Originally, Nathan and I planned to use one cabin each.
Although the ship we chose was quite large, a cabin was still just a cabin.
Compared to our usual bedroom, it felt incredibly cramped.
To fit my vanity, bed, and wardrobe comfortably, I needed to have the room to myself.
Then, an unexpected problem arose: the arrival of my siblings.
Since I hadn’t anticipated that they would follow, I hadn’t prepared separate rooms for them.
“[Sister, where am I supposed to sleep?]”
“[Hmm… Neyla…]”
As for Luke, who was a nobleman, he could just blend in among the crew and sleep with them.
Neyla was the problem.
While the other crew members were sharing a room of about four, I couldn’t take away their tiny space…
“[Let’s share my room, Neyla.]”
Reluctantly, I brought Neyla into my room.
I expected it, but being with Neyla was incredibly uncomfortable.
I knew she disliked me, which made it even worse.
Realizing this wouldn’t work, I decided to try to win Neyla over again.
Even if she hated me, that was the past… she must have disliked the villainess Claudia from the game.
‘Now that we’re stuck together like this, I might as well try a little harder.’
I believed that if I made an effort, I could reopen Neyla’s heart.
So, I pondered how to get closer to her, and a decent idea came to me.
“Neyla, do you want to show each other our dresses?”
“Hmm?”
“Looking at other people’s dresses is fun, right? I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.”
My suggestion seemed a bit sudden, as she hesitated.
“Ah, of course, if you don’t want to…”
“I want to! Let’s look together.”
We immediately opened the wardrobe.
The colorful dresses trapped inside revealed themselves like magic.
Laid out on the bed, they looked even more beautiful.
Although no words were exchanged, I could tell that Neyla was quite enjoying it.
Her faint smile that had settled on her lips proved that fact.
‘So she really likes this sort of thing. I’m glad I brought it up.’
Like most young people, she had a considerable interest in fashion.
Feeling a bit excited, I began explaining my dresses in front of Neyla.
“Mine have a slightly different design than those sold in the duchy, right? I bought them in the capital.”
Most of what I owned was in the style currently trending in the capital.
The back and chest areas were quite revealing.
In contrast, Neyla’s dresses were mostly designed to cover her neck completely.
Wouldn’t it be hot and stuffy to wear something like that?
Such nosy thoughts crossed my mind.
Ultimately, I thought my dresses looked much better, and it seemed Neyla felt the same way.
“They’re pretty…”
She gazed at my dress with a dreamy expression, petting it for a while.
The dress she showed particular interest in was a coral pink one, which, thanks to its voluminous lace, was the epitome of grandeur.
It was also the most expensive piece among my dresses.
Anyway, I thought giving it to her would significantly help improve our relationship.
“Do you want that one?”
Neyla looked at me with wide, surprised eyes.
It seemed she genuinely liked it. Thinking that, I smiled brightly and urged her again.
“I’ve only worn it once, but if you want it, I’ll give it to you.”
It was a beloved item of mine, so I said it with a generous heart.
Naturally, I thought Neyla would be thrilled.
But it was strange.
Her smile twisted oddly.
As if she found it absurd.
“You know I can’t wear dresses like that, right?”
She said, “You know I can’t,” but I had no idea why.
“What do you mean?”
“Don’t you remember again?”
“Did I make a mistake?”
She only smiled quietly.
Thanks to that, I had no choice but to speculate.
“If it bothered you that I offered you a dress, then I apologize. I never meant to disregard you. I just thought you liked it…”
Instead of answering, Neyla quietly took my hand.
“It’s okay. People usually don’t remember their own sins well.”
I couldn’t even reply.
Her gaze towards me felt as cold as a blade for a moment.
“Forgetting is easier.”
With those last words, Neyla released my hand.
She had held it so tightly that my skin was red in the shape of her fingers.
But I didn’t have the luxury of worrying about that. Neyla stood up from her seat right away.
“Neyla? Where are you going!”
I also quickly stood up and followed her, but it was futile.
Neyla’s steps were far too swift for me to catch up.
More than I had ever seen before.
“Neyla!”
When I stepped into the corridor, her figure had already vanished.
‘Something… there’s something between the original Claudia and Neyla that I don’t know. I feel like there’s a big misunderstanding here.’
In any case, I stood blankly in the hallway, not knowing what to do.
—
* * *
—
An hour had passed since Neyla left, and Luke came to visit.
He immediately began packing all of Neyla’s belongings into a bag.
Considering Neyla’s earlier behavior, I could guess what was happening.
‘Neyla must have finally said she wants to sleep in a different room from me.’
Normally, packing up would be the maid’s job, but Neyla couldn’t bring one.
Besides, it must have been awkward for her to return to get her things herself, so she had no choice but to ask Luke.
And, as expected, he didn’t just take the items and leave.
“What did you do to Neyla?”
“Why? Did Neyla say she doesn’t want to share a room with me?”
“Yeah. What did you do to make that sweet girl run away in disgust?”
I was flabbergasted. I was the most curious about why Neyla was acting that way.
“I just gave her a dress as a gift. But then she suddenly started saying strange things…”
“Did you threaten her or something?”
“No!”
Luke shot me a disgusted look.
Then he quickly approached me.
“I’m sure I warned you before, didn’t I? If you touch Neyla, I won’t let it slide.”
“…”
Was he going to push me again like last time?
Now, whenever he came close, bad thoughts started to arise in my mind.
I regretted not having even one weapon ready when his steps halted before reaching me.
It was because Nathan had firmly grabbed Luke’s shoulder and stopped him.
“No matter what happened, this isn’t right, is it? You can’t just threaten your sister, especially your little sister.”
It seemed Nathan was holding on quite tightly.
Luke’s expression was contorted in response.
It must have been excruciating since he was being gripped with the strength of a monster.
“…I was just admonishing her as a brother.”
“She’s not just your sister; she’s my wife and someone who could become an empress. You can’t treat her like that.”
As he spoke, Nathan exerted more strength, twisting Luke’s shoulder back.
Luke’s face twisted even more than before.
“…I will be careful.”
“Apologize properly. Not to me, but to my wife.”
Luke gritted his teeth and looked at me.
“I’m sorry.”
Only then did Nathan release Luke. Once freed from Nathan, Luke took his belongings and left immediately.
Once the two of us were left, a sigh of relief escaped me involuntarily.
“You came at the perfect time. Thank you for your help.”
“I heard your voice in the next room and thought something was off.”
I felt truly grateful.
If he had been far away, I wouldn’t have escaped from Luke yet.
“By the way, why is your brother acting like that? Is he always like this?”
“I want to know too. I have no idea why he’s like this.”
I was sincere.
Both Neyla and Luke were blaming me for things I didn’t even know, and it was frustrating.
They didn’t even tell me what I had done wrong.
As if it wasn’t worth telling me.
“Does he just act like that for no reason? What a crazy guy.”
“I agree. I wonder if he ate something wrong when he was little.”
I had no sense of guilt while cursing my own flesh and blood.
It was a fact that Luke was crazy, no matter what.
‘Why do I have to go through this?’
Suddenly, I felt a wave of sadness wash over me, and my eyes grew watery.
I leaned against Nathan, my only ally in this place, and let out a long sigh.
Then, I felt a soft, low vibration from his chest against mine.
“Let’s go to my room. Thinking about it, it’s too dangerous here.”
I lifted my head from where I had leaned and looked at him.
