Special Sisters in the Central Continent
In the heart of the Central Continent, at the secret villa of the empire's Third Princess, Luluen von Waldemar. In the reception room thick with tension, Gunter—covered in wounds—prostrated himself, begging.
He'd been kicked around by loan sharks and then beaten half to death by the villa's knights for good measure.
"You only meet in the place and at the time I permit. Wasn't that our rule?"
Luluen set down her teacup with elegant grace, her voice ice-cold.
"Breaking that rule... I could take it as a betrayal, couldn't I, Gunter?"
"Th-that's impossible, Your Highness!"
Gunter paled and slammed his forehead against the floor.
"If I go bankrupt like this, I won't be able to help you anymore, Princess Luluen! That's my only worry—that's why I risked my life to come here!"
"You always have a silver tongue. If you'd just waited patiently, I would've sent someone."
Luluen unfolded her fan to cover her lips.
Useless scum.
She wanted to order his head chopped off right then and there, but she couldn't.
Being the Third Princess was an utterly ambiguous position in the imperial family. Above her loomed the First Prince at the pinnacle of martial might, while below, her clever younger siblings clawed their way up with the emperor's favor. To survive the power struggles and build her own faction, she had no choice but to rely on the power of money.
That's why Luluen had allied with merchants from a young age, amassing wealth with ruthless tenacity.
She couldn't afford to lose Gunter, her biggest source of funds right now.
"So. You're saying they're building with monster materials? Is that even possible?"
"I-I couldn't believe it either, so I sent multiple people to confirm... but it's true! How could something so absurd happen in this world!"
Gunter pleaded with an aggrieved expression.
Luluen furrowed her brow.
She'd heard rumors that some sections of the empire's walls used slime mucus as material, making them incredibly sturdy. But a special building or two was one thing—procuring enough for an entire massive city? That was nonsense. Even her father... the emperor... couldn't pull that off.
Especially not in the barren north.
They must be straining themselves to the limit, no doubt.
That monster duke's going that far... I underestimated her.
Luluen had no choice but to admit her mistake.
Truth be told, she'd thought too lightly of the Fourth Princess, Eleanor.
A bastard child scorned by everyone in the palace, buried in the academy library. When they'd first sent her north as a bride, Luluen had imagined her shivering in some back room, despised by the monster duke with no one to rely on.
But the rumors said otherwise.
Whether she'd wagged her tail like a mongrel or proven her worth with trivial knowledge from the library, she was apparently receiving considerable favor from the northern duke.
How insolent.
Luluen trembled with jealousy, then sneered.
The "favor" from the northern duke was probably just shallow curiosity or pity. One small trigger, and their relationship would shatter.
That trigger was supposed to be the "skyrocketing construction material prices due to a national disaster."
If the bastard princess overreached with her new city project, only for construction to halt and massive penalties to pile up? Her ties with the northern duke would be irreparably broken.
It would've been a clean, beautiful picture.
But in that short time, she's won the monster duke's favor. That lowly bitch. Must've inherited her mother's talent for whoring.
Luluen gripped her fan handle so hard it creaked.
"This is troubling."
"Your Highness! You can't abandon me! If I can't unload these materials now, I'll..."
"Shut your mouth!"
The Northern Duke, Kailan Wintervalt. The empire's strongest Swordmaster. If he truly cherished Eleanor, touching her recklessly would be suicide.
In such matters, you had to hide your true intentions and proceed covertly.
There was only one way.
Play the loving sister who adores her little sister.
It shouldn't be a problem.
Her dim-witted sister, forever glued to library desks, would never figure out Gunter's connection to her.
I can fool her easily. Because... Eleanor and I were actually close!
Sure, she'd tormented her a bit—shoving her down stairs from behind, spilling wine on her dress at social events and stirring rumors, slapping her cheeks when bored. But she'd never tried poison or sent assassins. She swore it.
Compared to the cutthroat sibling rivalries where they poisoned drinks and sent killers at every chance? Her relationship with Eleanor was positively healthy and affectionate!
By imperial standards, this is harmonious.
What on earth was going on in her head?
The Third Princess Luluen von Waldemar arrived at the miraculous logic that she and Eleanor shared a fairly friendly bond.
"I'll go north myself. As her big sister, I need to guide my little sister's risky venture onto the right path, don't I?"
Yes. She was rushing to help out of sisterly worry, nothing more.
What if the buildings collapsed from shoddy construction? Better to use proper materials for the new city project, not some rotten monster corpses the duke picked up along the way.
And as a bonus, Luluen could line her pockets. Win-win.
See? We are special sisters.
"Oh! Thank you! Your Highness!"
"And Gunter."
"Yes, Your Highness!"
"If you come here without permission one more time... you'll die by my hand before the loan sharks get you."
"...Understood. I'll remember."
Northern Grand Duchy Castle, Lord's Office.
Eleanor, usually brimming with energy, visited Kailan with a rare dark expression.
For her to look like that, it had to be imperial family business.
"Your Highness."
"What is it, my love? You don't look well."
"The Third Princess Luluen sent me a letter."
Kailan set down his quill and read the letter she handed him.
To sum up the contents:
[I long to see the face of my beloved little sister Eleanor again after so long.]
[I know you're terribly busy, but if you can spare the time, I'll come meet you anywhere in the north myself.]
To an outsider, it would seem like Luluen adored Eleanor to death—heartfelt enough that only true love could produce such words.
She was a natural-born liar.
Of course, Kailan wasn't fooled.
He knew full well how Eleanor had been treated in the palace.
From pushing the innocent girl down stairs as a child to orchestrating her isolation at her social debut—it was all the Third Princess's doing.
So this cloyingly sweet letter was utterly vile.
"That trash Gunter or whatever tried to sabotage your new city project, and now that wicked woman wants to come here."
"That's what it says."
Eleanor nodded bitterly.
"The First Prince passed it along casually, so I'm not entirely sure how deep Gunter and Princess Luluen are entangled... but this letter confirms it."
The First Prince, Ludwig von Waldemar. As captain of the Imperial First Knight Order, he contributed through overwhelming martial prowess alone, never viewing other heirs as rivals—an arrogant, straightforward man, or so everyone thought.
But the reality was different.
Ludwig secretly controlled the imperial intelligence network, spying on his siblings. He then leaked the info to others, pitting them against each other without getting his hands dirty.
All while packaging himself as a noble prince and valiant warrior.
"For her to come all the way here, Gunter's backer being the Third Princess must be a given."
"Yes. She'll probably show up under the pretext of helping her dear little sister, dragging along some picky central construction safety inspector."
Kailan let out a hollow chuckle at Eleanor's calm reply.
"She wants to dump Gunter's rotten inventory no matter what."
"She dares pick fights in my presence—over my wife's project? Some safety inspector?"
As Kailan clenched his fist, frost formed in the Lord's Office, warm since Eleanor's arrival. His blue aura as a Swordmaster blazed, enveloping the castle.
Daring to mess with my precious security deposit and rent money?
The sudden chill threw the servants outside into chaos.
"Kyaaak!?"
"His Highness is angry!"
Only after Eleanor took his hand did Kailan slowly withdraw his aura.
"She sees Wintervalt's new city as some shaky structure patched with monster corpses due to material shortages."
"Hah... In that case, we should invite her."
"Your Highness?"
Kailan leaned back in his chair, curling his lips in a wicked grin.
"Don't you want to see it too? That woman who looked down on you, gnashing her teeth in rage because you've cut off her money. I want to burn that stupid look right into my eyes."
Eleanor was startled by Kailan's mischievous expression for a moment... then a little devil's smile spread across her lips.
"...If possible, I'd love to watch up close, Your Highness."
Before her husband—who trusted her and backed her solidly—she felt no need to play the good little sister.
Seeing that smile, Kailan laughed heartily and rose from his seat.
"Haha! We really are the perfect match, my love!"
The couple walked side by side through the castle, plotting how to welcome their unwelcome guest.