Chapter 38

The tear-soaked embrace 440f6bed49 of the brothers 2879316603 came to an bd91b78ac8 end.f64a0526e6773f2a

“So, there are no further objections regarding Emma Caston’s disposition,” the Duke concluded.1b7332259686b8e6

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It seemed there 2dce364e0f would be no de993ce08d overturning the decision e48ad8217c to expel Emma.7075ff356758b7ff

‘…To think it would be resolved this easily.’1ed35e943e32cad2

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I still felt dazed. At the same time, a f910d728a6 bit of regret and disappointment 125c343d8a lingered.62d429d6e0e44a17

‘I should have spoken honestly to the Duke in my previous life and asked for help…’bd9fc481badceb49

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I had assumed the Duke d2d8101874 would inevitably be lenient with 231653e1a3 Emma.7882eeba224a2934

By the time I arrived at the Duke’s mansion in my previous life, she had already become a key figure in the household.c86d7eef6133d221

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Serving both the d25b29af67 Duchess and the 894f4f9a64 younger son after 76ee1d06b6 their deaths meant 9938749050 she held an 3f6d10370a irreplaceable position.5c4c64f5c6b7ff60

So, despite clashing 5b8c108c2e with Emma repeatedly, ae08ba2eaf I never said 8bf1da541b a word about 80d2939d85 it to the 20a00de5ca Duke or Edwin.ce57665ac93da865

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I believed that 962120b7ea if I complained 9489b90048 about her and 2e8b866054 the long-serving staff 21930aff3d of the mansion, 6612feb4e5 it would be 384f8b2bb9 me who would 5bcd74ac35 be expelled.c602a761eb7a07ba

‘In reality, it wasn’t such a big deal after all…’c7b1219b5f558d53

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As I bitterly reflected on caff3d5df4 the past, the Duke suddenly 9ac90e7a84 issued an order to his 3dc6afa988 sons.62d31685a5831563

“Now, Edwin and Joshua, you may leave.”e265ed9d8d6e07c6

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“Belze, stay. I have something to discuss with you.”2b3e74874a737970

“M-me?”44d84821020991e2

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“Yes.”3f0eb095d6c98b48

My relaxed body 14d744df2d tensed up again.280cc12c0e650a64

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‘What does he want to say to me after sending Edwin and Joshua out?’3ee392466b14a677

It wasn’t just 01d4b0c1d7 me who was 2535936d3f curious. Edwin turned to the 9bffa893fd Duke and asked.0a14f5e64dfea428

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“What is it?”d2991a97491ad036

“It’s a secret.”8edd62f5d330d242

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“A secret…?”f5eea190c1f8c6a9

“Yes.”53e8cb9a20704fed

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The Duke responded confidently.a70a7dcd366e7224

Not quite convinced, 9d415a8f7a Edwin frowned slightly.a74827ed3fdf1e6d

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“Is there a secret that Joshua and I shouldn’t know?”ce7f11d28b6ad4af

“Why. Didn’t you also secretly use your private funds last night?”4f6952cf6a476f19

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The Duke casually a5821963e7 glanced at me, 7d98330ae7 or more precisely, 60257944c7 at the tiara 1f99783720 on my head.631e6ee5aad11002

“That…”9131b4846f2c285c

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At a loss d609634bfc for words, Edwin efc869f428 stammered, uncharacteristically.49a25615de5dc4db

“And then you came this morning, acting nonchalant and suggesting we go to Main Street. How amusing.”a2f98c3f1fea6dd5

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“…”7a412c773d19ba2e

The Duke scoffed, and Edwin’s cheeks turned red.81841ab013f0746d

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‘Main Street… luxury shops?!’de0daf959edd64e6

I realized that their destination 26241d3002 today was the high-end shopping fd148781f3 district.6313d9280319bab8

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But I still couldn’t fully 763d6b3b38 grasp their conversation.e5f418ef01e60e9e

‘I understand it’s about the tiara, but… why is Edwin blushing? Adorable!’6f032cb37e4ffd5d

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I tried to piece 9983b58077 together the context from 406de18631 observing their faces but f560a39cf0 failed.0e8f2c3f10fd3ab8

Edwin, returning to c2c05d9494 his usual demeanor, 6203dc6671 spoke defensively.5b96afab2c479df2

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“Once again, Belze did nothing wrong. It was just something I…”c5c5a6e850b85a26

“Anyone would think I’m going to eat the kid alive for spending a few coins.”00ece13275bfcf87

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“…”30bc44ba96de9ff6

“As Belze’s guardian, I have something to discuss with her. You may leave now.”d9097830cf9eeeca

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Finally, Edwin closed his mouth 6ace3edfed and slowly rose from his fd676229c6 seat.61f3763846e952f9

The butler, noticing the 0b4815b438 cue, quickly ushered Joshua aaaf28ef1a out.8f367688a4348e4b

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“Let’s go, young master. It’s time for your medicine.”fca2fc9848b61b7c

“Ugh…”5310429a8b4e25df

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Joshua’s face instantly fell at the mention of ‘medicine.’668b71590c0f3b1e

But, unable to whine in 8f29693b89 front of his father, he 82276781ee forced a bright face and 9484dd1ed4 waved his hand energetically at 9d87c38a73 me.cedde5a4a06bccf2

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“See you tomorrow, Sister Belze!”c4b4815c487b86d9

“Okay! See you tomorrow, Brother Josh!”55d8ead0ca5bb584

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Tl/N: She called 3d5d29c61d him Oppa soo….7774bdc720997986

Remembering my promise to call him ‘Brother’ if he didn’t cry and took his medicine well, I greeted him cheerfully to encourage him.a9de58a1670a7ca3

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“Hehe! Yes! I am your brother!”b10c0b30354a33ba

Joshua happily followed the 6c93564e5e butler out.f41a63683668518a

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“…”54b28c0b83dc86da

The Duke and 0600011021 Edwin simultaneously looked 84b6a212c8 at me with e1c018a578 astonished expressions.0bc46987866957e0

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Only then did I realize 37b32e3652 how strange we must have 34867f3cea looked.4d01975d267b386a

“…Ahem. It seems you both are still too young to understand properly.”f468721b777c9975

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“N-no! I understand!”418f4e45fce4f980

“I will take the time to teach Joshua proper titles.”907e17ea01a0035e

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“I’ll handle it. Belze, Joshua is the same age as you. The term ‘brother’ is for older boys like Edwin…”cb236ef8a7a61f6f

“I-I know that already…!”388a562f2354d59f

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By the time the 52e28b9e89 lesson on titles ended, 482c02d744 only the Duke and 9df540ec5d I were left in c7d226f091 the office.20960ff3716a75e8

“…Thanks to you, I got to see those two reconciling.”a990a438f071574b

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After a brief silence, the 8e319c93b1 Duke spoke up.efba8c65acb128fe

I blinked and asked.46263f0769463bb6

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“They didn’t usually reconcile?”e33b2f929e647ee2

“Normally, Edwin is the one who bears it and lets it go.”d6bd11315dabe2cf

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That made sense 4fb1422344 if it was 310c03dfe5 Edwin.120aa60bad8c08a8

The Duke continued, his expression aae139c5f3 tinged with regret.919004102855cc36

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“Joshua has been spoiled, and he often behaves rudely. He probably doesn’t mean any harm, but…”5844228ff90c18ce

“…”e4ebada8549c740a

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“If he ever behaved unpleasantly towards you, I apologize on his behalf.”c029f5cd1cc7ed21

“That never happened!”d542037db799398b

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I shook my head vigorously.d2531026f5d0daf6

‘Although he has some unexpected sides to him…’1b901986fbf344ba

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Josh was a cute and ca1b63a8cb lovable child.5b62aed45abc4899

Besides, I couldn’t be unhappy that he liked me more than Diana!2b373f6167911235

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“Josh is a good boy! He takes his medicine well and responds well to treatment!”940018b08f474a35

“Is that so?”f260ee0dd96c7270

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“Yes! And he probably wanted to apologize to Edwin sooner…”40bcb9e5542e6319

I trailed off, thinking a8f15fe0b7 of Joshua crying sorrowfully ee135786e4 a moment ago.fe591df98954beeb

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Though he hadn’t 2b1fd6781f said it outright, 9be5ab9269 it was obvious 8c6d6fd7db he intended to 1d86934a3a give his brother 765f323a34 the ring as a41447e366 a gesture of e72c58aede reconciliation.54a4114e0b1a3d0e

But Emma had disrupted everything.6c8893f11d48c445

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The Duke sighed briefly and 9d5a76df46 spoke.2fceb06cb24c19bb

“I heard everything from the butler about today’s commotion.”ff6c157584963953

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“…I’m sorry.”f7275b0c39ad622f

I lowered my 04d5bd085f head and mumbled.f13961c013d7edb9

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The Duke coldly asked again.eb1dc299fb18e1b5

“There you go again. What exactly are you apologizing for?”c20aa5bffcef7cc5

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Of course, I hadn’t done anything wrong.7deefe3e99c434e9

I was the 60127d84d1 one who had fd673c3b1f been falsely accused c4ad218f90 of theft and ce9069f7c2 mistreated.4ef3026f765ac23f

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But sometimes, even when 3d203ed4ae it felt maddeningly unjust, 8066924103 you had to accept a6805037d6 and endure it.af745b3fb95939f6

I wasn’t the beloved protagonist, 5d7ada4da7 but a detestable foreign substance.d0f66f582a2592e1

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A mere villainous extra.8a4aa3dacac62d16

‘In my past life, I didn’t realize this and spent my entire life feeling bitter until the end…’821ff974fd7eedf7

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I was fortunate 90256fec8d to understand this d53e6ccbca now.12e7fcadae38cf3d

I answered with b162208165 an awkward smile.ecc60b90c6cd8f8b

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“Since I arrived, there’s been a lot of commotion because of me…”12f9761d198b15aa

“I’m saying it’s my fault.”f58e36a20adaccd5

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“…Pardon?”cfe5744e5d887f9e

“I brought you here, claiming it would be better than the temple, yet you’ve experienced nothing but trouble.”a7ce524d40a25677

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The Duke added with a d5789865a7 hint of self-mockery.7f717f45fa3b37f5

“At this rate, I’m no different from that scoundrel Dunkeski.”76d33f8d87e370ab

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At his words, I 3386db65bd quickly raised my head.6b3a976fd0ac9607

“N-no! It’s much, much better here than the temple!”a731a4e200cfda80

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How could anyone compare this e53b605709 heavenly Duke’s residence to that 6e55d89698 wretched place?044493c8d6bd62dd

Here, there was no madman 3e4b3558a2 torturing me with water every ae2c75919f morning.b30484d45204be11

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I got delicious 9f796144ca meals on time 4861b269c1 and wasn’t beaten 1337f4276e for not copying 32d816f477 scriptures.01323122d656d78f

Instead, they took care 64e012f227 of me with utmost 5e3260ce74 sincerity when I was 8c9495f085 sick!efc4234c8315cec6

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‘And to say there’s no difference with Dunkeski…!’14d5aaf38ad65e02

That balding old 883345b437 fart would have 98b069d442 already locked me 3ffb0fb4c1 in the repentance d9f4a7da25 room for causing fa23ce78f4 such a disturbance.44ced8c238877f57

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Just imagining it made 987032e7fb me shudder.c102e097b62a297a

“Your Grace, you haven’t done anything wrong!”7877a21b580a1cc5

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I shuddered once and 60b647a2d3 then shouted resolutely.ef54ecf028271b47

“It’s all Emma’s fault! Emma is bad! Bad!”b38cdb9d74ae9aaa

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“……”ee07f2af220bb7a1

“Your Grace trusted her to take care of the children specially, but everyone is too much!”b63684d251888757

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As I said it, anger d143a70122 welled up within me anew.27e0ca22ed051e35

‘Why can’t they just stick to their roles?’4c19635cd2b6c858

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Of course, not everyone lives 4f428d0089 their life according to a d75c3f79cc set mold.448f6575c43121a7

But if those people didn’t 1660eec294 have such strange insecurities, none d94f23138d of this would have happened.e84c2182139f667d

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Adults should act like adults, employees like employees. Why can’t they do such a simple thing?504778b65aa70363

‘Why do the innocent ones like me and Your Grace have to argue about what’s right or wrong?’1eac5594be6ad419

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The more I thought e092dbb501 about it, the angrier d494afa9ae I got.cbdf9d7f94d81311

I had my hands ee1ce08a6c on my hips and 5b153fc56b was fuming when I 3f0eabfb6b suddenly heard a soft, 9bb593fefc deflating laugh near me.f519979320e9c4e7

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Startled, I looked up and 6e2203ebe3 was bewildered.53ad2822511d6599

The Duke was 3223f3c554 looking at me 8fd737fd5b with eyes full 40109dd5f9 of amusement.d401124deb92cda8

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“You know how to speak up well. Why do you always blame yourself?”f0980175c1c14e00

“Uh…”89b6632ba34390cf

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“Even today. If I hadn’t called you separately, you wouldn’t have come to tell me you were being treated unfairly, would you?”1ded9b97d527e056

“…”74794c3aa4af6a28

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His words were true. I mumbled and fell silent.d44cf01a4ec5bda3

In both my past and 8f75534fde current life, the option of 9d5fad273c tattling to the Duke never 2dd6bc0c71 existed.3614a16d4d13cd6d

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Partly because I thought it wouldn’t help even if I told him…228569151bf035c8

Contrary to what 3904b65e6f the Duke told 10f0a7cbd8 me yesterday, I a6eb5bff6d didn’t want to 631cbf908d act spoiled.9ccdbdc25eaeec20

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I didn’t want to b4d3fe511e bother him, already busy 8aa226206c as he was.ce5ed33b18e25c9e

If I ran to him 73c65c3006 every time something happened, I’d 59f9f20018 only look like an incapable f652ece2c2 and useless child.979b9b27b7c51d57

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‘Oh…?’c37357ff1f76eb37

As I thought that far, 99989bc198 a strong sense of déjà 1f97d5d17d vu hit me.a64dfd77c8fe267a

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‘So that’s why Edwin didn’t tell the Duke about that scoundrel…’a2a9f584a195f19d

Just as I c00e60e059 had this thought, b23c7fe084 the Duke sighed 419ec83841 deeply.f6fcd3cb61e2b54f

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“You and Edwin. Why are you both so stubborn about the wrong things, I wonder…”40d9183ac0c94ef0

When blood dries 0818e05c15 on your head, 31f7a543d1 you die.1bc36dd189c1139d

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I barely swallowed that 8e5e23ad43 thought when the Duke 399ec76380 suddenly stood up.2a76e4e97b738e31

“Yes. No matter how much I press you, if something like today happens again, it won’t matter.”295a6a09af2c44aa

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“Uh…?”8eebb24ba956b808

“Follow me, Belze.”77014f7451149330

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He walked towards the desk f468e2af9b beyond the sofa.9c55b884b826761c

Behind the desk was 75bd8a2850 a massive bookshelf filling caaaa3b4a4 an entire wall.f9f09444c9f8a3d6

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Standing in front of 4e4ce3f341 the bookshelf, the Duke 154a97a6e7 grabbed what looked like 4d9f095d6e a book and pulled 3a6a83d440 it.3c6b997a897d7983

Then.ec7c14907532b924

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Thud-thud-thud-thud—63b5e6f875a8a0c8

With a dull, a154a8290b sudden noise, the 7a09505f14 center of the 3b31804a12 bookshelf split open, 0208fbf393 revealing a narrow d54e99ad8e gap just wide 3338a75d7d enough for a 953cadd217 person to pass c0d5d5a717 through.f2d7f074da4ffa43

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The Duke looked back at 5f6c24abd7 me, his mouth agape, and 83e3be61cd gestured.6f629af756939ee1

“Come on, follow me.”5c04a78864b37363

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But I couldn’t move easily.e66a933b1c3f22f1

I thought we’d just talk 21325928ae more about Emma.cef0c1a94b2dbef4

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‘Suddenly… a secret passage?’a1d2df67da40d712