The Blood of the House

“……Duke Gervan?”

Gervan had appeared out of nowhere, positioning himself firmly between Johann and me. He was so tall and broad-shouldered that Johann was completely eclipsed from my view.

“Sudden—”

I was about to ask where he had come from and what on earth he was doing.

Gervan turned his head slightly and looked at me.

The glare he gave me was so fierce that I felt my mouth snap shut automatically. His eyes looked as though he might lop off my head right then and there if I dared to say another word.

Finally, Gervan spoke.

“My sister has been disrespectful.”

Then, he bowed his head.

“I apologize on her behalf, Your Highness.”

“…….”

My brother had seen everything—all of my bold, defiant behavior toward Johann.

Not only was I stunned, but Johann also looked visibly flustered.

No matter how much Johann was the Crown Prince, Gervan was the head of the Empire’s premier Ducal house.

To see such a man bowing his head in apology was a shock. Especially when the fault wasn’t even his.

Before Johann could even open his mouth to respond, Gervan bowed his head once more.

Finally, Johann shrugged his shoulders.

“Well, it’s fine. Such things happen.”

Then, he glanced at me.

What are you looking at?

I wanted to snap at him, but I held it back because I felt like I would truly be kicked out of the house if I said that in this situation.

While I was swallowed by those thoughts, my brother suddenly grabbed my hand.

‘Don’t tell me he’s going to make me apologize.’

I truly, desperately didn’t want to. To have to apologize to a guy who insulted my parents to my face was a bridge too far.

Nevertheless, if he insisted, I was prepared to shut my eyes and do it. After all, the opponent was the Crown Prince, and Gervan had offered an apology he shouldn’t have had to make because of me.

“We shall take our leave now.”

“……?”

However, the situation unfolded differently than I expected.

Gervan didn’t force me to apologize; he prepared to leave the spot immediately. I looked up at him with startled eyes, but there wasn’t a single ripple of emotion on his face.

Johann looked like he had more to say, his hand twitching slightly, but he eventually lowered it.

Gervan offered the Crown Prince a stiff nod and dragged me away.

“Let go. Where are we going?”

“Follow me quietly.”

He held me so firmly that no matter how much I struggled, I couldn’t break free from his grip.

While being dragged along, I looked back. Johann was still standing in the same spot.

Why is that jerk still standing there? Is he enjoying seeing me being dragged away by my brother?

Come to think of it, his lips seemed to be curled into a faint smile.

At that moment.

‘……!’

His likability gauge flashed red.

No way.

Surely not?

Feeling anxious, I hurriedly activated the likability gauge.

◎ Likability increased by 1%! ◎ ◎ Johann’s current likability is 1%. ◎

‘…….’

An incredibly tiny number, yet a clear upward shift.

‘I’m screwed.’

The heroine’s first man—the Crown Prince’s likability—had started to rise.

Gervan brought me to a deserted flower garden. Or rather, “dragged me like a piece of luggage” would be a more accurate description.

He only released my wrist after confirming that no one else was around. He let go of me with a sharp, irritated jerk, as if he were tossing away something filthy.

“I shouldn’t have trusted someone like you.”

“……What did you say?”

I was busy clutching my aching wrist, but at those words, my head snapped up.

Gervan was looking down at me with a gaze filled with sheer contempt, his anger clearly visible.

“I told you not to touch His Highness’s woman, and now you’re touching His Highness himself?”

“…….”

The veins in his neck were bulging. He was beyond furious.

Of course, it was a situation where Gervan had every right to be angry. It hadn’t been that long since I promised to stay quiet, and yet I had caused an even bigger scene than before.

“There was a reason, Brother. The thing is……”

Though he was highly agitated, he seemed to be trying to maintain his composure. He spoke through gritted teeth.

“A reason? Just how grand was this reason that you dared to spit out such reckless words in front of His Highness?”

The hand he held in a fist was trembling.

Now that I think about it, I remember hearing something from Elliot. He mentioned that the House of Louis had been a pro-Imperial family for hundreds of years.

To Gervan, who possessed immense pride in the Louis name, my actions earlier must have been an absolutely unforgivable transgression.

“Speak. If you cannot convince me, you will have to take responsibility for your actions.”

“…….”

When I hesitated to answer, Gervan clicked his tongue. His attitude was one of “I expected as much.”

“You were always like this, Evelyn.”

“Please, just listen to me. It wasn’t like that……”

Gervan cut me off abruptly.

“If there is a moment in my life I regret the most…… it’s failing to kick you out when you first crawled into this Ducal house.”

“…….”

“Do not defile the reputation of Louis with your lowly blood.”

Gervan bit his lip hard.

A short yet heavy silence followed. Neither of us spoke, just staring at each other.

It was undeniably a humiliating situation, but I didn’t want to get angry or cry. If I threw a tantrum now, it felt like Johann’s words earlier would truly become the reality.

Perhaps that was why I was able to maintain an eerily calm demeanor.

I lowered my gaze and spoke in a low voice.

“His Highness mentioned our parents.”

“What?”

Gervan’s head snapped up.

“He asked if my home education was like this because my parents passed away early. He said Father would regret bringing me in.”

“…….”

His brow twitched.

“He wasn’t wrong. Since even you said you regret it.”

“…….”

“But if it were you, Brother, could you have stayed still? No, you would have been even worse than me.”

At least, that was the impression of the man I had seen since being possessed. He seemed like someone who existed solely for the sake of the Louis name.

Gervan asked back as if he couldn’t believe it.

“Is it not because you touched His Highness’s woman first?”

“It was just a chance encounter. I tried to turn back and leave immediately. I promised you, didn’t I?”

“…….”

He was visibly confused. He seemed to think that while I was a nuisance at home, I wasn’t like that outside.

However, the words I heard from Gervan earlier kept overlapping in my mind—that he regretted not kicking me out the most.

Maybe it was because I had felt a tiny bit closer to him over the past few days, despite his low likability score.

I looked at Gervan, who was struggling to find an appropriate response, and spoke.

“You said you wanted to kick me out? I’ll make it happen for you.”

“What?”

“Do as you wish, Brother.”

I handed him the envelope of documents and left the garden with heavy steps. Gervan didn’t try to chase after me.

Chapter 13: The Villainess’s Hand

I was about to hire a different carriage instead of the Ducal one I had arrived in.

I was sure Emma was pacing back and forth looking for me, but right now, I didn’t want to care about anything related to that house.

“I should get some air before going back.”

Just as I was about to board the carriage—

“Are you really telling me to ride in a clunker like this right now?”

“My lady, it’s not that……”

A boisterous noise broke out nearby. The voice sounded somewhat familiar.

“Huff, huff……. M-my lady!”

A man was running from the opposite side, his bangs soaked in sweat.

“They say there are no better carriages in the vicinity. All the other nobles have already taken them……”

He bowed his head deeply, his entire body radiating a sense of apology. The way his sweat was pouring down like rain was almost pitiable.

It was clear that some nasty lady had ordered him to find a top-tier carriage.

‘The servants are the ones who suffer.’

I shook my head. I wanted to help, but it wasn’t my place to interfere in another household’s business.

Sadly, it meant there was nothing I could do.

I should at least see who’s causing this fuss before I go. Just as I was about to peek—

Slap!

“……!”

My eyes widened at the sound.

What entered my sight was a servant with a cheek that was turning a bright, angry red. And….

“You can’t even do a simple thing like that properly?”

It was Regina, her right hand raised, fuming with rage.

“L-Lady Regina……”

He clutched his stinging cheek and bowed repeatedly. Even I felt bad for him watching it.

At that moment, the system window flashed.

Ding.

◎ Activating ‘Reputation’ feature. ◎

It was the same system window I had seen on the day of the suicide attempt.