever violence Melvin inflicted silently.

She already knew she couldn’t even run away. Moreover, she didn’t engage in fortunate activities like social gatherings, so there was no worry about word getting out.

Nevertheless, young Elaina was a child who smiled as brightly as the sun.

Not knowing her place…

Whenever she saw Elaina who didn’t lose her smile, laughter, and hope even in such situations, Leila would think:

‘Those are not emotions she should have!’

It was inevitable. Even after Melvin’s abuse stopped, Leila couldn’t overcome her trauma.

She didn’t know how to smile brightly like Elaina, and had never known how to hold hope.

She only filled her empty heart with hollow luxury.

So sometimes she tormented her even more than Melvin did, making her suffer more. To teach the foolish Elaina to know her place.

But Leila also instinctively and intuitively felt that no matter what she did, she couldn’t break the heart of someone like Elaina.

Elaina, always shining like a star. Elaina, cute and beautiful like a fairy.

When Elaina’s right leg was damaged, when she became as empty as herself. Leila doesn’t know how happy she was.

She felt pleasure and built her self-esteem every time she saw Elaina wearing down like a pencil lead.

Yes, we’re different.

Anyway, you’re at the bottom now, and I’m above your head!

No matter how anyone praises you, you’ve already lost all hope!

You’ll never be able to smile so brightly again!

But now everything had changed.

She was now at the bottom of the bottom, and Elaina was flying above her head like a butterfly.

With Sinclair Butler faithfully protecting her…

Unlike Leila who now had nothing.

“Kill… I’ll kill her…”

Leila muttered ominously.

“By any means… somehow…”

I’ll kill her with my own hands.

…And here, there was one more person as enraged as Leila.

It was Melvin.

‘A way, some way…’

It would be a blatant lie to say he hadn’t thought about running away. However, Sinclair’s soldiers, as meticulous as their master, showed no sign of allowing even the slightest gap.

Moreover, Sinclair had sent new soldiers to the Aswald Count’s mansion, turning the entire place upside down like ruins.

Then they took all the large amount of secret funds and jewels Melvin had been secretly accumulating, and the artworks he had been collecting to suit the tastes of Duke Hank or Hister to gift them.

This mansion was no exception.

[You own nothing in Eden Bell now. At most, you have your wife and crazy daughter stuck there like ghosts.]

Schuler, the guard knight commanding the soldiers, said with a cold expression.

[All of the Aswald family’s assets have been transferred to the national treasury and will be returned to Elaina Aswald through due process.]

Melvin, stripped of his title and reduced to a commoner, was to be sold along with his family.

As soon as the sun rises, immediately.

‘Elaina… Sinclair…!’

Anger blazed in Melvin’s eyes. He gritted his teeth so hard it made a cracking sound, then struck the innocent wall with all his might with his trembling fist.

Thud.

As that eerie sound settled in the ghost-like Aswald Count’s mansion, it was at that moment.

A similar sound was heard from outside.

Suddenly, everyone’s gaze turned towards the door.

Have they already come to take us away?

Just as fear was glazing over the family’s eyes, it was then.

“It’s more filthy than I thought.”

An entirely unexpected person stepped into the mansion with a deeply furrowed brow.

“How… How…?”

For what reason…?

Melvin muttered with a dazed expression as if he had seen a god, and the other person snickered and retorted mockingly.

“Do you know this, Melvin Aswald?”

“Yes…?”

“I actually don’t like appearing in front of people very much. Of course, that’s limited to dangerous situations.”

What on earth does this mean? Melvin wore a puzzled expression.

“I could put it this way. Unable to do anything alone, always hiding behind someone like a child, acting gloomily.”

“…”

“Those are the words of our rascal brother, what do you think? Can you relate?”

“I… don’t understand… at all…”

“Actually, it’s not entirely nonsense. No matter how many times I think about it, I can’t understand why I should take the lead and risk danger.”

Don’t you agree? Hister Butler laughed as if amused.

“Let me put it this way, Melvin.”

Then he continued.

“Will you join in my childish game?”

Melvin hesitated.

“There’s a prize too.”

“…”

“Elaina Aswald and Sinclair Butler.”

At that moment, Leila’s eyes glinted and shone.

“The prize is showing their miserable end. Doesn’t that tempt you?”

“Father!”

Leila, who had been listening to Hister’s words, suddenly shouted loudly.

“Hurry and say you’ll do it! That you can do anything…”

Melvin didn’t respond to either Hister’s or Leila’s words.

He just started crawling like a dog.

Crawling like that, he reached Hister’s feet and slowly bowed his head.

Then he began to shed tears of gratitude.

“I’ve always… anywhere… always wanted to be of help to you, Sir Hister… truly from the bottom of my heart…”

“Is that so?”

“Yes… and to think that you would even help me when I’m cornered like this… Isn’t all of this the utmost happiness for me…?”

“Welcome to joining in the childish game, Melvin Aswald.”

Hister said with a grin.

“I guarantee. It will be very interesting.”

“…”

“So much so that it will make your whole body shiver.”

Eventually, Melvin’s lips, twisted to an unsightly degree, touched Hister’s shoes.

Seeing the transparent tears of emotion wetting Hister’s shoes, Melvin seemed to have encountered it.

At the end of despair as thick as a swamp and as dark as night, the moment when the seed of hope he had cherished all his life finally sprouted.

[This is the timeline separator]

It was around morning when Elaina woke up.

“…”

Lying in bed, Elaina still had a somewhat dazed look on her face.

She blinked her eyes with that absent-minded expression, then suddenly realizing where she was lying, she abruptly sat up.

Then reflexively, she looked to the side where Sinclair had been lying.

But Sinclair was nowhere to be seen.

Only the coldly cooled sheets were there to greet her.

…Still, it being the first day, she wanted to at least say good morning.

Elaina wore a slightly regretful expression, then shortly after, she hesitated a little.

“Good morning…?”

What kind of fortunate thought was that? When she hadn’t even become a true wife to Sinclair.

“Lady Elaina, are you awake?”

At that moment, Judith’s careful voice was heard from beyond the closed door.

Elaina checked her appearance once more, then suddenly looked down at the sheet.

The part where Sinclair had cut his palm and stained with blood last night.

Yes. That should be enough to pretend to be a couple…

“…Huh?”

Elaina’s face, which had been wearing a self-deprecating smile, became a little ambiguous.

Between the blankets that had probably been carelessly pushed aside while sleeping.

Because of the bloodstain on the thin white slip where blue veins could be clearly seen through.

Sinclair’s blood, which had wet the sheet and hadn’t completely dried, had stamped like a seal.

It was strange. Even though his touch hadn’t reached there, it was just blood that had stained the slip. Why was her face turning red and her heart racing…

“Lady Elaina…?”

At Judith’s continued voice, Elaina hastily gathered her wits. Then she put on her long robe again to hide the bloodstain.

“I’m awake. It’s okay to come in, Judith.”

“Yes!”

With the answer, the closed door opened, and Judith’s brightly smiling face appeared.

“Did you sleep well… um… no…”

Judith, who still hadn’t quite shed her girlish air, fumbled for the right words, and Elaina smiled slightly as if finding it cute.

“Ah, no, it’s nothing! Would you like to take a bath first? Or should I prepare a meal?”

“I’m not thinking about a meal yet, so that’s fine, I’ll take a bath first…”

Would this unfamiliar, strange palpitation disappear along with Sinclair’s bloodstain on the slip being washed away by water?

Elaina hoped so.

“And I can take a bath by myself. I just go to the same place as yesterday, right?”

“But His Highness the Prince told me to take good care of you, Lady Elaina…”

“This is something I said I’d do alone, so it’s okay. So Judith, don’t worry and you can go back.”

“Just a moment, Lady Elaina! I have something else to tell you.”

Judith’s words that slowly followed were quite unexpected.