The Siblings' Promise
"Kuuuun—!"
Fourth Young Master Yeon Bi charged ahead at a full sprint, his voice booming.
"Hyeooooong—!"
Faces of those he tore past filled with bewilderment, but the boy paid them no mind whatsoever.
"Niiiiim—!"
In a single breath he barreled all the way to the entrance of the joint venture headquarters—and there he found Yeon So-hyeon.
"This younger brother has been waiting desperately for you, Eldest Brother—!"
The brilliant smile that had blossomed across Fourth Young Master Yeon Bi's face froze solid.
"Oh? So that is how you managed to arrive at such a perfectly timed moment."
First Young Master Yeon So-hyeon was smiling down at two young ladies, gently ruffling their hair.
"Yes, Oppa!"
Beside the happily smiling girl—Third Young Mistress Yeon Da-eun—Fourth Young Mistress Yeon Da-hye muttered under her breath.
"…If Unnie hadn't made such a fuss about changing into new outdoor clothes, we would have gotten here much earlier than this."
Yeon Da-eun's face flushed scarlet as she snapped at Yeon Da-hye.
"I may have been the one who brought it up, but you're the one who insisted we call someone and buy new clothes so we could look prettier for Eldest Brother, Da-hye!"
"And if Unnie hadn't then said we should buy new rouge while we were at it—?!"
The two of them began to bicker and poke at each other like a pair of tangled kittens.
"…Are those two the twin Third and Fourth Young Mistresses I've heard about?"
"Heehee. They're even cuter than the rumors said."
Those passing through the entrance smiled warmly at the sight. Yeon Bi, however, did not.
"W-Witches…!"
His face gone deathly pale, he rose onto his heels and began to edge stealthily backward.
It seemed the grueling training he had endured under the shadows of the Sichuan Tang Family was finally paying off.
"Oh?"
Had Yeon So-hyeon not spotted him then and called out with a smile, his escape might well have succeeded.
"Yeon Bi, you rascal. Did you come running all this way just to greet this elder brother of yours?"
Had there ever been a moment in his life when he resented his eldest brother quite this much?
And yet, at the same time, Yeon Bi was overjoyed that Eldest Brother was welcoming him so warmly.
"H-Haha. Y-Yes, Eldest Brother. This is your younger brother, Yeon Bi."
Caught between laughter and tears, Yeon Bi offered his eldest brother a proper greeting.
"Ohhh?!"
"It's Bi-ah…!"
Just as expected. The twin sisters, spotting Yeon Bi, lit up with gleaming eyes and started toward him.
"You little—you little—!"
"Your noonas have arrived, and you were trying to run away just now…!"
As the noonas approached, fingers wriggling with intent, Yeon Bi shrieked as if seized by a fit.
"S-Shoo! Get away! Stay back, I said! You witches…!"
The twin sisters' eyes sharpened.
"Calling us witches when you haven't seen your noonas in so long…!"
Yeon Da-hye took over from Yeon Da-eun.
"Heehee. It seems you still don't understand who holds the upper hand. We'll have to thoroughly drill into you once more the proper mindset of a little brother."
Yeon Da-eun flashed a sinister little grin.
"That's right. How about we play our old 'little sister' game again?"
"Our Bi-ah is so adorable—so very adorable—that dressing as a girl suits him wonderfully…!"
Dressing as a girl…!
A flood of every humiliating memory from his past flashed through his mind.
All the color drained from Yeon Bi's face.
"K-Khk…!"
Stumbling back step by step, Yeon Bi's back finally hit a cold wall.
With nowhere left to retreat, he stared up at the ceiling and cried out as if possessed.
"Why in heaven's name did it have to give birth to this Yeon Bi—and then give birth to those two witches as well?!"
"No, that's wrong."
Having come right up to his face, Yeon Da-eun huffed through her nose as she spoke.
"Heaven gave birth to us first, and then gave us the cutest little brother in the whole world."
Yeon Da-hye likewise puffed through her nose and giggled.
"Now then, give up your resistance and surrender quietly."
Yeon Bi squeezed his eyes shut and shouted.
"Kgh…! Just kill me already…!"
Whether he knew of his little brother's tragic state of mind or not—
Yeon So-hyeon simply watched the reunion of his precious younger siblings with eyes soft with fondness.
"S-Save me! Eldest Brother!"
Yeon So-hyeon laughed heartily.
"As expected. You three have always gotten along so well."
A short while later.
In the office of Fourth Young Master Yeon Bi.
"…And so, instead of removing the gathered investors' names from the investor list—"
Ordinarily, Yeon Bi would have thrown his shoulders back, lifted his chin high, and boasted of his achievements to Eldest Brother.
"—we simply seized the funds they had invested."
Now, however, his voice trailed smaller and smaller toward the end, as if shrinking into itself.
"Just as I expected."
Yeon So-hyeon nodded.
"A clean, excellent piece of work—exactly like you. Well done."
Ordinarily, praise from the eldest brother he respected more than anyone in the world would have made him rejoice as though he had gained everything under heaven.
"…No, Eldest Brother. It was nothing special."
With a deflated murmur, he hung his head low.
And as he did, the hair tied into twin braids on either side of his head swayed cutely.
Ahh, my dignity…
At least only a small number of people were present in the office. Had this been a public setting, his dignity would have crumbled into a handful of dust and vanished without a trace.
"Pfft…!"
"Kehehe…!"
The noonas seated with them—no, the witches—were openly snickering at the sight of him.
"Our little brother is just too adorable."
"Once work is done, shall we go bathe at the hot springs with your unnies?"
"Kuuugh…!"
He clenched his small hands into tight fists and trembled, swallowing his fury inside.
Someday I will repay every last bit of this humiliation…!
"Hmm."
In the meantime, Yeon So-hyeon finished organizing his thoughts, nodded, and this time turned his gaze toward the twin sisters.
"So then. For what business did you two seek out this eldest brother of yours?"
The faces of the girls who had been snickering only a moment before instantly recovered their composure.
"Ahem."
Clearing her throat to reset the atmosphere, Third Young Mistress Yeon Da-eun opened her mouth with a grave expression.
"The trading houses of the Ha clan still remaining in Luoyang are under attack."
Yeon Da-hye added her voice.
"As you know, our Ha clan trading houses have been bringing tea from the main family into Luoyang for sale…"
Yeon Da-eun continued.
"The landlord of the building where our tea houses were leased suddenly issued a unilateral termination of the contract, contact with the distributor was cut off, and all of a sudden our goods are being held up over supposed problems with customs documents…"
Yeon Da-hye summarized her sister's words.
"We're in a situation where we can't do business at all. So we had no choice but to temporarily suspend every enterprise we were running."
"In a single night, of all things… what on earth is going on…"
Listening, the Fourth Young Master let out a low hum.
"…It began the moment it became known that you noonas had sided with Eldest Brother. There is no need even to confirm who is behind it."
Third Young Mistress Yeon Da-eun shrugged.
"It has to be either the Second Young Master's side or the Third Young Master's side."
Fourth Young Mistress Yeon Da-hye smiled bitterly.
"Once we joined hands with Eldest Brother, our sisters' political strength within the family grew…"
There was no longer anyone in the Luoyang Sword Family who could look lightly upon the sisters as before.
But.
"In exchange, you have gained enemies."
At Yeon So-hyeon's words, the sisters nodded as if it were of little consequence.
"Well, we more or less expected as much."
"The attack came faster and more lethally than we thought, though."
"Which brings us to this, Eldest Brother."
Yeon Da-eun rummaged in her robes and drew out a document bound with a silk cord.
"Since things have come to this, we have been liquidating every asset we can dispose of immediately."
"……!"
Beside them, Fourth Young Master Yeon Bi's face lit with surprise.
Right or wrong aside, the decisiveness and speed of action were remarkable.
"Fortunately,"
Yeon Da-hye shrugged,
"it seems the enemies only mean to check us sisters—not to pick a fight with the Ha clan main family."
"They haven't even tried to interfere with us as we liquidate the assets."
Yeon So-hyeon accepted the document Yeon Da-eun offered respectfully with both hands, and asked,
"Then what is this document?"
A confident smile settled on Yeon Da-eun's face.
"That document states that we will invest every bit of our available assets into Eldest Brother's enterprises."
Yeon Da-hye wore the exact same smile as her sister as she spoke.
"Even the larger properties that haven't been liquidated yet—the moment they can be converted to cash, we intend to invest them all into Eldest Brother's enterprises as well."
"Truly, just as expected of you noonas. The boldness of the decision is impressive, but—!"
From the side, the Fourth Young Master cried out in a shrill voice.
"Please be precise in your wording, noonas! This enterprise is not Eldest Brother's alone—it is a joint venture between Eldest Brother and me!"
Yeon Da-eun snorted and ignored him completely.
"So then, Eldest Brother."
Yeon Da-hye looked at Yeon So-hyeon as she spoke.
"Will you accept our investment?"
Yeon So-hyeon's expression was utterly composed—so composed that reading his thoughts was exceedingly difficult.
"Hmm."
He opened his mouth.
"Before that, let me ask one thing."
At his words, the twin sisters straightened their postures.
"Yes, Eldest Brother. Ask us anything."
"What is the principal reason you are liquidating your assets?"
Yeon So-hyeon asked in a quiet voice.
"Surely this is not something you undertook because you were frightened or cowed by the enemies' invisible attacks?"
Yeon Da-eun immediately shook her head.
"No. That isn't it."
Yeon Da-hye's eyes shone as she spoke.
"This decision is something we learned from you, Eldest Brother."
A smile touched Yeon So-hyeon's face.
"Something you learned from me?"
Yeon Da-eun nodded.
"Yes."
That nod held absolute certainty.
"Right now, Eldest Brother, you are facing the Second and Third Young Masters at the same time—and yet the damage you have taken is astonishingly light."
The Fourth Young Master nodded in her place. The twin braids of his hair swayed.
"That's right. And that is because—"
Yeon Da-hye cut the Fourth Young Master off.
"It is because Eldest Brother's front is, compared to those of the Second and Third Young Masters, extremely small and narrow in scale."
"Eldest Brother's forces are still smaller than the enemies'. But that very fact narrows the openings the enemies can attack."
"So that is why."
Yeon Da-eun grinned as she spoke.
"We too intend to use this chance to shrink our front drastically—and leave the enemies with no openings to strike."
Yeon Da-hye finished her sister's words.
"That is precisely why we are liquidating our businesses and investing the assets into Eldest Brother's enterprises."
Having finished speaking, they quietly watched Yeon So-hyeon.
"……"
Outwardly the Fourth Young Master showed nothing—but inwardly he nodded.
…An excellent basis for judgment.
Compared to the other brothers and sisters, the Third and Fourth Young Mistresses had always seemed ordinary. To the Fourth Young Master, they had been among the few family members he could deal with somewhat "comfortably."
But they, too, had not simply been idle while the other siblings grew. At times like this, one could not help but feel that they shared the same blood.
"So then, Eldest Brother. Are you satisfied with our answer?"
"Will you accept our investment?"
"A good answer."
For a moment Yeon So-hyeon closed his eyes; then he calmly nodded.
"And regardless of the answer—I had already intended to accept your investment."
He opened his eyes and looked at the two girls, who made no effort to hide their delight.
"Did I not tell you before?"
As a kind smile settled on his face and he looked upon them, the two girls grinned broadly.
"Of course we remember."
"How could we ever forget?"
Previously, when Yeon So-hyeon had reunited with them after a long time, he had clearly said this to his twin younger sisters:
Yeon So-hyeon nodded.
"Yes. Exactly that."
"Well then, Eldest Brother."
"We will step out for a while to hasten the sale of the businesses."
Third Young Mistress Yeon Da-eun and Fourth Young Mistress Yeon Da-hye offered Yeon So-hyeon a respectful farewell.
"You need not return, noonas."
They ignored the Fourth Young Master waving them off from the side.
Once they had left, a brief silence settled over the office.
"……"
Sharing that silence, Fourth Young Master Yeon Bi carefully studied Eldest Brother's expression before opening his mouth.
"…Eldest Brother."
The Third and Fourth Young Mistresses had not noticed, but Yeon So-hyeon's expression had been set hard for some time now.
Others might not have known—but the Fourth Young Master could tell. The expressions Yeon So-hyeon wore were so carefully sculpted they might as well have been well-crafted masks.
"Please set aside your anger…"
Then Yeon So-hyeon's lips parted.
"Yeon Bi."
Yeon Bi jumped in place.
"Y-Yes, sir!"
With his eyes still closed, Yeon So-hyeon spoke in a "calm" voice.
"There have been families who have wished to form an alliance with me for some time now."
Yeon Bi hurriedly nodded.
"Y-Yes, there have."
Racking his memory, he elaborated.
"There have been continuous requests from families hostile to the Second Young Master, asking to be granted an audience with Eldest Brother. And since yesterday, requests have also been coming in from families hostile to the Third Young Master's side."
The boy scratched his cheek.
"But I heard Eldest Brother said he would meet them only after letting them stew long enough."
"Yes."
Still with his eyes closed, Yeon So-hyeon slowly nodded.
"That is what I said."
He had refused alliance with those families precisely because he had no intention of letting them merely stick a spoon in the pot and later claim all the credit for themselves.
"By now, they should be thoroughly fretting, should they not?"
"Of course."
Yeon Bi answered at once.
"At present, Eldest Brother is holding even against the Second and Third Young Masters' sides with only his current forces. No—he is actually scoring points against them."
He continued without needing a second thought, speaking with vigor.
"If those people wish to share in the credit for victory later, they will now have to stake the very fate of their families and run."
"Indeed."
In the same calm tone, Yeon So-hyeon issued his order to Yeon Bi.
"Send messengers. Tell them this."
His eyes opened the barest fraction—and within them, a blue flame seemed to spark.
"If they bring me the heads of every last person who laid hands on Da-hye and Da-eun's businesses—"
A chill raced over the Fourth Young Master's skin, and goosebumps rose.
"—I will accept them as my allies."
The Fourth Young Master immediately bowed his head.
"Yes, Eldest Brother."
While the Fourth Young Master hurriedly left the office, Yeon So-hyeon let out a small sigh and sank his body deep into the chair.
In his mind, the words he had once spoken to the twin sisters rose again.
And that promise had, without question, continued further.
In this world, there are things that must never, under any circumstances, be touched.