“You really are an incredible actor. I thought you were a professional. I almost got completely fooled.”
Celia Brillion entered Dietrich Calypso’s room and said with a sense of relief.
Yet, Dietrich remained silent, merely staring down at her face.
“What? Is something on my face?”
Dietrich, who had just tidied Celia Brillion’s hair, asked quietly.
“……Are you okay?”
She hadn’t expected him to ask if she was alright.
Celia Brillion awkwardly avoided his gaze.
“Mm, I’m fine. It’s all in the past now. And now I have you too.”
“…….”
The atmosphere turned strange. It hadn’t been like this earlier, when they were pretending to be lovers.
Celia Brillion realized too late that she had made a mistake by saying that.
He, more than anyone, was consumed by vengeance toward the past—yet she had casually dismissed it as something long gone.
Even if he thought her odd, what could she do? Their relationship was strictly one of necessity, nothing more, nothing less.
Deciding there was no need to correct herself, Celia Brillion shifted the topic to ease the tension.
“So, are we going to keep pretending to be lovers in front of others from now on? Then, how about sleeping arrangements at night……”
The atmosphere sank even further.
Celia Brillion looked up at Dietrich with a complicated expression.
He slowly blinked his eyes before finally speaking.
“If you don’t like it, you can quit anytime. We chose this approach because it’s best that no one suspects we’re conspiring together.”
“For someone who supposedly didn’t want to do this, you were awfully convincing.”
“Maybe we just happen to work well together.”
Celia Brillion nodded. He was right.
The imperial throne remained vacant, and two of the Three Dukes were openly moving about the palace.
Under these circumstances, continuing to play the role of lovers would only benefit them, not harm them.
The discomfort would be brief, but if they showed even a single crack, their entire plan might fall apart.
“……Celia.”
Dietrich called her name as she was lost in thought.
“Don’t worry too much. Nothing bad will happen.”
[This is the timeline separator]“Hey. Have you heard the news? Apparently, His Highness the Crown Prince was imprisoned in the tower yesterday. Lord Calypso himself put him there, charging him with the massacre of innocent people.”
“Goodness! Does this mean Lord Calypso is finally showing interest in the throne?”
The palace guards were enthusiastically discussing the matter.
“I heard a knight asked, and he flatly said he has no interest in the throne.”
“Why on earth not? Hardly anyone would oppose Calypso taking the throne……”
The guard gave his colleague a frustrated look.
“Listen, it’s not as simple as you think. There are still the Three Dukes, and Her Majesty the Empress is still very much alive. Just imprisoning the sole heir to the throne is already a bold move.”
The listening knight vigorously nodded in agreement.
“Hold on, what about the Brillion’s Angel, who was the Crown Prince’s consort?”
“Haven’t you heard? She’s apparently involved with Lord Calypso.”
“Wha—really?”
“There were more than a few witnesses. I can’t help but envy Lord Calypso……”
The knight, who had been chattering nonstop, suddenly stopped mid-sentence.
A man dressed in black robes, his hood pulled nearly over his face, had silently approached.
He even tried to walk straight past the guards into the palace, as if he hadn’t seen them at all.
His movements were so smooth and snake-like that the knights stood stunned for a moment before snapping back to attention.
“State your identity. No one can enter the palace unannounced.”
“…….”
In response to the knight’s demand, the man’s lips beneath the hood curled into a crooked smile.
The pale skin visible below his nose sharply contrasted with his red lips.
“No matter how long it’s been, not recognizing me is rather disappointing.”
The man’s cheerful tone made the knights exchange uncertain glances.
“And showing off my handsome face to you lot would be too much of a loss for me.”
“……?”
The knights stared at him as if he were a madman.
The man shook his head sideways and pulled something out from beneath his robe.
“This should be more than enough to prove who I am.”
The knights’ eyes widened to the size of saucers at the sight.
It was a crest: a massive white serpent coiled tightly around a golden staff from top to bottom.
There was no mistaking it.
Excluding the national flag of Abelon, there were only three noble houses in Abelon that used a serpent as their family crest.
A red serpent wrapped around a sword and shield belonged to the Portman Dukedom.
A large black serpent coiled around a white cross belonged to the Gredrick Dukedom.
And finally, the crest of the Servantes Dukedom: a massive white serpent entwined around a golden staff.
“Servantes Go, Your Grace? Are you truly Lord Arthur Servantes?”
“If you recognize me, then open the gate. I need to go in.”
Arthur waved his hand dismissively, as if shooing away a fly.
The motion caused the golden bracelet on his arm to jingle softly.
“We’re terribly sorry for not recognizing you!”
The guards quickly bowed and opened the palace gates.
Arthur stepped into the palace, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.
The crisp air carried on the wind filled his lungs.
In truth, he wasn’t practicing deep breathing—he was reading the concentration of the most beautiful scent drifting through the air.
Soon, his golden eyes flashed sharply.
“……Found it.”
[This is the timeline separator]“Master, Arthur Servantes is an extremely dangerous man. Why have you summoned him to the palace?”
One of Ileon Gredrick’s subordinates asked with concern.
Ileon Gredrick didn’t look up from the scripture he was reading as he replied.
“To deal with someone who isn’t sane, you need someone even less sane to stop them.”
“Do you mean Lord Calypso when you say ‘someone less sane’?”
Instead of answering, Ileon Gredrick smiled gently.
His clear blue eyes sparkled brightly beneath his slightly downturned eyelids.
“Well. It might be just Lord Calypso. Or it might be two people.”
“…….”
Ileon Gredrick inserted a bookmark shaped like a white cross into the page he had been reading and spoke.
“Besides, all Three Dukes must agree for someone to inherit the throne. Bringing someone who’s holed up in his territory and refuses to come out to the palace was an unavoidable choice.”
“Master, may I ask what you wrote in the letter to Duke Servantes?”
Seeing the subordinate’s curiosity, Ileon Gredrick gently stroked his chin.
“Have you ever wondered why a man obsessed with beauty to the point of preserving it as a specimen would avoid seeing Celia Brillion, the woman rumored to be the most beautiful?”
“No. I thought that was strange as well.”
“……Because his expectations for her are too high. He fears that if he sees her in person and she fails to meet those expectations, he’ll feel deeply disappointed.”
Hearing Ileon Gredrick’s words, the subordinate shivered with unease.
“So, according to you, Duke Servantes wanted to confirm whether the rumors about her beauty were true, but deliberately avoided seeing her because he feared being terribly disappointed if she turned out to be ordinary?”
“Exactly.”
“Truly…… a man completely devoid of sanity.”
At the subordinate’s remark, Ileon Gredrick chuckled amusedly.
“I’ve seen her in person. She won’t disappoint your expectations at all. She’s in the palace—let him come if he dares, or stay locked in his estate if he prefers. That’s what I wrote in the letter.”
“…….”
Ileon Gredrick shifted his gaze from his subordinate to the window, through which the entire palace grounds were clearly visible.
“He might already be here by now. Even if he is a madman, his reputation as a genius mage is no lie.”
[This is the timeline separator]Dietrich Calypso went every day to the stables located on the outskirts of the palace to personally feed the horses hay and water.
It was one of the daily routines he always kept.
Celia Brillion had wanted to accompany him, but he insisted the stables were smelly and that feeding only took a short time, so he would go alone and return quickly.
“If anything happens while I’m gone, use the dagger immediately.”
“…….”
Only after seeing Celia Brillion nod did Dietrich Calypso leave the mansion.
Celia Brillion wondered if Dietrich was being overly protective.
This place wasn’t the underground prison where she had once been trapped—it was Dietrich’s mansion, and Sir Anderson, his right-hand man, was also here.
Even though two dukes were freely moving about the palace, with the Crown Prince imprisoned in the tower, Celia Brillion couldn’t imagine anything bad happening to her.
After all, Dietrich had been by her side nearly every day—how much danger could there be in his brief absence?
Celia Brillion tucked the dagger into her clothes and dismissed her worries.
To pass the time, she took a philosophy book from the bookshelf.
She had just settled into a plush sofa and opened the book.
Knock knock.
Suddenly, a knocking sound came.
But it wasn’t from the door—it came from the window.
“This is the third floor. There’s no way a knock could come from the window, realistically?”
Thinking she must have misheard, Celia Brillion turned the page.
Flutter.
As she was reading the philosopher’s note written on the first page.
Knock knock.
The knocking came again.
This time, it came not from the window, but from the bookshelf.
Celia Brillion stopped turning the page and stared at the bookshelf.
But there was no one there.
She narrowed her eyes and tilted her head in confusion.
“What is this?”
“Who’s there?”
Celia Brillion looked around cautiously, but the large room was empty except for herself.
Just in case, she quickly checked the attached bathroom.
She peered inside the large bathtub—nothing was there.
Just as Celia Brillion was about to step out of the bathroom after confirming no one was inside.
Bang! The bathroom door slammed shut with force.
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.”
