My Only Sister
No matter how comfortable he seemed, a troublemaker was still a troublemaker. Just because they occupied the same room didn't mean they stood on equal footing.
Pelens was not someone Lefonya could lay a finger on without consequence.
Granted, a blow delivered by a five-year-old child was hardly going to snap a bone. But it would certainly ruin his mood. A mere adopted five-year-old, ignorant of her place, had dared to strike the son of high nobility.
"Uh, b-brother..."
Lefonya snapped her mouth shut before the word could fully leave her tongue. Was she even allowed to call him brother right now? Wouldn't addressing him so intimately only make things worse when he was angry? Should she call him 'Young Master' instead?
Why on earth did I do that?
She bit her trembling lip. Never in her life had she acted out like this. Her emotions had never run so wild and unruly before, completely shattering the iron restraint she should have kept.
Summoning all her courage, Lefonya looked toward Pelens, who still had his head bowed, clutching his shin as if writhing in agony.
Her voice quavered with timid hesitation.
"O-Oppa...?"
"Boo!"
"Eek!"
The instant she spoke, Pelens snapped his head up with a roar. Startled half to death, Lefonya clamped both hands over her face with a terrified shriek.
"Haha! Ponya, did I scare you?"
A jovial laugh rang out. Lefonya tried to calm her thudding heart and cautiously parted her fingers.
Through the gaps between her small hands, she caught sight of Pelens grinning roguishly. There wasn't the slightest hint of anger on his face.
Is he... not mad?
She peered at him through her fingers, studying his demeanor. She wondered if he was forcing himself to act fine, but he truly seemed unbothered.
"Ponya? Were you really that scared?"
When Lefonya didn't lower her hands, the smirk faded from Pelens's face, replaced by genuine concern as he leaned closer. Gently clasping her small wrists, he coaxed her tiny hands away from her face.
Up close, his expression was far brighter and softer than it had appeared through the gaps of her fingers.
"Fluffball, you all right? Was the joke too much? I didn't think you'd be this spooked."
"That's... what I should be asking."
"Huh?"
"I... kicked you."
Anxiously dropping her gaze, Lefonya peered down at the shin she had struck.
"Are you okay?"
"Wait, are you asking about me?"
"Mm-hmm."
"Right here, where you just kicked me?"
Pelens pointed down at his leg, and Lefonya's face promptly drained of color all over again.
"Ponya? Hey, look at me."
Noticing how terrified she was, Pelens turned his attention entirely away from his leg and focused on her pale little face.
"I'm an Aura User... Ah, you probably don't know what that means. Well, um, I'm insanely strong. I've been doing things most people can't do since I was a kid. Well, Father and Brother can do it too, of course, but..."
Who on earth explains an Aura User like that?
"So even if you hit me with everything you've got—a hundred times, a thousand times, ten million times—it won't hurt in the slightest. I won't get bruised or anything. If anything, your little hands would hurt way more."
Seeing her lingering fright, Pelens effortlessly scooped Lefonya up and set her on his lap. Then, with slow, rhythmic motions, he patted her back.
"Were you worried you'd hurt me?"
As his broad, warm palm smoothed over her back, the suffocating anxiety that had clung to her melted away.
"Or... were you scared I'd come to hate you?"
Lefonya raised her head. Had that been it? Was that the root of this churning dread?
When she bit her lip and offered no reply, Pelens's brow softened into a gentle, fond smile.
"Fluffball. It's totally fine."
"..."
"Back in the day, my brother and I used to beat each other up until blood flowed like a river."
She was fairly certain she had heard that the eldest son, Havelian, was hailed as a prodigy who loved studying and spent most of his childhood holed up in the library.
"...Was it really a fight, or did you just punch him one-sidedly?"
"Oh, Ponya." Pelens chuckled softly. "Quite the opposite. The one getting beaten to a pulp was me."
"Huh?"
"Brother is a genius, you see. It turns out he's exceptionally talented at beating people up, too."
Apparently, the eldest son truly was a genius of all trades.
"Brothers and sisters bicker and scrap all the time. So there's no reason to be terrified over something so tiny."
Lefonya froze.
"Brothers and sisters?"
"Hm?"
"You and I... are brother and sister?"
Pelens looked at her with an amused smile, as though she had asked the most absurd question in the world.
"Then what else would we be?"
"We're... we... we are..."
Unable to form an answer, Lefonya closed her lips tightly.
"We're brother and sister," Pelens answered firmly for her.
"Ponya, you're my little sister, and I'm your big brother."
The words rolled off Pelens's tongue without the faintest hint of hesitation.
"You're the only person I acknowledge as my sister."
"Mm."
"You sound like you don't quite believe me, but it's the absolute truth." Pelens's tone grew serious. "Ponya, you might not realize it yet, but across this entire Empire, you are the one and only person who is allowed to call me 'Oppa'."
"Huh?"
"No matter how young someone is, no one would dare call me their brother. Only you can."
"..."
"Because you're my only sister. From now on, and forever. Understand?"
Looking straight into her eyes, Pelens spoke with unyielding earnestness. Lefonya slowly, timidly nodded.
"So make sure you call me that often. If you don't, there won't be a single person in the whole world to call me 'Oppa,' you know?"
A jagged thorn twisted in her chest.
You wouldn't be saying that if the real young lady were still alive.
It was an obvious truth, yet an inexplicable prickle of bitterness rolled through her heart. In the end, the only one hurt by such thoughts was Lefonya herself.
I'm deceiving the Duke of Craitan's family just the same, so who am I to talk?
Lefonya swallowed a bitter, self-deprecating laugh and let her head rest against Pelens's shoulder. Feeling the contact, Pelens smiled warmly and stroked her hair without reservation.
The touch was so comforting that her eyelids fluttered shut.
Ah... I shouldn't get used to this.
Growing accustomed to things she could never keep would only tear her apart in the end.
If he ever found out what I'm hiding, he wouldn't even dream of calling me his sister.
She was a hypocrite. She was deceiving them just as deeply, so what right did she have to feel this way?
If they found out who I really am, they'd despise me, wouldn't they?
No.
Hatred would be a mercy. They would likely draw their swords and try to slaughter her on the spot.
What if I just pretended to know nothing and lived as the young lady of Craitan forever...?
Lefonya flinched and shook her head violently.
Get a grip. Complete this one mission properly and it's over—don't let yourself drown in sentiment.
If she feigned ignorance and played the role of Craitan's daughter, what would happen when everything came to light? The moment they discovered her true identity, she wouldn't be allowed to stay even if she begged on her knees.
And to end up cast aside by both the Pope and House Craitan...
"Milady."
The voice that pulled her from the depths of her dark thoughts belonged to Birdie.
"The Duke requests your presence."
"Okay. I'll be right there."
Lefonya tried to climb down from Pelens's lap, but he moved faster.
Hoisting her up by the waist, he tucked her securely under his arm and asked, "Where is Father?"
"His Grace is currently in his study."
The moment the words left Birdie's mouth, Pelens turned on his heel and strode toward the Duke's study.
"Are you coming with me?"
"Father already expects me to tag along wherever you go. In fact, I'd probably get yelled at if I let you go alone."
He wasn't wrong. At present, Pelens was serving as Lefonya's personal escort.
Dangling under his arm like a sack of grain, Lefonya let herself be carried along with practiced resignation.
When is my wooden rocking horse coming back? Just wait till it's fixed. From then on, I'm riding it everywhere.
Only now did she realize how wonderful that wooden horse had been. The moment it returned, she was going to make full use of it.
Before long, they arrived in front of the Duke's study. Pelens gave a brisk chin nod to the butler stationed outside, signaling him to announce their presence.
"Your Grace. The Second Young Master and the Young Lady have arrived."
The very instant the butler finished speaking, Pelens pushed the double doors open and strolled right in.
"Wait, wait! The Duke hasn't given permission to enter yet!"
"What's the point of formalities between father and son? Father knows I do whatever I want anyway—he wouldn't bat an eye at something like this."
The incorrigible scoundrel declared this with sheer pride.
"Father."
Still carrying Lefonya tucked under his arm, Pelens sauntered up to the Duke of Craitan's desk.
The Duke merely cast a brief upward glance from his documents. True to Pelens's claim, he didn't appear the least bit surprised.
He really must do this all the time.
Her mind drifted back to the first time she met Pelens. Come to think of it, he had done the exact same thing back then.
When Duke Craitan had summoned all his vassals to the study, roaring in fury to root out the culprit behind the arson...
Not a single soul had dared step inside, yet Pelens had casually thrown open the door and barged right in.
...He never changes, does he?
A sudden thought struck her: she was fortunate not to have met Pelens when they were truly children. Dealing with him back then would have been utterly impossible.
Not that we could have ever met in those days anyway. What am I even thinking?
Lefonya gave her head a tiny shake to clear the stray thoughts.
"Pelens. Ponya."
The Duke set down the papers he had been reviewing and rubbed the bridge of his nose, the exhaustion plain upon his features.
"The date for your outing has been decided. I called you here to let you know as soon as possible."
"Oh?"
An outing date? Still dangling from Pelens's side, Lefonya's eyes sparkled with curiosity.