The door slowly opened in front of me as if it was vigilant.
On the other side came Lacy, who had just left me a few hours before.
She looked at me with astonished eyes upon seeing me coming to her room.
"Wha-, why are you here!?"
"I just can't give up on you. So? Have you decided to join me?"
I reached out my hand to her, but she brushed it away.
"I will not become a traitor no matter what you say or conditions you set!
Though I say it's convenient that you came to me personally. I will not let
you escape…"
After that, Lacy tried to draw the sword in her waist from its scabbard.
I stopped her in a hurry.
"Wait a minute, calm down. Put that nasty thing away."
"Do you think I'm going to listen to you?"
But Lacy continued to pull out her sword and pointed it at me.
"Now, be quiet, or you'll die if you don't."
"Sigh… I understand. Please don't cut me."
I said this slowly to calm Lacy down.
"In the meantime, I'll let you live until I'm done listening to your
confessions."
Lacy said so and let me into the room.
She kept her sword up in her hand while she did so.
I entered the room with strong pressure on my back.
"Wow. I guess the daughters of high nobility really have nice rooms for
them."
What was brought into my eyes was a unit with two separate sections: a
living room and a bedroom.
It was larger than Lucy's room, which I often visit for our 'usual' use.
The furnishings were also quite luxurious, and it looked like you could
make a fortune with them even by selling them off as you saw fit.
"Can you not stare?"
"Oh. So sorry. So, what does Miss Lacy want to talk to me about?"
While saying that, I sat on the living room sofa.
She sat down on the other couch so that she was facing me.
The sword is propped up un-drawn beside her, ready to be brandished at a
moment's notice. If yo u a re ab le to rea d this mes sage, yo u are read ing
from an unaut hor ized a ggreg ate site. Rea d at my Wo rdPr ess at stabb
ing with a syri nge. hom e. blo g to suppo rt me and my trans lations.
"I was just thinking of going to you again."
With that, she went on to ask me a series of questions.
"The first thing I want to ask you is how long my sister has been
backstabbing us."
"That's a good question for someone so angry. Truthfully speaking, we
haven't even been 'friends' for a month."
"I haven't seen any changes in my sister in the last month or so."
"That's because Milena is a very good actress. She's very skilled in
everything she does."
When I said that, Lacy's expression slightly distorted.
Her face looked somewhat chagrined.
Maybe she envied Milena for her deftness in everything, I don't know.
In that case, let's try to push that line a little more.
"Milena was very helpful. She helped me slow down the interference so
you wouldn't know, and she was the one who warned me that the Marquis
is planning to kill me. Thanks to that, I was able to make countermeasures
earlier than you expected."
When I praised Milena, Lacy became even grumpier.
It seems that I have hit a weak spot.
The reason I came here today was to make Lacy even more suspicious of
Milena.
For now, let's keep pushing this one along.
"Speaking of which, I'm sure you remember that there was an intruder at
the Count's mansion, right?"
"What!? that is… no way!"
I smiled at the sound of surprise in her voice.
"Yes. I was the intruder."
"You're saying my sister had a hand in that, too!?"
"Of course. Or else it wouldn't have gone so smoothly. If it wasn't for the
damn earthquake, that is."
Lacy looked at me with a murderous glare.
Of course, it was not just me who was being directed by that glare.
She must also be hating Milena, who is not here, for putting not only herself
and the Marquis in danger but also her own family home.
But then, Lacy's face, which was full of hate, became in doubt all of a
sudden. She seemed to have noticed something.
"Wait," she said. "If sis has betrayed us, can she just take what she wants
out of the house and give it to you? That way, there is no need to take the
risk of breaking in."
She continued as if inquiring.
"And besides, we 'found' you in the end, didn't we? How do you explain
that?"
She was right.
But I already have a good reason for that.
"Certainly, if Milena were to steal, you would not have noticed, but if by
any chance something is found missing, it would be everyone in the house
who would be put under suspicion, wouldn't it? But if there is an intruder,
suspicion will be focused on that person, and Milena won't draw attention.
It was a miscalculation, though, that I was found out in that way in the end.
I was actually planning to be found in a much safer distance."
"Muu…"
I didn't have much time, but I think I was able to come up with a good
excuse.
As evidence, Lacy is looking at me with frustrated eyes.
"Milena this, Milena that, it's always about my sister… have you been after
her from the beginning?"
"Of course. After all, it is always a wise choice to get someone in the other
camp to be an accomplice."
The actuality is, Milena has not betrayed them.
Still, talking about her like this makes me want to see her again and recruit
her.
She has a commander's perspective that allows her to see the whole picture,
and she can formulate strategies with a clear mind.
She also has a lot of experience in actual combat, although it was always in
cooperation with Lacy.
In terms of ability, Lucy can do it, but she's our chief. We can't just put her
to work casually.
And Tilda, Anastasia, and Krone are all biased in what they are good at.
Although she can't compete with them in a single skill, Milena is a versatile
all-rounder, giving her several opportunities to play an active role.
"But I believe Lacy is not lacking either, considering you also graduated
from a military academy."
"Eh…?"
My following words made Lacy look surprised.
The next step is to impose a rivalry from here, not just hatred. This cha pter
trans lat ion is mad e pos sib le by stab bi ng with a syr inge tra nsla tions.
chec k on ly up-to- dat e transl ati ons on my Wo rdpr ess sit e.
"What are you so surprised about? I never said it couldn't be you, did I?"
"W-well, it's because sis is always better than me…"
Lacy seems upset at the sudden mention of herself.
Interesting. For now, let's see what happens if I try to praise her a little
more.
"But in terms of fighting, I think Lacy is better. Certainly, we have Tilda,
but you can't follow her unless you're a Herderite."
These people, who were originally refugees, did not receive any specialized
education.
On top of that, they have their own religious beliefs of charging ahead with
bravery, so there is a risk that if they are used incorrectly, they could be
wiped out for nothing.
"The only one who can handle them properly, other than Lucy, is the chief
retainer old man, who is also a senior advisor. That's why it's fascinating
for us to have you in our camp, another versatile unit with a lot of combat
power."
"No way… I've never been praised like that before…"
When Lacy heard the story, she looked surprised.
Certainly, Milena will get more attention, as she's gorgeous from all angles.
She is a senior aristocrat and an excellent commander; on top of that, she is
a highly attractive woman.
Compared to her, Lacy feels more like a nobody being pushed to the
forefront.
"I guess it's hard to feel attractive as a woman if you have someone like
Milena who is always by your side."
"Ugh, w-who do you think you are, acting as you know about me!"
Aaaaand, that was too much. Apparently, I offended her a little.
She stared at me and reached for the sword she had placed beside her.
"No no. calm down. From what I've seen, I think Lacy also has a good
figure. Almost as good as her sister's, or even better."
Saying this, I looked at her body.
Because she is a good fighter, she has no flab, and her breasts are full,
though not as full as her sister's.
I wonder if some of her subordinates who are watching her are aware of this
charm of hers?
"Wha-! S-stop it! Just where are you looking!?"
"Why, it's Lacy's body, of course. If you allow it, I'd also like to compare
which one is better, yours or Milena's."
"Uu…, Mm…"
At these words, Lacy fell silent as if lost in thought.
My line apparently had struck a chord. Let's continue so that we can keep
her rivalry with Milena burning.
"If Milena hadn't been there when we first met, I might have gone for Lacy
without hesitation. Well, it's too late now."
"…it's not too late."
"Hm?"
I tilted my head, and Lacy, who stood up before I realized, came over to me
slowly.
"It's not too late! I'm going to show you that I'm not inferior to my sister!"
Seeing Lacy looking down at me while saying that, I smiled inside.