"..."
"..."
Two red-haired women lay side by side on the bed.
Though they are sisters, they'd never shared a bed like this before, making the atmosphere awkward.
The closest memory of them lying together was probably when Sharen had been knocked out during a sparring match and collapsed.
"..."
Gulp.
Sharen, in particular, was extremely tense, all because of her slip of the tongue at the tavern earlier when speaking to Silverna.
'What do I do? It doesn't seem like my sister knows…'
Should she confess now and ask for forgiveness?
Would that be the right thing to do?
'But if I get caught now, I might really get killed without anyone knowing!'
After all, they were the only two in the room.
There'd be no one to stop Liana.
Would it be better to wait until tomorrow and confess in front of others?
As if there were a predator lying beside her, Sharen kept agonizing over her options.
"Can't sleep?"
Liana's low voice broke the silence, her eyes still closed.
"Uh, yeah."
"If it's uncomfortable, I can go sleep somewhere else."
"No, no! It's not that!"
Sharen hurriedly grabbed Liana, who had begun to rise from the bed.
If Liana left the room now, she might truly not survive tomorrow.
"I don't mind sleeping with you! It's just… I have a lot on my mind!"
"..."
Liana lay back down quietly. After a brief pause, she awkwardly cleared her throat and asked,
"What's on your mind?"
"Oh, uh, that is…"
Hesitating, Sharen glanced nervously at Liana's expression before cautiously testing the waters.
"Doesn't it seem like Silverna likes Isaac?"
"..."
"I-I mean, I think that's possible!"
Flustered, Sharen blurted out whatever came to mind.
Liana, expressionless, stared at the ceiling. Her blinking eyes gave no clue as to what she might be thinking.
Finally, she spoke briefly.
"Definitely."
The single word slipped out almost absentmindedly.
Sharen's eyes widened.
"Really? Are you sure?"
"Yeah."
Liana was sure because she had heard it herself when she was disguised as a maid.
["I… I think I like him."]
Silverna had whispered shyly to Anna, trying to hide her embarrassment.
Hearing that confession had brought many thoughts to Liana, but in the end, there was only one conclusion.
"But it's not something I can interfere with."
Liana's voice carried a tinge of sadness, causing Sharen to instinctively turn her head to look at her sister.
It was the first time she had seen Liana so emotional, leaving her startled and unsure of how to react.
"Sis?"
"I'm divorced."
"Technically, you're still his wife."
"For now."
"You never know! Isaac might change his mind and decide to stay."
Sharen found it strange that she was trying to comfort Liana, but she couldn't help wanting to say something encouraging.
"No, Isaac has already made his decision."
"…Sis?"
Liana's trembling voice made Sharen unconsciously reach out and hold her sister's hand.
"He didn't even want to hear an apology."
Sharen felt a pang of guilt. She, too, had treated Isaac like a servant in the past.
"Hey, sis."
And she knew Liana had stood by and let it happen.
"Then why did you just let the brothers bully Isaac?"
Sharen asked with a puzzled expression, and Liana exhaled a sigh before replying.
"Does the reason even matter anymore?"
Liana slowly closed her eyes.
"I made a choice, and it was the wrong one."
"…So now you're going to let Isaac go?"
"Yes. So, stop saying things like, 'Do you have feelings for Isaac?' or anything similar."
It's disrespectful to him.
Liana added. Sharen nodded slightly, then hesitantly confessed.
"Since you've let him go, I guess I should admit something too."
"…"
"I… kind of told Silviana that you and Isaac are getting divorced."
"…"
"But since you've already let him go, it doesn't really matt— AAAAH?! IT HURTS! LET GO OF MY HAND!"
There was no way Sharen could win against Liana's strength.
"You liarrrr!"
***
The next day.
Isaac and Liana were summoned separately to meet the Margrave for questioning.
"…"
"…"
The place where the two were called wasn't exactly an interrogation room. It was more of a dining area.
Though the room was somewhat small, warm light from the lamps filled the space. On the table were simple snacks like sandwiches and jerky.
There was even a bottle of liquor placed on the table, making the atmosphere seem far from a formal inquiry.
The two sat side by side, an awkward tension lingering between them due to the events of the previous day.
When the Margrave didn't show up for a while, Isaac eventually cleared his throat and asked Liana hesitantly.
"Um, about yesterday… Did you sleep well?"
"Yes, I stayed in Sharen's room."
Liana answered expressionlessly. It was the calm, usual demeanor Isaac was familiar with, and it put him somewhat at ease.
'That's good.'
Isaac had felt guilty about sending her away the way he did, especially since she had expressed herself so openly. But he couldn't let her stay.
If they had stayed together any longer—
"Ahem. That's good to hear."
"How about you, Isaac? Did you sleep well?"
"Me? Yeah, I slept fine. I was so tired I passed out immediately."
"That's good, then."
Liana returned the same response, her voice devoid of emotion. Her gaze remained fixed on the entrance, as if urging someone to hurry and arrive.
But when no one came, she exhaled softly and glanced at Isaac out of the corner of her eye.
"If you need help, let me know."
"Help?"
"With aura. I can teach you here if you'd like."
"…"
Aura—something Isaac had no experience handling.
[Aura? Are you joking? Once you reach the pinnacle, you won't need such things.]
Recalling the words of his grandmaster, Isaac replied.
"Teach me."
If the grandmaster were here, they might have pouted and said, [Let her be your master, then.]
But the master wasn't here.
It was only right to learn when the opportunity presented itself.
"…Alright."
Liana's eyes widened slightly at how readily Isaac agreed. She struggled to suppress the slight curve forming at the corners of her lips when the door finally opened, and Uldren Caldias entered the room.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. There were beasts gathering near the wall."
He sat down and immediately grabbed a piece of jerky, chewing it casually as he observed the two of them. His expression turned slightly puzzled as he tilted his head.
"You're being unusually stiff. I thought I'd give you some time to bond, you know, a heartfelt moment."
"..."
"..."
"Hmm, was it too much of a favor? Or were you just nervous?"
Taking a sip of the liquor, Uldren teased casually.
"There's no need to be tense. Just answer what I ask, and I won't reprimand you. Of course, I can't say the same for Helmut."
Picking up another piece of jerky, Uldren pointed it toward Liana before taking a bite.
"I accepted your plea as 'Liana.' But you do realize Arandel won't be pleased about Helmut kneeling before Caldias, right?"
"Yes, I'm aware."
"…Kneeling?"
Isaac looked at Liana with a baffled expression. She deliberately avoided turning her head.
"You kneeled? Liana?"
"Did you not hear me? It was heartfelt. I learned a thing or two about romance." Uldren laughed heartily.
Isaac stared at Liana incredulously and questioned her.
"Are you kidding me? Do you realize what the family head will say if he finds out? He's already furious about you sneaking here."
"I know that."
"Then why would you… Ugh, forget it."
Isaac rested his chin in his hand, his tone curt. Liana's eyes flickered slightly at his reaction, and she added a remark, almost defensively.
"I did it to save you."
"The Margrave would've been enough. You didn't have to do that."
"If the Margrave left, the frontline defenses would've weakened. He can't leave his post so easily."
"If you're so good at reading the situation, why don't you take a good look at your own position? What's your plan after going to Helmut?"
"I'll handle it."
"Sure, right. The family head will be so understanding."
"I told you, I did it to save you."
"Still, you should've stayed within reason. Do you even understand how big of an issue this is?"
"Regardless, I saved you. Isn't that what matters? If I hadn't gone, the damage could've been worse. You still can't even use Aura."
"Oh, that's how you're going to talk to me?"
"Who started speaking in a confrontational tone first?"
"I'm scolding you because I'm worried about you! Do you think the head of Helmut will be happy hearing you've been kneeling around?"
"I knelt because I was worried about you!"
"Maybe you should've worried about me a bit earlier."
Their conversation ran in circles, the two arguing without finding common ground.
Watching the exchange, Uldren nodded to himself thoughtfully.
'Is this how they show concern for each other?'
If you listened to what they were saying, they were both worrying about the other.
'Helmut really is something else.'
Deciding to leave them to their 'reunion,' Uldren continued munching on his jerky as he waited.
***
After finishing her shift, Silverna hesitated as she entered Malidan fortress. The questioning had taken longer than expected, so she decided to check in.
[why on earth would I go around talking about them getting divorced? It's the opposite—they keep nagging me to be careful, and it's them who look like idiots! Ugh!]
Sharen's words from the previous day kept floating in Silverna's mind, distracting her throughout her shift.
Judging by Sharen's slumped posture and lack of energy earlier today, it wasn't just drunken nonsense.
'Divorce?'
If that was true…
If it really was true…
'Could that mean… I have a chance—?'
"Milady?"
"Ah!"
Lost in her daydream, Silverna was startled and stumbled backward. Standing in the hallway was Anna, arms crossed as she observed Silverna curiously.
"Where are you headed right now?"
"Uh? Oh, no, I was just—"
Too flustered to answer, Silverna faltered under Anna's direct questioning.
"You're going to see Sir Isaac, aren't you?"
"Uh, uh-huh."
"He's probably still in the middle of being questioned, though."
"Well, he's still part of my team, so I thought I'd at least check on him."
Silverna's voice grew smaller as she spoke. Anna, striding toward her, sighed and reached out her hand.
"Unbutton a few buttons."
"Huh?"
Anna undid two of Silverna's shirt buttons without waiting for a response, then placed her hands firmly on Silverna's shoulders and declared decisively:
"If you're going to do it, do it right. If you're going to take him, then take him properly."
"…Anna?"
"Milady, do you think opportunities like this come around often? The man you've been holding feelings for is married, but suddenly, he's on the verge of divorce? This is… literally a gift from the gods."
"Anna?!"
"Hurry and go! Liana Helmut might be beautiful, but you're no slouch yourself."
"R-really?"
"With what you've got, most men wouldn't be able to resist. Especially since it seems that's a weak spot for Helmut's side."
Anna gestured with her chin toward Silverna's chest.
Embarrassed, Silverna scratched her cheek awkwardly but ultimately let Anna push her toward the guest room being used as an interrogation room.
***
"Let me take this one."
"No."
What Silverna expected to be a tense interrogation room turned out to be the complete opposite.
Instead, three people sat around a table, casually playing a card game.
"You used to let me win before."
Liana puffed out her cheeks, to which Isaac clicked his tongue and replied,
"That was when I was single."
"..."
"Now stop pouting."