Chapter 89: Minor Misconceptions (4)

Meanwhile, while Sion and Marianne were locked in a tense confrontation, what were the other two up to?

“Um… is this really necessary?”

“Shh! Don’t talk! They’ll hear us!”

They were hiding in none other than Marianne’s closet, eavesdropping on the conversation between the two.

Of course, they hadn’t gotten permission from the room’s owner.

If they were caught, not only would everything fall apart, but the very idea of someone sneaking into her personal closet would undoubtedly leave Marianne furious.

But Therese was a woman who prided herself on never taking orders from someone weaker than her.

So, while Marianne wasn’t looking, Therese swiped the room key, sneaked into her room while she was away, and holed up in the closet.

All to get a front-row seat to the exchange between Sion and Marianne.

-“Remember the invisibility potion we drank earlier? That thing costs 500 gold per bottle. That’s 1000 gold for the two of us. If you don’t want to pay me back for that because of your mistakes, stay quiet.”

-“Y-Yes…”

Lancia, who was hiding in the closet alongside Therese, let out a small sigh.

At first, she had tried to stop Therese’s reckless behavior.

But as usual, she got swept up in Therese’s bulldozing energy and found herself dragged along.

She was the kind of woman who, no matter how composed she tried to seem, always ended up being swayed.

-“So, what’s the hero saying now?”

-“I’m listening.”

But the guilt didn’t last long.

Lancia soon pressed her ear against the closet door alongside Therese.

She felt guilty, sure.

But curiosity won out. Lancia, like anyone else, couldn’t resist her primal urges.

A moment later, Sion’s voice filtered through the tiny crack in the closet door.

“…Miss Marianne.”

Her voice was calm and steady, though with a slight hint of nervousness.

“Be honest with me. The talk about the novel was just an excuse, wasn’t it? There’s something else you wanted to say.”

“?!”

Marianne gasped, her breath catching in her throat.

Had she figured it out from the start?

“Y-You noticed…?”

“Yes, it was quite obvious from your behavior. I’m not that dense.”

“…”

Marianne bit her lip, letting out a small groan.

If she’d been caught, there was no use pretending otherwise.

Though it was embarrassing, especially since she’d confidently promised her sister to leave it to her, she had no choice but to acknowledge her failure.

At least Sion didn’t seem as hostile as she had feared.

She thought she’d be furious, scolding her for harboring such presumptuous fantasies, but instead, she appeared unexpectedly tolerant.

Perhaps… it would be okay to ask directly?

Marianne hesitated for a moment, gauging Sion’s reaction, before speaking.

“D-Do you think… it’s okay?”

“You mean the relationship between those two?”

“Yes…”

Marianne lowered her head in embarrassment.

It felt uncomfortable to discuss a classmate as a subject of conversation like this, even for someone as bold as her.

The room was enveloped in a heavy silence.

Then, after a brief pause:

“I don’t see any issue with it.”

Sion’s soft voice reached Marianne’s ears as she kept her gaze on the floor.

“The Saintess Estelle once said, ‘Love is the strongest force that binds all things.’

If someone has already felt that emotion, how could they suppress it?

That’s impossible. Instead, shouldn’t they embrace their feelings and fight for what they want, no matter the obstacles in their path?”

This was also Sion’s own belief—that there was no hierarchy in desire, and every being had the right to pursue their desired future.

Even if it meant harming others in the process, as long as one fully bore the consequences of their actions, it was a choice they had the right to make.

She preferred an active life, fighting for what one wanted, over a passive life bound by restraints.

“But… they share the same surname. And they’re the first and second in line for the throne. Can it really be okay?”

“Why not? Sharing a surname isn’t some insurmountable barrier.

And as for the succession issue, wouldn’t their union actually resolve disputes in the most ideal way?”

“Would it…?”

Marianne blinked uncertainly, but Sion nodded confidently.

“Why are you worried about this, Miss Marianne? Given how often you’ve read that genre of books, you should be far less biased about this than I am.”

“Th-That’s true, but…! Still, fiction is different from reality!”

Marianne’s body shrank further, her fingers fidgeting like a flustered hamster.

Watching her reaction, Sion couldn’t help but smile softly.

‘So she can’t act as shamelessly when it’s her own matter, huh?’

Unlike the days when her fiery enthusiasm used to even terrify her, the current Marianne seemed like a girl her age.

Confused, unsure if her feelings were right, and struggling to decide what to do—a normal girl.

‘Alright. As her senior, I should give her a little push.’

With that thought, Sion clasped her hands together and said:

“Miss Marianne.”

“Yes?”

“Don’t worry too much. I’m ready to support your love at any time. If needed, I’ll even use my authority as a hero to help.”

“””?!”””

Marianne was left dumbstruck, as were the two hiding in the closet.

Did this woman even understand the implications of what she’d just said?

Did she seriously just declare she’d support an incestuous relationship?

Was she out of her mind?

While Marianne was frozen in shock, she suddenly thought of someone else and shouted.

“Wait…! What about the fiancée? What about the fiancée they already have?!”

“Fiancée?”

Wait, they had a fiancée? That was news to Sion.

She tilted her head for a moment, then shrugged it off without much thought. If they did, so be it. Better to know late than never.

Placing a hand on her chest, she calmly responded.

“Of course, if their feelings are sincere, they should reach out and seek the fiancée’s permission.

It won’t be easy, but… wouldn’t it be better to end a false engagement before it starts, even if it’s painful?

A love built on lies will only bring unhappiness to both parties.”

“…….”

Marianne fell silent, unable to find the words to respond.

Meanwhile, inside the closet, Therese couldn’t help but glance at Lancia beside her, wondering how she was holding up after hearing all this.

“…Ugh.”

Of course, she wasn’t okay.

Lancia felt like her heart was breaking.

Her eyes welled up with tears, shimmering faintly.

Disappointment. Betrayal.

She muttered to herself, as if trying to convince her own heart.

‘I get it. Of course Master would side with the princess. They’ve known each other for almost seven years, while I’ve only been with her for a month. If I were in her position, I’d choose her too.

And from the sound of it, their love seems genuine.’

She knew.

She understood.

If their feelings were that deep, she was nothing but an insignificant obstacle in their way.

Quietly, she thought it would be best to find an excuse and step aside.

That would be the right thing to do for them.

Logically, she knew this. But still…

‘How could they… to me…’

“J-Just a moment!”

At that moment, Marianne’s sharp cry jolted Lancia out of her darkening thoughts.

“W-Wait, Hero! Are you sure you know about that matter before you speak?”

“That matter? What is it?”

When Sion asked, Marianne tightly closed her eyes and shouted.

“T-The baby…!”

This matter, often overlooked, didn’t simply end with two people being related by blood.

No, it was more than that.

It all began with suspicions that Isabella had aborted a child she bore with Martin.

That was the starting point of all this chaos.

Even if one were to concede that consensual relations within the family could be overlooked, abortion was a completely different issue.

To the Church of the Goddess, abortion was nothing less than an act of murder—a profound insult to the sanctity of life.

Surely even a hero wouldn’t condone that, would she?

Could she possibly know the full story, or was she completely in the dark?

Marianne stared at Sion with a worried expression.

And sure enough—

“….Baby?”

Sion tilted her head in confusion, clearly having no idea what she was talking about.

Marianne sighed deeply and began to explain.

“Just as I said, there’s evidence suggesting a baby was conceived between them. And not only that—they secretly aborted it—”

“Wait, hold on a second.”

Sion interrupted her, her face filled with bewilderment.

“A baby? How could a baby be born between them? What are you even talking about?”

“Huh? What do you mean, how?”

“?”

“?”

Sion furrowed her brows slightly.

Something didn’t add up here.

‘Wait, could it be? Like Isabella, do these people also not understand how babies are made despite reading so many risqué books? Impossible, right?’

“Um, Lady Marianne, sorry, but two women can’t have a baby together. Are you perhaps mistaken about—”

“??? Two women? What are you talking about? Since when was Prince Martin a woman?”

“???”

“Excuse me?”

Sion and Marianne stared at each other, utterly dumbfounded.

Question marks seemed to float around them.

“Uh… Just to be clear,” Sion narrowed her eyes as she spoke.

“We’re talking about the two of you, right? Lady Therese and you?”

“WHAAAAAT?!?!”

Marianne shrieked in utter shock.

‘What nonsense is this? Weren’t we talking about Isabella and Martin?

Why is my name—and my sister’s name—suddenly brought up? How does this even make sense?!’

‘W-Wait, don’t tell me… From the beginning, we’ve been talking about completely different things?!’

Marianne finally realized the truth and widened her eyes in disbelief.

And the next moment—

BAM!

“What kind of absolute nonsense is this?!”

Therese burst out of the wardrobe, her voice booming with fury.

“Who’s supposedly involved with whom?! Me?! With Marianne?!

Are you out of your mind, Hero?! I’d rather drown myself in poison than go crazy like that!!”

“U-Uh, sister…?!”

“J-Just a moment, Lady Therese!”

Wheezing with rage, Therese suddenly noticed the gazes turned toward her.

Not only Sion and Marianne but even Lancia, who had been hiding in the wardrobe, was staring at her with wide eyes.

‘Why are they looking at me like that…?’

Oh. Right. She had been hiding.

Therese realized the gravity of the situation and let out an awkward laugh.

“I… messed up.”

With an embarrassed expression, she clicked her tongue.

Moments later, Marianne shrieked and pounced on her sister, leading to a chaotic scuffle filled with shouting and collar-grabbing.

Once the chaos finally settled—

“So, you thought the prince and princess were in a relationship?”

“Yes…”

Therese, Marianne, and Lancia knelt in a line before Sion, their heads bowed in shame.

Sion massaged her forehead and sighed deeply.

“Hah… What an utterly ridiculous idea. Why would they do something like that? Use some common sense.

“Even if I were to humor you that far, confusing the situation with an abortion is just…”

She felt a headache forming.

‘What’s the limit of these twins’ wild imaginations? They take minimal evidence and turn it into this absurdity. It’s almost impressive.’

Every day she spent with them eroded her faith in humanity just a little more.

“So, who started all of this?”

“……”

At her question, both Therese and Marianne turned to look at Lancia in unison.

“?! Me?!”

Lancia gasped and looked up in surprise.

“Why me?! I didn’t do anything!”

“Well, you were the one who brought us the tip about the baby supplies. You kind of started it…”

“All I did was mention it! You’re the ones who jumped to conclusions!”

“Still, we only came up with plausible theories based on your tip. It’s hardly our fault if—”

“Ahhh!”

Frustrated, Lancia clutched her head.

“Lady Lancia?”

“Eep!”

Sion’s icy voice froze her in place.

Her gaze was colder than the harshest northern winters.

“I’m disappointed. I didn’t expect such nonsense from you. Was I expecting too much?”

“N-No! As I said, I was just trying to consult someone about a strange situation—”

“If that were the case, you should have come to me first. Not to these two.“

She gestured to the twins with thinly veiled disdain.

“‘These two?’ What’s with that tone?!” Therese protested.

“Silence, criminals.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Immediately subdued.

Sion let out another sigh, turned away, and gave Lancia one final icy look.

“I won’t say much. Prepare yourself for the consequences. I’ll make sure you pay for embarrassing me today.”

“……”

With that, she left, slamming the door behind her with a loud bang.

A heavy silence followed.

“…….”

“…….”

Therese and Marianne, exchanging glances, turned to Lancia.

“………..”

Predictably, she was sitting there in a daze, looking as if her soul had left her body.

“Don’t be too upset,” Therese awkwardly tried to comfort her. “The Hero doesn’t really mean it. She’ll probably forget and forgive soon enough—”

“This is all your fault!!!”

Unable to contain her anger, Lancia leapt to her feet, even drawing the sword slung over her back.

“Where are those reverse siblings books?! Hand them over! I’m going to burn every single one!!”

“Wait, no! Not the books! I get your frustration, but please calm down!”

“Calm down?! Do you even understand what you’ve done?!”

“Please, put the sword down! Let’s talk this through!”

But no amount of reasoning could stop Lancia, who was already seething with rage.

Thus, the tragic cries of a girl who had lost everything echoed throughout Anatolia Academy’s Sanchina Dormitory.