IRY 19

chapter 19

The man was lounging back, seated at the same eye level as Alice. And yet, for some reason, it felt as though he were looking down at her from above.

What bad luck…

Contrary to her inner thoughts, Alice pretended to be flustered by the sudden situation. She rolled her blue eyes around and began to sniffle as if on the verge of tears. From the very beginning, she had never had the slightest intention of telling the truth.

How could she, when she had lived her entire life under this family’s roof?

Knowing such a secret and still acting outrageously alongside her mother, behaving however she pleased—surely that was a crime she needed to absolve herself of.

Alice…

Why of all people had she possessed Alice? Even the name was strange.

Wasn’t Alice the name of a fairy-tale heroine who chased a rabbit, fell into another world, and suffered all kinds of hardships?

She had enjoyed about a month of leisure and good food—by that measure, she supposed she had gotten her fill.

If she truly were that storybook Alice, wasn’t it about time she woke up from the dream?

She had seen the Michael and Edwin she had longed for, hadn’t she?

Well… she hadn’t seen that yet.

I can live with just reading that part in text…

For the sake of her own survival, Alice was capable of making the major decision to set aside her desires for now.

The image of Karina being dragged away by knights was still vividly burned into her mind.

Before long, her mother would likely be dealt with. No matter how much of a villain she was, imagining her own mother’s death made Alice’s hands tremble uncontrollably.

“I-I… hic… I really didn’t know. Hic…”

Alice began acting the part of a bewildered, confused child.

Her goal was to firmly establish herself as an innocent third party who had known nothing all along.

Of course, from the moment her mother was Karina, it had already become nearly impossible to fully secure that position.

The duke’s brow furrowed irritably.

“So noisy. Get out.”

“Hic… what?”

“I said get out.”

The duke’s icy gaze stabbed straight into Alice’s face. It was a stare so cold it practically dripped with frost.

She had been diligently playing the role of a pitiful child in tears, but now she paused, stopped crying, and mulled over his words.

Get out?

Did he mean to leave the study, or to leave the ducal castle entirely?

She couldn’t quite tell.

Probably the latter.

It was a slightly premature exit, but she decided to retreat quickly.

If she stubbornly insisted on staying, she might end up sharing Karina’s fate.

Still, to cast out such a young child alone…

Any hope that the duke might show mercy to an ignorant child had to be neatly folded away.

Perhaps he might at least arrange a place for her to stay on her way out—or hand her some money.

She had been ready to gratefully accept any scraps that fell her way, but expecting that from the duke was utterly unrealistic.

“Hic… yes…”

Alice left the study in tears. She wasn’t usually someone who cried easily, but for some reason, after entering Alice’s body, tears came far too naturally.

Cold-hearted bastard.

I’m the sender of the letter!

She swallowed the urge to shout that at the duke. If she said it out loud, she’d cross the River Styx faster than Karina ever would.

After returning to her room, Alice stopped Ena, who was about to leave to attend to other duties.

“Do you know how Edwin is doing?”

“Y-Young master?”

Even the sound of that title felt awkward enough to make the listener uncomfortable.

In truth, Edwin had long been an unspoken taboo within the family.

“Well, that is…”

Ena rolled her eyes awkwardly, glanced around, then leaned closer and whispered.

“They say he’s still in the tower.”

“Why?”

“Apparently, the rumor is that he’s insisting on not coming out…”

Alice couldn’t understand it. Insisting on staying in the tower?

There was no way Edwin—who had left the tower immediately after being treated by Michael—would do something like that.

It doesn’t really matter anymore.

She had essentially finished what she was meant to do.

Still, the image of Edwin after his treatment from a few days ago lingered in her mind.

If I’d known it would turn out like this, I should’ve looked at him more…

His face had been more beautiful than she expected.

But she was worried about Evan, who had treated him. He must have used holy power, and that fact could never be revealed to the duke.

I should leave a letter.

And after she left the family, she also had to prevent Edwin from going off to war.

Before she knew it, Alice had arrived in front of the tower. Leaving her room hadn’t been particularly difficult.

She spoke to the knights guarding the area.

“I’ve been expelled.”

As if they had expected it, the knights quietly stepped aside.

For a brief moment, a flicker of pity passed through their eyes—but it was fleeting.

Soon, disgust and contempt settled in.

It was the look one would give a shameless, wicked pair of con artists.

Well, that’s not entirely wrong.

That was how it went in the original story too.

Edwin left the tower only after meeting Michael during the transition from boyhood to manhood.

Had the original course of events continued, he would have been trapped in the tower for another ten years.

Just thinking about it was dizzying and horrifying.

Alice wandered around the tower.

“Here.”

She found a hollowed-out spot, dug into the ground, and uncovered various precious jewels.

They were items “Alice” from the past—who had loved shiny things—had bought with the allowance she received from the ducal family.

I couldn’t even say goodbye to Evan and Michael…

Thinking of them left a bitter taste in her mouth.

She would leave a letter containing knowledge of the original story. If Evan believed her words, he wouldn’t die.

But there was no way he’d believe her without proof.

That’s why I included the part about holy power.

By mentioning even the family’s secrets, Evan would have no choice but to believe the letter.

Her only concern was that if Evan survived due to her interference, Michael and Edwin might never meet.

That was why she had taken care of that part in advance as well.

[One last thing I ask of you—could you help Edwin make a friend?
Michael will surely become a good friend to him.
This is my final request.]

She wrote that sentence in bold at the end of the letter, emphasizing it heavily. Her personal feelings were painfully obvious.

She trusted that kind-hearted Evan would grant her request.

Evan, who had been summoned by Duke Esteban since noon, was seated on a sofa in the reception room, waiting.

Dark clouds hung over his expression.

Since yesterday, he had repeatedly requested permission to see and treat Alice.

Was the message even delivered properly?

The duke had given no response, and the ducal knights stood like an iron fortress outside Alice’s room.

Now that he had an opportunity to speak with the duke directly, perhaps he could obtain permission if he asked.

With that thought, some of the gloom on Evan’s face lifted.

Alice was frail to begin with. The idea of her being locked alone in her room all day without eating deeply worried him.

If she had fainted in that empty room, with no one else around…

Just imagining it was horrifying.

That worry had kept him from sleeping properly.

Not long after, the door opened without a knock.

Recognizing who it was, Evan hurriedly stood up.

“Good afternoon, Your Grace.”

Duke Esteban nodded slightly and took the seat across from him.

A faint scent of tobacco drifted from him.

He slowly took out a cigarette and lit it.

Evan quietly closed his mouth as he watched—and one person naturally came to mind.

Edwin…

At first, his body had been so covered in wounds and filth that he was barely recognizable.

But over time, with holy power treatments and Alice’s devoted care, Edwin’s true features had gradually emerged.

Pretending to sip his tea, Evan glanced at the duke’s face.

For some reason, he could vaguely imagine what Edwin might look like as an adult.

Because the man sitting right in front of him—

They looked astonishingly alike.

Even someone unaware of their relationship would instantly recognize them as father and son.

“I hear you treated the child.”

The duke spoke at last.

Evan easily understood that “the child” referred to Edwin.

“Those wounds wouldn’t heal by ordinary means. I’m curious what method you used.”

His tone was casual, but his gaze was oppressive.

Under the sharp eyes that seemed to pierce straight through him, Evan fell silent.

Would never heal…

It sounded as though the duke knew exactly what had caused Edwin’s wounds.