I Only Raised Men for Revenge - Chapter 3

Ian. Ian was a prince. And Sesenia’s only friend. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say they spent every moment of their lives together. Growing up, everyone naturally assumed they would become lovers and get married.

But when Sesenia became engaged to the Crown Prince, their relationship couldn’t develop beyond friendship.

Even so, Sesenia kept Ian by her side because he cherished her more than anyone else. He gave her sincere advice. He was always on her side.

When her free-spirited sister caused trouble, and when she had to take over the family and juggle two roles as empress because of her sister, it was Ian who criticized Elzer and her father.

And now, Ian says he loves her sister.

Sesenia was simply dumbfounded.

“Love. Okay, fine. You’re acting like this because of such a flimsy emotion. Okay, I can understand that. But are you really okay with this, Ian? My sister slept with my husband. How can you love a woman like that?”

“That’s why you’re so stupid. Someone as boring as you wouldn’t understand. True love.”

“So, you’re saying I’m an idiot because I don’t know love?”

“That’s right.”

Sesenia barely managed to suppress a laugh at the absurdity. This was insane. But Ian wore a blissful expression, as if he was already deeply in love.

“Sister always shines so brightly. She’s different from you, who’s nothing but gloomy.”

“The person who sleeps with all sorts of men and even stole her sister’s husband is different from me?”

“Yes.”

“So, love is really stupid and idiotic. In the end, it’s about a woman who even bore my husband’s child. If that’s love, then love is really not worth doing.”

Love that abandons even basic morality. It was disgusting and repulsive. It made her stomach churn.

Meanwhile, Ian began to blame Sesenia.

“This is all your fault.”

“Now it’s my fault?”

“If you hadn’t been so greedy, none of this would have happened.”

“Greedy? What greed have I ever shown?”

Sesenia was speechless with disbelief. She had never been greedy in her life. She had lived as her sister’s substitute, doing everything her father wanted. She took on everything her sister didn’t want to do. And now he was saying she was greedy.

“Tell me, Ian. You, who have seen me the closest, can you really say that? What have I been greedy for? Is it wrong that I took over the family instead of my sister, who threw tantrums saying she didn’t want to do anything and didn’t want to inherit the marquisate? Is it wrong that I married the scoundrel Crown Prince instead of my sister, who said she didn’t want to marry him because he could never become emperor? Is it wrong that I became empress?”

She thought he was on her side.

Until she saw Ian, she thought there must be a reason, that he wouldn’t abandon her.

Sesenia believed in her friend until the very last moment. This hurt more than the wounds inflicted by her husband, who cheated on her every day, and more than the wounds inflicted by her sister, who slept with her husband.

Because to Sesenia, Ian was a friend, and the only person she trusted.

‘The real idiot is me.’

She never understood when people who cheated tried to justify themselves. As if they were having a beautiful romance, a love of the century. And she still didn’t understand it.

Maybe it was because she didn’t have passionate love, but love… in her opinion, it was the worst thing. It was something that caused pain to others because of their own feelings, something not at all beautiful or romantic.

Sesenia chuckled.

“Tell me, Ian. Why can’t you speak when you have a mouth? Or do you have nothing to say? You know I haven’t been greedy for anything. And love? Isn’t it something that can never be? What are you going to do now? Don’t have any foolish ideas.”

That’s when it happened.

No matter what Sesenia said, he didn’t seem affected in the slightest. Rather, he clicked his tongue at Sesenia.

“So, you want to survive by being so pathetic?”

“…”

“Love, it will come true someday. If I keep taking care of her, she’ll see me someday. I’m enduring as much as I can for that right now. After all, my brother’s womanizing is quite famous, and in the end, Sister will be left alone.”

“So, what if she’s left alone? What will change?”

“It’s natural for people to look to the person by their side when they’re lonely. Eventually, Sister will come to my side. And I will become emperor. For Sister.”

“Wow! what a great lover you are.”

The fact that he had been hiding those feelings and doing things that were advantageous to Elzer by her side gave her goosebumps. Doing things that were advantageous to Elzer, and violating her.

“Thanks for letting me use you. Thanks to you, I’ve gotten closer to Sister.”

“Ha…”

If her sister had used her, if she had used her to get what she wanted, it might have been less unfair. But the fact that her friend, her old friend who had even talked about marriage with her, was doing this was incomprehensible.

“Really? Why did I trust you?”

“Because you’re stupid.”

“That’s right. I’m such a fool. To be fooled so easily by such an obvious trick.”

That’s when it happened.

“Sesenia. My lovely sister, Sesenia.”

A person appeared with the sound of clicking heels. It was Elzer.

“Ah.”

She was holding a very small child in her arms.

“You’re dying tomorrow, so shouldn’t you see your niece before you die? Ah. No, not niece, your husband’s child, I guess. What should I call her? Our baby to you.”

Seeing Elzer smirking, Sesenia felt the blood drain from her body.

“…Are you really saying that in front of me?”

“I am. So, you should have known your place. Even if you are the empress, why did you act so outrageously?”

“Outrageously? I… I at least didn’t kill her and sent her there. If I had, it wouldn’t be so unfair!!”

“That’s right. You didn’t do anything. So, you should have killed me. What a great saint you are, sending me there. How stupid.”

“…Really? Is Sister even sorry to me? Was what you said about being sorry even sincere?”

“How foolish. Did you really think I was sorry to you?”

Sesenia trembled.

“What…?”

“I approached the Emperor on purpose. You know? Once I gave it to you, it felt like a waste. It was my place, it felt like you stole it from me. So, I did it.”

“…You mean, it was intentional…? How, how could you all do this to me…? How could family members could friends do this to me…?! Ha… how could you do this?”

“Sesenia.”

That’s when it happened. Elzer briefly handed her child to Ian and strode towards Sesenia.

Then, she gently stroked Sesenia’s hand, which was clinging to the bars.

“Still, I’ll make good use of the family you worked so hard to build. And the empress’s seat. Thank you.”

“…”

“Good job, my sister.”

“Was that what you wanted so badly?”

“Yes. What’s so great about a woman, trying to take everything? The family was originally mine anyway. But you did a little better, and Father handed it all over to you. So, I hated seeing it. So, I just wanted to get my things back.”

Sesenia shook her head.

“Just for that reason?”

“Just for that reason? That’s a very big reason. My sister. It feels so dirty to have your things taken away. So, you shouldn’t have been so showy. Everyone praised you for being better than your sister, more beautiful and smarter than you, but at some point, everyone started praising you, didn’t they? The sister is so great that the whole empire heard about it. They called you a new woman. How ridiculous that looked. Being in that position and acting like you’re so great because you took my things I hated it so much.”

But Sesenia couldn’t say anything. Was her whole body paralyzed by the betrayal of the people she trusted? That’s what she thought, but the hand that Elzer stroked her hand with felt strange.

“Ah…”

“So, don’t talk nonsense and just die quietly.”

Sesenia’s body gradually stiffened. Her mind was clear, but her body fell to the floor without any reflexes. Her body couldn’t move, but the pain was still there.

“Ah… wha… what… did you…”

“I don’t want to hear you talking nonsense before you die tomorrow. So, I know a little about herbs so I used some poison on you. You probably won’t be able to speak until you die. So, goodbye. I’ll live well with what you worked so hard to build. Goodbye.”

As if to mock her, Elzer even took out the hand of the still young baby and greeted Sesenia. What should she say, what more should she ask, but Sesenia’s mouth and body didn’t even think about moving.

‘Ironically, what was I hoping for?’

What was she really hoping for?

‘A penny’s worth of heart?’

Capable Sesenia. Smart Sesenia. But no matter how hard she tried, Sesenia couldn’t receive the love of her family.

‘I just wanted to hear that one word of praise.’

They say that when you’re about to die, the years you’ve lived flash before your eyes like a revolving lantern. It wasn’t time to die yet, but Sesenia remembered the past. The reason why she struggled in this position. She didn’t even understand it herself.

Now that everything was coming to an end, she finally remembered.

She just missed a word of praise. A word that would allow her to exist as herself. She liked that, so she struggled so much. Unlike her sister, who was loved just for being there, she was like an impurity.

Her father and sister didn’t say anything, but everyone said that Sesenia might not be the real daughter of the marquis, to the point where they didn’t have anything in common.

As if to prove it, her father only treated Sesenia in a businesslike manner.

‘Struggling… the reason I struggled so much was just because I wanted to be recognized.’

Even as her whole body was paralyzed, tears flowed from her eyes. Anger and hatred. And the relief that she didn’t have to do that futile thing anymore settled in her heart.

In that passing time, Sesenia remembered one of the family’s secrets.

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