“……”
“……”
Two red-haired people lying side by side on the bed.
Even though they were sisters, they had never lain together like this before, so an awkward atmosphere lingered.
At most, the only memory they had of lying down together was when Sharen had been beaten down one-sidedly during a sparring match.
“……”
Gulp.
Especially Sharen, who was extremely nervous because of the slip of the tongue she had made at the tavern with Silbern.
‘What should I do? It doesn’t seem like unnie knows about it.’
Should I confess now and ask for forgiveness?
Is that the right thing to do?
‘But if I get hit here, I might really die without anyone knowing!’
There’s no one else in the room.
No one to stop Lianna.
Maybe it’s better to talk about it tomorrow in front of others.
While Sharen was worrying as if there was a beast next to her.
“Can’t sleep?”
Lianna asked quietly with her eyes closed.
“Uh, yeah.”
“If you’re uncomfortable, I can go sleep somewhere else.”
“No, no! It’s not because of that!”
Sharen grabbed Lianna, who was slowly getting up.
If she let Lianna leave now, she really wouldn’t be able to handle it tomorrow.
“I don’t mind sleeping with unnie! It’s just, I have a lot on my mind!”
“……”
Lianna quietly lay back down.
Then, she awkwardly cleared her throat and asked.
“What’s on your mind?”
“Huh? Well, you know-.”
Sharen hesitated, glancing at Lianna’s expression before tentatively bringing it up.
“Don’t you think Silbern likes Isaac?”
“……”
“I, I think it’s possible, right?!”
Sharen blurted out anything in her panic.
At Sharen’s words, Lianna expressionlessly looked at the ceiling. Her flickering eyes made it impossible to guess what she was thinking.
Very briefly.
“Definitely.”
A single word slipped out.
Sharen’s eyes widened.
“Really? Are you sure?”
“Yeah.”
Because Lianna had heard it directly when she was disguised as a maid.
[I… think I like him.]
Silbern whispered shyly to Anna.
Hearing that, Lianna had many thoughts, but in the end, there was only one conclusion.
“But it’s not something I can interfere with.”
Lianna’s voice carried a hint of sadness, making Sharen unconsciously turn her head to look at her sister.
It was the first time she had seen Lianna so emotional, and it was unsettling.
“Unnie?”
“I’m divorced, after all.”
“But, you’re still his wife for now.”
“For now.”
“You never know! Isaac might change his mind and decide to stay.”
Sharen found it strange that she was comforting Lianna.
But she still wanted to keep saying things like that.
“No, Isaac has already made up his mind.”
“…Unnie?”
Hearing the trembling in Lianna’s voice, Sharen unconsciously grabbed her hand.
“He didn’t even want to hear an apology.”
Sharen also felt guilty about this.
Because she too had treated Isaac like a servant in the past.
“Hey, unnie.”
And because she knew Lianna had stood by and watched it happen.
“But why did you let the brothers bully Isaac?”
When Sharen asked curiously, Lianna exhaled and spoke.
“Does the reason matter now?”
Lianna quietly closed her eyes.
“I made a choice, and it was just wrong.”
“…So, are you letting Isaac go now?”
“Yeah, so stop saying things like you have feelings for Isaac or whatever.”
It’s disrespectful to Isaac.
Lianna added.
Sharen nodded slightly and then cautiously spoke.
“Since unnie has let him go, I’ll make one honest confession.”
“……”
“I actually told Silbern. About you and Isaac getting divorced.”
“……”
“But since unnie has already let him go, it’s not a big dea- AAAAHHH!? IT HURTS! LET GOOOO!”
Sharen, who couldn’t possibly win in a contest of strength.
“Liar!”
The next day.
Isaac and Lianna were called separately by the border lord for an investigation.
“……”
“……”
The place they were called to was more like a dining area than an interrogation room.
Though the room itself was a bit cramped, the warm light from the lamps illuminated the inside, and there were simple snacks like sandwiches and jerky on the table.
There was even a bottle of alcohol, making it hard to believe this was an interrogation.
The two sat side by side.
An awkward atmosphere lingered because of what had happened the day before.
When the border lord didn’t show up for a long time, Isaac finally cleared his throat and asked Lianna.
“Did you sleep well last night?”
“Yeah, I slept in Sharen’s room.”
Lianna answered expressionlessly.
In fact, it was the usual demeanor Isaac was familiar with, so he felt a bit relieved.
‘That’s good.’
Isaac had felt guilty for sending her away after she had made such an appeal.
He felt sorry for making her feel ashamed, but he had no choice but to send her away.
If they had stayed together any longer-.
“Ahem, that’s good.”
“How about you? Did you sleep well?”
“Me? I slept fine. I was so tired I passed out right away.”
“That’s good.”
Lianna returned the same answer.
Her eyes, showing not a hint of emotion, kept looking at the entrance, as if urging someone to come quickly.
But since no one came, Lianna let out a faint sigh and glanced at Isaac.
“If you need help, just say so.”
“Help?”
“Aura. I can teach you here if you want.”
“……”
Aura.
Something Isaac had no experience with.
[Aura? Are you kidding? Once you reach the peak, you won’t need something like that.]
Recalling the Grand Master’s words, Isaac answered.
“Teach me.”
If the Grand Master had been there, he would have pouted and said, [Tell her to teach you.]
But he wasn’t here now.
It’s better to learn while you can.
“……Alright.”
Riana’s eyes widened slightly as she saw Isaac answer so easily.
While she was struggling to suppress the slight upward curve of her lips, Uldiran Caldias finally entered through the door.
“It took a while. The demon beasts were swarming near the barrier.”
Uldiran, sitting down on a chair, immediately stuffed a piece of jerky into his mouth.
Chewing slowly, he glanced at the two with a puzzled expression.
“Seems a bit stiff, huh? I thought I’d give you some time for a heartfelt moment.”
“……”
“……”
“Hmm, was I being too considerate? Or were you just nervous?”
After taking a sip of his drink, Uldiran rambled on.
“No need to be nervous. Just answer the questions, and I won’t hold you accountable. Though, I’m not sure how Helmunth will feel about it.”
He picked up another piece of jerky and pointed it at Riana before putting it in his mouth.
“I accepted it as Riana speaking, but you know Arandel won’t take kindly to Helmunth kneeling before Caldias, right?”
“Yes, I’m aware.”
“……Kneeling?”
Isaac looked at Riana with a bewildered expression.
Riana deliberately avoided turning her head.
“Kneeling? Riana did?”
“Didn’t you hear? It was quite dramatic. I learned a thing or two about romance.”
Uldiran chuckled.
Isaac stared at Riana, looking incredulous, and started arguing.
“Are you kidding? Do you know what the family head would say if he found out? He’s already mad that you snuck in here!”
“I know.”
“You know, and yet you… Ugh, fine. Whatever.”
Isaac propped his chin on his hand and snapped back.
Seeing this, Riana’s eyes narrowed slightly, and she added,
“I was trying to save you.”
“Even if you hadn’t, the border lord would’ve come.”
“Then the front barrier’s defense would’ve weakened. The border lord can’t just leave his post.”
“If you’re so good at analyzing the situation, maybe you should’ve thought about your own position. What are you planning to do at Helmunth?”
“I’ll handle it.”
“Yeah, sure. The family head will surely welcome you with open arms.”
“I was trying to save you.”
“Even so, you should’ve kept it within reason. Do you even realize how big of a deal this is?”
“Anyway, I saved you. Isn’t that enough? If I hadn’t gone, the damage could’ve been worse. You can’t even handle aura yet.”
“Is that how you’re going to talk now?”
“Who started talking in a confrontational tone first?”
“I’m just worried about you. The family head would be thrilled to hear Helmunth was kneeling around.”
“I knelt because I was worried about you too.”
“You should’ve worried about me sooner.”
The two continued their parallel conversation.
Watching this, Uldiran nodded.
‘Is this how they show concern for each other?’
Listening to them, it seemed like they were both worried about each other.
‘Helmunth is quite peculiar.’
Since they seemed to be venting, Uldiran decided to wait while munching on his jerky.
After finishing her shift, Silberna hesitantly entered Malidan Castle.
The interrogation had taken longer than expected, so she came to check on it.
[Why am I even spreading the news that they’re getting divorced? I kept warning them to be careful, and now they’re acting like fools! It’s so annoying!]
The words Sharen had said yesterday kept floating in Silberna’s mind, making it hard for her to focus on her duties.
Even today, Sharen looked slumped and listless, confirming that it wasn’t just drunken nonsense.
‘Getting divorced?’
If that’s the case.
If it’s really true.
‘Maybe… to me too-.’
“Miss?”
“Eek?!”
Lost in her thoughts, Silberna, who wasn’t watching where she was going, jumped in surprise and took a step back.
Anna was standing in the hallway.
With her arms crossed, she looked at Silberna intently and asked,
“Where are you going?”
“Huh? Oh, nowhere, just-.”
Silberna, embarrassed, couldn’t continue. Anna asked bluntly,
“Are you going to see Isaac?”
“Uh, yeah.”
“He’s probably still in the middle of the interrogation, right?”
“No, but he’s still my team member. I just wanted to check on him.”
Silberna’s voice grew softer. Anna sighed and reached out to her.
“Let’s loosen a few buttons.”
“Huh?”
Anna undid a couple of buttons on Silberna’s shirt. Then, placing a hand on Silberna’s shoulder, she declared firmly,
“If you’re going to do it, do it properly. If you’re going to take him, make it clear.”
“……Anna?”
“Miss, do you think opportunities like this come often? The man you’ve been eyeing is married, but he’s about to get divorced? This is… literally a god-given opportunity.”
“Anna?!”
“Go quickly! Riana Helmunth might be pretty, but you’re not lacking either.”
“R-really?”
“If you’ve got that, most men will be completely smitten. Especially since Helmunth seems to have a weakness for that.”
Anna gestured toward her chest with her chin.
Silberna scratched her cheek, looking embarrassed, but ultimately, pushed by Anna, she entered the guest room being used as the interrogation room.
“Step back once.”
“No.”
The interrogation room, which should’ve been tense, was instead filled with three people playing a card game at the table.
“……You used to let me win before.”
Riana puffed out her cheeks, and Isaac clicked his tongue in response.
“That was back when I was single.”
“……”
“Deflate your cheeks.”
……
……
……
……
……
……
……
[!– Slider main container –]
