Betrothed to My Sister's Ex

So, that’s how it was!

Now, the full picture of the incident hidden in the darkness of night is becoming clear.

At first, there were four people at the scene: ms. Kaede, Mr. Angelo, the guide Ogran boy, and the slave man who had been hired just three days ago. Then came the “passing robber,” an accomplice of the slave man.

The robber threatened the four with a knife. But ms. Kaede wasn’t afraid. She ordered Mr. Angelo to fight back.

Following Kaede’s command, Mr. Angelo complied. Using either hand-to-hand combat or the sheath of his sword, he fought back without holding back, injuring the perpetrator. The scream we heard first was indeed the robber’s. At that point, Mr. Angelo was still unharmed.

But that was the culprits’ trap. As Mr. Angelo faced the robber, another assassin crept up. The true culprit—the slave man who planned this—attacked Mr. Angelo, stabbing him in the side with a hidden blade. That must have been when ms. Kaede screamed.

Then one of the two stole the luggage and fled, while the other stayed behind to hold off and buy time. Lord Cyrus came rushing at this point—according to the story.

Lord Cyrus nodded firmly.

“No doubt about it. There’s no way to stab Angelo without such a plan. One of the two robbers infiltrated and spent days gaining trust, watching for the perfect moment. When the chance came, they ambushed together. Quite an elaborate scheme.”

“That raises another question. When did the two of them make their accomplice pact? When and where did they coordinate? One was a slave, right? Wouldn’t that limit his freedom?”

“Indeed. So it’s natural to assume there was a third party involved—someone with comparatively more freedom—another accomplice hidden among them.”

We all nodded and shifted our gaze back to the Ogran boy.

He… didn’t show any change in expression.

He looked genuinely confused, as if he didn’t understand what we were talking about. His youthful face was blank, and after enduring our stares for a moment, he shrugged lightly.

“That’s a tough story. You two are smart. A kid like me doesn’t get what you’re saying.”

“…Can a mere kid really arrange slave deals? And he speaks Sphainese fluently too.”

“There’s plenty of them like me in Ips. This is a tourist spot, and doing business with foreigners pays well. We’ll do anything for money—”

“—Even working on Luhab Island?”

At my question, Ogran’s expression finally changed.

Alright, I’ve got him.

I won’t miss this timing. If given time, he’ll come up with another believable excuse and dodge the questioning. He’s shaken now; I’ll press him to the end and lock this feeling tightly.

“…N-no… what are you talking about?”

“You were on Luhab Island, right? At the ship terminal, selling seafood and Luhab souvenirs in bulk to foreigners. Octopus, squid, asari clams, big shrimp, and you threw in rice and lemon for free.”

“Huh? W-what are you saying?”

“No use hiding it. I pride myself on my memory. Thanks to that, I made a delicious paella. Thanks for that.”

“Oh! I remember now! You really were there!”

Lord Cyrus seemed to recall as well.

“I thought it was unusual how much they were overcharging on Luhab Island. The Luhab people don’t know the value of fresh seafood and aren’t very interested in making money. Makes sense now—they must have been migrant merchants from Ips. Hmm?”

Then suddenly, he stopped talking, struck by a new doubt. His composed face twisted, and his mood darkened visibly.

“…We met on Luhab on the first day. We only stayed three days, then took the shortest route back to Ips. The Baltandels Ship is the fastest trade ship in nearby waters. So why were they in Ips almost at the same time as us?”

“…Uh… well… I swam…? Hehe.”

Count Kyros Granado is scary when angry. As veins bulged on his handsome face, the Ogran boy whimpered, slumped dejectedly, and timidly raised his hand.

“…I’m sorry. I took a little space in the storage and some preserved food…”