C124
Time passed quickly.
Liena grew up in her new family as the much-loved and charming Princess Cassius.
When she learned that the business she was planning would require a large number of magic stones, she suddenly remembered a mine that a family had owned in her past life.
A mine in the Andala region. At that time, the mine where high-quality magic stones were produced became a hot topic.
Although the reserves were not large, the quality of the magic stone was good, so it seemed like it would be very useful for her business.
After hearing Liena say that she wanted to own a mine, Leandro willingly said,
"All right. It turns out I have some business to do in that area, so I'll meet with the owner of the mine."
While Leandro was away, Liena wondered how to acquire the mine without the eyes of the imperial family.
The buying and selling of mines have been closely supervised by the imperial family since ancient times.
"If the Cassius family buys it, they will definitely take care of it, and the Iver Guild is now too large..."
No, it was obvious that no matter who bought the abandoned mine, which, in the first place, had no use, it would attract attention.
However, Leandro, who returned from Andala, said something unexpected.
"What if I marry Lady Wallace?"
"What?"
"Marriage is a good trick. All I have to do is get the mine as a dowry."
"But..."
"Because the gap between families is so large, everyone will whisper, but if we focus on the marriage, no one will pay attention to the mine, right?"
"You don't need to get married because of me!"
"It's not just for you. Lady Wallace seemed like a good person... For some reason, I keep thinking about her."
"What?"
"Even though it was the first time I saw her, I would say she felt strangely familiar. I've never seen someone like that before."
Liena experienced a strange feeling when she saw Leandro's face blush as if he were embarrassed.
As a younger sister, it seemed like a situation where she had to support her brother's love, but she wasn't in the mood.
Is Leandro in love?
For some reason, it was difficult to imagine the two brothers showing affection for someone other than themselves.
After Liena arrived at Cassius, the Cassius family only gave love to Liena.
Leandro didn't seem to notice Liena's silence.
"I will soon invite Lady Wallace to Cassius. You will like her too."
The day the daughter of Count Wallace visited Cassius, Liena was extremely surprised.
It was Ethel.
"Pleased to meet you, Princess Cassius. You are a very lovely person, just as I heard from the young Duke."
Seeing her friend warmly greet her, Liena could barely contain the emotions that were welling up.
As expected, Ethel, Liena, and Cassius were destined to become one family.
Otherwise, this miraculous event of Ethel following Leandro to Cassius, even though everything was different from her previous life, couldn't be explained.
Liena became the daughter of Cassius, and Ethel became the wife of Leandro, making them one family.
What a perfect image this is.
"Welcome to my home!"
Liena welcomed Ethel wholeheartedly.
When she heard the story of the Wallace family, whose family circumstances were much worse than expected, her heart ached.
"Poor Ethel. I knew nothing about that and thought you were living a rich life in a noble family..."
The guilt she had buried deep in her heart for stealing the adoption opportunity from Ethel also returned.
"Both of you look so good together!"
So, by connecting her with Leandro, she tried to get Ethel favor in Cassius.
It was the best atonement Liena could make.
The uneasiness in her heart that had arisen because of Leandro disappeared immediately.
Ethel is different from other people. Liena was willing to share her brother's affection with Ethel.
She was no longer worried that her family might abandon her because of Ethel.
The past ten years were enough for Liena to trust that the love of those around her would never be denied.
It was so. Until one day, she overheard a conversation between her father and her two brothers.
"By the way, Lady Wallace."
During a family tea ceremony, Leheim suddenly changed the subject.
"The more I look at her, the more I like her. Like a friend I've known for a long time."
Leandro agreed with that.
"It's interesting. That's why I requested a relationship with Ethel."
"Oh, I can understand that. What does my father think?"
Duke Cassius rubbed his chin.
"Surprisingly, I think the same. She seems sturdy, but somehow she feels familiar. Maybe because she resembles Cheryl."
"To mom? They don't look alike at all."
"Should I say it's the atmosphere? It's hard to pinpoint, but it's similar."
"Father, are you feeling lonely these days? You're saying all sorts of things..."
Crash! A loud noise cut off Leheim's words.
Liena dropped the teacup she was holding, and it shattered on the floor.
"Liena!"
"Are you okay?!"
"Are you hurt anywhere?"
Liena barely nodded.
"Oh, yes. I'm fine. I'm sorry, Dad."
"... Your face is pale."
Although she said she was fine several times, the three men surrounded her, concerned about her health.
However, Liena's expression turned dark the next day and the day after.
The three soon realized that Liena had more of a problem than an illness.
After persistent questioning, Liena pretended she couldn't win and confessed her true feelings.
"I'm afraid that if Lady Wallace joins the family, my father and my brother will no longer love me."
Duke Cassius responded confused.
"What are you talking about? Why do you think that?"
Leheim also chimed in.
"That's right! Lady Wallace is Lady Wallace, and you are you!"
"... But we are not related by blood. If Lady Wallace could receive as much love as I do, then I might end up with nothing."
At those words, the three fell silent.
Liena, who always seemed confident, sometimes felt anxious.
That aspect turned Liena into the sore spot of Duke Cassius.
After a while, the duke looked at his eldest son.
"I'm sorry for Lady Wallace, but my daughter is the most important. If Liena is anxious, I won't be able to approve your marriage, so please step back."
"But we are already engaged..."
Leandro, who protested, swallowed his words.
He also valued his younger sister, with whom he had lived for more than a decade, more than the woman he had only known for a few months.
"I agree too."
After hearing Leheim's words, Liena quickly tried to dissuade her father.
"No! My brother has to get married. What will happen to Lady Wallace if he doesn't marry now?"
"Liena, but you..."
"I'm fine. I realized how much my dad and my brothers love me."
What Liena wanted was their assurance that they would never like Ethel more than Liena, not the breaking of the engagement by Leandro.
The answer was enough; Liena still wanted to make Ethel a part of her family.
In the end, the duke once again renounced his word for his daughter.
That night, feeling thirsty while sleeping, Liena left her room and found that the light was on in the duke's office.
When she approached the door, she could hear the sound of a conversation between her father and her two brothers.
"The marriage will proceed as planned, but if Liena feels this way, I won't be able to treat Lady Wallace kindly."
"Me neither."
These were the words of the Duke and Leheim, one after the other.
"All right. Let's try to minimize the meetings."
Leandro said calmly.
"Anyway, I was planning to go to the Cassius Territory after getting married, so if I come here mainly alone, I won't have to see Ethel often."
"Treat the lady as well as you treat us."
"Don't worry. I'll handle it."
Liena contemplated the possibility of going to the office immediately and saying that there was no need to do that.
However, the words she heard from Miella a long time ago came to her mind, and she couldn't move her body at all.
"[Cassius is a clan descended from the demonic race. It is natural for my blessings to be used imperfectly.]"
This was the goddess's answer to Liena, who asked why the Cassius family changed more slowly than ordinary people.
She asked what exactly it meant for it to be imperfect and, if so, what variables would arise in the future, but the goddess did not answer.
Although the goddess was kind to Liena, she only gave revelations very occasionally, saying that there were unavoidable circumstances.
Liena was anxious, but it didn't take long for her to bury the incident deep in her mind.
Although it was slow, her father and her two brothers soon loved Liena like everyone else.
But today, when she saw the three talking about Ethel as if they remembered their past lives, her anxiety suddenly increased.
"Let's leave it at that. Leandro says it will be fine. And I have to be kind to Ethel."
Liena made a promise as she walked to her room.
Shortly after, Ethel and Leandro got married.
Every time there was a family gathering, Liena tried to get closer to Ethel, who was now part of her family.
But something was strange.
"Go shopping? Thanks for the offer, but I'll decline. I feel more comfortable being alone."
If it had been anyone else, they would have already fallen in love with Liena and shown her such kindness that they couldn't let her go, but Ethel's response was lukewarm.
She felt impatient, but Liena tried to console herself, saying that there are individual differences in how well her blessing works.
However, even after two years since they got married, Ethel's reaction didn't change.
To be precise, she had become more indifferent than before.
Rather, it was Ethel who was friendlier to Liena in this life when they first met.
An incident occurred just as Liena was seriously considering whether she should take any further action.
"Let's get divorced."
Ethel announced her divorce from Leandro.
And the words Ethel said when she saw Liena, who came to visit a few days later.
"I don't like you. If I had to choose, I tend not to like you. So please disappear from my presence and never come to me like this again. Understood?"
At that moment, Liena felt as if her feet were sinking.
Because she never thought that Ethel could hate her.
But Ethel said that she doesn't like Liena.
Ethel, who was now in front of her, also had a severe expression on her face, as if she really hated Liena.
-------------------------
"The truth is simple."
After finishing her long recollection, Liena spoke.
"Ethel, if you really hate me, if you use my past life as an excuse to take away my family.
Liena finally accepted the fact that Ethel rejected her of her own accord.
"You are my enemy."
Then only one action remains to be taken.