I Don’t Trust My Twin Sister

I turned my back and walked back to the office. Even though I didn’t tell him to follow me, Ian naturally walked behind me and opened his mouth.

 

“Are you mad?”

 

“I’m not angry.”

 

At the blunt voice, Ian came next to me and took my hand. When she lowered her head and looked up at her natural skinship, Ian smiled and gave a curtsy to the hand she was holding.

 

“Let go of your anger, okay?”

 

His warm body temperature was conveyed as is. The big hand completely wrapped my small hand.

 

“Next time, I’ll sleep in bed on time.”

 

“…”

 

I couldn’t help but nod my head as he seemed to be trying to make me feel better. If you think about it, he didn’t do anything wrong. I had no reason to be angry, and if I thought about it rationally, if he had health problems because he couldn’t sleep, it was my fault and I had to deal with it. There is no need to argue further. However, the moment I heard that it would be a week, I became twice as angry and worried than when I witnessed Ian sleeping with his godson stretched out. I don’t know what kind of life he usually lives, but he hasn’t slept in a week. Those words made me feel again how heavy the weight he was carrying was. He said sharp words for no reason due to the fact that I couldn’t help him and his impatience for getting angry first without even knowing it. Then I knew I shouldn’t, but my mouth didn’t stop. My upset multiplied and I shot him with sharp words. If someone else had heard me, he would have said nothing even if I had scolded him for being pointless and told him not to interfere with other people’s affairs, but Ian instead apologized.

 

“I was thinking too much about myself. I didn’t think you would be so appropriate, Lawrence. I’m sorry.”

 

They worry about each other, and even though they are not family, they now share each other’s hardships and pain. I vaguely realize that Ian and I are now bound by a special relationship. I couldn’t imagine the future I would have with this man and the things I would face, but it didn’t matter. Because one thing is certain: Ian exists.

 

“That’s Okay.”

 

I responded lightly. As the sharp voice subsided, Ian smiled. He just smiled every time, and after staring at his face, I laughed too and put my hand on his arm and lightly patted him. And he moved his feet again. Ian said, coming next to me and still holding my hand.

 

“Anyway, what’s going on?”

 

“What’s the matter… Ah! Come to think of it, I forgot.”

 

“What?”

 

“Wait.”

 

I passed through the hallway and entered the office, took out a letter on the table, opened it, checked it, and handed it to Ian. He glanced at the letter handed to him, then raised his eyebrows and lifted his chin.

 

“Do you understand what it means?”

 

“The sender…”

 

There was no sender. However, the seal that sealed the letter was the Verdian family crest, so I was going to ask Ian about it. 

 

“I also read the letter, but I couldn’t understand it.”

 

To be precise, you can read it, but it would be right to say that you cannot take it literally. The letter seemed like an unimportant document. The seal was sketchy, and the only contents written inside were logically written down hunting rules for hunters in the winter. I’m sure he didn’t send the letter to Ian to teach him how to hunt. Ian glanced through the letter and then nodded his head.

 

“Did you find out anything?”

 

“Yes. The information is coming in faster than expected.”

 

He grinned, laid out the letter on the table, crossed out a few sections, and then began to explain.

 

“This is a military code. To be exact, it is a code used by rangers. They often encrypt the important issues they are targeting by substituting them in similar situations. If I explain them one by one, it would be complicated and time-consuming, so I will list only the necessary ones.”

 

Caves, huts, valleys, wolves, delicate deer, untrodden snow.

 

His eyes scanned the words he underlined. I looked down and looked at Ian, and his eyes lit up.

 

“How is it?”

 

“…I don’t know the details, but do caves and huts mean buildings?”

 

“That’s right. There is a difference. As Lawrencesaid, a hut is a house, and a cave is a space with a closed back, so you can think of it as an enclosed place. Bears and wolves protect the delicate deer imprisoned inside. So that means they are mercenaries and knights hired by the Alpensia family.”

 

It wasn’t that difficult. Because it’s something that shouldn’t be that confusing. However, extracting only the important sentences and words from that long letter was not an easy task. This can only be achieved through training and education over a long period of time. If an encrypted document was accidentally misinterpreted, it could cause great damage to our troops. Conveying the content may be difficult.

 

“This, by the way.”

 

Ian tapped his fingers and pointed to the words ‘eyes that no one walks on’. He lowered his gaze. In the winter, untouched snow is where hunters need to pay the most attention. Perhaps a large number of game animals are hibernating there, but on the other hand, it could also be a place where creatures that do not hibernate cannot visit. For example, a frozen lake. After looking at the sentence carefully, I looked up and saw Ian looking a little embarrassed. Is it difficult?

 

“I don’t understand?”

 

“No. The interpretation is not a problem. But, it’s a bit…”

 

“Why? What’s wrong?”

 

Ian thought for a moment and spread his fingers.

 

“It can be interpreted in two ways. One means that it is a place that cannot be entered and exited without permission.”

 

“Considering the current situation, it doesn’t seem like an obvious interpretation.”

 

Ian, who lightly hinted at the meaning of Sugung, folded his last finger and narrowed his eyebrows slightly. His slightly cracked brow seemed to show signs of worry, so he tilted his head.

 

“Why are you doing this?”

 

“…The other meaning is the problem, and if there is a second interpretation of this code, it will be a bit of a problem. Because a place where no one steps on means that it is a place that makes you want to step on it at least once. So this can be interpreted as a trap.

 

“Uh.”

 

“A trap?”

 

“Yes. But it’s not just a trap. It’s a trap with something very attractive and sweet attached to it. I don’t know the details, but if we do find out, it means that we will have to make contact with the personnel who infiltrated there as soon as possible. Something quite dangerous is probably going on.”

 

Something. I wondered if there was something in there that made us have no choice but to step into it even though we knew it was a trap. It’s not like we have a weakness or we have any items that could be a problem to them.

 

“Can’t you tell exactly which one it is?”

 

“You have to send a letter to find out, but it’s difficult to figure it out quickly. It will probably take a few days.”

 

“Will anything problematic happen in the meantime?”

 

“That won’t happen. As you know, these guys probably haven’t prepared for Harui either, so they will be preparing slowly and very carefully. Even if they have a few days to spare, it won’t be a big problem.”

 

“Is waiting the answer?”

 

Then, out of habit, I rubbed my chin with the back of my hand and thought about what would happen in the future. I assumed the worst case scenario. Bombs made from the essence of fire explode sporadically throughout the empire or are used to target the imperial palace and royal family. noodle? If so, it won’t be a simple problem. It was an important issue that would shake the international community as a whole. Beralt is doing this? I can’t even imagine. Moreover, the emerging aristocratic faction led by the Akpensia family was receiving support from the Crown Prince. So it was nonsense for them to commit an act of treason. Then there is only one answer.

 

“How many bombs made from the essence of fire do we need? To blow up the entire Ajstain territory.”

 

Ian looked at me quietly in response to my question, raised his chin, seemed to have a worried expression, and then lowered his gaze again.

 

“At least 30 or more would be needed. The Aztain territory is not large, so that amount would be enough to destroy most of the major facilities.”

 

“Then what about the Principality of Berdain?”

 

Ian laughed.

 

“You’ll need a thousand of them. If it’s a bomb manufactured by the imperial family, its power will be slightly lower if it’s made using witches and alchemists. In that case, there are more than ten territories located in the principality territory. We also have to blow it up together. It takes about a thousand explosions to collapse the foundation.”

 

Thousands…

 

“How long will it take to make a thousand?”

 

“Well, the important thing is how much you make per day. First, we need to check what information is coming in. We need to figure out when the seeds of sulfur and titanium started to dry up, and when the alchemists and witches started to be attracted to them…”

 

I shook my head as his eyes looked at the desk. Ian clicked his tongue lowly.

 

“Did you hear from the Information Guild about how long it will take?

 

“I asked you to check as quickly as possible, so you will probably hear from me by tomorrow.”

 

“Okay. That should be fine.”

 

After putting down the encrypted document, I tapped the desk with the back of my hand. His calm, sunken eyes stared at the neat surface of the desk. His eyes narrowed slightly and he looked very serious, so he didn’t speak to me. Ian pursed his lips for a moment as if he was evaluating something, then looked at me. He had bright red eyes.

 

“First, I will return and collect a little more relevant information. There are some things I need to focus on by disarming the soldiers a little more, and if I leave for a long time, my grandfather will go crazy, so now I have to go and face him again.”

 

“Grandpa?”

 

“You know that.”

 

“O…”

 

Are you talking about the old butler that Ian was having a hard time with? We have been supporting the Verdian family for three generations. The old man’s eyes were clearly harsh. Well, the owner probably doesn’t like it when he leaves the house for a long time. He nodded, thinking he wouldn’t want to be wandering around outside.

 

“Anyway, I’ll contact you again regarding this soon. I also want to resolve this matter quickly, so I need to speed things up a bit. That way, there won’t be any disruption to our wedding next month, right?”

 

“…yes?”

 

Why does the conversation suddenly jump in that direction? As his expression cleared of absurdity, Ian smiled, stroked my head, and lightly pressed his lips to my forehead. Do you stamp it? It is said that in the old days, slaves were stamped with hot iron to create burn marks. Is pressing their lips against their foreheads a type of thing like that?

 

“Don’t push yourself too hard, take it easy, it’s not like anything happened right away.”

 

Ian continued to tease his body as if stretching his back. There was no sign of urgency on his languid face. It seemed as if this incident would just flow by and pass by. His mood was always like that. He was easy and monotonous. When I looked at him, I felt a sense of comfort as I thought that my life would be like that too. I felt unfamiliar with his atmosphere, which was such a contrast to my life, which was harsh, fast-paced, and extremely complex. But it was good. So he probably wants to be by your side.

 

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