I Was Happy to Be Dumped by My Fiancé, But Something Seems Off - Episode 24

After completing his mischief and leaving the room, Argent’s next destination was Duke Annaloro’s office. Considering whether the diary was kept in the office or the private quarters, he decided to check the office first. In his personal opinion, the private quarters seemed more likely, but he chose the office in case he could find other useful information besides the diary.

After confirming there was no sign of anyone nearby or inside, he gently opened the door and entered.

The room, cleaned daily by the servants, was spotless—not a speck of dust anywhere, including on the windowsill.

He approached the bookshelf against the wall and scanned it for the diary.

“Not here.”

Then he looked around the room to see if there was anything else.

The office desk held only ink and a quill; no documents whatsoever.

“Hmm.”

Even when he opened the drawers, there was nothing of note. The locked drawers were easily opened with magic.

Inside, he found a faded piece of paper labeled “Birth Certificate.”

“Milaria Annaloro…”

The date of birth was the same as Bertina’s.

So, this must be the name of Bertina’s twin sister, who had supposedly died shortly after birth.

Had the duke kept this birth certificate all this time, treasuring it as something that would have been submitted if she had lived?

“That duke, and Bertina…”

Argent, who had been taken in by Bertina and raised in the Annaloro household, had always seen the duke and his family belittling, mocking, and treating Bertina like a pawn. Though she had faced minor bullying from some insensitive servants, the head butler and others who cared for her had protected her, so she hadn’t lived a terrible life.

Which version of the duke was real—the one the pharmacist described, or the one the two of them had witnessed?

Surely, the diary held the key.

Next, Argent teleported to the duke’s private quarters. Finding no one there, he moved quickly and efficiently.

The diary was stored in a bookshelf with doors. Given that the duke had been writing since childhood, there were quite a few volumes.

Since the spines were marked with dates, Argent picked up the diary from the day Bertina was born.

He flipped through the pages, reading silently as his eyes scanned the words.

“My beloved wife gave birth to my beloved daughters. The firstborn passed away despite the doctor’s efforts. The second, though weak, is fighting desperately to survive. Catarina held our deceased child tightly and wept. I hated myself for being able to do nothing but watch.

We named the deceased child Milaria, and the second child Bertina. Raising Bertina in Milaria’s place is my duty as a father.”

On another day—

“The high priestess Inanna at the cathedral introduced me to a skilled pharmacist. She did so out of pity, seeing me come to the chapel every day to pray for my wife’s recovery and Bertina’s health. If it would help them, I went to the pharmacist myself.

At first, he hesitated, but when I desperately pleaded for a remedy, he gave me the prepared medicine along with instructions and precautions for administering it. I pray this will restore their health.”

And on yet another day—

“Finally, Catarina can stay awake for longer periods. Though she’ll likely remain bedridden for a while, if she recovers steadily, she should be able to walk in a month. Bertina is also growing day by day with the help of her wet nurse. Bianco, who is two years older, seems fascinated by Bertina—his wet nurse occasionally brings him to see her while she sleeps.

One thing worries me, my sister Agnes, perhaps. Bianco resembles Catarina, though his hair and eye color are like mine. Fortunately, she doesn’t seem very interested in him. Agnes has always shown an abnormal obsession with me. With a five-year age gap and our busy parents, I often played with her. Maybe that was a mistake. Even when she made friends, she always followed me around, and if I had female friends, she would show intense jealousy, sometimes even starting fights. When I consulted my parents about Agnes, they dismissed it, saying, ‘She’s your cute little sister—be good to her,’ or ‘Agnes is just adorable, what can you do?’ I often wondered—does being cute excuse everything?”

“So, this is it! Lady Moldio could use her charm ability even as a child. And on her own parents, no less.”

Reading the diary, it was clear that at least when Bertina was a baby, the duke still had his sanity.

He continued reading, reaching for the diary entries from around the time Bertina turned one.

“Bertina not only has my hair and eye color, she looks just like me. Catarina seems happy about it, but for me, it’s nothing but worry. As Bertina grows more like me each day, Agnes stares at her with possessive eyes.

Agnes has always clung to me, and no matter how many times I scolded her, she wouldn’t stop. Once, when I reprimanded her harshly, she burst into tears, and my parents scolded and hit me, calling me an older brother who couldn’t cherish his adorable sister. After that, even when Agnes clung to me or acted like a lover, I couldn’t scold her. In fact, she even demanded I act like her lover, and if I refused, she would cry, and my parents would punish me again.

Why don’t my parents find it strange? They don’t see anything wrong with my own sister viewing me as a member of the opposite sex.

Also, occasionally, I feel as if my consciousness is being controlled by something else. During those times, I become the kind, loving older brother and lover that Agnes desires. Even though Catarina, the woman I proposed to, is right there. Catarina doesn’t show sadness or anger, she just smiles and watches Agnes and me play at being lovers.”

“So, the duke’s wife was under the charm ability from the very beginning.”

The more he read, the clearer Agnes’s abnormality and Duke Annaloro’s suffering became. His consciousness was stolen by some unseen force, and when he regained it, he was tormented by regret.

Argent’s finger stopped at a particular page.

While all the other pages were written in elegant script, this one was scribbled messily, as if written in a frenzy of emotion.

“Is my sister even human? And is her husband human? I visited Moldio Manor after being told Duke Moldio wanted to discuss something. In the room Louis showed me, Agnes was naked. I immediately tried to escape toward the door, but Louis blocked me, and the moment my eyes met Agnes’s, I lost consciousness. When I woke up, a naked Agnes had collapsed on top of me. My heated skin, the profuse sweat, Agnes’s ragged breathing. I immediately understood what had happened to me, what Agnes had done. I wanted to scream in despair, but no sound came out. As I stared vacantly at the ceiling, Louis peered in and asked, ‘How was it? With your own sister?’

I couldn’t say anything. I wanted to escape the reality of what had happened to me, what Agnes had done.”

“…”

In places, the scribbled writing was smudged. Surely, the duke’s tears.

For a duke who loved his wife, son, and daughter, it must have been an unimaginable humiliation.

He turned to the next page, and the next. By this time, the duke wrote that he could only maintain his consciousness briefly, and it took time to remember what he had done during those periods.

The final page read:

“Agnes visited our home to announce she was pregnant. Catarina, unaware of the truth, was overjoyed and hugged Agnes.

All I can wish for is that it isn’t my child. After that, Agnes violated me many times. Even when I firmly refused invitations to Moldio Manor, she and her husband would come to our home, steal my consciousness, and force me to perform in front of not only Louis but Catarina as well. Catarina just smiled and watched.

Agnes is a demon wearing human skin. She’s begun to look at Bertina with intense desire. Fortunately, she doesn’t seem as obsessed with Bianco. Bertina, who looks so much like me, is in danger.

I must protect Bertina no matter what.

Goddess Maria, please protect my daughter.

Milaria, I’m sorry for being such a worthless father. Please, in my place, protect Bertina—your sister.”

Argent shoved the diary back into the bookshelf roughly, leaned against it, and looked up at the ceiling in despair.

“How should I tell Bertina?”

Even if Bertina said she wouldn’t forgive him no matter what she learned, knowing the truth about the duke would surely shake her and change her feelings. Though she maintained a strong front, at her core, she was kind, lonelier than most, and deep down, she yearned for her family’s love. She only hid it because Argent was there.

Argent faced forward and muttered self-deprecatingly, “I’m sorry, Bertina. It’s better if you don’t know.”

He suspected the duke didn’t want the truth known either.

Using magic, Argent unsealed all the diaries at once, instantly imprinting their contents into his mind. He then gathered his magical energy to teleport away from the mansion. Just then, a scream erupted from outside—a maid’s voice, frantically calling for the duke and duchess and shouting Clarissa’s name.

Argent’s mischief had been discovered.

He had only placed a suggestion for her to engage in lewd acts alone in her bedding. The rest was up to her. His plan had succeeded.

“The mother’s just as bad—like mother, like daughter.”