I’ll Reflect On Myself

When Isabella reached Marguerite’s room, she was left speechless by its splendor.

Anna, who guided Isabella there, cast her an openly hostile and rude look despite being a mere servant, clearly viewing Isabella as an enemy.

Had a servant of House Clavel dared to look at her that way, Isabella would have flown into a rage—but this time,

‘So this is how my sister was usually treated.’

Thinking that, Isabella let Anna off the hook for once and quietly followed her guidance.

That smug amusement shattered the instant she saw Marguerite’s private room.

Situated next to Lucien’s room, Marguerite’s quarters were furnished far more lavishly than Isabella’s room back at House Clavel. Shelves were lined with jewelry and tableware from renowned workshops, and deeper inside she could see a walk-in closet occupying an entire room.

“What is this…?”

“Isabella!”

Isabella turned at the sound of Marguerite’s voice, who had caught up to her.

Marguerite stepped into the room with a pale face.

“What did you say to Prince Noel…? Why are you exchanging messages with Prince Noel?”

At Marguerite’s panicked voice, color returned to Isabella’s cheeks, which had gone blank with shock.

Marguerite’s words reminded her of her superior position.

‘The sister who never talked back, no matter what I said…’

Defiance irritated her, and yet Marguerite’s stiff expression showed fear—fear from a sister who, back at their family home, had never reacted at all.

The corners of Isabella’s lips curled upward.

“I wrote a letter to the royal family. I was so worried that my sister might be suffering terribly. After all, your husband’s family is House de Broy.”

“What did you—”

“Because you left home, Father became terribly busy, and he doesn’t even give me spending money anymore. So I thought it would be nice if you came back.”

“No way…”

Marguerite went pale. Isabella confirmed her dizzying suspicion with a light nod.

“I told Noel-sama that you were being treated worse than a servant at House de Broy, and that you were crying because you wanted to come home.”

“—!”

“But I was wrong. To think you were living in such a wonderful room… I worried for nothing.”

With a face that made it obvious she had never truly been worried, Isabella shrugged.

Now Marguerite understood why Noel had suddenly visited the de Broy ducal house after the banquet. Isabella had embellished the gossip Lady Yumila had deliberately kept from Queen Emilenne and sent it straight to the royal family.

“Isabella, do you even understand what you’ve done!? You made a false claim to the royal family!”

“It wasn’t false. All you had to do was play along, Sister.”

As if brushing away an annoying insect, Isabella waved her hand beside her ear.

“More importantly, show me the closet. And these jewels too… I can take them home, right? You always gave me the things I liked.”

As though utterly indifferent to Marguerite’s fear, Isabella wandered around the room, about to browse through the dresses and jewelry.

Since then, Lucien’s gifts had continued to arrive.

Flowers delivered one by one each day decorated Marguerite’s room with their fragrance, and whenever he went out, he brought back rare souvenirs or perfumes.

Marguerite herself was certainly bewildered by the growing number of possessions, but—

“No.”

“Why not? These were prepared by House de Broy just to keep up appearances, weren’t they? Surely it’s fine if your little sister takes a few—”

“Isabella. I will not permit you to touch anything in this room.”

Forcing strength into legs that felt as though they might give way, Marguerite straightened her back.

At her sister’s firm attitude, Isabella frowned.

“The reason I gave you everything was because Father ordered me to. They were bought with House Clavel’s money, so I thought it was right to obey Father, the head of the house.”

That may have been a convenient justification even for Marguerite herself.

If she refused, Isabella would cry and scream, Maurice would side with Isabella, and in the end everything would be taken from her anyway—so that was what she had told herself.

—I think you should show a bit more anger.

Noel’s words echoed in her mind again.

Marguerite realized that the one she needed to stand up to was not Lady Yumila, but House Clavel itself.

‘Because I always did whatever they told me, maybe Father and Isabella became like this.’

Then she had to change, starting now.

“I am the wife of the Duke of de Broy. Everything in this room is something precious that Lucien-sama gave me. I cannot give any of it to you.”

“So you really do look down on us now that you’ve married into a ducal house.”

Twisting Marguerite’s words in a completely wrong direction, Isabella distorted her face and glared at her.

But Marguerite did not flinch, and met Isabella’s gaze head-on.

Just a few months ago, Marguerite at her family home would never have defied her. She could not even have faced Isabella like this. There had been no one in House Clavel—down to the servants—who took Marguerite’s side.

“I’m not looking down on you. As sisters, we are equals. That’s why listen to me. These things are important to me. They are not things I can lightly give to someone else.”

Isabella knitted her brows.

‘What is this? She’s not like my sister at all…’

The Marguerite who had worn a resigned expression and quietly obeyed no matter what was said was gone.

After a moment of silence and confrontation, seeing that Marguerite showed no fear, Isabella suddenly lowered her head.

Putting on a meek expression, she let out a small, sorrowful sound. Tears even welled in her eyes.

“All right… I’ll reflect on myself. Ever since you left, things at home have gradually stopped going well… I was lonely.”

“Isabella…”

Marguerite wrapped an arm around Isabella’s shoulders.

She had told Noel that everything was going smoothly, but it seemed House Clavel’s management had begun to deteriorate.

“Father only has you, Isabella, so you must support him. I’ve organized the territory’s economy and trade into documents, so—”

“I don’t understand things like that even if I read them… No, I’ll take it seriously from now on. So, could you come back home sometimes and teach me?”

“…Yes, all right.”

She still felt attachment to her family home. And she had a responsibility to confirm what the situation there was now.

If she explained the circumstances, she should be able to obtain Lucien’s permission.

“You’re the only one I can rely on, Sister…”

With an earnest gesture, Isabella rubbed her cheek against Marguerite’s arm.

All the while, a small, mocking smile lingered at the corner of her lips.