IHDOE Ch 49

She tilted her head back, looking up at her younger stepsister blocking her path.

[Satina] "What am I supposed to apologize for?"

[Rebecca] "Everything! You humiliated me in front of Father and Brother! Don't think I didn't notice you mocking me on purpose!"

[Satina] "Ah. Why would I?"

[Rebecca] "Wh-What?"

[Satina] "To apologize, I need to know what I did wrong. Was suggesting Father find you a husband really that insulting?"

[Rebecca] "Y-You...!"

Speechless, Rebecca gasped for air, her bloodshot eyes glaring at Satina.

This woman had always cowered at her every word, yet now she stood tall without flinching.

That arrogant stance ignited a surge of irritation she couldn't contain. Driven by pure impulse, she raised her hand to strike her face. She had slapped Satina plenty of times in the past, and back then, she only curled up and scrambled to avoid her fist.

Not today.

Satina stared straight into her eyes as if taking a strike didn't matter, then snatched her wrist mid-air.

[Satina] "You need to fix that habit of swinging your hands the moment things don't go your way."

[Rebecca] "Let go!"

She released her wrist with a rough shove.

Grip so hard it left a dull ache, Rebecca paused to check her wrist—only for a sharp, stinging pain to burst across her cheek.

Satina had slapped her.

[Rebecca] "Y-You...!"

Blinking like a fool, Rebecca stared at her in utter disbelief.

[Rebecca] "Did... did you just hit me?"

She gingerly touched her cheek. Shock far outweighed the physical pain.

Satina—the docile Satina who obeyed every whim, the woman who would have thrust her hand into a venomous snake's mouth without a word of protest if ordered—had dared to slap her cheek!

While Rebecca trembled violently from the shock, Satina maintained an entirely composed tone.

[Satina] "Why? Did you think I wouldn't hit you?"

[Rebecca] "Eek...!"

Just as Rebecca was about to lunge at her, Sharlan stepped into view.

[Sharlan] "What are you doing, Rebecca?"

Hands raised to tear out Satina's hair, Rebecca froze at his voice.

[Rebecca] "Br-Brother!"

He offered a smile, though an unmistakable look of disgust lingered on his face.

[Sharlan] "You lack the capacity to learn, Rebecca."

Her shoulders slumped under his scolding. No matter how wildly she threw her weight around the mansion, she could never prevail against Sharlan.

Stepping close, he lightly tapped her cheek with the back of his hand.

[Sharlan] "I thought I taught you a proper lesson last time, but was it still not enough?"

He referenced the incident when she brought in a Red-Horned Snake to pull a prank and received a slap from him.

[Rebecca] "Wh-What did I even do?! You have eyes, Brother! I didn't hit her this time! I'm the one who got hit!"

[Sharlan] "And?"

[Rebecca] "So why... why do you only side with her?!"

[Sharlan] "Why? You ask the obvious."

His picture-perfect smile remained fixed on his lips.

[Sharlan] "Because taking her side yields greater profit."

[Rebecca] "You're my brother!"

A cold sneer escaped his lips.

[Sharlan] "Every time I hear those words from you, I am curious. Rebecca, do you even remember when you last treated me as an elder brother?"

Her shoulders flinched. She averted her eyes, looking guilty.

[Rebecca] "Th-That's..."

[Sharlan] "I'm glad you remember. So live quietly, Rebecca, so as not to bother my eyes."

He delivered the final blow with a polite smile.

[Sharlan] "Because I am already treating you with more than enough courtesy as siblings."

Taking Satina's hand, he led her away from the scene. Satina watched his firm back as they walked.

Did something happen between those two? Given this family, nobody is affectionate, but Rebecca used to cling to Sharlan quite a bit.

Once they reached her room, he looked down at her with a gentle smirk.

[Sharlan] "Your face tells me you have many questions, Sister."

[Satina] "Not really."

[Sharlan] "Don't be like that. Ask me. I might answer if I feel like it."

He looked so thoroughly foul-tempered that he seemed ready to explode if he couldn't vent somewhere.

[Sharlan] "Hurry now."

He gripped her wrist tightly, making his intention clear—he wouldn't let go until she asked.

Suppressing a quiet sigh, she gave in.

[Satina] "Did something happen between you and Rebecca?"

Though he pressed her to ask, Sharlan remained silent for a long moment. Finally, he spoke in a slow, measured cadence.

[Sharlan] "Terrified of Father's punishment, she framed me."

[Satina] "Framed you...?"

He tilted his head slightly.

[Sharlan] "Well, it happened so long ago that I can't recall the exact offense."

Whether he forgot or was merely pretending remained unclear.

[Sharlan] "Perhaps she made a blunder in a business matter. Fearing a scolding, she shifted the blame onto me, and I was confined to the Punishment Chamber for four days."

Duke Bersabet governed his children through discipline bordering on abuse. Among his methods, the Punishment Chamber was a facility used for generations to train the family heir—a place of maximum severity, and the location Sharlan feared most.

[Sharlan] "Did you know? Humans are surprisingly fragile creatures; three days of starvation can easily end a life."

His expression remained impeccably composed. He merely curved the corners of his eyes, smiling as beautifully as ever.

[Sharlan] "By the time I reached that point, I felt as though I could worship anyone as a god if they allowed me just a single bottle of water."

[Satina] "Do you resent her?"

[Sharlan] "No."

The response was swift and definitive.

[Sharlan] "She merely acted as a true Bersabet. Had she shown such a vulnerability first, I would have done the exact same thing to her."

His long fingers reached up to tuck her stray hair behind her ear, his voice dropping to a whisper.

[Sharlan] "There is no affection without a price, Sister. This expedition is no different. Why step forward? Do you even realize how dangerous the West is? Who is waiting there? Has it not occurred to you that a delicate woman like you could meet a pointless death?"

[Satina] "I know."

[Sharlan] "You know, yet you still insist on going? Why? For me?"

[Satina] "Yes."

A quiet chuckle escaped him.

[Sharlan] "Lately, Sister, you act as if you wish to become my god. But I don't trust you."

Listening to his chilling warning, Satina noted his inner turmoil.

He's wavering.

Sharlan was wavering under the affection she offered—shaken by the sister he once dismissed as worthless. That was why he uttered such harsh threats. Strip away the menacing tone, and it was nothing more than a desperate plea never to betray him.

Instead of stepping back, she reached up and took the hand brushing her cheek.

[Satina] "I don't want to be your god."

Her reflection flickered in his unstable eyes.

[Satina] "I want to be your family, Sharlan."

Despite her tender words, her heart remained cold.

[Satina] "Why... why are you doing this to me? What did I do wrong? Why to me..."

In her memories, a young Satina wept while clutching a ripped stuffed doll with cotton spilling out. Handed down like charity by her father, it had been her most cherished possession.

Young Sharlan had smiled while holding a pair of scissors.

[Sharlan] "Because you're a Bersabet now, Sister."

[Satina] "Sob... ugh..."

[Sharlan] "Didn't you want to become a Bersabet? Clinging to such a trashy item made it seem like you were struggling to adapt, so I merely helped you."

Now grown far taller than in their childhood, his gaze was easy to read. How simple affection-starved humans were.

Just like me.

Mocking herself inwardly, her grip on his hand remained gentle.

[Satina] "So when this expedition is over, let's go on a picnic together."

[Liv] "Sharlan's Affection increased by 5."

Ah, I'm glad you're so easy.

---

At the West Fortress, battle raged against magical beasts.

Though skilled knights filled the ranks, one man stood out above the rest: Tyron Ascalon, heir to Duke Ascalon's house and the Crown Prince's trusted confidant.

With every swing of his blade, beast carcasses shattered, spraying blood in all directions. Unbothered by the red stains clinging to his brown hair, he swung his sword again and again.

A thrill-seeking grin remained plastered on his face despite the gruesome slaughter.

When the battle finally subsided, his entire body was soaked in blood, yet he wiped his face with complete nonchalance.

A knight approached and shouted loud enough to cut through the wind.

[Knight] "Commander! A report from the capital!"

[Tyron] "Report."

[Knight] "To resolve the current crisis, House Bersabet accepted the request for reinforcements! Led by saintess candidate Satina Bersabet, a battalion of knights is..."

[Tyron] "Hold on. Did I hear that correctly? Satina?"

[Knight] "Y-Yes, sir."

[Tyron] "Saintess candidate Satina Bersabet? The same Satina Bersabet I know?"

[Knight] "Th-That is correct, sir."

He threw his sword onto the ground and burst into a boisterous laugh.

[Tyron] "Satina! Is that woman coming here? Hahaha!"

Sweeping back his blood-stained hair, he gazed past the horizon toward the capital.

[Tyron] "Perfect timing. Slaying these beasts was just getting dull."

Meanwhile, news of Satina reached another person. Deep within the temple, Serpens received the report.

---

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