Betrothed to My Sister's Ex

It was truly just another ordinary morning.

I woke up, ate breakfast with my father, prepared the medicine as instructed, and immediately disposed of it as soon as I stepped outside. I put the hidden soap and bath additive into a basket and walked through the Fragrance District selling them. This was my usual daily routine.

I visited my best customer, "Flower Blizzard," in broad daylight. As usual, I entered through the back door and called out, "Excuse me!"—and then it happened.

"Tunic-chan, no! Run away!"

The landlady’s scream-like voice.

Reflexively, instead of running, I froze in place. My stiffened wrist was grabbed from behind and twisted upward. I screamed and managed to glance behind me to see the face of the attacker—and then screamed again.

"—Dilz knights!?"

"Tunica Pendragon, right?"

The knight in a full-face helmet whispered in a surprisingly gentle tone. I silently nodded, and the knight slightly loosened the grip on my wrist. Apparently, admitting it quietly was the right thing to do. Still, the knight held my wrist firmly and calmly said,

"There is an arrest warrant out for you. You will accompany us to the knights order’s fortress."

...I slowly inhaled and exhaled.

Well, I knew this day would come someday...

"W-wait, wait, knight!"

The loud voice wasn’t mine, but the prostitute’s. She stood in front of me, blocking the knight and confronting him. Seeing the knight’s face twist, I panicked.

"Sis, don’t worry about me."

"Tunic-chan, be quiet! What’s all this about, knight? What did Tunic-chan do?"

"Knight, isn’t the arrest warrant actually for this girl’s father?"

Then the brothel owner stepped forward.

"I’ve known that old man for a long time... It’s awkward to say in front of Tunic-chan, but he’s a good-for-nothing. Pretending to be a doctor, peddling strange powders and teas as medicine... And even though his wife supported him, instead of being grateful, he beat her up and kicked her out."

Next to the owner, the prostitute also twisted her face. They hated my father like poison. The prostitute sympathized with me as a former colleague, and the owner was resentful because his business was ruined.

"Exactly, if you’re taking someone away, it should be that old man. He’s probably been selling weird stuff as medicine again, right? Just arrest him quickly and do whatever—torture or execution!"

Well, I don’t think the knight is doing law enforcement because he enjoys it.

Faced with these two fierce women, I couldn’t help but laugh.

Laughing... I had already given up.

My father had been selling fake medicines in violation of the new medical practitioners act until a few years ago. By now, the knights wouldn’t be arresting him.

Besides, if it were that kind of case, the police would be involved. Kingdom knights—especially armored knights—only come for dangerous criminals that regular police can’t handle. So this knight must suspect me of being an aggressive person armed with a deadly weapon, coming to subdue me by force.

—Which means, in other words, it’s over.

As the prostitutes pressed forward, the knight slowly shook his head. In a soft voice, he said simply,

"No, the suspect is definitely this girl, Tunic. The charge is attempted murder."

"...What?"

"Murder...?"

"Flower Blizzard" was engulfed in a heavy silence. I was the only one still laughing.

The knight took a document from his waist and began to read it carefully.

"—The charge is attempted murder of a direct ancestor. The victim and the informant is the biological father, Maias Pendragon. Tunic attempted to poison and kill her bedridden father Maias over a long period. In the early hours this morning, Maias suspected his daughter’s behavior and started snooping through her belongings after she left for work. He found medicine hidden beneath her clothes. This was the medicine Maias had given Tunic to treat his recent hand tremors. Suspicious of hiding it here, Maias gave it to a cat to test. The cat collapsed instantly and didn’t move thereafter."