~Chapter 36~
Click.
The door closed.
Cecilia staggered toward the bed and buried her face into the blanket.
‘…She’s really a strange girl.’
One by one, the things that happened until now came to her mind.
When they were choosing Milena’s dress—
that girl had always been considerate of her.
She even called her “sister” on purpose,
so the Duchess would react well.
And when Mrs. Howard tried, as always, to make her look like a villain—
Milena stopped her.
Even for the tea time with Elias,
she made sure to include her.
After Milena came to the ducal house,
for the first time—
Cecilia was able to blend in with the family.
And also… those words.
“No matter what you say, I still want to be close to you, Sister.”
Were those words real?
She felt confused.
Cecilia slowly got up and opened her dressing table drawer.
Inside—
there was a jewelry box, carefully kept.
“……”
She gently picked it up.
When she opened it,
a brooch inside reflected the light and sparkled.
Her teal eyes sank quietly.
‘Come to think of it… she gave this brooch to me willingly.’
Because Cecilia was the older sister,
Milena said it would be better if she received one made later.
Cecilia tightened her grip on the box.
‘Just now… I went too far.’
Her mind felt like tangled threads—
completely messy.
A long sigh escaped her lips.
The next day—
Mrs. Howard’s urgent voice shook the entire townhouse.
“What in the world is this?!”
It was so loud that all the servants rushed over.
The shouting came from Cecilia’s dressing room.
Inside—
Mathilde stood still, her face pale, her head lowered.
Mrs. Howard stared at her in shock.
And then—
“Wait… what happened to that dress?”
One maid muttered suspiciously.
Cecilia’s favorite pink dress—
was lying on the floor like trash.
And its condition…
“…It’s torn?”
It looked like someone had scratched it with something sharp—
it was completely ripped apart.
Unless there was serious malice—
no one would ruin a dress like that.
Just then—
“What is going on here?”
The Duchess pushed through the crowd.
She looked very shocked.
Beside her were Cecilia and Milena.
The moment Mrs. Howard saw them—
her eyes flashed sharply.
“M-my lady…!”
She staggered and collapsed to the floor.
Her wrinkled eyes quickly filled with tears,
and she began to sob.
“My lady, I failed to raise my child properly. Even if the young lady gave the order, I should have told her to refuse… This is all my fault.”
“What are you talking about?”
“The truth is…”
Tears flowed again from Mrs. Howard’s eyes.
And then—
“L-Lady Milena… ordered her to ruin Lady Cecilia’s dress.”
Silence fell instantly.
“….”
“….”
Everyone looked at Milena in shock.
Even Cecilia—
and the Duchess.
‘Good.’
Mrs. Howard hid her satisfaction,
pretending to wipe her tears with a handkerchief.
Then she continued in a trembling voice,
“B-but I’m sure she didn’t mean badly. Lady Milena has always admired Lady Cecilia so much… maybe she just lost her way for a moment…”
…Unbelievable.
Milena’s expression turned cold.
She had expected Mrs. Howard to target her someday—
but this…
‘This is too cruel.’
It was obvious what Mrs. Howard was trying to do.
She was accusing Milena of destroying the dress out of jealousy.
And worse—
‘She’s clearly trying to turn me and Cecilia against each other.’
Milena clenched her teeth.
“Tell everything to the Duchess properly.”
Mrs. Howard urged Mathilde, who stayed silent.
“You asked me for help, didn’t you?”
“……”
“You said you had no choice because Lady Milena ordered you!”
Mathilde’s face turned even paler.
Meanwhile, Milena’s expression grew colder.
‘Wow… this is the worst.’
Mrs. Howard hated Milena—
yet she was pushing all the blame onto a powerless maid.
How could someone be this cowardly?
“I didn’t do it. Why would I try to harm Sister Cecilia?”
Milena finally spoke.
“Of course, I think my sister is an amazing person. But that doesn’t mean I would destroy her dress.”
But Mrs. Howard didn’t back down.
With teary eyes, she shook her head weakly.
“Mathilde said… that you have always disliked Lady Cecilia…”
At that moment—
Cecilia’s heart dropped.
‘Is that true?’
Without thinking, she glanced at Milena.
Milena was staring coldly at Mrs. Howard.
…She couldn’t read her expression at all.
‘Was I a fool?’
Cecilia bit her lip.
She knew she had been sensitive toward Milena—
but she couldn’t stop.
She was jealous.
And also afraid—
afraid of being thrown out of the family one day.
Still, deep inside—
she felt safe.
Even when she pushed Milena away,
Milena always smiled at her.
But now—
hearing that Milena might hate her…
‘W-what should I do? Should I apologize now? But what if she doesn’t forgive me?’
Cecilia fell into panic.
At that moment—
“That’s not true!”
A sharp shout cut through everything.
Cecilia flinched and looked up.
In her trembling eyes—
she saw Milena shouting in anger.
“There’s no one as amazing as my sister!”
What?
Cecilia’s eyes widened.
And then—
Milena shouted again,
“I’ve always wanted to become someone like you!!”
