Chapter 96: The Sisters' Catfight[R-18]
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 96: The Sisters' Catfight[R-18]
News of Lorein's broken engagement spread quickly throughout the Armeina estate. So did the fact that Carl had called it off and that the Sirius family had promised their unconditional support to Armeina.
Though the news was sudden, it was hardly bad for the Armeina family.
In fact, it was cause for celebration.
As a result, everyone welcomed the news with open arms.
Everyone, that is, except for one person.
‘...Carl gave up on my sister?’
Her younger sister, Ryuz, had often seen Carl Sirius visit the estate.
He was a man who usually carried an intellectual, sharp air about him.
But around her sister, he would wear an unguarded, affectionate expression that made his feelings obvious to anyone.
It didn't seem likely that a man who had loved her sister for so long would throw away the chance to marry her for no reason.
‘And the support the Sirius family is offering is strange, too.’
Ryuz was still young, but she was a noble.
She knew enough to understand that in the world of aristocracy, there was no such thing as a favor without a reason.
For the terms to be so one-sidedly generous, someone must have applied pressure.
And as far as Ryuz knew, there was only one person capable of putting that kind of pressure on the powerful Sirius family.
‘...Could it be that Teacher used his influence?’
She clicked her tongue without thinking.
She felt bad for troubling her teacher with the Armeina family's affairs.
But more than that, she wondered if her sister had become that important to him.
“Sigh, my sister...”
It wasn't that Ryuz wanted her sister, Lorein, to be unhappy.
The inferiority complex she'd harbored since childhood had faded significantly thanks to her teacher.
Now, she even felt a genuine respect for her as a fellow woman.
She hoped her sister could live the happy life she desired.
But when it came to men, it was a different story.
And if her beloved teacher was involved, it was a very serious problem indeed.
-Grit.
Ryuz unconsciously gritted her teeth.
‘...For someone who always said marriage was a noble's duty.’
Could her sister be after Teacher, too?
She already disliked how much time the two had been spending together lately.
She had only let it slide because her sister always insisted she would marry another noble.
She had never once imagined Lorein would become a romantic rival.
But the current situation was the complete opposite of what she'd said.
It was the first time in Ryuz's life she had seen her sister look at a man that way.
Anyone who saw them would have mistaken them for a loving couple.
‘...And she's older than Teacher, too.’
Ryuz admitted her sister was attractive, but still... a noblewoman with a younger man? Wasn't that improper?
Ryuz didn't like the idea of her sister becoming a competitor.
Amy was an exception; she was a Pussy Maid.
She was in charge of satisfying Teacher's sexual appetite, which was too much for Ryuz to handle alone.
Besides, even as a woman, Ryuz had to admit Amy's sexual techniques were impressive.
Her sister, however, was a different matter.
Her heart refused to accept it, overriding her reason.
After all, Ryuz had spent her entire life being compared to her.
‘I can suck Teacher's dick better than she can...’
At the very least, Ryuz believed she could make a man melt in ways her cold sister never could.
Sex, too... she was certain she'd be better.
She couldn't even imagine her sister enduring shame and embarrassment for a man.
‘...And yet here she was, secretly hitting on him.’
Or maybe she was just using Teacher for her own happiness.
...Ryuz didn't like that possibility either.
The mere thought of her sister and Teacher exchanging heated glances made her bite her lip hard enough to crush it.
‘It's fine. I'm his one and only disciple. And his cocksleeve.’
It was then, as she was walking down the hall in a gloomy mood, that she ran into Lorein coming from the other direction.
The sisters looked at each other, saying nothing for a moment.
“.......”
“.......”
They were sisters who had spent practically their entire lives together.
That brief exchange of glances was enough to tell them a great deal.
As Ryuz observed Lorein, she noticed something.
‘My sister... has started putting effort into her appearance?’
Lorein had never been the type to care about such things.
Her personality was such that she considered buying makeup or nice clothes an extravagance.
The fact that she still managed to look so good was a little frustrating.
‘But this... no matter how I look at it, she's clearly dolled herself up on purpose.’
And now, that same sister had suddenly started wearing proper makeup.
From the fragrance that tickled her nose, it seemed she'd even put on perfume.
Looking closer, her face seemed to have changed, too—somehow prettier, more feminine.
That wasn't something that could be achieved just by getting dressed up.
She was exuding the distinct femininity and sensuality of a woman who has been loved by a man.
‘No way...’
A sense of displeasure welled up inside her.
It had been a long time since she'd felt this way—not since she'd first been in Teacher's arms.
The monster called jealousy began to stir in her heart once more.
“You're looking well, sister,” Ryuz said with a bright smile.
“Hm? Ah, do you think so?”
“Yeah! You must be thrilled your engagement was called off.”
“......”
“You always said it was your duty to sacrifice yourself for the estate, but you didn't really want to go through with it, did you? I get it.”
Lorein couldn't answer.
What Ryuz said was undeniably true.
But it was difficult to agree so readily.
It felt as if she were being called out for prioritizing her own happiness over the estate.
Or perhaps this was just her own guilt making her oversensitive.
“To be honest, I used to think the same way you did, sister. That it wouldn't matter who I married. But then I met a truly wonderful man, and it changed my perspective.”
“A wonderful man?”
“Yep! Our teacher.”
Ryuz said with a broad smile.
Lorein found herself frowning slightly.
It was such a simple, obvious thing to say, yet for some reason, the words pierced her heart.
“.......You really think Hyun-woo is that wonderful?”
“Of course! He's handsome, skilled in magic, and he's even a great teacher. He's a truly incredible man.”
Ryuz paused, covering her mouth in an exaggerated gesture.
“Oh, I'm sorry. You haven't spent much time with him, so you wouldn't really know, would you, sister? It's different for me, getting tutored by him every day. I forgot about that.”
The Lorein of the past would have let such a comment slide.
She would have simply been flustered by her younger sister's verbal assault.
But for some reason...
She found it incredibly difficult to ignore that one sentiment: You don't know Hyun-woo.
“...I know plenty about Hyun-woo, too.”
“What? You do?”
“Of course. We've sparred with swords several times.”
“.......But Teacher is a magician. The sword isn't his specialty.”
“Heh, you wouldn't know since you're ignorant about swords, Ryuz. But there are things you can only understand when you cross blades with someone. A meeting of the minds, you could say?”
She said this with a patronizing smile, as if looking at a cute, naive child.
“Of course, I understand you're still young, Ryuz, so you can't see these things yet. You probably think what you see on the surface is all there is. It will take time for you to truly understand a man of Hyun-woo's caliber.”
“Hmm~”
Their conversation paused.
But they continued to stare at each other, eyes smiling, but with no trace of warmth on their lips.
A cold tension emanated from them both.
In that tense atmosphere, Lorein thought to herself.
‘...Something about this is bothering me.’
She wondered what it was, then realized it was because Ryuz's words were true.
Just as she'd said, Hyun-woo was fundamentally a magician.
Lorein, knowing nothing of magic, could hardly claim to understand him completely.
Ryuz, on the other hand, was his disciple, at least in name.
‘A master and disciple...’
Though she had learned swordsmanship from him, she wasn't what you would call a disciple.
Their relationship only went so far.
If Hyun-woo were to leave Armeina, they would have been nothing more than a brief fling.
Ryuz, however, would still have that deep connection of master and disciple.
‘Somehow... this is so irritating.’
Worse, Ryuz was constantly being tutored by him.
For long periods of time. Just the two of them. In a small room. Sitting right next to each other.
‘...Isn't that incredibly dangerous?’
She'd never thought anything of it before, but now the image seemed so lewd.
Who knew what could have happened in that room?
It didn't seem like something a man and woman in the prime of their lives should be doing alone.
The distance between them sitting side-by-side at a desk would be far closer than the distance between two crossed swords.
As her imagination ran wild, she suddenly found the entire situation unbearable.
Of course, this wasn't just due to her personal feelings.
It was purely out of her sense of responsibility as an older sister, who had to look out for her younger sister's well-being.
...At least, that was the excuse Lorein gave herself.
“Come to think of it, how long do you plan on receiving those tutoring lessons?”
“Wh-what?”
“I let it slide since Hyun-woo was the one who offered, but isn't it rude to just keep taking lessons from him?”
“...Teacher said he enjoys teaching me.”
“He probably just said that because he couldn't say no to a student. He might actually find it burdensome, you know?”
“......”
These were sharp words she would never have directed at her sister before.
But with Hyun-woo involved, they came out all too easily.
Lorein couldn't stop herself.
The emotions she felt now were far too strong.
“If you want, I can have a word with him. About cutting back on the lessons, or maybe stopping them altogeth—”
“Shut up.”
Ryuz snapped, cutting Lorein off.
Their gazes clashed.
“I'll decide my own affairs. Stay out of what's between us, sister.”
“.......And that's why you're still a child.”
The tension between them grew, incomparable to what it was moments before.
It felt like a single spark would set them off.
“...What are you two doing?”
A voice cut in.
It was Priscilla, the lord of the estate and their mother.
“Are you two fighting? In the middle of the hallway?”
“.......Of course not.”
The sisters regained their composure and changed the subject.
After giving a vague explanation to a frowning Priscilla, they finally went their separate ways.
It wasn't because they had resolved their differences, but because it would be disastrous to be caught fighting over a man in front of their mother.
If she pushed it, she might end up being introduced to another man, which would make the situation incredibly awkward.
More than anything, they were worried about how this would look to Hyun-woo.
Back in her room, Ryuz couldn't calm her racing heart.
It was the first time she had ever fought with her sister like that.
Above all, the emotion and intent behind Lorein's words had been painfully clear.
‘...That reaction... Does my sister really feel that way, too?’
The vague inferiority complex she had harbored for so long...
Now that they were fighting over a man, it solidified into a tangible weight in her chest.
Feeling it, Ryuz bit her nails, vowing to herself that this time, she would not let her sister take him from her.