Prickly Sister is Actually a Brocon? (1)
"Family head. Vacation has begun, so I've returned home for a short while."
"Good. You've done well."
"I'll be heading back soon, so I'll stay out of the way without causing any trouble. However..."
Elania continued her calm report.
The reason for her return home was simple. The academy's vacation had arrived.
It came twice a year—a time of rest. The biggest festival was in winter, but now it was the tail end of summer, with the air cooling into a crisp breeze.
Shelter could be found anywhere for someone like her. Who was she, after all? The daughter of the hero. The third child at that.
As the rumors went, she was relatively lenient with the eldest and youngest, but neglectful toward the second... It wasn't entirely wrong.
She had imposed strict rules and discipline on her eldest daughter, while for herself, there were no major constraints—just invisible fences she tried to erect.
The result? Her second daughter, Serdi, had grown up the freest and most cheerful in the Elion family.
With fewer restrictions or supports than the others, she could voice her opinions as much as she wanted.
In any case, Elania, who knew all this backstory, slowly lowered her gaze.
"...Why is Kael in your arms, Family head?"
"Sniff... Sniffle..."
"He's right there, crying his eyes out. I'm comforting him."
'?'
Her thoughts ground to a halt for a moment.
...Had she heard that wrong? Comforting him? The family head, comforting someone?
It was too bizarre to chalk up to the family head picking up a sense of humor in her absence. She was stroking his head. Patting his back in a steady rhythm as Kael sniffled and sobbed. She was genuinely soothing him.
"Mommy... Mommy..."
"Yes? What's wrong?"
"Hiiing... Sis... Elania sis said... to get lost..."
"..."
The air turned ice-cold in an instant.
'...What the hell.'
Her eldest sister was twenty now. Serdi was seventeen. And Elania herself was sixteen.
Prime age for puberty to hit hard. She couldn't help being sensitive.
Especially in the academy—a tiny noble society formed entirely of peers. She was already sick to death of the stares and relationships swirling around in there.
That's why she'd rushed home, desperate for even a brief escape.
It was just that sudden voice grating on her nerves. And in the academy, men were seen as little more than marriage bait for women someday. That's all that had slipped out casually.
"...Elania. Explain in detail why Kael said such a thing."
"......"
Aurelia's gaze flashed cold and rippled with intensity. Cold sweat trickled down Elania's spine as she felt it.
She hurriedly began making excuses.
......
"Whoa, Elania! You're back?"
"Shut it. Kael's one thing, but why are you so damn loud too, sis?"
"Oof. You... you've changed a lot? Were you always this prickly? I remember you being way sweeter..."
"Don't know, don't care. People change when they grow up. I'll be home for a month, so deal with it yourself."
With that curt exchange and report done, she returned to her room.
Serdi had been waiting, greeting her first as always.
Elania responded indifferently, tossing her shoulder bag onto the floor.
Home after so long felt unchanged. If anything, Serdi—who'd graduated early—was already staying here. And Kael's illness had fully improved.
It had been about three months, apparently.
A year and three months ago, they'd brought in some mercenary, and Kael's condition gradually improved until full recovery three months back. A week ago, he'd even gone up north and returned, welcoming her home like this.
"...Kael was super excited for you to come back."
"...Yeah. Sorry about that. I wasn't thinking much of it. Back in the day, I'd look after my little brother now and then. But the academy just taught me men are all little fox whelps."
"He'd be crushed if he heard that."
"Can't be helped. He'll get it when he grows up and goes to the academy. How filthy imperial society really is."
Serdi crossed her arms, leaning against the door at those words. She shrugged lightly, turned, and grabbed the doorknob.
"Take good care of Kael, yeah?"
"...Why?"
"Honestly, I don't see him as a brother anymore—just a guy. Don't have many memories from when he was little. But you do. You're the only one who spent real time with him back then."
"...I'll handle it, so get out already. I need to change."
"Yeees, yeees, sure thing~ Couldn't even say hi after so long? So saaaad~!"
Bam.
The door shut—not too loud, not too soft.
Left alone, Elania let out a deep breath and plopped onto the edge of her large bed.
"...Haa."
The sigh dragged on.
As her breath grew inexplicably hot, she covered her face with both hands and flopped backward onto the bed.
"...Aaaahhh...!!"
Unable to hold back any longer, she bit her lip hard and let out muffled screams.
She yanked the large teddy bear beside her into a fierce hug and rolled around on the bed over and over.
"You think I don't see you as a brother?! I don't either...! To me, you're just a guy too...!"
She ground her teeth and spat it out.
Why... why had he gotten even cuter?
He'd always been cute enough. An adorably fragile boy, so sickly she looked at him with pity more than affection...
"But... but now that you're all better... I end up hoping... What do I do..."
In this world, incestuous marriages were commonplace and accepted.
Nobles did it all the time to preserve status, wealth, and power.
And Kael? By blood, he wasn't fully human like them, tainted with monster heritage. Pure human blood, treating