I Don’t Trust My Twin Sister

As I was preparing to head to the capital, I was packing up my luggage when Yuli came in.

 

“Aren’t you going to send a letter to His Excellency Grand Duke Berdian?”

 

“You probably already know, right? I think it’s pointless because you know yourself better than me even if you don’t make a fuss.”

 

“Is that so?”

 

“Even if you know something, it’s an important issue, so you should send the letter first. It’ll give you a headache later if you’re upset and wonder why you didn’t send it.”

 

I remembered Ian’s face whining in frustration and burst out laughing. On the other hand, Ulli had a very dark face, like a person whose sky had fallen. She laughed for a moment and then looked at her face and let out a small sigh. 

 

‘Yes, you need to come to your senses.’

 

The disappearance of a family is not something as simple as losing one’s home. Considering that orphans like Yuli were brought in and kept in the castle, Ajstain Castle was like home to some people. The same goes for all workers. In addition, the numerous businesses managed by the Aztain family, as well as the people who work in those businesses and their relatives, are all harmed. Therefore, we had to respond properly to this incident. At least we shouldn’t give them anxiety. I smiled and got up from my seat and stroked Yuli’s head. The cute girl blinked, surprised by my actions. Yes, you have to cheer up.

 

“Don’t worry. Nothing will happen.”

 

“Miss…”

 

“Even if something goes wrong, why would I have to die? Even if things don’t go well, don’t worry, I will do whatever it takes to help you. Got it?”

 

He blinked at the sound of my words, but then burst out laughing.

 

“What do you mean!”

 

“Huh?”

 

“There’s something special… Don’t say that! Do you really think I’m doing this because I’m worried about my food being cut off? No!”

 

Yuli moved her small body roughly and got away from me, shaking her head in denial. Yuli’s face was very red, as she was emotionally shaken by my words.

 

“How can you say such a thing? We grew up in this castle with the grace of the Ajstain family. They took care of us, orphans whom no one cared about. This place is like home to us. People who move out and live here. There are many people, but I also have many friends who say they will live here for the rest of their lives. Everyone here is family and friends. It is only natural to worry about the Astain family who provided us with a home like this. Miss. The voice of the child, who was always hiding because he was still young and weak in assertiveness, burst out like a waterfall. She was so shocked that she stared at her blankly and eventually began to cry.

 

“For me… this is home… or, well…”

 

The word home seemed awkwardly unfamiliar to me. Some people may not think of this place as home, but the people who use this castle actually think of it as home. It was a contradictory situation, but I couldn’t laugh.

 

“Okay, Yuli, don’t cry. I made a mistake.”

 

He held the crying child in his arms and quietly patted his back. I didn’t expect him to react like this, so I still felt embarrassed, but I didn’t feel bad. It was happier than I thought that someone else would treat my home as their own. I apologized to the young girl, who even had tears in her eyes as she told me how precious this place was to her. It seemed that only then did Ulri come to his senses and realize that he had yelled at the young lady I was serving. I leaned down and stroked Yuli’s head. And after telling me to put my luggage on the wagon as soon as it was organized, I headed to the office. The office was also busy. Fievel, who was busy carrying out the work I had instructed him to do, immediately followed me as I entered. He went to the desk and sat down in the chair, handing Fievel his organized papers and documents to be used as evidence.

 

“I divided it into three parts. One notes that the Aztain family’s businesses have never purchased large quantities of sulfur and titanium. The remaining two are related proof of purchase. The separately sealed document at the back is a rebuttal to the claim that the seal you use was used to purchase titanium and sulfur. Would you like to read it?” 

 

“I’m sure you did a good job, Butler.”

 

I opened the first page, checked it, and nodded. I smiled with satisfaction at the document that was organized in a concise and easy-to-understand manner. But Fievel was still looking at me with his stern expression on his face. Fievel opened his mouth with difficulty, as if he was about to let out a heavy sigh at any moment.

 

“No matter how much I prepared, I’m still very anxious. You know that, too. The fact that a subpoena has arrived means that they’re going to interrogate something that’s almost a fait accompli.”

 

It wasn’t wrong. The summons from the imperial family and the central government were of extraordinary weight. Since the summons was made under the name of the royal family, if a false accusation was made, the reputation of the relevant family would be greatly damaged. Therefore, it was rare to publicly summon a family member unless there was some level of certainty.

 

“Not all of the people who were summoned were definitely guilty. There were certainly mistakes and misunderstandings. We are probably one of those types of people. First of all, you are sure, right? We have never purchased anything, and my seal has never been applied. It’s never been out of this box before, so there shouldn’t be any problems.”

 

“…But I’m worried. I’m afraid that problems will arise from unexpected places.”

 

“It’ll be okay.”

 

She grinned. I, too, am anxious, but as a member of the family that leads them, I should not show that anxiety.

 

“Don’t worry too much. I’ll resolve it and come back without any problems. I’m sure you don’t trust me, right?”

 

“…Could that be possible? But…”

 

Fievel let out a long sigh. He shook his head with a very weary look on his face.

 

“I have a bad feeling. It feels like things are going in a worse direction than we think. A very bad feeling.”

 

* * *

 

After sending the letter to Ian, I asked Fievel to finish the work, got up from my seat, and immediately got into the carriage. The distance to the capital was so far that it would take another half a day to reach it. He felt like he had to hurry a bit, so he reduced the number of escort knights. The attendants only accompanied Ulri, reducing the number of people as much as possible.

 

“Lady Lawence, if you are ready, may we leave?”

 

The driver approached and asked. As soon as he nodded and gave the order to start, the carriage began to roll slowly. What happened so suddenly made me pack my bags and leave the castle? It’s not even funny. They say people have no idea what’s going on… I burst out laughing at the thought that there is no wrong proverb. Yulli, who was sitting in front, still had a dark expression on her face. He said it was okay and thought about comforting her, but then left her alone. Anyway, no matter how much comfort I offered, it could only be empty words unless I saw and heard the results myself. He thought it would be better to quickly respond to the summons and resolve the problems. The journey to the capital was quiet and smooth because the road was paved. As she sat in the rocking carriage, she closed her eyes, remembering what was to come.

 

“Miss. If you’re tired, lie down and sleep. I’ll prepare a place for you.”

 

I glanced at Yuli, who got up from her seat with a rustling sound and immediately rearranged the seats to make a wide bed. This carriage was specially manufactured by the Aztine family workshop, and was remodeled for her grandfather. To prevent your body from getting tired on a long distance trip, we provided seats where you can lie down while the carriage is moving. I couldn’t sleep and my eyes were still heavy, perhaps because I was rushing to the capital. Normally I would have declined, but as if my body wanted it, I naturally got up, walked over to the seat, and lay down. Yulli covered me with a blanket.

 

“Go to sleep, lady.”

 

“You too, get some sleep. It’s a long way to get there.”

 

“How could I…”

 

“Don’t feel bad just because you’re tired later.”

 

I smiled at the cute girl who was hesitant. Ulli nodded as if she understood, then laid down on the seat and slowly closed her eyes. As I was staring at her, wondering if she was forcing herself to sleep, she suddenly started dragging her nose and I couldn’t help but laugh. Does she doze off when her head touches it? That too is an ability. It’s an ability. Looking at her Yuli, she smiled and then closed her eyes. Then the anxiety that she had not been able to reveal rose again. In fact, she couldn’t fully prepare for the sudden summons. In the end, all I had to worry about was solving the problem right in front of me.

 

“It’s counterfeit currency…”

 

I felt like things were about to become complicated and difficult.

 

* * *

 

Ercia, who was looking through the window at the carriage leaving in the distance, sighed. Benson, who was watching her from behind, tilted his head. Normally she wouldn’t pay attention to where Lawrence went, but this time she climbed the castle stairs and looked at her back from above. She couldn’t understand at all. Lawrence’s words came to mind when she said that unless you do something this bad, she shouldn’t impose any sanctions.

 

‘Isn’t this strange too?’

 

If you think about it, isn’t it one of the strangest things Ercia could do? She looked longingly at the back of her older sister leaving. There would be no problem if they were ordinary sisters from different families, but were the two of you in a normal sisterly relationship? Their relationship was one of bitter enmity, with her older sister watching her younger brother and her younger brother glaring at her as if she would kill her. In the meantime, she’s worried about her older sister. She’s not even funny. But Butler Fievel’s words stuck with her. This time, the Ajstain family was caught up in a strange scandal and faced a major crisis. It bothered me that if something went wrong, the Aztain family could disappear into the backwaters of history. However, when she heard that Laurence had left, she decided to wait for the matter to be resolved. Laurentia knew Benson was responsible and capable. He was someone you could trust and entrust with anything. So she thought he would resolve it well.

 

So did he think of Ercia that way too? If she were Elsia before, she would have snorted and declared no, but she was at a loss as to how to deal with this eccentric woman who had recently changed her mind little by little. If she were a villainess who did vicious things as if she was eating it, it would be okay to just ignore her, but she wasn’t like that. Her recent behavior in Ercia was a mystery. Her dark, gloomy mood has recently changed as she lights up her room with just the right amount of light even in broad daylight. Since she installed bright lights, her room has become brighter. Plus, when she was alone, she didn’t like anyone coming into her room, but recently she didn’t care about anyone coming in. Because of this, her maids, who always came in with a frightened look on their faces, would now tidy up their bells with little notice.

 

In particular, Benson found it embarrassing that Ercia often offered him a drink or a cup of tea. At first she gave me a look of disgust when I even laid eyes on her, but now she asks me to drink tea with her? Moreover, who to talk to? At first she pretended to drink tea and looked at her with suspicion in her eyes, thinking she was trying to poison her. However, Ercia calmly put her mouth to Benson’s teacup and took a sip of her own tea, dispelling her doubts. Still, she didn’t seem to care much about being suspected. It must have been a bit burdensome for a young girl to accept that others evaluated and doubted her negatively. However, she seemed to have the eyes to grasp the situation objectively. Looking at this aspect alone, she thought it was true that Ercia was born with the same bloodline as Lawrence. Moreover, seeing as Lawrence was often mentioned in everyone else’s words recently, she could vaguely guess that there was a change in her state of mind.

 

Ercia came in innocently, and the scope of her inquiry was not about the business or what plans Lawrence had. The questions she asked were trivial and simple, such as what did her sister do today and who did she meet?

 

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