Chapter 171

“Won’t he come back today?” Anna didn’t know that Leon, for the safety of herself and her younger siblings, was currently battling fiercely with a terrifying red-haired woman in a sea of alcohol. As the streetlights below the apartment lit up and Leon’s figure was still nowhere to be seen, Anna couldn’t help but sigh softly.

Just as she stood up from the window, ready to clear away the meal she had left on the table, a somewhat familiar sound of footsteps suddenly came from the stairwell.

Is that… him coming back? Hearing the distinctively heavy footsteps, the sickly girl’s expression brightened slightly. After wiping her damp hands on her apron, she hurried over to open the door.

However, as soon as she stood up, she noticed that although the footsteps were very similar to Leon’s, carrying a sense of heaviness as if bearing a burden, the stride was noticeably smaller.

So it’s not big brother after all…

Disappointed, Anna sighed and let go of the doorknob. But the footsteps, so similar to Leon’s, came straight towards her, and then, the door was gently knocked.

“Knock, knock.”

Someone’s here for me?

Hearing the somewhat abrupt knocking, Anna was slightly stunned, then cautiously asked through the door, “Who are you looking for?”

After a pause, the person outside the door replied softly, “I’m looking for Leon, Leon Lane.”

Looking for big brother? And from the voice… it’s a woman? Although the woman’s voice was very pleasant and carried a convincing calmness, Anna, for some reason, instinctively became wary and almost reflexively deflected, “He’s already asleep! And it’s very late now, you should come back tomorrow!”

“…”

Seemingly sensing her defensiveness, the woman outside the door pondered for a moment, then leaned closer to the door and said softly, “You’re Anna, right? Leon has told me about you. Also, although there are men’s shoes placed outside the door, the pair Leon wore today isn’t here, so he hasn’t come home yet, right? Don’t worry, I’m not a bad person, I really am here to see him.”

“…”

Caught lying through the door, Anna’s face turned slightly red, and she quickly twisted the doorknob, apologizing somewhat sheepishly, “I’m sorry… Big brother told me a few days ago to be careful recently, that there might be bad people targeting our family, so I… um…”

Looking at the beautiful woman in front of her, who seemed tired but had an astonishingly good figure, Anna’s words got stuck. She glanced in shock at the woman’s ample chest, instinctively comparing the difference between herself and the other.

How… how can it be so… this isn’t fair! “It’s okay, it’s normal for you to be more cautious since I came so late unannounced.”

Seeing that she had finally managed to get the door open, the princess, who only had a silver coin given by Leon and couldn’t afford a hotel or return to the palace, secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Then, in order to have a place to stay for the night, she recalled the information she had read and, with a friendly smile, began to coax, “Nice to meet you, my name is Veronica. As for my identity… I am your brother’s fiancée.”

What? After hearing the princess’s impactful self-introduction, the sickly girl was as stunned as a duck struck by lightning.

This can’t be true!

He clearly said he would… anyway, even if we’re not related by blood, I’m still his most important little sister! He would definitely tell me first if he was getting married! This must be fake! This woman must be lying… uh…

Anna, with her hands on her hips and eyes wide, was about to scold the woman in front of her not to lie, fueled by an inexplicable anger, when she couldn’t help but glance at the other’s chest again.

“Anna?”

After waiting for a long time without hearing any questioning, the princess, who had prepared her lines beforehand, had to think on the spot and actively spoke up, “I know, you might find this news hard to accept all of a sudden, but I’m not lying to you, I really am your brother’s fiancée.”

“But… but he never told me, and he’s always been so busy, where would he find the time…”

“It is indeed a bit sudden.”

Taking the sickly girl’s slightly sweaty hand, as if she really were her sister-in-law, the princess led her into the house and said apologetically, “Just this afternoon, in the main hall of Leon Manor, in front of all the guests who came to attend the succession ceremony, he proposed to me. And I happened to get along very well with him, so after thinking about it, I agreed. Because it happened so suddenly, I didn’t have time to tell you… By the way, did Leon tell you where he was going today?”

“He did…”

Not noticing that the princess had vaguely skipped over the “duration of their relationship” and “why she hadn’t been introduced to the family,” directly linking the authenticity of this sister-in-law to whether Leon had gone to Leon Manor today.

Recalling what Leon had said, she realized he had indeed mentioned going to Leon Manor for some succession ceremony. Seeing that the “information” from both sides matched, due to the “if one is true, all are true” mindset, the last trace of doubt in Anna’s heart was completely extinguished, and she said with complex emotions:

“Then you really are…”

“I really am your sister-in-law.”

Her nose, slightly smudged with soot, twitched as she caught a whiff of the enticing aroma of food. The princess, who hadn’t eaten or drunk anything since morning and was starving, finally couldn’t hold back.

Pulling Anna, whose eyes were somewhat dazed, to sit at the dining table, she very naturally lifted the lids off the dishes, pushed a small plate in front of Anna, and asked with concern, “You seem a bit off, did you eat too little at dinner? Are you feeling unwell?”

“Ah…”

With her mind full of thoughts about her brother getting married, and the bride not being… not being… her brother getting married without even telling her, Anna, her brain somewhat overloaded, instinctively responded, “I guess… I didn’t eat much…”

“Then have a bit more, I’ll eat with you.”

Naturally taking a bowl and plate for herself, the princess forked a piece of broccoli onto Anna’s plate, then cut herself a large piece of still-warm fried fish steak, and with impeccable manners, stuffed it into her mouth.

Chewing the fish steak at the fastest speed of her life, then swallowing it in one gulp, the princess, who had successfully scammed a meal, scooped up a spoonful of mashed potatoes and, with a face full of concern, urged, “Eat up, you’re so thin. When Leon comes back and sees you haven’t been taking care of yourself, he’ll be very sad.”

“Ah? Okay…”

Under the princess’s earnest persuasion, Anna ate two pieces of broccoli as a side dish and a few small slices of carrot used for the soup, all without tasting anything.

Looking at the three plates on the table that had been completely cleaned out by her “sister-in-law,” Anna finally realized that something seemed a bit off, and she looked suspiciously at the beautiful woman across from her who was contentedly wiping her mouth.

This sister-in-law… seems like she came here to scam a meal…

(End of chapter)