Chapter 24
Chapter 24
Her deep gray eyes had always been arrogant.
Elegant. Strong. Had there ever been a time when they weren’t?
I had never seen a woman more beautiful than my sister. Not even in my past life. She was, without question, the most beautiful of all.
At times, she bewitched people like a sly fox. At others, she wore a cold expression like a fierce wolf. Even that chilling face of hers was strangely beautiful.
She never showed weakness.
No matter how exhausting or difficult things became, she always maintained her composure and elegance.
That was probably the secret to her charm—the thing that drew people in.
Sniff.
…And yet, that same sister…
Right now, her face was twisted as if she might burst into tears at any moment.
A face she had never shown to anyone.
A fragile expression she had never allowed anyone to see.
And somehow, I was the one witnessing it.
The bridge of her nose wrinkled slightly, her lips trembled just a bit. Beneath her furrowed brows, her eyes drooped, failing to hold back the sadness.
Yes… it was that kind of face.
Like a child holding back tears.
The same eyes that always held calculation and arrogance, as if they could devour me whole—
Now they were filled with a pain that had no clear reason.
I wasn’t good at reading people’s emotions.
I couldn’t see through others the way my sister could.
And yet, even I could tell.
She was sad.
Because of me.
…Why?
It didn’t make sense.
It couldn’t be.
My sister hated me.
No—she had to hate me.
I was a threat to her position as the family head. To her, I should’ve been nothing more than an obstacle to eliminate.
A useless existence.
Someone who should die.
“Then…”
Why are you so sad?
Why are you holding back tears?
Why are you…
I didn’t know.
I wanted to know what she was thinking.
Fortunately—or unfortunately—she didn’t seem to realize I was awake.
With delicate hands, she wiped her face over and over, trying to compose herself.
“…This is awkward.”
If I woke up now, things would become incredibly uncomfortable.
So I slightly opened my eyes… then closed them again.
I decided to wait, hoping she would calm down and leave on her own.
Five minutes passed.
Ten minutes…
“…Why isn’t she leaving?”
She hadn’t moved at all.
All that continued was the faint sound of her sniffing.
“…Alright, that’s enough.”
I couldn’t take it anymore.
I was just about to make a noise and pretend to wake up, to break this suffocating silence—
Then.
Srrk…
Soft fingertips gently rested on my forehead.
Carefully.
As if I might shatter with even the slightest pressure.
Her hand brushed lightly through my hair…
Then slowly traced down past my eyes…
Paused briefly at the tip of my nose—
And finally stopped at my lips.
“…W-What is she doing?”
My heartbeat skipped.
My breath caught. Cold sweat ran down my back.
“…Get better soon.”
It sounded like a wish.
Or maybe a prayer.
And then—
A soft, warm sensation brushed over my closed eyes.
At that feeling, I opened them.
The first thing I saw was her face, leaning right over mine.
Tears still hadn’t fallen, pooling at the corners of her eyes. Her lips were slightly moist.
Too close.
If I spoke, our breaths would touch.
If I moved, our foreheads would collide.
Her tear-filled eyes met mine.
At a distance so close our breaths mixed… her lips still lingering near me.
“…”
“…”
Her trembling eyes couldn’t even look away.
I closed my eyes again.
As if nothing had happened.
Time passed—slow and heavy, like eternity.
Then, a cold voice fell by my ear.
“…Open your eyes.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
As if nothing had happened, my sister quickly regained her usual composed expression.
She crossed her long legs and looked down at me.
Her gaze was cold. Her posture flawless.
As if that moment of vulnerability had been a lie.
She was the first to break the silence.
“Since when?”
“….”
“How long have you been awake?”
“…A while.”
“How long is ‘a while’?”
“Well… when you said, ‘You idiot, if it’s dangerous, just—’”
“Stop.”
“—‘run away…’”
“I said stop!”
She suddenly leaned forward and covered my mouth.
Her palm pressed firmly, cutting off my words.
“Enough. That’s enough.”
“….”
She pulled her hand away and spoke in a low voice.
“That’s underhanded. Why pretend to be asleep when you’re awake?”
Because… it was uncomfortable.
The timing to wake up was terrible.
She picked up a bottle of medicine.
Ah, right. It must be time to take it.
I tried to sit up.
“Ugh…”
But my body wouldn’t move.
No matter how much I tried, my muscles refused to respond.
It felt like my body wasn’t mine.
“Stay still. Don’t move.”
I had no choice but to obey.
Not that I had any options to begin with.
“Open your mouth. I’ll give you the medicine.”
She poured a thick liquid onto a spoon.
A dark reddish-brown color.
…She expects me to drink that?
I looked at the spoon.
Then at her.
Then back at the spoon.
I reluctantly opened my mouth and took it in.
“Ugh—!”
“Hey, don’t spit it out. Swallow.”
Gulp.
I barely managed to swallow it.
“Alright, again.”
She held out another spoonful.
I glared at her.
“I’ll take it myself.”
“What?”
“Leave it. I’ll take it later.”
I clamped my mouth shut.
I could tolerate bad medicine, but this was too much. My tongue felt numb.
“You’re not a child. Just take it.”
I didn’t budge.
I sealed my lips even tighter.
“Honestly…”
She shook her head and reached out.
Her slender fingers traced gently along the contour of my face.
…and then—
“Mmgh!?”
She squeezed my cheeks, forcing my mouth open, and shoved the spoon in.
“Mm—!”
With one hand gripping my jaw and her thumb blocking my lips, she made sure I couldn’t spit it out.
The bitter, nauseating taste made my eyes water.
I glared at her with all the hostility I could muster.
“What are you glaring at? It’s good for you. Don’t spit it out—swallow.”
Only after confirming I swallowed did she let go.
She glanced at the saliva on her thumb, then casually wiped it on her clothes.
Our eyes met.
An awkward silence fell between us.
“By the way…”
She hesitated slightly before asking,
“…Are you okay?”
Then added,
“You were poisoned. You lost blood. Does it hurt?”
For a moment, I was speechless.
Between her earlier expression and this behavior…
She was acting strange today.
When I looked at her with confusion, she avoided my gaze.
Her pale cheeks slowly turned pink.
“…It’s not like I’m worried or anything. It’s just… if something happens to you, Father will make a fuss. That’d be annoying.”
Right.
Father did say that if anything happened to me, her right to inherit the family head position would be revoked.
That was meant to keep her from harming me.
“…I’m fine.”
“You really are?”
“I’m fine.”
More importantly…
Is Yuri okay?
The last image of her before I passed out flashed in my mind.
That wasn’t human.
It was a killing machine wearing human skin.
Remembering how she cut down two assassins instantly made me uneasy.
“…Is Yuri okay?”
“…Yuri?”
“We were attacked together… where is she now?”
My sister pointed to the next room.
“She’s in another ward. Probably being questioned by an inspector right now.”
“An inspector?”
Just as I was about to ask more—
Knock knock.
Someone knocked.
And before we could respond, the door opened.
A middle-aged man stepped in.
Wearing a blue uniform embroidered with gold thread—
An inspector.
“Excuse me. I am Inspector Nikolai Betesov. I have a few questions.”
He didn’t wait for permission.
He simply walked in.
An Inspector.
In Porca, they were authorities above authorities.
Only ten existed.
They had the power to investigate politicians and businessmen alike.
Arrest, torture, execution—
They could do it all.
The black cloak draped over his left shoulder symbolized that power.
For one to show up personally…
This was no small matter.
More troubling was—
‘Corrupt inspector… Nikolai.’
He was infamous.
For him, only money and power mattered.
He would fabricate crimes for innocent people if it benefited him.
Just like my sister.
Getting involved with him in the story always led to trouble.
Make one mistake, and it was a bad ending.
Compared to someone like Tyburn, a mere commoner…
Nikolai was from a prestigious family and held immense authority.
Framing a single student? Easy.
Then—
“So?”
My sister tilted her head slightly, legs still crossed, and looked at him.
“My brother is very tired right now. Could you come back later?”
“…Ophelienne Vinna Moretti.”
Who would dare tell an Inspector to come back later?
But she could.
The Moretti family—an ancient house that helped found the Empire.
In front of that name, even an Inspector was insignificant.
Nikolai’s shoulders stiffened.
He looked at her cautiously.
“I have a duty as an Inspector to investigate the incident in the Thorn Forest.”
“Exactly. And I’m saying that won’t be happening.”
“I have business with the student, Matios.”
He looked down at me.
His eyes were cold.
Then my sister, without breaking eye contact, reached back and gently stroked the back of my head.
“You don’t seem to understand.”
“What is it that I don’t understand?”
“Does he look like he’s in any condition to answer your questions?”
“He can still talk, can’t he?”
“But his mind isn’t in a proper state. Right, my dear brother?”
She leaned down and pulled me into an embrace.
What is she doing now?
It felt strange… but this wasn’t a bad situation.
Getting involved with Nikolai would only bring trouble.
So I leaned into her and spoke weakly,
“Mm… my head hurts…”
“See? He’s clearly in no condition. He just barely survived a life-threatening attack. Why are you being like this, Inspector Nikolai?”
“…Lady Moretti. I have the right to question him. A right granted by this nation.”
“So you’re saying you’ll proceed anyway?”
“There’s no reason I shouldn’t. It’s my right.”
“Can you…”
My sister smiled faintly at him.
“…handle the consequences?”
Their gazes locked.