Chapter 833

After resting briefly on the sofa in the commander’s office, I handed tea and snacks to my two younger siblings, who were glaring at each other, and began to share more detailed stories about each other.

“So… you were close as children but grew apart as you got older, and then you realized your mother was no different from a devil worshipper, so you ran away?”

“In summary, yes.”

To be honest, it wasn’t me who was close to Ima-ra but Hersela. I personally had no particular feelings toward her.

Hersela had asked me to take her in, so I brought her along under the pretext of blood ties. To me, Ima-ra was just a suspicious girl whose overly cheerful demeanor I couldn’t understand.

Since she didn’t seem to harbor any hostility toward me, I didn’t antagonize her and brought her here… but I hadn’t completely let my guard down either.

That’s why, even when riding Cascador, I had her sit in front of me instead of behind me—to keep her within my sight and under surveillance.

“…Can we really trust her? Someone who keeps flipping their attitude like a switch. She might be trying to deceive and betray you, sister.”

Rana, too, seemed to find Ima-ra suspicious, her eyes filled with wariness and hostility.

“Well, we’ll have to keep an eye on her for now.”

I glanced down at Ima-ra, who, unable to understand the Imperial language, fidgeted nervously with the snacks, trying to hide her anxiety.

Hersela had pleaded with me to take her in, and if I had left her there, she would have surely met her death… but honestly, I still couldn’t fully trust Ima-ra.

At least not until Meiharin’s death was confirmed.

So, for the time being, I planned to keep her within my sight and monitor her to see if she was up to anything suspicious.

“Isn’t that too much trouble? Wouldn’t it be better to interrogate her properly or lock her up in solitary confinement…?”

“…That’s a bit much.”

Rana, whose wariness had grown excessively strong, was now spouting words that even Lacey might say. I patted her head to calm her down and shook my head.

“She’s still my sister, after all. I don’t want to hurt her based on mere suspicions.”

To be precise, I couldn’t do that.

If I were to torture Ima-ra into a state of idiocy or lock her up like a prisoner, the “real sister” residing within me would become extremely uncomfortable.

The self-proclaimed Heavenly Demon, who had once been at odds with her sister, now seemed to find happiness in the mere proxy satisfaction of seeing her sister return to her.

[ …I don’t care. If Meiharin was the murderer who killed my mother, then her child is also my enemy. ]

She claimed not to care whether Ima-ra was interrogated or not, but…

‘Then can I rip her head off? That would be the most certain way.’

[ …Uh, um. There’s no need to resort to such extreme measures, is there? Ima-ra isn’t the brightest, so if she really intended to betray us, she’d surely reveal her tail just by being watched. ]

When I suggested trying the Holy Kingdom’s infamous interrogation methods, she came up with a flimsy rebuttal. It was clear how she’d react if I actually tried to interrogate Ima-ra.

Well, it’s only natural.

This woman doesn’t treat anyone outside her circle as human, but when it comes to those within her circle, she becomes unbelievably lenient.

Honestly, what is this thing called affection? Just because they were close as children, she can’t even touch the daughter of her enemy now that she’s within her grasp.

I realized that even this woman was human after all.

—

Convincing Ima-ra was incomparably easier than convincing Rana.

After telling her how she had been by my side almost constantly since coming to the West and how her exceptional healing sorcery had saved my life several times, she reluctantly accepted it, saying, “Well, I guess there’s no other choice.”

“Even so, to go as far as forming a sisterly bond…”

It seemed she had only agreed out of respect for my wishes, not because she was truly convinced.

Well, at least she wasn’t openly growling. You can’t get full on the first bite.

For now, both sides understood what the other meant to me, so I thought it was enough to be satisfied with this much today.

It’ll get better gradually.

“She’s a traitor… she must be a traitor… right, Shaulite? Sister might have been fooled, but I’m not…”

“A girl who doesn’t even know manners dares to look at me like that… I’ll show her what’s what someday…”

……

It’ll get better, probably…?

—

When I overheard their quiet mutterings, I felt a bit uneasy, but thankfully, Rana and Ima-ra didn’t openly clash after that.

In fact, there was no room for conflict. You need two hands to clap, and after that day, Rana and Ima-ra thoroughly ignored each other, clinging even closer to me instead.

Leaving behind the defensive stance of Berengeiria, we returned to Landenburg Castle in the carriage. Continuing.

“Sister, you must be thirsty! Here’s the strawberry juice you like!”

“Ah, thank you, Rana. I’ll drink it well.”

“Sister. What does this word mean?”

“Évincement…? Well… it means to eliminate a competitor.”

Rana clung tightly to my left side, offering drinks and snacks whenever she could, while Ima-ra sat on my right, flipping through an Imperial language textbook and asking about various words.

This was one of the conditions for her safety.

Since she would be living among Westerners from now on, it wouldn’t do for her to be unable to speak a word to anyone but me or Ja-han.

For now, it was just simple preliminary study, but I planned to start proper Imperial language education as soon as we returned to the castle.

It wouldn’t take too long. As Ja-han had already proven, using translation magic in language education could make fluent conversation possible in just a few months.

Then I’d be a bit more at ease too. I wouldn’t have to keep switching between the Imperial and Eastern languages like I do now.

“Sister, try this cookie too!”

“Ha-shal-leur sister. How do you pronounce this word here?”

…I’m going to die from all this chaos.

—

“…Amazing. Is this what a Western city is like?”

The Landenburg Territory we returned to was bustling with activity. The entire city was caught up in a wave of expansion and reconstruction.

The original Landenburg was an ideal territory for a border lord, with no room for criticism, but this also meant that as the capital of a kingdom, it had more than a few shortcomings.

So Eleonora and Lambert were overhauling the Landenburg Territory.

Using the vast donations the Imperial nobles had given to the Astraea Church and the wealth I had accumulated with no particular use for.

Thanks to this, Landenburg had become a completely different city from just a few months ago.

The dull, gray scenery was gone. Parks, trees, and buildings of various colors harmonized, making the entire city look as if it had been adorned with flowers. Smiling pedestrians filled the streets, enjoying the leisurely afternoon.

There were still many areas that fell short of being the capital of a nation, but a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Eleonora and Lambert would continue to improve it.

It wasn’t just the cityscape that had changed.

The original lord’s castle was being expanded to suit a royal palace, leaving only the spaces I immediately needed. Next to the castle, the Astraea Church Cathedral was being built.

I remember they were also building a cathedral next to the mansion in the Imperial Capital…

Although the Church’s influence had rapidly expanded recently, I couldn’t help but worry that they were overspending just because it was my kingdom.

“Salutations to Her Majesty the Queen!”

In any case, as I approached the lord’s castle—no, the temporary royal palace—the knights guarding the entrance saluted in unison, welcoming my return. They were knights from the Rose Cross Knight Order, who had become my Imperial Guard simply because they were of the same gender as me.

“So, has anything happened while I was away?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. While you were away from the palace, Chief Administrator Lambert fainted from overwork, but thanks to the Shaulite Church’s healing, he returned to duty within half a day. Other than that, nothing happened.”

One knight stood stiffly at attention and recounted the tragedy that had befallen Lambert. The tragedy of trying to escape by fainting but failing to escape.

Hmm. The priests’ performance is impressive. Being able to revive someone who collapsed from overwork in just half a day. It might be a good idea to create a dedicated position for healing administrative officials, like a military priest.

“That’s a relief. Good work, everyone.”

“Yes! It’s an honor!”

The knights saluted in unison.

The sight, similar yet slightly different from the warriors of Ai-shan, seemed to leave an impression on Ima-ra, who was watching the knights from the carriage. She nodded slightly with a “Wow…”

“That’s the Khan of the West…”

“It’s ‘Reine (Queen),’ not ‘Khan.’ I’d appreciate it if you didn’t treat my sister like some barbarian chieftain.”

Rana, who didn’t seem to like Ima-ra’s muttering, corrected her expression with a slight frown.

Since Rana didn’t understand the Eastern language, she probably only reacted to the word “Khan.”

It was common knowledge in the West that Easterners called their tribal leaders “Khan.”

“What are you talking about?”

Of course, since they couldn’t understand each other, Rana’s words were less of advice and more of an emotional jab.

Thus, what Ima-ra received wasn’t the meaning of Rana’s words but the hostility in her tone.

“From her hair color to every action, there’s not a trace of modesty in this vulgar, rude girl. If you have something to say, say it in my language.”

It was only natural that Ima-ra would respond with sharp sarcasm, revealing her own hostility.

‘Sigh… do they not realize I can hear everything they’re saying…?’

[ They probably don’t. If they knew, they wouldn’t be doing this. ]

They seemed to be whispering, hoping I wouldn’t notice, taking advantage of the moment I stepped out of the carriage. Unfortunately for them, my hearing was too sharp for that.

Since Ima-ra’s betrayal hadn’t been proven yet, I hoped they could get along for now… but it seems there’s a long way to go.

They thoroughly ignore each other in front of me, but as soon as I leave, they start growling at each other. I didn’t expect Rana to show such hostility, though Ima-ra’s behavior wasn’t surprising.

Once Ima-ra learns the Imperial language, they’ll probably start fighting in earnest.

Right now, they can only spout what they want to say since they can’t understand each other, but once they can communicate, they’ll start insulting each other and arguing.

‘What a headache…’

Two sisters I just gained are now fiercely hating each other and growling. And the reason seems to be me, so I’ll have to mediate somehow.

As someone who’s never had siblings, just imagining it makes my head spin.