I nibbled on the salad to ease the feeling of the awkward atmosphere. Then Hayle smoothly changed the topic of the conversation.
“Come to think of it, sister. Are all the dresses ready for the Prince’s upcoming banquet?”
‘Oh, that reminded me….’
The novel’s original male protagonist is the Crown Prince. I expressed deep nostalgia for the fact that so much time had already passed since I was adopted by the Argent family.
The birthday banquet of the Crown Prince is being held for his 20th birthday.
Originally, this was the beginning scene of the novel. This banquet was not simply being held for his birthday. It was also a banquet to announce his return. He had been studying abroad for a long time. He only studied so long to return to the Imperial Palace to enter into politics. He had an earnest desire to do good for others.
According to the original plot, the Crown Prince showed an instant interest towards Carnestia, who I have now taken the place of, at first sight at the banquet. It was safe to say that most of the important events took place on that day.
“Yes, I’ve ordered it all in the right sizes. The finished pieces will arrive soon.”
Hayle took the time to capture his thoughts. Then he replied with a bright smile.
“You look beautiful in anything and everything you wear. A new dress will only draw attention to your beauty that no other lady in the empire can even dare to compare to.”
I gave an awkward smile as my fingers fumbled at the charming words. The brightness of his smile twinkled in his eyes as he continued to speak.
“Will you be so kind as to show me the dress first when it arrives, sister?”
As soon as he finished speaking, Kyle’s gaze immediately landed on mine. He alternatively looked between Hayle and I as if he were connecting the pieces of a puzzle. The strangely narrowed eyes seemed to display his unhappy mood.
‘Ah, you’re going to be envious of this?’
We had a little conversation as usual. Kyle always disliked how I gave my attention to Halye over him. A short conversation between us would make his mood instantly turn sour.
I swallowed the saliva in my dry mouth. I wanted to run away from the situation, but I gave a short nod with a tight smile to Hayle’s question.
It was an unusual breakfast that made me feel uncomfortable to be around. It wasn’t just Kyle and Hayle who caused it. Kazef had a dark expression on his face ever since he talked to me not too long ago. It seemed suspicious to say the least. He had no reason for such a look, but I quickly glossed over it.
I couldn’t tell at which point hunger disappeared. I put down my fork because I felt I might get indigestion if I tried to eat.
The place I’ve lived at for nearly 14 years strangely felt awkward today.
More than the first day I came here as the Marquis’ adopted daughter.
“Sister!”
There was only one person who called me like that in this spacious mansion.
Kyle Argent.
Hayle’s twin brother and the Marquis’ youngest son.
I trembled for a moment as I remembered last night, when the way he called for me was quite intense. I tried to hide my thoughts with a smile as if nothing had happened.
“Yes, Kyle. What’s the matter?”
He approached me and when he was just a few inches away his arms snaked around my waist.
“Are you going to show Hayle the new dress first, sister?”
“…Huh?”
“The first person to see you in your new dress will be Hayle.”
Kyle snapped as his words came off with great emotion. It was strange to see him act like this, and I gave a soft answer to calm him down.
“Well, I don’t know……”
I avoided his gaze and blurted out my response. Then he pouted his mouth and whined.
“No, you’ll show me first. Don’t worry about the others.”
‘Oh my gosh…..’
The words from his mouth were far more childish than I was used to. I was surprised by his absurd request and couldn’t respond to him. I was embarrassed, yet I wanted to laugh at the way he acted. It was suitable for the youngest of all the children to be unreasonable. A small smile overtook my lips. Kyle honestly spoke his mind like he cited facts.
“You like me better than Hayle.”
“Huh…?”
“You felt so good yesterday that you said you liked me better.”
Kyle said with a smug expression on his face. It was not a topic to carelessly mention in the hallway of the mansion where the prying ears of servants and family members could overhear. I hastily turned around and tried to cover Kyle’s mouth.
“K-Kyle. Are you crazy?”
I said to him in a whisper as I tried to give him a stern look. Unlike my serious facial expression, Kyle brightly smiled with a playful glint in his eyes.
“Maybe I’m crazy for you?”
“I’m not playing.”
I sighed as I answered dryly to Kyle’s mischievous manner of speaking.
“I’m telling you this because I don’t want anyone to hear about it. Let’s be more careful.”
“But it’s true that you liked it yesterday.”
I remained still and speechless as I couldn’t deny it. It was like he knew that he hit the nail on the head.
Yes, it was an undeniable fact.
There’s no woman in the world who doesn’t like a man with black hair with red eyes or black hair with blue eyes. It would be even better to have a threesome with two men with these traits. I could agree because I did it!
It was good to have good sex. We didn’t have a love affair, so I thought it wasn’t a relationship. There was no reason to argue about who’s better between the twins. When I woke up in the morning and saw the two lying in my bed, I tried to lie to myself that it was a simple one night stand before my future marriage.
In the empire it was illegal for there to be incestuous marriage. Even if it was legal, it was impossible to do it with multiple family members.
In reality, the three of us are legal siblings. We were not meant to be lovers that spend long sleepless nights together or whisper love with affectionate caresses.
Kyle and Hayle would meet and marry women of the same status in the distant future. I was determined to have the position of the Crown Princess like the novel. Of course, I’m not sure if I can do it now that this situation has appeared. It started before the original plot had time to begin……
I was the only one who thought of the threesome like this. Kyle seemed to believe it meant there would be a change in our relationship because of it. It was a bit burdensome and embarrassing to deal with.
There could be a change in relationship from friends to lovers. It never changed between siblings. I had no intention of turning our relationship that way.
“Sister. I—”
Kyle opened his mouth to say something. I had an instinctive feeling that I shouldn’t listen to it. I cut him off on purpose. I knew it was rude, but I didn’t want to hear what he had to say.
“Yesterday was a mistake, Kyle.”
It was a very harsh and honest remark. I knew I couldn’t leave room for misunderstandings. There was nothing to say to him except this to stop his foolish thoughts.
“I want to get along with you guys just like we used to.”
I knew very well that this boundary established was the least I could do. The fact I needed to was more than ridiculous. It wasn’t the time to be too worried about it now though.
The three of us were at the acceptable age for marriage and would soon look for suitable partners. We only had to endure for two or three years, then we would marry others and build our own families. We would eventually forget about the night we shared a bed together.
It was the best option for Kyle, Hayle and I. Most importantly, the best option for our family as well. Our family didn’t need more problems, so it was in everyone’s best interests to move forward.
It would drive us further apart by doing so. However, I was nothing more than a foster daughter. I wasn’t a real “Argent.” It was my gratefulness that helped me remain loyal to the family. I refused to shame my parents.
But did Kyle not like what I said? His face wrinkled into a frown. A low voice laced with irritation came out of his mouth.
“Mistake?”
“……Yes.”
“Ha!”
Kyle let out a short laugh and ran his hand through his hair as if he was dumbfounded. He clearly looked upset. I was deliberately harsh to get through his thick head.
“Kyle. What did you expect us to be lovers because we were entangled once?”
“Of course. I didn’t think that would happen, but…….”
“Yesterday was a one time fling.”
“Are you crazy, sister?”
Kyle asked eerily again as his eyes shined darkly. An inner turmoil took place inside them. His anger was on full display. I was terrified at the sight. Instinctively, my body trembled from the intense gaze. It wasn’t one that a brother should stare at his sister with.
“No, I will correct myself. Do you want me to go crazy?”
I was scared of Kyle’s eyes that sparkled. I couldn’t allow him to intimidate me to back down from my opinion. I pretended to be unaffected by his tone and expression, but Kyle’s unfamiliar appearance sent a shiver of nervousness through me. I clenched my fists hard as I questioned his motives.
“Why are you being irrational, Kyle?”
“Was last night really a mistake? Was it just a one night stand for you?”
Kyle’s expression crumpled into a contortion of agony. It hurt to see how pained he looked, but I knew I needed to be reasonable.
I understand what happened yesterday should be buried away.
It wasn’t only a matter of straying from the original plot. The biggest dilemma was we were siblings. We were a family, and our relationship couldn’t be anything more.
Kyle sarcastically asked once more when I didn’t answer.
“I’m asking you if it was a mistake?”
“Yes, it was. You came into my room by mistake last night, and I was forced to go along with it.”
As soon as I finished speaking, I heard a laugh coming from him.
Did Kyle know I lied? It was funny to say that I was forced. I said I liked it so much all night, but now I’m telling him otherwise. Nevertheless, it only came down to forcing the end of an illusion that our relationship could be more. I ended it before it turned into a drama.
It wasn’t just Kyle and I. Hayle was just as involved in this issue as us. The three of us. There were acts committed last night that society deemed taboo and illegal.
What if someone found out? The thought alone almost made me lose the strength in my legs from the dizziness in my head.
I had no confidence to be confronted with the faces of my disappointed parents. Their eyes would be full of trouble, but they would ultimately point their fingers and the blame at the ungrateful daughter they gave everything to. I realistically understood this.
‘I’d rather run away if it came to that.’
I chewed on my bottom lip as the endless imagination of the wrong decisions could lead to a cruel fate. Kyle’s eyes turned cold as he looked into mine.
“Sister.”
“……”
“You’ll regret your words.”
“Kyle.”
“It was not easy for us to openly make a nightly visit to you.”
It was true that getting caught last night would have caused trouble for all of us. The rumors would have spread like wildfire in society, and our reputations among the nobles would be ruined. This was why we needed to stop talking about it and let it go. Kyle had other thoughts as he pressed on.
“Hayle and I have been looking at you for years, yet.…”
“….”
“Ha, you still don’t get it.”
I felt suspicious over the usage of the word ‘years’. I came to comprehend that the original work was far twisted then it let on. It was even more apparent when Kyle’s words proceeded.
“Yesterday was a one time fling, right?”
Kyle’s lips turned into a smirk, but his eyes were swirling with unknown emotions. It was quite different from the way he always smiled innocently and was nice to me. The hair on my arms raised as goosebumps appeared over my skin from the uncomfortable atmosphere.
“Yes, of course. It was, so I’ll do as I please.”
“What?”
I looked Kyle straight in the eye at the incomprehensible words, but he didn’t answer to help me understand. It only clouded my mind further with bewilderment.
“We didn’t do anything you really hated.”
“……”
“If you’re going to turn your back on this, can you really ask me to behave with you like before after all we’ve done? What if I’m more disobedient than you think?”
There were words that crossed my mind with no meaning. My brows furrowed as I tilted my head, but Kyle stopped talking. I had no chance to ask what he meant. He just disappeared from my sight without another word.
I had the consciousness to be nervous about what could take place in the future. Something felt off, and it could be that I hit a nerve with Kyle. My mouth went dry at the idea.
‘Come to think of it. What happened to Kazef, Hayle, and Kyle in the original story….’
I pondered over the novel’s plot, when I tried to remember their future that I had forgotten.
Kazef eventually inherited the Marquis’ title and took over the family…. Hayle went to the East for a long time to engage in the East trade. Kyle became a knight that guarded the land of the North and swore his allegiance to the imperial family.
Anyway, none of them ended up getting married for some reason.
I had another justification to be uneasy. It was dangerous that they had no planned marriages. It would have been better if there was a designated fiancee for each brother, but they had no beloved woman in the novel’s original plot.
This situation might get out of hand if I’m not careful.