Chapter 92
Chapter 92
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 92
Chapter Title: My Cozy Home #3
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Then, comrade, I’m off to decorate my house! I’ll invite you over next time, so come visit!”
Marmar waved her hands frantically until she could no longer see me or Mirna.
Mirna had invited Marmar to dinner as well, but she declined because she had a lot to do today.
Perhaps Marmar had tactfully excused herself after reading the mood. She might have picked up on the suspicious atmosphere between Mirna and me.
“Well then, let’s go, commoner.”
And so, Mirna and I headed toward the Draco family’s villa on the outskirts of the church city of Gracia during the sweltering afternoon sun.
I had visited once before, so the way there was familiar enough, but walking that somewhat long distance alongside Mirna made things feel a bit awkward.
What should I talk about?
Even when actually on a date with a woman, nothing came to mind about what to say.
What would Geumtaeo, the popular guy who draws the attention of all the older sisters, talk about in a situation like this?
I pictured popular, handsome guys chatting with women.
Women bursting into giggles on either side just from him saying “Delicious” while eating.
Not helpful at all.
“Phew—.”
Just then, Mirna Draco let out a sigh.
It did not seem like she was troubled by anything emotional. Her silky white-silver bangs were damp with sweat, suggesting she was feeling the heat.
I rummaged through my pocket and held out a handkerchief to Mirna. She took it and dabbed at the sweat beading on her forehead before speaking.
“The weather is awfully hot.”
“It is.”
Come to think of it, the weather was scorching.
—Zzzzzzzzzz.
—Meow, meow—.
Unknown insects were chirping noisily from the park and trees, making it feel like summer had suddenly arrived.
“How’s the summer like in Gracia? Does it get very hot?”
Mirna must know well, having lived in the city for quite some time.
When I asked about the city’s summer, she gazed languidly at the heat haze shimmering on the road with her slender eyes and answered.
“In the city of the Light and Salt God, strong sunlight and sweat are to be expected. But our villa is nice and cool.”
“That’s a relief.”
“While we’re on the topic, how about spending your summer break at our estate?”
“Summer break?”
At Mirna’s words, images of summer break flashed through my mind one after another: lying in a cool house, fanning myself to escape the blazing sun.
Of course, such leisure and luxury were not permitted for me. I was the type who had to fan Aira Elgar.
Besides, during summer break, I might have to return to Angmar with Aira and handle various matters, so it would be right to decline Mirna Draco’s invitation.
Still, bluntly cutting down her rare kindness seemed rude, so I decided to deflect with a plausible excuse.
“I don’t have the schedule out yet, so I can’t give a firm answer. Besides, summer break is still a long way off, right?”
I had not even taken midterms yet.
And yet, talk of break already.
Mirna smiled faintly.
“Time at the Academy passes faster than you think. Ah, we’re almost there.”
Before I knew it, as we chatted, we had nearly arrived at Mirna Draco’s villa.
And I was surprised.
The building and grounds, which had felt dreary last time, were now bursting with colorful flowers, truly living up to the name of a villa.
“The garden is beautiful. Do you tend it yourself?”
“I suppose you could say I did, but it’s more accurate to credit my little sister.”
“Ah. Your little sister.”
I recalled that Mirna had invited me today to introduce me to her sister, Narmi. Pretending to know nothing, I asked.
“Your sister... the one who wanted to buy those glass slippers, right?”
“That’s right. My little sister loves shiny things. I thought she’d like the glass slippers for sure. Of course, some Lioness brute who doesn’t understand reservations snatched them away.”
Memories of the incident before the semester started came back.
That was when I first met Mirna Draco.
Also, Narmi likes shiny things, huh.
Creak.
We finally reached the villa’s entrance, and the sturdy iron gate opened automatically. Some kind of magical mechanism?
Now I noticed statues of winged lizards at the entrance, their red ruby eyes glinting menacingly. They had not been there before.
“Those statues look scary.”
“You mustn’t touch them carelessly. They’re gargoyles guarding the villa. We beefed up security after Professor Valan attacked the estate last time.”
“I see.”
These statues actually move? As I reacted skeptically, Mirna spoke confidently, as if eager to boast.
“They could tear apart any ordinary grave robber or magician with one hand.”
“That’s impressive.”
“Right?”
Scary.
But with all the grave robbers targeting the Draco family’s treasures, wealth, and tombs, it was clear such measures were necessary to avoid headaches.
Curiosity struck me about the price.
“So, how much does one of these gargoyles cost?”
It would be nice to place one in front of Marmar’s house. But Mirna’s answer was unbelievable.
“Hmm. Around fifty million coins each, I’d say?”
“Hmm, I see.”
Marmar had struggled to pay a ten-million-coin deposit. Meanwhile, some people buy dozens of fifty-million-coin statues to guard their estates.
If Marmar heard, she might tremble with rage, shouting, “Insufferable bourgeois scum!”
* * *
The inside of the estate was very bright.
Gone was the old gloomy ghost mansion. With curtains and blackout shades drawn back, stained glass windows cast colorful light rippling across the floor like waves.
Just that change transformed the pitch-black, eerie den into something holy and reverent, like a cathedral.
“You’ve opened all the curtains?”
Aside from candles and lanterns, there were no light sources, making it night-like even in broad daylight, right? As I recalled, Mirna explained.
“With all the cemetery corpses stolen, there are no more bodies to manage. So now it’s fine to let sunlight in.”
“I see.”
“Anyway, I’ll prepare dinner, so wait here, commoner. Oh, and don’t touch anything carelessly.”
“I won’t.”
“If you’re bored, here are some books to read. I gathered everything from the library about the Angmar family and stacked them there. Though it didn’t seem like anything important.”
Where Mirna pointed, about twenty thick books were piled up as she said. Reading them all would take a month.
“I’ll step out for a bit.”
With that, Mirna left me alone in the parlor.
I noticed now, but Mirna’s attitude toward me felt much softer than before.
Does she actually like me?
I entertained such innocent, adolescent-boy thoughts.
But failing to distinguish a woman’s kindness from affection could lead to major regrets, so caution was key.
To cool my head from spinning happy delusions, I picked up a book at random.
The title read: ‘On the Angmar Family ? by Graybeard Colton.’
Sounds interesting.
「Members of the Angmar family are generally born with red hair and sapphire-blue eyes.
The men are typically tall and broad-shouldered, with intelligent, straight foreheads, but very reserved.
In contrast, the women of the Angmar family have personalities as hot as oil-fueled flames—.」
Knock knock.
Someone knocked on the door to the parlor where I was. In this vast estate, it was just me and the Draco sisters.
I set down the book and looked up. Someone entered and waved at me.
“Theo, you’re here!”
“It’s Lady Narmi.”
“Yeah! What brings you back to the estate so suddenly?”
Narmi did not know why I was here?
I chattered to Narmi about how I had been invited to the estate.
After listening for a while, Narmi let out a small “Hm—” and glanced around uneasily, like someone anxious.
“My sister said she’d introduce me to you?”
“That’s right.”
“That’s strange. She’s never done that before. But if she finds out we already knew each other, she might get mad. Let’s keep it a secret that we know each other.”
“Even our secret romance lessons, Lady Narmi?”
“Yeah!”
Narmi’s face flushed red.
I recalled the time Narmi and I secretly kissed at the grand temple.
That must have been her first kiss. Probably Mirna’s too? Since they share bodies, how do you count? Confusing.
“Anyway, you and I are meeting for the first time today, Theo Gospel. Got it?”
“Understood.”
“Then I’ll go before my sister snaps out of it!”
Narmi said her piece and dashed out of the parlor.
With the sisters, same face but different words directed at me, it felt like a two-faced deception, leaving my head spinning a bit.
* * *
Mirna Draco was surprisingly good at cooking.
She grilled something like pork belly on the hot plate, placed it on my dish, and when I prodded it lightly with a fork, the outside was crispy while juicy meat juices flowed from within.
Slicing it with a knife and taking a bite, the meat’s texture was chewy and excellent, drawing admiration.
“It’s delicious.”
“Of course.”
As she said that, Mirna glanced at the mirror beside her. A very tall full-length mirror placed right next to her.
The reason for it was simple.
—Don’t worry about me!
A girl waving energetically inside the mirror. She looked just like Mirna, but her demeanor was a bit more cheerful.
—Enjoy your meal together!
Narmi in the mirror said that. Was this possible?
My reflection in the mirror acting differently from the real me?
Talk about horror movie cliché.
But for the Draco sisters, this was normal.
They said that when they look in the mirror, they do not see themselves but their sisters.
They infer their own appearance from their sisters’ reflections.
“So, what do you think, Theo Gospel.”
Clink, clink—.
Mirna Draco sliced the meat on her plate with her knife and asked calmly.
Having just swallowed another piece, I racked my brain for praise on her cooking.
“The sauce is delicious too. It really brings out the rich flavor of the meat that could otherwise feel heavy—.”
“You know that’s not what I’m asking, right? Are you too shocked for words? Or do you want to pretend you didn’t see it—.”
Mirna’s brow furrowed slightly. At that, Narmi in the mirror covered her mouth in greater panic.
I asked.
“Are you referring to your little sister?”
“Yes.”
Clink, clink.
The knife scraping the plate sounded a bit irritable.
Now I noticed Mirna Draco’s hand trembling more unnaturally than usual.
Was she nervous?
Perhaps Mirna Draco was tense about confessing her bizarre constitution.
I already knew, so it did not faze me, but thinking back, maybe I had been too nonchalant.
I should have pretended to be shocked.
I strained my brain for the best reaction. But before I could speak, Mirna did.
“Has this changed how you feel about me?”