I Don’t Trust My Twin Sister

Who confessed? Uh… if it was a confession. I thought about it for a moment. Confession? Did you confess? I thought back to how Ian and I started.

“I will repay you for that light. Instead, you owe me.”

…Should I say that I confessed? No, that’s not a confession, it’s just that I was busy looking for a way to survive. It would be a bit absurd to describe it as a confession. Moreover, it wasn’t a contract I made with the hope that my relationship with Ian would progress… Hmm.

Moreover, the idea of ​​getting married came up recently, and there was no talk of dating either. As we went through events and relied on each other, we reached this stage without realizing it, and I don’t remember ever confessing.

“…Hmm, I guess I did it?”

“What did you said?”

It’s embarrassing. When asked to tell me about her concerns, I found it absurd to even think about myself giving a vague answer, so I smiled awkwardly.

“Actually, it’s not like we draw a line and start dating.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. Are you disappointed?”

“No. You don’t have to confess and get a confirmation to develop that kind of relationship. I understand.”

It really bothered me to sigh and say that I understood. It didn’t help after all. As I looked at Ercia’s sagging mood and her deeply pensive eyes, I was unable to overcome my frustration and had no choice but to speak first.

“Is it because of Benson?”

The head, which looked like a broken foxtail, rose quickly and its eyes as big as a king’s room turned towards me. I wondered if her mouth would open, but then she let out an exclamation of surprise.

“How did you know?”

I was completely honest. I thought she would say no at least once, but I smiled as I swallowed a hollow laugh at Ercia’s attitude of immediately agreeing.

“I know everything about my sister.”

As for Benson’s counseling for his concerns yesterday, I didn’t know Ercia’s answer yet, so I thought it would be better to hide it, so I hid it slightly. The normally intelligent Ersia would have looked at my words with eyes full of doubt, but her current condition was not particularly good, so she sighed without saying a word.

“Did you get a lot?”

“Seeing your worry about your in-laws differently than usual, it seemed like a man’s problem. The only man Ercia had was Benson, so of course I thought it was him, and since I’m your older sister, I would know. If it was someone else, I wouldn’t know. Don’t worry.”

Of course it’s a lie. If Benson hadn’t told me, I wouldn’t have known. But Ercia, in her confused state, nodded her head as if she believed her words as they were.

“…sorry.”

“No, it was a minor incident. Did you at least get a confession??”

It’s embarrassing to pretend like I didn’t know what I already knew. Ercia asked, masking her embarrassment with a slight smile, and nodded her head with her blushing face. She smiled cutely and lightly stroked Ercia’s cheek with her hand.

“Are you so surprised by the sudden confession that you stayed up all night?”

“…No. I vaguely knew that Benson had feelings for me.”

This, this, she’s quite quick-witted.

“Really? Then what are you so worried about?”

“I can’t think about it easily because realistic problems are unfolding before my eyes. No matter what, there is a difference in status.”

Was that also the case this time? I was thinking of telling Ercia the story that Benson and I had shared, but I gave up. This is a story for two people to decide, not for me to step in and tell them what to do.

Ercia’s voice was filled with complaints, and she told me various things. I listened quietly and advised her on her concerns.

I thought I was having a difficult time in love, but the same was true for Benson and Ercia. Did I get attached to someone too easily? She shook her head as she listened to Ercia, remembering Benson.

It was simply a status. At least Benson was a pretty decent guy. Just enough to make Ercia happy. He was the man who first discovered things I didn’t know about after being by her side for a long time and reached out to her. And he was a man who liked Ercia, and how many more people like that were there in the world, it was difficult for her to find someone who understood and loved her.

Ian and Benson… In the end, being sincere and truthful was their greatest strength.

“Hmm.”

I made a low snoring sound and appeared to be deliberately thinking. Ercia seemed to be watching me. She had a habit of relying on me since she was young, and she looked at me asking if we could date. But she didn’t need to ask me. I decided that if Ercia wanted to handle it, she could handle it… or not. As her older sister, I could help, but I would not argue. In the end, it was Ercia’s choice.

“I can’t give you advice because I don’t know for sure what kind of relationship you two have and how you feel. That would be too much for two people who are already adults… So… I’ll just say one thing.”

Ercia’s eyes wavered. Was it because she was afraid that I would say no?

“Meet Benson today.”

“…and?”

“And tell him.”

I spoke briefly and softly.

“Leave your heart and all other conditions alone and tell me what you think about it. Then, one by one, think of alternatives that the two of you can overcome reality. That’s it. Don’t make it difficult. Life goes on anyway. “Your life is long and you are young, so if you invest a few years, you could have a chance to be happy for the rest of your life. So, if you don’t want to lose that man, let him sit next to you and think about it.”

He lightly pinched the cheek of Ercia, who still looked like a child, and giggled.

“Men are like children no matter how old they get, so they either have to share their worries with someone else, or they make their own decisions and give up on themselves. So, hold on to it first so that no other woman can take it away.”

“…is that so?”

“I don’t know, but Benson is surprisingly popular. He’s tall, has a large physique, and is a very skilled mercenary. In the past, everyone was afraid of him because he had a bad attitude, but he’s become calmer recently and is wise to his younger brother, so his impression has become much gentler. Moreover, as an S-class mercenary, he earns a lot of money, so the maids and semi-nobles are drooling over him as a husband, so it would be better to chip in quickly. Normally, good men sell out quickly.”

Ercia looked embarrassed.

“Really? I thought that guy was unpopular…”

“If you take a close look, he looks neat. He dresses well and has a lot of money, so why would you dislike him? Besides, he’s still young so everyone can tempt him. So, grab him quickly before he turns his attention to other women, and then think about it.”

The pen in Ercia’s hand fell onto her desk. Her younger brother jumped up from his seat on her desk and immediately opened his mouth.

“Where’s Benson?”

“Well, wouldn’t you know better?”

At her advice, Ercia rolled her eyes for a moment, then nodded her head and turned around. I wondered if her legs would move, but she stopped and shook her palm, smiling as her eyes glanced back at me.

“You can go.”

“…thank you, sister!”

I lazily sat down on my chair, following the back of my quick-moving sister with my eyes. Youth was youth. As spring comes, love also blooms. It would take a long time for it to come to fruition, but I still hoped that many good things would happen between the two. She closed her eyes, wishing to tell Ian the interesting subject of Ercia’s love affairs.

‘Ah, I’m falling asleep.’

I turned my head slightly, wondering if I should take a nap. I thought for a while about whether or not I should lie down for a moment on the cot next to my office. Sleeping was good, but when you wake up, you have that strange feeling of not being able to adjust to the time. I did not enjoy naps because of the strange unpleasant feeling of stepping back in time. However, on a day like today, I had a strong urge to feel happy if I could get a good night’s sleep.

I sat dazed in the chair and thought for five minutes before getting up.

“Okay, let’s sleep.”

I just needed to sleep for 10 minutes or so. Muttering under my breath, I reached out and placed my hands on the bed, cupping my hips. Just as I was about to unfold the blanket next to me, cover it over her knees, smooth her hair to the side, and lean her back to lie down completely, a moment came.

“…”

Something broke my peace. I glared at the person who came in without knocking. I tried to say something to the person who rudely opened the door, but that person was Fievel. The moment I saw that Fievel was breathing heavily, I opened my mouth in slight surprise.

“…Butler Fievel?”

I was surprised to see him sweating, which I was unfamiliar with, so I got up from lying down. He approached with a crumpled ID card in his hand. A stiff expression and an angry face caught my eye. He approached me without a word of flattery and extended the ID card he was holding.

I narrowed my eyes to see what was going on and unfolded the identity card. First of all, it is on the front page and is a large letter that catches the eye right away. The moment he saw that letter, he pursed his lips. I was so surprised and embarrassed, and my heart was pounding so much that it is difficult to express it in words.

“This… What the hell is this?”

“This is an urgent message from the capital early in the morning.”

“If it’s dawn… Wait a minute. Then this will happen.”

What’s wrong…?

“It was about four days ago.”

Four days ago… My head was spinning quickly. I felt I had to do something, but the shock made my head freeze. I rolled my eyes again and examined his identity. The tomb of a former imperial family discovered in the Okstein area collapsed during excavation, blocking the entrance. A total number of people were confirmed to be trapped. In the list of people confirmed to be trapped inside, unfortunately, my grandfather’s name was written at the top. I covered my eyes with my palm. What the hell was this?

“Have you figured out the exact circumstances?”

“I am also looking into it. According to what the information guild has told me, the first thing that happened was an explosion sound.”

“The sound of an explosion?”

“Yes.”

I lifted my palms from my eyes and looked at Fievel’s face. He continued his explanation slowly with a tired expression.

“They say there were three explosions in total, and the entrance collapsed at the last burst. The exploration team has already entered.

It is said that it is not known whether the people inside were caught up in the explosion because it had been quite a while since they left. 

“We are mobilizing manpower to dig out the entrance, but I think it will take some time.”

I chewed my lips. Has the habit of biting my nails, which I thought I had gotten rid of, returned? I gently pushed my fingertips between my lips, bit them, rolled my eyes, and opened my mouth.

“Is this an artificial accident?”

“It seems so. If the explosion sound suddenly rose, it means that a bomb exploded.”

“…bomb.”

Not long ago, bombs with tremendous destructive power that were made from the essence of fire came to mind again. Even before those terrible and dizzying moments had faded from my memory, something like this happened… Moreover, the thought that it was an accident related to my grandfather made me sweat profusely. Was I being too complacent? If I changed the future, my grandfather’s future could have changed as much as he wants… Did I think too simply?

“Have you found out the mastermind behind this?” 

“I haven’t found out for sure, but it is said that the Marquis of Alpensia visited Oxstein some time ago. An informant planted in the Alpensia family said so.”

“That person…?”

 

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