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‘Hoo.’
Ayla, who let out a sigh of relief inwardly, this time looked at Cedric with an anxious face.
He must have been deeply captivated by Emotion Manipulation Magic by now.
Considering how severe Gerard's condition was last time, his condition would certainly not be much different.
But at that moment.
A tear, two tears, fell from Cedric's eyes.
"Rosia always said you seemed to ignore and bully her."
Ayla blinked in surprise at the sight of him crying, as he rarely shed tears.
She wouldn't have been surprised if he had been angry or shouted at her, but suddenly shedding tears?
Besides, his eyes seemed to have a relatively clear light, different from before.
‘Could it be… has the Emotion Manipulation Magic been lifted?’
It was absurd.
In the original story, he only regretted it after she died.
For him to overcome Rosia's Magic with his own power like Irene.
It was unbelievable.
Even while thinking that, Ayla felt her heart waver as she looked at him.
Before Rosia appeared, they were truly affectionate siblings.
If he had escaped Rosia's brainwashing and regained his sincerity towards her...
Her heart pounded, beating fast.
Cedric lowered his head.
He whispered to Ayla in a trembling voice.
"I know it's really shameless to say this now. But... I've always been bothered that I couldn't grant your request when you left the Noble house."
"..."
"I want to apologize to you now and fix our relationship."
At that moment, Ayla foolishly felt this impulse.
She wanted to be swayed by Cedric's kind words.
She wanted to hold his hand again and restore their old relationship.
But Ayla soon realized the reality with Cedric's next words.
"So, can't you come back to the Noble house? I'll talk to Rosia. I'll make sure you don't feel uncomfortable adapting back into the family."
Cedric still believed that Rosia was his sister without a doubt.
Soon, a hollow laugh hung on her lips.
‘It seems the brainwashing hasn't been completely lifted. But still, this is a big change.’
She tried to think calmly.
In any case, it shouldn't be revealed right now that Cedric had regained his ego to some extent.
‘Of course, Rosia would have noticed to some extent by looking at the situation, but if she knew his exact condition, who knows what she would do to him.’
It wasn't difficult to completely undo Cedric's brainwashing as it was.
All she had to do was reveal what Rosia's true identity was.
But if that happened, Cedric would not be able to hide his negative feelings towards Rosia.
Cedric was the type of person who couldn't hide his feelings from a long time ago.
‘I haven't yet found a way to reveal the fact that Rosia is a fake in front of everyone.’
In such a situation, it was not good to reveal her secret recklessly.
Her father and Gerard were still under suggestion.
If Rosia realized that she was cornered, who knew what she would do.
The conclusion was one.
She could not accept Cedric's apology until a plan to completely corner Rosia came out.
Ayla hardened her lips.
Then, she opened her mouth in a voice that excluded as much emotion as possible.
"Wasn't that a closed chapter?"
"Ayla, I..."
"If you wanted to catch me, you should have done it before I left the Blanche Noble house."
Cedric tightly closed his eyes at Ayla's cold voice.
He fully understood Ayla's heart, which was rebuking him.
He would have felt disgusted if he heard his own words now.
But that didn't mean that her cold attitude didn't hurt his heart.
"I don't want to talk anymore, so I'll go first."
"......"
Ayla, who got up from her seat with a rustle, turned her back without a word.
But after a while, she turned around with an 'ah'.
Then Ayla said in a firm voice.
"Don't push Rosia too hard because of this. The more you do that, the more she will hate me."
"......"
"That's the only way you can help me, Cedric."
Cedric felt as if his heart was sinking to the ground at Ayla's cold words.
But he couldn't bring himself to hold her back any longer.
He thought that would be the same as tormenting Ayla.
Kadin, who came out into the hallway, looked at Rosia with cold eyes.
Rosia was looking at him with pitiful eyes, but even that appearance felt disgusting.
He looked at Rosia and suppressed his anger as much as possible.
He wanted to lash out and ask if she had always treated Ayla that way.
But Rosia was someone who would become his spouse someday.
He had to keep a proper distance from Rosia and get along well with her if he didn't want to create troublesome things.
Kadin asked Rosia patiently.
"While waiting outside, I unintentionally heard you raising your voice."
"Yes..."
"I heard that you were the one who reported Ayla. I don't intend to criticize that. If it's true that she raised the egg of Monsters, she deserves to be punished."
"......"
"But wasn't it unnecessary to slap someone who claims to be innocent?"
At that moment, Rosia covered her face with both hands.
Then she shrugged her shoulders slightly. Tears fell from her eyes in drops.
It was a sight that anyone would feel sorry for.
"Hic, hic. I... I'm so upset."
Kadin looked at Rosia with a slightly embarrassed face.
"I'm supposed to be your fiancé... why are you only taking Ayla's side, Kadin?"
Rosia was trying to gain Kadin's sympathy by acting tearfully.
He was by no means someone who would abandon his duty.
If she pretended to be greatly hurt, he would surely try to fix it somehow.
After all, Kadin didn't want to be on bad terms with her, who would be his future spouse.
Rosia eventually expected him to take her side out of necessity.
"I didn't want to do this either. But I hated Ayla so much."
Tears streamed down Rosia's cheeks. As if a flood had occurred, tears poured out endlessly.
"I tried to understand that Ayla lived comfortably as a Princess Consort while I wandered the streets. But..."
"......"
"I couldn't stand the thought that she not only took Kadin's attention but also unfairly took the top spot."
Rosia glanced at Kadin.
She thought he would comfort her, who was pitiful, at this point. But Kadin was just looking at Rosia without saying a word.
‘How long are you going to be quiet?’
It was getting hard to even cry.
She felt considerable pain because she stimulated her eyes with Mana to squeeze out forced tears.
But there was one thing Rosia didn't know.
Kadin was a person who felt more and more resistance the more someone strongly bound him.
Soon, a cold voice landed in her ear.
"I understand how you feel, but it's not your place to find out the truth about this. Rosia."
Kadin could clearly see Rosia's intentions.
She was probably thinking that if she pretended to cry moderately and gained sympathy, he would have no choice but to take her side.
After all, he and she would be married in the distant future, so she was hoping he would just let it go.
Perhaps that's why Kadin was feeling deep annoyance even while looking at Rosia, who was shedding tears.
She was not pathetic, but rather disgusting.
He said firmly to Rosia.
"And my heart is not something you can control. Of course, I will have no choice but to marry you, but if you keep laying your hands on Ayla like this, I might change my mind."
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