TFLMLD 30

Chapter 30

How’s Your Brother-in-Law? I Heard He Died

2020.12.15

Even just hearing her words gave me strength, and maybe because of that, my heart felt warm. But that fluttering feeling froze the moment I saw Rael standing at the end of the corridor. A woman with slightly wavy red hair cascading to one side. She was just as I remembered, making her easy to spot.

If Calypse had elegant catlike eyes and an alluring aura, Rael had the complete opposite impression: a voluptuous figure exuding a sexy vibe. Knowing her strengths well, Rael was wearing a red dress today, deeply plunging at the chest. She had clearly put effort into her appearance… and it was obvious at a glance that this was far above the frilly dresses from the costume shop.

Rael fanned herself lightly as she approached, scanning me from head to toe. From the transparent face polished with Swan Changer to the white-beaded dress with tightly embedded jewels that exuded elegance, and the bejeweled tiara and necklace with crown ornamentation… Every fleeting expression that crossed our eyes revealed envy and jealousy. Her raised face held dissatisfaction. Surely it was vexing for a half-sister like her, who always had to live in inferior conditions, to see someone doing well. She tried to hide it, but even her twitching eyebrow betrayed her.

“So you’re the one who married Prince Macaron?”

We had signed a contract marriage with Macaron, but he hadn’t announced it yet. Seeing her ask me this, it didn’t seem like she had heard it from somewhere… she probably saw us entering here.

“Do you need to know?”

On Rael’s sneering face, a hint of surprise and confusion appeared. Calypse, who normally couldn’t respond to any insulting remark, naturally wore this expression.

“You think you’re something just because you married the prince?”

I didn’t avoid her advancing eyes, curling the corner of my lips into a smirk. I had seen this expression in the mirror before, but it was unlucky when Calypse with her catlike eyes made it herself.

“…Why? Are you jealous?”

Rael looked slightly taken aback by my unexpected reaction but still carried herself arrogantly.

“Jealous my foot. You’ll be dead soon anyway.”

“….”

She was clearly insulting me in reference to the rumors that Macaron was a monster. One corner of Rael’s mouth twisted, and her emerald eyes glared at me mockingly.

“Looks like you haven’t had your wedding night yet. I see you’re still alive.”

I hadn’t planned to comment on that…

“So you married some old geezer just to survive your first night?”

Rael had once squandered the Patouan family fortune with Arkne, boasting of extravagant spending. That lifestyle ended with Patouan’s downfall. At the time, Calypse married Shuvil, while Rael couldn’t curb her spending and ended up in debt. Her solution? Marry a man fifty years older than her as his fifth wife.

“Who said he’s an old geezer!”

Rael’s body, which had been pretending to be composed, visibly trembled. Her clenched fists suggested she might strike.

“It even made it to the Imperial Gazette, didn’t it? You were the second-oldest couple in the Empire?”

Judging by Calypse’s memory, she had compared herself to Rael many times afterward. Originally, Calypse wouldn’t have been able to respond even knowing that fact—but Rael wasn’t exactly the kind to stay composed.

“You’re still better than that monster.”

She came all this way just to cause a fuss—she must be incredibly jealous. I wondered why she even came here. Or rather, who had put her here? Lost in thought and silent for a moment, Rael curled her red lips—like they’d been smeared with chili paste—and spoke:

“Try flattery. Maybe someone will spare your life.”

I calmly looked into her malicious eyes and smiled elegantly.

“Thanks for your concern.”

Yes. That look on her face said it all: This is your old self.

But what a shame. The Calypse she knew was no longer here. Smiling calmly, I delivered a sharp remark to Rael:

“How’s your brother-in-law? I even heard he died.”

Rael’s sneering face collapsed instantly, her face draining of color. She acted shocked over such a small thing.

“Doesn’t this make you think about your own actions?”

It felt like watching a single-celled creature that forgets its memories in 0.1 seconds.

“Is that something you say to your younger sibling? Aren’t you the same before the prince?”

“Of course he doesn’t know. If he knew this, it’d be a disaster. He’s still infatuated with me and can’t get over it.”

“Who’d be crazy enough to fall for someone like you? Unless they had eyes like yours.”

“That sounds like something I should say.”

I scanned her from head to toe, just as she had done.

“Don’t ever claim I’m your sibling anywhere.”

“…What?”

“I’ve never had a sibling like you. Imagine how shocked His Highness would be if he knew.”

As soon as I finished speaking, Rael’s arm rose to strike my cheek. I grabbed it tightly, resisting her struggling. I held it firmly enough to leave a mark.

“Let go of my hand, you… filthy thing.”

Rael had often insulted Calypse’s biological mother to provoke me. Back then, Calypse could only run away silently, shedding tears through the night. Her mother had married the Viscount of Patouan with her beauty, but she had been a former slave.

“So you inherited noble blood and ended up like this?”

“Where on earth….”

Her body trembled violently, her face red with fury. When she finally dropped her arm, she clenched her fist. Just then, a sharply dressed man approached.

“Rael, chief steward, what are you doing here?”

Rael, still shaking with anger, could barely answer. The man seemed to be her superior.

“That….”

Shame and embarrassment painted Rael’s face. Wait, what did that man just say? Chief steward…?

“You… were a steward?”

I finally understood how Rael got here. This man seemed to know her well. His gaze toward her said, Not again. He even seemed to recognize me. Unlike Rael’s innocent appearance, he quickly assessed the situation. He bowed politely to me.

“I am Henry, steward of the Sword household. If the chief steward has erred, I apologize.”

The Sword family was a renowned swordsmanship family, rivaling the Knights where Shupen belonged, and was connected to Netro, Kai’s nemesis. Kai had trained day and night to confront Netro—even dreaming of him. I didn’t know if today’s match between Kai and Netro would happen yet. But ever since the steward’s rank was revealed, Rael trembled, glaring at me through gritted teeth after her superior, Henry, had bowed politely.

“Does a steward outrank the head of the Sword family?”

“That’s… not—”

Rael, still glaring at me with fury, misjudged the situation.

“I thought the steward could speak rudely because of that.”

For a moment, Rael shouted:

“When did I speak rudely? You’re the one who started it—”

Henry turned pale at her words, sending her a deadly glare, and repeatedly bowed to me.

“I apologize. I apologize.”

Henry forced Rael to bow before me. She struggled, but eventually lowered her head, lips pressed tightly, and muttered through gritted teeth:

“I… apologize…”

Of course, she had no clue what she had done wrong. Henry finally led her away, repeatedly apologizing as if fleeing. Even from his back, his anger was clear.

“Chief steward, brace yourself. Who is she…?”

Rael glanced back repeatedly as she was dragged away, her face pale and body trembling. I thought to myself:

Don’t live well, and don’t ever appear before me again.

If Rael didn’t come here on her own, I would never see her again. Her angry glare was unnerving, but I shook my head and quickly returned to the room with Macaron and Coral. I had no time to waste on someone like Rael. I couldn’t miss even a moment of Kai’s match. Luckily, Kai hadn’t started yet.

As I quickly took my seat, Macaron whispered in my ear, likely because of Coral:

“Did you meet your younger sibling well?”

I unconsciously tensed at the thought of Rael. Macaron had already noticed my expression.

“What should I do?”

“Do what? You could strike the back of her head, or console her.”

“Strike the back of her head?”

Macaron, who usually used formal words, had suddenly picked up such a marvelous expression. He explained the meaning of striking the back of her head with utmost seriousness.