Chapter 210
‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.
“Kartho.”
Emilia swallowed dryly.
‘They’re probably going to ask why I came back.’
She had expected their cold reception. But Kartho approached her politely.
“Welcome back.”
For some reason, those words felt strangely warm.
Emilia nodded lightly.
Following Kartho’s guide toward the mansion, she suddenly spoke to him.
She lifted her cloak slightly and showed Kartho her head. The beautiful and alluring red hair was gone, replaced with brown, short hair. Kartho furrowed his brows.
“Madam…?”
He never thought she’d cut and dye her hair to hide her identity. He gasped in surprise, trailing off.
Emilia, as though expecting this, calmly continued.
“I’ll have to dye it red again. It’ll take some time for the brown to fade.”
“Then I’ll get a wig that mimics red hair.”
“Do you think that will work in such a short time?”
“Don’t worry about it.”
Emilia nodded. With the maid’s help, she headed straight for the second floor as soon as she entered the mansion.
“Anyone would think you’ve just returned from a trip.”
Dahlia crossed her arms and glared at Emilia.
Luckily, her hair was hidden by the cloak, so Dahlia couldn’t see it.
“I was hoping you’d never come back. Looks like I was wishing too hard.”
“Miss…”
“Don’t call me that. To think you came back to this place… The Loren family is beyond shameless.”
Dahlia gritted her teeth. The venom in her eyes was obvious.
“Why didn’t you just die for real? Then everyone would have been happy.”
“I didn’t do anything to deserve death. My parents’ sins are not mine.”
“If you’ve inherited the Loren blood and taken other people’s things, living off them, then you’re just like any other human!”
Dahlia’s face was twisted in irritation.
“I lost everything. What more do you want from me?”
“You’ve lost everything, so now you want to cling to my brother? How disgusting.”
“Stop it. I didn’t come back because I wanted to.”
“I see now that the royal knights’ skills are pathetic. They couldn’t even deal with a single woman.”
Emilia’s eyes widened.
She quickly climbed the stairs and grabbed Dahlia’s wrist.
“Could it be… that you tipped them off?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“I had the feeling the royal knights were looking for me. Have you allied with the Jalliar royal family?”
It was hard to believe. Dahlia must have made the wrong choice, blinded by hatred.
“If I was caught by the royal knights, surely you would know who’s most in danger.”
“I don’t care if something happens to my brother! He, the only family I have, abandoned me to follow you!”
Dahlia screamed. Tears welled up in her eyes and dropped.
“He was the only family I had left. My brother, who lived only for me. But you, you—! The daughter of the Loren family—should have died!”
Dahlia struggled to break free from the grip on her wrist.
“Let go!”
Slap!
Emilia’s head turned to the side, the sharp sting of a slap across her cheek. For a moment, she held her hand up and returned the slap, this time across Dahlia’s cheek.
“Get a grip. How long are you going to keep whining like a child? Throwing tantrums won’t solve anything.”
“Ha… d-did you just slap me?”
Dahlia looked at Emilia, stunned.
“My parents paid for their sins. They’re dead, so I can’t hold them accountable anymore. I also suffered knowing the horrible things they did. That’s why I endured, again and again.”
The guilt had made Emilia comply with everything the Duke wanted.
“I think I understand now why the Duke hasn’t told you everything. It’s because you can’t handle the truth, can you?”
Dahlia was no longer thinking rationally.
If she had thought carefully, she would never have exposed her weaknesses to Adrian.
“If the Duke knew about this, how disappointed would he be? Adrian is vile and cowardly. Whatever promises he made, he’ll just use you and toss you aside.”
“What do you know? What could someone like you possibly understand?”
“Then what do you really know about me, Miss? Aside from being the daughter of Loren, do you know anything about me at all? If I had known what my parents did, I would never have stayed in the castle alone until the very end.”
“…Don’t lie.”
“My life has been filled with nothing but lies. I didn’t want this. If the power I gained came from hurting that small, innocent child, I would have never… I would have never sacrificed everything for my family.”
Emilia smiled faintly.
“I won’t say anything about you hating me. But Miss, the royal family is crumbling, and the world is changing. Why are you staying there, stuck in place?”
Emilia reached out and gently touched Dahlia’s cheek.
“You need to get out. Only then can you stop suffering. Do it for yourself, not for anyone else.”
“…Stop saying ridiculous things.”
Dahlia slapped Emilia’s hand away with a sharp movement. She turned and immediately began climbing the stairs.
“Don’t think you understand me just because you know a little. You don’t know anything.”
She still hadn’t shaken off her hatred toward Emilia.
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