Chapter 12

Translator and Editor: Effe and Nabi

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“Brother?”

It was strange to see Edward acting impatiently as if he was being chased by something. It was an overreaction to think about Damon simply because of the scary rumors.

“…Elysia, I can’t lose you.”

The average person would respond that she should be grateful to be a Grand Duchess, like the Countess—either that or they would be jealous like Rowena. But now, Edward’s reaction was different from that of others.

He was just thinking that she was being sold to a monster.

Oh, she didn’t know. Maybe, it really was no different from marrying a monster.

Damon Raphael was a monster…

“Yes…? What do you mean?”

However, it was still unknown to the public that Damon was a monster. He was still suppressing his murderous energy as much as possible and pretending to be a normal person.

“Damon Raphael… you must not marry him.”

“Brother, it has already been decided.”

As long as he accepted this marriage proposal, there was no going back. He now needed a bride.

“You… Are you saying that because you do not understand Grand Duchess Raphael’s end of the road?”

“Grand Duchess’ end of the road…?”

Grand Duchess’ dead-end…

Elysia didn’t think that would come out. The significant part was that the time was five years after marriage. It meant that the Duchess had no future.

“I don’t know. The previous Grand Duke didn’t have a Grand Duchess.”

The predecessor Grand Duke did not have any separate Grand Duchess. So, how can she know the fate of the Grand Duchess?

“Yes, that was known as the case. Do you know Rumors about the Raphael family?”

“You mean the rumors about Grand Duke Raphael? Otherwise… Rumors about the Raphael family?”

“Rumors about the Raphael family.”

The rumors of the Raphael family were rumors that it was a cursed family suffering from madness.

It was the strongest of any other family in the Caesar Empire, but it was a family famous for its exceptionally short life. Its strength was outstanding, and it was rumored to be stronger than the Imperial Family.

“If you’re talking about rumors that they were famous for being short-lived…”

“Though is it only the Grand Duke that is short-lived?”

“Yes…?”

Come to think of it, there was no mention of the Grand Duchess anywhere, even in the book where she was born as Elysia now.

It was as though everyone was covering it up.

“It is not only the Grand Duke who is short-lived… The same goes for the Grand Duchess.”

The moment she heard Edward’s words, she felt a shock as if something had hit her head. Short-lived…? The same for the Grand Duchess?’

This was the reason that made Edward uneasy.

“No, not all the Grand Duchess would have been like that.”

“Yes. Elysia, not all the Grand Duchess was the same as you said.”

“I know brother is worried, still… I will be fine.”

Elysia said that even though, in fact, she would be poisoned by Damon and it would end her life. With that in mind, was the former Grand Duchesses also murdered by the Grand Dukes…?

Still, trying to relieve her bother’s worries, she opened her mouth again.

“Don’t worry too much. Not all of them are short-lived.”

“That’s—! No…. I shouldn’t have told you.”

As Edward mentioned, if the Grand Duchesses were also destined to be short-lived, even if she avoided poisoning, she could die for other reasons.

Again, Damon Raphael’s side was like sitting beside a poisoned Holy Grail. You can be by his side, who was beautiful, strong, and gorgeous, but in the end, you would be doomed to be killed by him.

Even though it seemed like everyone got the seat they wanted, in reality, it was a throne full of poison…

“Anyway, you cannot marry Grand Duke Raphael. I cannot lose you.”

Elysia and Edward were even more affectionate as if they were each other’s only blood. In addition, he also felt the same sympathy for her being harassed by the Countess.

On the other hand, it wasn’t just because of blood that Rowena and Edward couldn’t get close to despite the Countess’ efforts, though because the Countess sided with Rowena like crazy.

“Not all the Grand Duchess died prematurely.”

“That… I can’t explain everything to you right now, but…”

“Everyone must have had their own circumstances. At that time, there were diseases that could not be cured.”

Only now, medicine and magic with divine power have developed, although in the past, many things did not develop. Therefore, even diseases that can be cured now belonged to incurable diseases before.

“It’s not a disease.”

“…Yes?”

She expressed her doubts at the sight of Edward, who responded with a serious face that it was not a disease.

“The reason the Grand Duchess died was not because of disease… Some of them committed suicide due to madness, but not all of them died of disease.”

His words that said it was the Grand Duchess, not the Grand Duke that suffered from madness was interesting to Elysia.

“Did the Grand Duchess also suffer from madness?”

“Yes, there are rumors that the Grand Duchess also suffered from Raphael’s madness. I don’t know if that’s really Raphael’s madness or not.”

In fact, Elysia didn’t know what Raphael’s madness was.

There was no scene in the novel where Damon suffered from madness, except that he was a slaughter-crazed, indifferent psychopathic killer. He looked perfectly fine, so he won the hearts of readers even more.

Even if they originally liked crazy people, a crazy guy who looked normal was more attractive than a really crazy guy.

“And… Most of the Grand Duchess died in an accident.”

Oh, she lamented that they died in an accident? Again, it seemed like Damon and the previous Grand Dukes killed their wives.

Why?

Why did so many Grand Duchess have to die?

“How can I let you go to a place like that?”

“But, just because brother doesn’t want to let me go doesn’t mean I can not go. Grand Duke Raphael has already accepted the marriage, and County Caitlyn must respond.”

It wasn’t something that Elysia couldn’t do just because she didn’t want to. If so, she’d be the first to say no.

Damon already reprised with just a marriage proposal. If they say they won’t do the marriage as he accepted—

“If we cancel the marriage, not all of us will survive.”

It was terrifying to even imagine.

Initially, there will be only political and economic revenge. But, over time, the last step was when the incident would be gradually forgotten, and everyone eventually loses their lives at the hands of Damon.

“County Caitlyn made a mistake… Why didn’t I think of that?”

“Brother?”

Edward’s eyes flashed and shouted as if he had thought of something, and it seemed a bit out of his mind. Of course, her marriage could have been a shock to him. Who can stay sane when his sister is getting married into an ominous family?

Besides, Edward was an older brother who was desperate to get sick for the sake of protecting his younger sister. Of course, it was not strange to react this way.

“I will never send you to Grand Duke Raphael.”

“Brother? How have you been listening to me?”

Damon Raphael was a man without mercy. The only mercy he showed was whether he killed her sooner or later—and that would even be considered to be a little merciful.

Rejecting him was a tremendous thing.

No one survived rejecting Damon Raphael.

“If, as you said, Count Caitlyn had to respond to the Raphael family…”

“No way…”

“It doesn’t have to be you.”

Elysia immediately recognized what Edward was talking about. Now, he was talking about swapping the bride.

“If he really needs County Caitlyn’s bride, it doesn’t matter as long as we replace that bride.”

“It can’t be possible…! The Grand Duke has already seen my face! Though suddenly, the bride’s face changes on the wedding day?”

“You have nothing to worry about.”

“Brother—!”

It was the first time that she had seen him acting like this.

Edward was kind but sickly, so Elysia thought he was a docile older brother who didn’t say a word. He, of course, wasn’t screaming, yet it was unfamiliar to see him spit out nonsense words and being demanding like this.

She knew what made Edward this way. However, his words didn’t make sense.

Edward’s words were not feasible. This was something anyone could know. Now, he seemed to be insane for fear of losing his sister. Otherwise, Edward, who was always calm and composed, couldn’t have been like this.

“I will definitely…”

“Calm down.”

His gaze was not focusing on her anymore, it seemed that he was thinking of the distant future. She wondered what it looked like in his eyes. Is he watching her die in agony, covered in blood?

Right now, Edward in front of her seemed insane.

Elysia grabbed his hand and pulled him closer. Thankfully, Edward’s eyes, which had been looking far away, returned to her again.

“I am not dead yet. Brother’s only blood is still alive.”

“Ah… Elysia.”

She knew why Edward was obsessed with her.

She couldn’t have not known.

He lived without love and was thirsty for someone’s affection.

His father, the Count, always ignored the sickly and weak-hearted Edward.

On the other hand, his stepmother, the Countess, constantly harassed and tormented him. And now that he grew up, she was obsessed with Edward, who looked like the Count.

“It doesn’t matter to me how the former Grand Duchess died. I will never die. I will survive to the end and see my brother’s children, and I will watch you rise above the County.”

“Elysia…”

“Brother, I am no longer a child who cried because of bullying.”

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