I Don’t Trust My Twin Sister

“We’re here. It’s over there, right?”

 

In the distance, a large building with the Ajstain family’s flag caught my eye. It was the headquarters of a bank operating in Ajstain. his building was unique in scale because it was built by remodeling an empty mansion belonging to a noble family. When compared to nearby residences, the difference was almost ten times greater, which was easily noticeable. Ajstain Bank generally issued checks with high credibility. Because of that, many people used it. In particular, the gold checks issued only in that building, which was the headquarters, were a currency so rare and valuable that not just anyone could issue them. Because of this, many businessmen, including nobles, stopped by. In other words, it meant that if this place were to explode, the influential classes of society would suffer damage.

 

“Is it a government office in the back…?”

 

“This is a building installed for security purposes within the castle. It is located in the center, so it can control the entire Ajstain territory.”

 

“There are a lot of offices here.”

 

“Since mining is the main business, guilds and businesses often set up offices.”

 

Ian stopped in his tracks, looked around, and shook his head.

 

“It’s going to be quite difficult. Finding it.”

 

“But we still have to find it.”

 

People’s smiling faces come into view. Everyone is busy trying to live their lives. Some people laugh and some cry, but they all clash with people fiercely. Their efforts will be rewarded.

 

“You have to protect these people, right?”

 

Smiling children, parents’ eyes looking at their children, happy couples, and even elderly people enjoying the peace of old age. They are all people living in Ajstain territory. I couldn’t let them lose their lives. Beralt and the Crown Prince will definitely be punished for what they did. I wanted to put everything on the line and make those who played with these people’s lives stand before the court and be punished. But that wasn’t important right now. All of that is for later. First of all, it was important to sort out the current situation.

 

“Where should we start looking?”

 

“…Wouldn’t it be better to go to the bank first? Because there are a lot of people.”

 

Ian, who was staring at the bank, moved first. I followed him and kept looking around to see if there was anyone acting suspiciously. I thought about it, and what does it mean to be acting suspiciously? I thought about it carefully, but there was nothing I could say. So I came to the vague conclusion to choose based on feel. If I see someone who is restless, should I go up to them and ask them, “Do you have a bomb?” Is this too aggressive, or should I quietly drag them and take them to a dark place if I see them sitting in one place with a nervous look on their faces? My head is spinning. When I actually came to the scene and tried to move around, it was just awkward. Not only was it a problem that I had never experienced something like this, but I was even more frustrated because I had never received training or read a book to prepare for something like this. In the end, it was as if I only trusted my intuition and moved.

 

“Hey… Lawrence?”

 

“Yes?”

 

When he turned his head, Ian scratched his cheek and made an awkward expression. I wondered why, but when I approached him and picked up the dog, Ian bent down slightly and whispered softly into my ear.

 

“If you look around too much, it looks more suspicious.”

 

“…yes?”

 

“It looks nervous, like a person looking for something, or like a hyena hunting for prey.”

 

“Did I do that?”

 

I cleared my throat. I said that? really? I just looked around intently with the intention of being faithful to my work… Ian nodded with an awkward smile and took his hand behind him.

 

“The basis of search is naturalness.”

 

Naturalness…

 

“This is a place that a lot of people visit. It’s an open place. So, if you look around too much, there is a high chance that people around you will see something strange. So, just stay the same as usual.”

 

Ian took my hand and pulled me lightly. Only then did I realize how unnatural I was walking. While looking around in the middle of the street, he suddenly stops and glares at someone, and then turns around to look behind him… The moment I realized that, I felt embarrassed. Ian chuckled. Then he looked around a bit, went to a nearby store, bought a hat, and put it on my head.

 

“Why the hat all of a sudden?”

 

Perhaps because the hat had a wide brim, the sunlight was completely blocked. In addition, it played a role in blocking the gaze of the surrounding people to some extent. Ian bent down to check my condition and nodded his head.

 

“It would be difficult if there were people here who knew your face.”

 

“My face?”

 

“It is rare for the residents of the territory to not know the face of the next lord. Moreover, if it is the bank headquarters, there will be people who know Laurentia’s face, so we need to find out in advance.”

 

“Is it?”

 

“And you should at least wear a hat so it’s less obvious when you look around. It’s too conspicuous right now, so I can’t do that.”

 

In the end, I ended up putting it on because I was looking around too much, but out of embarrassment, I grabbed the brim of my hat and pressed it down a little more, pouting my lips.

 

“…I can’t help it.”

 

“Stay close to the side, you never know what might happen. Even if something serious happens, I can protect the safety of both of us.”

 

Ian smiled, then held my hand and led me slowly. His long arms were reaching towards me under the wide brim. His calloused hands felt soft. How would we appear to other people? Would we look like a couple enjoying relaxation together? Or newlyweds? Then I let out a laugh and silently tugged at the corners of my mouth. I’m also very carefree. Something might happen right now, but I’m suddenly feeling like I’m on a date. Come to your senses, Lawrence. I have to finish this first… I raised my head and moved inside, following Ian as he opened the bank door. Trained security guards stood armed at the entrance of the bank, where people could come and go freely. After that, employees were seen serving customers at each location. As someone who rarely visits the bank in person, the scene seemed fascinating. Our family started a bank more than a hundred years ago, and now we have hired a separate manager to handle the work. Since the bank manager came to the castle to do business, it felt unfamiliar to me to see the site in person. As I looked around, a man approached me and bowed down.

 

“Welcome. Are you a noble?”

 

The clothes Ian was wearing were quite luxurious. Moreover, Ian’s appearance was that of nobility itself. Naturally, Ian nodded his head and the man smiled brightly and extended his hand.

 

“Nice to meet you. My name is Baron Tolvio.”

 

Ian mumbled and looked at me. Was he asking me if I knew? I shook my head. We do not directly manage each and every employee. There was a separate general manager here, and all I had to do was report the overall content and performance to him, so there was no need to look into which employees were working. As his gaze moved, a man named Baron Tolvio also fixed his gaze on me. You can’t see his face because of the brim of his hat. I couldn’t even look at his face closely.

 

“Wife…?”

 

“Exactly.”

 

I burst out laughing at Ian’s gentle voice. Was it my mistake that the solemn voice that is so different from usual sounds awkward? Baron Dolvio tilted his head when I laughed, but then grinned.

 

“Your name is…?”

 

Ah, the name! Should I tell you my real name? It seemed foolish for me, the person in charge, to openly reveal my real name after telling the soldiers and knights to stay undercover and monitor the situation, but as soon as I pulled Ian’s hand, his mouth opened.

 

“Don’t worry about it. I’m just a noble who inherited a small fiefdom. I’m here to meet someone here for a moment, so I’ll call you if I need to.”

 

“I understand. I think you can wait on the second floor balcony available to nobles. I hope you meet a good person.”

 

Baroness Tolvio said a polite greeting, turned his back, and disappeared. Ian watched him walk away and dragged me towards the stairs. I followed Ian up the stairs first and whispered quietly.

 

“Do you know how to make a voice like that?”

 

“How do you feel? Does it look good on you?”

 

Just like before, I burst into laughter at the sight of him imitating an adult in a gentle voice. We entered a cafe for nobles. Banks operated rest areas where those with money could conduct transactions or rest. Ian shrugged his shoulders and went into the balcony and sat down on an empty chair. He ordered two cups of warm black tea from the waiter who approached him and then looked around. I was also able to relax a bit, so I fiddled with my hat and slowly took it off and put it down. How many people know me? Just in case, I lowered my head and took a quick look around. There was no one around us paying attention to the two of us.

 

“There aren’t many customers, so don’t be too intimidated. If you do that, you’ll look suspicious again.”

 

Ian gave him advice and straightened out his messy hair. He followed his hand with his eyes.

 

“It’s difficult to search. It feels like I’m causing trouble by offering to help for no reason. I should have studied at least a little before coming out.”

 

“I guess it’s because the fields are different. What noble lady in the world would know secret investigation techniques? It’s normal not to know. So don’t worry. There won’t be any problem.”

 

I stared blankly at Ian who was comforting me. When he made eye contact with me, he smiled. At that moment, the waiter brought tea. Ian personally took the tea and handed it to me. There was no trace of anxiety in his seemingly relaxed expression. He looked leisurely and relaxed, as if he had just gone for a walk nearby. Am I being too anxious? There were too many lives at stake in this matter to think like that. Not just one or two people. If a mistake was made, tens of thousands of people would have to endure enormous damage and lose their lives. It’s natural to feel discouraged and feel like your shoulders are being weighed down…

 

“Why?”

 

Ian tried to tip his teacup, but he put it down again, probably because he felt my gaze. I looked at him and asked quietly.

 

“Aren’t you nervous Ian?”

 

It was a straightforward question. He always looks confident and relaxed… It was attractive. But now, Judo was facing such danger that there was no reason to be confident or relaxed. I bit my lip slightly. Ian looked at me quietly, put sugar in the teacup, stirred it lightly with a spoon, and put it back on the table.

 

“Are you very nervous?”

 

“Be honest? To be honest, yes, I’m nervous. No matter how much I try to downplay it and look at the situation optimistically, this is too much of a burden. I don’t care if it’s just my life… but the thought of so many people dying makes me suffocate. “

 

I was somewhat fortunate to have Ian by my side. I was able to watch the situation in a somewhat relaxed manner, as if I had been infected by his atmosphere. If he hadn’t been there, he would still be looking around anxiously looking for someone who might be holding a bomb. He must have made a lot of mistakes,

 

“I am grateful that Ian came. I really do, but shouldn’t Ian go back to the Principality of Berdian and take charge of the situation himself instead of here? If there is at most one bomb in the Ajstain Territory, there is at most one. But in the worst case scenario, the Principality of Berdian should be in charge of the situation. There could be all five bombs in the territory.”

 

He spoke while looking at Ian listening to me without specifically denying or affirming it.

 

“To be honest, I think Ian is making sacrifices because of me. So I’m sorry and I’m grateful. It’s too much for me to handle this situation alone. Grandpa can give me advice about this, but he probably can’t do anything himself. But “Ian is different. He carried out the plan I had made and dealt with it even though it was a dangerous situation. That’s why I’m saying this.”

 

I stopped talking once. Under Ian’s gaze, I closed my eyes, wrapping the teacup in his palm and feeling the warmth. While I was sincerely grateful for his dedication and help to me, I slowly said the words that had been lingering in my mind and that I had not yet said.

 

“Is my presence, or the presence of a woman named Lawrence, an obstacle to you?”

 

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Translator Note: