You Don't Need to Know Anything
"You don't need to know anything."
"What? You're telling me to embrace your sister?"
"Yeah. Why? You said she was pretty, didn't you?"
"Are you out of your mind? No matter what, how can you ask me to sleep with your sister?"
"She's only my half-sister. What does it matter?"
Even though she called her a half-sister, the sight of Eret casually trying to hand her own family over to a friend made Russell stare at her like she was insane. Yet she simply spoke with a breezy, indifferent air, as if it were nothing at all.
"Why? You said you were into my sister, right?"
"That's true, but… still…"
"You don't want to have sex with my sister?"
"Who said I didn't? I'm saying this because it's completely unrealistic."
"I'm offering to help. If you can just get close to her, today's mistake can be swept under the rug. Depending on how things go, you might even get to fuck her for the rest of your life."
"…Gulp."
For the rest of my life… Cynthia Rebellion?
His head knew exactly how dangerous Eret's proposal was. One wrong move and he could be executed for dishonoring a grand ducal house. In any other situation he would have refused without a second thought, but—
Running away now will only cause problems later… Wouldn't it be safer to go after Cynthia Rebellion instead?
Even though he knew it was wrong, the greed refused to die. Cynthia Rebellion. The woman every man in the empire yearned for, the empire's greatest beauty—perhaps even the continent's. A national treasure of a woman. Eret standing before him was certainly a striking beauty, but next to Cynthia Rebellion she would fade into the background.
"Can I really have her?"
"Hmm~ It won't be easy, but I know my sister very well. It's not completely impossible."
"…Just having her once isn't enough."
"Oh?"
"Things could go wrong. I need something—some kind of weakness or leverage—to truly bind her. Can you arrange that?"
"Wow~ Not bad at all. If my sister's going to be dominated, she'd probably prefer an ambitious man anyway~"
Eret's lips curved in playful amusement. The smile carried a distinctly dangerous undertone, but Russell could not resist its pull. Cynthia's image had already burned itself deep into his mind.
"…What do I need to do?"
Cynthia and Rian had left the villa and walked down to the beach, letting the stunning scenery wash away the memories of what had happened inside.
Shaaaaaaa—
"Wow, this is wonderful, Cynthia. And there’s no one around."
"Yes. This whole area is land managed by our grand duchy. There are people further down the coast if you want to see them?"
"Hmm~ That sounds nice, but… let’s just play here today. We still have plenty of time."
Rian strolled along the shoreline, gazing at the sea with relaxed ease. Cynthia followed a step behind, her expression stiff and awkward.
It was because Rian had overheard the conversation she’d had with Eret back at the villa.
(Rian Veilburg? The poor boy my sister tried to break her engagement with by catching his ‘weakness’?)
Sigh… I shouldn’t have brought him here.
It weighed on her. She kept wondering what Rian must be thinking after hearing the word “weakness.” Of course, she had already given him her heart and intended to forget all about that “weakness,” but Rian would not be able to do the same.
I can never tell him…
"Cynthia, what are you thinking about?"
"Huh? …It’s nothing."
"…Shall we talk for a moment?"
"!?"
At Rian’s sudden suggestion, Cynthia’s shoulders flinched. Her acting must have slipped; the look she gave him was pure fear.
Rian studied her reaction for a second, then let out a soft chuckle as if he had seen something adorable.
"You’re bothered by what your little sister said earlier, aren’t you?"
"…I’m sorry."
"It’s fine~ It’s all in the past. Why feel awkward about it now? I’m perfectly okay."
"Still… you must have felt bad."
"I don’t feel bad, but there is something that’s been bothering me a little."
Ah, this is…
The exact question she had desperately wanted to avoid.
"What is this ‘weakness’ of mine? Do I actually have something like that?"
"No. You don’t."
This was one question she had to answer with a lie no matter what. Because that weakness was something fatal—something that could completely upend Rian’s entire life.
"Actually, you aren’t my first fiancé."
"Ah, yes. I already knew that much."
"Of course, none of them ever became as close to me as you have. If any of them had, I wouldn’t be here with you like this."
"Ahaha. I know that much~ I’m not suspicious, so you don’t have to worry."
Rian spoke gently, but Cynthia could not escape his eyes. She saw the faint worry that had crept into his expression.
…I never should have looked into any of this.
"No matter who I am, breaking an engagement requires proper justification. The fiancés I’ve met until now all had filthy inner natures, so it was easy to end things."
"Ah? Then… for me…?"
"Obviously you don’t have anything like that. You’ve lived far too honestly."
"Phew…"
Rian let out a small sigh of relief. Watching him, Cynthia only grew more tense. She had to stay completely focused so she wouldn’t slip up.
"You have no weakness, Rian. The ‘weakness’ Eret mentioned was simply a false justification I fabricated to break the engagement."
"Aah, a false justification… I see."
"Are you disappointed?"
"Not disappointed, but… it is a little frightening."
Perhaps recalling the early days of their relationship, Rian’s face darkened. It wasn’t the best reaction, yet Cynthia felt secretly relieved. It seemed he believed every word she had said.
"I’m sorry for scaring you. But please believe me, Rian. Right now, I don’t want to break our engagement at all."
"…Really?"
"Of course! What kind of reaction is that? Don’t tell me you can’t trust my words?"
"Mm. A little?"
"What!?"
"Words alone aren’t convincing, are they? You’ll have to show me with actions."
Actions?
At first Cynthia was confused, but when she saw the look on Rian’s face she immediately understood the signal. His expression was overflowing with eager expectation.
She burned that look into her memory, then stepped forward and slipped into his arms.
Hug—
"I love you, husband."
"…Hehe."
"Do you like being called husband?"
"Ah? Um, y-yeah, I think I do? It feels… nice somehow."
"Then shall I keep calling you husband from now on?"
"Wow, really?"
Her lovely expression and coquettish voice transformed Rian’s face into pure sunshine. All the worry from moments ago had vanished completely.
"Then call me that only when we’re alone. It’s embarrassing in front of others."
"All right… What about me?"
"Hm?"
"You have to give me a pet name too, right? Or are you going to be the only one enjoying a sweet voice?"
"Ah… Then, wife?"
"Wife? I don’t dislike it, but it makes me sound old. I’ll take that one later."
"Then darling?"
"Hmm… Let’s put that on hold for now."
"Then baby?"
"Hehe. That one’s a bit embarrassing even for me."
Thank goodness.
On the surface she looked like a woman head-over-heels in love, but Cynthia’s inner heart was different. She felt genuine relief that he had turned away from the topic of her “weakness.” She felt sorry toward him for showing such pure affection, but she herself was not such a pure person.
Rian doesn’t need to know anything.
"Ugh, we played way too long."
"Ahaha. You think?"
The sky had already turned the color of sunset. Rian and Cynthia, thoroughly soaked from their time at the beach, were heading back toward the villa. The training that had been their original purpose had been completely forgotten.
"Ah, that’s right!"
"Hm?"
"We never trained…"
"We can start tomorrow~"
Swish— Swish!
Cynthia dodged Rian’s disgruntled look with lightning speed. He glared at her for a moment, then chuckled and looked away. Since he had enjoyed the sea just as much, he was in no position to complain.
"Still, it was fun. It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to play so freely."
"…Yes. It was fun."
To Rian’s satisfied voice, Cynthia answered with deep emotion.
This is my first time… having this much fun.
They hadn’t done anything special. They went into the sea, splashed water at each other, clung together at times, and shared kisses. It was the kind of childish play ordinary lovers enjoyed, yet for Cynthia those brief moments had been impossibly special and beautiful.
If it were the old me, I wouldn’t have found such ordinary games fun at all.
The usual activities she pursued were horseback riding or hunting. Ordinary play held no interest or enjoyment for her, so she had always chased after more stimulating thrills. Yet somehow, playing in the water with Rian felt more enjoyable and fulfilling than any of those.
I really have fallen in love.
It was almost miraculous. She had felt favor toward men several times before, but never to the point that her head spun like this. She had always believed she was the one who received love, yet now, whenever she looked at Rian, all she wanted was to give him her own love.
It’s wonderful. It wouldn’t be so bad if time could stop right here…
Gurgle~
"Huk? Was that me?"
"…Pfft!"
The adorable sound of a stomach rumbling shattered the mood. Hearing it come from Rian, Cynthia laughed and said,
"Let’s hurry back to the villa. The caretaker should have dinner ready by now."
"Yeah. But won’t Lady Eret still be there?"
"She won’t. If she is, we’ll just kick her out."
"That feels a little harsh…"
"What’s harsh about it? She’s the one who got caught cheating. From now on, if you see her, just ignore her completely."
"Hmm… Well, I’ll think about that later."
Plop—
"Huh?"
Rian suddenly stepped in front of Cynthia and bent his knees. While she stared in confusion, he gestured with his hand.
"Get on."
"Get on your back?"
"Yeah. I’m hungry, so I want to run. I’ll carry you, so hop on."
"Uh…? I can run on my own, you know?"
"Really? Then should I stop?"
"!? No, that’s not what I meant."
Seeing him about to stand, she quickly climbed onto his back. It was a fresh new experience; she wasn’t about to let it slip away.
"Ah…"
"Why, why? Am I heavy?"
"No… It’s just… the feeling against my back…"
"…So that was your goal?"
"N-no! Of course not!"
"Well… I don’t really mind."
Squish~
Whoa!
The blissful softness pressing against his back gave Rian a surge of new strength. He rose to his feet. If he didn’t hurry back to the villa, he felt like something serious might happen.
"Ahem! Up we go."
"…Not too heavy?"
"Not at all. It’s exactly the weight I expected."
"And exactly how much weight did you expect?"
"Here~ I’m running now. Hold on tight so you don’t fall."
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Rian dashed toward the villa, deliberately ignoring Cynthia’s question. From the perspective of a trained martial artist like her, his speed was painfully slow. If anyone else had run at that pace in front of her, she probably would have found it frustrating and looked away.
But… this isn’t bad at all.
Being carried by her man instead of moving on her own two legs felt strangely wonderful. Even Rian’s back—which was far weaker than hers—somehow felt reliable.
Ah, really… I’ve been too happy lately…
"Huff! Huff! The v-villa is still pretty far…?"
"…Pfft!"
Time spent with the person she loved was hundreds of times happier than she had ever imagined.
"Welcome back, sister~ And our dear brother-in-law too~"
""……""
A short-haired woman greeted the pair warmly as they arrived at the villa. Cynthia’s expression as she looked at her half-sister Eret was as cold as a blizzard.
"Are you kidding me?"