Chapter 262
Chapter 262
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Pushing Karen Forward
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"If your older sister likes something or wants something, she has to make an effort to seize it."
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry...."
"You said you liked me. But are you just going to stay quiet like that? Even if I kiss Grace like I did last night?"
"...I can't say anything about that...."
"Why not?"
"...Pardon?"
To be honest, I didn't think there was anything wrong with telling someone you like that you like them.
It was just something you naturally could do.
"You and Grace aren't dating or anything like that, right?"
"No, we're not."
"Then why the kiss...."
"You can just try it sometimes. A kiss, if your feelings match up. No problem, right?"
"...Pardon?"
To be honest, I was the type who thought a kiss was fine if your feelings aligned.
Of course, not a deep one with tongues intertwined.
A peck or a light kiss on the lips wasn't all that intense.
In fact, some cheeky nobles had even done that to me.
Not that I ever accepted it.
"Of course, you wouldn't do it with someone you hate. But I like Grace, and Grace likes me, so."
A kiss was just a kiss.
Honestly, it didn't feel like a huge deal.
"So, you and Grace aren't really in that kind of relationship...."
"That's right, we're not."
"......."
"So, Older Sister should just do whatever she wants."
Because in the end, you couldn't achieve anything without doing that.
If she didn't get even a little more aggressive, it would really be too hard for Karen to accomplish anything first.
Of course, that didn't mean I was going to give up on Karen.
On the contrary, I still fully intended to have her, to claim her.
"I'm actually curious about something. When you think about me meeting other women, what do you think, Older Sister Karen?"
I'd already told her about kissing Grace, even though it wasn't some special relationship.
There was no reason to hide anything else here.
It seemed better to just lay it all out cleanly.
"Kissing Grace and doing the same with other women."
"...What do you mean?"
"Just what I said. Should I call it a harem? That's what I'm building."
"...Pardon?"
"Um...."
As expected, it might be hard to grasp right away.
Dating between women wasn't common, let alone a harem of women.
I could understand Karen's reaction.
Even when I first told Rozalin, she was shocked, and afterward, really anxious....
"My maid Lize is one, my family's magic tutor is another. Ivana is my woman too."
"...Three?"
"Ah, actually there are already two more...."
"Five...?"
"And I'm thinking about Grace too."
"...Huh?"
A reaction that clearly didn't process it.
No, she'd heard it, but it was like she was refusing to accept it.
Of course, it was understandable.
"I just have a taste for pretty girls."
"...Really...?"
"Really. No reason to lie about something like this."
Honestly, I didn't think dating multiple people was that strange.
Anyone would naturally want to date pretty, attractive people, right?
And receiving love from various people instead of just one—surely no one would hate that.
Of course, taking responsibility for it was a whole different matter.
"Older Sister fits right into my type too, that's why I'm doing this."
"I'm not that kind of person...."
"Why not? You're so pretty."
"There are people way prettier than me...."
"I think you're prettier than other people."
I really couldn't understand why she couldn't see that.
Her confidence was low, but this was too extreme.
Big breasts, well-defined features, just... pretty.
I truly couldn't fathom why Karen lacked confidence.
She'd been like that since childhood, but she'd been born into such a great environment, and she was stunningly beautiful.
Why was she like this?
"If you weren't my type to begin with, I wouldn't be doing this."
"......."
"You're my type, you're pretty. That's why I brought you here and am saying all this."
Well, I'd said a lot.
But ultimately, what I wanted was for Karen to be a little more proactive.
I didn't even want seduction like with Ivana.
If I said this much, wouldn't it be enough...?
I'd put it out there that I was interested in both Grace and her.
And told her to act more aggressively....
And I'd even heard her say she liked me.
Maybe things would get better now....
With that in mind, I wrapped up the conversation appropriately.
Seeing Karen sniffle now and then softened my heart a bit, and it was about time for Grace to wake up anyway.
*
"Grace, want to go out and look at some clothes together today?"
"Clothes...?"
"Yeah, clothes. I'm bored, and one of my nightgowns got ruined recently."
"...Now?"
"Yeah, Older Sister Karen's coming too."
After lunch, Grace was resting a bit.
When I spoke to her first, she reacted a little awkwardly, but I went ahead with the question.
I'd already decided that with Karen.
"What do you think?"
"...Older Sister's going too?"
"Older Sister Karen? Of course she's coming with us."
"...Then I'll go."
"Got it. Want to get ready for a bit? I need to change into something a little nicer too."
"...Okay."
An awkward reaction, but Grace accepted my invitation normally.
There wasn't any particular reason for her to refuse going out.
We'd kissed yesterday, but she hadn't brought it up at all.
Not during breakfast after I met her post-Karen talk, nor afterward.
"Heh heh...."
After finishing the light chat, I returned to my room.
It was March, but still chilly, so I couldn't just go out in my indoor clothes.
"What happened? Did something good occur this morning?"
"Just in a fun mood. Lize's coming with us today too, right? It'll probably be... pretty entertaining. Like reading a stimulating romance novel?"
"Is that so...?"
And for today's outing, it wasn't just the Rosaki sisters and me—Lize was coming along too.
Nobles going out needed at least one servant, inevitably.
Of course, it wasn't just to burden Lize... I planned to buy her some sexy underwear too.
"Shall we head out then?"
"Yes."
After changing clothes roughly, I left the room right away.
After that, nothing special happened.
I met the sisters, who'd changed into normal outfits, in the mansion lobby, got in the carriage, and headed to the store.
I'd already rented the store for about two hours anyway, no issues.
The arrived store was just a place selling women's clothes like decent dresses.
Of course, the hidden back area sold... quite risqué stuff?
"Heh heh...."
"The store's super quiet...?"
"We rented it out for the time slot."
"...For real?"
"Yeah."
Aside from Lize and the Rosaki sisters, the store interior was truly empty.
I always thought this whenever it happened—money really was the best.
It solved things so cleanly.
Otherwise, other people coming in would have made it crowded inside.
"Convenient, right? Take your time looking around. If you want to try something on, Lize will help."
"Ah..."
Anyway, I'd brought the two sisters here.
There were plenty of other places I could have taken them, but no special reason for this one.
"Lize?"
"Yes, Young Lady."
"If you want to try on some clothes a bit later, make sure to call me too?"
"Understood."
"Yeah, that's it."
It was one tactic to get them more used to physical contact.
And at the same time, a plan to see what one of the sisters might do if the other was away.
I expected Karen to be a bit more proactive than Grace.
"Heh heh...."
No matter what, I'd given Karen plenty of advice today, even some tough love.
Surely she'd approach more aggressively than Grace today?
After all my hard talking... she wouldn't act the same as usual, right?
If she did... it'd be quite the emergency.
Unlike Grace, who'd already kissed me, nothing had happened with Karen yet.
Between Karen and Grace, I'd known Karen much longer.
In this situation, I couldn't help wanting Karen to do well.
"...Hm."
But she'd do well, right...?
After all the harsh words I said this morning?