Kyle barged in with an angry look on his face. His cheeks seemed firmer and his chin sharper. He looked ready to become a grown man.

Not to mention, he also appeared to be exuding self-confidence and self-assurance. It was a youthful, wild energy. At the same time, he also seemed exhausted.

When I asked him if he was tired, Kyle didn’t give me a straight answer. “Well, something like that.”

Well, I can see why. I sighed.

“You took over Father’s job and became the head of the family out of the blue…”

My father, who was painstakingly looked after my mother, wasn’t getting any younger. Seeing he was too exhausted to fulfill the duty of the head of the family, Kyle volunteered to help.

“You don’t need to worry about a thing, Stepsister. You have enough money to live comfortably, so just spend it how you like.”

“Huh?”

What’s with that, ‘what a pain’ look on his face?

Then, his bangs fell to his eyes, and Kyle swept them away in annoyance. He should just cut them off.

“I see you’ve been saving up your spare change, but you’re bound to run out of it sooner or later. After all, Stepsister is used to a life of extravagance.”

“Eh?”

“I’d never corner someone to the point they’d want to run away.”

Kyle’s expression as he muttered this was terrifying—or should I say, incredibly frightening.

“You get angry over small things and yell a lot. Your expressions are everchanging, and then there’s those constant mood swings… Well, you can stay that way in this house. Stay here forever. Why would you be so reckless just because a guy was mean to you?”

“No, no, no, no, I wasn’t being reckless. I also don’t want to live such a shameless life. First of all, who could bear to live with such a mother-in-law? Think about your future wife!”

Considering the feelings of the woman who’d become Kyle’s wife, it was too extreme in many ways.

“Even if I find a wife, she’ll just leave right away, or beg for a divorce. Even if she doesn’t, she’ll simply either look at me with pity or sympathy.”

Suddenly, a realization dawned on me. Could it be that Kyle’s proposal was a new way of saying, “Serves you right?”

His words sounded kind, but weren’t they a declaration that he was going to keep me captive for the rest of my life and bully me together with his wife?

This thought crossed my mind, and a chill swept into my chest.

No, no, no, that’s outrageous. The fact that I’m still afraid of my long awaited karma proves that my resolve isn’t strong enough.

Kyle sighed deeply and shook his head.

“It seems like you’re thinking of something bad again. Anyway, for now, please lay low, Stepsister. I’ll take care of all the discussions with Lord Alfred.”

I nodded my head slightly. Then, he smiled with a face that could be interpreted as sullen or lonely, and left the room with a hurried step.

It was the third day since I regained consciousness. Liz was nearby as Jack and the head chef came to visit me.

“I can’t come up with a good excuse to go out. Gonzales has been completely exposed.”

“The security outside has been strengthened to the limit. Even I can’t bypass it.”

“No, I understand how Lord Kyle feels. It’s only natural that the young lady would be forced to stay put.”

These three were being threatened by me, so they shouldn’t be punished. Or so Kyle decided. Moreover, he allowed the three of them to visit together so that I wouldn’t get bored. Kyle was a good guy. So good that no one could argue against him.

“The young lady has indeed been pushing herself too hard. You haven’t been sleeping or eating enough lately. While it’s my fault for not being able to stop you, can you blame them for being upset?”

Jack nodded at Liz’s words.

“Speaking of Kyle being angry, he’s been turning the Crown Prince away every day. Surprisingly though, the Crown Prince always takes it with stride. There’s something incredible about Kyle’s gaze and voice. Even if Kyle agrees to talk, there’s bound to be an argument.”

“Oh, they were glaring at each other, alright. I kept asking, ‘Will they do it? Will they finally do it?’ The Gessel family and the royal family are still arguing which side is to blame. It’s inevitable that their opinions are clashing against each other.” Said the head chef, lowering his gaze.

After everyone took a long, deep breath, Liz stood up to prepare more tea. Then, the head chef also left, saying, “I left a pot on the stove. I’m going to check on it.” 

Finally, Jack spoke up.

“Gon—… no, Lady Juliane, would you like to see the Crown Prince?”

“You can call me ‘Gonzales.’ Honestly, Jack, I’d love to meet him. But that isn’t possible at the moment, is it?”

“No, if it’s just once, I can manage. I can sneak you into the reception room where the Crown Prince and Kyle are discussing.”

“Really?!”

I gulped hard and rubbed my hands together as if bowing to Jack.

The guilt I felt toward everyone was weighing heavily on my shoulders. But as long as I was alive, I had no choice but to continue quietly doing what I could. It was all in order to get what I deserved, and to protect my family. Still, I had no idea what to do next, and I was completely at a loss.

If I could gauge Alfred’s true feelings from his words, gestures, and even the slightest changes in his expression, I might even be able to figure out Amalia’s actions.

“Leave it to me. I can’t bear to see Madam Gonzales looking so gloomy.”

“Aaah, thanks!”

The next day, with Jack’s help, I hid in the closet in the reception room. It was a shady room at the very back of the first floor, which was also used for the head chef’s girl’s night out.

In the moldy, dusty space, I hugged my knees and held my breath, trying to keep quiet. I was so quiet that I could almost hear my own heartbeat.

The lower half of the closet door was made of parallel planks. A small gap between them allowed for good ventilation. I could see the two men through the gaps in the slanted planks.

“Thank you for your kind words. However, my sister refuses to see you.”

Kyle raised his chin slightly, speaking with a bold—borderline disrespectful—air of dignity. Meanwhile, Alfred just sat up straight in silence.

“You’ve been coming to our house every single day. Don’t you have studies and work to attend to? You’ve always prioritize them over my sister.”

Kyle crossed his arms and sighed dramatically.

---

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***T/N: MAAAAAAN JUST MARRY KYLE ALREADY

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