Ethan leaped off the bed, screaming internally. What the hell was Ivy doing outside his room in the dead of the night? Did the crazy sister finally decide to kill him?
As he skipped towards the door, the boy's mega tent poked through the boxers like a dangling sidearm weapon. However, the erection did not last long.
"Ivy?" the boy called out. "What's wrong with you?? It's freaking late at night, and everyone else is sleeping! Why are you trying to break down my door? Leave me alone, you crazy bitch!!"
Ethan meant to sound formidable and authoritative, but his guilty conscience produced a rather boyish and defensive voice.
"Night?!" Ivy barked from behind the door. Her knocks became even louder and more violent. "It's already past four o'clock in the morning! Not everyone else is a useless pervert like you, sleeping till noon! Now open the door, or I swear to God I'll break it down!"
Ethan swore to himself and rushed to Gwen, who was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. "Maybe she knows I am here," she rambled, her eyes spacing out. "Ivy has come to kill us both!"
The Cromwell heir took a deep breath to calm his nerves. Their scary elder sister had indeed left a deep trauma on both their psyches. "Let's not jump to conclusions," he whispered reassuringly, cradling the girl's cheeks in his hands.
"But everything was going so well…" Gwen mumbled. "Why does Ivy have to ruin everything?"
The little sister's doe eyes welled up with tears. Ethan was so triggered by a brotherly affection that he hugged her firmly. "Hey… listen…" he cooed to her.
"I give you my word that we'll continue exactly where we left off. Right now, I need you to go back the way you came. Use the secret passage in the walls to leave. Nod, if you understand me. No more words, just a nod will do."
Gwen was sobbing softly, trying to muffle her voice with her hands. She calmed down and nodded.
"Now, off you go!" Ethan instructed, walking over to his shoe closet and opening the door. Indeed, the wooden panel had been removed from the bottom shelf, revealing a narrow tunnel through the castle's walls.
How had the boy forgotten such a precious treasure? If only he could fit inside, it would open up many exciting adventures.
Gwen jumped to her feet and rushed to her brother's side. She quickly pecked him on the cheek like a baby bird before bending over and wiggling into the hole.
Ethan watched her tight rump squeeze into the secret passage easily, and she disappeared into the unknown. What a slender and flexible girl she was! He replaced the wooden panel longingly and shut the closet door with a sigh.
"Ethan! Open up, you creep!" Ivy's blood-curdling voice assaulted his ears, along with much louder knocks at his door. The boy ground his teeth angrily. How could a human so beautiful act like a feral beast? She was like a sack full of caffeine-intoxicated cats!
"I'm coming right away! Give me a bloody second!" the Cromwell heir fired back. This time, his voice was more confident now that all evidence of his incestuous crime had been wiped out.
Ethan opened the door and faked a loud yawn. "What do you want?"
Ivy stared back at him with disgust, almost frothing at the mouth. Regardless of the girl's hateful appearance, the boy was so overwhelmed by her physical looks he began wondering about the purpose of life.
Why was God so unfair? When he handed out good looks to eligible souls, why did he award so much to a human banshee? She clearly didn't deserve it.
"What took you so long?" Ivy demanded with a clenched jaw. "I've been knocking on your door for five minutes!"
Ethan had a ready-made answer to the question. "Well, unlike you, I enjoy a relaxed state of mind. Sleeping naked helps me go into a meditative state. When deranged girls come knocking at my door at night, it takes time to find fresh clothes and put them on again."
Ivy looked shaken by her brother's sarcasm-laden, passive-aggressive retort. "I hate you…" was all she could muster.
"But I love you, sister! Regardless, let me know what is bothering you. What madness caused you to disrupt my peaceful sleep?"
"I.. Uh…" the girl stammered, now that her unjustified anger had dissipated. She turned her head from side to side to confirm nobody else was in the royal corridor. Then, she shoved Ethan's chest, making him stumble into the bedroom.
"Hey, what the hell!" the boy exclaimed. Ivy followed him inside and bolted the door behind her.
"What's going on?" the Cromwell heir asked suspiciously. "Look, whatever you're thinking of doing, let me tell you, violence is not the answer. Killing me won't bring you any satisfaction!"
Ivy looked at him with a puzzled expression. "Relax. I just want to ask you a few questions."
Ethan realized his elder sister had no idea about whatever incestuous meal Gwen and he had been cooking earlier. She was there for a completely different purpose. The boy fought back a sigh of relief.
"Couldn't your questions wait until tomorrow? You had to know the answers in the middle of the freaking night?"
Ivy did not answer his rhetorical question. She crossed her arms defensively and began pacing the room. At this point, her brother noticed something that had been bothering him until then. The girl was wearing a top and shorts that were quite familiar.
In fact, her clothes were identical to what Gwen wore earlier! What was going on? Did the girls get matching pairs for fun? No, that was unlikely. Ivy and Gwen rarely ever socialized those days. Shopping together sounded absurd.
Was Ivy trying to look like her little sister? The pertinent question was—why would she want that?
"Look, Mom may return from her trip anytime," Ivy finally broke the ice. "I need to clarify a few doubts from you before that. Will you answer them? Please?"
The boy was intrigued by his sister's reformed attitude. When did she last say 'please' to anybody in the world? Ethan wished he had a recording device to collect the rare evidence of submission.
"Alright. Make it quick."
Ivy nodded and took a deep breath. "Tell me this honestly. Why are you trying to make Gwen your sex doll? Do you still want to bully her at this age?"
Ethan threw up his arms in exasperation. "Bully her? She volunteered her body by herself! Why can't you get that through your thick skull?"
Ivy shook her head. "Gwen is too young to make such a decision for herself. Moreover, it is morally questionable to use your sister's body for such perverted acts!"
Ethan clenched his jaw angrily, mainly because she made a decent point. Ivy noticed his hesitation and doubled down. "Look. Gwen never went through strength training like most females do during their teenage years. Mom made sure of that. As a result, she turned out to be quite fragile. Couldn't you please have mercy on the poor girl and let her go?"
Ethan rolled his eyes. "You're making the issue bigger than it actually is. It's not that I am dating Gwen or stepping into her life as a lover! It's also not that I'm going to sleep with her every night and day! Our mutual agreement is sacred, only meant for emergencies."
Ivy furrowed her brows in annoyance. "No! Even if you do it for emergencies, such debauchery is wrong! It doesn't matter if you do it once or a thousand times! You'll ruin our sister's innocent mind forever! She'll grow up to be a corrupted woman!"
Ethan smirked lightly, realizing Ivy had no idea how naughty Gwen already was. How would the big sister react knowing the little sister grinded her ass against his groin a few minutes back? She even requested to see his monster.
Who knew what interesting events might have happened if the duo hadn't been so rudely interrupted?
"What? This is funny to you?" Ivy asked, noticing his sly grin.
Ethan nodded. "It is hilarious that you pretend to care about Gwen."
His sister balled her fists in a fury. "Pretend to care? I'll punch a hole in you, moron! Take back your damn words!"
"Alright! Alright!" the Cromwell heir replied, trying to de-escalate. "I swallow my words for now. There's no substantial cause for violence. And much less cause for threats to punch holes into whole humans. Now tell me… Are you done with your questions? Because my patience is wearing thin with you and your antics."
Ivy restrained her anger, realizing her narrow window was quickly closing. She gazed into her brother's eyes with a piercing look. "I also wanted to ask you—do you like Gwen?"
Ethan responded with a carefree shrug. "Like her? Of course! She is my adorable little sister!"
"No, I mean… Like, as a woman, as a sexual partner. Do you desire her?"
Ethan narrowed his eyes, realizing he was about to walk into a trap. He enunciated the answer slowly and clearly. "I love Gwen like a sister. I can assure you I have no perverted thoughts for her whatsoever!"
Ivy was about to reply rudely when her eyes fell on a strange thing on the bedside table. "What is that?" she asked with furrowed brows. The girl started walking towards it with curiosity.
Ethan's gaze shifted to the object. What was Ivy talking about? As soon as he identified the article, his heart did a double take and then skipped an enormous beat.
A pair of tiny white panties were neatly folded on his bedside table. He knew immediately who they belonged to.
The memory came back flooding in. Ethan now realized why Gwen had gone to the washroom earlier. She didn't really have to take a piss.
The girl was smart enough to expect the sexual adventure unfurling between the two siblings. She took off her panties and innocently placed them on his bedside table.
After they were done, Gwen would have taken her underwear with her before leaving her brother's bedroom. Ivy's rude arrival changed everything and threw her plans into disarray.
Ethan activated his ghost hands instinctively. It would be a lot of trouble if Ivy realized the underwear was actually Gwen's panties. He intended to pick them up with lightning speed and hide them. Then, the boy could pretend Ivy was hallucinating and make fun of her for imagining things that didn't exist.
It was a good plan, but Ethan reacted too late. Ivy was already by his bed, her fingers wrapped around the cute underwear.
"Hey, don't touch my things!" was Ethan's only protest to save his skin.
Ivy turned around, her eyes flaring in anger. "Your things?"
She held up their little sister's adorable undies. "These are Gwen's panties! How did they come here, Ethan? Answer me now!"