Chapter 11
Leandros kept staring at the empty doorway long after his brother had left.
The darkness in his eyes made Yeorae tremble.
The reason Silas and Leandros had such a broken relationship was actually quite simple.
During the two years that Leandros was away at war, their father died, and Silas was left alone in the huge mansion.
During that time, he wasted the family’s fortune and pushed not only the Duke Etsina Family but also the entire territory into serious trouble.
Their relationship became somewhat better near the end of the novel, but the process had never been smooth.
As Yeorae slowly recalled those events, she bowed and left Leandros’ room.
Then she immediately ran to the bathroom.
Her stomach churned.
Nausea rose inside her.
For some reason, the image of her older sister looking down at her from the stairs flashed through her mind again and again.
If You truly exist somewhere, God, please let the head maid find a replacement quickly.
I am sincerely begging You.
Goodness.
What kind of life had the maid who returned to her hometown been living here?
Yeorae did not know whether the woman had been unlucky or had volunteered for these duties herself.
But either way, her schedule had consisted entirely of serving the twins.
In the morning, she attended to Leandros.
After lunch, she cleaned Silas’ art studio.
There was no work in the evening, but honestly, she would rather work alone in the library until late at night like before.
At least there, she did not have to stay tense like a rabbit trapped inside a tiger’s den.
Silas’ studio was located at the end of the eastern annex.
“Excuse me.”
The well-oiled door opened smoothly without a sound.
The studio smelled similar to a school art room.
All the windows were covered with red silk curtains, and carpets were scattered across the wooden floor decorated with delicate patterns.
The moment Yeorae stepped inside, she almost knocked over an easel.
Dozens of easels blocked her path.
Paints and small props were scattered across the floor, forcing her to walk carefully on tiptoe just to reach the center of the room.
“Good. Now raise your chin a little higher. More proud. More arrogant. Yes, that’s perfect.”
Silas’ low laughter spread gently through the room.
The same woman Yeorae had seen before sat on a round table in the center, posing for him.
When Silas noticed the unfamiliar presence, he stopped painting and turned his head.
Thankfully, he was fully dressed this time.
“Hello. We seem to meet quite often.”
“The maid who handled this work had to leave the mansion because of personal reasons. Until a replacement is found, I’ll be cleaning this studio.”
“I see.”
His answer sounded completely uninterested.
“Move your left hand farther back. That’s right. Stay like that.”
Even while painting, Silas and the woman occasionally exchanged strange looks that only the two of them seemed to understand.
Trying her best to ignore them, Yeorae cleaned around the room.
Then she noticed a torn painting among several untouched canvases.
“This one is torn too…”
Silas had been called a genius during his teenage years.
But after entering his twenties, he had fallen into a slump and had never escaped it.
That terrible slump was one of the reasons he spent every night drinking and chasing women.
“They all look good to me.”
Maybe she simply lacked artistic talent.
Tilting her head, Yeorae placed the badly slashed landscape painting back where it belonged.
Just as she reached for another painting, the studio door suddenly opened.
A scene that felt like dĂŠjĂ vu unfolded before her eyes.
Bang!
A man who looked exactly like Silas strode into the room and punched him in the face.
The woman’s high-pitched scream echoed through the studio.
Holding his cheek, Silas shouted,
“You crazy bastard! What are you doing?!”
“You should know the reason better than anyone.”
“What?”
Silas bent over slightly and rolled his eyes.
Since he spent half his life drunk, there were many things he simply did not remember.
“I thought so.”
Leandros let out a cold, mocking laugh and grabbed his brother by the collar.
“You must be insane if you think you can run your mouth about me in taverns.”
“You put people on me again?!”
Silas glared at him with an ugly expression.
Then suddenly, he burst into laughter.
“What? Am I not allowed to tell people about your beautiful succubus? Everyone already knows the rumors about her anyway!”
“Do not mock that person.”
Yeorae gasped.
Silas’ head snapped to the side again.
Leandros lowered his voice and spoke to the frightened woman standing in the center.
“Leave.”
The woman hurriedly grabbed her coat and ran out of the studio.
Pretending to work, Yeorae stood silently in the corner holding a blank canvas.
Then suddenly, Leandros turned toward her.
“…”
“…”
The lines between his brows slowly twisted.
“Didn’t you hear me tell you to leave?”
Gulp.
Yeorae swallowed dryly.
Wait…
Me too?
Yeorae sat on a ladder and buried her face in both hands.
It was the first time she had looked into his eyes since coming here.
And it was their first conversation.
Yet the first thing he said to her was, “Leave.”
There was not even a trace of the affection that the younger Leandros had shown Lee Yeorae in her world.
I know.
Of course it would be like this.
Right now, I look completely different from before.
But her heart refused to accept it.
The pain of being rejected by someone she loved washed over her like waves.
“…”
After sitting there in despair for a long time, Yeorae suddenly leaned her upper body to the side.
Gideon, who had been reaching toward her, awkwardly stopped with his hand hanging in the air.
“You looked troubled for quite a while. I was curious.”
He coughed awkwardly and withdrew his hand.
“So will you keep coming here every late afternoon now?”
“Until they find a replacement. I wasn’t the type of student who visited libraries often, but for some reason this library feels comfortable.”
“It’s quiet. You don’t have to deal with people. It’s cozy too.”
Gideon had tied up his long white hair that looked like it belonged to an angel.
The way his flowing clothes moved as he walked reminded Yeorae of wandering swordsmen from historical dramas.
“This experience made me realize how different reading about something and seeing it in person really are. In the novel, Leandros wasn’t this bad. His mouth was harsh sometimes, but he wasn’t the type to throw punches at his brother so easily…”
“You keep comparing him to the twenty-year-old young man you once knew. That’s why it feels worse. The fact that the novel was told from Lilianshus’ perspective also plays a part.”
“Lilianshus was the kind of person who saw everything positively.”
“When Lilianshus arrives, his personality will improve. You know better than I do how Leandros changes as the story progresses.”
Yes.
I know.
I know far too well.
Gideon pulled an old dusty book from the shelf.
The pages had turned yellow from being ignored for so many years.
As he placed it onto a cart already overflowing with books, Yeorae spoke with determination.
“I have to return home before Lilianshus arrives.”
…But she couldn’t.
Goodness.
Half a month.
Half a month!
Yeorae grabbed her head in despair.
