Chapter 74: The Passion (4)

When Isabella finished her class and came out, the news waiting for her was shocking.

“What? My sister cried? Really?”

“Yes.”

Isabella’s personal maid, Rosalia, nodded softly.

It was hard to believe.

Not anyone else, but Sion, shedding tears?

She was the type of person who would stay calm and expressionless, even if her entire body was pierced with needles or set aflame.

“Are you sure? You didn’t just see it wrong?”

“No, I couldn’t believe it either, so I checked several times with a telescope. It’s true; she shed tears.”

“…”

Isabella folded her arms and sank into thought.

Even an idiot could have noticed that Sion’s behavior had been odd these past few days.

She looked gaunt and wobbled as if she hadn’t eaten in three days.

Her usual confident stride was absent, replaced by a hint of melancholy.

Her focus was off; she frequently missed when teachers called on her, and she kept glancing around nervously, fending off anyone who tried to approach her defensively.

Still, even with all that…

She never expected Sion would be pushed to the point of shedding tears.

What on earth could have happened?

“Do you have any guess as to why? I had you watch her all day today. Was there anything you saw that might be a clue?”

“Hmm…”

Rosalia slowly went over Sion’s activities from the morning.

Sion was so sensitive that it was impossible to keep close tabs on her like other people.

Rosalia had only been able to observe her from a considerable distance through a telescope.

So, naturally, there were limits to the information Rosalia could gather.

Unfortunately, in that limited information, there was no clue that could explain the truth.

She did see Sion barely escape the harassment of a pair of demon twins before she cried, but surely she wouldn’t have been brought to tears over something like that unless she was extraordinarily sheltered.

“I apologize, but I have no idea. I’m sorry for not meeting your expectations.”

“Hmm, no.”

Isabella shook her head.

She hadn’t expected to uncover the whole truth after just one day of distant observation.

If it were that easy, Isabella, who was closer to Sion than anyone else, would have figured it out already.

To find out the truth, she needed to extract the information from Sion herself.

But she had learned over the last three days that asking directly wouldn’t work.

“It can’t be helped. I didn’t want to resort to such drastic measures, but…”

Isabella sighed softly as she murmured.

If it were something minor, she would have trusted her sister’s resilience and left it alone.

But if the situation had escalated to the point of tears, it was a different story.

She needed to find out the truth, even if it meant pushing herself. Otherwise, how could she call herself family?

“Do you have any good ideas?”

“For now.”

If she couldn’t get Sion to talk, she could ask someone who was closer to her.

And though she didn’t like admitting it, Isabella knew there was one person closer to Sion than herself—a partner Sion had known as a close friend since childhood.

“The maid my sister brought along…

Her name was Iris, wasn’t it?”

“Bring her to me quietly without my sister noticing. Use any means necessary.”

Isabella ordered, running a hand through her hair with a cold, slightly jealous tone.

She was exuding an aura of a villainess as she gave the command, but things didn’t go as smoothly as she had planned.

“What? You don’t know where she is?”

“…Yes.”

Rosalia lowered her head apologetically.

“I asked other staff and servants around the school, but strangely, there was almost no information about her.

It’s as if she completely disappeared from the school during the day…”

“No, but how is that possible…?”

Isabella frowned in confusion.

Even if she wasn’t a professionally trained maid, surely Iris would at least perform basic household duties.

Or was she just freeloading?

When doing tasks like cleaning or laundry, it’s only natural to run into other staff members.

But no one had seen her all day?

“Wait, what about the dormitory? There’s a dormitory for servants, isn’t there? Wasn’t she there either?”

“Apparently, according to the staff, she’s sharing a room with the warrior…”

“What???”

What, that’s so unfair!!!

A simmering jealousy rose within Isabella.

Despite having lived in the palace with Sion for seven years, she rarely shared a bed with her!

Is this the power of “childhood friends”…?

No, no, this isn’t the time to be having useless thoughts.

She shook her head to rid herself of her jealousy.

It didn’t matter what kind of life Iris usually led.

What mattered was finding a way to lure her out and bring her before Isabella.

“Preferably, without letting my sister know.”

“Let me confirm one more time. Are you sure she’s sharing a bed with my sister?”

“That’s certain. There isn’t really any other place she could stay, and there have been witnesses saying they often go into the room together.”

“Good.”

If that’s the case, this could work.

She had something prepared just for times like these.

“Then, shall we go moon-watching tonight…?”

Isabella stifled a quiet laugh.

That night, outside Sion’s dorm room.

“Princess, do we really need to go this far?”

“Shh, be quiet.”

In the deserted hallway, two blurry figures that resembled mirages walked along.

It was none other than Isabella and her attendant, Rosalia, both cloaked in invisibility.

Rosalia, glancing nervously around, whispered.

“We could just wait until the hero leaves for school, and I could ask her then.

I doubt this Iris girl will stay holed up in the room all day. Besides, waking someone up to question them isn’t very polite.”

“……..”

“Am I wrong?”

At Rosalia’s suggestion, Isabella looked at her with dissatisfaction.

It was logical, no doubt.

It would completely remove the main risk of this mission—getting caught by Sion. But…

“Sigh, you’re so clueless.”

“Pardon?”

“Nothing. Just stand guard outside.”

Isabella clicked her tongue.

Her plan was simple: if it was certain Iris was sharing a room with Sion, she’d sneak in while they were asleep, wake Iris, and lure her outside.

Then, she’d dig into why Sion had been so moody lately and, if Iris didn’t know, enlist her help in subtly probing.

Of course, as Rosalia pointed out, the plan was riddled with flaws.

First, there was no real reason to sneak into the room at night.

She could just wait for Sion to leave in the morning and approach her then.

This way would be far more convenient for both of them, not to mention it would reduce the risk of being caught.

But Isabella insisted on sneaking in at night.

If asked why she’d go to such lengths, there was only one reason.

“So I can see my sister sleeping!”

It was a ridiculous reason, but to Isabella, it was important.

She adored everything about Sion, but she especially loved her sleeping face.

She loved those delicate eyelashes that fanned out like a crescent moon.

Once, while they slept together, the moonlight streaming in from the window illuminated Sion’s face, leaving Isabella so captivated that she stared for hours, entirely entranced.

For a solid four and a half hours.

However, Sion generally preferred sleeping alone, making these rare moments of beauty even more precious.

And since joining the school, they were in separate dorm buildings, so their chances of meeting had dwindled even further.

That couldn’t be. Rules and such shouldn’t keep them apart.

Just like Altair and Vega created a bridge of starlight to reach each other, Isabella and Sion needed a bridge to reunite.

If one didn’t exist, she’d have to make one by force.

“Hehehe… seeing my sister’s sleeping face… hehe…”

A laughter filled with desire escaped Isabella’s lips.

At this point, Iris’s matter was secondary.

What mattered now was that she had a legitimate(?) excuse to enter Sion’s room.

Even if she got caught sneaking in, she’d have a passable excuse.

Though her logic was twisted, anyone who saw Sion’s moonlit face would probably agree with her sentiment, swallowing their pride.

She looked that breathtakingly beautiful.

Truly. So much so that anyone could watch her for days on end without tiring.

“Now then, let’s use the spare key I prepared, like so…”

Leaving Rosalia to stand guard, Isabella took out a key from her pocket and turned it in the lock.

Don’t ask why she had a spare key to Sion’s room.

Every girl has a few cute secrets, after all.

Besides, no matter how strong Sion was, a spare key was a precaution in case of emergencies.

Without it, how would they handle an intruder sneaking in while Sion was asleep?

As a devoted sister, Isabella’s preparation was only natural.

7… 7… 1… 0… 1… 0…

Slowly, the forbidden sanctuary’s door opened.

Slipping through, the “totally not a pervert” princess crept into the room.

The room was sparsely furnished, as expected of Sion. Just the essentials, with nothing extra. In one corner was a queen-size bed.

“ZZZZ…”

Zzzzzzzz.

On the bed lay a familiar blonde-haired maid, sleeping comfortably—sprawled out and deeply asleep.

It was Iris.

‘That girl, hogging the whole blanket and curling herself up like that…’

Isabella scowled at the sight of her friend’s unrestrained sleeping posture.

Even though they were childhood friends and alone together, wasn’t that a bit too relaxed?

They were supposed to be in a master-servant relationship, after all.

What if someone else saw her like this?

Isabella, for one, would never act this rudely.

If anything, she’d make sure to keep Sion warm.

Perhaps by snuggling close and sharing her body heat…

‘Huh?’

It was then that Isabella noticed something strange.

She had expected Iris to be on the bed, but looking closer, there was no one beside her.

Sion, who should have been lying there, exuding her usual unguarded charm, was nowhere to be found.

The other side of the double bed was completely empty.

“Where did she…?”

Just as Isabella voiced her confusion over her missing target…

Squeeze!

“Uh, ugh!?!?!?”

Something grabbed her head from behind with a powerful grip and lifted her up.

The familiar sting was unmistakable.

“A pesky little bug dared to sneak in here, unaware of its place. Thanks to you, I’m awake now.”

Sion muttered coldly in a tone she had never used before.

“How would you prefer to die? Roasted? Frozen? Or perhaps sliced?

Speak now. I’ll show at least that much mercy on your final journey.”

“Ahhh…!!”

Isabella, who was invisible, screamed, unable to respond.

She wanted to explain that it was a misunderstanding, but her mouth wouldn’t move—she was in too much pain.

Startled by the sudden situation, Rosalia, who had been keeping watch from behind, rushed forward in shock.

“Y-Your Highness?!?!! Are you alright?!?!”

“…?”

Your Highness?

Sion frowned.

Now that she thought about it, the voice and even the shape of the skull (?) seemed somewhat familiar…

“Could you possibly be Princess Isabella?”

“Y-Yes! So, please, let go, argh, let me go!!”

Sion released her grip after confirming the intruder’s identity.

Freed from her restraint, Isabella collapsed, coughing, and slumped to the ground.

“May I ask why you’re here at such a late hour, Your Highness?

I’ve told you several times that I dislike it when you sneak into my chambers while I’m sleeping.”

“Ugh… well, the thing is…”

Isabella clutched her head and looked on the verge of tears.

Her sister’s fury was far stronger than she’d anticipated, and all the excuses she’d prepared felt utterly useless.

Somehow, Sion seemed even more sensitive than usual.

In this situation, perhaps it was better to be honest and ask for forgiveness?

From experience, she knew that Sion was more lenient when she admitted her mistake instead of trying to justify herself poorly.

With that thought, Isabella lifted her head.

“……..?”

And at that moment, she saw something that should never be.

A brief digression:

A male’s body experiences recurring expansions and contractions of the genitals during sleep.

This natural physiological reaction, often called nocturnal erection or “morning tent,” occurs due to hormonal changes, causing blood flow to concentrate in the lower body, enlarging the organ.

Currently, Isabella was witnessing this phenomenon, from none other than “Sion,” who she had always known as a “woman.”

“Uh, sister…? What… is that…?”

“!”

Isabella pointed with a trembling finger between Sion’s legs, and Sion’s face immediately filled with embarrassment.

After enduring a day of torment at the school, which felt like hell, Sion had returned to her room and thrown herself onto the bed, deciding to deal with this issue in the morning.

She was far too tired to cast a full transformation spell, and, above all, she was utterly exhausted.

Moreover, her pajamas were typical female nightwear provided by the royal family, designed to be breathable and thin, making any abnormalities visible from the outside.

In short, it was undeniable.

“T-That form, could it really be…?!”

“W-Wait, Your Highness! It’s alright! I can explain!

This is, well, you see—”

Sion stammered, tugging at her top in a panicked attempt to cover herself, but none of it registered in Isabella’s ears, which were already overwhelmed with shock.

Although her knowledge of such matters was limited compared to others, she had an older brother.

At the very least, she knew the fundamental differences between men and women, especially about a certain organ her brother had that she did not.

But Sion was a woman—or at least, Isabella believed so. She had checked multiple times in the bath.

So why?

Why?

Why????

“Sister… you’re not… a sister, but actually a… brother?”

If so, then everything she’d believed until now… what on earth…?

The light gradually faded from Isabella’s eyes.

Her common sense shattered, her worldview collapsed.

It was as if a devout believer had suddenly realized the absence of their god—a level of shock akin to a priest discovering the void of divinity.

Overwhelmed by this truth, a wave of reality far too heavy for a fifteen-year-old to bear engulfed her, and—

Thud.

“Your Highness?!”

Isabella collapsed right then and there, fainting on the spot.