***
Killian stared at me with greedy eyes, as if he wanted something.
It had been that way since I was first adopted into this family.
He always stared at me.
As if he craved the love he never got from his parents.
From the moment I refused to use my power, his stare became more and more awful.
Staring, Killian approached the bed and kneeled on one knee on the floor.
“Is there anything I can do to help?”
Ha, I let out a small laugh.
“I’ve told you many times.”
He flinched at my hoarse voice.
“Kill the Count. That’s all I want.”
As always the case, he showed no reaction, as if he had not heard.
He just sat there as still as a giant rock.
“…You’re not going to help me?”
He was a coward.
I’ve told him many times, I only wanted one thing.
There was nothing he could do for me, but if I don’t ask, I won’t have any hope.
“Mmm-hmm.”
A bizarre laugh erupted.
He twitched his fingers.
Killian approached on his knees as if he were being led. I smoothed his silver hair as I lay on the bed.
His golden eyes, so much like his father’s, looked down at me. There was a dim but clear desire in them.
To help. What could this young man do for me?
Yet, he was also a minor who had not received a single title.
I raised my hand and patted Killian on the cheek. His lashes quivered.
“…… I know. You can help me.”
His golden eyes glittered.
After beckoning him to come closer, I whispered in his ear.
“I need you to do something for me. First……….”
Killian’s expression distorted as he heard the whisper that followed. He couldn’t have known my intentions, so his expression was expected.
“Can you do it for me, brother?”
I hugged his neck with both hands, Killian’s body stiffened.
I smiled faintly.
His earlobe was a little hot.
I heard the sound of knocking.
Killian hastily pulled himself away from me.
He quickly cleared his throat with a hardened expression and said.
“Come in.”
It was the Count’s doctor who opened the door and walked in.
He looked at Killian and me alternately with a perplexed expression. I wasn’t allowed to see him unless my life was in danger. If the Count found out, he would make a fuss.
What’s more, he was extremely angry with my rebellion today.
“Treat her.”
“Huh, but Young Master…”
The doctor shuddered frustratedly.
By now, the maidservants from earlier should have delivered their words to the Count. Then he would rush in immediately. I didn’t want things to get unnecessarily complicated. It wasn’t the first time I was wounded like this, either.
“It’s okay.”
“Treat her.”
Killian ordered the doctor without looking at me, and left, closing the door hard behind him. There was no sound of clattering armor or footsteps. He seemed to be guarding the outside until the Count arrived.
He will get hit soon. He’s such a fool.
When I was first taken to the basement, there were already signs that someone had been beaten there.
Before I came to this house, Killian was the Count’s victim.
The sound of footsteps echoing down the corridor got closer and closer. It was the sound of the Count coming.
The old doctor shivered and bandaged my wrist.
I heard a loud noise outside the door.
I pretended not to know and closed my eyes. A day passed like this, and the same tomorrow would come.
The door didn’t open until the treatment was over.
***
Finally, at 18, the year of Cordelia’s abduction in the original story and the year I had been waiting for for over a decade, came.
Very little has changed in three years.
I still went in and out of the basement more often than my room, and the Count tried various ways to shock me.
However, I never used my divine power.
If there was one thing that had changed, it was my relationship with Killian.
The day I hugged him, I ordered Killian to spread the rumor.
‘KThere is a smell of rotting corpses in the air at Count Diego’s mansion. An epidemic of unknown cause is spreading…’ that was what it said.
Killian obeyed the order better than I thought he would.
All the central aristocrats murmured. All of them were quicker to spread the facts they wanted to hear than the truth.
In fact, it didn’t matter if there was a dead body or not, or if there was a contagious disease or not.
The Count didn’t want the evil rumors to materialize. He didn’t want to give them the satisfaction to get to him.
Therefore, he had no choice but to spare himself.
So, from that day on, there were no more innocent visitors to the basement.
No more basement……That was enough.
There was also another subtle change in the relationship between Killian and the Count.
Before I knew it, Killian, who became mature, joined the Imperial Kingsguard on the Count’s orders.
With his extraordinary physique and natural ability, he quickly solidified his position to the point where he was aiming to become the next captain of the Kingsguard.
As the Count grew older, Killian grew up faster.
Killian was still afraid of the Count, but ironically, so was the Count. He could not wield Killian as he wished any longer.
Thanks to this, Killian was able to come home and spend time with me once a week on the days when social gatherings were held. Each time, I would ask him for what I needed or ask him what was going on in the system.
Today was that day.
“Evelyn.”
Killian strode in, not even taking off his Kingsguard uniform.
It was a social gathering of noble ladies only. He had a distinct presence among the women of my age.
“Oh….”
“That’s him…..”
The noble ladies quickly turned their faces and stared at him, covered their mouths with their fans, and began to speak in hushed tones among themselves.
I knew very well that most of the talk was about Killian’s appearance, body, personality, and whether or not he had a lover.
Killian had a good appearance.
The only thing Killian inherited from his father was his gorgeous silver hair and golden eyes.
Sometimes I looked at him and thought of his mother, who died a long time ago. I’m sure she must have been very beautiful.
His black uniform with no particular pattern looked like a gorgeously dressed banquet dress when he wore it, and unlike his appearance, his expression was always blunt, which contributed to his charm.
When he wore a light tunic, as he sometimes did after training, the stares of the people around him were intense, and when he wielded a sword, there were exclamations from everywhere.
I looked at him with an indifferent expression.
No matter how handsome he was, he had nothing to do with me.
To me, he was Count Diego’s son, an unrelated brother, nothing more, nothing less.
But I wasn’t foolish to let it show in a place like this.
I smiled brightly before the eyes of the ladies came to me.
“Welcome, brother.”
Killian flinched.
This was a show of sorts. A show to solidify the image that Count Diego had created.
I got up from my seat and fiddled with his uniform.
“Please go change your clothes. Have you been busy?
“……a little busy. As you know, the Princess is on far too many expeditions.”
I could feel the vein on his neck move.
It was because of my flamboyant appearance.
I was wearing a pure white dress that showed off my collarbone and shoulders, and a pearl necklace. It was a cheap fabric, since the Count had never let me wear expensive dresses.
But every once in a while, my heart would move by cheap things.
Killian turned away from looking at me and covered his face with his hand. His neck was a little red.
“Please sit down, brother. The tea will get cold.”
“…Yes.”
He politely pulled out a chair for me, made sure I was seated, and then sat down. After that, he poured tea into my cup and pushed the tea cakes my way.
His movements, as if he was a skilled butler, made the young ladies buzz once more.
This was one of the elements that raised his charm.
I’m sure they all wondered what it was like to have a man who was this kind to her, to an unrelated sister.
Killian got the crumbs from my lips and naturally put it in his mouth.
“Oh, my.”
They couldn’t help it but exclaimed.
As my gaze fell on him, someone opened their mouth.
It was Cecil, who had been a frequent visitor to the Count’s gatherings since she was a child.
“Really, I envy your relationship with your brother every time I see it. Lady Evelyn.”
I could see that the sentence “Not even blood related” was hidden. She smiled with her fan in hand, and I responded with a smile.
“Is that so? I’m also jealous of which one of you will be taking my brother.”
The noble ladies who had been in and out of the social scene since childhood were more sensitive to power than anything else. They intuitively knew who would have the upper hand in the relationship with Killian.
I raised my chin and looked around them, as if I were going to decide who could marry Killian.
One of them asked with a flushed face.
“Has Young Master decided where to marry yet?”
“No, I’ve been busy with work. I don’t think my father cares yet. I should be going soon.”
Gently, I folded my arm around Killian’s arm. His body stiffened.
“Come to think of it, you’re all going to debut soon. Are there any of the young ladies who haven’t decided on a partner?”
In this world, at the age of 18, they had to make their debut.
It was not a playful social gathering among young people of their age, but an event to announce their existence in the society.
That was why most of the young ladies here would be making their debutantes this year. Instantly, their eyes lit up.