THE REBORN LADY IS LOVED BY HER FOSTER BROTHER: THE SCARIEST VILLAIN

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Chapter 183: At the Center of a Twisted World

Ortansia took a slow, deep breath, opening her trembling lips.

“...It’s true, Brother. Nothing happened that you need to worry about. He wasn't the kind of person who would ever do something like that to me.”

Ortansia spoke up, trying her best to calm Gérard first.

Yet the unsettling aura cloaking him showed no signs of softening.

“Why do you defend him so eagerly?”

“Because... Lord Gérard was the one who reached out to me when I was all alone in that world.”

Not even Pamela, who spent so much time by her side, had noticed what was truly in Ortansia's heart, only he had.

And he was the one who had offered her his hand.

“...In that world, I wasn't the daughter of Duke Vérité. I was just a commoner. Through a series of coincidences, I ended up working as a servant at the ducal estate.”

She had no idea how much of it was the devil’s doing.

At the time, however, Ortansia had no way of knowing that the world was nothing more than an illusion.

“I came to serve Lady Marguerite... the real ducal daughter bound to you by blood, Brother.”

“That noisy woman? Why didn't you realize something was wrong the moment someone like her existed?”

“Because...”

Reprimanded by his tone, Ortansia found herself at a loss for words.

To someone like Ortansia, who wished above all else for Gérard’s happiness, that world had appeared to be the exact picture of a realm where he could live happily.

Loving parents, and a real sister related to him by blood.

She had believed, without a shadow of a doubt, that those were the essential ingredients for Gérard’s happiness.

‘And yet, Brother told me that as long as he had me, that was enough.’

Her heart, which had been on the verge of sinking into gloom once again, was rescued by those very words.

“...That's how exquisitely crafted that world was. Until you came to rescue me, Brother, I never even suspected for a moment that it was a fake.”

Precisely because of that, Ortansia had completely bought into it.

She had genuinely believed that the world was real, that it was born as a result of her altering destiny.

“Lord Gérard—the brother of that world, found me while I was crying in my loneliness. Despite our positions as noble and servant, he stood by me and encouraged me.”

Even now, she could recall it vividly: the clumsy kindness of the Gérard she met in that world.

“Even after that, he kept looking out for me in so many ways. He took me out to various places, and...”

“Where, for example?”

“Umm, like the Royal Botanical Gardens...”

Since Gérard had reacted to a rather unexpected detail, Ortansia answered while sifting through her memories.

“...The ducal estate in that world didn't have Shangri-La flowers. Instead, flowers bearing the same name as Marguerite were planted there. When I mentioned the Shangri-La flowers to him, Lord Gérard gave me a brooch made in their likeness.”

“...If you return to the estate in our original world, you can see as many real flowers as you wish. That is far better than some manufactured imitation.”

Gérard uttered those words with an unmistakable edge of displeasure.

Without quite understanding what had offended him, Ortansia simply nodded in agreement.

“Umm, yes, you're right... But I was still really happy.”

She was simply happy that the Gérard of that world had tried to comfort her.

Yet in stark contrast to Ortansia, whose expression relaxed with a soft, warm glow as she recalled that moment, the air surrounding Gérard froze into a bitter chill.

“B-Brother...?”

“It's nothing. Continue.”

It was an irritated tone that sounded like anything but "nothing," but she couldn't stop now.

Unless Ortansia told the absolute truth, neither of them would be able to leave this place.

Stealing nervous glances at Gérard’s expression, Ortansia pressed on.

“After that, Lord Gérard continued to look out for me. But Lady Marguerite didn't seem to like that... and she began to treat me harshly.”

“The demon was likely trying to push you into a corner.”

“Yes... thinking back on it now, that must have been it.”

The foster brother standing beside her had referred to Marguerite, someone who did not exist in their original world—as the "core of this world."

Given that the demon himself had emerged from within her, the entity known as "Marguerite" was likely the center of that somewhat correct, yet deeply twisted world.

If so, Marguerite’s sudden change in demeanor might have been an intentional plot to break Ortansia’s spirit.

Even so, it was undeniable... that at the time, the person named "Marguerite" had hated Ortansia from the bottom of her heart.

Having borne the full brunt of her hatred, Ortansia knew that all too well.

“As Lady Marguerite treated me more and more harshly, Lord Gérard grew even more concerned for me. But that only provoked Lady Marguerite further... and it spiraled into a vicious cycle.”

“What specifically did she do?”

“Huh?”

“You said that woman treated you harshly. What specifically did she do to you?”

“Ugh...”

Cornered by Gérard on the exact topic she wanted to avoid, Hortensia’s voice faltered.

She tried frantically to figure out a way to gloss over it, but under Gérard’s piercing, probing gaze, she had no choice but to confess everything.

“Umm, well... she would dump amounts of work on me that no single person could ever finish... and if I couldn't get it done, she would scold me terribly...”

Continuing any further required every ounce of courage she possessed. Averting her eyes from Gérard, Ortansia let the rest of the words spill out bit by bit.

“And, um... there were times when she laid hands on me...”

“She what...?”

The instant the words left her mouth, Gérard let out a terrifying, low growl that seemed to scrape against the floor, making Ortansia flinch violently in shock.

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