Chapter 75: The Passion (5)

Isabella was overwhelmed with a happiness so intense it felt like she was floating.

The reason was simple: her beloved older sister had finally accepted her feelings.

She had always clung to her, showering her with endless affection, but her sister had remained unconquerable, perhaps because of the barrier of being the same gender or her sense of duty as a warrior.

But they say there’s no tree that won’t fall if you chop it ten times.

Even Sion’s iron fortress-like defenses had eventually crumbled before Isabella’s relentless pursuit.

And now, here they were, at this moment.

“Here, Princess. Say ah~”

“Ah~♡”

As Sion smiled and held out a piece of sandwich, Isabella, sitting on her lap, opened her mouth like a baby bird.

It was an embarrassingly sweet scene that could make anyone cringe, but here, there was no one who would dare to point that out.

Now that they were in a legitimate romantic relationship, who would dare interfere?

In fact, just look around; everyone was watching them with warm smiles—attendants, friends, even her rival, Brother Martin, as well as her father and mother. Everyone she knew.

“Nom, mmm…”

“Do you like it, Princess? I did my best, though it’s a bit embarrassing…”

“Of course! There’s no way anything made by you could taste bad! This is the best gift ever! Thank you, Sis!”

Saying this, Isabella clung to Sion, rubbing her cheek against hers.

Happiness. Pure happiness.

She felt so content that she wouldn’t mind if she died from a heart attack right then and there.

Her sister’s soft lips, the touch of her silky hair, and her sweet scent wrapped around her like a warm embrace.

This was the scene she had only longed for in her heart, now finally realized.

If this was a dream, please don’t let her wake up.

“Oh, by the way, Princess.”

As she melted into happiness, Sion, who had been watching her fondly, suddenly spoke as if something had come to mind.

“I have something to confess to you. It’s quite an important matter.”

“Huh? A confession? What is it?”

Isabella tilted her head.

A confession? Could it be that she likes her?

But now that they were in a relationship, it seemed redundant to voice such an obvious feeling.

“Well, the thing is…”

Sion averted her gaze, as if embarrassed.

Then, leaning closer to Isabella’s ear, she whispered softly.

“I’m actually… a man.”

“…?”

Wait.

What was that supposed to mean?

How could her sister be a man?

There couldn’t be such a beautiful man in this world.

Isabella tilted her head in confusion, then turned to laugh, intending to tease her sister for her strange joke with a “Don’t joke around like that~.”

However—

bump.

“?????”

At that moment, Isabella, who was sitting on Sion’s lap, felt something strange beneath her thigh.

A hard, protruding stick pointing upwards.

A familiar biological feature that she recognized, thanks to her brother.

A sensation she absolutely shouldn’t be feeling here, at this moment.

“Sis, what is that—”

“As I said just now,” Sion whispered sultrily near Isabella’s ear, still in that sweet yet ominous voice.

“I’m actually a man.”

The sky turned crimson.

The plants began to wither.

The soft, white sandwich in her hand transformed into a charred, blackened lump.

The paradise around her suddenly turned into a hellish scene in an instant.

Slowly, the arms embracing her grew thicker, and—

“AAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!”

Isabella screamed and bolted upright.

In that instant, everything surrounding her vanished as if washed away.

The red sky, the burnt sandwich, and the arms resembling her sister’s that were holding her—all gone.

“Haa, ha, haaa…”

Isabella, eyes wide, gasped for breath.

After a moment, she looked down at the blanket covering her and let out a sigh of relief, smiling.

“What… what the heck… It was just a dream…”

Of course. There’s no way her sister could be a monster like that.

It was a terrifying experience she never wanted to relive.

To think she had dreamt of her sister in such a twisted way, disguising it as a sweet dream only to shatter it.

If this was someone’s trick, Isabella would never forgive them.

She would hunt them down and incinerate them with a lightning bolt.

Especially the part where black fur began sprouting from those arms—it was…

Isabella shook her head in disgust, not wanting to recall the memory.

It wasn’t real anyway, so she could just chalk it up to an unlucky, bizarre nightmare—

“Who are you calling a monster… that’s a bit much, don’t you think?”

“!?”

Isabella jumped, startled.

At some point, Sion had sat beside her bed, wearing her usual serious expression.

Thankfully, it wasn’t the furry monster form she’d seen in the dream.

“S-Sis?! Why are you here?”

“I could ask the same thing,” Sion replied, glancing around.

This wasn’t Isabella’s pink, princess-like room but a bare, sparsely furnished room.

“This is my room, so why did you sneak in here in the middle of the night? Even picking the lock to get in?”

“Oh…”

Come to think of it, that’s what had happened.

Originally, she had snuck in to find her sister’s maid, Iris. And along the way, maybe she had planned to pocket a few things.

But then, somehow, her sister caught her, and then…

Wait, what happened after that?

Isabella tilted her head in confusion.

She felt like she had witnessed something shocking, but she couldn’t quite remember.

The memory was as if it had been cleanly cut out, leaving an odd sense of incompleteness.

What was it… What had she seen…?

“Princess!”

Just then, a sharp voice snapped Isabella back to reality.

It was her maid, Rosalia, who had returned with a damp towel for nursing, only to find Isabella awake and cried out in surprise.

She dropped the towel and rushed inside.

“You’re awake! Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Oh, Ro-Rosalia…”

At her words, Isabella glanced down at herself.

Luckily, aside from a bit of cold sweat, she was perfectly fine.

“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with my body. I’m fine.”

“Really…? That’s a relief.”

Rosalia sighed with relief.

“Okay.”

Isabella nodded with an innocent expression. 

At that moment, not only Sion and Rosalia but even Iris, who had been silently watching from the corner, turned to look at each other. 

Their gazes held a subtlety difficult to express in words. 

“””……………..”””

“Hey, what’s going on? What’s happening? Stop exchanging glances just among yourselves and tell me too!” 

Isabella urged, her face full of curiosity, but the three continued their silent standoff. 

Eventually, Sion, who bore the most responsibility as the main culprit, took it upon herself to speak up. 

“Well, here’s what happened… 

“What?! You turned into a man because of a curse?!” 

“Yes.” 

Sion nodded.

Her explanation was simple: it was all yet another scheme of Tarkus. 

Tarkus, who had once been a spirit-bound creature (and had used an excuse involving twins just in case), managed to slip out of his original body when Sion defeated him.

Then he tried to possess Sion, the hero. 

Fortunately, thanks to her divine body, she resisted, but there were side effects.

After all, the power held by a commander was no small thing. 

One of the resulting side effects was the phallus that Isabella had witnessed, causing her to faint in shock. 

“I was acting strange for the past week because of it.

It took a lot of effort to manage the various emotions that suddenly came from turning into a man, especially when it came to certain… sensitive areas.” 

“Oh…” 

Finally, Isabella understood the whole situation.

She realized why her sister had avoided her all day, why she had sometimes cried secretly, and why her complexion had been so pale at times—all because of that evil commander who had once cut off her arm. 

Too bad he was already buried in the grave; there was no chance for revenge. 

“So, what happens now? This curse isn’t permanent, right?” 

“No, fortunately not.

According to the principal, who examined me, thanks to my divine body, it will naturally heal if left alone.

About two to three weeks, and it should disappear on its own.” 

“Really? That’s a relief…” 

Isabella sighed in relief, clutching her chest. 

Although Sion still looked graceful and beautiful despite the curse, who knew what might happen as time passed? 

Maybe she would turn into a testosterone-filled macho man, like the ones Isabella had seen in her dreams.

She would rather gouge out her own eyes than see that. 

“But if it’s temporary, it’s no big deal, right? I thought it was something major.

To think that the unbreakable big sis was shedding tears in secret!” 

“Haha…” 

Sion laughed awkwardly, genuinely feeling troubled.

How had news of her crying spread? 

From the Lancia incident to now, she realized she would have to be extra careful even when alone. 

“Anyway, we’re keeping this a secret, right? I have my pride as a woman, so please don’t spread it around.” 

“Got it! I won’t say a word, even if it kills me!” 

Isabella thumped her chest confidently. 

Good.

Although the princess could be reckless and impulsive, she would never do anything to damage Sion’s reputation. 

“Alright. Now that this is settled, let’s get back to the main topic.” 

“Huh? Main topic?” 

Isabella tilted her head. Was there something else? 

Just as her curiosity was satisfied, wasn’t that the end? 

Sion gave her a sly smile. 

“Well, the biggest question remains: how did you get into my room? I locked the door, and I have the key… This is strange….” 

“Ah.” 

Realizing the gravity of the situation, Isabella broke into a cold sweat. 

She was about to get a serious scolding. 

Sion lectured Isabella, who was hanging upside down from the ceiling, for about an hour. 

“Phew, finally gone.” 

Watching Rosalia leave with an exhausted princess in tow, Sion let out a sigh of relief. 

In truth, it had been a close call. If it weren’t for the all-purpose scapegoat, Tarkus, she would have had to knock them both out and alter their memories. 

It was a dangerous move, tampering with the memories of close friends, akin to rolling the dice of doom once a day. 

She really owed Tarkus, dead though he was.

She almost felt like rewarding him. 

“Actually, the curse excuse turned out to be quite convincing… maybe I should keep using it?” 

“Please, stop joking around and cast the spell already.” 

Next to her, Exia glared, her eyes narrowing. 

She wanted to smack Sion hard on the back of the head but held back due to her own limitations. 

“I was so startled when I woke up to the sound of screaming…

If you had listened to my advice from the start, this whole mess could have been avoided. Don’t you agree?” 

“Oh, so proud of yourself for being right just once…” 

Sion grumbled, crossing her arms. 

“Anyway, it’s all sorted out in the end. As long as the result is good, who cares?” 

“Well…” 

Exia glanced toward the entrance, watching the door through which Isabella and Rosalia had left, looking unconvinced. 

“Who knows if it’s really resolved? You never know with that bombshell of a princess; she might pull something outrageous again.” 

“Oh, that won’t happen.” 

Sion dismissed Exia’s concerns with a laugh. 

“No matter what, Isabella always keeps her word to me.

She hates the thought of disappointing me more than death. That part, at least, can be trusted.” 

“…….”

Is that really true? 

It did sound convincing. 

Unlike herself, Isabella wasn’t exactly reckless with her words.

She was sensible enough not to let a careless slip reveal something big. 

“Well, let’s hope nothing happens.” 

Exia sighed, feeling an inexplicable unease lingering over the day.