Chapter 233: Awkward Siblings
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 233: Awkward Siblings
Ferdin awkwardly moistened his lips.
Across from him, Annette sat with her eyes cast down, taking a quiet sip of her tea.
The Marquis’s estate had been in an uproar since early morning.
“Why is this house so filthy? Look at the dust on these stairs! Clean it all again, every inch of it!”
His father, Marquis Frais, had ordered a complete refurbishment of the mansion upon hearing that Annette was on her way to the capital.
“Why would Annette come to the Marquisate? The Grand Duke has a townhouse in the capital.”
“Still, she’ll surely drop by her maiden home at least once!”
Does Annette even think of this place as her home?
Ferdin swallowed the words that threatened to spill out.
Perhaps the Marquis realized how nonsensical he sounded, as he turned to Ladriel and shouted, “Ladriel! You go and take responsibility for bringing Annette here!”
“How am I supposed to do that?”
“Are you not her older sister? There must be some bond between sisters! Use some sweet words and coax her back to the estate!”
Unable to refuse their father’s command, Ladriel eventually boarded a carriage and headed for the Grand Temple, where Annette was said to have arrived.
— “Take a few more knights with you.”
As Ladriel was leaving, Ferdin had called for the Knight Commander and given the order. It was a precaution in case of friction with the Blenheim Knights.
But then…
— “Young Marquis! Lady Ladriel has collapsed!”
— “They say she fainted after being struck by a carriage… She is currently resting at the Grand Duke’s townhouse.”
Struck by a carriage?
That was how Ferdin ended up rushing to the Grand Duke’s townhouse.
“…I thought sending her straight back to the Marquisate might cause a misunderstanding, so I brought her here for the time being.”
Annette set down her teacup and explained the situation in a dry voice.
“They say nothing is broken, so she should be fine after a few days of rest. I’m sorry things turned out this way.”
Her hair was glossy, and her face had a healthy, vibrant complexion. Her dress was fashioned from exquisite fabric that spoke of its quality. Her demeanor went beyond mere confidence; it bordered on arrogance.
Meeting her after so long, Annette seemed like a completely different person.
Just as Raphael had said, she appeared to be receiving proper treatment in the North, which was a relief.
But to say she was “sorry”? No matter how much distance she kept, that wasn’t the way one spoke to family.
“I will take Ladriel back as soon as she regains consciousness,” Ferdin said, struggling to hide his agitation.
Sitting with her back perfectly straight, Annette bore a striking resemblance to their mother. She looked just like the mother who used to embrace Ferdin with such tender, loving eyes.
Ferdin swallowed a heavy sigh.
There was a time when he didn’t consider Annette family. He had believed that the illegitimate child born of his mother’s betrayal could never be his sister, not in a hundred lifetimes.
Yet, the sister he had refused to acknowledge as family had grown to become the child who resembled their mother the most. It felt as if her very existence was a silent reproach directed at him.
For some reason, his stomach churned.
“Well, I shall take my leave now.”
Just as Ferdin was about to stand up, Annette spoke abruptly.
“…Watch out for Father.”
At his suspicious look, Annette hesitated, her lips trembling slightly. It was clear she was debating whether she could trust him.
“I won’t speak of this to anyone, so speak freely.”
“…The Marquis is a man who prizes the family name above all else in the world.”
After a moment’s hesitation, Annette continued as if she had made up her mind.
“He is a man who raised an illegitimate child like me simply because he feared the scandal of casting me out would stain the family’s honor.”
Ferdin remained silent, unable to deny it.
“However, he is not a particularly clever man.”
“He is greedy but lacks intuition; he is hot-tempered, has no patience, and is easily provoked. He has the perfect personality to be manipulated by others.”
“Your words are excessive.”
Yet, Ferdin felt as though she had struck a nerve. Annette was voicing the very truths he had never dared to utter.
“…Don’t you think he’s a perfect pawn to be used and discarded?” Annette asked meaningfully.
These were not words to be taken lightly. Annette was warning him that the Empress was using the Marquis to plot something sinister.
“Have you heard something?”
Instead of answering, Annette shifted the subject.
“I’ll be honest with you. I don’t care what happens to the House of Frais.”
Unlike Annette, Ferdin was the one who would have to spend the rest of his life worrying about the future of the Frais family.
“You speak so easily,” he said, feeling a prickle of resentment. “Even if you carry the name of Blenheim now, you are still a Frais. Are you saying you never benefited from the family at all?”
“Perhaps I did, a little,” Annette gave a bitter smile. “But by that logic, you’ve benefited dozens of times more than I have, Brother. So, isn’t it only right that the worrying be left to you?”
“Then why are you telling me this?”
“Because I’m worried about Raphael.”
Annette met Ferdin’s eyes, a rare occurrence.
“If House Frais falls, Raphael won’t be safe either. I’m telling you this because I want to prevent that at the very least.”
The family falling?
Ferdin studied Annette’s expression. This wasn’t just idle anxiety. A deep-seated concern, rooted in some kind of evidence, was etched onto her face.
— “It’s about time our Third Prince made his appearance. And I have no use for cowards. I need a gambler.”
Ferdin recalled the Empress’s words.
Even if the Empress plotted something, she wouldn’t soil her own hands. If so, the one to do the dirty work would be his father.
Or perhaps, it will be me.
“If I were you, I would keep a close eye on Father.”
Annette emphasized her point, as if telling him not to take her words lightly.
Normally, Ferdin should have doubted her for speaking without evidence, but he simply nodded.
“I will keep that in mind.”
Annette blinked, seemingly surprised by his easy acceptance.
“In any case… thank you.”
Ferdin spoke with his eyes slightly downcast.
It wasn’t just gratitude for today’s warning. It was gratitude for her growing up well despite the family’s neglect, for leaving to get married and living happily, for drawing a clear line at the word ‘family’ to put him in his place, and for not turning a blind eye and warning him in a situation like this…
It was a single phrase packed with complex emotions.
A deep silence followed.
They could never become an affectionate pair of siblings now. Annette’s wounds were too deep, and Ferdin lacked the warmth necessary to heal them.
Still, I can at least return the advice.
“The Crown Princess will try to borrow money from you.”
This time, it was Annette’s eyes that widened.
“She’s been put in charge of the Imperial Expo, but the Imperial Treasury is empty.”
Ferdin toyed with the handle of his cooled teacup.
“It would be best not to lend it to her. The Crown Princess lacks the ability to make the Expo a success. No matter how much money goes in, it will only be scattered to the winds.”
“Lending money isn’t that difficult.”
“Even if lending that money means making an enemy of the Empress?”
As long as Annette remained neutral, things were relatively fine. But the moment she showed signs of siding with the Crown Princess, the Empress would reveal her sharpest claws.
The bigger problem was that the Crown Princess wasn’t an ally worth making an enemy of the Empress for.
“So, return to the North as quickly as possible.”
Ferdin added carefully, lest Annette misunderstand his intent.
“I was planning to return to the North tomorrow anyway.”
“…That is a relief.”
Once she left, he didn’t know when he would see her again. Just as he was pondering how to end the conversation, the butler came looking for Annette.
His face did not look good.
“I apologize for interrupting your conversation.”
Despite his haste, the old butler politely asked for Ferdin’s understanding before handing an envelope to Annette.
“An invitation has arrived from the Imperial Palace. It is a command to attend a banquet with His Majesty the Emperor this evening.”
Their eyes met simultaneously.
A sudden invitation from the Emperor. It was not a good omen.
* * *
“Only Her Highness the Consort may enter here.”
The Imperial Knight standing at the entrance of the Annex spoke coldly.
“The knights must wait here.”
“You expect Her Highness to enter without an escort?”
Tiern Vieri ground his teeth as the Imperial Knight narrowed his eyes.
“When His Majesty the Emperor is in residence, no one who is armed or holds the status of a knight may enter the Annex without an invitation. This is a rule applied to everyone except the immediate Imperial Family.”
“Are you not a knight yourself?”
“Naturally, the Imperial Knights are the exception.”
The Imperial Knight looked at Tiern as if his point was absurd. Greg and several other knights subtly rested their hands on their sword hilts.
“Any act that violates the rules will be considered an act of treason,” the Imperial Knight added stiffly.
Tiern ground his teeth again but could not find a rebuttal. He turned back to me.
“Your Highness, will you be alright?”
His face was full of worry, as if he were sending me into a monster’s den.
“Are you perhaps feeling unwell or uncomfortable? If so, let us simply turn back.”
“You want me to feign illness after coming all this way?”
I narrowed my eyes at his whispered suggestion.
“It’s not feigning illness, but if you have even the slightest discomfort…”
“It’s fine. I’m already here.”
I turned to Perel Otis and Cecilia, who had come with me.
“You two don’t need to wait; go back to the townhouse. There’s nowhere for you to stay here anyway.”
“The lady-in-waiting may enter with you,” the Imperial Knight suddenly interjected.
Is this a courtesy for a noblewoman?
Perel sent me a look that asked, “What about me?” but the Imperial Knight coolly ignored him.
In the end, leaving the knights and Perel behind, I entered the Annex with Cecilia.
We followed an attendant along the outdoor corridor of the Annex as the sunset began to fall. The golden pillars, radiating a brilliant light, made me blink. At the far end, I saw a silhouette standing.
The hem of a cloak fluttered lightly above two firmly planted legs.
I walked slowly, lifting my gaze.
Pale, cream-colored blond hair shimmered under the light of the setting sun.
It was Duke Kyle.