Chapter undefined91

91

“Oh, really? Because you’re their child? Do you realize how shameless that sounds?”

The response was colder than I had anticipated.

Well then.

I smirked inwardly.

It seemed the emotions ran deep, given all the accumulated resentment.

This wasn’t something that could be resolved in one go.

Today, if I could just set the stage for untangling this mess, it would be a success.

That was my goal.

“Yes, I know well.”

“Then why are you doing this? What’s your plan? Are you trying to act all reformed?”

Acting reformed.

Yes, that’s the only way it would seem.

Trash can’t be rehabilitated, after all.

Except for a very few.

I needed to convince my sister that I was part of that very small minority.

Even if it wasn’t complete trust.

“I don’t even know myself.”

“What?”

Liss looked at me with eyes that said, “What kind of nonsense are you spouting?”

I needed to make it even more confusing.

“No, I do know.”

“Ugh, are you joking right now?”

Liss looked like she wanted to hit me at any moment.

I gestured for her to calm down and spoke again.

“The truth is, I wanted to live comfortably.”

That was a statement so typical of Max that my sister took it in stride.

I continued.

“Of course, I wanted to enjoy myself too.”

“That’s such a parasite-like thought.”

Liss spat out her words with disgust.

I nodded in agreement.

“Yes, a parasite. That’s nice.”

“What’s nice about that?”

Liss glared at me.

I shrugged.

“But it’s not something you can just do as you please.”

“Huh?”

Liss looked at me with a face that said, “What kind of nonsense is this from someone who has lived their whole life doing whatever they wanted?”

I asked her directly.

“Who am I?”

“What? What are you talking about?”

“Who am I?”

“Ugh, seriously. Who else? You’re the delinquent Max Celtrine.”

“Yes, Max Celtrine.”

I dropped the “delinquent” part and set the tone.

“The eldest son and heir of the Celtrine family. That’s the responsibility I have to carry for the rest of my life. As long as I have that responsibility, I can’t live as I please.”

“…”

Liss was at a loss for words, her expression saying, “What kind of nonsense are you selling now?”

I brushed off that look lightly.

I was confident.

All of this was the fault of the mess Max had created, not mine.

“The moment I realized that, I made a decision. If I can’t avoid it, I might as well do my duties.”

I spoke as if it was a grand revelation, something any sensible person would think.

But for Max, it was a significant decision.

I could see that just by looking at my sister’s face.

Her expression said, “That guy made such a decision? No way…”

“You don’t seem to believe me.”

“Hmph, who would believe that?”

She was right.

Even a passing dog would laugh at that.

“Even if you don’t believe me, there’s nothing I can do. I can’t force you to believe me.”

I spoke calmly and resumed rowing.

Silence settled in.

The one feeling frustrated would be her, not me.

Keeping quiet was part of the strategy.

As I rowed quietly, Liss eventually couldn’t stand the frustration and spoke first.

“Why aren’t you saying anything?”

“I don’t have anything to say.”

“You acted like you had something to say to me earlier.”

“I already said it all.”

“That’s all?”

“Yes, that’s all.”

“…”

Liss frowned, looking incredulous.

She might have wanted to respond with silence out of pride, but she couldn’t.

I had seen it in her expression from the first meeting.

She had many questions for me.

Liss bit her lip, seemingly contemplating, then spoke again.

“What did you do with the 100,000 gold?”

The 100,000 gold incident that had caused a big uproar in the family.

She must have been very curious about why such a large sum was needed.

I would have been too.

“I invested it.”

“Invested?”

Liss’s eyes widened in surprise.

She had probably assumed I had wasted it on luxuries.

“For the future.”

I said grandly.

But the reaction I got was.

“Are you crazy? Were you scammed?”

…It was the look of a wife discovering her husband had invested all their money in a scam.

Her face turned pale.

100,000 gold was a significant amount, even for the Celtrine family.

Hearing that her brother, who knew nothing about investments, had invested it must have been shocking and terrifying.

Well, I had no choice but to reassure her.

“Don’t worry. I followed the principles.”

“Wh-what principles? What do you know?”

She still looked unconvinced.

I began explaining calmly.

“First, keep half of the principal safe. Second, diversify the investments. Third, don’t get swayed by minor fluctuations and look at the long term.”

Liss was surprised to hear such sensible words from me.

How about that?

These are my investment principles, honed from real-world stock trading.

…Even if my return rate is -10%.

Anyway.

Liss seemed somewhat relieved, especially at the part about keeping half of the principal safe.

In reality, I had only used about 10%, and it wasn’t even for making money.

It was an investment for the future.

An investment to ensure my survival.

“Can I really trust that?”

She seemed desperate to believe me this time.

“Of course.”

“Ha, I see.”

Liss finally calmed down a bit.

She muttered.

“…You really have changed. Saying things like that.”

“I told you. I made a decision.”

“I can’t believe it.”

“Think whatever you want. What can I do about it?”

As silence began to settle again, Liss quickly interrupted it.

“Why did you move to the dormitory?”

“I told you. I made a decision.”

“Why did you attend the swordsmanship hall?”

“I told you. I made a deci—”

“Ugh, this guy!”

Liss finally exploded.

It seemed I had pushed her too far.

I gestured for her to calm down.

“I said I would do my duties, right? I just did my duties.”

“What duties?”

“Duties as a student. Duties as the eldest son and heir.”

“I get the first part, but what does the second have to do with it?”

“Can someone who can’t even succeed as a student handle the important task of inheriting the family? You know that well, don’t you?”

“…”

Liss narrowed her eyes and stared at me.

It was so normal that it made her feel uneasy.

It was quite a funny situation.

I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Why are you laughing?”

Liss looked at me with wary eyes.

She seemed to think there was some hidden agenda behind my laughter.

Poor thing.

How much had she suffered because of Max?

After organizing my thoughts for a moment, I spoke to my poor sister.

“…Did you hear how I reconciled with her?”

“Her? You mean Sister-in-law?”

“Right.”

“I heard you apologized?”

“That’s right.”

I nodded and continued.

“There’s someone else close by who deserves an apology.”

“Huh?”

“The person who suffered a lot because of their useless brother. Liss Celtrine.”

“Ugh, why are you being so cringy all of a sudden? I don’t believe your apology. No, I can’t believe it.”

Despite her flustered and restless state, I knew.

She didn’t completely hate it.

Even if the intention was suspicious, the act of apologizing itself couldn’t be seen negatively.

Now was the perfect time.

“I’m sorry.”

At that moment.

Liss’s expression looked like her limbs were about to fall off from cringing.

It was probably the first time she had experienced something so bizarre in her life.

But you know, sister.

…I’m also barely holding back my own cringe to say this.

Ah… this is really embarrassing.

“You must have suffered a lot because of me.”

It was hard to control my emotions.

Now I understand why acting is difficult.

“Please, stop…”

My sister was practically begging me to stop.

…I want to stop too.

But you secretly feel good about this, don’t you…?

So I can’t stop.

“We can’t change the past, but we can create a new future. I’m going to do my best to live as a brother you won’t be ashamed of, even in the remaining time. So that I won’t have to apologize to you again.”

Ah, was that too much?

Even I felt nauseous and wanted to eat something refreshing.

“Okay, I get it, just stop…”

Liss seemed to feel nauseous too.

She was almost pleading.

For my sister’s health (and my own), I decided to stop here.

I quickly changed the subject.

“Did you enjoy your meal?”

“Why are you asking that all of a sudden?”

“You look uncomfortable.”

“It’s because of you!”

A typical sibling conversation.

This is what normal siblings are like.

Satisfied, I nodded and glanced around.

The sunset was much deeper now.

“It’s about time we head back.”

“Do whatever you want.”

“Do you have a place to stay?”

“I’m the eldest daughter of the Celtrine family!”

“Oh, right.”

“…”

I liked this atmosphere.

Max, you really messed up by not being able to have this kind of banter with such a cute sister.

“Did you get a new hairstyle?”

“What?”

Liss looked surprised.

“It wasn’t like that before.”

Do I have a good memory?

Of course not.

I just guessed.

Whatever answer came, I could adjust accordingly.

“Oh, yeah… it was different. Why?”

It seemed she had put a lot of effort into her style for her visit to the Holy City.

I could tell.

“It suits you well.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. It makes you look brighter and more stylish.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Liss’s face turned red.

Appearance and grooming.

For a girl her age, it’s something she cares a lot about.

Giving attention and compliments would naturally make her feel good.

Even with basic skills like this, you can subtly get closer to your sister.

“Our academy’s girls’ uniform is pretty, isn’t it?”

I continued the conversation naturally.

“Huh? Yeah…”

Liss nodded.

The design was already pretty, but seeing Regina in her uniform must have made her think so.

From her height to her overall body line, she looked like a model.

“That uniform is exclusively made by a shop called ‘Atelier’ in Central Plaza. If you have time, you should visit. They have many beautiful clothes that would suit you.”

I even recommended a famous clothing store.

“Really.”

Liss seemed flustered by my unusual words but didn’t seem to dislike them.

No one dislikes being given attention and compliments.

I chuckled inwardly.

“Alright, we’re here.”

The boat had reached the dock.

* * *

“…Are you okay, Miss?”

Sana looked at Liss with worried eyes.

Since her private talk with Max on the boat, her expression had been strange.

The culprit was obvious.

Master Max.

What had Master Max done to the young lady…?

“Does my brother have the ability to act out everything?”

Liss suddenly spoke.

Her eyes seemed to be filled with mixed emotions.

“What?”

“Does he have the ability to fake everything?”

“Um… I’m not sure…”

It was a difficult question to answer, so Sana hesitated.

“If his acting and sincerity are mixed…”

What should I believe?

Liss swallowed her last words.

Her mind was in turmoil.

Thus, a night in the Holy City came to an end.