Chapter 5
Aveline thought that Ares must have been quite distressed to bring Beauty along, a horse he rarely rode unless it was an occasion to show off.
Following Ares to where Beauty was tied up, Aveline encountered yet another absurd situation.
“You expect us to go home like this?”
“Shouldn’t you be grateful just for not getting lost? You hardly ever go outside, so you don’t know the way. Besides, it would be too hard on Beauty if we both rode.”
Ares, who had mounted Beauty alone, handed the reins to Aveline.
‘This crazy fool.’
She felt foolish for having felt grateful to him even for a moment. He had always been wrapped up in self-love, after all.
“How long will it take to get home walking like this?”
“Hmm. Before midnight, perhaps?”
Aveline glared at her twin brother’s pink head as he seriously pondered this, then gave up arguing and accepted the reality of the situation.
“My lady?”
Just then, an ominous voice came from behind. It was Duke Ribes, who had gone into the restaurant earlier.
“Did you perhaps, in my carriage…”
Oh no.
‘Did he notice the jelly was missing?’
As Aveline’s small, fragile heart began to race, Duke Ribes’ voice drew closer.
“W-what? Isn’t that Duke Ribes? Is he coming towards you?”
Even Ares looked down at Aveline with a confused expression.
‘Oh, to hell with it!’
In an instant, Aveline raised one foot and stepped on the stirrup where Ares’ foot was. Then, using the momentum from that, she lifted herself onto the horse.
It was a clean, efficient movement, like that of a skilled knight.
“Ow!”
Ares cried out as his foot was suddenly stepped on, but Aveline ignored the sound and handed the reins back to her brother.
“Ride, quickly!”
Ares, who had reflexively taken the reins, started Beauty with a still dumbfounded look on his face.
‘Long live female knight protagonists!’
If there was one thing Aveline had done right in all her fangirling, it was diligently undergoing physical training when she was obsessed with stories about female knights.
Sir Ridan, the family’s knight, had struggled quite a bit back then, but Aveline was confident he would have been very satisfied if he could see her now.
She could hear Duke Ribes shouting something behind her as she rode away on the horse, but she couldn’t make out the words.
‘It’s fine. This is the end of our entanglement after today!’
She was planning not to leave the house for a while anyway! Thinking this, she felt much lighter.
However, the journey home for the two was not so smooth.
“Ah, don’t touch me!”
“I don’t want to touch you either! Just ride properly.”
Aveline and Ares, as if afflicted with a disease that would kill them if they touched each other, were struggling not to make contact.
Ares rode hunched forward, almost lying down on the horse, while Aveline sat rigidly upright behind him, arms stretched out to either side for balance.
It wasn’t easy to maintain balance on a horse without holding onto anything, but Aveline, who would rather die than touch her brother, did her best to endure, tensing her legs and moving with Beauty’s rhythm.
It must have looked quite comical to others, but these two siblings were as serious as could be.
* * *
“Oh my, young master! Young lady! What on earth…”
The butler’s eyes widened as he saw the twin siblings passing through the main gate in that same posture after leaving the mansion.
“Where’s Father?”
As soon as Aveline, who had dismounted first, asked, the butler, unable to close his gaping mouth, pointed towards the window of the Count’s study.
“He’s inside, right? Thanks!”
“Hey! Come with me!”
The butler, who had been watching blankly as Aveline and Ares disappeared inside with a clatter, soon came to his senses and handed over the lone Beauty to the stable boy.
* * *
Despite having rushed up with such vigor, Aveline was now hesitating in front of the study. Now that she was about to face her father, worry had set in.
“What are you doing? Not going in?”
“Huh? Oh, right, we should.”
Ares, who had been observing Aveline while leaning against the wall behind her, strode forward and knocked on the study door. Soon, a voice from inside told them to enter.
“Come on, let’s go.”
Ares led the hesitant Aveline by the arm into the study.
“Well, Ares, did you bring Duke Ribes’ documents as you so boldly claimed?”
“About that…”
Just as Ares was about to speak, Aveline, standing beside him, suddenly knelt on the floor.
“…!”
Surprised by this sudden action, both Count Herolds and Ares turned their gaze to Aveline. However, Aveline remained motionless, kneeling with her head bowed.
‘Could it be for my sake…’
Thinking that Aveline’s action was to protect him, Ares felt a lump in his throat.
“Hey, get up.”
Moved, Ares reached out his hand to help Aveline up.
However, Aveline’s situation was different.
‘Ah, I’ve got a cramp.’
Perhaps due to the tension, her leg had cramped up as soon as she stood before her father.
It was hard enough just staying still, and Ares’ attempts to make her stand were quite annoying.
Aveline desperately rejected Ares’ hand.
However, this desperate behavior only fueled Ares’ misunderstanding.
‘She’s going this far for me…!’
Seeing Aveline with her eyes tightly shut and hands gripping her skirt, Ares reflected on his past behavior.
‘I only helped her because of my reputation.’
This innocent sister, who knew nothing, was kneeling to prevent him from being scolded by their father.
‘I’m trash.’
Having completed his self-reflection alone, Ares knelt beside Aveline with resolve.
Unlike Ares, who had misunderstood and been moved on his own, Aveline was still battling her own pain.
‘Ah, my leg is tingling.’
Unaware of these individual circumstances, Count Herolds asked in a flustered voice,
“W-what are you two doing?”
Aveline, also surprised by Ares kneeling beside her, opened her eyes and looked at her brother.
Ares winked at Aveline as if he understood everything. Then, with a rather serious face, he turned to face their father.
“We both disobeyed Father’s orders, so it’s unfair for only she—I mean, only my sister to be punished. We won’t move a step from here until Father forgives us.”
After Ares finished speaking solemnly, he turned to face Aveline, who was still looking at him with surprised eyes. Then he gave her the most dependable smile in the world.
* * *
‘What on earth is he saying?’
The cramp in her leg had just started to ease!
Ares’ words felt like a bolt from the blue to Aveline, who had been waiting for the right moment to stand up.
Why was he dragging her into this when he could do it alone!
Aveline, who wanted to restore blood circulation to her tingling leg as the cramp eased, quickly grasped Ares’ hand.
“No, that’s not necessary. One of us is enough.”
She meant for Ares to continue alone from now on.
“Sister…”
But Ares’ reaction was unexpected. With eyes on the verge of tears, he wrapped Aveline’s hand on his with his other hand.
“I didn’t know you cared for me this much.”
“Huh?”
“Even though we’re only 5 minutes apart, you really are my older sister.”
“W-why are you acting like this?”
Feeling increasingly uncomfortable with Ares, Aveline tried to pull her hand away. But Ares didn’t budge, as if he felt no resistance at all.
“But I can’t let you kneel alone.”
Ares, unaware of Aveline’s feelings, turned resolutely to face their father.
“Although I couldn’t bring Duke Ribes’ documents today, I will definitely bring them to you soon. So, Father, please give up on strategies that sacrifice your children. If something like this happens again, I’ll go and bring my sister back just like today.”
Ares spoke his final words with quite a serious attitude. This time, even Aveline looked at her brother in surprise.
She hadn’t expected such firm words from Ares, who usually followed their father’s words well.
Moreover, he even used the term “sister” consistently.
“Well, well, this is something.”
Even Count Herolds seemed quite taken aback, letting out a forced laugh. Despite this, Ares’ gaze remained unwavering towards his father.
“What an impressive display of sibling affection.”
Count Herolds, who had composed himself by now, spoke.
“As it happens, a letter from Viscount Berta arrived just before you two got here.”
A letter from Viscount Berta?
Aveline and Ares exchanged uneasy glances. It was clear that nothing good would be written in it, given that Aveline had punched him before leaving.
‘We’re done for.’
Yes, this time they were really done for.
Aveline thought she would soon have to beg on her hands and knees.
It wasn’t unexpected, but she had secretly hoped that Duke Ribes’ promise to deal with Viscount Berta was true.
But seeing that Viscount Berta had sent a letter so quickly, it seemed that either Duke Ribes had lied or, in the worst case, their father would likely find out about Duke Ribes’ involvement as well.
“Father, that man first…”
As Ares, unable to contain himself, stepped forward, Count Herolds held up his palm to stop him.
“Viscount Berta sent the same letter to Duke Nor that he sent to me.”
So in the end.
It had even reached Duke Nor’s ears. Whether Duke Ribes was involved or not, things had really escalated now.
‘That’s just my life, I guess.’
She had never managed to do anything properly. Finally, her father had entrusted her with a task, and it wasn’t even that difficult, but she couldn’t even do that right.
‘I should have endured a bit more.’
She should have endured to the end, no matter how unpleasant and frightening it was. Or at least refrained from hitting him.
Regret was useless now. Of course, it was questionable whether she could have endured that bad breath and unpleasantness even if she went back, but it seemed better than seeing her father’s disappointed gaze.
“Father, I was wrong…”
“Viscount Berta said he was too old, vulgar, dirty, and ugly to possibly be matched with you.”
“Pardon?”
