I Don’t Trust My Twin Sister

Contrary to the title of the head of a warriors’ family, courtesy was evident in his actions, gestures, and conversational habits. If the people talking next to Ian were cannibal birds with artificial feathers, he felt like a peacock. It was as if he lived alone in the world. Because of that, many women felt sorry for him.

He deserved to be the object of envy of all men because of his tremendous power and background, as well as his good looks and personality. However, for one reason, all of that attention was focused on Beralt, the man who was shining right next to me.

“Lady Laurencia, you look very beautiful today. You invited me to the mansion the other day, so you don’t seem to be feeling very well. Are you okay today?”

I’m not okay because of him, so I’d like you to turn it off, but I was afraid that if I distracted myself even a little, words would come out of my mouth, so I forced myself to think over and over again and reply.

“It’s okay.”

It was one of those things that I answered without even looking at his face. In the aristocratic world, it was courtesy and ability to make sure that the other person did not get offended even if they were very insincere or did not learn manners. If you can’t keep this, you can’t live in an aristocratic society surrounded by personal connections, let alone social circles. Moreover, Beralt was a great aristocrat who ranks among the top five in terms of power. Therefore, it was a situation where a lot of people were focusing on my conversation with him. But that didn’t mean the words came out of my mouth. I just hoped that it would be nice if the curse words came out of my mouth before they could be put out.

“Ha, haha… Lady Laurencia doesn’t seem to be in very good shape today.”

“Thanks to whom.”

Beralt shut his mouth at my cold voice. No matter how good he wear a mask, in the end he was trash, that didn’t change.

“Young… ah…”

“If you have nothing more to say, I’ll get up first.”

I felt Beralt chasing after me as I jumped up from my seat, but I hurriedly went outside, mingling with the crowd of nobles. I no longer wanted to be in the same room as him.

I didn’t really like to go to parties. I was tired of seeing so many people because of deals and contracts and showing fake smiles, and I didn’t want to indulge the aristocrats. I wasn’t in the mood to work at a party I was supposed to enjoy, so I didn’t attend much.

However, the party of the Grand Duke of Berdian, which I attended as a great opportunity to shake off the Marquis of Alpensia, rather turned into a place to prove that he and me had a deep relationship. Rumors of secret marriage talks between the Ajtain family and the Akpensia family had spread before anyone knew it. It was only four days ago that Beralt came to the mansion as an invitation, so rumors had spread.

The instigator of that rumor must have been the light-mouthed person, Beralt. Because of that, the plan to cut ties with him after she was seen meeting other men at a party ended before it could be carried out. Who would think of incurring resentment by flirting with the woman the Marquis of Akfensia had his eye on? No man had talked to me. Watching the aristocratic men sneaking away just by approaching, I could feel how vicious and tenacious Beralt was.

“Nothing is going to happen.”

It’s been four days since I returned to the past, and contrary to what I thought would change, I was still tied to Beralt. His obsession and greed were completely directed towards me. To be precise, he was a person who was greedy for the property of the Ajtain family, not me. He probably thought that if he absorbed all of the Ajstein family’s wealth, they would be able to rise to the ranks of a ducal family. He actually used my sister to do that, but now it was different. I still had a chance. I was able to shake off him and protect my family, my properties, and myself.

It required strength. The power entwined with forced contracts while not being afraid of the Akpensia family. I needed that kind of power. However, there were few places in this country where the Akpensia family could be ignored.

‘Berdian, Safeldrick, and the Imperial Family First of all, the current Crown Prince is close to Beralt so it’s a no.’

So aside from that, the Safeldricks, who now had four daughters. And the Grand Duke Ian Berdian.

“How can I convince the Blue Duke?

It was useless even if the most beautiful woman on the continent came instead of me. Because he preferred men. Debauchery may be surprisingly helpful. If you donate money, it will be a shield. But before that happens, will the Berdian family’s wealth ever run out? No matter how dissolutely he spent alone. Even so, it was a Ducal family in name and reality. What was their annual budget? I couldn’t imagine.

So it was impossible to conclude a contract with money. No matter what she did, in the end, the remaining option was to choose from other Marquis families… Looking at other candidates, most of them were very old people or very young children. The right age group couldn’t find it even when she opened her eyes wide.

Eventually, when I was walking around the garden with only a sigh, unable to do this or that, I heard a voice from behind calling my name. Hearing the creepy voice, I turned my head with a frown on my face and found Beralt approaching from the other side at a fast pace. That’s really tenacious.

“Lady Laurencia! You’re here!”

There was a lot of pretense in the way he called my name out of breath. Even when he was breathing heavily, there was not a single drop of sweat on his face.

I, who have learned to distinguish between truth and lies by meeting countless people, couldn’t see his inexperienced acting when I was still young. I looked at his pitiful eyes and turned around. It wasn’t even worth talking to. 

Any intelligent person would know I wanted him to get out of my sight. But he was a more tenacious man than I thought.

“Wait, young lady!”

Beralt screamed so loudly that it was impossible to tell that he was out of breath. However, I was not the one who would stop and be moved by the voice and lung capacity. I completely ignored him and quickly distanced myself from him, but Beralt relentlessly followed and tugged at my wrist.

“Didn’t I tell you to stop!”

“Kyaaak!”

It hurts! Where in the world was there a human being who pulled a wrist so ignorantly? I looked down at my throbbing wrist, then raised my gaze to glared at him.

“What are you doing, Marquis? Please let go of this!”

“That can’t be the case. Even if I pretend you didn’t hear me before, I’ll have to figure out why you’re ignoring me again.”

“I never did. Please let me go! It hurts!”

“Answer me!”

My body trembled as he shook my wrist violently. No matter how corrupt Beralt was, I couldn’t beat his strength without any training.

“Why are you ignoring me?!”

‘You ask because you don’t know, you trash bastard?! You cheated on me with my sister and betrayed me!’

The words stuck in my throat. However, it was obvious that if I said that, they would treat me like a crazy person, so I just bit my lip and glared at him.

“This is ungentlemanly behavior. Let it go.”

“Answer me and I’ll let you go. If I let go, won’t you run away?”

His eyes were fast. More than that, it bothered me that he continued to use honorifics without showing his true intentions.

I remembered the true face of him telling me to get out of the way and laughing at my back.

“Answer me!”

“Kyaaaagh!”

He grabbed me by the wrist on the other side and shook me, making my head dizzy. I wouldn’t have come here if I had known that I would be caught and crushed by a person I didn’t want to see or meet. Even if I shouted, there was only silence filled with resentment in the garden at night with no one to help.

“…!”

“What is it? Fighting for love in someone else’s garden right now?

I raised my head when I heard another man’s voice cutting through Beralt’s voice. A voice I’ve never heard before. Who is it?

“Huh? Who is this? Aren’t the Viscount of Ajtain’s Lady and the Marquis of Akfensia, who are said to die of love for each other? What are you doing here? A secret conversation? Or… a relationship that goes further than that?”

The man who appeared with a soft voice and a smirk was Ian, the Grand Duke of Berdian, who was the host of the party. Why was that man here… No, more than that?

“Wow, what nonsense are you talking about! Who do I like to die with?!”

“Oh, isn’t it? I thought it was because everyone said it. Besides, you two stuck together throughout the party. Anyone would think that.”

He stumbled a little, like someone who had been drinking. However, the way he spoke and his eyes never belonged to someone who was drunk, so he seemed to be consciously pretending to be that way. It was as if he was doing something a little exaggerated to force himself into the current situation. Contrary to how he looked clean at the party venue, he looked messy now.

Oops! Now is not the time to look at that.

“Help!”

“Huh? Help? Is this a dangerous situation?”

“It’s dangerous!”

“Who is in danger?”

“I am!”

“Oh, yeah? I didn’t know.”

What if you don’t know?

“Help!”

“Lady, what are you saying…!”

“Need some help?”

I avoided Beralt’s hand trying to cover my mouth and nodded my head. Ian smiled knowingly and held out his hand.

He said with a very bold face.

“My help is pretty expensive.”

What are you talking about now? I forgot how much I was arguing with him at his sudden remark, and I just stared blankly at him. Even Beralt was the same.

Soon after, I stared at his hand, then he looked at me again and tilted my head.

“Don’t you like it? Say no.”

What the hell… I shouted urgently when I looked at his shoulder as he tried to turn his body. No, I tried to shout, but Beralt put his hand over my mouth and I could only say, ‘Eup.’ It was just making noise.

Beralt finally closed his eyes and opened his mouth sternly to subdue me from struggling.

“Laurencia! Are you planning to keep coming out like this? If you keep doing this, it won’t be very good.”

I was on fire when I saw him laughing so hard. I was angry with myself, who couldn’t even resist such a human being, and at the past me, who once liked and trusted a trash like that.

“Mmm!”

I swung his foot with all my might. Beralt screamed and hopped as the pointy shoe kicked him right down the shin.

“Aagh!”

It’s an ugly scream. It fit him perfectly. But even in the middle of it, he didn’t let me go, so I couldn’t seize the opportunity to run away.

“This damn thing!”

In the end, his hand grabbed my hair and pulled it roughly.

“Kyaaaagh!”

“How dare you hit me with some crap?”

I think my hair will be pulled out! It was disgusting to see Beralt smiling sinisterly as he moved his hand behind him and watched me struggling. His hand came slowly and touched my waist.

At that moment, goose bumps ran through my body. It was to the point where I felt that it would be better for the rats and bugs in the sewer to crawl over me.

“I’ll straighten the habit today.”

He closed his eyes tightly to his hand that was creeping up to him.

“Oh, just in case.”

However, the hand did not rise further from the waist. It was because Ian, who had disappeared as if he had nothing to do, came back and talked to him. He looked at me and opened his mouth slowly.

“I can cut it down a bit, do you have any ideas?”

That person was so simple!

“Cut it down and help me out! I’ll give it as much as I can!”

“You mean that?”

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Translator Note:

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