The Male Lead’s Fake Sister - Chapter 64
Ravia became worthless to Herod once he found the spring user. He didn’t have to keep his promise either.
All he had to do was to lead Duke Leontine closer to the truth and let Tidwell do the killing. So if Ravia was still as determined to marry as she was at first, her fate would be in jeopardy.
“But she offered me something new.”
Ravia changed course.
It may not be the best scenario that Herod originally wanted, but it was the best thing he could think of for now.
Because Ravia had seen through his entire plan.
Perhaps Ravia had already set her eyes on it and deliberately revealed that she knew all his cards.
She chose this alternative because she knew that it’d be impossible to beat him right now.
But the alternative that she thought of was spectacular.
“What did she suggest?”
“Well, it was the least thing that crossed my mind.”
Rette looked at Herod as if he was saying nonsense, but Herod only smiled lightly at her.
Because he was dumbfounded when he thought about it again.
“That woman… asked me to take care of Tidwell.”
The condition offered by Ravia was simple.
Take care of Tidwell.
Of course, this didn’t mean that he should simply ‘pay attention’ to Tidwell.
“Don’t let what Tidwell has built collapse. If he needs some financial aid, lend him your wealth. If he seems to have lost his personal connection, help him connect with people.”
“Is the mouse thinking about the cat, now?”
“Of course, it may look like that. But think about it. When I take over Leontine and Tidwell loses a lot from it, will my position be safe?”
The proposal that sounded absurd at first turned out to have some logic in it.
In short, Ravia wanted to make it not too bad if he lost Leontine.
“I know that if Tidwell can’t get Leontine in his hand, it’d damage your partnership and affect your business badly.”
“There are a lot of people who wanted it to happen, so that’s already given.”
“He’s going to fully return to the life when he wasn’t a Leontine. I’d like you to prevent that.”
So he doesn’t feel too bad when he loses Leontine, and he doesn’t try to use another trick to devour Leontine.
‘The reason why Tidwell stepped into Leontine is because of revenge anyway.’
In other words, Tidwell would not want to acquire Leontine if he achieved his revenge and had nothing more to desire from Leontine.
Of course, she expected him to get angry for getting tricked by her, but his desire for revenge would come first.
So Ravia brought Marquis Callister to Tidwell and offered Herod a deal. It was her own way to put things in place.
Tidwell goes to his original position, and she goes to her original position.
On the day she confirmed Tidwell’s feelings, there was one conclusion reached after a sleepless night.
‘I can’t fully trust Tidwell’s feelings yet.’
She wasn’t trying to deny that she had influence over Tidwell, it was just because Herod’s monologue about Tidwell stuck in her mind.
‘Tidwell is lacking familial love.’
The absence of family members, who were murdered in front of his eyes as a child, had settled into Tidwell in a form of revenge.
And Ravia knew that, as his sister, her existence had filled that lack of love to some extent. Maybe that’s why she was able to tame him faster, and he became more submissive to her.
So at this point, what they needed was a new establishment of their relationship.
‘Nothing is going to work at this rate.’
Apart from the fact that they had a relationship that was deemed inappropriate in the public eyes, Ravia wanted to put their relationship back to square one.
Just like the dream she had a few days ago.
A dream where Tidwell and she were not at each other’s throat, Tidwell was expelled from Leontine family, and he no longer wanted to own Leontine.
Then the dream might not only be a dream.
If Tidwell doesn’t try to drive her away, then Ravia has no reason to hate him.
‘Tidwell doesn’t have to kill me either.’
Herod heard the explanations and looked like he finally understood it.
“That makes sense to me, but I still have one question.”
“What is that?”
“Don’t you think it’d be much easier to kill Tidwell after he gives up on Leontine?”
To put it simply, he asked why she didn’t make a deal to kill Tidwell. And it was the only question that Ravia couldn’t answer with the previous explanation.
Just as Herod said, it’d be much easier to kill Tidwell. Even more so that she got help from a big shot like Herod instead of hiring some petty assassin.
‘I’d sound ridiculous if I say I got information from the novel in the end.’
She couldn’t come up with a feasible answer at that moment.
“Just because….I don’t want to.” That’s all she could say.
I don’t want to.
I don’t want him to disappear completely when I push him out of my range.
As usual, I don’t know the reason.
It’s just that all the time leading up to this moment has piled up, and it’s not even clear which one is the starting point.
Maybe it was the day when Tidwell kissed me. Maybe before that, when I took Tidwell to my room, or when Tidwell wrapped his coat over me in the carriage. When he grabbed me by the wrist at the charity party. When I saw Tidwell who came to the library after receiving my letter…..
Maybe when we locked eyes on the first day he came to the mansion.
Their relationship may have begun to go awry from that point.
In the moment of discord, he pressed his lips against hers.
In a world where no one wanted her, the man who wanted to kill her became her admirer.
‘Tidwell.’
As she walked down the stairs, she caught him at the edge of her gaze. A man approached Ravia as if he had been waiting for a long time.
Ravia wanted to put this relationship back to square one and ask him again.
Do you still want to kiss me?
Are you still going to look at me with that gaze?
I pricked your eyes and kicked you out, but will you still want to stay next to me?
Tidwell, when that’s happen…..
“Sister.”
….Will you still love me?
As Ravia stopped walking, the man who called her lightly approached slowly.
Despite his weight, the steps he took were light and silent. The man greeted Ravia from a few steps away.
“I was worried because you were late….did you change your clothes?”
“Yeah, I spilled a drink on my clothes when I went back.”
“I see. I was worried that something might have happened when I was not around, but I’m glad you’re alright.”
She could only smile lightly, watching the man who had no idea that she was about to kick him out.
When my father returns and you learn what I’ve done to you, will you still look at me the way you do right now?
When Duke Leontine returns, he will have to wake up from his dream.
He will no longer be Tidwell’s prisoner.
‘My father will wake up from hypnosis.’
Duke Leontine, who was already released from hypnosis, will banish Tidwell and had returned to his cold, uncaring self.
As always.
The days when she was showered with warmth and love will disappear like a mirage.
It was like having a sweet dream on a winter night.
In her head, she knew it was nothing but illusion, but secretly she longed for it….
‘How ridiculous.’
Ravia laughed inwardly, taking Tidwell’s hand as she went down the stairs.
Of course, she didn’t forget to check what happened during the time she was away.
“I think I’ve been away quite a long time, is the Marquis here?”
“He was over there a little while ago, but now I’m not sure where he’s gone.”
“Did you talk with him?”
“While I was waiting for you….I talked to him for a moment.”
She could see how Tidwell’s expression slightly hardened upon hearing Marquis Callister’s name.
There seemed to be nothing to worry about.
“…Really? I wish I could see him with you.”
“How about saying hello to him now?”
At Tidwell’s suggestion, Ravia turned her gaze toward the crowd where Marquis Callister might be.
Ravia, staring mindlessly at the crowd, recalled the conversation with Herod before leaving the balcony a little while ago.
Herod accepted Ravia’s offer and added something before she left.
-That’s enough for the deal. May I ask you something personal.
-Please say it.
-Everything has gone so smoothly up until now, but I feel like we’ve just missed one very important thing.
As Herod said that, he took something out of his sleeve. It was the earring worn by Herod’s substitute that she had found in Tidwell’s drawer.
-Why don’t you ask about this?
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────