20.
The morning after I had taken care of the matter with Chloe.
As always, I prepared to open the counseling office.
When I stepped outside, I saw several maids and young ladies.
It was an ordinary morning scene, nothing out of the usual, but…
Clatter—
In the distance, a carriage came rushing toward the entrance of the alley.
It was not the carriage Chloe usually rode in.
It looked larger, heavier, one might say.
It was a carriage lavishly decorated with crimson embroidery, as though showing it off.
Then the door opened, revealing vivid red hair.
A woman in an ebony dress stepped down with a leisurely air.
It was my older sister, Veronica Sinclair.
‘…So she’s finally coming back.’
After that incident, she had seemed busy handling the aftermath.
It appeared she had found some breathing room at last.
One of the maids standing in line saw Veronica and tugged at the sleeve of the person beside her.
Whether they had seen her apologizing before me in person, or had only heard the rumors,
they all seemed to be avoiding her.
Veronica paid no mind to that current and came straight to me.
“I’m here.”
A single sentence tossed out as if it were only natural.
If I made this woman stand in line, rumors would spread again, so I had no choice.
I felt bad for the others, but I would have to call counseling closed for the day again.
“Come inside.”
I brought her into the counseling office.
Jingle—
Once the door closed, Veronica naturally headed for the sofa.
Even her posture was different from last time.
Rather than hunching over like a child being punished, she sat with her back straight.
Her complexion also looked noticeably better than before.
“…What happened with that matter?”
It might be a little harsh, but I asked that first.
After all, there was nothing I hated more than getting dragged into trouble because some incident broke out.
“Who do you take your sister for? I handled everything.”
Veronica answered leisurely.
Come to think of it, she was now naturally referring to herself as my sister.
It was true, so I could not exactly object.
“No one has asked you anything since then, have they? I made sure they absolutely couldn’t, so you can rest easy.”
She was right about that.
Despite what had happened, not a single person had asked me about the incident.
Even Lady Fleur, who was always prone to chattering, had not uttered a single word about it.
“I’ll acknowledge that much, for now.”
“Hoho.”
The corners of her lips lifted slightly.
She smiled with an expression that accepted an obvious result as obvious.
“…So what brings you here today?”
Judging by her attitude, she did not seem to have come for counseling.
Most repeat visitors came by even when they had no particular worries, but Veronica seemed to be more than that.
It felt as though she had a different purpose from the start.
“I’m thinking of coming regularly from now on. My head doesn’t hurt anymore, but you never know…”
The pretext was her headache.
However, watching her gaze sweep once around the counseling office, I could tell she had another purpose after all.
“There seem to be far too many things wandering around without knowing their place. I suppose I’ll have to manage them.”
Whether she meant she would manage the counseling office, or manage me.
Perhaps both, I thought, and a chill ran down my spine.
“In any case, this is my counseling office, so…”
Just as I was about to say I would handle it myself—
Jingle—
The door to the counseling office opened.
What entered was brilliant blond hair and blue-gold eyes.
It was Chloe.
“It said you were closed. Has something happened…?”
She hurried inside.
As she spoke in a rush, her eyes met Veronica’s.
In that instant, both of their expressions stiffened.
Veronica’s leisurely smile twisted into a frown, and Chloe’s perfect smile turned blank.
But in the blink of an eye, both of their expressions returned to normal.
So normal, in fact, that it felt unnatural.
“Oh my, Lady Sinclair. I didn’t expect to see you in a place like this.”
Chloe was the first to greet her.
Perfect social etiquette. From the angle at which she bowed her head to the natural way she lifted her skirt slightly, there was nothing to fault.
“Ah, Lady Levantia.”
In contrast, Veronica did not even stand, merely giving a small nod.
With a smile even more relaxed than before, she glanced at Chloe.
“I suppose I’ll say it’s nice to see you.”
……It already feels chilly in here.
***
The two of them sat on opposite sides of the sofa.
Whenever I tried to sit on one side, the expression of the person on the other side turned terrifying, so in the end, I remained standing quietly.
…I thought two sofas would be enough, but apparently not.
Should I buy another one next time?
As I stood there awkwardly, Veronica was the first to speak.
“I hear you haven’t visited this place recently.”
Her gaze fixed on Chloe.
She calmly crossed her legs and continued.
“I wonder what all this fuss is about, coming here belatedly. And while I’m here, no less.”
Her attitude was rather openly hostile. Were the two of them on bad terms?
In truth, I had no way of knowing.
I had never been to high society, after all.
“The Levantia family often interacts with the Holy Kingdom, you see. I simply had matters that required me to be away for a while.”
Chloe noticed that attitude and still responded as she usually did.
Then she smiled sweetly and added one more remark.
“Ah, the Sinclair family only interacts with the northern barbarians from time to time, don’t they? I suppose you might not be aware.”
Because I had been preoccupied with Veronica, I had not noticed, but Chloe really had been absent lately.
Interactions with the Holy Kingdom, huh.
Well, she was a noble, so it would be stranger if she were always out playing around.
“Bar… barians?”
I saw Veronica’s eyes narrow slightly at the word barbarians.
Perhaps Chloe had jabbed at the standing of her family with a smile.
Was this how people fought in high society?
“Ah, sir. Shall I prepare some tea for you? As usual.”
Chloe spoke to me despite clearly seeing Veronica’s expression turn fierce.
The smile with which she emphasized “as usual” seemed to carry this meaning.
You won’t refuse me now, will you?
Of course not. Please save me too.
“Yes, please. …As usual.”
Chloe gave a soft little hmph of laughter and naturally headed toward the box of tea leaves.
Click—
She unlocked it and prepared the tea as she always did.
Throughout the entire process, Chloe kept stealing glances at Veronica.
As if sending a message along the lines of,
‘Oh my, the tea leaves I drink are kept here. But Lady Sinclair doesn’t seem to have anything, does she?’
Veronica’s gaze lingered for a while on the tea box and its lock.
Her brow furrowed viciously.
“To bring your household belongings into someone else’s shop. I suppose the Levantia family is accustomed to overstepping its bounds?”
“Household belongings? Not at all. They’re a token of my feelings for sir.”
After saying that, Chloe took out the teacups.
The only two teacups that she and I used.
“Lady Sinclair, if you would like something as well, you are welcome to have some… Though it seems you haven’t prepared anything in particular.”
It was a murderous conversation, one even I could understand.
And yet the two of them were smiling.
Though their eyes were not smiling at all.
“Come to think of it, I heard an amusing story in high society. Do you know about it too, sir?”
Chloe changed the subject as she handed me a teacup.
With a faint smile, she said,
“Something about Lady Sinclair pressing her forehead to the dirt somewhere.”
Her smiling eyes looked at Veronica from beyond the teacup.
“I didn’t believe it, of course. Still, the story was conveyed in quite vivid detail. As though something like that really had happened around here.”
Chloe’s words struck precisely while pretending not to know.
Veronica’s ears flushed bright red.
“To think you would not only drag around baseless rumors, but even babble about them. Is the dignity of the Levantia family only worth this much? How truly vulgar.”
“I’m glad if it was only a baseless rumor. However, even if one silences people by force, the truth will not be hidden.”
As if she had no intention of losing even a single exchange, Chloe finished speaking.
“Ah, though I suppose the Sinclair family may have no other method at their disposal.”
A cold blade hidden within an elegant smile.
Their conversation stopped, and only the occasional sound of Chloe sipping tea could be heard.
Veronica’s face grew so flushed that I could feel her hands clenching tightly on her lap.
And yet, looking at her eyes, which had settled coldly…
‘If I don’t stop these people, something really is going to happen.’
The thought came to me naturally.
How should I stop them?
First, I ran a simulation in my head with an imaginary girlfriend and an older sister.
—Sweetheart, why are you taking that woman’s side?
—Little brother, is she more important than family?
—Tell me. Is it me, or that bitch?
No matter whose side I took, my cheek would not survive unscathed.
“Both of you, please wait a moment. There’s something I need to say to each of you separately.”
In that case, I had no choice but to separate them one at a time.
Even so, I was somewhat confident I could handle it.
These two women’s weak points.
No, I knew their capture points, at least.