I Don’t Trust My Twin Sister

“But I’m a coward. I’m a coward who avoided, ran away, tried to forget, tried to deny, and erased it from memory. Protecting the family in this place is something anyone can do, but Roa, I’m a courageous parent who tried to erase my dead children from memory. That’s why people can call me the head of the Ajstain family, but they can’t call me a good parent.”

“Grandfather…”

“Ten years ago, the day your parents died, I was about to give up everything. I wanted to die every day and I just wanted to cry. No matter how much time passed, I never got used to it. Traces of the two remain throughout the house. So I burned and threw it all away… 10 years have passed since everything was sorted out like that.”

It felt like my grandfather’s deep sigh burst from within and reached me.

“I thought a lot after receiving this pendant. That I haven’t forgotten them yet.”

Grandpa’s hand came down and gently touched my cheek. I closed my eyes at the warm touch. As my vision darkened, naturally, only his grandfather’s voice could be heard.

“Just as I lost a child, Roa, I realized that I had forgotten that you also lost a parent. Just like that time, I was about to burn the pendant to escape, but I couldn’t because it was you who gave it to me. Roa, you lost your parents. You handed me the pendant after enduring the memory of the day you lost them, so I think I can now hand this pendant back to you.”

With a squeak, the pendant that had escaped from my grandfather’s arms landed on my palm. A cold touch was imprinted on it.

“Take it. I don’t need it.”

“But Grandpa. This is…”

“It’s fine.”

I stood up following my grandfather’s words who got up with a smile and he quickly turned around. As I was staring at the sad-looking back, my grandfather’s voice came up again.

“Later… I’ll tell you more, Roa, I will tell you about your parents. So just wait.”

The conversation ended with that. Grandpa quickly left the room and disappeared. What should I have said? Should I have comforted him or apologized? I gave up after thinking about how to comfort the complicated feelings. The important thing was that my grandfather came back, because that’s the only thing that matter.

* * *

Benson visited me early in the morning as I was in the office directing work. He walked into the office with his brother with a puzzled face and let out a cough. Benson’s younger brother, Boria, was so thin and delicate that at first glance it seemed like a girl. The two did not look alike enough to wonder if they were really related by blood. I looked at them alternately and slowly opened my mouth.

“Did you finish the job well?”

“Thanks to the people who attached it, I felt the power of the Ajstain family when they handled it on their own.”

“It’s powerful…”

It was fun to express it as if it showed off some power. Was it because he was a mercenary?

“Shall I arrange a separate room for two people, or a single room?”

“Give me one room. I’m anxious.”

“Tongue…”

A smile naturally flowed at the sight of the younger brother clinging to his older brother. He’s like a son, not a brother.

“I have a few instructions before we show you to your room.”

“What?”

“It’s to remind you of what was written in the contract. It’s to give you a reason to listen to me in the future. You and I have a definite contractual relationship. You know that?”

“Of course.”

“I’m not going to hold your brother hostage and threaten you like mercenaries. I’ll give you orders and instructions again and again based on the contents of this contract. Do you agree?”

“I understand. Even if there is no contract, I will never disobey your words. Until the day I die.”

“Butler.”

I smiled. I got up from my seat, instructed Butler Fiebel to bring Ersia, and moved forward. Then I approached the brother who was standing at a distance, met his eyes once more, and then took another step back.

“First of all, I want you to treat me with respect as you are my employee. I use honorifics, but it’s weird to be treated badly, isn’t it? I don’t care if you don’t use them, but people around me won’t like it.”

“Okay… I see.”

Benson grinned, changing his words quickly. That was a good ability. I laughed along and said the following.

“My job, as I said before, is related to my sister. It is to escort my twin sister. Is that possible?”

“Is it all day?”

“Is that even possible?”

“A bit tired, but given a reasonable break, it shouldn’t be too much of a problem.”

I raised my eyebrows slightly. Was he very talented? Was this why he was called 5th grade mercenary?

“I will attach knights at dawn, so please pay attention only when you are awake and…”

I stepped forward a little and gave him a hand. And right after my action, I leaned down and whispered quietly to him in his ear.

“Please report everything about Ersia, even if it’s trivial.”

“Are you talking about the little things?”

“Ersia doesn’t have an exclusive maid attached. Because she builds a wall with others, it’s impossible to be around someone all day long. So, if you stick around all day, won’t something come out?”

“Can’t you give orders to other knights?”

“Which knight will nod without question to the near-surveillance order to report all the little things about my little sister?”

I patted him on the shoulder and he naturally rang his back and looked down at me. I smiled.

“Is it possible?”

“Okay. I’ll follow your orders.”

“Thank you. In return, I will not spare my support for your brother. I will provide the best support for everything from education to clothing and shelter so that he can adapt to society.”

“That’s enough.”

As I was looking at him grinning, the door opened from behind and Butler Fiebel entered. After him, Ersia appeared. Her gaze was directed towards us. Ersia staggers in. She saw Benson and opened her eyes wide, seemingly quite startled. I nuzzled my chin at her.

“She’s my little sister.”

“You look exactly like her.”

“Because we are twins.”

I went over to Ercia, put my hand lightly on her shoulder, and looked at Benson. Her shoulders were stiff. Was she scared?

“My name is Benson, who will be your escort from now on.”

“Ho, an escort?”

“Yeah. Right, Benson?”

“Of course.”

As Benson approached Ersia, I grabbed and stood her up as she flinched and tried to back off. Benson leaned over her lightly and grinned as he held out his hand to her.

“My name is Del Benson. A mercenary. It’s an honor to escort the young lady.”

Ersia’s face turned to contemplation. What if she smiled with that face? I knew she would catch it, but it didn’t matter. It’s because I was happy it’s not tomorrow.

“Please take good care of my sister in the future.”

‘Keep an eye on her, Benson.’

* * *

Butler Fiebel left the office to take Benson and his brother to their room. So naturally, Ersia and I were the only ones left in the office. Ersia’s expression looking at me was not very good. She had a hardened face. Well, of course I might look strange to my sister when suddenly I brought a man with dreadlocks that greeted her as her own escort. Moreover, she must have wondered why she was suddenly escorted. So I sat on the chair in the office and straightened my posture, staring at Ersia, who was standing in front of me. Ercia blankly looked down at the floor. She noticed my movements and then she looked at me. Those gazes contained her own feelings as they were. She bowed her head. It wasn’t because she didn’t want to meet my eyes, she meant to go back because she had nothing more to say. Then, I raised the papers in front of my eyes. I couldn’t see what was written on the white paper, but I tried to force me into it.

I didn’t want to receive Ersia’s gaze any longer. But unlike the thought that she wanted to go back, Ersia slowly approached me and stretched her arms over the desk, pressing down on the papers I was looking at.

“Ha.”

In the end, things didn’t go the way I wanted. I sighed and lifted my head. People had a hard time telling us apart. However, those who knew us could distinguish who was the older sister and younger one from the expression that drew people’s love to Ersia and caused sympathy. As the older sister, I was always spirited and energetic, whereas Ercia was a quiet and shy girl. A lot of people recognized us that way.

“Sister.”

But that was an illusion.

I looked straight into Elcia’s eyes. Her firearm was lodged in her emerald eyes. The eyes that always seemed to be filled with tears were gone. The gaze looking down at me contained a direct question that I couldn’t understand. Ersia was more confident and proud than me, and was born with a natural talent for handling people. Unlike me, who learned how to deal with people through my many experiences and studies alongside my grandfather, she learned how to deal with people lying in her bed.

She easily learned how to smile, which I had learned the hard way, and she quickly controlled her voice, which I had cultivated over the years. Ersia was a child with more talent than me. She’s just crooked.

“What are you thinking?”

“What?”

“That man, why do you have him as my escort?”

It was a sharp look in her eyes that I couldn’t see on her normally. Was she teasing me?

“Now you also need a personal escort, so I picked one myself. Is there a problem?”

“There’s a problem. He’s not a knight.”

“He’s an S-class mercenary who is superior to most knights. There’s nothing wrong with his skills and his loyalty to his family. Even if knights are bound by rules and regulations and can’t help you when you really need them, he can move. That’s it. It’s a contract between me and him.”

“It doesn’t matter. He’s a mercenary.”

“I know. That’s why I say it’s better.”

I could see Ercia frowning. Was she angry? It was kind of funny. In the past, I couldn’t see her like this until the end, but I thought I knew how much she was being chased by me. After picking her chest a few times, Ersia’s sharp voice poured out.

“Sister… you mean you don’t care what I do to that person?”

“What can you do?”

It was absurd. The words I just heard were so shocking that I couldn’t believe they were words coming from Ersia’s mouth. What would she do? A laugh leaked out from my lips.

“Do you think this sister exposed you to harm? Or that I want you to be wrong and that I attached that person to you? I don’t know what you meant by that.”

“That person is Del Benson, who is known for having difficulty controlling emotions. A man who is known for punching and smashing everything and punching the opponent, regardless of whether or not they are nobles. Having such a man attached to me means that I don’t care if I get hit by him, and he did worse. Doesn’t that mean you’re not interested in me being attacked?!”

“What’s that? Are you saying, for example, that Benson’s words and actions will shame you or that he will do more than that?”

“Sister!”

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