Chapter 6

“…What?!”

Lydia instinctively shot upright.

But the moment she did, a violent pain surged through her body, and she clutched her stomach before collapsing back down.

“Argh!”

“Gasp! Big Sis, are you okay?”

Sylvia’s eyes widened in alarm.

Lydia writhed around on the bed from the pain before finally managing to regain her composure after quite some time.

“Big Sis, should I call the doctor?”

“I’m fine. More importantly, tell me what you were saying earlier.”

“Is that really what’s important right now?!”

Lydia grimaced through the lingering pain and waved her hand. It was a signal telling Sylvia not to move.

Sylvia pouted unhappily but obediently sat back down in her chair.

“So, what did that man do?”

“Well…”

The details were as follows.

On the day the Rift appeared, Sylvia had been absolutely terrified.

Because Lydia’s overprotectiveness had meant that it was the first time in her life she had ever actually seen a Creature.

‘But Big Sis will take care of everything. She’s strong.’

However, when the Creature didn’t fall even after Lydia’s attack, Sylvia had apparently gone into a panic.

‘No! At this rate, Big Sis might really die!’

That was when Ludwig appeared.

Ludwig Claudewitz.

That absurdly powerful man had cut down the Creature with a single swing of his sword.

At that moment, he had unmistakably been a savior.

“I never knew a person could be that strong. The way he looked then was just… so cool.”

Sylvia’s eyes sparkled as she spoke, as though she were reliving the scene in her mind.

‘…I can understand why.’

Lydia already knew that much.

During their time at the military academy, Lydia had seen Ludwig fight several times.

Even then, Ludwig had subtly made it clear that he disliked her, so Lydia’s own opinion of him had been firmly in the negative.

Even so, she couldn’t help admiring his overwhelming skill.

A sword dance that was disciplined yet elegant and dignified.

If Lydia hadn’t known Ludwig so well, she might even have been praising him alongside Sylvia right now.

“And when I asked him to save you, he came over right away. He was really worried about you, too! He looked even more serious than I did!”

Worried?

‘As if.’

Sylvia must have misunderstood.

Perhaps she had simply interpreted Ludwig’s naturally expressionless face as an expression of concern.

“He even gently comforted me when I was crying my eyes out. He said I could stay here until you got better, too… Oh, and the food here was amazing. I never knew duck could taste that good! And what about the seafood stew? I wish you could’ve eaten it with me!”

At some point, Sylvia had completely gone off track and began listing all the food she’d eaten at the Grand Ducal House.

Still, her conclusion was simple.

“Lord Ludwig is really amazing!”

At last, Sylvia finished her lengthy praise of Ludwig.

Leaving Sylvia, who was now grinning happily as though she’d never cried in her life, to herself, Lydia seriously organized her thoughts.

‘First of all, I understand why I’m here.’

It was obvious.

Ludwig probably couldn’t bring himself to ignore Sylvia’s earnest request, so he had brought Lydia home with her.

No matter how much he disliked the villainess, as the male lead, he probably couldn’t refuse the request of the angelic heroine.

‘And perhaps he had his own ulterior motive for subtly bringing Sylvia into his house.’

Why else would the original story be a dark romance?

Considering the male leads’ obsession and possessiveness, it wouldn’t be surprising.

Even if they weren’t consciously aware of it, their bodies might act before their minds caught up.

The fact that the imprisonment hadn’t started yet was already a relief!

Lydia groaned and grabbed at her hair.

‘No. I worked so hard to keep Sylvia from meeting the male leads!’

Who would have thought that all her efforts would go to waste like this?

After agonizing over it, Lydia finally managed to force out a question.

“So… do you like His Grace the Grand Duke?”

“Like? Like how I like you, Big Sis?”

“No, I mean… um… like how a couple likes each other…?”

As a reader who knew the original story, and as Sylvia’s guardian, Lydia absolutely could not allow such a relationship.

At the same time, she felt guilty about interfering with her younger sister’s first love.

‘What am I supposed to do from now on?’

However, Lydia’s internal struggle proved completely pointless.

Sylvia immediately answered without the slightest hesitation.

“Huh? No?”

The answer was so refreshingly straightforward that Lydia found herself asking in confusion.

“Why?!”

“Huh? Why…?”

Sylvia stammered, flustered.

“Because… just because someone is cool doesn’t mean you have to like them, right…?”

It was surprisingly logical for Sylvia.

“I only thought he was cool because he’s the person who saved you, Big Sis. And he gave me chocolate cake, too…”

That was really good. Let’s ask for some more later.

Sylvia whispered as though she were sharing a secret.

Lydia felt deflated.

‘What the…’

But when she thought about it carefully, this actually made perfect sense for Sylvia.

Sylvia’s mind was simply that of an innocent child!

“…Right. You’re still too young to understand love.”

“I’m not young! I’m an adult, too!”

Lydia ignored Sylvia’s objection.

‘Good. Sylvia is fine for now. The real problem is Ludwig. What if Ludwig has already become completely obsessed?’

The original story, which naturally came loaded with provocative keywords like #DarkRomance #Kidnapping #Imprisonment, didn’t exactly place much importance on the heroine’s wishes.

The moment the heroine caught the male lead’s eye, her life becoming a thorny path was practically a given!

‘Could the reason he specifically brought me here be so he can seduce Sylvia?’

Ludwig had always openly disliked Lydia.

Even if Lydia had been injured, there was no way he would normally show her this much excessive kindness.

But what if this was actually part of a sinister scheme to get Sylvia into his grasp?

‘That snake! So calculating and insidious!’

Lydia clenched her fists and trembled.

“Big Sis, what’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing.”

She had to remain calm for now.

‘I’ll tell him that I’ll leave as soon as I see the doctor. Before that, I’ll come up with another excuse to send Sylvia home.’

At least once they left this mansion, Ludwig wouldn’t be able to do anything to Sylvia right away.

There would be too many eyes watching!

Having made up her mind, Lydia smiled brightly as though nothing was wrong.

Seeing her sister’s cheerful expression, Sylvia seemed relieved and grinned foolishly.

A little while later, Lydia was examined by the doctor who came to her room.

For a moment, she was almost overwhelmed when she was introduced as the Grand Duke’s personal physician.

But Lydia decided not to be grateful.

Now that she knew Ludwig’s ulterior motives, she shamelessly felt that this was simply the bare minimum he ought to do.

‘I’m Sylvia’s actual older sister. Of course he should treat me well.’

Her examination was over.

Now it was time to escape.

Honestly, Lydia wanted to leave together with Sylvia, but the doctor firmly insisted that he needed to monitor her condition, so she had no choice but to stay another day.

“Sylvia, you should go home now.”

“Huh? Why? It’s almost time for dinner…”

“I’m uncomfortable here and want to go home quickly. Go ahead and prepare a little discharge party for me. You can do that, right?”

Sylvia fell for Lydia’s completely ridiculous explanation without a second thought.

“Okay, Big Sis! I’ll do my best!”

Excited by the word party, Sylvia stood up while humming happily.

Watching her with a warm expression, Lydia suddenly thought of something.

‘But what if Ludwig comes up with another excuse and doesn’t let Sylvia leave?’

After all, Ludwig was the owner of this mansion.

If he came up with some excuse to stop her, Lydia could be trapped here helplessly.

“…No, Sylvia. Sit down for a moment.”

“Huh?”

“I’ll go ask for permission.”

Who knows what kind of trouble you’ll cause if I send you off alone?

Meeting Ludwig was easier than Lydia had expected.

A passing butler guided Lydia to Ludwig’s study.

“It seems my sister and I have imposed on you for far too long. I’d like to send my younger sister home first. She also has lessons that she needs to attend at home.”

Lydia bowed her head calmly and politely.

‘That sounds natural enough, right?’

As she waited for his response, her heart began pounding wildly.

She was worried that Ludwig might find some fault with her words and prevent her from safely sending Sylvia home.

Ludwig stared at Lydia’s face for a moment.

“…Do as you please. You don’t need my permission for something like that.”

And when his answer finally came, Lydia’s face brightened.

‘Thank goodness!’

She had been worried that Ludwig would reveal his true colors and imprison Sylvia already, but fortunately, his obsession didn’t seem to have progressed that far yet.

Feeling more confident, Lydia spoke in a much brighter voice.

“Thank you. In that case, I’ll return home with Sylvia as well. If you could give me her medical records, I’ll have my own physician continue her treatment…”

“That won’t do.”