Episode 10

Sophia turned her head and looked at Killian.

Then he smiled, and then nodded his head.

It was a smile that released the reins, telling her to do her own thing.

“But if I have to talk about this again, how should I face Lady Chanelia..”

The nobles glanced at each other as Sophia pretended to be concerned and patted her lips with her fingertips.

Thanks to that, at the party that day, the rumors about the Archduke’s fiance were not heard.

~*~

Later in the evening.

After the party and dinner, Sophia returned to the count.

Perhaps because of the darkness, she felt particularly gloomy.

‘Hey, I was suddenly overdoing it..’

Her feet were heavy because she had been roaming around all day with her weak body.

Fatigue came.

‘Did the room change?’

If possible, she wanted to rest in a nice room..

Sophia was half-expected and tired today, so she was half willing to give up, and wanted to open the front door of the main building.

However, one person greeted her as if waiting.

“..Aren’t you out very late?”

A young man was standing where the voice could be heard.

Sophia stopped right in front of the front door.

He was taller than Sophia, but he had a youthful face.

Green eyes that are a little darker than Sophia’s. But his hair, unlike hers, was dark red like red wine. Like the countess.

“As far as I remember, you’ve never been around this late..”

His eyes which scanned her up and down were as cold as frost.

“Are you wearing an expensive dress? Did the imperial bastard buy it for you?”

He asked, tapping the sword around his waist with his fingers.

It wasn’t difficult to find out who he was.

Because she read a lot in Sophia’s diary.

Her younger half-brother by two years, Ian Frauss, the one who restrained and tormented her the most.

He returned to the mansion faster than expected.

Considering that the count’s remarriage was when Sophia was seven years old, it was a small age gap.

That is to say, the count had secretly had a relationship with the current countess as his mistress since early.

Ian was born between them and lived as the illegitimate son until the age of five.

And the situation was reversed when Sophia’s biological mother, the ex-Countess, died early.

As the current countess, who was the mistress, moved into the house, Ian was also recognized as the true son of Count Frauss.

Sophia had then become a household bug.

Ian tortured her terribly.

‘But he shouldn’t have come home today, so why..?’

At a young age, Ian entered the Imperial Knights Templar, the Ruchtainer.

Showing outstanding talent from an early age, he was ordained as the youngest knight in Ruchtainer at the age of 14.

Because he was busy with the Knights Templar, Sophia was able to breathe.

When he went to a remote area, he didn’t come back for months.

And even at the time she possessed, he didn’t leave.

From what Sophia heard from Jenny, he was supposed to be back next week, not today.

“How are you already..”

“How can I not come back after seeing this?”

In Ian’s hand was Lady Chanelia’s newsletter.

At this point, Sophia wondered if a passing dog might have read the newsletter.

“My toy made the front page, so I should come to celebrate.”

He lifted Sophia’s chin with his fingertips, which felt as cold as ice.

Sophia looked at him and thought.

‘How similar.’

‘Are you pretending to be fatal?’

If it were a modern society, Sophia would be a high school student who wouldn’t even be an adult.

“Get your hands away.”

Sophia flapped his hand off. Then Ian’s lips twitched.

“When you come back from training, wash your hands, lie on your bed, and go to sleep.”

“Have you been drinking..?”

Ian’s eyes narrowed and he came closer to see if he could smell alcohol.

Sophia took a step away from him as he approached and shook her head.

“No. I haven’t had a single drink. I’m completely fine.”

“But you..”

“Sister.”

“What?”

“Call me sister.”

In this society, titles are important.

The writers of ropan novels are also Koreans who value that.

However, Ian doesn’t call Sophia “sister”, and calls her “you”.

That means ignoring Sophia.

“You can’t do anything with the Imperial Dog on my back.”

Ian’s nose wrinkled at Sophia’s sudden rebellion.

‘Imperial Dog’ was a term used to slander Killian, the head of the military and police force.

“If you say you’re in the Knights Templar, you’re talking about low-grade anchovy for use by thugs.”

As she responded with a sarcastic retort, she heard Lady Chanelia’s weekly magazine clenched in his fists.

“It doesn’t change if you’re engaged to that bastard. You are just a dog being sold.”

Arranged engagement.

It would be a word that felt especially different for Sophia and Ian.

Sophia’s mother died after marrying the Count by arrangement, and the countess, whom the Count really loved, eventually took over the house.

He warned Sophia that she will be like her dead mother.

‘If the original Sophia had heard it, her mentality would have been broken.’

She thought she was lucky that she wasn’t the real Sophia.

Sophia then smiled at Ian’s accusation.

“There’s a saying that a dog’s life is a fortune. If you’re sold as a dog to a good house, you might be better off than a person who’s treated like trash.”

All the words Ian says are just ‘bad actors’ lines. There is no need to be hurt or angry at those words.

What you have to do is ignore or trample on the villain like the female lead.

Sophia, as if not wanting to deal with Ian any more, moved her steps past him.

“Sophia..!”

“Oh right.”

Sophia stopped walking past him and looked behind her.

“Did my room change?”

Ian’s face was clearly wrinkled at her question.

“You don’t know? I’ll have to find Jenny first.”

When no answer came, Sophia left him behind and climbed up the steps.

Then Ian grabbed her arm.

Sophia was suppressed at once by a strong grip.

“Are you not listening to my words?”

“Let me go, Ian.”

Ian pushed Sophia to the stair railing.

He joined the Knights Templar at an early age and was taller and stronger than any average adult male.

“What if I don’t let go?”

It was physically impossible for Sophia to defeat Ian.

But despite his bloody eyes, Sophia was not afraid of him at all.

‘If it was real, I might feel different, but this is fiction.’

Such characters are common. However, she was a little tired.

‘Why are you doing this like an obsessive man? You’re just a half-brother.’

From shopping to Lady Chanelia’s party, she was exhausted after walking around all day.

“Then do you want to stay up all night with me like this?”

Sophia sighed and looked up at him.

‘Yes, if you want to, do it. Whether my arm is broken or I fall from exhaustion. Who knows?’

As the force did not dampen her momentum, confusion shone in his green eyes.

He threatened with his eyes wide open, but he didn’t know what to do with the changed appearance of ‘Sophia’.

“Oh, are you afraid of ghosts coming out at night? Are you clinging to your sister like this to protect you?”

Sophia did not lose her composure and provoked Ian.

Then his hand tightened her forearm.

She couldn’t eat so much that her skinny forearm was about to break.

“Do you want to die?”

A simple reaction, the only thing he knows how to do is threaten.

Same as his mother

“Then.. Will you kill me?”

“What..?”

“Are you going to kill me here?”

Sophia looked straight into his eyes.

“You think I can’t?”

“Try.”

Sophia said with an expressionless expression.

Then Ian grabbed the hilt of his sword with one of his hands and pulled it out.

The sound of metal sharply split the air.

A cold, sharp metallic sensation touched the nape of her neck.

The sensation radiated down her spine, giving her a chill.

“If I move here, you are done.”

“Okay.”

As she nodded, the blade moved slightly, and the blade slashed her neck, and a thin trickle of blood dripped.

A drop of blood running down her neck stiffened Ian’s lips.

“If I die here, my name will be on the front page of the weekly magazine next week. ‘Knight Ian Frauss murders the fiancee of the Archduke!’”

Sophia rolled her eyes and smiled.

By the way, this week’s weekly news-whether positive or negative–she’s been quite the spotlight.

“Kill me. It’s all over when my eyes close, but you will have to carry the heavy burden that follows.”

Ian gritted his teeth.

As the force entered his tight jaw, his sharp jawline became more prominent.

‘What a villain in a novel.’