Chapter 36
As it turned out, Lari—who hadn’t been like this when she was at the orphanage—was now so drunk on sleep that she couldn’t get her wits about her.
“Is it because you came here?”
“Mm… maybe. It kind of feels like that. It’s been really, really bad lately. I can’t open my eyes….”
Lari’s condition was serious enough to make me wonder if she was sick.
“Have you seen a doctor?”
“Mm-hm. They said I’m fine!”
Even though Lari insisted she was fine, to me it looked a little serious. It didn’t seem like she was eating well and gaining weight from resting either. From what I’d observed over the past few days, she barely ate and was so busy sleeping that she had no awareness of anything else.
This isn’t normal.
Yet neither Rohen nor Lari seemed to feel anything was wrong. Or rather, even if they did sense something odd, the fact that she’d already been examined made them refrain from saying anything further—which in itself felt strange.
I really want to have her checked at another clinic.
Then I recalled a story briefly mentioned in the book: that Lari had been seriously ill as a child. Because of that, Rohen’s personality had supposedly become more sensitive.
Was she originally frail? If I think about the book, that might make sense—but it’s still strange. She was fine when she was at the orphanage.
“Lari. Do you have any other strange symptoms?”
“Mmm… I’m just really sleepy. Yawn.”
As if she were demonstrating what it meant to walk in her sleep, Lari staggered, yet still followed along properly wherever Rohen and I moved.
“I think it’d be better for you to rest in your room today.”
At that, Lari’s eyes snapped open.
“That won’t do! I’m going to guide you around! I came here first and found lots of super secret places!”
But her eyes quickly drooped again, as if she were being pulled back into sleep. It felt less like there was nothing wrong and more like something was very wrong.
“I’m going. I’m going to guide big sister, ‘cause I promised… don’t stop meee….”
She was insisting that strongly, and I couldn’t think of any real way to stop her.
“Okay. Then Lari, you can show us around.”
“Mm!”
Because she stubbornly insisted on going out, I ended up taking Lari’s hand and stepping outside with her.
Even as I did, I couldn’t shake the worry—what if she really was sick?
And that was when it happened.
The moment we stepped out the door, a familiar person waved at us.
“Hi.”
It was Jeffrey.
“Ah. Why are you here?”
Before Rohen could show hostility, I showed it first. Outwardly and inwardly, he was a very good person—kind to everyone, even to the twins, those stones that had rolled into the family.
And that’s exactly why the twins relied on him more than anyone else, and why he ended up giving them even more headaches than Ron did.
The twins liked him. In a ducal household where there was nowhere to place their hearts, he had been the kindest. Perhaps because of that, the twins had opened their hearts to Jeffrey quite a bit.
If it was something he wanted, they granted most of his requests.
Even though Jeffrey was the legitimate heir of the ducal house, because he was not the current duchess’s child, he had been ignored—not only by the duchess and Ron, but even by the servants of the household.
So after the twins had fully grown, he asked them, once they took over the ducal house, to deal with those who had looked down on him. To kill them all. And he planned to take the ducal seat himself in place of the children, who had no interest in the house.
If the duke hadn’t ordered that the children be made dukes after his death, they would’ve just been used.
The duke’s sudden death. He wasn’t that old. He had been extremely healthy, someone who never lost to anyone. His death was filled with suspicious circumstances, and everyone questioned it.
And the will he left behind caused no small amount of trouble as well.
Although it was the duke’s will, the duchess was very much alive, so the factions that followed her rose up, claiming this was impossible. And the twins, who had just come of age, crushed them one by one by force.
“Crushed” was just a way of speaking—they slaughtered them all.
In any case, in the midst of that chaos, Jeffrey suddenly volunteered for the army, clearly just trying to save himself. He left like that, and only after everyone had been slaughtered did he return a year later, subtly coveting that position.
And now he’s acting friendly?
No—maybe it would be more accurate to say he’s been acting friendly from the start.
I narrowed my eyes and glared at him.
The greediest person of all. A demon-like human who hides his true intentions behind a smiling face.
In this household, there isn’t a single person who genuinely cares about the twins. At best, maybe the duke—but he doesn’t even know how to give love and is the kind of person who doesn’t want conflict.
There are only a few servants who pity the twins, mentioned in the novel. What I need to do is earn the duke’s trust, take over the overall care of the twins, and bring them with me.
“Why did I come, you ask? I just wanted to see you.”
“Is that so.”
“Yes. Wouldn’t it be nice if the impurities of this family got along well? Rohen, Lari, and Aisha.”
I shrugged at him.
“Well, I don’t think they’re impurities. These kids. And even if they were, they wouldn’t think of themselves that way.”
I spoke before Rohen, who had stepped forward as if to protect us.
“Do you think they think the same?”
As if my reaction amused him, Jeffrey curled up just one corner of his lips. Unlike how the novel described him as always hiding his emotions behind a smile, his feelings looked quite frank now.
Then Lari, who had been quietly listening with half-closed eyes, suddenly opened them wide.
“Big sister’s thoughts are our thoughts.”
“Yeah.”
“Oh? It seems the twins like you more than I expected, Aisha.”
Anyone watching might think we were incredibly close. In reality, we’d only met once before, but Jeffrey busied himself talking anyway.
“So?”
“Well. That’s good. It’s good that the twins have someone they can trust. But you see, in the end, the twins will have to protect you. In the ducal house, having someone you must protect is nothing but a weakness.”
“I won’t be protected by anyone. So did you come today to pick a fight?”
“Of course not. I just came with the intention of getting along.”
That’s what he said, but throughout the conversation I could feel that his expression wasn’t good. It was irritation—irritation that things weren’t going the way he wanted.
“Is that so? Then you can just leave as you are.”
“What…?”
“I have no intention of getting along.”
I’ll block every single thing in advance that could become a problem from the children’s early years. That way, even after I’m gone, they’ll have it a little easier than in the past.
I won’t leave the twins with a single painful memory, a single sad memory. I’ll leave them only with memories of being loved like other children—so that when they think back on their childhood, only happy memories remain.
I said it firmly, but Jeffrey suddenly burst out laughing like a madman.
“Ha, haha. Really. Such an unexpected reaction. Telling me to just go. Saying you don’t want to get along. But the ones I want to get along with are the twins.”
“We’ll do what big sister wants.”
“So you’ll act like fools, like dolls?”
Jeffrey looked down at Lari, who was moving her mouth earnestly.
“I… I’m not a doll… Lari isn’t a doll….”
“Then live with agency.”
“They already have plenty of agency. Don’t try to confuse them with pointless words. The one trying to control children by forcefully using treatments or whatever to move them as you please is you.”
No good words could come out of my mouth. I hugged Lari tightly and glared at him, and only then did Jeffrey grin.
“Well, I suppose it could feel that way. But… the only one who can help you will be me. In this family, I’ll be the only one who views you positively.”
“Sure, sure.”
“And Aisha. If you want to stay here for long, you’d better start by fixing your way of speaking.”
I know very well that there won’t be any wonderful things like in the novel.
Going to a high-ranking noble family and having everyone love you—such a thing doesn’t exist in this world. I know all too well that magical things like that will never happen to me.
That’s why I nodded at him.
“I’ll think about it.”
“Good. In any case, I hope you think about it positively.”
I nodded vaguely. I had no desire whatsoever to become close to him. But as if he had already expected this kind of reaction, he blocked our path again just as we were about to pass by.
“If, by any chance, you keep making me out to be the bad guy to the children like this, then I think I might end up agreeing with those who want to drive you out, Aisha.”
“Are you threatening me?”
“Yeah.”
The moment he cheerfully affirmed it with a bright smile, a wave of disbelief washed over me.
“So let’s get along. You look busy, so I’ll take my leave.”
After thoroughly scratching at people’s nerves, he drew his own conclusion and turned away. I wanted to say more, but shaking my head, I decided that speaking further would only irritate me more.
“Let’s go.”
“Is it really okay to let him go like that?”
Rohen narrowed his eyes sharply, clearly displeased with Jeffrey.
“Yeah. It’s fine. You can ignore what a useless person says. I won’t do even a single thing the way he wants.”
That was when it happened.
