69 – 69. The Aides (1)
Thump thump thump thump.
The sound of my foot tapping against the carriage floor echoes.
I nervously gnaw at my completely folded elongated ear.
I’m tense.
I’m unsure how to face my sister’s countenance.
Ever since I can remember, my sister, Yerin, has had a knack for reading emotions and thoughts from people’s facial expressions.
Usually, I wouldn’t have worried too much.
But ever since that bastard Changnam stole the Rosario from me, my poker face has been shattered…
‘That son of a b*tch. Every time I think about him…Argh, it’s making me wet again.’
I’m not sure if I can successfully deceive my sister.
I’ve washed numerous times so there shouldn’t be any trace of Eugene’s smell on my body.
All I have to do is act well. Just act.
“Hoo. My heart is pounding too hard…Huh?!”
“It’s Alisha!”
Thump thump thump.
Just then, startled by the sound of knocking on the window, I turn and tumble over.
My sister’s face is poking out of the window.
I thought it was a ghost again…
“Huh?”
Just a moment.
Wasn’t this carriage running at full speed just now?
“Coachman! Stop!”
It was just then that my older sister, who had been running alongside me, caught my attention.
She hurriedly stopped the carriage.
As the carriage gradually reduced its speed and came to a stop,
My sister slowed down to match the carriage’s pace, then hoisted herself up into it.
Then the carriage started moving slowly again.
“Whew! Just ran into you while I was out for a jog, huh?”
“…”
That was supposed to be a jog?
Considering she wasn’t even out of breath, it must’ve been a light one indeed.
Her stamina never ceases to amaze me, no matter how many times I see it.
“Are you on your way back?”
“Yes, I am… From Basel…”
“You stopped by Clockwork City, didn’t you?”
“Oh, yeah! Right! After stopping by Clockwork City from Basel, I’m now on my way back.”
She hurriedly corrected herself, clearly taken by surprise.
In hindsight, I had been using our stop at Clockwork City as an excuse for our stay at Elvengard.
I almost got caught lying from the very beginning.
“So, you went to Clockwork City because you saw something suspicious while wandering around Basel? So, did you… huh? Have you gotten prettier?”
“What?”
“Did something change? Even your scent seems slightly different…”
Sniff, sniff.
My sister perked up her ears and buried her nose in my bosom, continually inhaling my scent.
My scent is different?
There’s nothing unusual about my clothes…
Just then, my sister said with a malicious grin.
“Aha. I see now. You’re in heat.”
“N-no, I’m not!”
“No way. The pheromones are really strong. So you finally decided to stop using the libido suppressant and go about freely. Good thinking. You look much prettier now. More natural. You used to be so stiff and robotic.”
“······.”
My sister thought the same way.
But personally, I think it’s better not to use the libido suppressant······.
I’ve always been aware of my heavy reliance on the suppressant.
Even if the libido of a rabbit werewolf is said to be slightly stronger than that of an ordinary person, I knew it wouldn’t cause any trouble in daily life.
But driven by the obsession to present a perfect and robotic image, I ended up abusing the suppressant.
As a result, without it, my body became highly aroused at the slightest breeze······.
But after spending a few days without it, my dependency improved significantly.
Now I feel like I can live without the suppressant.
“I love how you’re more like Alicia now!”
“Is that so······.”
But does my sister know?
The reason I tried to hide my libido, to become an emotionless machine, was because I wanted to resemble her.
She probably doesn’t know.
And she doesn’t need to know from now on.
She can be herself, and I can be myself, now that I’ve learned that.
“In the end, we couldn’t find any traces of the man you were looking for in Taeyeop City.”
“Oh, that’s a shame. You worked hard. It must have been quite a long journey. Wasn’t it tough?”
“It was okay······. I did lose my magical tool though······.”
“Oh my. Your magical tool?”
“Yeah. But I’m okay now. I replaced it with a new one. This ring······”
As I continued explaining, I sensed that something was off about my sister.
I thought she would dig deeper into the topic of Eugene.
But unexpectedly, she quickly changed the subject without saying much.
Her demeanor is quite different from when we left Palana.
Back then, she seemed incredibly anxious and on edge.
She looked like she could crumble at any moment.
But now, she seems completely unaffected.
She looked at ease.
As if she had regained some peace of mind.
‘Has her feelings for Eugene cooled during this time?’
Has her longing to find Eugene diminished significantly?
It was good news to hear.
In fact, my sister was not the type to be so agitated over someone.
He was just somewhat good-looking, had a charming smile, and was impulsive but would sometimes take care of her, which was enough to make her heart flutter, but that was it.
He was not a suitable match for my sister.
It’s normal to forget with the passage of time.
It’s a real relief.
This means I’m not stealing from my sister.
I feel the guilt that had been lingering in a corner of my heart disappearing.
“You look really well, sis. I guess something good happened.”
“hahahahaha. Seems like I can’t hide it. The person you went to investigate. I think I’ve found Eugene.”
“What…?”
Despair weighed heavily on my heart.
What did you say?
You found Eugene…?
“What do you mean by that, sis?”
“Elvengard requested our cooperation. It seems the invasion from another dimension has officially begun. But what’s strange is these foolish creatures can’t possibly have sensed this so early. There’s only one explanation. Eugene has been to Elvengard.”
“…!”
“I was really scared? I thought he had really disappeared. I thought I was the only one remembering. I was so scared, thinking maybe I had become mentally ill… But I found him. Finally. Eugene definitely exists. He’s alive, breathing in the same world. Now all I need to do is track him down. It’s still a mystery why Eugene hasn’t come looking for me first… Ah! Maybe he hit his head and lost memory of me! Maybe he’s been living, forgetting me… What should I do! I need to find him before it’s too late!”
This is a disaster.
My sister’s newfound peace of mind was not due to letting go of her obsession with Eugene.
It was the complete opposite.
She thought she found Eugene.
She thought she would be able to meet him soon.
She regained her peace of mind only because she confirmed that everything was not her delusion.
“Could there, could there be a misunderstanding?”
“I’m certain. At this point, the only person who knows about that spider monster, Cali, is Eugene. Eugene told those creatures. There’s no other explanation.”
“…”
A firm stance unwavering by a hair’s breadth.
I shuddered at this.
Seemingly assured by something only Eugene and my sister once knew.
“How… How do you plan to track him…?”
“By nothing but a direct confrontation. I’m going to report it to Elvenguard. If they don’t release information about Eugene, I’m going to scatter the secrets of Elvenguard around the world. I happen to know a few of their secrets.”
“…”
I just realized.
The relationship between Eugene and my sister is much deeper than I thought.
And my sister is missing Eugene far more than I ever anticipated.
Nothing can break my sister’s heart.
And nothing can stop her.
At this rate, she will find Eugene in no time.
‘I need to contact Eugene ASAP!’
Once my sister begins tracking, it’s only a matter of time before she catches up to Eugene.
So, I need to warn Eugene quickly.
That my sister has started tracking him.
He should never be caught by my sister.
‘Um…? But why. Why shouldn’t he get
Even strong enough to surpass my sister.
Objectively evaluated, he’s an ideal partner for my sister, without a single flaw.
So as her sister, shouldn’t I bless them?
For the revival of Falana, for the descendants of Prost, should I not pass on Eugene?
Why on earth was I hiding Eugene so fiercely?
An odd sense of incongruity swept over me as the question surfaced.
“Alicia? Are you okay?”
“Ah, yes… sister.”
“Why?”
“Can I ask, why are you looking for that man?”
“Hmm. I guess it was too harsh to keep it a secret even from someone helping me? He’s someone very precious to me. We separated due to circumstances… I want to get him back.”
“By any means necessary?”
“Yes.”
“And what if he refuses?”
“There’s no way. He’s probably been waiting for me too.”
“…”
I snapped back to reality.
I had been caught up in a strange doubt when there was no need.
‘I can’t let it happen. I can’t let him meet my sister.’
I admit it.
Eugene is sufficiently eligible to be by my sister’s side.
But the story changes if he doesn’t want to.
Eugene might not miss my sister, even if my sister misses him.
Whatever happened between them, at the very least, Eugene doesn’t want to go back to her.
That much is certain.
‘No choice. I feel sorry for Eugene.’
No matter how much I pledge my loyalty to my sister, I can’t completely disrupt the life of an innocent person for her.
I can’t force someone who ran away in refusal to kneel before my sister.
“Are you going to keep helping my sister?”
“Well, naturally, because they’re important to you……”
“hehehe, thank you, Alicia.”
“……”
That’s why.
Because I respect Eugene’s decision.
That’s why I let Eugene escape.
There’s no other reason.
Really.
Perhaps…….
Will it be a big enough harem?