Betrothed to My Sister's Ex

Anastasia came down much faster this time than the first time, and she was definitely changed. From a vivid blue princess dress, she had switched to a white cotton one-piece dress—that is, another outfit for a woman.

In that outfit, it seemed she had washed her hair while washing her face. She returned to the living table, roughly wiping her hair with a cloth.

“Summer’s coming to an end, huh? The water’s pretty cold.”

“...Yeah,” I replied, nodding. But more than that, why was she wearing a skirt again?

“I think you should use hot water. Don’t catch a cold.”

Why did she dress up just to show off like that in the first place?

“Well... hmm—achoo!”

“Ha ha, told you so.”

“Ugh, I’ll make some warm tea. Ruifeng, do you want some tea?”

That’s what I wanted to hear—what was that supposed to mean? Did she want me to compliment her on looking pretty? And that sneeze was adorable.

“—Ruifeng?”

“Ah, tea. Tea sounds good. I’ll have some if you’re good at making it.”

“Hmm, actually I’m pretty confident about tea. You see, I was staying at Granado Castle for a while, and Mio taught me.”

She must be used to being complimented on her appearance, far more than how often she makes tea. Everyone who meets her thinks the same.

Especially when she shows such a natural smile… no man in this world could stay grounded.

I watched quietly as the tea was set on the table. No, what I was really watching wasn’t the cup but Anastasia’s adept hands.

They were small. Just small. Soft-looking, and before even thinking about holding them, that was my impression.

“Let’s eat. Mm, delicious.”

Her hands were small... very, very small. So soft-looking, it made me want to hold them.

“Hey Ruifeng, I want to ask you something.”

“What is it?”

“Tunic-san said that when a man silently stares somewhere with a serious face, they’re usually thinking naughty things—so be careful. Is that true?”

I almost sprayed my tea everywhere.

I quickly stood, pulled a silk handkerchief from my pocket, and wiped the table clean. Folding the wet side inside, I put it back in my pocket and sat down again. Tilting my tea cup, I said,

“That’s not true. By the way, this tea is delicious.”

“That’s fine, but your cup’s already empty.”

I poured myself a refill from the pot.

Drinking as if nothing had happened, Anastasia chuckled softly.

Then she said something surprising.

“I’ve been wanting to say this for a while, but you’re terrible at lying.”

I almost laughed out loud again. I hid my slightly unsettled mouth behind the cup.

“...Really? People often say I’m hard to read or that they can’t tell what I’m thinking.”

“At first, yes. But after spending a long time together... yeah, you might actually be quite easy to read. Doesn’t the count say that too?”

“...I was told that once a long time ago.”

Anastasia gave a teasing smile, propping her chin on her hand and peering at me.

“You met the count over ten years ago, right?”

“Yeah, it’s been twelve years since I entered the academy. When we first met, I never thought it would be such a long relationship.”

“Did you have a bad first impression?”

She asked, and I chuckled.

Bad? It was the worst. We even had a fistfight!

Anastasia looked at me curiously as I suddenly laughed. Should I tell her? When I told Miss Marie this story before, she turned pale with surprise, but maybe Anastasia would find it amusing.

My memories with Cyrus Granado—where should I start to entertain her the most?

I closed my eyes and recalled old memories.

—Lezamond Memorial Academy of the Dirts Kingdom.

It wasn’t like a public school teaching everyday reading, writing, and arithmetic. It was education for the nobility to live smoothly in aristocratic society: general knowledge of politics and economics, advanced math, languages, imperial studies.

Noble children usually received private tutoring at home. But Lezamond Academy offered more than that, and most importantly, interaction with other students—to compete and build connections.