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I wanted to throw the door open right away and shout at Rosia.
I wanted to ask what her ulterior motive was for crawling into this house, and kick her out immediately.
But I barely managed to calm myself, recalling what Ayla had said.
"What we talked about today has to be kept a secret for the time being."
"Keep it a secret? Why?"
"Rosia has enough Magic skill to manipulate the Paternity test magic tool. If she finds out that her identity has been revealed, she will never stand still."
"Does that mean we could be in danger?"
"Yes, so please bear with it and wait until we get decisive evidence."
Even after saying that, Ayla seemed still uneasy, repeatedly urging her mother and me.
Until everything is revealed, don't offend Rosia and stay as quiet as possible.
Frankly, I didn't quite understand why we had to go that far.
No matter how great Rosia is, how could she be safe after turning the entire Duke's Noble house against her?
But Ayla seemed to have anticipated my puzzled reaction, and asked me to listen to her request if I had a sincere heart.
How could I act as I pleased after hearing those words?
Cedric suppressed his emotions and slowly approached Gerard.
"Brother, what are you doing here?"
"Ah... Cedric."
Gerard glanced to the side, then turned his gaze back to the door.
"I'm a little worried about Rosia. I heard she didn't attend the academy today because she wasn't feeling well."
"...Not feeling well?"
"Yeah, she must have been very tired after the Subjugation Contest, she hasn't been eating well. I only found out because the maid told me. So I came to see her and have a conversation... but she won't open the door."
After saying that, Gerard swept his face with a long sigh.
Soon, he turned to Cedric with a pale face.
"Hey, Cedric. Shouldn't we forgive Rosia now?"
"Forgive?"
"Yeah, of course, it was reckless of Rosia to accuse Ayla back then... but anyone can make mistakes."
"..."
"When I thought about it, I could understand Rosia's feelings to some extent. She must have resented Ayla, even if she didn't show it. Even we haven't forgotten Ayla yet."
Seeing Gerard worrying about Rosia without knowing anything, Cedric once again felt the urge to reveal the truth.
Our real sister is not Rosia, who is locked in this room, but Ayla, who was kicked out of the house.
The person my brother should be worried about right now is not Rosia, but someone completely different.
But Cedric swallowed his words, recalling Ayla's advice.
And seeing that, Gerard noticed that the anger in Cedric's heart was still there.
He lowered his voice even more and said soothingly.
"And you know, there's been a lot of talk among people because Ayla played a big role in this Subjugation Contest."
"Ha."
As soon as he heard those words, Cedric burst into a hollow laugh without realizing it.
Seeing his brother's worried face, he couldn't help but laugh even more.
"People always make a fuss over nothing. There's no need to pay attention."
"That's true, but Rosia won't feel good if she keeps hearing those things..."
Cedric felt frustrated seeing him still believing that Rosia was his real sister.
'Maybe that's why Ayla asked us to keep it a secret?'
Both Father and Brother firmly believed that Rosia was their real daughter.
In this situation, it seemed useless to insist that Ayla was the real family, no matter how much I claimed it.
Unless the Paternity test magic tool supported my claim.
"It can't be helped as long as Rosia lives as a Princess Consort of the Blanche Noble house. Ayla went through that countless times too. Don't you remember?"
As soon as he brought up the old story, Gerard's face darkened.
"That's right... Ayla suffered a lot because of that too."
Cedric ignored Gerard, who looked somewhat solemn, and turned to the door.
If Gerard's words were true, Rosia might be listening to their argument from inside.
The thought of her pretending not to be and straining her ears made him want to vomit, but Cedric took a deep breath and calmed himself down.
'If I have to deceive Rosia anyway...'
It might be better to act more convincingly and dig up her weaknesses.
Although Ayla asked him to stay still, how could he leave that fragile child alone to handle everything?
Cedric felt the need to act more rationally than to react emotionally as usual.
He sighed deeply and gently grabbed and released Gerard's shoulder.
At the same time, he raised his voice slightly.
"Anyway, I understand what you're trying to say, brother. Why wouldn't I be worried about Rosia? She's my sister, for better or worse."
"Cedric..."
"Of course, I'm not confident that I can reconcile right now... but I'll try. Anyway, Rosia seems to be having a hard time right now."
After speaking, Cedric awkwardly raised the corners of his lips.
Every word he uttered was disgusting, but it seemed like a perfect lie.
Gerard looked relieved that his stubborn younger brother had accepted his words more readily than he had expected.
"Thank you for saying that, Cedric."
Cedric nodded briefly and turned around as if nothing had happened.
He wasn't sure if Rosia had heard this conversation or not.
However, from tomorrow, he was planning to approach Rosia as if he had completely forgiven her, as he had told Gerard.
After all, the only thing he could do right now was to monitor Rosia from the side.
Of course, even if he tried this hard, Ayla would never forgive him.
Maybe he would never be forgiven for the rest of his life. The things he had done had hurt Ayla's heart that much.
'But this is the only way I can atone.'
Besides, he was also sincerely hoping for it.
The moment when everything is revealed and Rosia is kicked out of the Blanche Noble house and pays for her sins.
I don't even know how I got back to the dormitory.
Ayla cooled her face with her cold hands, trying to calm her pounding heart.
'How can he suddenly ask what we are?'
As soon as the kiss ended, he changed the subject as if nothing had happened, so I was relieved that it was just a brief happening.
But I was caught off guard and he asked so persistently.
To be honest, my mind went blank at that moment and I couldn't say anything.
'So I stammered like an idiot and ran away...'
The more I recalled what happened earlier, the more embarrassed I felt. Then, suddenly, a feeling of injustice soared.
'No, I did that much... does he have to ask what I feel?'
Just by willingly accepting his kiss, I had made my intentions clear enough.
Felix seemed to have guessed her feelings to some extent, judging by the confident look on his face when he asked.
But he kept asking what we were.
'It's too mean.'
But on the other hand, I could understand Felix's feelings.
If Felix had acted ambiguously like her and hadn't given her a definite answer, Ayla would have felt frustrated too.
Felix always approached her first. He was never ashamed and always expressed all his feelings honestly.
She was the only one who always ran away from him.
The moment she remembered that fact, Ayla slumped to the floor and soon admitted reality.
'...Okay. I guess it's time for me to honestly tell Felix how I feel.'
I know it in my head, but strangely, all my confidence disappears when I stand in front of Felix.
I wonder if he's already tired of me for hesitating, and whether I, who have nothing, can dare to covet his place.
I kept worrying and hesitating.
'More than anything, what if Felix gets hurt because of me?'
She knew that it was cowardly to always run away.
But as long as she remembers the tragic ending of the original story, it was not easy to be brave.
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