I Don’t Trust My Twin Sister

“Anyway, have you prepared that?”

“What, grandfather’s documents?”

“huh. “I’m a little reluctant to have my grandfather participate as an expedition member this time, but I still have to prepare.”

A small cave discovered on the border between the empire and another kingdom was one of the places presumed to contain the tombs of a country that was the predecessor of the current Lyrus Empire.

The article, which was discovered just in time, said that there were so many traps that it was difficult to get inside. However, attention was focused because it was expected to contain many ancient relics. Numerous scholars flocked to study the place, but due to the overlapping borders, there was a lot of talk between the two countries. The empire claimed ownership, claiming that it was the tomb of their ancestors, the former imperial family. On the other hand, the other side argued that since the area of the cave covered a slightly larger area in their country, they were also entitled to excavation.

We’ve been hearing since last year that it was discovered, but negotiations have been sluggish and have been dragging on for a year without any investigation. Now that I think about it, what happened to that incident? It was one of those cases that I was quite interested in.

When I went in, I heard that it was an imperial tomb, but I wasn’t really interested in what kind of treasures it contained. It took over two years just to dig up the grave, and at the time, I had just taken over the business and was struggling to hold on. I can’t help but be interested in what a treasure is. My grandfather has always been interested in ancient relics. He has a hobby of collecting one or two ancient relics, and he promised to provide a large amount of funds for this expedition. Since an investment equivalent to a year’s worth of the empire’s budget was poured into the country in return for 20% of the treasures to be excavated, it was not a big problem to assume that hundreds of thousands of gold coins had evaporated.

Nevertheless, his grandfather considered it to be of some value, and even if he were to waste that much money on gambling, it would not cause the family to suffer, so he did not consider it a big deal. However, I was afraid that my excited grandfather would make a mistake with the paperwork, so I tried to write the contract myself and hand it over. It was a preventative measure to draw a preliminary line to prevent strange disputes in the imperial family.

Ercia took out a document lying next to her, scratched her head slightly, and smiled as she read it.

“Here it is. I wrote it based on what her sister said. What do you think? Is that right?”

I carefully looked at each clause written in a concise font. It may have been too heavy and difficult for Ercia, who had only signed the contract for less than a month, but it wasn’t a bad experience. Because I can take responsibility for any mistakes. She rolled her eyes, looked at the content, and then nodded her head. She handed me her papers with a grin, her green eyes looking at me like a cat waiting for praise. 

“You did a great job without any problems. Really, it’s disgusting to see things like this. I worked hard for a year to learn how to write a contract, but how can you do this in less than a month?”

“I guess it’s because I like my teacher.”

Hehe, I pinched Elsia’s smiling cheek and smiled, then organized the rest of the documents. My grandfather was leaving tomorrow. They seemed to be in a bit of a hurry as they were planning to come sometime next month to participate in the wedding. 

I held the documents and looked out the window at the sunset. Ercia, standing next to me, also looked out her window and lowered her head slightly.

“What’s wrong?”

“…no.”

Something came to mind that she didn’t want to think about. As time approached, the memories of when her grandfather left my side began to come back to me little by little. This time, I was fully prepared, modified a carriage for my grandfather, and secretly added more people, but I couldn’t help but feel uneasy. Of course, there was still time left, and I would be right next to my grandfather that day. Just as the future changed with my intervention, perhaps the future could change further here.

There was no guarantee not to do so. He bit his lip slightly and shook his head.

“Let’s go.”

I didn’t even want to think about unpleasant thoughts. Let’s ask.

* * *

I handed the documents to the old man, who was smiling with his back to the sturdy carriage, which wasn’t strange even though he was wearing almost armor. With an embarrassed expression, Ercia handed over the unknown sandwich that she had insisted on making since morning and asked for help.

“Don’t eat it!”

They give you a sandwich made for you to eat and then tell you not to eat it. I wondered if there was such a thing as such, but when I saw the sandwich with strange ingredients, I also wanted to advise my grandfather not to eat it.

“It’s a sandwich my granddaughter made, how could I not eat it?”

Ercia let out a startled sound at the sight of her grandfather smiling, opening her basket, picking up one of her items, and then putting it in his mouth. But the moment she took a bite and munched and saw her grandfather’s face fall silent, she was sure.

‘…That doesn’t taste good.’

My grandfather, a gourmet among gourmets and famous for not eating just anything, eats a sandwich like that. Tears covered my face.

“Haha…”

My grandfather let out a weak laugh, glanced at Ercia’s eyes, and grinned as he held up the sandwich.

“It’s delicious.”

“…don’t lie.”

“It’s a fresh taste I’ve never encountered before, so I’m quite satisfied. It’s my granddaughter’s work, so I’ll enjoy it when I go, Ercia.”

‘Your mouth isn’t moving, grandpa.’

Ercia turned her head away in embarrassment, and her grandfather swallowed the unchewed sandwich. You’re going to get an upset stomach.

“That document was also written by Ercia. Check it.”

The old man, who was unable to put the sandwich back in and had an awkward posture, quickly nodded his head and put the sandwich in the basket. Her grandfather, who checked the contents of the document more passionately than ever before, smiled broadly and hugged Ercia tightly with an expression of satisfaction.

“Ugh!”

“Have you learned and mastered all these things in the meantime? I told you to take your time, but you overdid it!”

Despite her words, she had a smile on her face as if she was happy with Ercia’s growth. I thought she would release Ercia, who was struggling, but this time she hugged me tightly.

“Ugh!”

“Lawrence also had a hard time. She must have had a hard time as the older sister. Not only did she teach and inform us one by one, but she also did her work. She really did a good job.”

“It’s because Elsia worked so hard… Ugh! Grandpa, be a little gentle! You hugged me too hard!” 

My grandfather looked at the two of us alternately and smiled broadly.

“You guys grew up well.” my grandfather said in a low voice and released me.

I responded to your smile with a smile too. Grandfather left with the carriage, smiling kindly and smelling like sweet apple pie. The old man leaving on his way wasn’t that awkward, and it wasn’t the first time he’d seen it, but somehow he felt like he had to keep looking.

“Sister, aren’t you going in?”

I nodded at the looks of people waiting for me to enter and Ercia’s question. I guess it’s pointless to worry. I believe you will come back as always.

“Let’s go in.”

* * *

“They say Viscount Ajstain has left.”

“People must have lit the fire properly, right?”

“We selected 20 people who are good at moving secretly and have good physical strength. They will usually hide their appearance, but if anything happens to cause even the slightest harm to his person, they will immediately reveal themselves.”

At the adjutant’s report, Ian slightly raised his head and looked at the ceiling, then lowered his gaze. The adjutant bent his neck down to see Ian’s stiff face. 

“What are the dynamics of the imperial family?”

“So far, there has been no movement. Just looking at it, it looks like a lot of attention is being paid to excavating the tomb this time. The Crown Prince, who has been entrusted with full authority, is making moves himself, so there is currently no possibility of interfering with the affairs of the Grand Duke and Lady Ajstain. Oh, it looks good.”

“Beralt doesn’t know either. What about that human?”

“The Marquis of Alpensia has not appeared in public for the past three weeks. He appears to be staying at a mansion in the Alpensia territory, but his exact location is not known.”

“Was there no contact between Beralt and the Crown Prince? Direct or indirect.”

“Nothing has been confirmed.”

Ian nodded his head at the adjutant’s stern reply. Compared to Beralt and the Crown Prince, who were as alert as possible and kept watch because they didn’t know what kind of nonsense they might do, the two were very quiet. Contrary to the expectation that they would show special action after the bomb incident at Ajstain’s territory that day, there has been no particular reaction until almost a month later.

On the contrary, it seemed as if the person paying attention was completely uninteresting, to the point where it was embarrassing. However, it was impossible for Ian to get on his nerves, so he had no choice but to remain as alert as possible until the wedding.

“What happened to the scuffle at the border last month?”

“Are you talking about the incident where there was an armed protest over the Kingdom of Ostarine and the right to excavate the tomb?”

When Ian nodded, the deputy opened the report again, looked at the contents, and then spoke slowly.

“Fortunately, there were no casualties on either side, but the incident has become an international topic and seems to be attracting attention.”

“What’s so important about being an ancient relic?” 

“Isn’t the predecessor of the Lirus Empire the bloodline that was best at handling ancient magic? Therefore, there is speculation that the hidden relics of the last imperial family of the ancient empire will be enormous. Imperial magicians are also paying close attention. , Even countries other than the Kingdom of Ostarine and the Empire of Lirus are showing interest.”

“There are a lot of thieves here and there.”

“Stolen goods are inherently attractive.”

Ian, who was deep in thought again as he rolled his eyes and glanced at the slyly smiling adjutant, got up and looked at the map. A tomb discovered in the northern part of the Lirus Empire, near the border.

It would be nice if the story goes well and ends well, but I wonder what will happen.

“Anyway, it looks like the Kingdom of Ostarine is also putting a lot of effort into excavating this tomb in order to increase its armament next year. I guess it’s because of the fear that they will be eaten if they fall behind, as the entire continent is increasing their armament these days.”

“It may be a little foolish, but I guess that’s a common reaction.

Rubbing his chin and thinking for a moment, Ian tried to shake off the strangely uneasy feeling that he continued to feel. It was quite unpleasant to see the bastard Prince Deoreden at the destination of Laurencia’s grandfather, Viscount Ajstain. We must be wary of our enemies, but we must first be suspicious of our own people.

“By the way, there is an important report regarding the inspection of the honor guard at this wedding.”

“What?”

The adjutant looked a little embarrassed and rubbed his cheek with his palm. As Ian stared, he spoke, adding that he was a little worried.

“You…you know Lady Ajstain’s dress…”

 

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