Betrothed to My Sister's Ex

A prostitute soaked with tears, the brothel owner, a knight who had drawn his sword, and I standing between them.

The four of us turned to look—at the entrance of the establishment stood a pair, a man and a woman. The man was a tall, beautiful youth with dark skin and black hair. Beside him was a small woman with braided hair. Both faces were familiar.

Seeing the two, the knight blinked in surprise. That expression revealed he was still young enough to be called a boy. Still carrying the mischievous look, he let out an absurd voice.

“...Huh. Isn't that Count Kyros and Mio-chan? What are you doing here?”

Were they acquaintances?

But neither responded to the knight’s question. The dark-skinned youth glanced at the scene and murmured, “No injured parties, right?” When everyone nodded, he signaled the woman behind him. The small woman dressed in black—she was the one to whom I had sold soap the other day. She seemed more articulate and quickly began to speak in a rapid stream.

“Thank you for your hard work on the mission, Lord Ruifeng. However, please wait before taking Tunica Pendragon into custody. We will take responsibility for her here.”

“Eh? What do you mean?”

“She claims she is innocent.”

The knight shrugged at the blunt statement.

“...There must be some serious circumstances, but this is my job after all. No matter if it’s on Kyros’ recommendation, I can’t just release her. She is accused of attempted murder of a direct ancestor—a very serious crime.”

“A suspect.”

“Well, yes, but we’ve conducted an on-site investigation. The medicine Tunica gave her father was definitely poison. A small amount just numbs the extremities, but a large dose in a short time would be fatal—”

“If taken in small amounts over a long time, it only numbs the extremities and doesn’t threaten life. Am I right?”

The youth interrupted the knight’s words… his name was Kyros? It was the first time I heard it, but it sounded familiar. And the pale knight, Ruifeng—that name too…

While I was distracted by these trivial thoughts, their conversation advanced.

“...The cat died.”

“The man didn’t die. If you’re blaming poisoning the cat, that’s the father’s fault.”

“She didn’t intend to kill her father?”

“Exactly. If she wanted to kill for real, she would have given him a large dose quickly. You yourself said that, Ruifeng.”

“……Then… umm. She didn’t intend to take his life…”

The knight looked up at the ceiling, lost in thought for a moment.

“...She only numbed her father’s limbs…?”

“Seems so.”

“For what purpose?”

The knight tilted his head deeply, puzzled.

Seeing this, I smiled just a little.

—Yes—that was my sin. And the reason I stopped the prostitutes and willingly went with the knights.

The science in this country is advanced. The law is also kind to citizens. If put through a proper trial with proper scientific verification, I knew I would not be executed.

I remained silent. That would probably give the knight a better impression.

Even in silence, as expected, the woman in black spoke up for me.

She pulled out a small paper packet from her pocket and handed it to the knight.

“This was found at the entrance of her home, Pendragon Pharmacy. You recognize it, Tunica?”

I nodded.

“This is what you yourself prepared nearly every day and then discarded. Your father, Maias, had you make it as ‘tea.’”

I nodded again.

“The police have already analyzed its ingredients. I don’t know the preparation method, but it’s definitely opium.”

“Opium…!?”

This time the knight shouted aloud and leapt forward. He cautiously placed the packet on his palm and stared at it intently.

“Th-this? Really? It’s the first time I’ve seen it...”

I couldn’t help but laugh. Of course. In the Dirts Kingdom now, dealers and users of opium are immediately sentenced to death. It looks like mere powder, but just a handful could devastate an entire town.

I sighed. Taking the packet from the stunned knight’s hand, I shook it gently.