Liandra was taken aback by this sudden proposal. she had a unrequited crush on the male lead and she rarely received requests from other men. She did not know how to properly react, blushing as the words exited Reginalds mouth. However, she did not desire a marriage with the second prince. Liandra had set her eyes on another man. Before she could express her opinion, she was cut off by a familiar devil in her life.
"Apologies, Reginald. My dear Liandra is currently not interested in getting married to any man. I will have to ask you to respect her feelings and not to bring up this topic again." Estelle quickly rejected Reginald's proposal on Liandra's behalf. Although both sisters had the same opinion, Estelle was working under the impression that Liandra would be greedy and accept. Thus she quickly moved to stop the motion of events from taking place.
"Estelle, I would like to hear it from Liandra if possible. I can't accept an answer not spoken through her lips." Reginald retorted, hoping for a different answer to come out of Liandra.
Liandra sat there quietly and pondered. her opinion did not matter here even though it would have aligned with her evil sister's. This produced some confusion for her, not knowing whether to be offended or thankful.
"I appreciate the proposal but I will have to decline." Liandra calmly declined, reinforcing Estelle's stance.
"That is a shame. I would have promised you a life of fortunes and power as my queen. However, since this is not personal and more if a political issue, I will have to ask for a duke's daughter to wed me. So, Estelle Vermillion, would you accept my offer in your sister's place?"
"I will have to decline. I am not interested in royal infighting. if you would, please refrain from bring this up again. There are other noblewomen you could enter into a political marriage with. We are simply grieving are loses and want peace." Estelle declined immediately. She had no use for a husband at this moment. She did not wish to be used in a power struggle either.
Reginald frowned with disappointment. He had hoped that this meeting would bear fruit for his cause. Instead, both young ladies rejected him. If he came back to the palace empty handed then he would have be a laughing stock.
"Tis a shame. The first prince is already so powerful. If we cannot gain more influence, we will lose the power struggle." Reginald calmed himself and refrained from showing too much of his dissatisfaction.
"Is this the sole reason you have come to our estate?" Estelle asked, her face deadpan.
Rena quickly answered, trying to de-escalate what she thought to be a hostile situation. "The engagement is only one reason why we have come to the duchy. Truthfully speaking we also wished to establish general connections with the nobles of this general area. So even if neither of you marry my brother, I hope that we can all be friends."
"Of course. Liandra and I are always looking for friends. It would be a great honour." Estelle found herself in a position of power somehow. Being the only one accepting and rejecting requests, she showed her authority to the royals. If they wanted to achieve anything, they needed her consent.
Liandra hid under a faux smile, doing well in not revealing her obvious displeasure of her current situation. Even in front of an transplanted sister, she had no influence. She still had no idea how to repair her stature.
Wrapped in her own hypocrisy, Estelle did not even consider what she was doing to Liandra as bullying or blatant manipulation. To her, Liandra deserved to be treated like someone that couldn't think for themselves. As long as Liandra did as Estelle instructed, the latter would not bother the former.
"I am glad you agree. It would have been a great shame if we left without accomplishing anything. Even if we only speak now and then, I hope we can live in harmony. I promise you both won't regret it." Rena politely grinned, thankful that at least something went the way she wanted it to go.
With the main discussion over, the two parties finished the formalities with some lunch. Afterwards, the royals politely took their leave and departed for neighbouring fiefs. By the end of all of this, Liandra was left rather numb and confused.
"Elder sister, must you make all of my decisions for me?" Liandra asked, making sure not to appear imposing.
Estelle glared at Liandra, not too satisfied with the other party. "Little sister, you make too many bad decisions. You hesitated during a critical moment and nearly let those royals snatch you up into their power struggle. If you let them do that, the duchy may be doomed in the future. The duchy is powerful, that is why we must stay neutral."
Liandra didn't expect her evil sister to speak sensibly. It surprised her that Estelle understood more about their situation and could directly apply it in such a critical situation. It made her question whether Estelle had controlled the situation for Liandra's sake. A doubt like this was exactly what she hoped wouldn't happen. Estelle was her enemy in the household, someone she couldn't offend or touch. She hated her, yet had to respect her.
Noticing her little sister's understanding of the situation, Estelle grinned with satisfaction. She placed a hand on Liandra's scalp and brushed her hair. "You are a quick learner. If you listen to me and do what I tell you to do, nothing will happen to you. And if you learn well enough, I might let you speak for yourself next time."
Liandra felt uncomfortable yet reassured that there was still hope for her. If she could prove herself to Estelle, Liandra might just be able to secure the engagement she had desired with Estelle's blessing. Without Estelle's consent, she knew that Estelle would immediately make her life horrible.
"I won't let you down, elder sister."
Estelle did not really know if she would actually let such a villainess regain their full autonomy. On one hand, Liandra might improve and become a better person, on the other, Liandra may cause problems and ruin the household's name. There was too much risk, and too little pity. As long as things were stable, Estelle would be satisfied.
Night came sooner rather than later. Their parents finally appeared but seemed rather busy during dinner time. As such, the two sisters had to go to bed without getting much of a chance to speak to their parents. The only thing they got was an assurance that when everything was settled, the family would be able to have some proper time together. This saddened Liandra more than Estelle. Estelle was more or less numb to the situation, whereas Liandra genuinely needed someone she could confide in.
In the bed they now shared, the two slept on their sides, facing away from each other. As usual, there was quiet and darkness. The night came and it gave them peace.