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Even If Everyone Hates You 61

Seiyad’s expression hardened instantly, taking on a deadly edge. For a moment, he thought he might have misheard—a tasteless joke, perhaps—and he opened his mouth to stop Aster, ready to make it clear he wasn’t about to tolerate such disrespect. But just then, a poised and serene voice called out from behind.

“Eid.”

In that fleeting instant, Seiyad thought his mother was calling him. His eyes flickered in shock as he stared at Aster, who smiled back as if to say it’s all right.

“Your little sister, whom you haven’t seen in so long, is waiting for you, Eid.”

His heart lurched. His fingers, chilled in an instant, curled into fists as he slowly turned around. Even though he knew it made no sense for Cecilia to be here of all places, his body moved before logic could stop it.

Standing by the doorway was a tall woman. About the same height as Stella, her long silver hair shimmered like the Milky Way as it cascaded smoothly past her waist. Her gaze, fixed squarely on him, held the signature pitch-black hue of their bloodline.

Though he didn’t recall this version of her, Seiyad recognized her as Cecilia the moment he saw her. Grown into a young woman, his sister looked like a vivid replica of their mother’s youthful portrait.

The Cecilia he remembered had never aged beyond the girl he knew. After that point, she had become someone he could never see again, someone who existed only in memories. Every time he thought of her, every time he missed her, it had always been as a child.

“It’s been a long time, Oppa.”

Her voice was awkward, hesitant. Seiyad’s shoulders trembled subtly. Cecilia was really standing in front of him.

The silence between them stretched. Nearly ten years had passed—for him, almost an entire era. The strange awkwardness and discomfort that such distance brought held Seiyad frozen in place, while Cecilia took the first step forward. As she strode toward him, the sight felt surreal, almost hallucinatory. Then, she did something unexpected.

“I’m sorry it took me so long to come.”

Once she’d approached, Cecilia stared at him with a blank expression for a moment. But then her cool, sharp gaze softened, and her eyebrows curved in sorrow. She bit her lips so hard they turned pale. Despite Seiyad’s silence, she threw her arms around him in a tight embrace.

“I was wrong. I should have trusted Mother like you did and held onto our name, no matter what. But I gave up. I just wanted things to be easier, so I ran away. I’m really, truly sorry.”

Seiyad stared down at the younger sibling lifting herself on her toes to hug him, and confusion took root. A situation like this—his sister suddenly appearing and repenting for her actions—was something he hadn’t even dared to hope for in dreams. He looked down at the top of Cecilia’s head, his gaze twisted with emotion.

His heart was a tangled mess.

Would it have been easier if he felt nothing at all? If, like in the past, he moved solely for his objectives, how would he have perceived Cecilia then? He wanted to push her away. At the same time, he wanted to hold her close. Just as those opposing feelings stretched taut inside him, Cecilia began trembling quietly in his arms. The moment he felt her shaking chest press against him, Seiyad slowly raised his arms.

There were far more pressing things to address—but before all that, the child he hadn’t held in years was crying, and that took priority.

Raising one arm, he gently stroked her back. With just enough strength not to hurt her, he wrapped her slender frame in his arms. Their similarly cool body temperatures gradually began to warm one another. As Cecilia started to sob, Seiyad softly patted her back and lowered his head to whisper into her ear.

“There’s nothing for you to apologize for.”

Whatever the reason for her sudden appearance beside Aster, and no matter why a sister who hadn’t come to him in his past life was now full of regret, Seiyad—just as he always had since childhood—set everything else aside to comfort the sister he loved.

She was someone he had loved more than anyone else, someone he would’ve done anything for just to see her smile. That feeling had never changed, even when she had abandoned him. The tenderness in his heart always outweighed the bitterness. And he refused to let unnecessary emotions taint that precious affection.

“To see you happy is like watching light return to the world, Eid.”

Aster murmured softly, his tone laced with amusement as he watched the siblings embrace. Seiyad, still stroking his sister’s back, turned his head at that and his face, which had briefly softened, hardened again as he stared Aster down.

“What reason did you have to bring Cecilia here? She’s not capable of fulfilling Tither’s duties. If you just wanted to show her to me, you had plenty of opportunities back in the North.”

He couldn’t begin to guess at Aster’s motives, and the tension spiked. Aster had never once tried to reunite them before now, never shown even a flicker of hesitation in front of Seiyad, and never made any move that seemed tailored to Seiyad’s benefit. Yes, he had always remained by Seiyad’s side—but Seiyad now understood that everything Aster had ever done had been for his own political leverage and policies.

“Oppa, the Crown Prince is helping me. He’s the one who told me the truth about what happened to Mother. You don’t need to be angry.”

Cecilia stopped him. Her eyes were still red, though she’d held back her tears. She spoke firmly.

“I went to the Crown Prince first this time because I needed help. And he told me what that bastard from Shildras did.”

The sorrow vanished from her eyes in an instant, replaced by fury and venom. As Seiyad stared into her gaze, now blazing with hatred, he realized she must have learned, at least in part, about what had happened to their mother—the truth he had only just uncovered yesterday.

But how?

Even up until his death in his past life, Aster had never managed to obtain any clear evidence or compelling leads about their mother’s fate. He had never revealed anything nor shared it with Seiyad. Seiyad himself had only discovered it thanks to Desertus’s abilities—something Aster could never have done on his own. That Aster had suddenly unearthed the truth was beyond strange.

“I realized far too late that those disgusting, hypocritical devils from the South had set us up. Just like Mother said that day—Nir’a really did appear, and the Duke hid it from us!”

“Wait, Cecilia.”

Seiyad tried to calm her down, his gaze fixed intently on Aster. The Crown Prince stood with arms crossed, a faint, knowing smile tugging at his lips.

“I made you a promise, didn’t I? That I’d clear your mother’s name and restore the honor of your house.”

Yes. He definitely had. And that promise… had never been kept. Not even until the day Seiyad rampaged as a monstrous devil and slaughtered everyone.

“Cecile, stay here. I have something to discuss with His Highness.”

If it had been the Seiyad of the past, he would’ve foolishly felt grateful in this moment. He would’ve believed Aster had kept his word, and, touched by the fact that he’d truly brought forth the evidence, would’ve sworn loyalty to him once again.

But the man he was now couldn’t feel joy over this. If Aster was only now presenting the truth about their mother’s innocence and had even managed to persuade Cecilia to come here, then it meant Aster had already possessed that evidence long ago.

He’d known.

He’d had it in his hands for years—and yet, why?

Why hadn’t he said anything?

A white-hot fury that defied simple categorization boiled inside him. Seiyad released his arms from around his sister and strode straight over to Aster, grabbing the man’s arm. It was a bold and impudent gesture, but Aster only laughed, as if entertained.

“I can’t remember the last time you touched me first.”

“Your Highness, please step outside with me.”

It wasn’t a request—it was a demand. Aster saw the faint crimson gleam behind Seiyad’s gray eyes and, without resistance, allowed himself to be pulled along. Cecilia looked at them anxiously, but right now, Seiyad needed to figure out Aster’s true motives.

He marched down the hallway, heading straight for the garden attached to their quarters. Unlike the stormy emotions brewing in his chest, the rain had cleared and the garden sparkled under radiant colors, beautiful and peaceful. As soon as they reached it, Seiyad let go of Aster’s arm and asked without preamble:

“Did you find out the truth about my mother?”

His voice was glacial, sharp as frost. Aster shrugged, his expression tinged with mild regret.

“Did I not promise? That I’d clear the false charges against the former Grand Duke for your sake. Of the knights present at the scene back then—two, whom we believed dead, actually survived. One of them had been unconscious for a long time due to critical injuries, but recently came to. Perhaps it was thanks to the diligent care of my physicians, or perhaps my devotion to you has finally been rewarded.”

“You’ve been keeping them with you all this time, then?”

Aster must have sensed what Seiyad was getting at, for his smile deepened.

“I couldn’t offer you false hope until I was certain.”

Lies.

He had this kind of evidence. And yet Aster never once told Seiyad about it.

“You withheld it on purpose…!”

Not even in the moment of death—when the master he served faithfully finally cast him aside—had he felt such despair. He might’ve felt disappointed or hollow, but he’d never truly believed Aster had toyed with him.

Yet now, in this moment, realizing that Aster might have hidden it for his entire past life while playing with him all along, an unbearable sense of betrayal crashed over him. That vast, suffocating hopelessness one feels when faced with something utterly incomprehensible pushed Seiyad over the edge, and just then, Aster tilted his head and spoke in a tone as innocent as a child’s.

“How strange. I thought you’d be thrilled to hear this.”

He suddenly closed the distance, grabbing Seiyad’s arm roughly. Their faces were inches apart. And for the first time, Seiyad saw something in Aster’s eyes he’d never seen before. Those eyes, usually clear like a summer sky or a frozen lake, now roiled like stormy seas.

“Wasn’t this your greatest regret? Your lifelong wish? With my testimony, and those of the witnesses—plus all the surrounding evidence we can uncover through them—bringing down the Shildras family will no longer be difficult. And yet… my star acts like none of this matters to him.”

“If Your Highness truly cared for me, you would’ve told me the moment you knew. But instead, you’re the same man who denied me Purification just because I disobeyed your order, aren’t you?”

Seiyad’s words were razor-sharp. Aster bared his teeth in a grin, gripping Seiyad’s wrist tighter.

“If I unshackle you, won’t you leave me someday?”

…What?

He hadn’t expected that. The sharp, coiled rage inside him faltered in sudden confusion, unsure where to go.

“What are you talking about…?”

“To Ressas. That worm.”

Aster’s eyes flashed with killing intent. His smile vanished, and his expression—burning with intensity—was one Seiyad had never seen before. The lake-like calm in his gaze now boiled with emotion, as though ready to evaporate from sheer heat.

Levia
Author: Levia

Even If Everyone Hates You

Even If Everyone Hates You

Status: Completed Author:
The Demon of the North. A ruthless cold-blooded killer. The Crown Prince's dog. Duke Seiyad Brosius would use any means necessary, without regard for method or cost, as long as it meant killing the monsters that threatened the kingdom. Though his methods were brutal, Seiyad was a capable asset beyond compare. Yet during a battle against monsters, he suddenly went berserk and ended up harming countless people. As a result, he met his end at the hands of Prince Ressas—the Crown Prince’s rival and the most powerful Guide. “There will never again be someone as monstrous as you.” At the edge of death, Seiyad reflects on his life. Even the gentle prince, kind to all, hated him. Even the Crown Prince—his own Guide—abandoned him in the end. Drowning in regret, he wishes he could change that last moment. Seiyad then awakens five years in the past. Though he questions the unbelievable reality, he decides to live a different life in order to prevent the berserk outbreak. He seeks out Ressas before he has awakened to his power, trying to approach him once more. “Why are you acting this way toward me? Isn’t it your job to hate and ignore me?” One by one, Seiyad begins to uncover things he never realized in his previous life.

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