Chapter 25
While quietly watching Elaria, he tilted his head slightly and looked down at Elisa with an indifferent expression. After glancing between the two of them, he let out a low sigh and muttered softly.
“Sometimes I really wonder if you two are actually sisters.”
At his cold gaze, Elisa hurriedly rose to her feet and offered a polite greeting.
“…It’s been a long time, Your Grace.”
“It has been. Even so, since you haven’t changed at all, I can’t say I’m particularly pleased to see you.”
Tears threatened to spill from Elisa’s eyes. He had never liked her much, even in the past. Thinking it must be because Elaria had spoken badly about her behind the scenes, she shot her sister a sideways glare and hurried to explain.
“I only came because I was worried about how my sister was doing. No matter how many letters I sent, she never replied.”
At Elisa’s words, Elaria answered in confusion.
“Letters?”
“…Are you pretending you don’t know? You ignored not only my letters, but Mother’s and Father’s as well.”
“I never received any.”
“Hmph. How is it that you always claim you don’t know, every single time?”
Elisa truly disliked Elaria. If she were not her younger sister, she would never have bothered with her at all. Her looks were nothing special and she had no talent, yet she always monopolized Lucian’s attention.
And whenever she asked her anything, Elaria never gave a proper answer. It almost seemed as if she was afraid Elisa might genuinely try to win Lucian’s favor.
If she had married him after accepting his proposal despite being far beneath his station, shouldn’t she at least be of some use to the family?
The Asiel family had given the Silvaris family a considerable sum of money, but very little had come directly to Elisa. What was the use of her sister being the Duchess? People around her said she must be lucky, but she herself had gained nothing.
Meanwhile, Elaria was sincerely taken aback. Come to think of it, since her marriage she hadn’t received a single letter from her family, nor even an invitation. She had been so busy that she had forgotten, but the realization now felt absurd, almost unbelievable.
Normally, once a woman married, invitations would pile up in her name. And she was not just anyone, she was a Duchess.
As she stood there, her face turning pale at the thought that she had only now noticed, he watched her and slowly lifted the corner of his lips. In a voice no one else could hear, he murmured that she was still quite dense, and still so very adorable.
Then he spoke again, this time loud enough for everyone to hear.
“Miss Silvaris, you seem to have a natural talent for derailing the subject.”
“…Pardon? What do you mean by that?”
“What do I mean? Whether you sent letters isn’t the issue. The issue is that a baron’s daughter from the Silvaris family dared to come here without first offering her respects to my wife.”
At his words, the temperature in the room seemed to drop sharply. The way he gripped her hand tightly enough to hurt made Elaria’s heart pound.
He rarely left his office once he went in, yet now he stood at her side, openly supporting her.
Even though she herself still felt she hadn’t fulfilled her role properly.
“But! Elaria said she was fine with it—”
“Or were you forcing her to say she was fine?”
“No! Elaria, what are you doing? You need to tell the truth!”
Seeing Elisa glare at her sharply, urging her to take her side, Elaria felt the warmth of his hand still firmly holding hers and spoke.
“I didn’t say I was fine. I only said that I’d speak with you privately once we’re alone.”
“Elaria, how could you do this to your own sister?”
Unable to hide her resentment, Elisa burst into tears. At home, their parents had always taken her side, so she naturally expected someone to hand her a handkerchief.
But even after time passed, no one offered her a handkerchief, or even a single word of comfort. They only watched her with cold eyes.
In that moment, Elisa felt an unbearable humiliation.
Just as she desperately wished she could return home, a low voice spoke.
“Even after being told this much, if you still refuse to offer your greetings, I’ll have to assume you bear hostility toward our house.”
“N-No, that’s not true!”
Elisa was confused. No one was helping her. Even as she gasped for breath and cried, no one looked concerned.
In truth, she had come only out of jealousy, intending to take at least some of Elaria’s jewelry if she could.
From the beginning, she hadn’t even realized that a mere baron’s daughter arriving at a ducal manor without an appointment was a breach of etiquette.
Because the Duchess was Elaria.
That foolish younger sister who had never been able to speak up properly and had always moved exactly as Elisa wanted.
Elisa was going crazy with greed even in this situation, coveting the necklace and earrings that were shining brilliantly on her younger sister.
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