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I woke up frowning at the blinding sunlight. While I wondered for a moment because it seemed so intense for a morning sun, it quickly evaporated because of my creaking body.
“Ah…”
Even my voice was hoarse. I wrapped my hands around my neck and remembered the events of yesterday.
Was love affairs originally this intense?
I had never been in a relationship before this possession, so I didn’t know the general criteria. No matter how much I thought about it, it seemed like too much…
“Yes.”
I tried to get out of bed, but as soon as the soles of my feet touched the floor, I was surprised to feel sore.
“What…”
As I glanced down, I could see that both my feet were covered in bandages. The meticulously wound shape was surprising, but the pain was even more surprising.
…What happened?
Lucian was the only one to suspect. Come to think of it, I couldn’t remember how it ended yesterday.
‘Don’t tell me I fainted…’
Did I just pass out?
What did he do to my feet after that? Hey, no matter how much he bites and sucks, my feet were a bit too much. There wouldn’t be any pain if it was from biting and sucking there, right? Still, seeing the arms and legs not moving as intended, it seemed that it was not that either.
“Amber?”
I barely called out in a voice that didn’t come out, but it seemed that no one was in the room.
“Haa, my back hurts so much…”
Perhaps it was because I was lying down too much, but the throbbing pain forced me to stand up.
After forcing my feet into the slippers I usually wear, I walked towards the sofa a little away. Every time I walked, my heels, insteps and my whole body throbbed. Barely reaching the sofa, I sat down slowly.
There was nowhere that did not hurt, so I was taking a breather for a while when the door opened.
“Miss…!”
“Amber… I need some water…”
“I was going to bring it even if you didn’t ask.”
Saying that, she hurried over to me and put the tray down. As she poured water from the pot and handed me a glass, her complexion looked unsightly, so I asked before I drank.
“What’s wrong with your face? Did you lose sleep?”
Hearing my words, Amber’s expression became more serious.
When the lukewarm water flowed down my throat, that alone cracked open and relieved my sore throat. Meanwhile, Amber still had a hard expression, not knowing what to do.
“What, why? What’s going on…?”
“Miss…”
“What?”
“…I think that woman took over your body last night.”
“That woman?”
“That… you know—”
It wasn’t long before I informed Amber about Cassandra. I had spoken to Oscar and Damian beforehand because of Cassandra, who often popped out during my time in the South, but I told Amber after I came over to the Duke’s residence.
I mean, after I nearly lost my body to Cassandra, I had to replenish my magical energy with Oscar, and in order to do so, I decided it would be better to tell Amber, who was closest to me, in advance.
“Cassandra?”
“Yes, Miss disappeared last night, and the mansion was in a mess.”
“….”
The moment I heard the story from Amber, I was stunned
.I thought that with Oscar’s help, I would be all right though it seemed that I was suddenly stabbed in the back of my head. Could she take over my body while I was asleep? She didn’t just use the illusions like before, she moved my body herself?
The realization surprised me and I couldn’t even breathe properly. My cold fingertips crumpled my skirt.
“Then… does Lucian know?”
“The Duke woke me up. He must have been very surprised that Miss had disappeared…”
“Haa…”
I rubbed my forehead and leaned back on the sofa.
“Could she have come out every night?”
When I muttered something that came to mind roughly, Amber added the words with an ‘Ah.’
“Could it be that she was the one who had taken out all the jewelry?”
Her words gave me goosebumps. Like a sleepwalker, I wandered around every night, yet I didn’t remember it at all.
Somehow, at some point, I didn’t feel refreshed when I woke up. I wondered if it was just because of the magic, so I went to visit Oscar and replenished my magic. But actually, it was the two souls that prevented the body from resting and lacked physical strength…?
…Then, it had nothing to do with magic.
“Amber, isn’t it morning now?”
“Yes, it is a little after noon.”
Confused, I didn’t know what to do.
Should I tell Lucian about Cassandra, or should I hide it until the end? Also, what should I do to prevent Cassandra from appearing? I wished someone would let me know… something like a way to get rid of the ghost that wants to take over this body.
Amber looked at me at a loss for what to do and asked cautiously.
“Wouldn’t it be good to tell the Duke, too?”
It felt like my frozen thoughts were moving at her words. As she said, I also wanted to tell Lucian honestly everything.
…Would he believe me?
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Would that mean that I was a flawed human being but that it was just an incident or one of the minor misfortunes? Leaning on him seemed like everything would be comfortable, but I’d already had a similar experience.
My younger brother, Ahn Sihoo
In the past, I was torn apart by the abuse and neglect of my adoptive parents. It was especially so because of Sihoo, who often pointed at me and cried.
At that time, I couldn’t hate Sihoo. Taking away my place wasn’t enough, I was envious and jealous of my little brother because he seemed to further separate me and my adoptive parents. However, after my younger brother grew up, something unexpected happened.
My younger brother, who bullied me, called me this one day.
“Sister.”
How much did that one word mean?
After hours I still don’t know.
I, who had been drifting like a buoy among my family, was able to settle down there as a family with that one word from my younger brother.
Sihoo, who was somewhat bigger, followed me and called me ‘sister.’
It would have been nice if I had seen the expressions on my adoptive parents’ faces back then. I couldn’t forget the way they looked at their son with unfamiliar eyes with a white face. It was actually thrilling.
I hated the adults who brought me in and left me alone, and abused me… though Sihoo, the youngest in our family, overturned it.
From then on, I loved my younger brother. When I was with my younger brother, my adoptive parents couldn’t treat me carelessly… no, rather, they tried their best to be nice to me like before. They must have wanted to be good parents in front of their own son.
He was the youngest in the family, but in fact, he was also the one who held the most power.
After that moment, I started leaning on everything in the name of taking care of my younger brother.
…What was the outcome?
“Sigh.”
I took a deep breath because of the vividly emerging past. Did I really need to set foot on a road that had no end?
“…Keep it a secret for the time being, Amber.”
“Miss…”
“I will tell him. I…”
Afraid of having another fit, I clenched my fists tightly. I pressed my fingernails against my skin, trying to come to my senses, I was able to catch my dizzy mind and hastening breath. Eventually, I finished answering Amber.
“…When I’m ready. I’ll tell Luci directly then. I want you to keep it a secret as well.”
Amber gazed at me with worried eyes and held my hand.
“…Miss.”
She forced my hand open like someone who knew everything I had done. I could see her expression darkened at the sight of my deeply dug bloody palms but then struggled to brighten up as she uttered while placing a handkerchief on my palm.
“I receive my salary from the Duchy, but my master is Miss.”
“…Thank you.”
“Miss. Miss has been so calm and kind since childhood, except for the occasional strange act.”
“…Strange, pitiful act. Finally, you admitted it.”
“Huh, of course, your stomach gets bloated without the spicy sauce.”
“Tasty spicy food is an addiction.”
“I can’t help but admit it.”
She stopped the bleeding and bandaged the wounds on both my hands. As the stinging area increased, I seemed to come back to my senses.
Amber, who was staring at me, said quietly.
“Don’t stay quiet any longer, Miss.”
“…Huh?”
“Right now, go around the Duchy.”
“Why?”
“I bet no one will stop Miss, right?”
“….”
“Miss, you don’t know what your position is. Not only the current Duke, but also the previous Duke will hand out a blank check if it’s anything about Miss. Do you still not know what that means?”
I knew what Amber was trying to say in my head, and I could see why she was saying this. Still, it seemed that the scars I had already felt through my skin still couldn’t escape from the past, so I just nodded slightly.
I wanted to change, too.
I wanted to get out of the past and stand up with my own strength. To do so, I had to take Amber’s advice. Who would give me this kind of advice if not the one who helped me closest?
“Aren’t you hungry?”
“Hungry.”
Feeling like crying for no reason, I rubbed my eyes with the back of my hand. I didn’t want to cry anymore over this.
“Then, I will bring the meal…”
The door suddenly opened as Amber spoke and straightened her bent leg, and Lucian approached me with big strides.