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Chapter 27 Part 1
I'm
sure we went into the bathroom in the late afternoon, but now we come out in
the wee hours of the morning in just our bathrobes. It was very quiet because
everyone in the Manor must still be asleep.
Immediately,
after I saw the fresh change of clothes on the bed, my face became hot as if it
was on fire. I hope they don't hear everything.
When
I was under Alexander, I cried so hard my throat felt like it was choking. So,
it's possible that one of the maids overheard it……
Geez!
Embarrassing.
"You
have something to say? Since just now, you've been standing still."
Alexander
came towards me and said that. His eyes were fixed on my white skin that was
exposed because I accidentally revealed the bathrobe I was wearing. I
immediately ran to the side of the bed and covered myself with the sheets.
"Oh,
no. You really are!"
I
glanced at Alexander and patted him on the back. If I didn't stop him, we'd end
up having breakfast in the tub. Just imagining it was terrifying.
"You
could catch a cold."
Alexander
approached me. He knelt by the bed to dry my wet hair.
I
let his hands work gently, I stared blankly at the ceiling. Then, suddenly, I
remembered that I had something to ask Alexander.
"Alex."
"Yes?"
As
soon as our eyes met, he immediately smiled.
"Why
are you telling me not to use magic?" I asked Alexander, stroking his
nape.
After
all, I want to end Cain with my own hands. I shouldn't have let Alexander kill
him like that.
"Sis,
if the fact that you are a magician is known, then it would be strange to
attribute Henrietta as the culprit."
"......"
It's
like he's saying, 'Today the weather is nice, huh.'
Alexander
grabbed my shoulder with one hand.
"That's
right. Claude, an investigator, seemed unsuspecting as this case had nothing to
do with that case. But Cain said that our parents had been killed by someone in
front of all the servants of the Duke's Manor. It could leak."
Even
though Alexander ruled as the owner of this huge Manor, did he not trust
anyone? I squinted one eye.
"Not
that it will happen."
"Of
course, that's not certain. What you said is true. Even so, it wouldn't hurt to
clean your hands first, right?"
"What
for?"
I
let go of his hand.
Endless
doubts and worries. Why does Alexander still want me……
"Why
did I ever think that I can't read my sister's mind? Even though it all looks
so obvious."
Suddenly,
Alexander leaned forward. When our eyes met again, he smiled gently. But I
couldn't feel even a hint of laughter.
Can
you see my expression clearly? It's not a pleasant feeling.
"Aren't
you happy? Before, I already said it. I don't care."
"Do
people who don't care, still think of me as a murderer, but instead make
Henrietta the culprit instead?"
Do
you think, I will be happy if you act like that? Is it okay to cover up the
incident and ignore the truth?
I
took a deep breath. Alexander got up and locked me in his arms.
"This
is strange. This is not the reaction I was expecting." He tilted his head.
Alexander blinked with a bright face as if he really didn't understand
anything. I didn't even notice it, I didn't realize I stuttered when I asked
the question.
"So,
what do you want?"
"I
really love you."
"......"
"I
want you to know that. Loving the woman who killed my father is not an easy
thing to accept. But I did. We will continue to do so in the future."
"Do
not take it wrong."
I
laugh at Alexander. On what basis did he believe that I was a murderer?
Even
the investigators did not suspect anything. It will end if I admit it myself.
There's no reason to keep silent.
"I
love my mother more than anything. I......"
Did
I kill my own mother? Don't make a joke. I glared at him desperately. Suddenly,
my anger boiled over.
Alexander
just looked at me without saying a word. The unpleasant silence continued for a
while.
Alexander
was the first to break the silence by speaking again. He clicked his tongue.
"It's
not because you love me? Oh, it makes me even more jealous."
He
turned his sculptural face away. Jealous of a child's love for her mother.
I
shook my head. I hate to think that way, but in a way, Alexander and I are very
similar.
"But
now, completely, you are mine. I'm grateful......"
Alexander
stretched out his hand as if to push me into his arms. But that didn't happen,
I wasn't embraced by that wide chest.
"Poor
Henrietta. Even if she's gone, she won't be able to rest. Because of me, she's
been labeled as a murderer."
Alexander
lowered the corners of his eyes as if he was saddened by the rejection of the
embrace. He looked disgruntled that I wasn't acting the way he wanted me to.
Alexander
threw the towel he was holding on the floor. Then he looked down at the towel,
and spoke,
"Henrietta
melted the spokes of the wheel. She told me that. But..."
He
paused for a moment as if irritated. Alexander made a languid face and tucked
my long hair to the side, behind my ear.
It
was that series of gentle movements that I enjoyed every time I threatened
Henrietta. Alexander whispered in my ear with a sweet voice,
"But
not all the spokes were melted. In the newspapers, it was stated that the fire
was caused by friction from a single accident. At that time, I did not know any
further information. Except for the fact that the fire in the stagecoach was
still raging until the security guard near there find them."
Haha.
Now,
I couldn't help but curl my lips and smile. Whatever you say, just keep doing
it. That is an interesting hypothesis.
"Of
course, investigators suspect that it was due to the dry winter. Not even I saw
anything strange about it."
"So?"
I
sat cross-legged and cupped my chin. Alexander rolled his eyes and smiled.
"It's
just as Claude said. There was a magical chemical reaction from the burning
bits of the carriage."
Ah.
So I'm the culprit?
So
you're trying to hide the fact that I'm a magician. Henrietta was the only
known wizard in the Manor.
After
all, Alexander assumed that I was the culprit.
Somehow,
it makes me sad.
"You
were the one who made the magic circle. A magical chemical reaction happened
because of that. I only found out about it after reading the magic book in the
library. Henrietta was also able to freely enter there, but...... It couldn't
be her. How could she? , a wizard who can't even make all the spokes of the
wheels melt, can possess enough magic to leave a chemical reaction? Moreover,
it's been more than a year since the carriage was repaired."
Traces
of magic will disappear after a week. But, before Mother and the Duke
previously started their journey, Alexander changed the wheels of his carriage.
If it was a chemical reaction caused by changing the wheel, would that be
enough to explain it?
Alexander
opened his mouth as if he noticed my doubt. Its long red tongue seemed to
tremble, like a snake that could see through its tongue. As if seducing his
prey, Alexander rubbed my lower lip slowly.
"I
mean, that day, the one who fixed the carriage is not a wizard. I'm not sure,
but I handed the carriage over to the repairman. And to this day, I'm the only
one who knows that. It's a nice coincidence."
Alexander
spat out his words as if he couldn't take it anymore.
"You
and Henrietta are wizards, but Henrietta's skills aren't that great. I'm also
not skilled at creating explosive magic circles and releasing dangerous magic
from a distance. Neither are the wizards living in the Duchy. ...But you are
different. Aren't you?"
"Sis,
you are strong enough to block Henrietta's magic with just one glance.
Right?" asked Alexander.
A
calloused thumb brushes my cheek.
"......"
This.
You
already know it all.
I
was amazed because I never realized it.
"What
power do you have that you can know everything about me like this?"
I'm
really curious. I'm an expert at moving behind the scenes without being noticed
by others. It was really embarrassing to be exposed by Alexander like this.
Gently,
I closed my eyes. I knew that Alexander was quite a sharp person, but…..To
think it would turn out like this.
"Surely
you know that I was the one who hid the Revenue Book."
"Since
the beginning."
Alexander
nodded.
"Why
are you pretending to be deceived?"
"Because
it seems, you want it."
'I
did well.' It felt like he was saying just that.
Alexander
stuck his head out, like a puppy wanting to be praised. I put my hand on his
head.
"Then,
mas**rbating while I was hiding......"
"Oh,
I really don't know about that. Damn it! Don't tell me about it, I'm so
embarrassed."
In
this situation, he blushed cutely. Then he opened his eyes and looked at me.
"......So,
was my reasoning correct?"
"What
answer do you want?"
When
I stroked his hair, Alexander smiled broadly, it made him look stupid. And also
cute.
I
don't usually think like this. Am I a murderer? Do I think that Alexander is
cute?
"An
honest answer... ...Ah! Yes. Actually, it doesn't really matter. I don't know
how many times I've said this."
"Lie."
If
it really didn't matter, then in the first place, you wouldn't have said
something like, 'You killed my father and your mother.' in front of me.
"You've
been suffering all this time. I guess it was me, the culprit."
Loving
a murderer who killed his own family was something no one could do unless that
person was crazy enough. It was impossible for anyone with a normal mindset to
do.
So
Alexander wanted me to deny myself. Now, he does look fine, but I can tell just
by closing my eyes. My hand that was hiding between the sheets twitched weakly.
"The
day the carriage incident happened, you said, 'No way.' I don't understand. Why
are you saying that? After much thought, the answer came easily. Because you
tried to trigger an explosion. So to you, it doesn't make sense that the
incident happened because of a loose wheel. That's why you said, 'No way.'
Because you plan to blow up that carriage." He muttered bitterly.
Ah!
Truly. Love is...
To
make a man like this. That must be an amazing feeling.
That's
why, even though my mother's husbands realized that the way my mother lost her
husband was suspicious, they still approached my mother. I must have inherited
this from Mother.
When
my mother smiled gently and said, 'It's good for health.' and held out a
syringe, her husband would thrust out his arm without hesitation.
Even
if they were dying slowly, even if they felt something was wrong with their
bodies, they would say, 'There's no way my wife is like that.'
"......I—"
I
slowly opened my mouth to say the thing that I always kept a secret.
Alexander
stared intently at my lips.
"I
love my Mother."
My
mother is someone I can't help but love.
I
was born thanks to my mother. Thanks to my mother, I can wear nice clothes.
Thanks to my mother, I can eat delicious food. Thanks to my mother, I can sleep
in a warm bed. Thanks to my mother, I can live as a precious girl without
getting my hands dirty.
But
because of my mother......
I
have to live my life as an accomplice to a murderer.
"So
I killed her. I can't bear to see what my mother does anymore."
Tuk.
A transparent drop of tear rolled down my cheek and soaked the sheets.
Alexander did not move, as if frozen.
"I
still love her. I regret it to death. Why didn't I follow my mother on that
trip? ......Why don't I get on that carriage with her?"
I
still remember the shock.
Mother
and the Duke, who had gone on their honeymoon, died side by side. After letting
the innocent Duke Arpad go with my mother, the feeling that I got was……
A
fit of jealousy that was like a blazing fire.
Why
did I give my Mother's last days to the Duke? I'm content with my obsession and
excessive possessiveness.
My
mother is mine. She must be mine alone.
"Yes,
I killed my mother. And your father too."
I
grabbed Alexander's chin and lifted him up. His silver-gray eyes were wavering
aimlessly, unable to focus easily. Alexander bit his pale lips.
"There's
nothing wrong with what you're saying. Alex, you fell in love with the woman
who killed your father."
So,
I gave you the answer you didn't expect.
Now,
what are you going to do?
.
.
.
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