Betrothed to My Sister's Ex

How did things end up like this?

I stole a glance at lady Mio. We were in a small carriage designed for speed, sitting side by side so close that our shoulders almost touched.

Lady Mio looked completely different from usual. She had undone her braids, letting her hair flow freely, and wore a bright sky-blue one-piece dress. Probably her casual clothes.

Since I was hired at this castle three years ago, it was the first time I had seen her like this. To put it simply, she looked adorable. But her face was expressionless as always. I nervously spoke up to her blank profile.

"Um... lady Mio?"

"Yes, what is it, Thomas?"

"Why was I taken out like this?"

"I'm your companion for conversation."

She answered firmly, still looking straight ahead, not even giving me a glance.

And we didn’t continue talking. In fact, this was our first conversation since the journey began. It’s me who wanted a talking partner, I thought.

But since she said so, I supposed it was okay to talk to her. I turned to face lady Mio.

"But lady Mio, I heard you’re going to meet your lover? Isn’t it a bit awkward for you to bring a guy along? Not that I mind, but just looking at it objectively..."

"If it were a lover, that’d be bad, indeed."

Huh? So the other person isn’t a lover? What a misunderstanding. I cursed the Tunic for that misinformation but pressed on.

"Then a friend? Lady Mio, you have friends?"

The moment I said that, she grabbed my throat with a strength just short of cutting off my breath, held me firmly, and whispered expressionlessly.

"Thomas, you are seventeen, right? According to the legends of Luhab Island, spirits who die under eighteen go straight to paradise. Congratulations, have a nice trip."

"I don’t want to die, sorry!"

I desperately apologized, but it seemed she was joking. She promptly released her grip and sat back down, adjusting the position of her white hat.

"Master was worried and told me to take someone along. I am strong, but we cannot deny you look more fragile. Having you here might serve as a deterrent to bandits."

"Bandits... is this road really that dangerous?"

"It wasn’t supposed to be, but just about two months ago, an actual incident happened here."

I’m not that perceptive. For a moment, I didn’t understand what she meant and tilted my head.

But the moment I did, I shouted.

"Are you going to the Chadelan Territory!?"

The chief chamberlain of Granado Castle didn’t nod but laughed with her eyes instead.

About two months ago, a carriage traveling from the royal capital to the Chadelan Territory—no, from the Shadelan Family to the Granado Family—had an accident along the way. I only heard it secondhand, but it was said to have fallen off a cliff into the canal, which must have been on this mountain road.

"…Huh? But wasn’t it just said that the wheel slipped and that was why it fell off the cliff?"

"No. The surviving coachman corrected that... There was a language barrier because he was a foreigner. The carriage didn’t fall off a cliff but slid from flat land, and while fleeing bandits along the river, it fell into a raging river."

That does sound more natural. This mountain path is a road cut through the forest, not a rocky mountain. There are big trees along the path and quite a distance from the cliff’s edge. It’s unlikely the wheel just slipped while running normally.

"The authorities recognized this as the truth. The damage to the carriage is completely different between falling off a cliff and just being swept away by the river. The carriage damage clearly shows the latter. The coachman was only wet but unharmed."

"I see. But... could Anastasia also...!"

I leaned forward excitedly, but lady Mio shook her head calmly.

"Anastasia’s survival is impossible in any case. No corpse was recovered, but no living person has been found either. Humans cannot survive underwater for five days."

"I see... yeah, that makes sense."

My voice betrayed my feeling of disappointment. Lady Mio frowned and pinched my side hard.

"Let me say this: Anastasia does not resemble lady Marie."