Chapter 8: A Miserable One-Sided Love

Edelweiss returned home late in the afternoon, just as the sun began to set.

Bang!

As she was taking off her earrings in her room, the door burst open without so much as a knock.

Rosemary barged in, clearly furious, huffing and puffing with anger.

“Sister.”

“Edel, how could you do that to me? You were supposed to be on my side! Because of the way you acted there, I ended up looking ridiculous!”

In the past, Edelweiss would have rushed to apologize and tried to soothe her sister no matter what.

But not anymore.

“I’m honestly a bit taken aback right now. I was invited too, and I even took you with me… But you bullied Canary and pushed the nanny.”

“…What did you just say?”

Rosemary scoffed in disbelief at Edelweiss’s unexpected defiance.

Too caught up in her own anger, she didn’t notice the approaching footsteps.

Edelweiss, however, recognized the sound immediately—

It was the distinctive footstep of the Duke of Stern.

Looks like he came right after seeing Rosemary enter my room. Good.

She decided to use it to her advantage.

“Sister, Even if I overlook everything else, how could you threaten someone over the Marchioness of Riche?

Don’t you feel bad for the Marchioness’s daughter?

And how could you just leave without apologizing?”

“You—Edelweiss!”

Losing her temper, Rosemary raised her hand toward Edelweiss.

In the moment Edelweiss dodged, Rosemary’s long, sharp nails scratched across her skin.

“Rosie!”

The Duke of Stern stepped in right at that moment—

and saw everything.

“D-Dad…?”

Rosemary was startled when she saw Duke Stern and immediately lowered her hand.

But a scratch had already been left on Edelweiss’s pale cheek.

“Rosie. What is this… When did you develop the habit of raising your hand in anger?”

Even without knowing the full situation, Rosemary was clearly in the wrong, so Duke Stern, uncharacteristically, scolded her.

More precisely, he seemed disappointed in Rosemary, whom he had only ever thought of as pure and gentle.

“Father, it’s not… I mean—” Rosemary’s face turned pale and her lips quivered.

Caught in the act, she couldn’t talk her way out or offer any excuse.

“Rosie. I need to speak with Edelweiss alone. Leave us for a moment.”

“Father…”

“Rosemary. Now.”

Duke Stern responded in a firm tone, letting out a deep sigh.

Using her name instead of an affectionate nickname.

Clutching her dress tightly in both hands, Rosemary stepped out reluctantly, and Edelweiss suddenly found it all absurd.

‘When I went out with her and she caught a cold, he scolded me, asking if I’d lost my mind.’

This kind of favoritism had always existed, so it didn’t particularly hurt anymore.

Duke Stern immediately frowned, as if displeased by Edelweiss’s attitude.

“You. Why are you laughing?”

“Because it’s funny.”

“…Edelweiss Stern. Do you know why I called your name? You should maintain your dignity as the legitimate daughter of House Stern.”

Edelweiss Stern.

Only in moments like these did they treat her like the true daughter of Stern.

“Isn’t it funny? When my sister had a fever, you scolded me for not taking good care of her. But now that she scratched my face, you just sent her away.”

Edelweiss lightly tapped her stinging cheek.

Duke Stern’s face flushed red.

Perhaps because of the morning’s events—Rosemary pretending to be sick—it was even more embarrassing now.

“It… it was just a mistake. Your sister didn’t mean to do it.”

“Then did I intentionally let her get caught in the rain? Since when did I gain the power to control the weather?”

“……”

“If you know, please tell me. I’ll use it to ease the worries of the people in our drought-stricken lands.”

Duke Stern pressed his fingers into his forehead, seemingly trying to calm himself.

“This isn’t a matter for sarcasm.”

“I’m not being sarcastic. I’m just stating the truth.”

“I heard from Rosemary what happened at the tea party. How could you bow your head to those who mocked and belittled her for being illegitimate?”

It seemed Rosemary had already told her version of the story through tears, slanted to her advantage. Duke Stern clearly didn’t know what had really happened.

“And if Rosemary left crying, you should’ve followed her immediately. Where were you that you came back so late?”

“She spilled tea on her dress, and Lady Riche offered to lend her one, so she went to change. In the meantime, my sister threw pebbles at a canary that startled her.”

“What—”

“Lady Riche’s nanny tried to stop her, and my sister pushed the nanny down.”

“……”

“Later, when Lady Riche found out what had happened, she got angry. And instead of apologizing, my sister said that if she wanted help treating the ailing Marchioness Riche, she should try to stay on her good side.”

“Rosemary… there’s no way she would do that.”

“If you don’t believe me, ask Lady Chedil and Lady Scherna. They were both there.”

Duke Stern looked completely shocked by Rosemary’s vicious behavior.

“And because I didn’t want to humiliate my sister by forcing her to apologize in front of others, I tried to shield her pride—”

“……”

“But now you say I bowed to those who insulted her?”

Duke Stern opened his mouth as if to say something, then silently closed it again.

“And since you asked why I came home late, I’ll answer that too. You do know Prince Damian is Lady Riche’s cousin, right?”

“…And?”

“Prince Damian happened to be at the marquisate. He came out after hearing the commotion. My sister ran out crying, so I went to him and apologized on her behalf. That’s why I returned late.”

“……”

“Now, I’m the one with a question. Was I supposed to just blindly take my sister’s side, get angry with her, and chase after her?”

“……”

“And if bad rumors spread about her in society because of that, you would’ve blamed me, wouldn’t you? Saying I didn’t stop her, that I let it happen on purpose so she’d be isolated.”

The cause of everything that happened today was Duke Stern himself.

“Is it my fault my sister gets insulted for being illegitimate?”

“…Enough. That’s enough.”

“Even after getting married, you couldn’t let go of your lover, and you had an illegitimate child. Does none of the blame lie with you?”

“You dare speak that way to your father?”

As she touched on what could be considered Duke Stern’s deepest shame, he raised his hand—but stopped.

‘You don’t even consider me your child, and yet you only call yourself my father at times like this.’

Whether it was reflex or habit, it was clear he was taken aback.

“You’ve truly never once considered me your daughter. I already got scratched because of my sister—were you going to strike me, too?”

“That was… a mistake—just now—”

“You never even accidentally raise your hand to her.”

“……”

“Do you remember? When I was ten. I fell into the lake and had a raging fever. Not once did you come to see me.”

“…You.”

“Today, when she had a tiny cough, you stayed by her side until she got better.”

It was a memory she would never forget.

Even while burning with fever all night, every time she heard a sound, she forced herself to rise, hoping it was him. But every time, it wasn’t, and she lay back down.

The physician had advised complete rest, but she checked the balcony again and again, hoping he might come.

Maybe that’s why she came to memorize the sound of his footsteps—

Because she waited for them so desperately.

Maybe that’s also when she developed the habit of looking out from the balcony whenever she was feeling unsettled.

“I didn’t recover from that cold for a whole month because I couldn’t sleep—because I was waiting for you.”

“……”

“You might’ve come while I was asleep. That’s what I told myself. But in the end, you never did. It doesn’t matter anymore, but suddenly, I’m curious. Why didn’t you come?”

“……”

Duke Stern took a deep breath.

But he still said nothing.

“The physician told you, didn’t he? That I could’ve died if it went wrong.”

“I… That was such a long time ago. I don’t know why you’re bringing it up now.”

He lowered his head and took a step back, as if bearing her gaze was too much.

“Duke, I can repeat word for word what the servants said in passing.”

Their sneers, questioning if the little lady was really his daughter.

Their agreement that she must be, since she resembled him.

“Do you know why?”

“……”

“Because to me, it still feels like it happened yesterday. While waiting for you, I stayed ten years old for a very long time.”

Edelweiss had spent her entire life in a one-sided love for Duke Stern.