Chapter 1

‘Is this for real……?’

Alice was beyond bewildered by what had just unfolded before her eyes. She stared blankly at her empty hands.

<The Tyrant’s Silver Flower>

A notoriously dark BL (Boys’ Love) web novel, famous for the top being obsessively crazy for the bottom.

Up until just a moment ago, she had been reading it with a heart full of joy.

“The—the very next page was the ‘main event’……!”

Unable to believe what had happened, Alice stood there in a daze before finally exploding in frustration. The long-running series was finally nearing its climax!

“What is this?!”

She flailed her limbs on the bed, her body now half the size of her original self.

The update schedule had been atrocious, and she had waited so patiently, only to be cut off right before the scene she had been anticipating……

‘Wait, I’ve possessed Alice? At this exact moment?’

It wasn’t hard to realize she had entered the novel. She was currently the very character in the book she had been reading just a second ago.

She vented her anger while looking at the full-length mirror reflecting her form.

Disheveled blonde hair, sharp eyes with slightly upturned corners, and blue irises. She saw a young girl with delicate, doll-like features.

However, one must not be fooled by her pretty appearance.

In the original work, her actions were nothing short of a true villainess.

Crime, abuse, murder.

She was a meticulous and cruel character who spared no means to make Edwin and Michael suffer.

In the end, she fulfills her role as the “bridge” between Michael and Edwin by sending Michael to the spire where Edwin is imprisoned, only to be killed by Edwin.

The blue eyes of the girl who had grasped the situation flickered.

She had been possessed by Alice Esteban, the girl destined for that miserable end.

And of all things…… empty-handed?

The chapter she had been reading was the point where all conflicts were resolved, and Edwin was pinning Michael down as the “event” proceeded smoothly.

But right at the crucial part.

At the very moment she was reverently turning the page to witness the scene that would surely bring her joy, she had been sucked into the book.

“Someone, please tell me this is a dream…….”

She ended up bedridden with a fever—whether it was from anger or a physical ailment, she didn’t know.

***

The child, whose flesh was hideously rotting, looked so wretched that it was impossible to tell if he was dead or alive.

Only the faint breath escaping his small body proved he was still living.

“If you beg for forgiveness, I might forgive you and leave for today.”

Karina, who had been wielding violence mercilessly, curled her red lips into a wicked smile.

“…….”

The boy’s face showed nothing.

However, his red eyes, shining eerily in the darkness, were calm and fixed clearly on her.

Meeting that gaze, Karina momentarily flinched.

Every time she saw them, those eyes were chilling and uncanny. Looking into that stare gave Karina a maddening sensation.

“Who told you to glare like that?!”

In a fit of rage, Karina finally poured the filth beside her over him. Even though the stench must have been foul, the boy’s expression didn’t waver.

The smile on Karina’s face as she bullied the child began to crack.

In those red eyes, there was still a faint flicker of disdain, as if he were looking at an insect.

As if to say that no matter how much she struggled, she was nothing more than a commoner.

Karina’s face turned bright red with fury.

“How dare you ignore me?!”

Clank.

At that moment, the sound of chains caused Karina’s movements to halt abruptly.

Edwin had shifted his body to stare directly at her. Confronted by those red eyes, she instinctively winced and stepped back.

Then, Karina became enraged at the fact that she had been intimidated by a mere small child.

Merciless violence was about to follow.

However, her actions were stopped by a knock at the door.

“Come in.”

Karina ran her hand through her hair irritably.

A gaunt-faced maid entered the room. The maid almost covered her nose instinctively.

A rotting stench wafted through the room. The source of the smell was the boy in the corner.

“Did I or did I not tell you not to disturb me while I’m here?”

The maid hurried to grovel at the feet of Duchess Karina.

“I—I’m sorry! Madam!”

How could someone who was once a fellow worker change so drastically the moment she became the mistress of this house? The face of the maid begging for forgiveness was twisted with humiliation.

The maid’s face, buried against the floor, was not visible.

But Karina knew exactly what expression was on her face.

A satisfied smile settled on Karina’s lips as she imagined the maid’s face drenched in humiliation.

‘Yes, this is how it should be.’

Her gaze landed on the “black colt.”

The former Duchess with pale wheat-colored hair and the blond Duke Esteban.

Even looking back three generations of both parentage lines, there was no black hair.

But Edwin, he was different.

He was born with hair as black as pitch.

He possessed a color that resembled neither his father nor his mother.

Duke Esteban believed Edwin was an illegitimate child and, under the pretext of a curse, had the young child imprisoned in a remote spire.

However, those arrogant and indifferent red eyes—eyes that looked down on everything—were a carbon copy of Duke Esteban’s.

Karina knew that Edwin was the Duke’s biological son. Because of the one secret only she knew.

Karina asked coldly as she watched the maid groveling at her feet.

“So, what is it?”

“The young lady is looking for you, Madam…….”

“Alice? It seems she’s finally come to her senses.”

Her tone was far too dry for someone speaking about a child who had been bedridden for three days.

Karina glanced at her discarded shoes and spoke to the maid.

“Shoes.”

At those words, the maid hurried to put the shoes back on Karina’s feet.

“This is why children are such a nuisance.”

Karina muttered frostily and left the room.

***

“My Lady, is your headache alright?”

The silver-haired male doctor standing beside her spoke. His gaze toward Alice was mature, but his face lingered on the boundary between a boy and a young man.

Since she had been unconscious for most of the three days, she only just realized who the man before her was.

Evan Elga.

The older brother of the bottom, Michael, and Alice’s attending doctor.

He was a handsome man with a pure yet oddly stoic atmosphere.

‘To think I’d meet the bottom’s family as soon as I opened my eyes.’

Alice, who had been bedridden for three days after realizing her reality, suffered from a splitting headache while experiencing something strange.

Memories that had been submerged like they were underwater began to surface clearly.

The day she first came to the Esteban family following her mother. The day she first saw Edwin imprisoned in the spire. The scene of her rejoicing over the first luxurious dress she ever wore, and so on.

Countless scenes flashed through her mind like a panorama.

Her past and present memories were a jumbled mess.

However, even while her mind was hazy with a burning fever, she did not forget one important thing.

‘I have to see Edwin and Michael do the deed!’

Her desire to witness the scene in person was a way to vent the resentment of not even being able to read it in text.

‘Looking at it this way, I seem like a bit of a pervert…….’

Before she could criticize her own morality, her reality was bleak.

It was frustrating enough to be bedridden as soon as she was possessed, but her life was scheduled to end with her being executed by Edwin.

It felt like she had stepped into a giant pile of dog poop.

‘If I was going to be possessed, I should have been a maid in this house or Michael’s friend!’

No. Those were bad, too. One would be abused by Karina day in and day out, and the other would develop stress-induced hair loss from Michael’s temperament.

Ironically, the most rational thinker in the story was Michael.

‘There’s no hope here…….’

Alice, who had roughly finished assessing the situation during the three days she was ill, felt like tears were about to well up.

Evan and the maid in charge of meals talked while standing in front of Alice.

“Has the Young Lady eaten?”

“She ate three bowls of potato soup a little while ago.”

“I see.”

It was a large amount of food for a patient who had just woken up after three days. Alice felt a bit embarrassed by her still-thriving appetite.

However, Evan, who heard the news, looked at her with a blank expression. A hint of lukewarm worry brushed through his warm green eyes, reminiscent of early summer greenery, but it was only momentary.

“My Lady, please do not move today and rest. I will see you at the next check-up.”

His voice while examining her was professional. Anyone could easily tell that their relationship was not amicable by his attitude.

A seven-year-old child going around whipping maids and servants wouldn’t look good.

Especially not to the person who had to treat those injured maids.

For that reason, Evan Elga did not like Alice very much.

Alice didn’t mind that fact. Because an even more unfortunate event was going to happen in the near future.

In the early stages of the original work, Evan joins the military as a doctor for the war that breaks out in the southern region and ends up dying in battle.

Later, as Michael grows up and takes over the family business, he becomes Alice’s doctor, and the curtains of the original story truly rise…….

Thinking of the original work, Alice quickly looked for someone.

“M—Mom?”

I’m in no position to pity anyone else!

If she followed the path of the original work, she would die in the early to middle stages once the plot officially began.

After Edwin leaves the spire, he returns to the family and slaughters most of the family members.

The first was his father, and the next was Alice.

Anyone who knew this fact would notice something strange.

Karina is not in this sequence.

Because…….

‘In the original, the scene of Karina’s death never appears.’

Karina’s death could only be inferred through the dialogue of the characters in the book.

But she, who had read the novel, knew.

It was Edwin’s doing.

Alice appealed to the maids with desperate eyes.

“I miss Mom so much.”

At the mention of Karina, the maids flinched and looked at each other. Evan was the same. From that, Alice quickly guessed where Karina was.

‘She’s probably at the spire right now.’

In the original, whenever Karina was annoyed, she used Edwin as a tool for venting her anger. And like mother, like daughter, Alice would later abuse Edwin as well, following Karina’s lead.

‘I just have to stop this.’

If she survives, she can see the original story play out in real life. She thought of the scene she couldn’t bear to miss while thinking about what to do after escaping death.

“Hehehehe.”

The faces of the people around her turned pale as they saw Alice muttering with a gloomy laugh.

It was an expression that was far from what one should see from a young child—wicked and sinister to the core.

A long time later, the loud sound of footsteps echoed, and the door burst open.

“You really are awake.”

Alice recognized the person who entered the room at a glance.

Lustrous red hair, heavily treated with fragrant oils, flowed down to her waist, and her ornate empire dress beautifully highlighted her silhouette.

Karina Esteban, her biological mother.

But a strange smell wafted from her. This was…… a strong perfume sprayed to hide the rotting stench lingering from the spire.

At a glance, Karina seemed very displeased as she entered the room.

Alice only gained more certainty about what Karina had been doing. The future already looked grim.

‘This is dangerous.’

Alice kept her mouth shut and began to scheme.

At the spire where Edwin was kept, there was a lock that only Karina and the Duke could open.

‘I have to deal with that lock first.’

That would be the fastest and surest way to separate Karina from Edwin.

Watching her daughter, whose cheeks were flushed with fever, Karina raised an eyebrow.

“Is she still not better?”

“Winter flu doesn’t go away easily. And the Young Lady has a weak constitution to begin with—”

Karina waved her hand as if long explanations were unnecessary, cutting Evan off.

“It’s not contagious to me, is it?”

“As I’ve mentioned repeatedly, it can be spread through coughing, but you can wear the mask I provide.”

Evan offered a mask, but Karina turned away.

“She’s not going to die, is she?”

“She won’t…… die.”

While Evan was caught off guard, Karina spoke.

“Alice, call for me when you are completely recovered.”

With those words, she left the room again.

A chilly air lingered in the room.

Alice blinked and stared blankly at the door.

‘……That’s it?’

She was dumbfounded.

She already knew from the memories she had received over the three days that the relationship between her and her mother wasn’t good, but experiencing it in person felt different.

“I want to rest…….”

Her heart felt oddly heavy. This wasn’t her own emotion, but that of the original owner of this body, Alice.

Even knowing that, her mood plummeted instantly, and she wanted to be alone. Her appetite vanished.

‘I used to eat well even when I was depressed.’

It seemed her appetite didn’t follow her will since this wasn’t her own body.

Come to think of it, what happened to her body in her previous life?

Is there no way to go back?

But even if she did manage to return through some trial, there was no one to welcome her.

Even as a child, she had no one to help her since she had no parents, so she had barely survived by relying on her own wits.

Upset by the fact that she had no one to lean on here either, she unconsciously revealed her hidden motive.

“I want to see Edwin.”

If she could at least see the protagonist, her gloomy mood would surely vanish.

Surely Karina didn’t go back to hit Edwin again, right?

As her fever subsided and her mind cleared, Alice began to worry about Edwin.

He may become a dark top who dominates everyone later, but with a mere seven-year-old body, it would be hard to endure the one-sided violence of an adult woman.

This was exactly the time when his hatred for the family was accumulating like reward points.

“The—the Young Master?”

Meanwhile, at Alice’s request to see Edwin, Evan and the maids froze and looked at each other with cold faces.

They recalled Alice’s usual behavior of throwing fits at the people around her whenever she didn’t get attention from her mother.

‘Is she trying to use Edwin as a vent for her anger because she’s upset like her mother?’

That thought crossed their minds simultaneously. Given Alice’s usual behavior, it was a natural train of thought.

“Yeah, can I go see him?”

Expectation sparkled in Alice’s blue eyes.

“My Lady, you must rest.”

Unlike his usual self, Evan stopped Alice with a firm tone. Her physical condition was one thing, but he was already horrified by her habit of mimicking her mother’s actions.

“Then…….”

Can’t I see Michael either?

Alice was about to say that but backed down after seeing Evan’s determined face.

There was no way Evan, who didn’t like her, would show her Michael.

‘Well, it would be bad if Michael caught the flu from me.’

If that happened, Alice would be even more heartbroken. They say it’s never bad to follow a doctor’s orders.

She was also eager to get out of this bed.

***

By the time Alice was able to move her body, a rumor was sweeping through the Duke’s household.

‘The Young Lady is also looking for Edwin.’

Though it was completely distorted from Alice’s original intent, it was true that she had sought Edwin, so the rumor spread like that.

Without her knowing, Alice’s reputation, which was already on the floor, was piercing through the basement and heading toward the Earth’s mantle.

***

“You may move from a liquid diet to solid food.”

Evan Elga, the bottom’s older brother, gave his prescription in a refined manner today as well, boasting his pure beauty.

Alice lay in bed and looked at Evan’s face with sparkling eyes.

‘His face is always so interesting and fun to look at.’

She admitted that Evan’s beauty played a significant role in her not being stubborn about wanting to see Michael.

Truly the brother of the bottom. If he had used his beauty as a weapon, she would have already suffered a fatal wound.

“Then can I eat meat?”

“Since you have a constitution that doesn’t digest pork well, it’s fine as long as you eat mainly chicken or beef.”

“Sweet!”

Alice’s plump cheeks flushed with joy. Evan looked at her as if he were seeing something unfamiliar.

She tilted her head and spoke.

“Is there a problem?”

“No.”

“I think there is.”

“There isn’t.”

Evan continued to repeat that there was no problem in the same tone. Alice realized this wordplay-like conversation was meaningless and lay back down.

The moment she lay down, she was enveloped in soft, cozy comfort. She couldn’t escape it.

‘Ah, I want to stay lying down forever.’

“My Lady, lying down right after eating can put a strain on your stomach. Since your fever has completely subsided, it would be good to go for a walk to help digestion and build up your strength.”

Evan cautiously suggested a walk to Alice. In the past, he wouldn’t have given such advice.

The previous Alice would have thrown a tantrum and whipped anyone who tried to advise her.

However, the Alice who had recently risen from her sickbed didn’t get annoyed over trivial things, nor did she hit the servants.

She seemed gentle and quiet, as if her soul had been swapped.

It could be a temporary whim of a child, but that alone made Evan feel much more at ease.

At one point, he had a small hope that Alice would grow up to be a good adult like his younger brother, Michael, but…….

Soon, his thoughts drifted toward skepticism, thinking it might be impossible.

At Evan’s words, Alice’s eyes sparkled.

“But…… it’s so boring alone.”

She subtly brought it up. She didn’t expect the brother-doting Evan to easily let her see his brother, but there was no harm in trying.

Let’s see, how old was Michael?

Since he was two years younger than Edwin, he must be five.

Alice’s nostrils flared with excitement.

‘He’s gotta be so cute!’

In the original, Michael was described as being more graceful and beautiful than most women.

Since her flu was completely gone, she didn’t want to miss the chance to see the young version of the bottom.

To do that, she had to win Evan over!

Evan, who already knew what evil deeds Alice had committed, wouldn’t easily let her see his brother. What should she do?

Thinking hard, she spoke in a sad tone.

“And if I walk alone, I’ll surely be lonely. I wish I had a friend too.”

The maids and servants nearby were shocked to hear such a child-like remark from her for the first time. It made her seem like a normal child.

They were more used to her demanding a companion while holding a whip, so hearing her look for a friend like this was very unfamiliar.

Evan couldn’t hide his bewilderment either.

After a long pause, he opened his well-formed lips.

“I will try to speak with the Duchess.”

Alice smacked her lips in disappointment.

As expected of the Evan who treated Michael like a precious gem, he didn’t mention his brother at all.

Anyway, Michael would be assigned as her exclusive doctor in the future, so there was no need to rush, but…….

‘Wait, for that to happen, Evan has to go to war and die?’

Recalling the development of the original work, she looked at Evan with trembling eyes. Michael would enter the Duke’s house after Evan’s death and, a few years later, become Alice’s doctor to carry on the family business.

‘If I’m seven, then Michael is five……. The time Evan dies is.’

Exactly one year later.

When Evan, the eldest brother who raised his brother alone, died, young Michael was left truly alone.

A six-year-old child couldn’t possibly survive alone.

The one who took him in was Duke Esteban.

Since the Elga family had been the attending physicians for the Duke’s family for generations, the Duke had taken in the young, orphaned Elga child out of pity.

Well, that was the surface reason.

‘Actually, there was another intention.’

After Evan died in the war, the Duke belatedly learned that Evan had been healing people with holy power.

Upon hearing that, he immediately planned to offer Michael as a tribute to the Emperor.

The first step of that plan was to completely absorb Michael as a member of the Duke’s household.

Thus, Alice, who lived with Michael from a young age, subjected the younger boy to all sorts of bullying and harassment.

The father and mother abuse the top, and the daughter abuses both the top and the bottom.

‘What a perfect family of villains for the protagonists.’

In any case, it meant the original story would only begin if Evan died.

Was it okay to let someone beside her go to their death?

Faced with a moral dilemma, Alice fell into deep thought.

“…….”

Watching Alice, who had become quiet and docile again, Evan stood up and bowed.

“I will see you tomorrow at this time.”

It was a professional, cold tone that showed no interest in others.

However, after leaving Alice’s room, he continued to think about her as he walked down the hallway.

‘Duke Esteban has been away for three months because of the southern war.’

It had already been over three months since he left the family. Thinking back on the timeline, he realized it overlapped with the period when Alice’s misdeeds had increased in frequency and intensity.

Recalling that point, Evan looked back at Alice’s room with a complicated expression.

Even if he told the Duchess that the Young Lady needed a friend of the same age, the Duchess would surely ignore him.

Evan let out a small sigh and walked away with heavy steps.

***

After that, a week passed that was not just peaceful, but boring and tedious.

Karina had no interest in her daughter, and Duke Esteban had been at the Imperial Palace for three months, devising strategies with the ministers regarding the war that had broken out in the south.

Consequently, the only people who visited her room were Evan, who came for regular checkups, or the maids who waited on her.

However, Alice was lost in thought as she stared at the object she had just received from a maid.

‘It’s today.’

It was an important day—the day to resolve the death flags she had been diligently accumulating like reward points.

Today, she was finally going to the spire.

“It’s Evan Elga. May I come in?”

At the sound of the knock, Alice hurriedly tucked the object into her bodice. Had it already been that long?

When she gave her permission, a young, handsome man with silver hair tied long to one side entered. From eavesdropping on the maids’ chatter, Alice had learned for the first time that Evan was seventeen years old.

She had thought his face looked youthful for an adult, but she hadn’t realized he was quite that young. She let out a pitying sigh.

‘To think he dies at such a beautiful age.’

It seemed that the death of family members for the sake of the two protagonists’ love was an absolute law.

Even after the examination was over, Evan lingered in the room, hesitating to leave.

Alice watched him with a questioning gaze. Did he have something left to say?

“My Lady…… are you going for a walk today as well?”

For something he seemed to have difficulty bringing up, the words out of Evan’s mouth were extremely ordinary.

‘I thought something big had happened to Michael.’

Swallowing a sigh inwardly, Alice nodded as if it were obvious.

“Yes. Come to think of it, the weather is quite nice for a walk.”

There was nothing better than a walk to pass the lonely hours. So, as soon as her flu had cleared, she had been going out to the garden every day as part of her routine.

That also served the purpose of figuring out the location of the spire.

“I see……”

Evan trailed off with an ambiguous expression. Alice peeked at his reaction. Did he somehow know that she was going on her walk today with a different hidden agenda?

The thought crossed Alice’s mind for a moment, but she shook her head.

‘There’s no way Evan would know.’

Today was the day Karina was attending a tea party at the Imperial Palace. Therefore, she planned to sneak into the spire behind her back.

She had urgent business to attend to at the spire. Something very important.

Then, Evan checked her face once more and spoke.

“The winter wind hasn’t completely died down yet, so please dress warmly so you don’t catch a cold.”

“Yes, I will.”

“Then, I shall take my leave.”

***

There was no one around the spire. The fact that there wasn’t even a common guard was proof of how little the Duke cared for Edwin.

‘That makes things easier for me.’

Having arrived at the front of the spire alone under the pretext of wanting a solitary walk, she panted for breath. Because the spire was in such a remote location, it had taken her two hours of wandering to find it.

She fidgeted with her pocket to make sure the object she had tucked away was safe.

It was a specially made padlock she had secretly commissioned a maid to get, avoiding Karina’s eyes for a week.

‘I won’t get angry over trivial things anymore, so will you do me one favor?’

Without even needing to bribe them, things had proceeded smoothly. It was thanks to the previous Alice’s atrocious image.

Those simple words had been misconstrued as a threat that she would whip them if they didn’t do her the favor.

Alice had intended not to get angry even if they refused, but there was no way the maids could have known her thoughts.

Since the work was progressing easily, it wasn’t a bad thing for now.

She scanned the specially made tungsten padlock with satisfied eyes.

‘They said it wouldn’t break with ordinary hammers or physical force.’

It was an expensive padlock she had obtained in exchange for jewelry given to her by Duke Esteban.

There was only one key, and Alice was the only one who possessed it.

She planned to use this padlock to lock the spire where Edwin was kept.

So that Karina could no longer touch Edwin.

***

Inside the spire was far more desolate and lonely than outside.

Not a single ray of light entered, and the light flickering from the candles on the wall sconces was faint. Cobwebs were spun in places, and the walls were cracked and splintering.

A chilly wind, source unknown, swept through every joint of her body. She shivered at the cold that seemed to seep into her very bones.

It was the kind of place where it wouldn’t be surprising if a ghost popped out from anywhere.

“To think a child is living here……”

Even a prison would likely have a better environment than this. She was already feeling unwell.

“Huff, huff.”

Climbing the stairs, Alice wiped away her sweat and looked up at the high staircase with a distant gaze.

The place where Edwin was imprisoned was the top floor.

She hadn’t imagined that her first trial would be the stairs.

Because Alice’s body was originally quite weak, she was completely exhausted by the time she reached the top.

“Huff, huff…… finally…… I’m here…… huff.”

Her joy at arriving was short-lived.

As she approached the doorway, the stench of something rotting permeated the air.

“Ugh.”

Alice instinctively covered her nose. There was a small padlock on the doorknob. She familiarly felt around the floor nearby.

Among them, she saw a stone floor that poked out awkwardly. She groaned as she lifted the stone. Inside was a rusted key.

Click.

When she inserted the key into the padlock on the door, she heard a sound of them fitting together perfectly.

The padlock was completely released, and Alice hung the new padlock she had brought.

‘Edwin must be inside this door, right?’

In fact, she had only intended to change the lock and leave, but Alice hesitated. Should she open the door and see Edwin before leaving, or just go back as she was?

Her dilemma didn’t last long. She threw her entire body weight into opening the heavy iron door.

Screeeech. The rusted door made a skin-crawling sound.

“Cough, cough!”

The rotting smell combined with the thick dust flying in the air made her cough. A small window illuminated the room, but it was still far darker than outside.

Clank.

A sound similar to the metallic click of the lock and key earlier came from the corner of the room. It was the presence of someone. Subsequently, Alice’s body began to tremble. Her knees felt weak.

‘What is this?’

She froze in a terror she had never felt in her life. Even though she tried to take a step, her feet felt glued to the ground and wouldn’t move. It felt as if her head and body were operating separately.

In the midst of that, she ended up making direct eye contact with Edwin. His red eyes, shining eerily in the darkness, overflowed with a vivid hostility as if he would kill her right then and there.

There was a huge difference between reading about a dark protagonist’s childhood in text and seeing it in person. Although she knew she shouldn’t, Alice wanted to flee from this spot immediately.

‘What should I do?’

To avoid following the path of the original work, she needed to redefine her relationship with Edwin starting now, but she was too terrified.

With a heart full of renewed determination, Alice met the red eyes that emitted a chilling light from the corner.

‘Hieee!’

Her heart chilled as if she had encountered a large beast in the wild.

‘S-should I go back?’

Unknowingly, she turned around, creaking like an ungreased robot. She felt like prey caught in a snare.

She cautiously picked up an old lamp that was nearby. She placed a faintly lit candle inside it.

The interior was instantly brightened by the lamp. As light entered the space that had only been dark, she felt as if she could breathe a little easier.

Scraping together every last bit of courage within her, she took one step toward him.

Thud.

Something was kicked by her foot. Alice recognized what it was at a glance.

It was a wooden stick covered in blood.

‘Did she use this on that child?’

She felt dizzy. The hand holding the lamp trembled violently. Alice moved a bit closer to Edwin. If he had been hit with such a tool, the wounds would surely be severe.

She had anticipated this to some extent and had asked Evan for an ointment for wounds, but she hadn’t imagined such a weapon would be used for violence.

“……Gasp.”

The closer she got, the worse the stench became. She felt she knew the source of the smell she had noticed outside the door.

However, after a moment, she had no room to worry about the smell as she felt cold sweat running down her spine at the gaze that looked ready to devour her.

In other novels, the male lead opens his heart at first sight and they become close……

‘He looks like he’d kill me with just a glance.’

As expected, fiction was just fiction.

The red eyes watching her were savage.

Looking at Edwin’s gaze now, far from becoming close, it seemed she should kneel and beg for her life.

Alice, who had approached him and shone the lamp, gasped. Her heart thudded loudly.

‘Is…… is he even alive?’

His body, leaning against the cold wall, was so gaunt that his bones were visible, and the wounds that hadn’t healed because of the curse were partially rotting.

The red eyes never wavered from her. Seeing those vividly glowing eyes, it seemed he was still breathing, but he was in a horrific state.

She spoke cautiously.

“U-um. Are you okay?”

There was no way he was okay. His condition was such that it was a miracle he hadn’t died already. She needed to take him out of the spire and have Evan treat him immediately.

But in the current situation, exposing Edwin to Karina was even more dangerous. That was why she had prepared the padlock.

“…….”

However, once she actually faced Edwin, she couldn’t erase the thought that treatment was urgent.

Although she knew from the original work that he wouldn’t die right away, she felt a sense of urgency. Alice quickly pulled out the ointment for wounds.

‘Uh, I pulled out the ointment with great momentum, but……’

It was hard to approach him easily. Although he made no gesture, Edwin’s gaze was ominous, as if he would tear the person in front of him to pieces at any moment.

“C-can I touch you?”

The phrasing sounded a bit strange, but to treat him, she couldn’t avoid laying hands on Edwin’s body.

However, as Alice approached, her actions stopped at the red eyes that glowed threateningly.

She was completely intimidated by a mere seven-year-old child.

“I-I won’t touch you.”

Flinching back, Alice set the ointment down at his feet. Beside it, she neatly placed the bread and water she had saved from her meal.

Eating this wouldn’t put weight on him immediately, but she hoped that thin body would soon fill out.

“If you apply this to your wounds, it will help a little. Eat this if you’re hungry.”

And then, as she left the room, she whispered.

“I’ll see you tomorrow. Edwin.”

***

Returning to the Duke’s estate from the Imperial Palace tea party, Karina headed straight for the spire.

Her footsteps were familiar.

The cheeks of the maid following behind her were swollen red, a pitiful sight.

Karina, who had been publicly made a laughingstock at the tea party, had been unable to contain her rage on the way back and had struck the maid beside her.

Reaching the top of the spire, Karina stared at the unfamiliar padlock with an annoyed face.

“What is this?”

It wasn’t the rusted padlock she usually saw. Karina yanked roughly on the new padlock, but it wouldn’t budge.

Its appearance was solid and sturdy, suggesting it wouldn’t be broken by any ordinary means.

“Who did this!?”

Furious that someone had secretly blocked her actions, Karina irritably asked who had installed it.

The maid hurriedly shook her head, saying she didn’t know.

Unable to vent her anger on Edwin, Karina’s target became the maid.

The maid, who had been repeatedly slapped, fell to her knees in tears. She began to wail aloud.

“H-hic, I, I really don’t know. Hic.”

However, the maid who was being slapped eventually confessed everything. Her lips were burst and bleeding.

“T-the Young Lady! It’s the Young Lady! She said she put the lock on! Hic.”

Stop. Karina’s violence ceased.

“……Alice?”

Her eyebrows shot up. Karina recalled the rumors floating around the Duke’s household lately.

“The Young Lady is also looking for Edwin.”

Karina let out a laugh of disbelief, followed by a frown of annoyance.

She slowly made her way to Alice’s room.

Alice, who had been lounging on her bed, was startled by the door bursting open without a knock.

Seeing the face of the discourteous visitor, she straightened her posture with an expression that said, ‘What was bound to happen has happened.’

This situation was something she had predicted when she sent the maid on the errand for the padlock. Water against water, fire against fire. For now, she could think of no other way to protect Edwin than to fight fire with fire.

If she backed down now, she would only be left to tremble in anxiety, watching her lifespan dwindle away.

Above all, it weighed on her conscience to stand by while knowing such violence was being used on that small child until he reached that state.

And what weighed even more on her conscience was—

Alice recalled what had happened that morning. Those chilling red eyes that were unbelievable for a child of the same age.

It was a gaze that made it easy to imagine how the Alice in the original work had been torn apart.

More than anything, Alice wanted to live.

“Alice, a maid tells me that you changed the lock.”

Karina spoke while glancing at the maid beside her. The maid’s cheeks were swollen as if she had been hit by someone. The culprit was obvious.

‘Did she get hit instead of Edwin?’

The maid’s shoulders slumped when Alice’s gaze landed on her.

But Alice couldn’t take her eyes off the maid.

Was she saying she had beaten the maid into that state just because she had changed one lock?

“Alice, answer me.”

Karina’s blue eyes fixed on Alice. Alice knew well what meaning was contained in Karina’s gaze.

‘She thought I was throwing a tantrum for attention because I spent time going to see Edwin.’

A devious, impish smile appeared on Alice’s lips. She intended to ruthlessly shatter Karina’s expectations.

“Yes, Mother. I changed the lock.”

Mother? Alice, who always had the word ‘Mom’ on her lips, was saying ‘Mother.’

Karina began to find this whole affair tiresome and annoying, wondering what kind of act she was going to pull this time to hold onto her. She asked coldly.

“Why did you do that?”

“Because I want him.”

“What?”

Karina asked back, raising one eyebrow. Alice spoke in a lively tone, her face full of an innocent smile.

“I want to have Edwin too, and I did it because I was afraid you would break him first, Mother.”

“…….”

Silence fell over the room at Alice’s words.

The servants who heard Alice were silently horrified. They couldn’t believe that words treating a human being like a toy had come out of the mouth of that small child.

They were reminded once again that Alice was Karina’s biological daughter.

The gazes that had viewed Alice differently because she had been quiet lately returned to their original state.

No, should it be said they were looking at something a bit more wicked than before?

Alice didn’t care much about those looks. Right now, handling Edwin’s affairs was more important than her reputation.

Karina also had a slightly surprised look at Alice’s shift in attitude, which was hard to dismiss as just a child’s whim.

Was this the same daughter who used to act out against the maids simply craving attention?

“So, don’t touch him.”

Alice, her innocent smile gone and her face hardened coldly, spoke quietly. It was an appearance that sent chills through those watching.

But Alice knew well that Karina wouldn’t back down just from this.

She whispered to Karina, putting a hand to her mouth as if telling a great secret.

“You know too, Mother. That Edwin is actually…… Father’s.”

Biological son. Alice didn’t speak the last part aloud, only mouthing the words.

There was no other way to silence Karina except with this kind of provocation.

In the original work, Karina abused Edwin even though she knew he was the Duke’s biological child.

No, rather, it was precisely because he was his biological child that she abused him even more cruelly.

She wanted to solidify her position by giving birth to the family heir.

To her, Edwin was an obstacle and a nuisance, nothing more and nothing less.

But somehow.

Despite being imprisoned in a tower on the pretext of being cursed and having poor food, Edwin’s life force was tenacious and he did not die easily.

‘The Duke doesn’t know that Edwin is his biological son.’

It wasn’t mentioned in detail in the original work, but unless he was insane, there was no reason to imprison his own biological child in a tower.

Alice looked coldly at Karina.

Others wouldn’t have grasped what Alice said, but the person herself would have understood immediately.

‘D-don’t tell me. She knows that secret?’

Karina’s face went pale and stiff. She had been the one in charge of attending the former Duchess when she was pregnant.

During the former Duchess’s pregnancy, Karina had also brewed the tea she drank every time, and each time, she had secretly mixed in ‘Rube.’

‘Rube.’

A tea from the far East that, if consumed during pregnancy, turns the hair of the child in the womb black.

In regions where anyone without black hair was treated as a heretic, it was a tea traded secretly.

It wasn’t a herb known in the Empire yet. However, having chanced upon the existence of the herb, she had immediately given her saved money to a back-alley peddler to purchase Rube.

The side effect was that the mother could die of excessive bleeding during childbirth.

‘If she hadn’t died, she would have been kicked out of the Duke’s house for infidelity since she gave birth to a black-haired child.’

As long as Karina was by her side, the Duchess’s end was more or less predetermined.

Alice clicked her tongue lightly at Karina’s wickedness. Seeing her, Karina’s hand trembled slightly.

‘Does she really know that secret?’

It couldn’t be. It was a fact known only to her and the peddler. She had already confirmed the severed head of the peddler after sending an assassin.

“Alice, it seems you were quite disappointed. I’ll come to see you often from now on, so stop this naughty prank and hand over the key at once.”

A benevolent smile appeared on Karina’s lips.

Alice countered with a smile of her own.

“I don’t want to.”

“Alice!”

“Then, may I tell Father everything I know?”

“Speak plainly, Alice. Everything you know? You speak as if I am hiding a secret from the Duke.”

A brazen smile appeared on Karina’s face. But Alice saw her gaze flicker for a moment.

Karina gradually approached Alice. Alice almost instinctively backed away but stood her ground firmly. As she drew near, there was a strong scent of perfume.

Karina whispered in her ear.

“Will His Grace believe your words, or mine? Isn’t the answer already clear?”

“Even if he doesn’t believe it, a small seed of doubt can be sown. That’s enough.”

“Do you think you’ll be safe if that happens?!”

Karina’s face flushed red at the sight of an unfazed Alice. And at Alice’s subsequent innocent reply, Karina wore a bewildered expression for the first time.

“I don’t intend to be picky about my means and methods as long as I can have what I want. And I don’t care what the outcome is. Just like you, Mother.”

***

“The Young Lady and the Madam fought over the Young Master.”

The rumor spread through the household like wildfire.

Following that incident, Alice’s reputation and image within the family plummeted even further. After all, her declaration that she wanted to “have” Edwin didn’t paint a particularly pretty picture.

‘Well, it’s a natural reaction.’

Alice considered it an expected response and was reasonably satisfied with the situation.

As a result, Karina wouldn’t be visiting Edwin for the time being.

During the examination, Alice tilted her head as she noticed Evan staring intently at her face.

“What is it?”

The usual checkup was over, but Evan wasn’t leaving. Does he have something to say to me?

Evan’s lips parted as if he were about to speak, but he soon shook his head. Standing up and packing his medical bag, he said,

“Your health has improved significantly lately, so I think it would be good if you continued to go for walks frequently.”

“Yes.”

Alice nodded readily. She had planned to go for a walk today anyway. To be precise, she was going to the spire to check on Edwin’s condition.

Although she had been visiting Edwin secretly for a few days now, looking at his wounds always left her feeling frustrated.

‘It would be so great if I could take Evan there.’

Evan was quite a brilliant doctor despite his young age. Since Michael also became a doctor at such a young age to take over the family business, it seemed the Elga family was blessed with intelligence for generations.

‘How wonderful would it be if I could bring Evan to the spire to examine Edwin?’

Setting aside the fact that he was a doctor, the crucial point was that Evan was a member of the Elga family who could use holy power.

This was because Edwin’s curse could only be resolved through holy power.

However, Evan tended to refrain from getting involved in other family matters aside from examining Alice.

‘For someone who has set his boundaries so clearly…….’

Because of his warm nature, he was still treating the maids and servants even now. If he were to meet Edwin, would he really just stand by and watch?

Alice couldn’t give up.

“W-wait a moment, Evan.”

“Yes?”

Stopping Evan as he was about to leave, Alice hurriedly continued.

“Are you busy, by any chance?”

The moment the words left her mouth, she realized the nuance sounded familiar. It sounded like a pick-up line.

“…….”

An answer didn’t come easily from Evan. Alice realized that Evan was feeling conflicted.

She knew that ever since the rumors about her started circulating, Evan had been putting up a thicker wall against her than before.

Looking at Evan, who stood there awkwardly and hesitantly, Alice smiled brightly and said,

“If you’re not busy, would you like to go for a walk with me?”

She was certain he would refuse, but she figured there was no harm in asking.

However, Alice’s proposal seemed to surprise Evan quite a bit.

“W-with me?”

Startled, Evan stammered in embarrassment, which was unlike him.

But why are you pointing at yourself with both arms? It’s as if you think I’m going to eat you.

‘Did I show my ulterior motives too clearly?’

Alice felt a pang of guilt inwardly as she waited for his answer. Evan seemed to deliberate for a moment before nodding his head. Her face brightened instantly.

“Make sure to pack a mask for when we go out.”

At her words, Evan looked a bit puzzled, but he simply thought it was for cold prevention and replied that he would.

On the other hand, Alice was thinking of the room on the top floor of the spire.

She still couldn’t forget that stench.

***

Upon seeing Edwin, Evan froze, turning pale and speechless. Stained with guilt, he looked pained and, at the same time, deeply shocked.

Alice checked Edwin’s condition. It wasn’t much different from when she last came here.

‘That chilling gaze is the same as ever.’

It wasn’t even winter, but she didn’t know if it was just her imagination, but strangely, she felt a shiver whenever she entered this place.

“……You didn’t eat it.”

The ointment and bread she had given to Edwin were untouched.

Even though this had been repeating for over a week, Alice didn’t feel disappointed; instead, she took out the bread she had set aside from lunch today and placed it in the same spot.

In fact, her worry for Edwin’s health, as he ate nothing, preceded any disappointment.

The gaze he gave her was savage, but overall, he looked like a child who had given up on life, which made her heart ache.

Evan, still unable to recover from the shock, just stared at Edwin with a vacant face.

He looked in quite bad shape, so she nudged him. But then, his body began to tilt gradually.

Thud.

“Evan. Evan! E-Evan?”

Alice cried out in surprise.

‘Is this for real?’

Evan had fainted just like that.

“Evan! Evan!”

Alice hurriedly removed his mask and slapped both of Evan’s cheeks repeatedly.

Fortunately, he was breathing properly.

Looking at him as if he were sound asleep, Alice stared at him blankly with a bewildered face.

‘He said he was seventeen, right……?’

It seemed Edwin’s horrific appearance had truly shocked the faint-hearted Evan. With a slightly exasperated expression, Alice creaked her head around. And she locked eyes directly with the red pupils.

‘Hieee!’

In fact, those red pupils had been following Alice ever since she entered the room, even though Evan was with her this time.

Finding herself in a situation that was essentially being alone with him again, Alice began to feel burdened by the circumstances.

‘S-should I come back next time?’

After all, she wasn’t a doctor, and there was nothing more she could do.

Nor could she take Edwin out of here and into the castle.

If they were caught by Karina or Duke Esteban, he would undoubtedly be locked back in the spire immediately.

“E-Evan. Stop joking around and wake up!”

Somehow…… the gaze that had been following her cheeks grew more intense. It made her skin crawl.

Alice tried a few more times to wake the fainted Evan, but he ultimately didn’t wake up. This was problematic.

It was impossible for a seven-year-old body to carry Evan to the Duke’s castle.

That meant…… she was stuck here until he woke up.

Yet, she didn’t want to leave Evan here alone.

Alice picked up the lamp she had used before and approached Edwin.

“H-hello.”

Damn it. What a terribly awkward greeting.

Since it was a greeting she had offered herself, the awkwardness returned twofold. Alice was even confused about what kind of expression she should make.

“…….”

Edwin watched her without a word.

Writhing internally from the awkwardness, she shifted her gaze slightly and looked at the chains bound to Edwin’s feet.

‘Did they have to go this far with a young child?’

Even if it was just a novel, the sight was too heart-wrenching.

‘I want to undo those chains.’

Even if they were rusted, they were made of solid iron, so Alice couldn’t break them with her strength alone. Her chest felt tight.

She wished Edwin would say something, even if it were a curse, but he just kept watching her every move.

It had been the same for the past week.

She had never heard Edwin’s voice yet. It was Alice who spoke again.

“Can I get closer, perhaps?”

She took a towel she had brought and took a step toward him. She wanted to at least wipe the filth off his skin.

Clang.

The sound of chains moving was heard. Edwin reacted to her words for the first time. Sitting hunched in the corner, he shook his head.

‘Is he telling me not to come?’

After seeing him, Alice had been plagued by nightmares the night before coming here.

It was a dream where he sat alone in the cold spire, starving.

And that wasn’t just a nightmare; it was the reality right now.

That’s why his image lingered in her mind even more.

Of course, she knew that Michael would eventually heal him with holy power and he’d be fine, but seeing the wounds in person made her want to at least apply the ointment she held.

“Alright. Then I won’t come closer.”

But Alice had no intention of forcing a child who said no, grabbing him to wipe away filth and apply ointment.

In fact, the wounds might get worse if he struggled.

She pondered the reason why Edwin was so wary of her.

Is it because the only person he meets is Karina, who abuses him every day, so he thinks Alice will do the same and is on guard?

It was a perfectly plausible assumption.

Does he have no memory of meeting Alice before?

Alice’s face froze as she searched her past memories.

‘Edwin…… knows that I am Karina’s daughter.’

Until she was possessed, Alice had seen Edwin only once.

It was because she didn’t particularly like such damp and dark places.

The problem was the day Alice first saw Edwin.

It was her sixth birthday.

Even though it was her birthday, Alice witnessed Karina going to the spire without a word of celebration.

Thinking Karina had forgotten her birthday, Alice followed her mother to the spire to let her know today was her birthday.

However, seeing Karina focus only on Edwin even with her right in front of her, she was overcome with jealousy.

While her mother had left the spire, she shouted at Edwin.

‘It would have been better if someone like you didn’t exist!’

The Alice back then was too scared of the child with rotting flesh to dare get close; she just shouted from afar, sobbing with a flushed face.

She was entirely possessed by the thought that her mother had been taken from her. That was their first and last meeting.

‘What a terrible first meeting.’

She realized that the best course of action was just to keep her mouth shut quietly.

Having said such harsh things, it would only seem like a loathsome act if she came now to offer help.

‘Evan, wake up quickly!’

At this moment, she felt a bit resentful towards the fainted Evan.

‘It would be better to just go out first and call a servant to take Evan.’

Surely Edwin wouldn’t harm Evan.

She couldn’t shake the thought that those chains, while a product of abuse, were also the minimum protective device for them.

His presence was that formidable, to the point where it was hard to believe he was a seven-year-old child.

“Then I’ll see you tomorrow. Edwin.”

Leaving behind the same parting words as last time, Alice sidled out of the room hesitantly.

***

“Are you feeling alright?”

The next day, Alice asked after Evan’s well-being instead of greeting him when he came for the checkup.

“Yes…….”

Understanding her meaning, Evan gave an awkward smile. His cheeks flushed red.

‘Gasp.’

Seeing that, Alice took a breath.

As expected of Michael’s brother, even his act of being shy was incredibly pure.

And there was something about it that strangely made her heart flutter and tugged at her heartstrings……

‘What a harmful face.’

Alice tried her best to suppress the devious smile rising to her lips.

“It’s good to continue eating well like this and to go for walks often.”

After the examination, Evan packed his medical tools into his bag. She thought he would leave the room as usual, but Evan spoke up.

“I’m sorry about yesterday.”

“About you fainting, Evan? It’s alright. People can be like that when they’re surprised.”

Alice said with a small laugh. At her answer, Evan recalled yesterday’s events and blushed. However, his gaze toward her became peculiar.

‘It feels like I’m looking at a different person.’

In fact, until he came here, he had even wondered if showing him Edwin was a prank of hers to surprise him. But it was clear that wasn’t her intention.

“And that person is……”

Edwin Esteban.

Evan knew who the person there was, but he didn’t dare utter the name. Alice quickly realized who Evan was trying to talk about and spoke up.

“I’m sorry for taking you there without a word. But his condition looked serious, so I wanted him to be treated by you, Evan.”

Evan’s face hardened at those words. He doubted his ears, wondering if he were dreaming.

He managed to ask a question.

“Then the reason you changed the lock was……”

Alice nodded and said,

“If you’re okay with it, Evan, would you like to go to the spire together again today?”

“I’d like to go with you and see the condition in detail, but I think it will be difficult for a while because I have to look after Michael in the afternoon.”

“Is there no one else to look after him?”

“The person who used to look after him has returned to their hometown. I have to continue looking after him until we find someone new.”

Evan looked at her apologetically.

Hmm. Somehow, it felt like the recruitment process would be a challenging journey.

Knowing Michael’s prickly nature, Alice offered her sincere condolences to him inwardly.

“You’re not saying that because you’re afraid you’ll faint again, are you?”

When Alice asked playfully, Evan’s face turned as red as a tomato.

“N-no, I’m not!”

Denying it with a red face, Evan looked like a seventeen-year-old boy for the first time.

***

‘If you’re going today as well, please apply this medicine.’

With the medicine she received from Evan, Alice arrived at the top floor of the spire again today.

Under the pretext of having a picnic, she also held a lunch basket she received from the chef with both hands.

Of course, these were foods for Edwin.

“It looks delicious……”

Even though she had lunch earlier, the scent of butter leaking from the basket stimulated her sense of smell.

This must be the smell from the freshly baked croissants, right?

‘……Ah, my mouth is watering.’

Should I sneak just one?

No. I’d rather take a flea’s liver.

Thinking of Edwin, who was so thin his bones were visible, she barely suppressed the gluttony that rose up at every turn.

Gulp.

As she opened the lock and entered, the stench was there without fail.

She wore a mask, but as expected, she didn’t think she’d ever get used to this stench, no matter how many times she smelled it.

Like yesterday, the red pupils followed her tenaciously again. Alice tried to ignore it as she picked up the lamp and lit a match.

She had also brought extra candles, worried that Edwin would be left alone in the dark room.

“You didn’t eat this time either……”

The bread she had left was hardened by the cold air. The ointment was also untouched. She placed the basket she brought in the spot where she usually left things.

“Hello.”

Still, the greeting came more easily than before.

Anyway, Edwin’s peace of mind would be better served if she left the room quickly, so she didn’t intend to stay long.

“Edwin.”

Despite her call, he remained leaning against the wall, watching her without any reaction. He was still scary, but at this moment, she was glad he was focusing on her.

“Watch carefully.”

Sitting in front of him, she rolled up her sleeves and twisted the cap of the ointment.

*Pop!* The sound of the cap opening echoed through the room.

She scooped up the ointment with her finger and began applying it to her arm.

“This is how you do it.”

Actually, she wanted to do it herself, but Edwin was on guard like a wild cat. Nor could she have someone else do it.

‘I have to treat him well now to avoid death later.’

This was strictly an under-the-table operation for her survival. She shouldn’t leave the image of a bystander by having someone else do it.

“And then you wrap this bandage. So it doesn’t get worse.”

Alice wound the bandage around the spot where she had sloppily applied the ointment.

Perhaps because it was her first time bandaging herself, the shape was a mess.

“Ta-da. If you do this, your arm will become smooth like mine.”

‘……Though it might be hard to heal completely because of the curse.’

Perhaps that’s why her actions now looked no different from a street vendor trying to sell medicine.

She cautiously approached and placed the ointment and bandage at his feet, then quickly backed away.

Then, without mentioning the curse, she smiled brightly and said, “So, do you want to try it now?”

“…….”

For a moment, Edwin’s gaze landed on the ointment she placed, but it soon returned to Alice. Specifically, he was looking at her blue eyes.

Making eye contact with him, Alice inadvertently saw herself reflected in the lamp.

There was a demure girl who didn’t really resemble Karina.

But her blue eyes, deeper than the sky and slightly lighter than lapis lazuli, were a carbon copy of Karina’s.

And since Edwin had been staring intently at her eyes for a while now……

“…….”

She could tell it certainly wasn’t a gaze sent with good intentions.

Alice unwound the bandage, put her sleeves back to their original position, and stood up.

Because she had sat on the dirty floor, her white skirt had become black with dirt.

“T-then, I’ll be going now. See you next time, Edwin.”

As expected, it’s probably better that I’m not here.

She picked up the lamp and placed it on the table.

Then she lit one of the extra candles she had brought. The room became much brighter than before.

If he were to be left alone in the room, it would be much better for it to be bright than dark.

And just as she was about to leave the room.

“……No.”

A small voice was heard.

Alice tilted her head, wondering if she had misheard.

“What?”

She asked back just in case, but no answer came.

Alice shivered, thinking, ‘Could a ghost really be living in the spire?’

For some reason, she felt it was plausible for this spire.

Good grief, I won’t be able to sleep tonight.

She started walking back the way she came.

“……I don’t want to be alone.”

This time, she heard the voice clearly. This wasn’t a ghost; it was a person. And it was the voice of a young boy.

After pausing for a moment with a thoughtful look, she turned her steps and slowly approached Edwin.

Then she sat in front of him and watched him quietly.

Naturally, a quiet silence flowed between them.

He clearly said he didn’t want to be alone.

Alice moved only her eyes awkwardly before finally speaking.

“You don’t want to be alone?”

“…….”

There was no answer, but somehow, the words ‘Yes, I don’t want to’ seemed written on his face.

“It’s night now, so I have to go. I have to sleep. So Edwin, make sure to eat well, sleep tight, and apply the medicine. That’s how you’ll get better quickly. And also……”

The red pupils, tinged with disappointment, watched her as she continued. Alice couldn’t withstand that gaze and said as if being pushed, “If Edwin follows all of those, I’ll come again tomorrow.”

“……Can you promise?”

Her heart felt like it was going to burst through her ribs at his answer.

No, is it okay to answer like this without any warning?

A faint expectation could be seen in his eyes as he watched her. Alice’s mouth felt gritty, as if she were chewing on sand.

Because he looked like her when she was in the orphanage in her previous world, hearing that her parents would return.

“Y-yes. I promise.”

Seeing Edwin’s expression of disbelief, she hesitated for a moment before extending her pinky finger. To him, who was looking at her finger with a bewildered face, she said,

“If we hook our pinkies together, we have to keep the promise no matter what. It’s like an oath that can never be broken.”

At those words, Edwin looked at her pinky for a moment and then hooked his own.

Returning to her room, Alice’s face wasn’t very bright. It was a face as if she were forced to eat a bitter candy.

‘Was Edwin originally such a character?’

If a choice button for that question were placed in front of her, the ‘No‘ button would have been worn away by her.

Especially when she looked at Edwin’s actions in her memory, it was even more so.

A blood-crazed tyrant, a merciless slaughterer who didn’t hesitate to slit even the throats of family members begging for mercy.

In the original work, he was always followed by scary and cruel modifiers.

But if a character from a text suddenly popped up in front of you and claimed to be a human like yourself, how many people would fully believe that?

She had been visiting the spire a bit lightly with the intention of not leaving him with only bad memories to avoid a dog’s death.

This kind of variable was something that hadn’t existed in her dictionary.

***

The next morning. As usual, Evan visited the Duke’s castle for the examination.

“Evan, good morning!”

“Yes, Alice. Good morning. Are you feeling alright?”

“Yes!”

Answering with a bright smile, Alice quite liked the name flowing from Evan’s mouth.

Even when she asked him to call her Alice instead of the desolate title of Young Lady, Evan had refused with a gentle but firm tone. A refusal with a smiling face. It was hard to even bring it up again if he was like that.

But she wouldn’t be herself if she gave up there.

At her words that she felt lonely because of the distance, he finally began to call her by name. Her attempt to touch his soft heart had succeeded.

‘If we gradually become close like this…… I might even get to see Michael.’

She still hadn’t given up on seeing the young Michael.

As he was famous for being a beauty in the novel, everyone around him approached him just by looking at his face.

Of course, they were quickly turned away by his foul mouth.

Having a severe eye for beauty, there was no way she would give up on seeing his childhood.

‘Edwin would be really pretty too if he were only treated.’

The emotion she felt whenever she thought of Edwin, who was stained with scars and wounds, was pity rather than regret. Now that he had finally opened his mouth, she had to take this opportunity to become a bit closer.

It was still an unbelievable fact, but she had confirmed that he had emotions. Then, might he not look upon her favorably later, recalling their old bond?

Thinking of it as an investment in the person who would become the next Emperor, her will to become close by any means became even firmer.

Alice asked Evan.

“What would a seven-year-old child like?”

After all, Evan was an older brother living with a younger brother, so wouldn’t he know a bit better than she did?

She looked at Evan with expectant eyes. Evan, flustered by the intense gaze, picked an answer with a “Hmm.”

“My brother likes cookies and dogs.”

“Hmm, no, no. I wish it were something that could help us become closer.”

A look of surprise crossed Evan’s eyes.

He had realized that Alice was trying to become close to Edwin. Falling into thought along with her, he finally spoke.

“Then how about reading him a storybook?”

“Ah!”

Alice’s eyes widened. She was truly impressed by his suggestion.

“Evan, you’re a genius, aren’t you?”

“Pardon?”

Edwin had been in the spire since he was young, so he would be ignorant of the world’s stories. Storybooks were the best for catching a child’s interest.

Wasn’t reading storybooks one of the quick ways to build a bond between a child and a parent?

‘Then let’s take a few storybooks.’

If possible, it would be good to have heartwarming stories with warm family love and strong friendship that could nurture a child’s innocence.

After Evan left, she headed straight for the library. Perhaps the original Alice hadn’t been close to books, as there were none in her room.

‘And there was no one to read her books.’

Even a child who doesn’t like books usually has at least one storybook in their room.

The more she lived here, the more she realized that Alice was a thorough loner.

“But why are the titles of the storybooks here all like this……”

For a moment, she wondered if she had come to the wrong library, but they were clearly labeled as children’s books.

<The Swan Prince’s Secret>

<What’s Hidden Inside Little Red Riding Hood>

<The Sleeping Prince in the Woods—Did He Really Fall Asleep?>

“No, if he’s asleep, he’s asleep. Why leave such room for doubt?”

Surely, it’s not popular literature?

If so, she couldn’t read such things to Edwin…… As an adult, I should read them beforehand and filter them out!

Contrary to her slightly dissatisfied face when she picked up the books, Alice’s expression became quite serious as she turned the pages.

Above all, she felt dizzy with curiosity about the Swan Prince’s secret.

‘What a secret.’

After reading all the books, Alice put her hand to her forehead. She felt faint. She grabbed her dizzy mind and picked up the next book.

She began to conquer the strange books that didn’t even seem like storybooks, as if she were breaking seals.

Then, suddenly checking the time, Alice jumped up.

“I have to go to Edwin quickly!”

She hurriedly recalled her duty and searched the bookshelf.

Excluding the storybooks that didn’t even seem like storybooks, all the others were stories of the Demon King and the Hero who defeats him.

Or a princess and a prince marrying and living happily ever after…… the repertoires were similar.

“Does this mean there are no books worth reading in the end……”

This must be why the humans in this Empire have not even a shred of sensitivity.

One shouldn’t blame the genre for being dark; shouldn’t one point out the desolate educational environment first?

“It can’t be helped.”

I’ll just have to make one up myself!

I will tell Edwin the most heartwarming and soul-warming family story in the world.

***

“So you’re saying you die if you eat food alone?”

Edwin asked, looking at her.

The pupils, clearly visible in the candlelit room, were as beautiful as rubies, but they also had a dangerous feeling, being as red as blood.

However, she was flustered by his innocent question.

‘I certainly didn’t mean it that way.’

She recalled the story she had told.

There were brothers who didn’t get along in a certain village, and as usual, they went up a mountain to chop wood.

During the arduous hike, the older brother found a delicious-looking fruit and tried to eat it behind his younger brother’s back. But he was caught by the younger brother, and after that, they bickered, each claiming they would eat it.

Eventually, they both fell off a cliff and died, and the brothers side-by-side became food for a tiger……

To summarize, it was that kind of story.

The original intent of the story was a lesson to live harmoniously as a family.

Wouldn’t it be better to live harmoniously than to be eaten together after dying…… as if.

She admitted it.

She had no talent for creating stories.

Was it because life was tough? Somehow, the story she told as a storybook became a grim fairy tale.

“Uh…… right. It’s more affectionate and better to share than to eat alone, right?”

He stared blankly at the bread basket she had brought. Mistaking Edwin’s hunger, she pushed the basket forward.

“Do you want to eat?”

Earlier, Edwin’s plate had been empty.

She recalled what had just happened and swallowed tears of emotion.

Edwin finally had a meal!

However, Edwin’s appearance was strange.

The bandages wound loosely all over his body looked like they would fall to the floor with even a slight movement.

Before long, Alice, realizing it was Edwin’s handiwork, swallowed a laugh inwardly.

“So, a family is……”

She explained about family.

“You can think of it as beings connected by a strange bond that you can’t break even if you want to, because you’re bound by blood.”

“Even in death?”

“Yes, because even if someone dies, the fact that they were family doesn’t change.”

“……Is family only possible through blood?”

“No, if Edwin gets married in the future, that partner will become family, right?”

And that partner was scheduled to be Michael.

Alice let out a laugh, suppressing her itchy mouth.

“What is marriage?”

Today, for the first time, Alice felt that her conversation with him was going to be very long.

***

It was a leisurely afternoon, and I was preparing to visit Edwin once again.

‘Bread and milk, check. Study books…’

I smiled satisfyingly at the literacy primers.

Edwin was an incredibly fast learner. As a test, I had taught him a few simple words, and he absorbed them instantly. When I moved on to teaching him the alphabet, he mastered basic vocabulary in a single day.

‘Now, it’s time for biographies of great people.’

I had long since given up on trying to reform him with those bizarre “fairy tales” from the library. I had worried that the biographies might also contain strange content, but fortunately, they were wholesome accounts of great historical figures. I hoped that by reading these, Edwin would gain some moral insight and be moved by their noble lives.

For several days now, I had been bringing him books from the study. Thinking back to <The Swan Prince’s Secret> still made my head spin. If I, a mental adult, suffered such aftereffects, what if telling such stories to seven-year-old Edwin actually caused him to turn dark?

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. I quickly hid my supplies under the bed and called out for the visitor to enter.

A woman with her brown hair pinned up, wearing a black maid’s uniform, walked in.

“The Madam is calling for you.”

It was Isabella, the head maid and Karina’s confidante.

“Mother is?”

I climbed off the bed. Karina is looking for me?

Isabella gave a slight, dismissive nod. It was an arrogant gesture for someone addressing the young lady of the house, but she was the one who held the real power over domestic affairs, second only to Karina.

‘I know exactly why she’s calling me.’

She used to turn me away at the door, claiming I was a nuisance, but now she’s the one seeking me out. If I were the original Alice, I would have been jumping for joy, but as I am not, I only felt a lingering sense of unease.

Following the maid toward Karina’s room, I recalled our last conversation.

‘It was a bit too quiet for comfort until now.’

“What did you call me for?”

The moment I entered Karina’s room, I got straight to the point. With a flick of Karina’s eyes, Isabella exited.

‘This makes me nervous.’

Talking without even her confidante present meant she had something to say in private. I tensed up.

Karina’s red lips curled into a pleasant arc as she looked at me. Her beauty was dazzling, like a red rose in full bloom. However, I knew exactly how much pain she had caused others behind that smile.

“His Grace the Duke will be returning in two months.”

In her hand was a letter stamped with the seal of House Esteban.

Duke Esteban was coming back. Only then did I realize why she had summoned me.

‘To silence me.’

She was taking precautions in case I revealed that Edwin was the Duke’s biological son. Things were moving exactly as expected.

“Alice.”

Karina’s chilling blue eyes locked onto mine. I felt a slight prickle of fear inside, but I tilted my head, feigning ignorance.

“Yes?”

“It’s a bad child who threatens their mother. If you do that, Mommy might end up hating Alice.”

“When did I ever threaten you?”

I shrugged my shoulders with a look of genuine confusion. Karina’s gaze grew even colder.

“Have you already forgotten what you said?”

“Ah… about the fact that Edwin is Father’s biological child?”

Karina let out a hollow laugh and murmured lowly, “Aren’t you afraid someone might hear such a scandalous thing?”

“Why should I be afraid?”

Actually, the thought of the truth coming out was a bit frightening. Karina would face death, and I would likely be exiled from the family.

‘But I have no choice.’

The padlock was merely a temporary fix. My current peaceful life was a precarious refuge that could be snuffed out by the slightest breeze—a peace built upon the ruined life of a small child. Looking ahead, I would eventually be killed by him without ever having felt true happiness.

More than anything, after seeing Edwin, I didn’t want to obtain happiness this way.

‘The only option is to reveal the truth to the Duke as soon as possible and be exiled while my body is still intact.’

I reminded myself once more that my situation wasn’t exactly favorable.

“I’d like to hear on what grounds you’re saying such things,” Karina asked, arching an eyebrow haughtily.

I kept my mouth shut. I knew through the original work that Karina had tampered with the tea the former Duchess drank. But I couldn’t bring that up here. It could put my life in danger. Karina was cold-blooded enough to kill her own daughter to keep her safe.

‘A person who wasn’t like that wouldn’t have let the Madam who took her in die like that.’

I made up a plausible excuse.

“His eyes are exactly like the Duke’s.”

“Because his eyes are similar?”

The trace of anxiety on Karina’s face vanished, replaced by total composure. She thought to herself: ‘If she only made that assumption because the eyes look alike… I just need to coax her a little.’

Karina’s viper-like tongue began to move slowly.

“Yes, I also thought it was a mistake when I first saw him, thinking he resembled His Grace’s eyes. Even red eyes aren’t a common color. But it’s not a color that doesn’t exist at all. Alice… you might not want to believe it, but the world isn’t that romantic.”

I listened to Karina’s words in silence. I knew it was all nonsense, but I had to let it slide for today. At least until Duke Esteban arrived.

“Then was I mistaken? I don’t think so.”

I put on a properly sulky and rebellious expression, like a child stubbornly refusing to admit they were wrong.

Seeing her daughter’s reaction, Karina’s face returned to its usual expression of annoyance and boredom. Looking at her face, my chest felt a sudden ache. It wasn’t my emotion, but ‘Alice’s’.

“Alice. To not know how dangerous groundless speculation can be—you really are a foolish child.”

Karina shot me a scathing look.

“You almost put me in danger by framing me. Isn’t a child who doesn’t apologize worse than just being foolish?”

“I’m sorry…”

I replied, pretending to be sad.

“I thought if I did this, Mommy would come visit me…”

A look of “I knew it” appeared on Karina’s face. She believed Alice had returned to being the usual attention-seeking daughter.

Pretending to be softened by the sincere apology, Karina spoke with a deceptively generous tone.

“If you give Mommy the key, I’ll visit Alice’s room often.”

“Really?”

My face brightened instantly. ‘As if I’d ever be crazy enough to hand that key over to you.’

Contrary to my inner thoughts, I hung a wide smile on my face and spoke brightly.

“Then I’ll go get it from my room! You’re not lying, right?”

Karina nodded half-heartedly.

“I promise. So go and bring it right away.”

***

I returned to my room, having bought enough time to keep Karina from Edwin. Buying any more of her resentment or suspicion would make it impossible to move freely, which would interfere with my later plans.

“…Hmm, where is the key?”

Noticing the maid had followed me back into the room, I put my plan into action. Every time the maid looked at me, I tilted my head and searched near the bed.

“Huh? Why isn’t it here?”

And again.

“I’m sure I left it right here…”

I began to whimper, looking as if I were about to cry. The maid looked around with a flustered face.

“If I lose the key, Mommy will hate me… hic.”

I began to sob loudly. Even though it was my own acting, it was spine-chillingly method. The maid, not knowing what to do with my tears, began searching the room.

‘You won’t find it even if you search for a hundred days.’

The key was on my person. After pretending to have lost the key, I sat down and cried for a long time. I realized that crying actually takes a lot of physical energy. A child’s body is honest; after pouring out all those tears, I was exhausted and sleepiness washed over me.

‘Should I just sleep?’

While the maid was busy scouring the room for the key, I secretly tucked it under my tongue. No one would think to search inside a sleeping person’s mouth.

***

“The key is gone…?”

Karina was overcome with a lingering sense of unease. Angered by the news she had received earlier, she stormed into Alice’s room. However, Alice was already fast asleep after having cried.

Evan examined her and concluded that her body had momentarily been overwhelmed by stress. Just in case, Karina ordered a maid to search her body. In the end, the key was not found.

Karina thought about Alice’s recent peculiar behavior and spoke.

“Search every inch around the spire. From now on, monitor Alice’s behavior and report her every move to me.”

The one who answered was Ena, the maid in charge of Alice’s meals.

“Yes, Madam.”

Bowing her head, Ena received the bundle of gold coins with trembling hands. She knew she shouldn’t take it, but she had no choice. The faces of several colleagues who had been killed by the Madam flashed through her mind. If she didn’t take the gold, she would likely die like them.

***

“Ugh…”

Waking up, I clutched my head at a severe headache. It seemed I had come down with a fever during the night.

“Alice! Are you okay?”

Evan looked as if he had nursed me all night; his dark circles reached down to his chin. I let out a cough.

Clink.

Something small flew out of my mouth. It was the key.

I stared at it blankly and then suddenly looked at Evan. He was also staring intently at the key with a quiet face. His silence was frightening for the first time.

“Alice.”

“Yes?”

“Do you know how dangerous it is to sleep with something like that in your mouth?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Never sleep with anything in your mouth again. You could have choked.”

“Yes, sir.”

Evan’s tone was firm, but his eyes held a warmth born of worry. So, feeling like a criminal, I just kept saying “Yes, yes” to everything he said. He asked:

“Alice, may I ask why you slept with the key in your mouth?”

“Well, you see…”

I rolled my eyes awkwardly. Should I tell Evan what happened with Karina? Sensing my hesitation, Evan spoke first.

“If it’s hard to talk about, you don’t have to, Alice.”

“No, actually… Mother is looking for the key.”

“Ah… I see.”

Evan also knew that Karina was abusing Edwin.

“She was searching my room, so I hid it in my mouth.”

Evan realized what my words meant. His eyes widened. The young lady had acted for the sake of someone else.

‘It’s like she’s become a different person overnight…’

Perhaps she had changed after meeting a friend her age? Evan reflected on the past again. It was true that the young lady had no real friends to speak of. To change so much after meeting the young master once… Evan even felt a sense of guilt for not having helped her find a friend sooner.

“Still, there’s a risk of it blocking your airway, so please don’t do that again.”

“Okay, Evan.”

***

When we arrived at the spire today, my hands were light. Evan had come along and was carrying all my things.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes, I may look a bit frail, but this is nothing.”

Evan lightly shook the bundles in both hands as if they weighed nothing.

“No, not about that… I’m worried you might faint again when you see Edwin. I don’t have the strength to carry you.”

“Ah…”

Evan’s face turned red instantly. I chuckled while admiring his reaction. Opening the iron door, I greeted Edwin immediately upon seeing him.

“Hello.”

His gaze swept over me and moved to Evan. Evan flinched under that gaze. It was an intense look that felt like it could incinerate a person. Evan thought the murderous intent seemed even thicker than when he first came.

Frightened, Evan hid behind my back like a puppy and whispered.

“A-Alice. I don’t think this person likes me very much.”

His words made me chuckle as I recalled my own past self. Looking back, it was only natural to be wary when a stranger entered the place where you were abused every day. However, Edwin’s red eyes…

‘They are savage.’

Anyone would feel the bloodlust in that gaze. I whispered a thought to Edwin that wouldn’t reach him: ‘Still, Edwin. Evan is your future brother-in-law.’

I looked at Edwin with a meaningful smile.

“I thought so too, but I was wrong.”

“Hmm… is that so?”

Evan didn’t seem convinced. Accidentally making eye contact with Edwin again, he shuddered at the gaze that had grown even more dangerously intense. I approached Edwin.

“Sorry, I’m a bit late today.”

“…Why are you late?”

Evan was startled by Edwin’s response. I chuckled at his reaction, which looked as if he were seeing a ghost. It was a perfectly understandable reaction. Suddenly noticing the empty basket, a smile bloomed on my face.

“You finished it all again. Was it good?”

“…Yes.”

“Then I’ll bring the same thing next time. Can you be satisfied with dinner bread for today? I couldn’t bring a picnic basket because I had a bit of a situation this morning.”

I chattered away while taking out the bread wrapped in paper from my bodice and placing it in the basket.

“What situation?”

At his question, I hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“I was lying down for a bit because I wasn’t feeling well.”

Faced with Edwin’s gaze, I found myself spilling the truth involuntarily. It seemed I was the type who couldn’t lie to children.

“…Are you sick?”

Edwin repeated my words like a parrot. Then, a gaze followed that scrutinized me from head to toe. He slowly tilted his head.

“Where?”

“Just… I wasn’t feeling great.”

The words came out vaguely. I couldn’t tell him exactly where I was hurting. It was just that my body was weak, so I’d get a fever immediately if I was stressed or overexerted myself.

“Then are you going to die?” Edwin asked.

His gaze remained fixed on my face. At the innocent question, I pointed to Evan, who was still hiding behind me.

“No, I’m okay because I have Evan.”

“…….”

At those words, Edwin’s gaze shifted to Evan.

“Right, Evan?”

‘So please put in a good word for me with Michael. So I don’t die.’

With a desperate heart, I sent him a pleading look. Not knowing my inner thoughts, Evan smiled slightly and nodded.

“Yes, I’ll work hard so that Alice can live a long, long time.”

With the protagonist’s older brother saying that, I couldn’t feel more reassured. I added playfully to Edwin: “Evan might look young and cowardly, but he’s a very talented doctor.”

Evan protested quietly.

“I’ll be an adult in a year.”

“That’s why you’re young.”

“W-well, aren’t you only seven, Alice?”

Flustered, Evan looked at me with narrowed eyes. Glaring with a face that innocent doesn’t bother me one bit.

“Wait, you didn’t deny being a coward?”

“T-that’s because if I did, it would be a lie…”

I chuckled at Evan’s timid reply. I wondered how someone with such a weak personality could become a military doctor and treat so many wounded.

“Edwin, I brought a story today too.”

“Yes.”

“Today’s story is about friends and friendship.”

“…….”

“Do you know what a friend is?”

“I don’t know.”

I took the opportunity and said: “The relationship between Edwin and me is called being friends.”

“…….”

Edwin’s gaze fixed on my face. He seemed to be defining the word ‘friend’. I chose my words carefully. From here on, the important groundwork begins.

“A friend is someone who stays by your side when things are hard or lonely… and also when you’re happy.”

I opened the story with textbook words, but the truly important part was the end.

“As friends, it’s a virtue to look after each other, take care of each other, and cherish each other. You must never harm each other.”

“…But I haven’t done anything for Alice. Are we still friends?”

It was an unexpected question. I was a bit flustered but quickly nodded.

“Of course. Because Edwin can just give back to me in the future.”

“I have nothing to give…” Edwin muttered with a gloomy face.

I spoke as if I didn’t mind.

“You don’t just give with things. Exchanging emotions is also an important element between friends. No, that’s the most important thing. It’s enough for me if Edwin just thinks of me in a corner of your heart.”

Evan was watching me with a peculiar look as I explained. My cheeks felt a bit itchy for some reason, but I continued.

“Understand? So if you’re friends, even if you see small flaws, you understand and let them go…”

To survive today as well, I began to continue my explanation to Edwin, which was no different from brainwashing.

***

It was the following morning.

“Alice……. You said you needed a friend your age, right?”

Alice blankly retraced Evan’s words before nodding eagerly. Could it be that Evan was thinking of becoming her friend?

‘A ten-year difference.’

It was quite a gap, but love knows no borders or age. Alice, who had already finished a wedding ceremony in her imagination, wore a devious smile that was hard to believe came from a child. Evan, deep in thought and missing that significant smile, continued speaking after a long pause.

“Then how about my younger brother? He’s two years younger than you, but I think he could be a good friend for Alice.”

Alice’s eyes flew open at his suggestion.

“Michael?”

Her eyes sparkled with excitement. Seeing her purely delighted at the prospect of making a friend made Evan’s heart ache slightly. He felt like a selfish, heartless person for having ignored her loneliness in the past. Or perhaps, to Alice, he had truly been that kind of person. He had been too busy viewing her through prejudiced lenses because of her tantrums rather than looking for the cause of her behavior.

‘I’m the absolute worst.’

Evan became buried in uncontrollable emotions as he judged himself. He left with a promise to meet in the garden shortly.

A few moments later, Evan appeared in the garden and spoke gently.

“El. Come out and greet the young lady.”

A small head peeked out from behind him. Recognizing who that small figure was, Alice’s eyes grew wider and wider.

‘Michael Elga!’

The peerless beauty who would later conquer the Empire with his looks and become the Emperor’s concubine. This was him at five years old. The significance of that age, five, was immense.

“Gasp.”

Alice felt her breath hitch the moment she saw him. Michael, coming up only to her chest, was incredibly small and cute.

‘This is cheating…….’

Oh, look at those small, pale cheeks. They had to be soft and squishy like rice cakes even without touching them. His silver hair looked as smooth as silk, and the emerald light tucked between his bangs stared at her with moist, blinking eyes. Locked in his gaze, Alice felt like her heart would explode.

‘I could die right now with no regrets…….’

Alice felt dizzy from Michael’s lethal cuteness. Sensing something off, Michael clung closer to his brother’s back. He didn’t know what it was, but the gaze directed at him—full of some hidden scheme—felt icky and unpleasant. Michael frowned and pointed a small finger at Alice.

“Who is this ugly kid?”

His pronunciation was remarkably clear for a five-year-old. However, Evan’s face turned pale at those words. He quickly checked Alice’s reaction.

‘My Michael even speaks so well!’

Alice couldn’t control her racing heart at Michael’s cute voice. Our Michael must have been a genius since he was a toddler! Her eyes sparkled as she watched Michael articulate clearly with his dainty lips.

“E-El! You shouldn’t say such mean things to people.”

Evan scolded Michael with a flustered face. Michael looked deeply shocked at being scolded by his brother; his green eyes quickly filled with tears. A great wave rose in those green orbs. His brother, who was always kind and gentle, was scolding him because of some ugly kid he’d never seen before!

Seeing Michael’s cheeks flush red with indignation, Alice grew anxious.

“It’s okay! If Michael says so, then it is so!”

She hurriedly stopped Evan. Looking back at Michael, she couldn’t stop the corners of her mouth from melting. He was cuter than she had imagined—a literal baby angel.

‘Even his angry face is cute!’

She now understood perfectly why Edwin would become so obsessed with Michael. The reason Alice remained unfazed by his prickly and rude words was partly due to Michael’s lethal cuteness, but also because she already knew his personality. In the original work, Michael possessed a sensitive and prickly personality that divided readers. After his brother died in the war, he became downright vicious, earning the nickname “unhinged menace.”

Let’s stop there.

‘So what? He’s this cute!’

Alice suppressed the urge to grab Michael’s cheeks and kiss them. However, Michael was sulking, puffing out his cheeks in anger at his brother.

“Hello, Michael. I’m Alice.”

Alice greeted him with a shy face. Michael let out a “Hmph!” and turned his head away. Evan was flustered seeing him completely ignore her greeting. He had never seen his brother be this prickly toward someone he met for the first time.

However, Michael had his own reasons.

‘That ugly girl stole my brother!’

His brother was always away from home, saying he was busy with work. But Michael knew. His brother didn’t have time to spend with him because he was busy taking care of that girl. Michael stared at the Alice before him with resentful eyes.

And to Alice, he was just plain adorable.

“Do you hate me?”

“Yes.”

As Michael nodded vigorously with puffed cheeks, Alice almost let a foolish grin slip. She purposely put on a troubled expression and said lamentingly,

“Phew, what should I do? I like Michael so much, though.”

Michael, who had turned his head away, glanced back at Alice before turning away again. His cheeks had been red like ripe tomatoes, but now even the tips of his ears were flushing.

‘How is even his shyness this cute?’

Alice, catching the subtle change like a hawk, was thrilled by another of Michael’s expressions. Her nostrils flared slightly.

‘Oh, that’s right. Edwin and Michael never met as children, did they?’

Strictly speaking, Alice was the catalyst for Michael meeting Edwin in the spire. But perhaps that meeting could happen much sooner? Alice, planning to take Michael to the spire later, wore a devious smile.

Michael flinched at that smile. Stepping back with his short legs, he grabbed and tugged on Evan’s sleeve.

“Brother, she’s weird. I want to go home.”

“El. You should call her Young Lady.”

“I’d like it even better if you called me ‘big sister’.”

Alice jumped into the conversation, thinking this was her chance. But both of their expressions were strange. Evan looked flustered, and Michael looked as if he had heard something he shouldn’t have.

‘Did the Young Lady not want a friend…… but a younger brother?’

‘Ugh, he’s looking at me weird again.’

Embarrassed by the reaction, Alice scratched her cheek.

‘Was I too clingy for a first meeting?’

Evan, looking back and forth between Alice and Michael, finally spoke.

“Alice, if you have time, could you watch Michael for me?”

“Why?”

“B-Brother!”

Don’t leave me alone with this weird girl!

Despite Michael’s desperate eyes, Evan only gave a gentle smile. Alice spoke first, recalling a sudden fact.

“Ah! Today is the day for outpatient clinics.”

“That’s right. It always bothered me to leave Michael alone on clinic days. If Alice is okay with it, may I leave him with you?”

“Of course!”

Alice answered readily, nodding her head so vigorously it looked like her neck might break. It was an enthusiastic response. Evan felt relieved seeing Alice liking Michael so much.

‘It would be good if those two became close.’

Evan made a small wish while looking at them. Over the past month, he had spent time reflecting on himself while watching Alice. During the first few days Alice went to the spire, he had secretly thought she would get bored and quit soon. As a doctor himself, he knew how difficult it was to consistently care for and look after a person without any compensation. He wondered how a child could manage.

Contrary to his expectations, Alice had visited Edwin consistently for a month. He finally admitted it: the Young Lady of this house had completely changed. He didn’t know the trigger, but everyone has their own inner circumstances that others don’t know—even if it’s a child. Evan didn’t try to dig deep. If it were something easily said, Alice would have spoken first. Regardless, the current Alice would surely have a positive influence on Michael.

“No! No!”

Michael, unaware of his brother’s thoughts, shook his head with tears welling in his eyes.

“I want to go with you, Brother!”

“El, I’ll come back for you as soon as the clinic is over.”

“Um…… is his nickname El? Gasp, that’s so cute.”

Pretending to hear the nickname for the first time, Alice cradled her flushed cheeks and looked at Michael. Edwin often called Michael “El,” but the nuance was a bit different.

‘My El.’

Edwin only called Michael that when he showed deep possessiveness—with a lingering gaze as if licking the sweetest fruit in the world.

‘Hehe. That’s good too.’

Alice, lost in sentiment as she recalled the novel’s plot, wore a satisfied smile. Michael grimaced at her tone, which treated him like a small child.

‘What? There’s barely any age difference between us.’

A gentle smile appeared on Evan’s face as he read his brother’s thoughts.

“Then, I leave El in your care for a while.”

As he left, Alice and Michael were left alone in the garden.

“Why do you keep looking at me!”

He shouted and hid behind a tree. His chubby cheek, peeking out from behind the trunk, was deep red.

‘Does he hate me looking at him that much?’

Ignoring Michael’s request, Alice stared intently until he hid behind the tree. It was a shame, but it couldn’t be helped. She didn’t want Michael to hate her, so she looked away as he asked.

Freed from the burdensome gaze, Michael finally poked his face out. His green eyes took in Alice’s profile as she sat lost in thought. Earlier, he hadn’t looked at her openly because her gaze was following only him, but his attention had been entirely on her from the beginning.

‘……I’ve never seen golden hair that curly before.’

She looked like a small puppy living next door. Michael realized her gaze had completely shifted. Even the color of her soul was something he had never seen before. Able to see the colors of people’s souls, he had never seen a soul that looked like a mixture of two or more colors. Entranced by the curious soul color, he looked at her as if possessed.

But soon, he bit his lip and glared at her.

‘What the—’

At first, she acted like she would die for him just by looking, but now she wasn’t even glancing his way as if she’d never been interested.

“So annoying…….”

Michael pouted and kicked the tree with his small foot. This was why he hated people who showed interest in him. Everyone acted as if they had immense interest, but in the end, they quickly forgot and stopped seeking him out. He thought of the adults who had vanished at some point. This girl called Alice seemed no different from them.

“Michael!”

“Ah!”

Startled by the sudden call of his name, Michael let out a shrill scream and fell on his butt.

“Michael! Are you okay?”

“W-what! You scared me!”

“I’m sorry. Did I scare you a lot?”

Michael huffed, his face turning bright red with embarrassment. Alice helped him up and examined him thoroughly to see if he was hurt. Fortunately, only his bottom was dirty, and there were no visible injuries.

“Michael, I have a gift for you.”

“A gift?”

Michael’s eyes sparkled with curiosity at the word “gift.”

“Ta-da!”

In her hand was a flower crown. Spring had just begun, and flowers were shyly poking their heads out. She had gathered them and woven them into a ring. It was the first thing she wanted to do as soon as she saw Michael. Since it was her first time making a flower crown, the result was predictably clumsy.

‘Well, so what? It’s my first time.’

She slid the flower crown onto Michael’s head. Michael took it off with his hands and frowned as he inspected it.

“What is this? It’s weird.”

Alice admitted that much. She answered without denial.

“It looks weird on its own, but because Michael is wearing it on his head, you look like a fairy.”

At those words, Michael grumbled that it was weird but didn’t throw the crown away. Seeing that, Alice made the grand mistake of thinking her flower-crown-making skills weren’t half bad. In reality, the shape was disastrous. Alice was satisfied that it at least held its form and wore a proud smile.

‘I should make a flower crown for Edwin later, too.’

Much later, Evan returned after finishing his clinic and was moved by the flower crown Alice gave him.

“Alice, is this for me?”

Nodding, Alice reached a conclusion about Evan. His threshold for being moved was remarkably low.

“Yes. Try it on!”

Alice couldn’t control her pounding heart. The flower crown was placed on top of his long, tied silver hair.

“Ah! It’s blinding.”

“A-Alice.”

Evan’s face flushed. Seeing him embarrassed made Alice want to tease him more.

“Why are you so selfish? How can you be the only one who’s handsome?”

“I-if you say that out loud……”

His face bright red, he looked around. he was being cautious in case someone heard. Watching him, Alice let out a giggle. Fortunately, the flower crown suited Evan well. Actually, even a rag would have suited him.

“Alice, you have very good handiwork.”

It was a blatant attempt to change the subject, but Alice let it go.

“I know, right? But I guess Michael didn’t like it much.”

“Hmph.”

Michael whipped his head away.

“You should say thank you.”

“Hmph, you want me to say thank you for receiving this?”

Michael looked at the flower crown in his hand with an indifferent face.

“No, Brother. Alice should be the one saying thank you to me for accepting it.”

There was no malice or mockery in Michael’s face as he spoke. He looked as though he were simply stating an obvious fact. Evan sighed and put his hand to his forehead at his brother’s arrogant words. Seeing that look, it seemed Michael speaking like that was a daily occurrence. Alice quickly accepted Michael’s words.

“That’s right! I’m actually thankful you didn’t throw it away!”

Alice was sincere. Since Michael, who possessed a keen sense of beauty, hadn’t thrown the crown away and had accepted it, it was a miracle in itself. And if Evan scolded Michael here, it would only make things more awkward for her. Sensing Alice’s gaze, Evan had no choice but to close his mouth directed at his brother. Looking back and forth between her and Michael, Evan let out a deep sigh.

***

“Hello.”

Opening the lock, Alice approached Edwin while holding the flower crown she had made. Fortunately, the plate was empty. She checked Edwin’s condition as usual. The unhealed wounds weighed on her heart. Since she was coming from meeting Michael, his treatment felt even closer, making her feel restless.

‘A terrible curse that can only be healed by holy power…….’

Curses were usually cast by mages or witches. But Edwin’s case was different. His curse had existed from the moment he was born. Because the curse was broken early in the original work and not mentioned in detail, readers were only full of speculation that it was related to Duke Esteban’s family. The basis for the speculation was that the Esteban family had a unique talent related to magical power. They were all born with magical power that ordinary people did not possess.

But there was something a bit unusual about how they used that magical power. They couldn’t manifest magic like mages, but they could imbue magical power into tools. Thus, the Esteban family had accumulated wealth by inventing many magical tools.

But Edwin was different. His magical power sucked the life out of things. So, if he held a living creature while manifesting his magical power, that subject would have its life force stolen in an instant and die. Yet, was Edwin’s strength or reflexes inferior to those of an ordinary person?

‘On the contrary, he was far superior.’

In such a situation, fighting against Edwin was no different from jumping into a battlefield without armor or weapons. The power Edwin possessed was that demonic. Fortunately, Edwin couldn’t use his magic until Michael awakened him.

So who brings about the meeting between those two in the original work? Surprisingly, it was Alice—her. One day in the original, a small problem arose between Alice and Michael. Unable to watch Alice’s tantrums toward the maids anymore, Michael stepped forward to mediate.

‘Are you crazy? Moderate those insane acts. If you don’t want to die alone when you kick the bucket.’

Of course, he didn’t mediate with kind words. At those words, a furious Alice smiled coldly and said to Michael:

‘Insane acts……? Then surely a righteous doctor shouldn’t just stand by and watch a poor patient?’

She gave Michael an order.

‘From tomorrow, treat the poor fellow on the top floor of the spire, not me.’

Under the pretext that a doctor must treat a patient, Alice pushed Michael toward the spire and planned to send assassins there.

‘A doctor dying while treating a patient, what an honorable death. Cackle!’

She was very pleased, imagining Michael and Edwin dying side-by-side in the spire. However, what she overlooked was that Edwin, whose magic was opened by Michael’s holy power, would have nothing to fear.

‘If this role is a bridge of sorts, it is a bridge…….’

An antagonist meddling in things meant death in a “Dark BL” novel. Especially if it was a tyrant character like Edwin. In the original, as soon as his magic opened, Edwin killed Karina first, and then the Duke and Alice in turn.

Recalling the original, Alice felt her blood run cold. Thinking about it, it was like the daughter letting her mother be killed and then offering up her own life as well. It was a script worthy of any horror movie.

“I have a gift today.”

Recalling her end, Alice handed the flower crown to Edwin with a slightly awkward face.

“……What is this?”

“This is something you wear like this.”

Alice gently placed the flower crown on Edwin’s head. Instead of the red flower crown she had made for Michael earlier, this was one made of white flowers. It contrasted well with his pitch-black hair. He kept fiddling with the crown on his head as if curious.

She began to tell her stories as usual. Fortunately, Edwin didn’t hate listening to her stories. The vegetable soup she had for lunch was delicious, the parfait she had for a snack was sweet and refreshing—let’s eat it together next time. It was nothing more than chattering about trivial things.

‘But it’s all about food.’

The conversation topics were too monotonous. she pondered deeply. It wasn’t hard to think of stories on other topics.

‘There was Michael!’

She brought up the subject of meeting him earlier. But once she started talking, it was nothing but praise for him. He was cute even when angry, pretty even when standing still; he must surely be an angel rather than a human, and so on.

Edwin, who had been listening quietly, reacted.

“……Michael?”

Edwin blinked slowly and murmured. Alice nodded with a bright smile.

“He’s Evan’s younger brother. Isn’t the name pretty?”

“…….”

Edwin seemed to be thinking deeply at her words. Alice couldn’t suppress the rising smile.

‘He’s already showing interest just by hearing the name.’

But you guys are still children. Alice was the one who felt the most regret about that fact at this moment. Instead, she whispered to Edwin as if telling a secret.

“And he’s a boy.”

A boy, a boy. There was a hint of an ulterior motive in her words, but Edwin didn’t seem to notice.

“Does Alice like him?”

Perhaps that was why a question far from her expectations returned. However, Alice answered Edwin’s question faithfully.

“Yes, he’s so cute and pretty. It was like a baby angel just descended from heaven. His cheeks are pale and soft, and his silver hair is like a spool of thread spun from moonlight. Even his eye color is pretty. They sparkle and shine with emerald light……”

Alice unknowingly recalled Michael’s appearance and flushed. She praised him, saying he was surely the cutest and daintiest creature in the world.

She didn’t notice that Edwin’s gaze as he watched the chattering Alice grew a bit dark. She was just happy to see Edwin showing interest in another person for the first time. She was even happier that the subject was Michael.

“……Does Alice like pretty things?”

“Hmm, is there anyone who hates pretty things?”

Edwin reflected on her words and then agreed. His face was fixed on Alice, unmoving.

“How do I look?”

He asked. Alice tilted her head.

“Have you never seen a mirror?”

“What is a mirror?”

“Uh……”

Alice felt caught off guard, having never thought he wouldn’t know what a mirror was. She had overheard the maids say he was imprisoned in the tower shortly after being weaned……

Did Edwin not even know what his own face looked like?

“Is Edwin curious about how he looks?”

“A little……. Do I look pretty?”

Edwin spoke cautiously.

***

In the past, he hadn’t been particularly curious about such things. But now, he had become a little curious. No, in fact, he was intensely curious. Edwin focused on Alice’s lips. For the first time, he felt nervous about the answer that would come from her.

“Of course you do.”

Alice nodded immediately.

For reasons he couldn’t explain, Edwin felt a sense of relief wash over him at her answer. Alice was scrutinizing his face intently. Feeling her gaze, he stiffened with tension.

“You’ll be even prettier once you get treated,” she added casually.

Just as a gem does not lose its luster simply because it is covered in dirt, his features—glimpsed beneath the scars and dust—were exquisite. Later, when he would exude a demonic beauty, would the description “pretty” even be enough? Alice grew curious about how Edwin would grow up.

Meanwhile, Edwin slowly chewed over the words she had spoken.

‘Treatment.’

He stroked his face with his small, bandage-wrapped hand. For the first time, the rough texture felt bothersome.

***

Deep in the night, Alice was dreaming, her face drenched in a cold sweat.

In her dream, she was kneeling on an ivory floor. Her once short, chubby fingers were now long and slender, like those of an adult. Her mouth moved of its own accord.

“E-Edwin. Please, spare me.”

She knelt before him, begging for her life.

The tall man, drenched in blood from a continuous slaughter, looked down indifferently at the woman pleading for her life. He was a man of lethal beauty, like a statue painstakingly crafted by a god, but his face was terrifyingly devoid of expression. Alice felt the hair on her arms stand up.

‘Was Edwin always like this?’

She remembered the Edwin she saw in the spire as being much more expressive than this. Were the two of them even the same person? The unbelievable gap between them caused confusion to take precedence over fear. The man before her didn’t seem human; he seemed like a demon.

He opened his mouth, his gaze like that of one bestowing mercy upon a trivial creature.

“I have… a reason.”

“W-what reason…?”

A hint of boredom flickered in the red eyes that reflected her image.

It happened in an instant.

With a surge of horrific pain, she collapsed sideways. The floor, as white as a snowy field, was instantly stained with the crimson color of flowers. Her inverted vision took that in as its last sight before everything went dark.

“Gasp!”

At that moment, Alice woke up. Her body was burning with fever, and her heart was thumping wildly. It was the first time she had ever had such a vivid and lifelike dream. She looked down at her hands. They were trembling. The contents of the dream and the emotions she felt lingered like remnants, leaving her mind in a state of chaos.

She dragged her heavy head and slowly sat up. It had been a terrifying, grisly nightmare.

‘Did Alice die like this in the original work?’

Holding her forehead where cold sweat was trickling, she desperately tried to recall the original story. The answer came quickly. The Alice in the original did not die this way. That made the feeling even more inexplicable.

Don’t people say dreams are a product of latent thoughts? It could be that her unconscious worries had manifested as a dream.

‘…Was I really that afraid of Edwin?’

Suddenly, the words Edwin spoke just before killing her came to mind.

‘I have… a reason.’

He said he had a reason to kill her.

“Did he kill me because I told him weird fairy tales…?”

What if the fairy tales she told him to enrich his emotions and social skills had, conversely, turned Edwin into an antisocial person?

“Oh, no. That would be a huge problem…”

Perhaps because the dream was so vivid, she couldn’t dismiss it as just a dream, and her worries began to branch out endlessly.

“No, it’s just a dream.”

After agonizing for a while, she lay back down. Giving deep meaning to every trivial action she took with him only made her head ache. There was no way a clear answer would emerge no matter how much she pondered.

‘But why am I so anxious?’

Carrying a small sense of unease in a corner of her heart, she fell back into sleep.

***

“You look very tired. Did you not sleep well?”

Evan, keenly noticing her condition, asked softly.

“It’s nothing.”

She could have told him she had a nightmare, but for some reason, she couldn’t bring herself to talk about the dream. Perhaps it was because it was so frightening she didn’t even want to voice it. Usually, he wasn’t particularly quick-witted, but he was a person sensitive to the pain of others. She thought that was very typical of the Elga family, who had been doctors for generations.

Noticing that she was reluctant to mention the topic, he changed the subject.

“That’s a relief. Is that person in the spire doing all right? He needs to keep applying the ointment… I’m worried because the situation might be a bit difficult.”

He let out a deep sigh as he recalled Edwin bound in chains.

“You don’t have to worry about that. I’ve been applying it steadily for him.”

“You have, Alice?”

Evan was startled by her words. Edwin, who had submissively yielded his body to her, and Alice, who was steadily looking after Edwin—both points were surprising.

“That is a great relief, but the wounds aren’t healing at all. I wonder if I should change the medicine… I’ll bring a different ointment next time.”

“Alright.”

In truth, it was useless. No ointment could heal Edwin’s wounds. The only cure was…

‘Just one kiss.’

The kiss between Michael and Edwin did more than just heal him; it completely broke the curse and awakened his power. Before Michael, who possessed overflowing holy power, any curse or poison was rendered powerless. Of course, Evan also carried the Elga blood and had holy power, but it wasn’t nearly as much as Michael’s.

‘Still, it would be a small help to Edwin.’

Even so, she couldn’t ask Evan for help. If the Duke found out about this now, the situation would become completely tangled. Suddenly remembering someone, she asked, worried about him being alone.

“Did you find a nanny for Michael?”

“Sigh…”

As soon as she asked, he let out a small sigh. His face was filled with worry. Seeing him, Alice immediately guessed the situation.

‘I knew it would be like this.’

“Actually, not yet.”

It seemed no one had appeared who could handle Michael’s temperament. A subtle smile played on her lips.

‘As expected—the poster child of sensitive and prickly.’

If you searched for the keywords “sensitive,” “prickly,” or “hysterical” on a novel site, Michael was the first to be mentioned. Currently, as a child, his prickliness was less severe, but after Evan’s death, he showed a level of sensitivity bordering on a personality disorder. Although he was deeply affectionate deep down, the journey to reach that “deep down” was rough and long. Consequently, most people couldn’t handle Michael’s personality and kept their distance.

On top of that, Edwin had a temper that led him to kill anyone who annoyed him. So, readers jokingly referred to them as the “socially maladjusted couple.”

‘If this goes well, I might be able to create an opportunity for Edwin and Michael to meet early.’

Alice’s eyes sparkled for a moment.

“Then can’t we just bring him to the Duke’s castle?”

She feigned an innocent expression as she looked at Evan’s face. He shook his head in surprise.

“We cannot bring in an outsider without the permission of His Excellency or the Madam.”

“Why? He’s just one child.”

Recalling the original work, it was dangerous to bring Michael here because the Duke would try to offer him up as a tribute. However, the current Duke was unaware that the Elga family possessed holy power.

‘Besides, Evan’s holy power will never be revealed anyway.’

Alice intended to use any means necessary to prevent Evan from going to war. This was because the Duke would realize the existence of holy power through the strength Evan used on the battlefield. If she could just prevent him from going, Evan wouldn’t die, and his holy power wouldn’t be revealed as a result. She thought she just had to eliminate that catalyst entirely.

However, if she did that, the beginning of the original work wouldn’t even be established. The pretext for Michael to enter the Duke’s castle would disappear, and the point of contact between Edwin and Michael would become slim. Therefore, she had to solidify the interaction between the two even during their childhood. Now was the perfect time.

“A young child requires a lot of care, so I cannot impose on others.”

“What if he gets kidnapped…?”

“Kidnapped?”

Evan was startled to hear her muttering. The security of the Esteban estate was among the best, so he had never even considered such a possibility. Alice’s reason for worrying lay with Michael.

‘Because Michael is really, really pretty.’

Michael, who had been kidnapped or stalked many times since childhood due to his exceptional appearance, had many internal descriptions of hating his own looks. Ironically, however, after becoming the concubine of Edwin (who had become Emperor), he gained fame throughout the empire for his beauty. Even when the nobles protested that the Emperor’s consort was a man, they did not dare belittle or insult Michael for his looks.

In response to the pestering of nobles who used descendants and lineage as an excuse, Edwin dismissed them with a single sentence: “Then I’ll consider it if you bring someone prettier than him.” There was no one more beautiful than him in the empire. Furthermore, if anyone mediocre was brought before Edwin, their entire family was beheaded. Consequently, the instances of noble families offering up marriage candidates gradually decreased.

‘In fact, he killed them all without even looking at them.’

She remembered Edwin, who treated no one as human except for Michael. No matter how much he was the protagonist, his cruel nature was suited for a villain. That was why it was baffling. She couldn’t believe that a child with such normal emotions was the same person as the “obsessive, angst-inducing” male lead. She thought he would surely show extraordinary signs even in his childhood…

But once she saw Edwin weeping in the spire, Alice admitted she could no longer leave him there. So, she intended to naturally reveal that Edwin was the biological child once the Duke returned—without mentioning Karina’s sin, of course.

‘There’s no reason for me to get killed too.’

This involved the death of the former Duchess. If she stepped forward and mentioned Karina’s involvement, she might be executed due to collective responsibility. Alice’s goal, first and foremost, was to be kicked out of the family safely. In the meantime, she had to advance the relationship between Edwin and Michael!

“Don’t worry if permission is needed. I’ll handle it,” Alice said with a giggle.

First, she needed Isabella’s permission.

“No.”

Isabella spoke a firm refusal with a cold, frost-like expression.

“Why?”

The look of pathetic disdain was unpleasant, but Alice feigned ignorance and asked for the reason.

“Sigh, Young Lady.”

Isabella crossed her arms and said, “We are already struggling enough with one child.” Her gaze shifted toward Alice. “There is no more manpower to look after a child. Unless one child were to disappear.”

The words were clearly malicious. Rather than anger, Alice felt curiosity at those words. ‘Why does she hate me so much?’

She saw Evan’s hand beside her trembling slightly.

“That is too harsh a remark…!”

Alice raised her hand to stop Evan as he finally spoke up, unable to take it anymore.

“So it’s because of manpower? Then that’s simple.”

“There is no additional manpower to hi—”

“I’ll look after him,” Alice said.

A child looking after a child? For a split second, Isabella’s and Evan’s expressions became identical. But Alice wasn’t making an empty promise. She was actually confident in looking after a child. When she was growing up in the orphanage, both the director and the teachers were not particularly diligent people. In the end, the task of looking after the new children who came there always fell to her.

“You, Young Lady?”

Isabella wore an expression of disbelief. Alice felt a strange surge of stubbornness at her reaction.

“Yes.”

“Are you confident you can take responsibility if you say something different later?” Isabella asked with a sneer of utter contempt.

Evan stiffened at Isabella’s words.

“The Young Lady does not need to take responsibility for such things. Young Lady, I am grateful for your kindness, but I cannot impose any further, so I will find someone else. Please, return to your room.”

Evan tried to persuade her, but Alice didn’t even pretend to listen to him.

“Fine. I’ll take whatever responsibility is required, so if I look after him well, let Michael stay at the Duke’s castle.”

“Very well. Keep in mind that the Madam does not like people who break their promises.”

“Of course.”

Alice let out a mental scoff at the sight of her using Karina as bait again.

“But I can’t look after the child alone. I’m still a child myself,” Alice said. Isabella looked at her as if she were speaking nonsense. “Attach Ena to me as my dedicated maid.”

“Young Lady, do you know what you are saying right now?”

“If you say no…”

Alice continued, rolling a jam jar in her hand. “I’m bored, so I think I’ll play a fun game.”

Crash!

Alice threw the jar she was holding onto the floor. The glass jar shattered upon impact, and sticky jam soaked the floor.

“Mother doesn’t care whether the servants’ workload increases or not, so I won’t have to worry about being hated, will I?”

Isabella frowned irritably and said, “I will report everything.”

“Go ahead and tattle if you want,” Alice said, narrowing her eyes. Isabella’s face turned bright red.

“To think you would call it tattling…!”

“Isn’t it?”

Isabella seemed to have finally realized how futile it was to argue with this small child. She clenched her mouth shut and then opened it.

“You will regret this.”

“Sure,” Alice replied half-heartedly.

She knew well from her past memories that even if she left a good impression on Isabella, all she would get in return was mockery. This kind of tantrum worked on her. Isabella irritably gestured to the maid behind her.

‘Like master, like servant; she acts exactly like Karina.’

She commanded the maid who approached.

“Bring Ena.”

On the way back to the room, Evan caught Alice in the hallway and spoke urgently.

“Alice, Michael and I are truly fine. Even now, if you tell Isabella…”

“I was planning to just bring him anyway if it didn’t work.”

At the sight of Alice’s giggling face, Evan spoke cautiously.

“Alice… I am grateful for your heart, but I cannot let any trouble befall you.”

“Actually, Evan, you’re curious why I’m helping this much, aren’t you?”

At Alice’s words, which hit the nail on the head, Evan shut his mouth with a look of being caught off guard. Letting out a deep sigh, Alice spoke as if stating an obvious fact.

“Because Michael is cute.”

“Pardon?”

As Evan looked on in bewilderment, as if he had heard an unexpected answer, Alice seriously supplemented her reason.

“Because he’s very, very cute. What if someone kidnaps Michael while he’s home alone? Then he might never come back, and I’ll never see Michael again.”

‘Then Edwin and Michael won’t be able to meet each other. It would be a complete tragedy.’

“So, leave him to me while you’re working.”

Evan looked as though he were at a loss for words. Alice, unable to tell him the truth, spent the rest of the time chattering away with nothing but praise for Michael.