The Twin Sisters Who Spiked Their Brother's Meal
The land ruled by what was only a viscountcy in name wasn’t all that large. Beneath the modest castle lay one village and two small rural hamlets. Though the scale was tiny, the sweeping vineyards painted a beautiful, heartwarming picture of home. The wine we produced was fine enough to draw large markets, so daily life never lacked for anything. Had I been chasing the slow life—or even if I hadn’t—this was the kind of place I’d repeatedly tell myself was perfect for laying down my bones and dying.
“Lord Ludo. You’ve returned. I’m relieved to see you safe.”
When I arrived at the castle—more precisely, the stone-walled manor—a soldier greeted me. Normally he would have given a quick bow and opened the door, but today he actually approached and asked after my well-being. It felt strange.
“Where’s Father?”
“He’s inside receiving a guest. The visitor must have come from quite far away; the lord is attending to them personally.”
“A guest important enough for Father to greet personally… all the way out here in the sticks?”
“I don’t know the details, sir. From the glimpse I caught, it was an exotic-looking woman.”
Exotic country. I’ve always had trouble accepting that word or concept.
…Because no matter what I look like on the outside, I’m a former Korean. After twenty-six years of life, my own face still doesn’t feel familiar when I look in the mirror. How much stranger must other people’s faces seem?
“What did she look like?”
“Her skin was quite tanned. It looked natural, so I’d guess she came from the desert.”
“Hoooong.”
Just as I thought I could narrow down her origin, the iron door suddenly flew open with a sound like nails scraping across a chalkboard.
“Uwaaak!”
“That scared me!”
No, bad example. It was worse than nails on a chalkboard. The result of yanking an already ancient door with all one’s strength. Fortunately the horrible noise didn’t last long; instead, the sound of vigorous running replaced it.
“Look at our little tomboys. I didn’t even announce I was coming—how did they know?”
Two sets of footsteps. The way they bounced along on their toes told me their bodies were light even before I saw them. I habitually spread both arms, bracing myself to catch the two people about to launch themselves at me.
“Oravoni!”
“Oppa!”
Sure enough, a black whirlwind turned into a spear that pierced straight into my chest. The tackle was strong enough to knock me flat if my stance had been even slightly off. My mind blanked for a second before snapping back.
“Sabine, Line, my precious little darlings~!”
““Kyaaak~!””
I refused to lose either. Enduring the pain, I vigorously ruffled their black hair and accepted my cute little sisters’ full-force aegyo.
“Oravoni. Oravoni. Oravoni!”
“Oppa. Oppa. Oppa.”
Every time I stroked and mussed their heads, their red skirts fluttered and their legs kicked adorably behind them. They really were like retrievers greeting their owner… though maybe that wasn’t the best comparison for one’s own sisters. Either way, the pair who had poured out every ounce of affection only lifted their heads once they’d thoroughly buried themselves in my embrace.
“Oravoni. Welcome back!”
“Oppa. Welcome home.”
They must have waited an eternity for their brother’s return; they kept rubbing their foreheads and bodies against me like puppies, thoroughly marking me with their scent. Even though they were fully grown adults, they clung so tightly it was hard to respond. Especially because their wandering hands didn’t hesitate to brush across my thighs, my groin, or even my backside—those slightly dangerous zones.
“There, there. Yes, my little darlings. Big brother’s home~!”
Still, I couldn’t possibly get angry at two girls greeting their family with such pure joy. I wrapped my arms around our household’s greatest treasures—the twins themselves—and spun them around with all my strength.
““Kyaaaaaaa~!!””
The sisters giggled and enjoyed the ride. Only after several minutes did they finally calm down. The soldier who had first greeted me read the room and quietly slipped away. We caught our breath on slightly unsteady feet. The livelier of the two, Sabine, climbed onto my back for a piggyback ride while the relatively calmer Line clung lovingly to my neck from behind.
“Hey, kids. I heard we had a guest while I was gone. What kind of person are we talking about?”
“I don’t know. They showed up out of nowhere and went straight to Father without even showing their face~.”
“Where are they now?”
“In Father’s study~!”
“Dad’s face went completely pale. Must be someone really important.”
If Father’s face turned blue, just how high-ranking was this visitor? I turned my steps toward the study, thinking I ought to at least see the person’s face, but Sabine grabbed a fistful of my hair and yanked my head sideways.
“Oof!?”
I felt like Remy from Ratatouille as I made an exaggerated turn. Wondering why she was pulling my hair, I looked up. Sabine was giggling, clearly delighted at tormenting her older brother.
“What’s wrong?”
“Father said we’re not even allowed to linger near the study until he finishes receiving the guest. He never asked for you to be brought over, so it’s probably better if you don’t go.”
“That’s weird. Whenever something like this happens, Father always calls me first. To tell the eldest son not to show his face… just who is this person?”
“Who knows~.”
Sabine claimed she had no idea. Line, still hanging from my neck, whined.
“Oppa. More importantly, let’s go to the dining hall. We baked bread. We made it just for you.”
“You two baked it~?”
“Yep!”
“We figured you’d be back around now, so of course we prepared tea as well.”
They’d gone out of their way to prepare a meal for their older brother who must have been starving after his long trip. Strange. Weren’t older brothers and younger sisters supposed to be at each other’s throats? Why were our girls so sweet?
“Oppa. Are you crying?”
“No… I think some dust got in my eye.”
“Line will blow on it for you.”
“Ooh.”
The gentle puff of breath rising from beneath my neck made the tears flow twice as hard. What older brother in the world could remain unmoved by such devoted cuteness from his little sisters? I immediately headed for the dining hall and faced the snacks that had been prepared in advance.
“Lord Ludo. You’re back already?”
“Hello. I heard my sisters baked bread. You all helped them, right?”
“Y-yes… helped might not be the right word. More like we were coerced…”
“Ahaha.”
Several maids who had been pouring tea in the kitchen smiled awkwardly, as though they’d committed some crime, and quickly retreated. The way they scurried off made me suspect they were deliberately clearing the room for us.
“Why are they acting like that?”
“Who knows. More importantly, Oravoni, hurry and taste what we made~!”
“Line’s portion is right here. Please drink the tea before it gets cold.”
Whatever it was, the two of them were smiling brightly, so it probably wasn’t anything too serious. I was hungry anyway, so I skipped the formalities and took a big bite.
“How is it~?”
“Oh. For a first attempt, this is pretty good. It’s delicious.”
“Line, Sabine, you worked hard.”
“We really did work incredibly hard~!”
They spread their arms wide at the same time and boasted adorably. That made sense. Even though they claimed it was their first time, the flavor was strangely familiar, as if I’d tasted it many times before.
It’s almost like the taste of what the family servants always bake for us, hmmmm~?
…A familiar taste?
“Mm. Mmm?”
I chewed a few more times. Yeah, it was definitely a familiar taste.
“This really is something you two made?”
I’d carelessly suggested that the bread they claimed to have worked hard on had actually been baked by someone else. Even I knew it was the worst possible thing to say. I braced myself, wondering if I was about to get an earful.
“E-ehehe~.”
“………”
Both of them looked away at the same time.
What? Did they really pass off someone else’s baking as their own?
I felt a flash of anger, but curiosity quickly overpowered it. Our girls might be playful, but they aren’t liars. Besides, Father always drilled into them that stealing someone else’s credit was the lowest thing a person could do.
“What do you mean you worked hard? You just brought out exactly what the maids who ran away baked.”
Now that I thought about it, their behavior had been suspicious. As I stared at them, the two sisters’ eyes began to water.
“It’s not a complete lie! We did work hard too!”
“Ah, so you helped beside them?”
“That’s not it…”
Then what exactly had they helped with? Wondering if there was something I didn’t know, I chewed the bread again. There was a faint sweetness I wouldn’t normally taste.
“There’s a jam-like flavor. Is this the part you two made?”
“Hehehee~!”
“Yes, Oppa. We worked really hard to make it in a hurry.”
Now they were giggling in a clearly suspicious manner. Their faces flushed bright red; it was definitely not an innocent, cute smile. It didn’t look like any expression a sister should show her brother, and it sent chills down my spine.
Something’s off. Why are they acting so weird today?
The sweetness that spread across my tongue with the saliva had tasted good at first, but gradually my tongue began to go numb. I’d felt something similar once, long ago. Exactly like the time I received anesthesia for a wisdom tooth extraction in my previous life. Back then it had only affected one corner of my mouth, but now the numbness spread from my tongue all the way down my throat.
“Nuuu~!?”
Drowsiness slammed into me. No matter how recently I’d returned from hunting bandits, the sensation was far too artificial. My chin slowly drooped toward the table as my thoughts grew hazy.
Was my blood sugar always this high? This doesn’t feel like normal post-meal sleepiness—it’s too artificial—
Thud!
“Ugh!”
My chin finally hit the table, jolting me awake for a brief moment. Thanks to that, I realized this wasn’t ordinary drowsiness—it was some kind of poison.
“Aww. Oravoni, are you okay?”
“We’re sorry…”
The two sisters hurriedly lifted my chin, stroking it gently and blowing “hoo hoo” on the spot.
From the circumstances, the person who had put poison in my bread was…
“…Sabine?”
“Yes, my beloved Oravoni~!”
“…Line?”
“Yes. My beloved Oppa.”
They knew exactly why I was calling their names, yet there wasn’t a trace of guilt on their faces.
““………♪””
Why were they smiling? I didn’t know the reason, but it gave me goosebumps.
“—Kugh!”
I thought I had to run and flailed my arms, but that was my final act of resistance. Both arms stretched across the table, my eyes rolled back.
As my consciousness faded into murkiness, I heard their voices one last time.
“Line, hurry! We have to hide Oravoni! He absolutely cannot be seen by that woman!”
“…Yeah. Can’t let them take Oppa. This is our Oppa. We can’t give him to anyone else. He’ll stay with us forever.”
That was the last conversation I heard. To think my own younger sisters would drug me. Really, I don’t understand the reason… at all…