《My Body Has Been Possessed By Someone》 Chapter 1 ¡®What is this?¡¯ Canna blinked her eyes stupidly. ¡®What am I doing right now?¡¯ Her brain, which was blank for a moment, slowly moved its gears. What the hell am I doing? Why am I on the floor? Crying, shedding snot and tears. ¡®Why?¡¯ Why am I grasping a man¡¯s pants, begging? ¡°Let go.¡± A voice that was as sharp as a knife said. Canna raised her head in surprise. As soon as she did, she was greeted with a pair of cold eyes. An icy and freezing look. ¡®Oh¡­¡­¡¯ Beautiful. The man, whom Canna saw for the first time was beautiful. Delicate features like a glass sculpture, and a hair that shines like a silver thread. She frowned unconsciously at its glimmer. The next moment, the man¡¯s lips twisted into a cold smile. ¡°You¡¯re really tiresome.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Do you think I have feelings for you? No. That¡¯s disgusting.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°I told you to let go.¡± Is he talking to me? ¡°If you don¡¯t let go, I¡¯ll cut your wrist off, Miss Canna.¡± Soft and quiet. He spoke calmly and even used courtesy, but his words were unbelievably harsh. ¡®Canna?¡¯ But the man called her with the correct name. It was certain. Right now, the woman clinging to this dazzling man was herself. Finally, strength left Canna¡¯s hand. Only then did the man turned his back and walked away. GWANG! The door closed. ¡°Ah, this is crazy.¡± Canna, who was left alone in the room, spoke. ¡°Is this a dream? Huh?¡± Why was I doing that in a place like this? A few moments ago, Canna was still in Korea. Korea. Canna didn¡¯t understand what happened. She did not know how she got there nor why. One day, she opened her eyes and just found herself inside a body named ¡®Lee Joo Hwa¡¯. At first she thought she was crazy. Canna Adice has finally gone crazy. She¡¯s always cooped up in her room, and now she finally lost her mind! Otherwise, it was just a terrible nightmare¡­¡­ But she wasn¡¯t crazy. It wasn¡¯t even a dream. ¡®Then, my body was possessed by Joo Hwa and I was living inside Joo Hwa¡¯s.¡¯ At first, she denied the reality, but she accepted it eventually. Canna¡¯s soul possessed the body of a girl from another world called ¡®Lee Joo Hwa¡¯, and she doesn¡¯t know how to get out. If she didn¡¯t want to die just like that, she had no choice but to live as Joo Hwa. So she decided to become Joo Hwa. There was a psychological shock, but nothing was difficult. All the memories and knowledge of Joo Hwa remained intact so there were no inconveniences in living. Just like that, Canna lived a new life in another world. For 12 years. Lee Joo Hwa was 17 years old at that time. ¡®I studied hard to become a doctor.¡¯ After graduating early, she got accepted to a medical college in a Korean university, passed the qualification exam, obtained a medical license, and recently gained an experience as a doctor. She worked hard with the goal of opening her own clinic someday. It was a life she diligently worked for! ¡®Why did it become like this?!¡¯ After work, she had chicken and beer with her family. After that, she took a shower. Then she laid on her bed. Looking up at the ceiling, she smiled contentedly. She loved her life in that world, so she was very happy. She will live her life to the fullest¡­¡­ Or so she thought. ¡°This is bad.¡± She opened her eyes to Canna Adice clinging on a man¡¯s feet. She stood up from her position and approached the mirror on the wall. Her feet almost collapsed as soon as she saw the face reflected in the mirror. ¡°What is this¡­¡­?¡± A dreary, drooping black hair. And black eyes covered with shaggy bangs. A face that was long forgotten. The face she tried to forget when she realized she could never see it again. The last time she saw that face was when she was 14. Although it has matured a lot compared to that time¡­¡­ ¡®It¡¯s my face.¡¯ My real face. ¡°This, how on earth¡­¡­¡± Canna caressed her cheek and closed her eyes tightly. Then she realized. She¡¯s back. In her own body. In her original world. Chapter 2 ¡°Ah¡­¡­¡± Canna¡¯s hand, which was holding the diary, trembled. In this world, there¡¯s a language that no one but Canna can recognize, and the diary was written in that language. This confirms it. In the last 12 years, Lee Joo Hwa and Canna Adice have changed bodies! ¡°That stupid bitch!¡± Lee Joo Hwa got married with her body. Sylvien Valentino ¨C now she realized, was the man whose pants she was clinging to earlier. ¡®This is crazy! Why does it have to be Sylvien Valentino?! She¡¯s out of her mind!¡¯ What¡¯s the point of being handsome? What¡¯s the point of being well mannered on the outside? He¡¯s like a ticking time bomb, and no one knows when he¡¯s going to explode! How could she propose to such a dangerous character from a novel? She can¡¯t believe she offered a contractual marriage! ¨CI¡¯ll be the Duke¡¯s wife. ¨CWhat? ¨CUse me. ¨CWhat does that mean? ¨CI¡¯m asking you to sign a contract. If you marry me, the Royal family will will leave you alone. Your Grace, you don¡¯t really want to marry the second princess, do you? A line was drawn right after the contractual marriage. There was no love! ¡°Lee Joo Hwa, you foolish thing! This is real life!¡± Canna was mad and wanted to cry. Why not? The stupid things Joo Hwa did with her body are not only in the diary, but also in her memories! Joo Hwa did everything to win Sylvien¡¯s heart. ¡®I love you ? Duke Sylvien¡¯, he was away from her at that time, so she sent him 100 Roses with a note while he was in a conference. She even took her clothes off and crawled onto the bed, ready for a small war. Naturally, all Sylvien did each time was to look at her with scorn. This is Joo Hwa¡¯s last diary entry. Eventually, she cried and tried to cling onto his pants, something she never did before. At that moment, Canna changed her body. ¡°Phew. Calm down, let¡¯s calm down. Let¡¯s calm down and think.¡± Canna fanned herself with Joo Hwa¡¯s diary. ¡°12 years have passed. This is my real body¨C Canna Adice, and this body is 26 years old.¡± Then by now, Joo Hwa must be in her real body too. Joo Hwa must¡¯ve been embarrassed just now. Clinging to Sylvien with all her might when he¡¯s about to go to work. ¡®Joo Hwa, can you also go to work and see patients like I did?!¡¯ But judging from the 12 years of ¡®Joo Hwa¡¯ using her body, she will also have the memories of ¡®Canna¡¯. In other words, Joo Hwa will remember everything that her body studied. In that case, there won¡¯t be many problems with her work as a Korean doctor. ¡®Wait a minute. What about my business? Her job as a doctor will do well even if she takes a short leave, but what about my online shopping mall?¡¯ Ever since she was a college student, her hobby is to make natural handmade soaps, natural aroma candles, and natural perfume. As she learned herbal medicine, she became interested in plants and tried many things. She happened to open a small online shopping mall. ¡®Just try to screw up my shopping mall, Lee Joo Hwa.¡¯ Bitterness and anxiety surged in. Over the past 12 years, Canna has been living a life of great satisfaction as Joo Hwa. She was flustered at the beginning¡­¡­ But the life with her mom, dad, younger brother, and her cat was fun. She also started dating recently¡­¡­ ¡®Ha, Mister. I even thought of getting married.¡¯ Everything was lost in an instant. And she returned to the body she thought she could never go back to. ¡°No, come back to your senses. This is not the time to feel down.¡± She can¡¯t let her guard down. Nothing will be solved by being depressed. She has to settle this crazy situation first. She will sort it out somehow. ¡°Sylvien Valentino.¡± Canna mumbled the name, disregarding her melancholy. ¡°You treated my body like shit.¡± Everything in her head is a tangled mess that it felt like it¡¯s about to explode, but what she has to do is still clear to her. First. ¡°Let¡¯s get divorced.¡± They will talk about divorce when the Duke comes back in the evening. Maybe Sylvien Valentino will welcome the idea with open arms¡­¡­ ¡®The question is, will my father allow me to divorce?¡¯ This world¡¯s rules were so unfair compared to Korea that women could not even divorce without the consent of their biological father. ¡®Will my father approve of my divorce?¡¯ If ¡®Joo Hwa¡¯s¡¯ father knew his daughter was being neglected, he would be furious and suggest the divorce himself. ¡®But my father is different.¡¯ ¡®Canna Adice¡¯s¡¯ father is different. He will surely oppose it, thinking that it would be a disgrace to the family. He¡¯s the type of person who will tell her to die in the Valentino family¡­¡­ ¡®Whatever. I¡¯ll just sleep for now, then I¡¯ll think about it later.¡¯ Maybe this is just a dream Canna Adice. The second generation protecting the gates of the West is the Duke of Adice. Canna is his eldest daughter. And illegitimate child. Canna didn¡¯t know who her biological mother was. Was she about six years old at that time? Unable to overcome her curiosity, she carefully asked her father. ¡°Father, what is my mother like?¡± In an instant, her father¡¯s face became horribly distorted. He might kill her. He looked very furious that even such an extreme thought came to her mind. Fortunately, her father did not kill her. He didn¡¯t even slap her. However, with a ferocious look, he spat out. ¡°Canna Adice, never talk about that again.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Never again, in front of me, will you ever bring that woman up.¡± Only then did Canna realized. Her father ¨C Duke Alexandro Adice, hated her mother. It was hate. Her father¡¯s hatred, which has been as natural as air since childhood, she realized the cause then. ¡®I see. My father hates my mother, so I must hate her too.¡¯ Her father was not the only one who hated Canna. ¡°Sister, why don¡¯t you shave your head? Black hair and black eyes. Do you know how much people talk about it?¡± ¡°Oh my gosh, Isabel. What are saying to your sister?¡± ¡°Ehhh, but mom.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s not wrong. Canna, as you know, Black is an ominous color.¡± Her half sister, Isabel; and her stepmother, Chloe, hated her too. ¡°Hey, trash! I told you to cover your face with your bangs!¡± Orsini, her half brother, who doesn¡¯t hesitate to use violence, slapped her without mercy. ¡°Sister, my hat fell out of the window. Please go and pick it up.¡± And of course, Callen, her younger half brother who always harass her, is pretending to be polite. Everyone. Every single member of the family hated Canna. It wasn¡¯t just her family who despised her. ¡°Oh my, that¡¯s the eldest daughter of the Adice family?¡± ¡°My god, her hair is black! Also, her pupils¡­¡­!¡± Black hair. Black eyes. A person born with these two characteristics together is regarded as a symbol of ominousness. So everyone avoided and despised her. ¡°Hey trash! Who said you could go outside and play?!¡± One day, she ran into Orsini in the streets. Orsini¡¯s friends made fun of Canna¡¯s existence. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry, Orsini. I was wrong. Don¡¯t hit me.¡± ¡°You filthy bitch! You should just hide yourself in the water like the filth that you are!¡± That day, she was slapped five times on the cheek by Orsini and her lip was busted. And her father sat on the sidelines the whole time. No¡­¡­ Perhaps he took the lead. The abuse wouldn¡¯t have started if he didn¡¯t neglect her in the first place. Canna was mutilated like a flower whose leaves were ripped off day by day. Until that one day when her fourteen-year-old body was possessed by a seventeen-year-old girl ¨C Canna¡¯s life was terrible. It was even hard for her to meet other people¡¯s eyes. But by living as Joo Hwa, Canna changed. ¡°Our Joo Hwa. Mommy will always support Joo Hwa no matter what she does.¡± A prominent doctor and a mother who loved her more than anyone else. ¡°Joo Hwa, would you like to go for a walk with your dad? Hmm? Hmm?¡± A father and a CEO that becomes a fool when it comes to his daughter. ¡°Sister! I left you some chicken so you can eat them too.¡± An affectionate younger brother. ¡°Meow.¡± And a lovely cat. Everyone was warm to her. They taught her what love is. That¡¯s how 12 years passed. During her life as Joo Hwa, Canna became a completely different person. A woman who cares about herself; a woman who realized her worth. A different person from the past. Chapter 3 CHWAAK! She felt a cold sensation on her face. Canna opened her eyes wide. ¡°Young Lady, what are you doing not waking up?¡± Still feeling sleepy, Canna woke up from her dream and blinked her eyes. The first thing she saw was a tall, colorful ceiling, and a white stretch of silk canopy. ¡®I really am back.¡¯ This is not Korea. This is the master¡¯s bedroom in the Valentino mansion. Tough luck! ¡®But what¡¯s on my face right now?¡¯ ¡°Young Lady, wake up! Can¡¯t you hear me?¡± This is like millitary. By the bedside, when she found a maid holding a vase, she realized what has just happened. The maid would pour water on her face from the vase, remove her blanket, or sometimes she would slap Canna ¨C or rather ¡®Joo Hwa¡¯ to wake her up. Up to now, Joo Hwa meekly obeyed everything and has been maltreated. Just to be seen well by the Duke. The maid has been working for a long time for the Valentino family, she thought that if she fights against the maid, she would spread bad rumors. So Joo Hwa endured. ¡®Lee Joo Hwa, you really are stupid.¡¯ Canna wiped her wet face with her hand. ¡°You, what¡¯s your name?¡± What¡¯s with the unexpected reaction? The maid was startled. ¡®Of course I know her name.¡¯ In Joo Hwa¡¯s memory who lived in Canna¡¯s body, the maid¡¯s name is Mary. She¡¯s about 40 years old, has been working for the Valentino family for a very long time, and she is trusted by many. ¡°My name is Mary Goldian, Young Lady. Did you forget all of a sudden? What¡¯s wrong with your head?¡± Mary answered right away and rushed. ¡°Stop talking nonsense and get up now! It¡¯s time to greet the Mistress!¡± Greetings¡­¡­ Her head hurt for a moment. Greetings. ¡®That¡¯s right. Now that I think about it, the Duke of Valentino¡¯s stepmother lives in this mansion too.¡¯ Josephine, the stepmother of the current Duke, Sylvien. She told her daughter-in-law, Canna, that she should send her greetings three times a day. Every breakfast, lunch, and dinner. ¡®That¡¯s crazy. If this was Korea, that wouldn¡¯t have made sense.¡¯ However, Joo Hwa had been obedient. Because it might get Sylvien¡¯s attention someday. But now, she has no intention of doing the same thing. ¡°I¡¯m not going.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Pardon?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to fucking greet her.¡± ¡°Young Lady, what are you talking about?!¡± ¡°Who¡¯s the Young Lady? I am the Duchess of Valentino and the lady of the house. You should call me Mistress.¡± The maid, Mary, froze. She seemed to doubt her ears. It was different from the ¡®Canna¡¯ who always tried to win the love of others with a smile on her face. ¡®What¡¯s with her? Did she eat something weird?¡¯ Shortly after that thought, Mary suppressed a smirk. She¡¯s acting like an aristocrat. But no treats Canna as an aristocrat. Who is Canna? She is a vain duchess who isn¡¯t treated as a lady even by her own husband, the Duke of Valentino. It wasn¡¯t just him. Canna has black eyes and black hair, a symbol of the ¡®Black Fog¡¯. A long time ago, a black mist that suddenly appeared one day swallowed and destroyed the entire South of the kingdom. Because of the ominous color, Canna has been criticized by people since childhood. Even her family treated her like dirt! ¡°The lady of this house is Mistress Josephine. She is the only Mistress for me.¡± If the maid offends her like this, she will just laugh and scratch her head. Like what she¡¯s been doing throughout these years. Sure enough, Canna didn¡¯t say anything. While looking at her, she suddenly held her hand out. ¡°Give it to me.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°The vase. Is there water left in it?¡± Canna took the vase from Mary and checked how much water is left inside. Then, CHWAAAK! ¡°You impudent bitch.¡± TUK. TUK. Water droplets fell from Mary¡¯s face. Even though her face was soaking wet, Mary didn¡¯t know what just happened. No, more like she couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡°You have to be disciplined. You there, go get me a whip.¡± Canna said to the maid who was watching outside the door. The startled maid didn¡¯t know what to do, so Canna raised her voice. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you moving? Do you want to get lashed too? If you don¡¯t bring it right now, you will be lashed first!¡± ¡°Ho¡ªhold on!¡± A few moments later, after taking the whip that the maid brought, Canna ordered Mary, who was still frozen in her spot. ¡°Show me your calves.¡± Mary¡¯s face turned sour. How dare she do this! She can¡¯t believe Canna would do this to her who served the Valentinos for a long time! ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing, Young Lady? Have you forgotten who I am?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been working for a long time in this mansion, in addition, the Mistress trusts me¡­¡­!¡± ¡°A maid.¡± Canna cut her off coldly. ¡°An insolent maid who poured water on her master¡¯s face. That¡¯s what you are, Mary.¡± ¡°That¡­¡­¡± ¡°And the one who has to discipline such a maid is me, the Duchess of Valentino. I have that authority. Now show me your calves.¡± ¡°Bu¡­¡­but¡ª¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t do it, I¡¯ll whip the other maid. Furthermore, the butler should be held responsible for not educating a maid properly.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± ¡°Are you going to be lashed alone? Or do you want all the employees in this mansion to be lashed too?¡± Mary¡¯s face turned pale. Even the other maid who brought the whip watched them with fear. After a moment, Mary rolled her skirt up with trembling hands. ¡®She¡¯s scared.¡¯ Well, Canna is suddenly acting like a different person and now she¡¯s going to flog her. That¡¯s enough to scare her. Canna tilted her head and stared at Mary. That¡¯s enough, I¡¯ll let it slide¡­¡­ is what one would think Canna will say. But, ¨CWhen you punish someone, make sure to assert yourself, Joo Hwa. She never lost anything by listening to her mom, so this time too, she will follow her. Canna lifted the whip and hit the maid¡¯s calves. CHALSAK! ¡°Ah!¡± It was still the first lash, but it already felt painful. A red line was drawn on Mary¡¯s calves. Her body wavered at the sharp and sudden blow. CHALSAK! ¡°Aahhh!¡± The second lash was more painful. Then the third lash. ¡°I¡ªI was wrong!¡± She admitted her mistake. Mary rubbed her hands together while Canna puts the whip down. ¡°Why? What did you do wrong?¡± ¡°I¡ªI dared to pour water on your face¡­¡­!¡± Canna chuckled. ¡°That¡¯s not all. You¡¯ve been treating me badly all this time, haven¡¯t you?¡± Lee Joo Hwa, people think she¡¯s a hilarious dimwit and make fun of her. No matter how much she gets bullied, she would just laugh. If a worm is stepped on, it¡¯s supposed to wriggle, or else they will be beaten without a fight. This reminds me of old days¡­¡­ Just like before my body was possessed by Joo Hwa. ¡°I¡ªI was wrong, Young Lady.¡± ¡°Young Lady?¡± Mary¡¯s quivered as Canna tilted her head. ¡°N¡ªNo! Mistress! I was wrong, Mistress! I will never do it again.¡± ¡°You better not. The next time you act cocky, it won¡¯t end with just three.¡± Canna threw the whip and motioned her hand. ¡°Get out.¡± Mary let out a whimper. Her shoulders drooped as if crestfallen, despite that, a strong hostility was felt from her back. ¡®Just three lashes won¡¯t do.¡¯ After Mary left, Canna sighed and sat on the sofa. Joo Hwa. Joo Hwa. Lee Joo Hwa¡­¡­ ¡®Lee Joo Hwa. I created a good life for you.¡¯ She studied in a prestigious university, became a doctor, and had a perfect boyfriend. ¡®While you made my life worse.¡¯ Chapter 4 KWANG! Canna, who dozed off on the sofa, opened her eyes. She thought she heard something just now¡­¡­ As soon as she tried to comprehend what it was, KWANG. A loud sound was heard again. ¡°What are you doing, not opening the door?! Open it right now or I¡¯ll break it!¡± The shrill voice of a middle-aged woman was heard from the outside. At the same time, something hit the door once again. KWANG, KWANG, KWANG! They came one after another. Canna stared at the door with a blank face, then, realizing that it was locked from the inside, she jumped up. She doesn¡¯t remember locking the door. For sure it was Mary! ¡°I¡¯ll open it now!¡± After yelling, she hastily opened the door. And there she saw, Servants holding hammers under a woman¡¯s command. ¡®She showed up.¡¯ The original lady of the house. Sylvien Valentino¡¯s stepmother and Canna¡¯s mother-in-law is here. ¡®Countess Josephine Ellester.¡¯ She¡¯s not Sylvien¡¯s biological mother. Sylvien lost his real mother at the age of ten. Then his father had a new wife which was Josephine. After the Duke died, Josephine did not leave the mansion. The title Countess of Ellester is just one of the numerous titles the Duchess holds. She is the Countess of Ellester in words only. She¡¯s still acting like the Duchess of Valentino. ¡°What do you think you were doing? Do you want to be punished?¡± Josephine walked into the room. She opened her folding fan and glared at her with contempt. ¡°Mary told me strange things and, moreover,¡± Beyond the door, Mary smiles smugly. Canna expected this already. ¡°Did you forget the rule that you have to come and greet me every morning? It¡¯s already 1 p.m. You even forgot your lunch greetings!¡± ¡°No, I didn¡¯t forget.¡± 7 a.m., 12 p.m., and 6 p.m. everyday. She had to go greet her three times a day. If she was even a minute late, she will have to listen to all kinds of insult. Recalling the years of Joo Hwa¡¯s hard work and suffering, Canna wanted to laugh. ¡°I just didn¡¯t want to do it.¡± It¡¯s better this way. She¡¯s thinking of getting a divorce anyway, so it would be perfect if her side causes a stir. It¡¯s better if she gets kicked out. ¡°Give my greetings three times a day. I¡¯m sure all the ladies will be surprised to hear that. You know, even back in my mother¡¯s day, they didn¡¯t have such an old-fashioned etiquette.¡± Everyone¡¯s astonishment evoked silence. Canna shrugged after saying those words. The servants outside the door, and even Josephine, were all speechless. ¡°You¡­¡­ What did you just say?¡± Mary, stepped forward and spoke in disbelief. Josephine couldn¡¯t believe that Canna, a stupid girl, flogged Mary. Isn¡¯t she supposed to be a frantic idiot who¡¯s always careful about how people would react to her? She thought Mary was bluffing or else Canna has gone crazy¡­¡­ ¡®She¡¯s out of her mind!¡¯ How could she talk back to her? She would gladly eat food that fell on the ground if that would make someone love her! ¡°That is a rule in this family. Whether you like it or not, you married my precious son, so you must follow the rules of this family!¡± ¡°That rule. You made it up, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I think you made it on a whim by combining your dislike to me and the idea of family rules. Aren¡¯t you ashamed of the long history of the Valentino family?¡± Everyone froze once again. However, the expected response came shortly. ¡°Someone! Hold this bitch right now!¡± The servants, who were watching, approached and grabbed Canna¡¯s arms. ¡°Today, I will teach you proper discipline! Get me a whip!¡± Mary hands the whip she prepared in advance. Its thong was much thicker than the one Canna used earlier. ¡°Mary! Raise her skirt right now!¡± ¡°Yes, Mistress!¡± Mary moved at once and grasped Canna¡¯s skirt. Mary may look calm, but she was dying from laughter inside. However¡­¡­ ¡°Remove your hands.¡± TAK. Canna¡¯s foot kicked Mary¡¯s hands away. She raised her skirt and smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°You can start, Mother.¡± The cold smile sent chills down Mary and Josephine¡¯s spines. They know Canna¡¯s personality and how she should be begging for forgiveness by now¡­¡­ but instead, she¡¯s blatantly mocking and provoking them! ¡°Do you think I¡¯m just joking?! No! I¡¯ll discipline you myself until you realize your mistakes!¡± Discipline, discipline. Canna, who pondered the word, burst out laughing. ¡°You discipline your daughter-in-law with a whip. As expect from an aristocratic family. The Duke of Valentino will surely be proud of his mother¡¯s teachings.¡± ¡°Keep your mouth shut! How dare you talk back to me!¡± CHALSSAK! There was a flash of pain. Canna clenched her teeth. She was determined to do this¡­¡­ but it hurts so much that a scream almost left her mouth! Overwhelmed with anger, Josephine once again lifted her hand high. Preparing to strike as hard as she can. CHALSSAK! ¡°They don¡¯t teach you etiquette in Adice, do they? How shameless! How can such an uneducated person live in my mansion!¡± CHALSSAK! CHALSSAK! The more the flogging continued, the more red lines appeared on her calves. Soon, the flesh began to split apart and blood splattered. The maids who were watching swallowed their screams. But Canna just clasped her skirt tightly. She bit her lip. ¡®I¡¯m not going to scream.¡¯ If she screams, Jospehine will surely be satisfied. Until now, she has no intentions of satisfying the woman who treated herself ¨C ¡®Lee Joo Hwa¡¯ as a dog! ¡°Hah, hah¡­¡­¡± How long has it been? Josephine¡¯s arm jerked. Her muscle was strained from using too much strength, which is something she¡¯s not used to. By that time, Canna¡¯s calves are completely covered with blood. ¡°Didn¡¯t you realize your mistake yet?!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°You¡­¡­!¡± Tough bitch! Josephine and the sevants were tongue-tied. At first, Mary¡¯s face that looked like she enjoyed watching, has now become white as sheet. There¡¯s a lot of blood on her calf, and her flesh are swollen like radish! ¡®Crazy. She must be crazy. How can a person change like this in one night!¡¯ Canna¡¯s face is also wet with cold sweat, but she never thought of giving in. But neither did Josephine. She gave the whip to the servant standing beside her and ordered him to do it. ¡°You hit her with the whip!¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you hear me?! You¡¯re going to fucking lash her!¡± ¡°Bu¡ªBut Mistress¡­¡­¡± Although it doesn¡¯t look like it, Canna is still a woman of noble blood. But even then, she ordered him, a servant and a man, to hit her? Did she even think about what she¡¯s making him do? ¡°Quickly!¡± The servant eventually approached Canna with a look of reluctance and raised the whip hesitantly. TUK, it touched her lightly. ¡°What are you doing?! You¡¯re not doing it right!¡± ¡°Mi¡ªMistress. But it¡¯s already¡­¡­ The Young Lady¡¯s calves are¡­¡­¡± Her calves are already covered with wounds so how is he supposed to whip her more?! Josephine was silenced by the servant¡¯s hesitation. She was so furious that she flogged Canna as hard as she could, but the servant is right. Canna¡¯s calves have exploded to the point where there¡¯s no more place to hit. ¡®I¡¯m sure by now, she¡¯s at her limit.¡¯ Josephine stares at Canna¡¯s face and asks spitefully. ¡°Do you still think you did nothing wrong?¡± Canna smiled weakly. Is it because she clenched her teeth? Her jaw hurts and her whole body is drenched with cold sweat. The heat rushing from her calves was painful as if burning her whole body¡­¡­ ¡®I don¡¯t want to live like that.¡¯ Three times a day at a set time. She has to come and greet her mother-in-law? It¡¯s like violence. A tacit intimidation. ¡®Never, I don¡¯t want to live that way.¡¯ She doesn¡¯t know what happened, but she came back to her world. She wants to go back, but it might not be possible. That¡¯s why she wants to live properly. Not like an animal, but as a dignified human being. So if she gives up now, nothing will change. Nothing. ¡°No, I¡¯m at fault.¡± Canna answered in a hoarse voice. Now she finally admits her mistake! The moment Josephine smiled triumphantly, ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have done anything I didn¡¯t want to do right from the start. I¡¯ve been putting up with it, and it¡¯s all my fault.¡± Chapter 5 SSAAAK. The color drained from Josephine¡¯s face. She was clearly embarrassed and kept her mouth shut. ¡°Why do I have to spend a set time everyday with you, Mother? To my mother-in-law who lives in my mansion, why me?¡± ¡°Your¡­¡­ Your mansion? Are you saying I¡¯m a guest?¡± ¡°Yes. I am the wife of Duke Sylvien Valentino. This mansion is for the duke and his wife. Mother, it¡¯s you who should¡¯ve been better off!¡± Every word she said rubbed on Josephine¡¯s sore spot. Josephine did not want to lose the power of the Valentino family. She has always wanted to be the Mistress of Valentino! But time passes and everything changes. Now, Josephine has to hand over the mansion to the new mistress, even if she doesn¡¯t want to. So she stayed in this house and made it known to the public that she is still here. Fortunately, her son, who is indifferent to the house, did not care whether she stayed or not. ¡®I¡¯m still the Mistress of Valentino!¡¯ In order to ensure this in both name and reality, Canna was ordered to give her greetings three times a day. To remove all doubts about who has more authority between the two mistresses of the mansion. Canna has been compliant so far and she never thought of opposing the injustice. But¡­¡­ She suddenly changed. That dumb daughter-in-law touched a sensitive area! ¡°Canna Adice¡­¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s Canna Valentino, Mother.¡± For now, she¡¯s still a Valentino. Canna retorted with a hoarse voice. It was like a hard slap to Josephine. She finally reached her limit. ¡°Hey, what are you doing?! Whip her again, now!¡± But it wasn¡¯t necessary anymore. Canna already lost her strength and her body fell heavily on the floor. KUNG, the back of her head hits the carpet. ¡®No matter what you do, if you make a mistake, you could get killed. That¡¯s why, I won¡¯t take anyone¡¯s hand.¡¯ Her field of vision darkened gradually. Canna slowly closed her eyes, unable to resist the heat that warmed her entire body. ¡°Don¡¯t treat her until she admits she¡¯s wrong. Don¡¯t even give her medicine!¡± After Josephine¡¯s strict orders, Canna lost her consciousness. ¡®Crazy.¡¯ Even though it¡¯s already nighttime, Josephine¡¯s anger did not disappear. ¡®A person can¡¯t change that much unless they¡¯re crazy.¡¯ Canna Valentino, no, Canna Adice. An illegitimate child of the Adice family. Black hair and black eyes. To cover those ominous eyes, that filthy bitch always covers her face with hair! It was a mistake to have such a trash as a daughter-in-law right from the beginning. She never really liked Canna but since Sylvien said he was marrying her, she couldn¡¯t do anything about it. No one can interfere with Sylvien¡¯s affairs. ¡®But it was to avoid marriage with the second princess. Everyone knows it was all an act!¡¯ How dare she act like the mistress! How dare she treat her like a guest in this mansion! ¡®I¡¯ll kill her.¡¯ If only she lived like a dead rat, she would¡¯ve spared her. ¡®I shouldn¡¯t have let her into this house from the start.¡¯ If it weren¡¯t for Canna, the second princess would have been Sylvien¡¯s wife. Josephine made herself known in every way possible. The queen is also aware of her efforts. So if they got married, she would¡¯ve been treated like a God. ¡­¡­If only the two of them got married. If only one day, Sylvien hadn¡¯t suddenly pulled out a card called ¡®Canna Adice¡¯! ¡®It should¡¯ve been like that.¡¯ If it worked that way, what would become of her? She would¡¯ve not only been a woman married into a ducal family, but also a woman honored by her daughter-in-law who happens to be a princess, and she could live in high society for the rest of her life. But now, Josephine¡¯s position is at risk. She once dominated the society as the Duchess of Valentino, but not anymore. Although she has the title of a countess, it is nothing but a sham. There is a big difference in wealth, let alone land. A son without an ounce of her blood. Sylvien gave her nothing but a title. It was enough proof that Josephine is not important to him. That was the very beginning of her misfortune. Sylvien did not give any power to Josephine. Because of that, the influence she had was quickly getting smaller. The defeated flower of the society, with only one thing left to go down. ¡®But if the princess had become my daughter-in-law and made ties with the royal family, something like this wouldn¡¯t have happened.¡¯ But that rotting bitch is now threatening to take over the role of the lady of the house. Josephine snorted. ¡®I hope she dies. A daughter-in-law who only interferes with my future.¡¯ Canna¡¯s calves are ragged right now. She is also feverish. She can die during her sleep. Or maybe with broken body parts. Of course, Josephine contemplated with the idea. She doesn¡¯t care whether Canna dies or not anyway. Canna¡¯s biological father, brothers and sister, and even her own husband, Sylvien, did not care. It was then. With a knock, she heard a maid¡¯s voice. ¡°Mistress, the Duke of Valentino has come to see you.¡± What? Josephine took a sharp breath. Sylvien wants to see her? At this hour? ¡®Why is he doing something he never did before?¡¯ Sylvien, his stepson, doesn¡¯t usually interact with her. He is polite whenever they meet, but that¡¯s all. It was very rare for him to find Josephine first! Before she could answer, KIIIK. The door opened. Josephine held her breath and unconsciously clenched her fists. ¡°Sylvien.¡± A tall man strode through the open door. The moment she met his clear blue eyes, she had an illusion of feeling cold. ¡°Wh¡­¡­Why did you come?¡± She unknowingly spoke with a quivering voice. But it wasn¡¯t her choice. How many people are there who won¡¯t freeze in front of Sylvien Valentino? Josephine looked at Sylvien¡¯s face and swallowed. Silver strands of hair are scattered over his snow-like white skin on his forehead. Is it because he¡¯s all white? He looks like an ice sculpture. He is beautiful but, even from his breath, he is chillingly cold. Even his gentle smile doesn¡¯t look like a smile. But why did he come? ¡®He¡¯s not here because of Canna, is he?¡¯ Sylvien did not answer. Instead, he walked and sat on the sofa. He sat cross-legged and comfortably leaned on the backrest. A natural gesture as if he¡¯s in his own room. Opposite from him is where Josephine silently sat. Then, ¡°I¡¯ve heard some strange news.¡± A frosty, low-pitched voice said. Josephine felt something similar to putting ice on her back. Strange news. She didn¡¯t believe it at first, but now she¡¯s sure that it¡¯s about Canna. Just what the hell did she¡­¡­! ¡°At the birthday banquet of the second princess.¡± However, the following words were different from what she imagined. ¡°I heard you assured them that I would attend.¡± She heaved a sigh of relief in an instant. Of course, that¡¯s right! There¡¯s no way he would come here for Canna, that little bitch! ¡°That¡¯s right. You¡¯re always working these days, so I promised Her Highness, Princess Lillien, that you would attend.¡± Sylvien puts his hands on his knees. Then he slowly raised his lowered eyes to look at the person in front of him. ¡°Promised?¡± As if he heard a strange word, he repeated it in a calm, inquisitive tone. Josephine¡¯s breathing seems to be blocked once again. Blue. Deep blue eyes. She couldn¡¯t dare herself to look into those eyes, so she bowed her head. Like a sinner. The corners of Sylvien¡¯s lips went up a little. ¡°Do you have the right to do that?¡± ¡°Sylvien, I just, it¡¯s been a long time since Her Highness have seen you and she¡¯s feeling a bit lonely¡­¡­¡± ¡°Then, Countess Ellester, please become her companion. That¡¯s how much rights you have, Countess.¡± It was like an unarguable command. Right after he said that, Sylvien rose from his seat. He quickly left through the door considering he no longer have any business with her. Josephine could only clench her teeth. She couldn¡¯t even protest against him. Chapter 6 ¡°Wait, Your Grace. There is something that I have to tell you.¡± Sylvien¡¯s steps came to a halt en route to his office. The butler, who carried a lantern in the dark corridor, approached him. ¡°What is it?¡± A courteous tongue that is no different when he dealed with Josephine. It was nothing new, so the butler wasn¡¯t surprised. Duke Sylvien Valentino has always been like this. He is polite to anyone, regardless of their identity. But somehow, Sylvien isn¡¯t as nice as he appears to be. Even the atmosphere would feel superior as if he¡¯s standing on a summit and is looking down on everyone. ¡°The truth is¡­¡­¡± The butler explained the whole story about what happened today. The conflict between Canna and Josephine. And that as a matter of fact, Canna¡¯s calves bursted and she has a high fever. When he heard it, Sylvien, without even twitching an eyebrow, asked. ¡°So?¡± ¡°What should I do? It isn¡¯t a light injury so it will be dangerous to leave it as it is.¡± It was an answer that he didn¡¯t have to worry about. ¡°The affairs in this mansion are managed by Countess Ellester.¡± It was an announcement to let her die. That was the end of conversation. Sylvien walked past the butler. Josephine¡¯s prediction was accurate. Whatever happens to Canna, no one cares. Sylvien Valentino is not interested whether his wife dies or not. ¡°Wow, seriosly. They are really trying to kill me.¡± At dawn, Canna barely came to her senses. And there was a sense of uneasiness that perhaps she would really die. That¡¯s how bad her condition is. Her whole body is drenched with cold sweat and she¡¯s burning with fever. Most of all, ¡°Aah!¡± Pain. The burning pain in her calves caused the groans to leave her mouth without a thought. Canna looked at her calves with dread. The moment she saw them, she felt suffocated. She expected it. ¡®It looks terrible.¡¯ If left untreated, the inflammation will spread and she will get an infection. Are these all of it? If she doesn¡¯t disinfect it, there is a high probability that she will get infected. The worst case is, the nerves will be completely damaged and maimed¡­¡­ ¡®I might die.¡¯ It is different from Earth, which is filled with antibiotics and vaccines. If she leaves an inflammation or infection alone, she could die. ¡®But are they just leaving me alone? Without medicine, without anyone taking care of me?¡¯ These people really intend to kill me. Or maybe they just want me to get crippled. ¡°That¡¯s really bad. No matter what world it is, people think that human life is no different from ants.¡± She laughed dejectedly. She¡¯s sorry but, she won¡¯t meet their expectations. This much is enough to cure by herself. ¡°Ugh¡­¡­ Uh, it hurts like hell.¡± Even if she didn¡¯t want to, she crawled off the bed. She just wanted to lie on the mattress, but¡­¡­ ¡®There¡¯s nothing that can be done if I only lay down.¡¯ After a while of wandering around the room, she found something useful. A clean pillow sheet, a handkerchief, and a whiskey. ¡®First of all, I will disinfect the wound.¡¯ Canna leaned her back on the wall and removed the bottle cap. She knows it will hurt a lot. She took a deep breath to prepare her mind. ¡®¡­¡­Wait a minute. What is that?¡¯ Canna¡¯s eyes focused on the window. A large window. Outside, the thick branches are so close that it almost touched the exterior of her room. A tree is right in front of the window. It¡¯s not a suitable room for a duchess. This was done in purpose to know where Canna¡¯s room is located from outside the mansion¡­¡­ That¡¯s not what matters right now. ¡°That tree, it¡¯s obviously that tree.¡± The moment she opened the window, she became certain. The scent from the tree. The leaves and the appearance are¡­¡­! ¡°It¡¯s a green tree.¡± From roots to the stem to the branches, a bunch of medicinal leaves that no one uses. In fact, it is used as a medicinal herb in Korea. In particular, the leaves of green trees are effective against bruises and in relieving inflammation, making them the best first-aid remedy. But the tree in front of her window¡­¡­ ¡®Do green trees grow in this land¡­¡­?¡¯ The green tree is a plant of the East. But this tree, is planted in a Western garden? ¡®It¡¯s said that Josephine is a hard worker in collecting plants from the East.¡¯ Recalling Joo Hwa¡¯s memory, Canna puts her head outside the window. ¡®As expected, I was right.¡¯ The green tree¡¯s pillar is studded with Secaman mana stones. Perhaps the roots are also intertwined with mana stones. The land¡¯s climate is unsuitable for the tree which makes it impossible for the tree to grow in this land. If it weren¡¯t for the mana stones, the tree would¡¯ve died already. The mana stones prolong the lives of the plants. It has a foul odor, but it is still very popular within the ladies! ¡®And it¡¯s also good for me.¡¯ Canna collected some leaves. Then she sat and leaned on the wall once again, before picking up the whiskey. Now she¡¯s really going to disinfect the wounds. She gulped, then she hovered the bottle above her calves. JJORURU¨C the whiskey pours on the wounds. And, ¡°¡­¡­!¡± Her eyes saw white and she groaned loudly. It was so painful that it felt like it¡¯s burning on fire. ¡®Hang on. Don¡¯t faint.¡¯ She crushed the green tree¡¯s leaves with the whiskey bottle. She crushed them to the point that some juices were extracted. Then she carefully placed them over the wounds. ¡°Phew.¡± There was a pungent smell but she teared the pillow sheet and dressed her wounds. This will work. She did everything she could. She then sighed in relief. ¡®Good job. The wounds will heal quickly if I keep treating them like this.¡¯ TUK, she leaned her head against the wall and closed her eyes. Indeed, it was a stormy day. I was living in Korea until last night, just before I fell asleep. I was going to work the next day and then go on a date on the weekend. ¡®Mom. Dad. Seonhong. Totto.¡¯ And my cool boyfriend. At that moment, longing struck her heart. She was about to tear up, but Canna clenched her teeth and held it in. She will never cry. Because this is not the right time. It¡¯s a time when she cannot be weak. ¨CJoo Hwa. At a time of crisis, tears would not solve anything. It will only make you weaker. She suppressed the urge to cry just like what her mom taught her, as if it was a spell. She won¡¯t cry. She will get through all of these. And she will think about what she has to do from now on. So that, ¡®I will survive, no matter what.¡¯ Ten days have passed since then. Josephine Ellester is having tea inside the glass greenhouse. The whole place is full of plants from the East. The greenhouse, which is being maintained with mana stones, is one of Josephine¡¯s pride. ¡°Mary, what happened to Canna?¡± It¡¯s been a while since Canna acted out, but there was no news about her. Moreover, the meals that were pushed like a dog¡¯s meal inside the room were returned empty, so it seems that she isn¡¯t dead yet. ¡°I think she¡¯s still alive¡­¡­ but I¡¯m sure she will reach her limit today or tomorrow because she was left in such a bad condition.¡± ¡°I see. Are you sure no one came to treat her?¡± ¡°Yes. I informed all the employees of the mansion that no one should enter her room, Mistress.¡± ¡°Yes, I see. Get out.¡± Mary bid her goodbye and left the glass greenhouse. ¡®That stupid bitch. Why isn¡¯t my anger fading?¡¯ The memory of Canna beating her calves is still vivid. Perhaps that¡¯s the reason why she¡¯s still angry. ¡®I can¡¯t wait to see her die.¡¯ How dare she defy her, the maid that the mistress values! ¡°He¡ªHead maid!¡± A panting maid approached her. Mary frowned at her lack of manners. ¡°Who told you to run like that? If the mistress saw¡­¡­¡± ¡°Young Lady Canna!¡± Hah, hah. She¡¯s still out of breath. Mary¡¯s eyes widened at the mention of Canna¡¯s name. ¡°She¡¯s finally dead! That¡¯s great!¡± Suddenly, the heaving maid¡¯s face turned blue. ¡°What is it? What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Then she realized that the maid¡¯s eyes are fixed behind her. Right after that, she felt as if someone pulled her neck from behind. That¡¯s when she heard a voice. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to disappoint you.¡± KUNG! Mary¡¯s heart dropped. That voice is¡­¡­ ¡°I¡¯m alive.¡± Footsteps. The sound of footsteps coming from behind her is gradually getting closer. ¡°But you must¡¯ve wanted me to die that way, didn¡¯t you? Mary.¡± Mary¡¯s fingers trembled. Canna¡¯s slow-paced walk was perfectly fine. Moreover, under her bangs, the color of her face looks better than before! ¡°So you were here.¡± Canna¡¯s gaze fell on the other maid. ¡°Get a whip.¡± Chapter 7 After a while, the mansion was turned upside down. ¡°Mary! What happened to Mary?!¡± Mary Goldian. One of Josephine Ellester¡¯s most valued maids in the mansion. ¡°Mary! Are you alright? Open your eyes!¡± Mary has completely lost her consciousness. It wasn¡¯t surprising, because her calves were whipped so much that they looked like they were bombed. It looked the same as when Canna was punished a few days ago! ¡°Who did this to her?!¡± ¡°It was¡­¡­¡± The maids hesitated and barely answered. ¡°Young Lady Canna punished her.¡± What? Josephine froze. She couldn¡¯t believe her ears. ¡°No way. Canna shouldn¡¯t have enough energy!¡± ¡°N¡ªNot at all. She could stand with both legs and even walked down the stairs quickly! I saw it with my own eyes, Mistress!¡± The words made Josephine feel like she lost. Did someone help with Canna¡¯s treatment? ¡°You, bring me the pharmacist who manages the pharmacy. And you, get the the person in charge of the clinic!¡± The pharmacist and the person in charge of the clinic were questioned, but they both claimed innocence. That means, she had no way of getting medicine! ¡®It doesn¡¯t make sense. I have to see her with my own eyes!¡¯ Josephine hurried up the stairs and flung Canna¡¯s door open. Then¡­¡­ ¡°Mother.¡± The moment she saw the scene in front of her, her mind went blank. ¡°What brings you here?¡± The window. Canna sat on the window frame, playing with a branch that popped inside. Josephine quickly walked towards her and raised her skirt. Unbelievable, the swelling of her calves are getting smaller! This can¡¯t be true! ¡°You stole a medicine from the pharmacy, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°No way.¡± Canna smiled coldly at her wrinkled skirt. ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, go to the pharmacy and check it yourself.¡± Instead, she sneaked into Josephine¡¯s room at dawn and stole some herbs. Canna swallowed a laugh and just smiled. ¡°You don¡¯t disapprove that I¡¯m all better now, do you? Mother.¡± Josephine became speechless in an instant. Of course she disapproves. Because she wanted Canna to die or at least lame. But it was completely different to admit it with her own mouth. ¡°That¡¯s nonsense!¡± ¡°Is that so? I thought you were angry because I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense!¡± But her reaction a little while ago seemed plausible enough. So Josephine immediately changed the subject. ¡°If you¡¯re all better, why didn¡¯t you come to tell me? And Mary is the head maid of this mansion, how dare you flog her without my permission?¡± ¡°Mary wanted me to die.¡± ¡°¡­¡­What?¡± ¡°Is Canna finally dead? She looked very happy when she asked this, so I hit her a hundred times.¡± Josephine cursed inside. Mary, that stupid woman! Why did she have to let Canna hear her?! Nobody cares about Canna. If they left her injuries as they were, this would¡¯ve ended without so much fuss. But it will be a problem if someone were to go around, announcing that ¡®Someone intends to kill Canna.¡¯ A very big problem. ¡°If I prove that Mary really did say that, you wouldn¡¯t mind if I punish her, do you?¡± ¡°Enough with her punishments. Mary is a great servant who has devoted herself to this mansion for the past few decades!¡± Canna tearfully protested, pretending to be falsely accused. ¡°I can¡¯t stay in the same house with that maid. If you don¡¯t kick her out, I¡¯ll leave.¡± Of course, to Josephine, she sounded like a prideful daughter-in-law who is making a threat. Where could Canna go? When everywhere she goes, everyone hates her. They will never accept her! ¡°Then do as you please. If you¡¯re going to leave, then leave!¡± That¡¯s right, this is it! Canna suppressed her cheers and pursed her lips. Everything was to hear those words. She deliberately provoked Josephine to hear that line, and she succeeded. To be kicked out of the ducal family of Valentino. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll leave tomorrow at dawn.¡± But Josephine wasn¡¯t listening to her anymore. She snorted and turned around. Canna wore a meaningful smile as she stared at Josephine¡¯s back. Thank you, Mother. Please continue to cooperate so that we can get divorced soon. Take out the iron while it¡¯s still hot. Canna is going to ask for a divorce right after making sure that she¡¯s getting kicked out. To do that, she has to talk to Sylvien Valentino. ¡®He will welcome this idea with open arms, because he didn¡¯t like everything Joo Hwa did.¡¯ Huu. In front of his door, Canna prepared herself. Then she finally knocked. ¡°Your Grace, this is Canna. May I come in?¡± There was silence. Canna glared at the door. Is he going to ignore me? As she thought about this¡­¡­ ¡°Come in, Miss Canna.¡± An icy low voice. Canna automatically straightened her back. It was a voice that naturally made people tense. ¡®But wait. Miss Canna?¡¯ He calls her miss, but he doesn¡¯t treat her like a lady. Canna opened the door and walked in. But he stopped her after three steps. ¡°Why did you come this late at night?¡± Silver hair spilled with moonlight. Mysterious deep blue eyes. Sylvien sat languidly on the bed, staring at her. He must¡¯ve just came out of shower. There were faint water droplets at the edges of his silver hair. ¡®He¡¯s like a snow girl.¡¯ Suddenly, a horror story that she heard in Korea came to mind. Snow girl. A monster that attracts people with its ethereal beauty into a blizzard. Those who are tempted by its intoxicating beauty, wouldn¡¯t be able keep their head intact until they are frozen to death¡­¡­ ¡°I have something to tell you.¡± Canna calmed her breathing before she opened her mouth. Although the soul in her body is no longer Joo Hwa, she seemed a bit distracted by Sylvien¡¯s overwhelming appearance. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve heard it. No, I¡¯m sure you heard already.¡± It wasn¡¯t until she started talking that she became completely calm. He¡¯s a cold-blooded man, so she¡¯s not easily fooled by his appearance. He¡¯s just a trash who doesn¡¯t care whether his wife gets beaten or not. ¡°Your mother tried to kill me.¡± Sylvien¡¯s lips raised at her words. ¡°Countess Ellester is not strong enough to kill someone with a whip.¡± Canna glared at him. As expected, Sylvien knew everything. And yet he¡¯s acting so shameless! ¡°You knew I was badly hurt and you didn¡¯t get me treated?¡± ¡°Is there a reason why I should¡¯ve done that?¡± ¡°I am your wife, Duke. Your wife could¡¯ve been beaten to death by her mother-in-law, and yet Your Grace pretended not to know. Do you think that¡¯s morally right?¡± ¡°So?¡± Instense boredom passed in Slyvien¡¯s eyes. ¡°You¡¯re alive, standing in front of my eyes.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Is there any problem with that?¡± Gently curved eyes. The corners of his mouth that are slightly raised. A mellow voice. This combination could melt anyone¡¯s heart, but the temperature around Sylvien was getting lower. He¡¯s awfully cold. Canna was certain that he wouldn¡¯t blink an eye even if she vomits blood right now. Why the hell did Joo Hwa fall for this man? He¡¯s such a cold person. For sure, mom ¨C Joo Hwa¡¯s mom would be very upset if she found out. When she thought of this, her head throbbed for a moment. ¡°Why did you marry me if you were going to be like this?¡± She has to argue. Or she won¡¯t be able to get over this. Lee Joo Hwa, that fool wouldn¡¯t be able to say anything about this for the rest of her life, so I have to be angry for her! ¡°Even though our marriage is contractual, marriage is still a marriage. Duke, you agreed to take me as your wife, so you could have at least shown some respect¡­¡­¡± This scumbag! Chapter 8 She pushed the word that was about to roll off her tongue away. (T/N: There was a mistranslation on the prev. chapter. Canna thought ¡®You scumbag!¡¯ Instead of ¡®This scumbag!¡¯ Canna wanted to add it to her sentence but she decided against it. I¡¯m sorry for the mistake. -note will be removed before posting the next chapter.) But she can say it in another way. Through her eyes, lips, and facial expression. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Sylvien was making Canna frustrated. The blue eyes, which looked bored just a while ago, became attentive. It was an unfamiliar sight. He spoke slowly. ¡°I don¡¯t expect you to treat me like a wife.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°That is what you said, Miss Canna. Did you forget?¡± She did. Canna clenched her fist tightly. Before getting married, Sylvien told her clearly. He will not fulfill his duty as a husband, and he won¡¯t even think of her as his wife. Joo Hwa said, ¡®It¡¯s fine, so please marry me.¡¯ The innocent girl believed that something would change when they got married, and that he would love her because they¡¯re married anyway. ¡®What love?¡¯ They are married for 7 years already. Not once did their fingers brush with each other. ¡°That¡¯s right. I was fine with it before, but not now. I don¡¯t want to live like this anymore.¡± She answered him strongly and glared at him. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve heard it, but Mother kicked me out.¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡°I¡¯m leaving this place. I¡¯m going back to my parents¡¯ mansion.¡± Then for the first time, he showed a reaction. Sylvien¡¯s eyes slowly examined Canna¡¯s face. He¡¯s doubting his ears. He has a look that says he couldn¡¯t believe what he heard. Canna felt pleased at the scene. The old me ¨C Joo Hwa wouldn¡¯t do that. Because she always wanted to be next to him even if she dies. But I don¡¯t. ¡°Did you say you were leaving?¡± Sylvien repeated the words as if to understand its meaning. I¡¯m leaving, I¡¯m leaving¡­¡­ I¡¯m leaving. She¡¯s going to leave me? The next moment, Sylvien¡¯s eyes were crooked. An emotion passed briefly. It looked like interest, or maybe curiosity. But it was only for a moment. The look on Sylvien¡¯s eyes dissipated. It became a bored look, just like from the beginning. He quietly answered, sweeping his wet hair. ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°I¡¯m also going to ask my father for a divorce.¡± ¡°Yes. I will be waiting.¡± Fuck you. Canna wanted to hit him. Sylvien is not taking their conversation seriously. He¡¯s listening with one ear while letting it slip through the other ear. ¡®He doesn¡¯t believe what I¡¯ve said so far.¡¯ Not long ago, she was a woman who fell on her knees, cried, and clung to him. It¡¯s obvious that he thinks she cannot leave him first. Rather, he seemed to regard it as a grumpy protest ¨C a lie to get his attention. Canna held back her sigh. She doesn¡¯t think there¡¯s a point in this continuing this talk anymore. ¡°Then, I will leave now.¡± ¡°Yes. Go ahead.¡± You bastard. You think I¡¯m just bluffing? I¡¯m really going to divorce you! I¡¯ll do it! The next morning, Canna set out for the Adice mansion. She still has to worry about the next step. The first step toward divorce, which is getting kicked out by her mother-in-law, has been achieved. Now, she has to go back to her parents¡¯ mansion and get her father¡¯s permission for divorce. ¡®Will the Adices accept me?¡¯ In the first place, will they even open the gates for me? Practical concerns have been creeping up this time. It was actually easy to get kicked out. Since everyone hates her anyway, just give them a reason to kick her out. All of them. Because everyone in this world hates me. ¡®It¡¯s easy to get kicked out¡­¡­ but it¡¯s hard to be accepted.¡¯ Canna sighed deeply and lowered her gaze. A long, eerie black hair. And black eyes. This is why everyone hates her. Because of all these black. ¡®In this world, black is a symbol of mysery.¡¯ Most of the people here hate black. It¡¯s because it¡¯s the same color with the black fog. Black fog ¨C the color of that horrible incident. A long time ago, a widespread of black mist appeared and completely swallowed the entire southern continent. The south continent, which was called the Mado continent, was severely destroyed that the era in which the Mado continent existed was over. Only those who survived the disaster came here to the west. Survivors. It was the beginning of their settlement here in the western continent. The survivors had a new life in a new land, and more than a thousand years later, civilization has been built again. But the west was not entirely safe either. It was a very small scale compared to the one that covered the entire south continent, but a black fog also appeared in the west continent. ¡®And it is the families of Adice and Valentino that protect the gates of the west continent from the black fog.¡¯ Adice and Valentino family. The founder of the two families was a saint who fought against the black fog on the southern continent. The knights of the Mado continent are now just a legend. But their descendants still defend the west from the black fog. Thus, they were named the two guardian families and were given absolute power. ¡®The black fog is very dangerous.¡¯ Strange things pop out of the fog. Unknown plants, objects, and¡­¡­ monsters. They are very ugly and they don¡¯t exist in this world. Sometimes, there are monsters that are very powerful when out of control. That¡¯s not all. Those who gets in contact with the black fog will get infected and they completely go insane. Not just insane, but they also turn into monsters that eat humans. And those who are severely infected will have their hair and eyes turn black¡­¡­ ¡®That¡¯s when the black priests come.¡¯ They are heathens who have faith in the black fog. Many of the ¡®black priests¡¯ have black hair. ¡®One of the reasons why people hate black is because it¡¯s like a devil¡¯s color.¡¯ It¡¯s a rare color here, but it¡¯s common in Korea. Canna sighed. Anyway, to get a divorce, she has to get the approval of her father¡­¡­ Her head throbbed when she thought about it. ¡®My father hates me so Joo Hwa never visited the Adices ever since she got married.¡¯ But now she has to go back to the Adices. She has to get her father¡¯s permission to divorce, even if she has to beg to him. Then. Then¡­¡­ ¡®I¡¯ll think about what happens afterwards.¡¯ It¡¯s hard for her to think that she will be living as Canna for the rest of her life, but she has to do what she can. ¡®The question is, will the Adices accept me¡­¡­?¡¯ ¡°Go back. We can¡¯t open the gates for you.¡± Her concerns turned into reality. ¡°The duke instructed us that we cannot open the gates when Duchess Valentino comes.¡± ¡°But¡­¡­¡± ¡°Go back.¡± The knight shook his head firmly. She thought she should persuade him a little more, but she just shut her mouth. It doesn¡¯t seem like persuasion will work. Just like what she thought. Of course, she didn¡¯t expect herself to be welcome, but she didn¡¯t think they won¡¯t even let her in. ¡®I see. My father has totally forsaken me.¡¯ As expected, he is a thoroughgoing man. He was cautious in case Canna came back, so he had the gates closed for her in advance¡­¡­ He is very elaborate. ¡®He really hates me.¡¯ Canna realized that she underestimated her father¡¯s hatred. There¡¯s no easy way to meet Canna¡¯s father who hated her all this time. Then, The sound of an approaching carriage is heard from behind. It was a horse-drawn carriage with the Adice family emblem. ¡°The first young master is back! Open the gates!¡± Then the grand gates of the mansion began to open. The gates, which seemed to be closed forever in front of Canna. For a moment, she had an urge to dash inside. ¡®Then, should I just run inside, grab my father¡¯s crotch and hang on it?¡¯ Just when she was thinking about it, KIIIK. The carriage stopped just behind Canna. She felt goosebumps down her back. She slowly looked back with a sense of foreboding. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Then she made an eye contact. Beyond the carriage window, a young man is quietly staring at her. Chapter 9 It was a man whose red hair was cleanly slicked back. His sharp eyes and pointed nose, which seemed to be carved exquisitely, resembled their father¡¯s. Kanna immediately recognized the man. Time has passed, but there is no way she wouldn¡¯t remember that face. That¡¯s what family is all about. ¡°Duchess Valentino.¡± As she stared into his green eyes, memories from the past are recalled. ¡°Sister, please stop being a wimp and be strong.¡± ¡°The book fell in the garden. Please get it, Sister.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t talk to me. I¡¯m getting dirty.¡± The boy who treated her like a maid while calling ¡®Sister, Sister¡¯. Her younger half brother, Kalen Addis. He was still a kid in her memory¡­¡­ ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Now that he is an adult, the eyes that stared at her looked colder than before. ¡°There is something I have to do here. That¡¯s all¡­¡­¡± Kanna¡¯s gaze shifted beside him. Kalen is not alone in the carriage. Is she asleep? The little girl is sitting quietly. However, she couldn¡¯t see the girl¡¯s face because she¡¯s wearing a dark veil. ¡®Who is that girl¡­¡­?¡¯ Just then, the wind blew. The veil fluttered and the girl¡¯s face was revealed. The moment Kanna saw the girl¡¯s face, her eyes went wide. That¡¯s¡­¡­! ¡°Did you see?¡± A chilling voice. Kalen stared at her as if he wanted to kill her and spoke again. ¡°I asked you if you saw Lucy¡¯s face.¡± Lucy Addis. Born seven years ago, and the youngest daughter of the Addis family. Soon after Joo Hwa got married, she heard that Lucy Addis was born. Of course, she never met Lucy before. She only heard the news¡­¡­ ¡°Did you see?¡± Of course she did. She didn¡¯t mean to, but she saw her face clearly. A face that is different from normal people. Kanna, who had been silent for a while, couldn¡¯t suppress her curiosity as a professional and asked. ¡°Have you been to a doctor?¡± ¡°Keep your mouth shut!¡± Suddenly, the door of the carriage opened and Kalen went out. He stood right in front of Kanna. ¡°What you just saw,¡± Kalen Addis threatened harshly. ¡°If you tell anyone, I will kill you.¡± The face of the girl, Lucy, is completely twisted. Grotesquely distorted features, as if someone is forcibly pulling her facial muscles. Kanna knew very well what it is. ¡®It looks like facial paralysis.¡¯ Facial paralysis. There is no accurate cure in this world. People with this condition are treated like devils. ¡°Do you understand? If you tell anyone about this¡­¡­¡± ¡°How¡¯s the treatment going?¡± ¡°¡­¡­What?¡± ¡°How¡¯s the treatment going?¡± Kanna asked, letting her brother¡¯s threat slip through the other ear. ¡°Are you on your way back from seeing a doctor? What did the doctor say? Can they cure her?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± At that moment, there was a strong suspicion in Kalen¡¯s eyes. She was the sister who left the mansion to get married. The sister whom he didn¡¯t see for a long time. Besides, ¡°How long has it been since she had that condition? Did you start treatment right away?¡± Kalen was quite perplexed. It is the first time in his entire life that he ever saw his sister talking with her head raised. ¡°It¡¯s none of your business, so go back to the Valentino family right away.¡± Kanna sensed that Lucy¡¯s treatment isn¡¯t going well. Kalen¡¯s eyes, voice, and expression could only be seen in a caregiver whose patient¡¯s condition hasn¡¯t improved at all. ¡°Will you let me help her?¡± ¡°¡­¡­What did you just say?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try to cure Lucy. In return, allow me to stay here for a while.¡± ¡°Ha!¡± There was mockery in Kalen¡¯s eyes that soon turned into anger. He ran his hand across his face a couple of times in anger, the veins visible on the back of his big hand. After a while, he spoke in a very low voice. ¡°Go back. What can you do when even the best doctors in the west can¡¯t do anything about it?¡± Lucy Addis. A seven-year-old girl. She suddenly had that condition one day. They thought Lucy was simply ill, but her face started to become distorted. No one could cure her. Some even said that they should send her to the temple because she was possessed by a devil. But now what? She¡¯s saying that she can help her so easily? ¡°Stop saying nonsense and go back.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not nonsense. Just give me a chance to cure her.¡± He couldn¡¯t take it anymore. Kalen grabbed Kanna¡¯s shoulders and brought his face close to her. ¡°There¡¯s nothing you can do!¡± At that moment, Kanna¡¯s mouth hardened. She was lost for words. His face was close to her. That¡¯s why he saw her black eyes that peeked through the gap of her shaggy bangs¡­¡­ ¡°Kalen Addis.¡± She was unexpectedly calm. ¡°Don¡¯t be too emotional and listen to me.¡± Her calmness cooled his outpouring anger. Looking at her serene eyes, Kalen realized that he is very angry right now. Slowly, the strength in his grip lessened. ¡°You, do you want your sister to be cured?¡± Do you want your sister to be cured? Of course. Of course he wants that. But no one could help her. All the doctors shook their heads. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but this is beyond my capabilities.¡± ¡°We have no other choice but to send her to the temple.¡± It¡¯s ridiculous to even think of sending her to the temple, but it¡¯s the last resort. So, should we send her? His eyes were dimmed, as if he was being helplessly sucked into a deep sea. He wanted to catch anything, but there was nothing to catch. ¡°I will ask you one last time.¡± Suddenly, a big blue whale appears before his eyes. ¡°I might be able to cure her, so will you let me help?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°If you refuse again, I will just leave.¡± Kanna gave him an option. ¡°What do you want to do?¡± * * * Should Kanna say she¡¯s lucky? There are no other family members in the mansion right now. Everyone went to a party because they were invited by the imperial family. ¡°For now, I need a needle.¡± ¡°Needle? Will that work?¡± ¡°It looks like a needle. I¡¯ll tell you the exact size and circumference, so take care of it with the mana stone craftsman. Make sure it¡¯s made of a top-grade mana stone.¡± Kalen couldn¡¯t hide his suspicious look. Although he let Kanna in the mansion as if he was swayed by her words¡­¡­ What is she going to do with a needle? Especially when it¡¯s made of an expensive mana stone? ¡®Am I pinning my hopes on something useless?¡¯ Nevertheless, he felt like he was able to grasp at straws now. ¡®But this is better than sending her to the temple.¡¯ The temple. The realm of the divine spirit, which purifies the west from all evil. The empire¡¯s laws don¡¯t work inside the temple. Neither social etiquette nor common sense would work there. It is a holy and transcendental place, so it is very dangerous. No one can go in and out of there at will. That¡¯s why they can¡¯t send Lucy to such a strange place. ¡°Did you learn medicine?¡± Kanna gave a prepared answer right away. ¡°You know I was into alchemy, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I dug deep into alchemy, and this had something to do with it, so I ended up learning it too.¡± ¡°Alchemy has something to do with the cure? This is the first time I¡¯ve heard about that.¡± Of course you¡¯ve never heard of it, because I just made it up. Then Kanna continued audaciously. ¡°At least, that was the case in the alchemy I studied. First, I need to take a closer look at Lucy¡¯s condition.¡± ¡®She turned into a completely different person.¡¯ Did time change everything? Kanna doesn¡¯t cower anymore, nor does her head and shoulders droop. She doesn¡¯t stutter anymore too, and she proudly says her opinions. So different from the sister he knew. ¡®How did she change like that?¡¯ What else has changed in her¡­¡­? Kalen shook his head. He shouldn¡¯t think about that right now. It¡¯s not the time to pay attention to impractical things.+ He soon walked after Kanna. Chapter 10 ¡°Hi, Lucy.¡± Lucy Addis was wrapped up in a blanket. ¡°Lucy you don¡¯t have to be sacred. Can you please look at me?¡± ¡°Oh, uh¡­.¡± A group came from inside the blanket. Her lips were twisted due to facial paralysis, so she was not able to pronounce words properly. Kanna was treating her like she did when she had to deal with younger patients. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Lucy. You¡¯re just sick for right now. If you take the right medicine and get treated, you will be alright.¡± ¡°Hey¡­.¡± There is crying coming from inside the blanket. ¡°Oh, I give you my word. We can fix it, alright?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve met a lot of people with the same condition as lucy. I¡¯ve helped them treat it myself, so I can help you.¡± Set on gaining her trust, I said it in a firm voice. Was that confidence revealed? Lucy slowly lowered her blanket. And then, her face was finally revealed. Her face was grotesquely twisted. Kalen, watching silently from behind clenched his fist. Ip until now, the other physicians were astonished or would gasp as soon as they saw Lucy¡¯s face. How hurt was my sister that she gave that reaction? He glared at Kanna¡¯s back. If Kanna ever hurt Lucy,he would never let it go! ¡°Now, shall we close and open our eyes once? Let¡¯s blink. Can we do the other eye too?¡± Kanna was already examining Lucy¡¯s face. She seemed to not be surprised, as if something that was common. It was Kalen who was taken back by her sudden carefree reaction. ¡®Why isn¡¯t she surprised?¡¯ How can she be so calm? In front of a twisted ace like that, which everyone said was a curse from the devil? Even himself, when he first saw Lucy¡¯s face, he frowned. But she didn¡¯t? Even my sister and mother pointed fingers at her! ¡°Lucy how are you? How is your right eye? Do you have a cold?¡± Lucy was curious. All the doctors, even family members, looked at her face and screamed. They said, ¡°isn¡¯t her face of a monster?¡± Yet, this older sister reacted as if her face wasn¡¯t hideous. Realy, its ikeshe wa seeing it like it was something that was only temporary. In Lucy¡¯s heart, hope came. This older sister is different from other people! ¡°Let¡¯s see, what¡¯s the cause?¡± On the other hand, Kanna was looking at Lucy, trying to ease her mind. It wasn¡¯t because Lucy¡¯s face was distorted. I have treated facial paralysis patients several times before so I am used to it. ¡®First i have to find the cause.¡¯ I swore to Kalen that I could fix it unconditionally, but it may not be like that. ¡®If it¡¯s a stroke or a brain disease is the cause, then treatng it will be difficult. The medical facilities here are underdeveloped.¡¯ If I do a blood test or an MI the cause could easily be determined. But I can¡¯t expect to be able to do anything like that in this world. I have no choice but to look at the prognosis of the symptoms one by one. ¡°Caldendo, does lucy get sick very often?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve often had minor illnesses but it has never been anything serious.¡± ¡°Have you ever had any fevers or cough before getting this illness?¡± At that, Kalen opened his eyes wide. It was something that had happened. Not long before this, Lucy was on a boat, and while playing fell into the pond. Since then she had been suffering from anxiety and was diagnosed with a cold. ¡°Yes. I had colds and aches but I got better soon after.¡± ¡°No¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Kanna looked away from Kalen, this time looking at lucy. ¡°Lucy, had you ever had an earache or heard a ringing in your ear?¡± ¡°No, Lucy never mentioned that before¡­¡± Kalen¡¯s voice was blurred. Kanna stopped by raising her hand firmly. ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you, Kalen.¡± Calenods brows furrowed. Who knows if what you say is true? Surely lucy wouldn have told him if she were sick¡­ ¡°¡­..yes, yes. It¡¯s true.¡± ¡­..No? It can¡¯t be, why is Lucy nodding her head? Lucy¡¯s timid gestures smacked Kalen in the back of the head. But kanna had fully understood what had happened. ¡°I see.¡± Fever, cough, and ear pain. They were typical early symptoms of facial paralysis that was caused by infection. ¡®And it¡¯s also the most common cause of facial paralysis. This was the case for ppost patients I had treated with this sickness.¡¯ A sigh of relief came out. To Lucy and her, this was very fortunate. ¡®In this case i can fix it.¡¯ **** After a while, Kalen moved her to a room. ¡°Can you fix it?¡± ¡°If you can prepare what I need.¡± ¡°What is it that you need?¡± ¡°A medicinal book of the east continent.¡± As expected Kalen frowned upon hearing her words. ¡°A medical book of the East continent?¡± The east continent. Land first discovered at the top of Devor. As a new continent that has been for less than 10 years,things about it are still unknown. But is it because of that? The culture of the East continent came to theWestern continent as mystical and charmful and gained tremendous popularity. Tea culture originating from the east in now something that all nobles enjoy and have since then integrated into society. If the memory of Ju-hwa is correct, there are a lot of herbs that come from the East in the western continent because many medicinal herbs for tea were quite popular amongst nobles. Since her mother was an oriental doctor as well, Ju-hwa listened to her stories attentively. ¡®But there is not much information. Actually, little is known regarding medicine in the Eastern Continent.¡¯ It is said that brewing the peony root of the East continent and drinking it is good for anemia, but only a fragment of information is known. When used boiled together, it creates a sort of drug formulation. It is a method that exerts the best effect, but it is also a drug that should not be taken lightly. It wasn¡¯t as known as the world where she lived and where Ju-hwa is from. So, it was used as a health-friendly medicine. ¡®It doesn¡¯t matter.. All the knowledge i need is in my head.¡¯ Is it because of this situation? Kalen immediately looked at her with distrustful eyes. ¡°Do you think that a book of medicine from the east continent will actually be helpful?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± I needed to check that all the necessary herbs were recorded. Kalen looked suspicious, but nodded regardless as if he had decided to believe it was true. ¡°Okay.¡± After a while, an attendant in the mansion came in with a beautiful encyclopedia o eastern medicinal herbs. ¡®Astragalus root, female ginseng, red peony, cordyceps, safflower, eucommia bark.¡¯ Infusion medicine prescribed for facial paralysis, herbs that were needed were written down. Kanan flipped through the book pages. Kalen without saying anything just watched her silently. Kanna flipped the pages, with her black hair hanging as if she were a ghost. As he watched her, he suddenly felt empty. ¡®What am i doing?¡¯ My sister who left as if being kicked out is home right now. What is she doing sitting on the sofa looking at the eastern continents medical herb encyclopedia? It was ridiculous. But¡­ ¡®It doesn¡¯t seem like bullshit. I found out that Lucy had a fever and a cough. I guess there were symptoms i didn¡¯t even know about.¡¯ Kalens face suddenly darkened. Lucy said she had an earache and a ringing in her ear even after her fever was gone. But why didn¡¯t she tell me she had these symptoms? For some reason, I felt stuffy, as if my chest was heavy. He couldn¡¯t stand it and opened his mouth. ¡°Why did you say that?¡± ¡°Im busy right now, so i have to concentrate. We can talk after-¡° ¡°Ignoring Kanna¡±s word, Kalen kept talking. ¡°My sister understood that Lucy was hiding something. It was like you knew that we weren¡¯t being truthful.¡± ¡°No, I didn¡¯t know.¡± Kanna replied distraught. ¡°I just thought that maybe she didn¡¯t tell you everything.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because that¡¯s what would¡¯ve done.¡± At that moment, Kalen was left speechless. Kanna talked calmly ¡°You said you went to the clinic? By the way you must have noticed that she kept saying it hurt. Maybe she was scared of hearing that, maybe she was just faking it?¡± But Kalen Addis, you will never understand this. You, who grew up loved by everyone since birth, will not be able to understand or to empathize. ¡°¡­.That can¡¯t be. I¡¯m trying to make Lucy feel comfortable in the mansion.¡± Kalen argued. Kanna couldn¡¯t stand it and scoffed. ¡°Are you the only one in this house?¡± ¡°You say Lucy is a maid¡¯s daughter, is that correct? No matter how good you are to her. Are you sure Orsini would be the same? Your sister and mother would never act like that towards her.¡± I don¡¯t think Kalen is doing it well, so i¡¯m sure he is saying that she¡¯s just sick.+ Anyway, there is someone who listens. ¡­.But why did Kalen favor Lucy so much? ¡®That¡¯s interesting. He wasn like that with me.¡¯ Chapter 11 Unlike Lucy, Kanna had no one. So in her childhood, whenever she was sick, she would keep her mouth shut. If I had complained about my pain, i can¡¯t even say that my family wouldn¡¯t have hated me even more. One day I couldn¡¯t hide my cold and coughed badly. Did Kalen react back then? No. Kick! The sound of a young Kalen kicking was still vivid. Looking at her with contempt in his eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t come close to me.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t stand out.¡± ¡°Nobody wants to see you sister. So don¡¯t come out of your room.¡± Kalen¡¯s voice was cold. Memories that i had forgotten for a long time, now came to me clearly as if it were all a lie. In an instant Kannas face cooled down. The snow, as I read the book, sank deeply. Okay. I did. I¡¯m pretending to be gentle now. The young man in front of her was someone who treated her like trash in the past. ¡®What unpleasant memories.¡¯ But a memory is just a memory. Refraining from getting sucked into those useless feelings, Kanna stopped reminiscing and focused on the book she was reading. Fortunately after that, Kalen didn¡¯t say anything. After a long time¡­ ¡°All done!¡± Fortunately all the medicinal herbs I needed were in the bok. Kanna wrote down a list of the names of the herbs and handed it to Kalen. ¡°Get me this.¡± After checking the list, Kalen frowned. Somewhere already known to be effective medicinal herbs of the east continent but some were unknown to him. ¡°You mean to say you really help cure Lucy with these?¡± ¡°Can you get all of it? Is there a possibility that some of these have not yet been imported from the eastern continent?¡± ¡°There will be no issues.¡± Yes, of course there would be no problems, but I was just asking. What is there that the Addis family could not find in this world? Kanna stiffened her shoulders and said¡­ ¡°When everything is ready, tell me. In the meantime, I will be down in the lab. Are my room and lab still there? ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± What? What did Kalen say just now? Kanna lifted her head. As if answering her question, Kalen said again¡­ ¡°It is.¡± Kanna was startled. Actually, i asked without expecting much, but it was the same? When i heard that i was blocked from entering, i had expected that all traces of my existence to be erased from here. ¡°Father had locked it so that no one could enter, so here. Take the key.¡± ***** Kanna fist headed to the bedroom. ¡®Wow.¡¯ It seems that some time has passed. The bed and table piled up with books scattered around covered in dust, the sofa roughly spilled ¡°It is the same way as Ju-hwa had left it on her last day here.¡± The day she left, to marry Silvien. At that time, it was all left as it was. I thought that my father would have thrown everything out when I left. ¡®Why did you leave it as it was?¡¯ It was almost like a person who wants to preserve the memory of the owner of the room. Or someone waiting for them to come back¡­ ¡®Nonsense.¡¯ Kanna laughed boldly. My father wants to remember me or is awaiting my return. The thought itself was so ridiculous. ¡®It can be.¡¯ There must be some misunderstanding. My father wouldn¡¯t deliberately keep traces of me. After brushing off my unseemly impressions, I headed down to the basement where my lab was located. ¡®It¡¯s the same here too.¡¯ Kanna¡¯s eyes swept the room with thrill. Before possessing Ju-hwa¡¯s body, she had spent most of her time down here. Alchemy. Because alchemy was all she had. The only good thing about coming back to the body is that I can do alchemy again! ¡®Alchemy requires a mana stone, but that doesn¡¯t exist in Korea.¡¯ Kanna was thrilled as she slowly walked around the room. I swiped through the thick books piled up on my desk with my fingertips. They were books with worn out pages. The books themselves were older than her, but it was alive and always by her side when she was a child. Perhaps that is why Kanna felt like these alchemy books were her friends. No, they were her friends. Alchemy was the only thing that she had for herself. ¡®A long time¡­¡± With so much joy. While i was reminiscing I heard footsteps. The sound of footsteps walking down the basement stairs and down the hall. A feeling i had told me it wasn¡¯t a maid servant or even Kalen. At the same time the door bursts opened. ¡°Hey, filth.¡± A familiar voice. That familiar insult. The moment I heard it, a small sigh came out. The joy of reuniting with alchemy had disappeared like smoke. After all, I heard that there was no way to go beyond the ominous feeling. ¡®Yes, of course I knew that we would meet. After all, this is his house.¡¯ I expected this. Like this¡­i did think we would meet soon. Kanna slowly turned her back. her gaze met the eyes of the man that was staring at her. ¡°Yes. You¡¯re really here.¡± He had sharp looks that resembled Kalen¡¯s, but he held a thinker and more sexual male expression. His overbearing physique, and his silvery red hair that was scattered over his face like a lion¡¯s mane. Green eyes that were similar to those of a predator. Memories flooded with those violent gazes. ¡°This filthy bitch,I¡¯d rather sleep! It¡¯s too early to see you.¡± ¡°Where are you running? You have more to do.¡± Afterwards, names that have been blown down like arrows towards her came to mind. Everything, even the hands that struck her with no reason. I remembered everything. ¡®Orsini¡¯ Orsini Addis. Cruel to my childhood self. My younger brother who made me have a hard time. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure because it seemed you crawled back to this place with your own two feet.¡± One step. One step. A man who had grown up with a much more overwhelming physique than I remembered long ago, was threatening. ¡°Older sister really came back.¡± Kanna¡¯s legs wouldn¡¯t move, as if rooted down into the floor. No, she couldn¡¯t move. It seemed like her whole body had been tightly chained. My hands twitched when I thought of the violence, name calling, and abuse Orsini had put me through in the past. Too much, Too much¡­ Anger. ¡®The way he trampled all over me.¡¯ Hit me, hit me, hit me, hit me again and again. How painful it was. It was miserable. Kanna moved her trembling lips into a smile. She couldn¡¯t help but laugh. Here I was, reuniting with someone who had terribly harassed me in the past. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you.¡± ¡°¡­..What?¡± The expression on Orsini¡¯s face faded. Kanna smiled deeply as he tried to take in each of her features. Thrilled till the end of it. I like it. I like it very much. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± Good thing Kanna came back again. ¡°I missed you so much.¡± I loved meeting you. ¡°Really.¡± I made sure to make a pledge to heaven so i could meet you again. ***** Orsini Addis came back home earlier than the rest of his family. The banquet that lasted for far too long seemed rather boring. By the way¡­ ¡°What? Kanna Addis¡­.no, Kanna Valentino is back.¡±+ When i heard the news, i suddenly awakened a feeling. Chapter 12 Father, Alexandro Addiss, had banned Kanna from entering the house. Didn¡¯t he say he didn¡¯t want you to stand out? And forbid you from going to any social party and just stay home? Because of this, Kanna had been living in the Valentino estate for the past years. She had kept her word to father to not stand out. But what is this? She has come here on her own two feet? ¡°This filthy bitch! Where is she?¡± Even so, my younger sister Lucy got sick and the atmosphere in the house hasn¡¯t been good since. But Kanna came back home? ¡°Where is Kalen? And why did he let Kanna in the house?¡± ¡°I was told that the Duchess of Valentino wll be in charge of Miss Lucy¡¯s treatment.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°They said they¡¯ll start the treatment as soon as the ingredients are ready. Young master Kalen has gone to go get them.¡± ¡°That crazy-! Where is Kanna?¡± ¡°Down in the lab.¡± He headed towards the basement right away. ¡°Hey, filth.¡± I stomped down and opened the doors of the lab. And there she was, his sister, who had turned to face him. Kanna was the same. She was still his terribly ugly sister. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you.¡± No, i had thought so until i heard her speak. Her bushy black hair, her lips exposed under it. Kanna¡¯s lips formed a wide smile. Somewhere with that creepy smile, goosebumps had risen in the back of his neck. ¡°What are you saying now?¡± Soon a sarcastic laugh came out. ¡°Don¡¯t you remember how our relationship was, filth?¡± Then I¡¯ll let you know again. He strode over and grabbed Kanna¡¯s shoulders. Slowly bent down to meet her eye level. He brought his face close enough to touch the tip of her nose, he sneered at her. ¡°Hey, filth. You¡­¡± And I saw it. Her hair scattered like a comb over her hair, her dark eyes beyond. ¡°¡­¡­¡± I forgot. In that moment, he had forgotten what he was trying to say completely. His tongue has frozen white, not being able to say anything. Dark long eyelashes, thin double eyelids, clear eyes like a deer¡¯s. At that time, her expression was harder than anything to look at. Did it look like this? Was it ever such a gaze? ¡°You¡¯re too close.¡± At that moment, Orsini, as if he was struck by lighting, hurriedly let go. One step, another step. I stepped back without even knowing and then stopped quickly. The feeling of humiliation came. Orsini¡¯s face shuddered when I started speaking. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you. Don¡¯t you think so?¡± Kanna laughed, fiddling with the long pill bottles. ¡°It¡¯s been a while hasn¡¯t it? Didn¡¯t you miss me?¡± ¡°Me? Miss you?¡± Laughter came out because it was ridiculous. Has Kanna gone crazy? ¡°Don¡¯t bullshit, shut up. The filth sprinkled on the Addis family, don¡¯t you know that¡¯s what you are?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be here for a while, you see. Haven¡¯t you heard from Kalen?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve decided to help lucy.¡± Orsinin wanted to plug his ears. Why was she still talking? I couldn¡¯t understand why I let her go, and why I couldn¡¯t seem to harm her. I came with that intention. It still was what I wanted¡­ ¡®Okay. Let¡¯s hit her. Let¡¯s hit her. Just by using a bit of strength.¡¯ He was one of the best swordsmen in the empire. His power was enough to break a stone. Adjusting my strenght to being controlled, I hit her cheek and then grabbed her hair pulling it. Then I can¡­ What am i doing just thinking about it and not doing it, damn it! ¡°Get out of the Addis mansion right now. No, I¡¯ll take you out myself.¡± Saying that, Orsini¡¯s right hand went up. This time I was really going to hit her. But then¡­ Kannas fingers that had been groping the glass bottles all this time, quickly picked one up and threw the contents at Orsini. The movement was so quick that Orsini only realized it after his chest was wet. ¡°¡­..what?¡± ¡°What is it? I¡¯m only fixing my little brother¡¯s bad behaviour.¡± ¡°What is this?¡± The pain came belated. Pain, as if his flesh was peeling off his chest. Orsini screamed and took off his coat. ¡°This! What is this! Ugh!¡± Sizzling. The chest that burns with the substance. Orsini¡¯s face distorted with pain. ¡°It¡¯s one of the potions i had made when i was younger. It¡¯s a liquid that burns your fleas without bleeding.¡± ¡°You crazy bitch!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a special drug i made, so if i don¡¯t use my remedy, the pain will only continue. There will be scars.¡± Orsini, whose body was now body, stared at her. He had hesitated in using violence for a while, he who was a big-sized man. ¡°I won¡¯t let this go, filth!¡± However, now is not the time to hesitate. Orsini pushed Kanna¡¯s body out the pay and reached for the vial that had been dripping. Dozens of vials. A variety of medicinal potions. One of these would be the cure. What the hell¡­ ¡°If you apologize, i can give you the cure.¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± I¡¯d rather die. Even if I¡¯m dead,I wouldn¡¯t apologize to that filth! It was then. ¡°What¡¯s this about?¡± Kalen, who had come in, hardened his face. He looked between Kanna and Orsini who had taken off his top, revealing his burning chest. ¡°Kalen! This is because of you ! You bring this bitch into the house! Ugh!¡± Orsini was no longer able to talk. He had fallen on his knees onto the floor, he had lost his composure. ¡°What the hell happened?¡± However, Kalen held a gaze with no sympathy. ¡°Ah. You see, Orsini had tried to hit me. I just did it first.¡± Orsini. His foolish brother seemed to have tried to create a ruckus again. But Kanan hit him first, she says? ¡°Was it like that?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± I couldn¡¯t believe it. Kanna had made Orsini be in that state? ¡°It was a liquid I had made when I was 14.¡± ¡°You made it when you were 14? That girl?¡± ¡°Yes. There is also a cure. If Orsini had apologized, I would have given him the cure. But he didn¡¯t, which is why he is like that.¡± By fourteen, it was a time where she had lived tormented by the Addis Clan. She had made something like that at that age already, just to have us suffer? Why did you allow yourself to be beaten, even when you had such things that were close to weapons? And now, what has changed in you to make you use it without hesitation? I was curious. Questions filled with curiosity filled up at the tip of my tongue. I was about to ask a question without knowing it. ¡°Have you prepared the medicine and acupuncture materials that i need?¡± At Kanna words, Kalen quickly came back to his senses. ¡°Yes. It will all be here tomorrow evening. And when it comes, our brother will ask the attendant to move it all to the room, so you don¡¯t have to worry.¡± Kalen replied right away and then turned around. He furrowed his eyebrows. A little while ago, I almost asked a ridiculous question. ¡®I brought her into the house for Lucy¡¯s treatment. Other than that, there is no reason.¡± **** The next evening, all the materials had been gathered. Kanna carefully measured each herb. After dividing and packing each bag, she checked the salve. It was made exactly as requested, so she was very satisfied. ¡®Somehow, I feel as though i¡¯ve gotten a magic tool.¡¯ Acupuncture is used to break though the clogged blood and make the whole blood flow smoothly throughout the body. The effect would be good because it was not made into a gemstone. There was even a healing powered gemstone that helps with recovery. ¡®With this, everything is ready.¡¯ Before starting the treatment, Kanna handed a piece of paper to Kalen. ¡°I forgot for a moment, but here is the contract we will use.¡± Their agreement had been written down in the contract. ¡°Do you not trust i¡¯ll keep my promise?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just to be sure.¡± ¡°This is ridiculous.¡± Kalen grumbled as he put his signature on the document. ¡°As long as this is the case, make sure to fix Lucy properly.¡± ¡°Okay. Now shall we try starting the treatment?¡±