Instead of My Beloved Sister, I Married a Monster - Chapter 23

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 23

Not knowing what response to give, Evnia could only open and close her mouth slightly for a moment.

Fortunately, she was able to think of an appropriate reaction before the silence stretched on longer than necessary.

“…Then you’ll have to live with me for a very long time.”

“That’s better. No matter how long you live, you’ve only got about 80 years ahead of you, so what’s the big deal about making a fuss over dying early.”

Only then did Evnia open her eyes that had been closed and turn to look in his direction.

Fortunately, he also had his eyes closed, so the awkward situation of their gazes meeting didn’t occur.

Though anxious that she might be caught, Evnia couldn’t tear her eyes away from his face.

She took in everything as if engraving it in her heart – the fine black hair scattered across the pillow, his straight double eyelids, and his lips pressed together in a straight line.

These were parts she had always thought beautiful but had never been able to look at long enough.

‘I’m glad I suggested we sleep together.’

This was a desire she couldn’t indulge when he was awake.

If he noticed that she couldn’t take her eyes off his face, he would surely think it strange.

Though he would laugh if he heard this, Evnia wanted to give him only good things.

Since he had been kind to her, she wanted to be just as kind to him in return.

But it was truly strange. Right now, she was trying to give him something he wouldn’t welcome at all.

“Lord Ram, about that couple from earlier.”

“Why do you keep talking about those scary people.”

“Do you really think they never held hands once in 10 years of living together? They’re still married, after all.”

He had been answering in a drowsy voice as sleep seemed to be creeping in, but at Evnia’s persistent questioning, he finally opened his eyes.

Turning his head slightly to check where Evnia was, he frowned and asked.

“Are you trying to scheme your way into holding my hand right now?”

“What if we die without holding hands when we’ve even shared a room?”

“I’ll do it later, so don’t come over here. Otherwise, I’m going to sleep on the sofa.”

It seemed he had completely forgotten that they had already held hands in the study. Or perhaps his judgment was clouded by the drowsiness washing over him.

Seeing how thoroughly he guarded his chastity even in this state, she thought that a moment when he would show any opening truly would never come.

Evnia asked, hiding her disappointment.

“Have you really remained celibate ever since your wife passed away? Not even holding hands with other women?”

“Yes.”

“For hundreds of years?”

“…”

Perhaps it was a sensitive topic, as he fell silent for a moment.

Just as Evnia was about to offer a belated apology, thinking her question had been insensitive.

He sighed and answered.

“Because that was all I could do.”

“…”

“The only thing I could do for that woman was to miss her, so that’s all I did.”

Evnia, who had been gazing at him quietly, spoke impulsively.

“I’m envious.”

“Of what?”

“Of having that kind of unique love where you only look at one person.”

Evnia truly envied his wife. With exactly the same feeling she had envied her sister all those past days.

“I’ve never had anything that was truly mine.”

Evnia had inherited many things from her sister who had departed first.

The dresses and jewelry her sister had cherished, the tapestries and books that had decorated her room, the maids, and even her fiancé.

And on the day her sister, whom she had thought dead, returned alive, everything naturally went back to its original owner.

Except for this man who had been abandoned to her solely because he was a monster.

‘She wouldn’t have known that he was the most precious of all.’

So before long, even he would return to her sister.

He was truly the most valuable existence among all the things Evnia had temporarily borrowed from Emilia.

Evnia quietly extended her left arm toward where Ram was.

His bed was wide enough that Evnia could reach out as far as she wanted without crossing the line he had drawn.

Covering the position where his face was with her palm, Evnia gently spread her fingers.

The wedding ring that had become terribly shabby by coming into her possession glimmered faintly in the darkness.

Just as Evnia was about to curl her fingertips, feeling like she might cry.

Ram suddenly reached his arm toward Evnia.

With just his pinky finger extended primly toward her.

Flustered, Evnia asked without even managing to clear her choked voice.

“What is this?”

“Nina would forgive this much.”

Having answered thus, Ram arbitrarily hooked his pinky with Evnia’s and pulled her arm down from the air.

Perhaps he thought he should comfort the crying child and put her to sleep.

He declared firmly, “Let’s sleep now,” as if there would be no more conversation. Then he stubbornly kept his eyes closed and didn’t open them again.

Though their tightly intertwined pinky fingers were already starting to tingle, Evnia couldn’t voice any complaints.

She looked at his finger hooked right next to her shabby ring with an indescribable feeling.

In a place his eyes couldn’t reach, base desires began to quietly raise their heads.

We’re married anyway.

I probably don’t have a next time either.

Can’t I have just a little bit of this person?

Can’t you give yourself to me just for a moment?

Just this much, just one finger joint’s worth, just until winter comes…

Evnia hastily pulled her hand free from his grasp and turned sharply to face the opposite direction.

Fortunately, he seemed to have already fallen asleep, as no voice came reproaching her for her fickleness.

Only she remained unable to sleep until deep into the dawn, listening to her frighteningly racing heartbeat.

* * *

On days when she had done something wrong, she invariably had nightmares. Dreams where she received sad punishments.

“Honey, couldn’t we tell Evnia to return to her original room even now? I’d still like to keep one space in this manor to remember Emilia.”

Young Evnia stopped dead in her tracks at her mother’s voice flowing through the crack in the door.

It was because she instinctively realized she had overheard something she shouldn’t have.

What should I do? I had something I wanted to show them.

Feeling awkward, Evnia muttered this to herself and crumpled her skirt in her hands.

Reluctant to leave just like this, she hesitated without readily turning away. Through her narrow field of vision, she could see her father patting her mother’s back comfortingly.

“Didn’t your father advise us that way? That it would be better to pass on even the things Emilia used to Evnia. It’s close to superstition, but if you think about it that way, that death notice didn’t make sense from the beginning.”

“But I get chills every time that child overlaps with Emilia in my sight…”

“Don’t talk weak nonsense and steel your heart. The important thing isn’t the objects. What’s really important is…”

At that moment, Count Hessen suddenly turned his gaze toward the door. He seemed to have finally noticed the shadow that had been lurking in front of the room.

Evnia couldn’t even think to run away and just stared at her father’s angry face approaching her.

He called her name in a harsh voice.

“Evnia Hessen!”

In the dream, his expression sometimes changed.

At some moments he seemed terribly angry, and at others he seemed as if he were frightened.

Evnia came to realize only after a very long time that all those thoughts hadn’t been mistaken.

The expression he had shown then was exactly the same as when he encountered the living Emilia at their relative’s house.

He had deliberately gotten angry because he was afraid the truth would be discovered.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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