I Don’t Trust My Twin Sister

Ian looked around and rolled his eyes. What are you doing! I hit him on the shoulder.

 

“Stop and put me down! I want to walk on my own feet.”

 

“But…”

 

I mumbled, stepping away from him as he put me down and taking a deep breath. Ian carefully placed his hand on my shoulder again, as if he was disappointed that he couldn’t let me go. Wasn’t it too sticky? I didn’t hate it, but the time and place were a bit… Still, I couldn’t criticize Ian for giving up a step and just put a hand on his shoulder, so I pretended not to notice and called Yuli.

 

“Yes, miss.”

 

Dodo also ran quickly and looked at the approaching young maid. Do you think it’s okay to do this to this young maid? As I looked at her, her voice tilted her head. Fourteen… he’s so young. He placed his hand on Yuli’s cheek and thought for a moment before calling one of the knights. The knight rushed over, stood in front of me, bent down, glanced at Ian, and gave me a cold expression. Is Ian that scary? I don’t think I did anything…

 

“Take ethics to the information guild in this area and receive information.”

 

He took out a pen from the box, wrote down the information he needed to obtain on a piece of paper, and immediately stored it away in his arms without acknowledging the contents.

 

“All right.”

 

“Yuli is still young, so you don’t have to follow her if she’s afraid of being touched. But she has to learn, so I’m letting her accompany her. If she wants to become my attendant when she grows up, she needs to be able to do these things skillfully. Got it?”

 

When I put emphasis on the word attendant, Uli’s eyes widened. In fact, it was very annoying to change maids every time I moved around. She had to teach and guess numbers from one to ten again. Basically, the maids who accompanied me had to do a lot of unique tasks compared to when they accompanied other noble ladies. That’s why she decided to educate Yuli in advance.

 

“I understand, miss!”

 

The girl, brimming with enthusiasm, radiated sparks from her eyes. She smiled at her and motioned for her to go quickly. After she saw the two men leave, she looked at Ian. He met my gaze and smiled. tilted her head. Anyway, what about this guy…

 

“Ian, how on earth did you find out about this place?”

 

What I asked Count Nemir to convey was the movements of the alchemists, not my movements. Moreover, given the location, even if the telegram had been sent in the morning, there is no way it would have been delivered already. Moreover, it made even more sense that Ian flew here right after receiving it. But it’s right in front of you. My eyes narrowed. When I looked at Ian questioningly, he grinned and shrugged his shoulders. What is this gesture?

 

“I had something to say to Laurencia, so I was on my way, and when I saw her leaving the estate in a hurry, I followed her.”

 

Did you follow me after all? I was so embarrassed that I burst out laughing. Ian laughed heartily. Do you think I wear clothes because I like them? The child-like smile seemed innocent, but you have to blame what you have to blame.

 

“What on earth is so important that you have to say that Ian came here?”

 

He crossed his arms and lifted his chin. Just like I did.

 

“Tell me.”

 

When I asked him, Ian glanced around and thought for a moment. If it had been nothing special, I would have answered right away, but it seemed quite serious as he was taking time to look around. Was this really important? I felt like I pushed too hard without even asking, so I couldn’t help but feel sorry. If the issue is truly so serious that it cannot be discussed by letter… I walked over to Ian and tapped my ear.

 

“What is it? Tell me.”

 

He gestured to the knights and instructed them all to look outside. As the knights all turned back, Ian glanced around and then nodded his head. Then he bent down and put his hand into my ear and breathed lowly. My body was trembling because of the tingling sensation, but I couldn’t be shaken by such a trivial touch when I was about to talk about something important. So I bit my lip and waited for him to speak. His mouth opened.

 

“Yes, Lawrence.”

 

A heavy and serious voice. I swallowed my saliva quietly and waited for his next words. Did your contact with the Pierrot top end in vain? Or did you get caught? Otherwise, important information may be obtained through interrogation…!

 

“They say that if you marry through a double lineage, your position as successor will be maintained for 3 years, and then the legitimacy will be considered. If the legitimacy is recognized, you can keep the title. Even if that is not the case, unless the current owner suddenly disappears, it will take 3 years. They say the position of succession will be maintained even after the passing.”

 

“…?”

 

What did I just hear? I blinked. It sounds plausible because it contains words that are quite difficult to listen to, but it’s not what I expected. As I quietly put my ear to his ear, Ian opened his mouth again.

 

“So, if we get married quickly, designate the boy as the heir, and then run the Aztain family’s business as agents, there won’t be any problem. So, let’s skip the engagement ceremony and go to the wedding… Lawrence?”

 

I dropped my precious eardrums from his mouth as he spoke something into my ear that I couldn’t tell whether it was shit or words. Ian tilted his head and called my name. Haha, I really… He sighed and snapped his fingers, calling to his ear. I opened my mouth quietly, listening to Ian, who was bowing down to me with his eyes shining like a puppy waiting for his master’s touch.

 

“If you don’t want to skip the wedding, you better get this over with, you idiot.”

 

As I met Ian’s gaze, who was looking at me with his blank face, and scratched his neck with my fingers, Ian’s expression changed in an instant. He grinned.

 

“Okay, Ian?”

 

“Uh, yeah… I’ll do my best.”

 

Sigh, I’m not a puppy that needs any kind of training, so why should I… I looked at Ian and sighed again.

 

* * *

 

I rolled my eyes because the current situation was awkward. It was not a scene one would normally see. It was so embarrassing. The sight of his grandfather smiling and Ian nodding in front of him. It was like greeting my parents to get permission to get married. I tried to chase away Ian, who was trying to follow me to Ajstain Castle, but I failed. Because his grandfather opens his arms and says that guests are always welcome, he sits at the same table and eats… I gave him a look that said no way, but her grandfather just smiled and sat Ian down at the table as if he knew everything. I can’t survive, really.

 

“Now that I think about it, this is the second time I have sat down and had a meal with His Excellency Grand Duke Berdian.”

 

“Okay. I remember sitting together once before. Viscount Ajstain.”

 

The two started by asking how each other was doing and had a leisurely conversation. I was smiling as I remembered things that had happened in the past.

 

“…Have you two known each other for a long time?”

 

Come to think of it, when Beralt came to visit the other day, Ian and her grandfather appeared together after him. At the time, I couldn’t think about why the two of them were together, but were they spherical? Grandfather grinned.

 

“Your Excellency, Grand Duke Berdian… So, I used to be a business advisor to His Excellency Grand Duke Berdian. I remember being invited and having a meal with him at the castle about 15 years ago, right?”

 

“…is it so?”

 

It was surprising that his grandfather was acquainted with high-ranking figures, including the family of Duke Sapeldric and the Verdian family. He is a person who laughs and shies away from power…

 

“He was very different back then than he is now. I still remember what he said to my father.”

 

Suddenly, I remember that he also said some strange things to Duke Safeldrick. Surely not?

 

“You said that because the brain is full of muscles, thinking is like that too. I guess.”

 

“Did you?”

 

Ah… Grandfather. What should I do? I guess it’s real because he doesn’t complain, but he doesn’t solve everything just by smiling softly!

 

“It seemed both surprising and scary to see my father, who was always confident, be embarrassed by Viscount Ajstain, so I didn’t hesitate to approach him.”

 

“I understand. I had a time like that too.”

 

What were those times like? Was it a time when you had two lives? You can’t say such harsh words to the two Dukes, Grandpa… You can’t do that! Even if it was the Aztain family, the dukes were looking blue for a while, but Ian glanced at me and grinned. Why are you smiling, Ian?

 

“If Viscount Ajstain had known then that he had such a beautiful granddaughter, he would have chased after her.”

 

What are you talking about, you idiot!

 

“Oh…!”

 

I was embarrassed and opened my mouth to scream, but my grandfather spoke before me.

 

“Haha, is that so? To be honest, it’s not because she’s my granddaughter, but it’s true that Lawrence has grown up very well. She looks exactly like me, handling the family affairs well and running the business, and what’s more, she’s grown into such a beautiful young lady… I don’t usually praise her, but my granddaughter is dozens of times more beautiful than any noble lady I’ve seen recently.”

 

Ahh! grandfather! I felt like I was going out of my mind as he spewed out words that were embarrassing to listen to. As she opened her mouth, Ian nodded her head again and again.

 

“I agree. I guess I should say thank you to Viscount Ajstain.”

 

“What thanks?”

 

After seeing my grandfather answer in a cheerful tone and drink a glass of wine, Ian put the final pause.

 

“Thank you for raising such a lovely granddaughter.”

 

There is nothing more to say. I felt like I was already a corpse sitting in her chair. She felt that people could be shameful. After that, the conversation between Grandpa and Ian went back and forth several more times, like a ball game.

 

“So, when would you like the engagement ceremony to be?”

 

What? I raised my head in surprise as Ian’s words suddenly penetrated my ear. Engagement? My grandfather thought for a moment, then glanced at me and answered leisurely.

 

“The faster, the better.”

 

What do you do, grandpa? You asked me to stay by your side forever!

 

“Then sometime next month…?”

 

“Hmm, I understand. I think Roa will be satisfied with that.”

 

“Oh, by the way, you call Lawrence Roa. I think it’s a lovely nickname.”

 

“Is that so? Then, how about calling her that, His Excellency Grand Duke Berdian?”

 

“Is that so?”

 

What… facing Ian’s face with his eyes shining as he looked at me, I resolutely opened my mouth.

 

“No.”

 

“Lawrence…”

 

Ian muttered in a weak voice and looked at me, his face filled with disappointment. She was a little stung, but no way. Only one person in this world could call that nickname. A nickname I can no longer hear after my grandfather passed away. That’s why it was even more precious.

 

“We don’t have time for this, do we, Ian? I think we have a lot to talk about right now.”

 

When I lowered my eyes and asked sharply, Ian flinched. How dare she try to boss me around with my grandfather on his back… I smiled and got up.

 

“Are you going?”

 

“I think the meal is over. Can I leave first?”

 

It’s been a while since the meal ended. The conversation between the two was not over. My grandfather nodded his head and replied that he could leave. After saying thank you, he glanced back at Ian who was looking at me blankly and nodded his head. Ian got up, quickly pushing his chair, greeted his grandfather hastily, and followed behind me.

 

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