Betrothed to My Sister's Ex

Dario fell silent, seemingly unable to utter a single word. Only the whistling sound of the wind escaped from his slack-open mouth.

Duke Alfred Granado—or rather, Lord Ruifeng—was wearing a long-haired wig. Lady Laura’s role was played by Tunic. Thanks to excellent makeup skills, she was transformed into the image of a noble lady.

The two of them were suspended in mid-air by ropes. The one controlling the ropes was Lord Cyrus. Using his exceptional strength, he simply hung the people up. Sometimes he swayed them gently, which, from a distance, had a perfect effect.

Marquis Dario was completely speechless, staring up in shock at his suspended step-parents.

The spirit of Alfred spoke coldly.

“Why are you here… Dario...?”

“H-Hic…”

The marquis trembled, inching backward but too scared to run away.

Taking advantage of the moment, the ghosts cursed at Dario.

“Ahh—this castle is a museum celebrating my husband’s achievements. Then the heir, Lord Cyrus’s job. Y-You are unnecessary!”

“Ugh, th-that’s just, I simply made introductions…”

“The Granado Family’s heir is my son, Cyrus. Will you take away not only my daughter but also my son’s happiness...?”

“N-No, no, that’s not true, ugh!”

“What’s not true? Say it!”

“C-come on, say it!”

“Ah—hee—heee! I’m sorry!”

The marquis screamed, crawling on the floor and crying. His face was soaking wet as he repeatedly banged his forehead against the wooden floor.

Ahh... Even though it’s a wooden floor, banging your head that hard might cause a bump...

“I’m sorry! It’s not what you think! I didn’t have the courage or ability to kill Lord Cyrus, truly, I’m sorry!”

“Oh? Then why have you repeatedly harassed your son?”

“Because, well, I thought if Lord Cyrus voluntarily declined the ducal title, that would be best of all.”

“Even if Cyrus declines, you cannot become the next duke. Your son already has a wife and child.”

“Y-Yes, I know that. So... if I could have someone else to lean on besides my wife and child... If he indulged in another woman and had a child, then the ducal title wouldn’t matter, and it might return to Sophia instead…”

… Hm?

I frowned. Lord Cyrus, gripping the rope, also wore a puzzled expression.

So Dario didn’t actually want to be the next duke?

“…Then, your plan was to have a woman under your control bear a child, while you acted as the guardian, becoming a key figure in the ducal family?”

The ghost Alfred—Lord Ruifeng—pressed him.

The marquis shook his head. More from resignation than fear of the ghosts, he relaxed and confessed.

“No… that was a lie I only told Ella. If Ella became pregnant, I intended to order her not to give birth. The goal was to create a rift with my current wife and child. If Lord Cyrus renounced the dukedom and disinherited his daughter, the title would pass to my male child. Then my wife could return to Granado Castle...!”

The marquis knelt down, bowing his head. Lady Laura asked,

“Did you want to bring Lady Sophia back to Granado Castle? To divorce your wife and live with your mistress...?”

“Of course not! Ella has nothing to do with it!”

Dario protested strongly.

“My wife was originally the princess of Granado Castle. She admired our parents. She wanted to protect the graves at the duke’s mansion... And yet, because she married someone like me, she could no longer do that!”

“...Then, rather, for your wife’s happiness...?”

“Yes, exactly. That was the only thing I could do for Sophia...”

There was genuine passion in Dario’s voice. No one interrupted him, and he started talking about things no one had asked—like he had been holding back stories he wanted to share for a long time.

Most of his words were a love serenade to Miss Sophia.

Sophia’s life was unfortunate.

Born the eldest daughter of the Duke Granado Family, she could not inherit because she was female. Later, due to her half-brother, she was driven out of the castle.

Above all, her greatest misfortune was marrying me, Dario.