Chapter 120: The Close Sisters[R-18]
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 120: The Close Sisters[R-18]
On the surface, the Armeina sisters seemed to get along just fine.
Of course, that was only on the surface.
In truth, for nobles—especially women in high society—hiding one's true feelings is a fundamental skill.
Their words, expressions, and even the smallest gestures often carry meanings far different from what they appear to be.
Their cunning, their duplicity, could be downright terrifying to a commoner.
And Lorein and Ryuz were women who had graduated from the Academy.
In other words, hiding their true feelings was a simple matter for them—even if they had been utterly defenseless before the man they loved, giving him their all.
“Oh, Sister. Heading for a wash? It looks like you were out running from dawn again.”
Perhaps because of this, the relationship they presented to the world was still that of two sisters on good terms.
In fact, when it came to diligence, they were models for any noble lady.
Even if neither of them knew—or perhaps, couldn't even admit to themselves—exactly what feelings the other was hiding.
“Yes, I worked up quite a sweat. It's best to wash up immediately. And I need to do the laundry right away, too.”
“Come to think of it, you've been wearing that same outfit every day, haven't you?”
Lorein was dressed in long training pants and a vest-like workout top.
She was covered up so completely that not an inch of skin was showing.
Not that it did much to hide her magnificent figure, of course.
“Mhm, I just feel self-conscious showing skin.”
“You never used to care about things like that.”
“I didn't have the luxury to worry about it back then. Things are different now.”
“Hmm, for someone who says that, you still wear very revealing clothes when you spar with Master, don't you? That sports bra... it's practically underwear.”
At Ryuz's words, Lorein froze.
The faint smile on her face vanished.
In its place was a cold, blank expression and an oppressive air.
But Ryuz didn't back down, continuing with a bright, cheerful smile.
“Are you saying it's okay to show him? Or are you actually trying to get his attention?”
“...It's not like that. It's just the easiest to move in.”
“Heeh~ Really?”
“Of course. Why should I have to worry about what others think in my own home?”
Lorein answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
But inwardly, she couldn't deny the sting of truth.
It was true, after all. She deliberately wore revealing clothes when she sparred with Hyun-woo.
She felt a thrill whenever he admired her figure or praised her.
It was a feeling she could never have imagined before.
Now, Hyun-woo didn't even bother to hide his gaze as it drifted to her chest.
Sometimes, Lorein would even make her breasts jiggle on purpose.
Subtly enjoying the way his reaction changed.
...Of course, she wouldn't admit that even if her mouth were ripped open.
Especially not in front of her younger sister, who had grown strangely bold lately.
“Still, don't you think it's improper for a noble lady to be flaunting her body like that in front of a man in his prime?”
“That is a proper duel where we cross swords. A place where we exchange our skills and our spirit.”
Lorein scoffed.
“Of course, you've never done it, so you wouldn't understand.”
“……”
A cold tension filled the air between them.
It was as if each was contemplating how to wound the other more deeply.
“Oh, right~ I guess I'm just not up to date on the ways of chivalry. So you have to wear such a lewd, revealing outfit. I see.”
“Ah, it's fine if you don't understand. It can't be helped. This is something only a fellow knight could possibly comprehend.”
In truth, both sisters were lying.
Both had worn lewd outfits to seduce Hyun-woo.
Both had used the most vulgar words to demand his cock.
But neither of them would ever say so openly.
Neither was certain just ‘how far’ the other had gone with Hyun-woo.
To press the issue would be like plunging a sword into each other's hearts.
Depending on how things played out, Hyun-woo might be held responsible for two-timing two women—sisters, no less.
But neither of them wanted that.
They only saw the sister before them as an annoying thief cat.
“Sharing your ‘spirit’ in such a lewd outfit? How ridiculous. Do you get some kind of thrill from teasing a man young enough to be your little brother?”
“And you must have been secretly watching our spar, weren't you? Like. a. lit.tle. rat.”
“……I just happened to glance over. The sound of your swords was getting on my nerves.”
Ryuz gave a pointed shrug.
It was a casual gesture, but more than enough to get under her sister's skin.
“Have you ever stopped to think how much of a nuisance you're being to Master?”
“……What?”
“I mean, you drag him into swordsmanship practice every single day. He only puts up with it because he's a nice person. Anyone else would be sick of you by now.”
“……That's rich, coming from the one who gets private magic lessons every day.”
“That's because I'm a fellow magician.”
Ryuz said, accentuating the word fellow as she puffed out her chest.
“It's not at all strange for a magician to take on a student.”
“……Isn't Hyun-woo a bit young to be taking on students?”
“Oh, please. What century are we in? Who cares about age for something like this?”
Ryuz sneered openly.
“Don't go showing your age.”
“……”
Lorein bit her lip.
It wasn't that she had nothing to say.
It was just that Ryuz had struck her Achilles' heel.
No matter how skilled a swordswoman she was, the fact remained that Hyun-woo was a magician.
And then there was the matter of her age.
In high society... no, even among commoners, it was exceedingly rare for a man to marry an older woman.
She and Hyun-woo had little in common professionally, and there was the age gap.
It was frustrating, but she had to admit it was her weakness.
Having a weakness she normally ignored pointed out so sharply stung.
“So?”
But Lorein simply tossed her hair back, her expression confident.
Act more confident the more disadvantaged you are.
It was the coping mechanism that had always allowed the proud Lorein to stand tall.
“If anything, doesn't that make the bond between Hyun-woo and me more meaningful?”
“What's that supposed to mean?”
“Hyun-woo and I can grow close without needing something as trivial as magic. We're not like some people, who'd have no reason to even meet him otherwise.”
“……Says the one who was so cold and wary of him at first.”
“That's because I'm not some cheap girl who smiles foolishly at any man who comes along.”
“Oh my~ And who might this ‘cheap girl’ be?”
“Oh, I'm sorry. I wasn't referring to anyone in particular. Did I strike a nerve?”
She said, flashing a bright, sweet smile.
Ryuz responded with an equally radiant smile of her own.
But the gazes they exchanged were laced with ice.
If their former selves could see them now, they would be shocked.
They would wonder, How could I say such hurtful things so carelessly... to another person, let alone my own sister?
“I have to ask.”
Ryuz took a deep breath and finally voiced the question that had been burning in her mind.
“Are you interested in Master?”
“I think he's a good man.”
“I love him. So much that I would give him my body and soul.”
For a moment, Lorein's eyes widened slightly.
It was only for a fraction of a second, but Ryuz didn't miss it.
“What about you, Sister? Do you want to be with him?”
“……Why are you asking that all of a sudden?”
“Can't a younger sister be curious?”
“Then stay out of it.”
With that, Lorein turned and walked away.
But anyone could see the flustered haste in her retreating figure.
“……”
She didn't need to hear an answer.
The sight of Lorein practically fleeing was answer enough.
‘...I can't sleep.’
That night, Ryuz lay awake until dawn.
She felt she'd gotten carried away and said things she shouldn't have.
No, they were things she never should have said.
‘It could even shatter the relationship I have with Master now.’
It was the one thing both Ryuz and Lorein feared most.
That Hyun-woo would find the situation untenable and leave the estate.
They had to prevent that from happening, no matter the cost.
A life without him was now unthinkable.
But to just stand by and watch her sister get closer to Master... that was unbearable in its own way.
“Haaah.”
Overcome with frustration, Ryuz got out of bed.
She decided to walk the halls for a bit.
As she wandered the mansion, she saw something she wasn't supposed to see.
‘...Sister?’
Lorein was slipping cautiously out of a storage room, heading straight back to her own.
It was an old storage room, one they rarely used anymore.
What was she doing here so late at night?
“……”
Driven by simple curiosity, Ryuz slipped into the storage room.
Call it a woman's intuition, but she felt an urge to see what was inside.
It didn't take long to find a box that looked like it had just been left there.
When Ryuz opened it, her eyes went wide.
“W-What is this?”
Inside was, unmistakably, what was known as a ‘bunny girl’ outfit.
She'd seen one on rare occasions in the erotic novels she'd gotten from Master.
And the bunny tail that came with it was……
“W-Wow……”
Ryuz knew exactly what this was now.
A daring outfit and accessory that conjured nothing but lewd images in her mind.
Even Ryuz couldn't help but be impressed.
“Ha... Don't tell me Sister wore this? The Lorein Armeina?”
There was no need to even ask who it was for.
The answer was obvious.
‘...There's no way she wore this just to show it off and left it at that.’
It wasn't hard to picture her sister wearing this, fawning over Master.
A feeling of both hot jealousy and cold fury washed over her.
She couldn't believe it. Her sister, who acted so pure and proper, was using something like this to seduce him behind her back.
‘To wear something like this... she must have been dead set on it. Just how far have they gone?’
Grit.
A habit she'd developed recently emerged without her realizing it.
It was all that bitch's fault for being such a slut.
She'd no doubt used that face and body to seduce Master, just like she had with all her other potential suitors.
‘Still... I have to hand it to her.’
To think that sister of hers would wear something so lewd—no, so vulgar—to fawn over a man.
She never would have imagined it in the past.
‘Knowing my sister's personality, there's no way she'd wear something like this unless her feelings were serious...’
It meant her feelings for Master ran deep.
This was dangerous.
As frustrating as it was, she knew her sister was an incredibly attractive woman.
That face and that incredible body, which she barely even had to work for.
Add to that her personality—always cold and guarded with other men.
The thrill of conquering a woman like that must be incredible.
It was no exaggeration to say she was the embodiment of a man's sexual fantasy.
‘If a woman like that tries to seduce him wearing this... of course he'd fall for it. Any man would.’
She ground her teeth without realizing it.
The image of Master smiling at her sister in that bunny girl outfit flashed through her mind.
She couldn't just stand by and do nothing.
This was more than a rivalry between sisters; it was a matter of pride as a woman.
‘……I loved him first.’
Ryuz clutched the bunny girl outfit in her hands.
She'd worn plenty of outfits for Master herself, putting on little ‘events’ for him.
Mostly things like school uniforms and school swimsuits... the kinds of things she knew Master liked.
But none of them had been this lewd, this vulgar.
‘I can't just sit back and do nothing.’
Ryuz's mind raced.
She would never, ever let her of all people steal Master away from her.