The Duke’s Imposter Sister

All the while she held her tears at bay. Before she could though, an apparition of her mothers beheaded body suddenly appeared, still with her usual gentle smile fixed on her face. Then, a delusion of her sister and younger brother, who were signaling to them to come faster, also appeared. However, it soon turned into one where they had become dried corpses in an instant.

Father. What about father?!

As if responding to her thought, the scene soon changed to one where her father was glaring at Duke Taliluchi with bloodshot eyes before losing his last breath.

She wanted to run as fast as she could to them, but she abruptly froze. She was struck with realization that even if she went there, she didnt have the proper words to say to her family that had been cruelly murdered. Not when she had yet to achieve her goals. Not to mention, this was a dream in the end, and a far cry from the brutal reality she was in.

And though Gris wanted to tell her family something a hopeful one at that: theyll meet in heaven after she has managed to fulfill everything.

Then, if she happened to ascend to where they were and reunite with them, she would tell them she had the will to survive up until now because of Johannes. Because she knew this man was still searching for her out there.

Not only that, she also wanted to tell them that despite being a weakling, she had managed to avenge them and regained their familys honor. She wanted to let her beloved family know that their enemy, the Taliluchi Family, was thoroughly gone despite their many means and methods due to her.

There many things on the tip of her tongue, but one she couldnt utter yet. She wanted to say that she had come to meet them without any regrets; that she had received enough affection from many people. Only then would she be able to cleanse the guilt she felt from cowardly surviving alone.

Therefore, with a bleeding heart, she strenuously tried to express her thoughts.

Mother I have not yet accomplished something incredibly important. So, I cant come to you. Not right now.

Suddenly, everything in the dream stilled. Then, her mother sighed as she released her hold from Gris. She looked regretful, helpless to stop this naughty daughter of hers from being stubborn.

How long should we wait for you?

Ill come back to everyone soon. Gris hesitated before she firmly hugged her mother. As if it was the end of the crescendo, soon, the scene began to crumble.

And then she woke to the bleary, familiar sight of the ceilings.

But, she didnt move, feeling a deep lingering sensation leftover from her dream. Then, a tear silently fell from her eyes as she covered herself from the blanket. She was slowly reminiscing about her dreams and immediately regretted not following her mother.

Because the goals that seemed so easy to attain in the dream were just all an absurdity when she woke up.

Time passed by and before long noon arrived. Bellin had stopped by to change the towel she had on her forehead. She had been patiently nursing her for the past few days, and she even gave her news about the happening in the mansion before she left.

About the fact that the grandmother left the mansion to meet the Archbishop. Or the news that Stephan was concerned about her illness. All these news were delivered to her by Bellin when Gris finally regained her cognizance.

Gris didnt know whether the news of Yulianas recovery had already spread in the mansion or not, but not long after Bellin left, Stephan slipped inside her room. By that time, Gris had already regained some of her energy and was drinking some water while sitting upright on the bed. And when she spotted him, she stood up to greet him politely.

I apologize for being unconscious for so long, Your Excellency.

Stephan nodded his head graciously as if letting her know that he was magnamious enough he can tolerate her being ill. Then, without a word, he sat in the chair beside the bed.

Keep on calling me uncle, Yuliana.

He said, examining her complexion. It seemed that her countenance was no longer pale and had turned for the better. This pleased him, especially since Vianut seemed to have decided to keep his silence, despite knowing the truth.

Meanwhile, Gris scrutinized his reaction before she tucked her head in without replying. She was still drained from the confrontation; not to mention her subsequent illness that led her to spend three days lying prone on the bed. Thus, she felt her knees tremble when she stood up.

Youre lucky.

Stephan spoke slowly as his proud brown eyes watched Gris. At first, he looked as if he were praising a dog that obeyed him well, but then his look soon grew strange with a hint of suspicion.

I think Duke Vianut has been extremely generous to me. Gris said, slightly agitated at the reminder.

Gris then looked at Stephan, who had enough reason to believe such, carefully and bit her lower lip. She was unsure whether he would believe it or not. After all, even she, who wasnt that familiar with the duke, couldnt believe that Vianut could be that generous.

Since the questions he asked were one that was especially difficult for her to answer. Furthermore, he also did it while pointing his sword at her neck, making her feel that death was just one step away. And at the same time making her feel that his choice of killing her or not was based on the result he got after testing her.

Therefore, Gris was convinced Vianut was never the generous one.