Betrothed to My Sister's Ex

“So this is Marquis Erwin Fuchs’ residence…?”

Stepping down from the carriage, I muttered in a voice that lacked much emotion.

No wonder—the Marquis Fuchs Manor was far smaller and more modest than I had imagined from the noble title. In the royal capital, it could be considered a grand house, but in the provinces, it was more like a wealthy merchant’s home at best. It was a two-story wooden building, and from its exterior, it looked like it had no more than ten rooms, if that.

“Well, it’s a fine, or rather, a beautiful house.”

“Indeed.”

Lady Mio replied with a somewhat deflated tone as well.

Yes, it was a lovely residence. Though it was an old building, perhaps a century old, it was well maintained from end to end. There was no rust on the iron gate, and flowers were even arranged to please passersby. The absence of a single fallen leaf made it clear that several servants were always on site. The wide gate suggested frequent comings and goings of visitors.

“Has Marquis Fuchs lived in this house all along? Somehow, it still feels like there’s a remnant of it being a marquis’ mansion.”

“Apparently, after the head of the family passed away, part of the house was demolished and renovated. Maintaining a large estate requires a fortune, after all.”

“I see—that explains the size.”

“However, it seems the marquis still handles his public duties without issue. The noble title may be in limbo, but the region’s security remains stable, and the hefty taxes are paid properly.”

Lady Mio flipped through some documents as she spoke. I peeked over her shoulder.

“Is his wife handling the official duties then? But why didn’t someone inherit the title? It says here the daughter’s husband also lives here.”

“That’s what we’re here to find out.”

Saying so, Lady Mio began to untie her braid. Then she pulled out a pair of round glasses and a hat that looked strangely familiar. By the way, she was not wearing her usual maid’s uniform but a pale yellow one-piece dress.

My face twitched.

“Don’t tell me you’re going to disguise yourself as Karina Barton again?”

“No. What good would it do to infiltrate the marquis’ mansion while posing as Karina?”

That made sense. So then, what was her plan? As I absentmindedly wondered, Lady Mio glanced at me.

“Thomas, you can remain as you are. Ah, that jacket—you were given that at Granado Castle, right? Let’s take it off since it looks too fancy.”

“Ah, so you’re going to falsify our identities… What names will we use to infiltrate?”

“You can keep your names, Mio and Thomas. But no honorifics, and don’t use polite speech when speaking with me.”

“Well, fair enough, but—who exactly are we pretending to be?”

“The marquis’ illegitimate children.”

Saying this so casually, I collapsed right there.

A refined mansion. In the silent room, the only sound was the grating ticking of a clock.

A long, long silence—after a while, the ‘girl’ sitting next to me, Lady Mio, finally spoke.

“...It’s understandable if you find it unbelievable suddenly. But without a doubt, we are the children your husband, Erwin, fathered with my mother twenty years ago.”

When Erwin’s chief chamberlain at Granado Castle—or rather, ‘Erwin’s illegitimate child, Mio’—said this, every face tensed.

Present in the room were us, the ‘twin siblings,’ and Erwin’s family.

Facing us across the table sat the marquis’ wife, probably in her sixties. Her sharp eyes gave a harsh impression, but one could tell she had been quite beautiful in her youth. Flanking her were two women—presumably the eldest and second daughters of the Fuchs family. Technically, they were stepdaughters of Madame Perla, thus not blood relatives of Erwin. Behind each daughter stood a man in his forties, likely their husbands. Behind the plump lady was a slender man, and behind the slim lady was a more robust man—a slightly amusing pairing.

Further away, pressed against the door, stood eight boys and girls—likely the children of the sisters. It’s not uncommon for a couple to have four children (I myself have six siblings), but eight children gathered was truly a spectacle.