“Do you want to see black tulips? There are very well-grown ones in my glass greenhouse. I should bring them right away, maybe tomorrow.”
“…….”
Liz slowly turned around.
He was indeed here.
Damyang Montaner, the Grand Duke of Sobjeong, looked no different from the last time she saw him.
At the end of the long life as the Grand Duke, there was a moment when she thought he might become the emperor, but at the moment, the past that was shaken off had no influence on his appearance and demeanor.
Liz tried to widen her skirt and bow her waist, trying to be courteous, but Duke Montaner was faster.
“Sir Damyang Montaner, greets Empress Her Majesty.”
“Ah…”
Liz fumbled with a perplexed expression.
“Hwa… Empress, Your Majesty? I’m still just the fiancée, not the empress.”
“It’s good to get used to it in advance.”
Grand Duke Montaner said good-naturedly. Liz blinked, unsure of how to respond. Once again, she felt the lack of a proper response for such sudden moments.
“By the way, I didn’t know Her Majesty wanted to see black tulips. If I had known earlier, I would have shown them when you visited our house…”
There was a regretful expression on the duke’s face. Liz wasn’t disappointed; she just felt embarrassed.
Thinking about why he had visited that house earlier, she recalled. The duke seemed to have the same thought, as he pricked Liz’s conscience.
“Come to think of it, fate between people is quite strange. Back then, it was a time when marriage talks were going on, but now you meet as Empress and nephew-in-law. Haha.”
“…….,” Liz felt that at this moment, she could sense what he was thinking from the subtle look he cast her way.
‘A mischievous one. If only he had hidden his relationship with Hera and deceived me.’
However, Grand Duke Montaner quickly returned with a polite look, bowing his head.
“Was I too impudent? It was meant to be a joke. I apologize. Please forgive me.”
“It’s fine. It’s in the past, no big deal. Also…”
“…….,”
“You don’t have to show the black tulips. I’m curious, but I’ll see them when the flowers bloom in the garden later.”
Liz didn’t want to stay here any longer. She was always awkward in face-to-face encounters, whether it was before or now.
“Then, I’ll take my leave.”
She lightly bowed and tried to move away from him. But then, a sudden gust of cold wind made Liz unknowingly wrap her shoulders and shiver.
“Oh, you’re wearing thin clothes.”
Grand Duke Montaner approached, quickly removing his outer garment and putting it around Liz’s shoulders without giving her a chance to refuse.
His touch was strangely assertive, making it not easy to shake him off.
“A woman’s body should always be warm, right? That’s what my late sister-in-law used to say.”
“…….,”
“Sister-in-law always told me various stories.”
With that statement, Liz asked in a tone filled with suspicion.
“Were you close to Empress Sun?”
“Of course. Sometimes, I got along better with my sister-in-law than my late brother. So, she entrusted her son to me, didn’t she?”
If it weren’t for the stories she had heard from Hershis and read in the original work, Liz would have undoubtedly believed that blatant lie.
There were no traces of falsehood in his face and tone. It was clear he could perfectly deceive even himself.
Liz wanted to leave this place quickly. Despite the coat draped over her shoulders, the chill did not subside. Perhaps it was not due to the gusty wind, but rather the coldness emanating from this man’s loss of humanity.
“Thank you for the clothes. I’ll wash and return them to your quarters.”
Liz turned away. However, before she could take a step, his words stopped her.
“I heard from the prison guard yesterday that your sister attempted suicide.”
“…….,”
“Just so you know.”
“Su… Suicide… attempted? Lilia?”
Liz couldn’t believe it. Lilia wasn’t someone with such a weak spirit. On the contrary, she was a strong girl who armed herself with all sorts of pretenses to survive. She even brainwashed herself into believing that those pretenses were her true self.
But Grand Duke Montaner wouldn’t lie.
Why would he lie about something that would soon be revealed?
“It seems she ingested arsenic secretly hidden in her clothes.”
“…….,”
“Anyway, I thought I should inform you. Although the Emperor ordered to keep it quiet, being sisters who share the same blood, you should know. Isn’t that right, Your Majesty?”
Liz felt a hazy feeling in her mind, as if covered in a faint fog.
Confusion and discomfort spread within the mist, but she couldn’t blame the messenger for delivering news she ought to know.
Even if his intentions weren’t pure.
“That doesn’t seem to be my uncle’s concern.”
Suddenly, a familiar voice cut through the tense atmosphere, awakening Liz’s dazed mind.
Both Liz and Grand Duke Montaner turned towards that direction.
Hershis was walking towards them.
Her gaze was sharp as a blade.
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.”
