Betrothed to My Sister's Ex

It had been seven days since my return. After passing through the main gate and opening the carriage door, Mio stood silently there.

I handed her my luggage.

“So you’re back too. How did it go?”

“Welcome home, master. Please return inside the carriage. We should talk there.”

Without waiting for a response, she pushed her way in. She seemed to have urgent matters that she absolutely didn’t want any of the servants to overhear.

I steeled myself.

“Have you found anything? What about the blood relation of the four?”

She handed me several documents. Some were quite old records, others were notes written in Mio’s handwriting.

I frowned as I looked at the top document.

“... ‘All confirmed.’ Are you sure about this?”

“Yes. There are no records of adoption or remarriage linking the Shadelan Family in the noble genealogies kept at the royal palace library.”

“Not just on paper; for example, if the baron had forcibly...”

“The sisters were definitely born to Lady Elvira.”

The top document was a record from a maternity clinic in the royal capital. The patient was Elvira Shadelan.

Normally, noble families would call a doctor to their home, but apparently, the birth was complicated, so she had been admitted before labor started. Detailed health records were listed, and finally noted was the safe birth of a baby girl—named Anastasia.

About two years later, another record showed the birth of Marie. This one was uncomplicated, but she was hospitalized just in case due to the previous birth. For the third child, a much younger brother, there was only one note saying a doctor came once to conduct an examination.

“... Were you able to speak with the doctor?”

“The doctor refused to share patient information, of course. But I bribed the midwife and obtained her records and memories of that time.”

“Memories... Are you sure the woman really was Elvira? Could it have been someone else pretending to be her?”

“Certain. The details matched exactly.”

“... How were the husband and wife acting at the time?”

“Both reportedly cried tears of joy.”

“Even at Marie’s birth?”

“Yes.”

“... Is it possible the babies got mixed up when they were discharged?”

“It’s a small private clinic with only one bed, known for attentive care. At least, such a careless mistake is impossible.”

I nodded in understanding, but still couldn’t fully accept it.

For example, if Elvira had been unfaithful, that might explain why Gregor insulted Marie. But no, that would be strange. If it had come out, he would have banished the supposedly bad wife rather than oppressing the child.

Besides, Elvira herself mistreated Marie... In fact, the mother seemed worse...

I pulled out a stack of letters from my bag.

They were all from the Shadelan couple to Marie. I couldn’t just give them to her, but I also felt uneasy about throwing them away, so I kept carrying them.

The content was roughly the same: the baron’s letters ended with lines like “useless,” “do you really think you’re loved?” and “you’re being deceived—so come home quickly.” Meanwhile, the baroness’s were nothing but insults: “ugly,” “filthy redhead,” “apologize to Anastasia and die”—I crushed the envelope in my hand.

“... Are they really Marie’s biological parents? If these are the words of parents...!?”

“Master, if unconditional love and protection from parents were a given, I wouldn’t be here.”

I was speechless and could only stare up at the sky.

—Honestly, I felt disappointed. Both that such parents actually existed, and that I would have to continue relations with that family going forward.

Mio let out a wry smile, apparently sharing my feelings.

“It would be better if Marie were adopted.”

“I was hoping the opposite—that Marie was the fake, and the real Shadelan family was buried beneath the mansion.”

“So you’d execute the couple and have a happy ending? Personally, I’d want to do that, but either way, Marie would be heartbroken.”