Mom… Two of Them? (3)

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Aileen, having received the letter, kicked off the ground with a face flushed with excitement. So powerfully that Rebecca and Cecilia, who ranked at the top of their respective departments, were pushed back by the sheer wind pressure. If the front gate hadn’t been so sturdy, it would have been crushed without stopping that charging bull.

The stacked papers scattered messily. Cecilia hastily picked up the fallen documents and quickly left the room.

‘She said, “Mom,” right?’

I don’t know the contents of the letter. Rebecca told me not to worry about Aileen’s personal affairs. But the reflexive exclamation Aileen uttered upon receiving the letter-Mom. Cecilia thought that if she followed Aileen, she might be able to meet the veiled owner of Lecanter.

Even trying to get information through connections with the Imperial Palace, I can’t find out anything because they don’t stay in the city. The only information I’ve gathered is that the head is a woman and possesses outstanding magical skills.

‘I couldn’t even figure out how the city works.’

The reason people are so crazy about Lecanter is because they really don’t know anything. What the head does, how they made the golems, how they repair the buildings and streets-nothing could be figured out.

Lecanter was a city of the unknown. A place of mystery, where magic gathered. So many mages and spiritists hoped to live there that they were trading entrance tickets for their entire fortunes.

And those who visited said it was a place beyond imagination. Lecanter was a place where you had to abandon common sense.

‘The head is a Baron? What a joke.’

In the face of overwhelming power, status is useless. Money, honor, power. And the ‘power’ to encompass all the political maneuvering that sharpens knives with words.

‘It’s right to see it as a third power. Like the Five Pillars of the North or the Executors.’

This was also why I was cautiously approaching Aileen. To kill her father and swallow the family, I needed a force to support ‘Amelda’ as an individual. For the time being, I’d have to work for the family, even if it was just for show…

‘If I could even get Lecanter on my side.’

Amelda had a letter from Hairak. Solid proof that Lecanter and Ruchellini had joined hands, and a promise of support. The first branch of Ruchellini had extended its hand. There’s no way the head of Lecanter wouldn’t know this.

However, certainty was forbidden.

Hairak’s letter was full of vague expressions.

They might betray me as easily as flipping their palm.

“Hoo…”

Did I run too fast? Sweat streamed down my forehead and neck. Catching my breath, I slowed my pace, drying my damp shirt as I walked.

The sweat-soaked clothes gave off a wild feeling. Cecilia stopped in her tracks, intending to tidy up her slightly disheveled appearance, but soon gave up, pursing her lips. She was reminded anew that she didn’t even have time to care about appearances these days.

‘…?’

But as I got closer to the dormitory, there was a strangely sweet smell.

“Sniff, sniff. Hmm?”

• Jjin-deuk. (Squish)

Something squishy was stepped on, and when I looked down, a white liquid was sticking to the bottom of my shoe.

“What is this?”

‘Spit?’

Dare someone spit on the path to the women’s dormitory?

Cecilia frowned and scraped the sole of her shoe.

Such barbaric bastards.

“….”

But that strange spit led all the way to Aileen’s dorm room. Cecilia bent down to figure out what ‘that’ was, but quickly stopped, remembering it was someone else’s dorm. And for some reason, I didn’t want to touch it.

“Haa… Aileen? Are you there?”

• Ttok-ttok. (Knock knock)

I wiped away the cold sweat and asked. If she wasn’t here, I was going to search the front gate, the meeting room, and the roof of the building. Or just sit here and wait.

• Kkieeek. (Creak)

But thankfully, Aileen responded quickly.

“Aileen! I was surprised when you suddenly flew off! What made you leave so urgently-huh? A kid?”

• Ppae-kkum. (Peek)

Instead of Aileen, a little kid came out.

“What business do you have with my Unni?”

• Ppae-kkum. (Peek)

The kid, hiding behind the door with only her forehead and hair showing, squinted her red eyes and spoke. Red twin tails hung diagonally. Cecilia wore a bewildered expression at the wariness emanating from her blunt tone and actions.

“Is she your younger sister?”

Seeing her call her Unni, is she a younger sister? But Hairak only mentioned Aileen as a child. I hadn’t heard of any other children…

“I asked what business you have. And don’t call me a kid, because I’m not.”

The kid didn’t let her guard down and asked again. Cecilia found the sight a little cute and said with a smiling face.

“I’m a friend, a friend. Is Aileen inside? I just came to see her for a moment, so don’t be wary.”

Instantly, the kid smirked with an amused expression. Cecilia lowered her raised lip corners and was silent for a moment.

‘What is it?’

Was it just my imagination that I felt a chill? Cecilia felt a strange tension. I’ve been getting along like friends lately, so I sometimes forget, but Aileen is a monster. A one-person army that even a wagonload of students couldn’t scratch. If she’s the younger sister of such a monster, she must be incredibly skilled.

“Come in for now. I have a lot of questions to ask. Oh, Unni is inside.”

*

Aileen’s room was simple. Only the most necessary furniture was arranged, making one even suspect she was a Saint Ryuhoe follower aiming for a simple life. It was only recently that I realized it wasn’t for religious reasons, but simply because she liked being outside more.

“Unni is this way.”

The kid spoke in a calm tone, as if her earlier grumbling was a lie. Her wary eyes had also turned cold, as if indifferent. Cecilia resolved not to let her guard down at the kid’s unpredictable behavior.

“Seu- ha-…”

“Unni. I brought a friend.”

“Hoo, aeu? Oh, Mom?”

‘Mom?’

Damn it. I should have come sooner.

Cecilia clicked her tongue inwardly and said.

“I was surprised when you suddenly ran off. What was in the letter that made you leave so urgently?”

Deureureuk. (Sound of chair sliding) I said, sitting in a nearby chair. Aileen hurriedly hid the handkerchief and answered urgently.

“Uh, huh? Oh, Mom came to visit! She’s been in the North, so it’s been hard to see her face, but she suddenly came to visit, you know?”

But what did she do to make her face so red?

“…So, your mother came and went?”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

“It seems like it’s just the three of us here.”

The kid was staring intently from the side. This time, she smiled with a pleased smile, as if she found it cute. Cecilia felt a strange sense of pressure and said.

“More importantly, your younger sister is very cute. I didn’t know you had such a cute younger sister…”

“Eueu? Not a younger sister, but Mom-“

Before Aileen could say anything.

“What are you talking about, Unni? Mom said she was going to look around somewhere else for a while.”

The kid cut her off.

“Uh-huh….”

Aileen looked at the kid with a slightly flustered expression. And after a few exchanges of glances, she opened her mouth.

“Uh-huh! That’s right! Sorry, hehe…”

“…?”

“It’s nothing!”

Strange. And suspicious. But there’s no reason or justification to pry. Cecilia looked at the kid again in this unsettling atmosphere.

“Come to think of it, I didn’t ask for your name. I’m Amelda Cecilia. If it’s not rude, may I ask for the little miss’s name?”

“Yujin.”

“Um-hum. I understand. Nice to meet you. My room is number 3. I have delicious muffins and lots of candy, so you can come visit whenever you want.”

There was no answer. The child named Yujin seemed to refuse to reveal her last name. Knowing Aileen’s circumstances, I didn’t pry further.

“Hey, Unni Unni.”

The kid, who only briefly revealed her name, asked with a beaming expression.

What is your relationship with Unni?

What do you learn at the academy?

What have you done together?

How did you meet?

Cecilia, who was giving simple Q&A, couldn’t shake the feeling that she was being interrogated.

‘She’s very devoted to her Unni. I might get hated if I say something wrong.’

I might be a little envious. Cecilia fell into a fantasy, wondering what it would be like if she had a sister.

Maybe she wanted a substitute. Her father was more interested in how to use the title of the family’s only legitimate daughter.

In the meantime, Yujin suddenly asked a question.

“Have you ever been to the Imperial Palace, Unni?”

Her expression froze. Cecilia failed to manage her expression and revealed a cold emotion. It was an overreaction where you could even feel a hint of murderous intent.

I tried to fix it, but it was already too late. Yujin probed a little deeper, seeing Cecilia’s sensitive reaction to the Imperial Palace story.

“…Ah. The Imperial Palace. Yes. I’ve been there many times, but why suddenly that?”

“I’m going to the Third Prince’s birthday party. With Mom and Dad.”

“That’s… a coincidence.”

“Coincidence?”

“I received an invitation too.”

To define the Third Prince’s personality, he’s a maverick. And an elitist full of male chauvinism and a sense of chosenness. If there’s something he wants, he has to have it. That included Cecilia’s body.

I somehow escaped to the academy, but it was hard to ignore my father’s endless threats and the invitations flying in from the Third Prince. I’ve been stressed out by the invitations that come to every event more than once or twice. I thought it would be less frequent if I came to the academy. Damn it.

“Yujin, be careful too. You never know what the Third Prince will ask for if he takes a liking to you.”

But he’s good at managing things, so his inner workings are solid. The Third Prince’s biggest advantage is his execution. He knows how to distinguish between carrots and sticks.

“Stick to your parents as much as possible. No matter how much of a Third Prince he is, he won’t be able to touch Ruchellini carelessly.”

“Ruchellini?”

“-Ah.”

I’ve never revealed that I’m a Ruchellini.

The kid couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Our Unni has an outstanding background. Is that why you approached her?”

Is she a surveillance officer sent by the family? Cecilia gritted her teeth. How could I make such a mistake? I was fooled by her young appearance. She stopped acting and returned to her original cold personality.

“…What do I have to be sorry for? I’m the legitimate daughter of a Marquis family. To belittle friendship in such a way, it’s quite unpleasant.”

“What’s not? I also know that Cecilia and the Three Great Families of the East don’t get along. I don’t want to divide friendship by status, but the situation is what it is.”

“If you’re thinking about status, you should bow your head right now.”

Dare to the daughter of a Marquis family-.

Tch.

‘I got too excited.’

Cecilia skillfully regained her composure. What am I doing with a girl younger than me? Cecilia, even feeling pathetic to herself, watched Aileen fidgeting with her handkerchief in her chair and suppressed her anger.

Yujin smiled with crescent-shaped eyes and smirked. Did I tease her too much? She was getting quite serious, so I pushed her, and the taste of the beating was excellent.

“You got a letter from Hairak, right?”

“Then—yes?”

Cecilia’s eyes widened.

“How did you know that?”

“I know because I heard it directly from Hairak himself. Don’t worry, I was just testing you until now.”

“That’s, really, really—haa.”

I was flustered at first, but I quickly calmed down. Right. Hairak sent the letter himself. It’s not strange for a family member to know.

But what bothered me was still there. Why did he tell his daughter such information? And not even his first daughter? There was no reason to do that unless she was raised for a special purpose.

And most of all.

“Aileen?”

“-Yes! Uh, um. Younger sister-nim?”

‘She’s using honorifics to her younger sister?’

Cecilia has a habit of using honorifics regardless of age or gender, but Aileen, who can even use vulgar language if the situation is given? Even to her own younger sister?

“Now that you’re here, I should treat you. Aileen? You still have the magic stones you brought from Kardrasil, right?”

“Of course! Dad told me not to take them out carelessly, so I put them in the warehouse…”

“Bring just two. No need to cut them.”

As expected, this place is.

It was strange.