Betrothed to My Sister's Ex

It was the eighth day since Mio said she would take ten days off. Her return was a little earlier than planned. I thought she would spend the remaining days relaxing, but she was dressed in her usual maid attire, fully in work mode.

I tilted my head.

“You’re back a bit earlier than expected, aren’t you?”

“Yes. On the way back, Thomas and I took turns riding without rest, only letting the horses rest. There was a rather urgent matter.”

Mio glanced at Lord Cyrus. That made me realize immediately that I was just a nuisance. Not that I was proud of it, but I was used to this kind of treatment, and I had a keen intuition.

“So, you have business with Lord Cyrus. Then I’ll return to my room.”

“W-wait, but…”

Lord Cyrus tried to stop me. I thought Mio would glare at him to scold him, but surprisingly, she agreed.

“It’s fine if only Master comes. Lady Marie should rest here.”

“Hey, does it really have to be right now?”

“No.”

Mio answered firmly to Lord Cyrus’s sulky voice.

“There is a ‘guest’ in the hall. Thomas is waiting, so please hurry.”

…Guest? So early in the morning—who could it be?

Lord Cyrus’s expression stiffened. It didn’t seem like a good guest.

Honestly, my curiosity was piqued, but it would be presumptuous to interfere. I decided to return to Lord Cyrus’s room. As soon as I turned away, Mio was reporting something to Lord Cyrus. Not wanting to eavesdrop, I closed the door.

However, before I could get into bed, Lord Cyrus appeared again.

“Marie, you should come after all.”

“…Huh?”

I stared at him in surprise. His expression had changed drastically from the sweet smile earlier to a severe one. His brow furrowed, and he looked somewhat pale.

“What is it? Isn’t this about work?”

I asked, and with a grim look, he took a fur cloak from the closet. Wrapping it around me, he answered.

“Ah… this probably isn’t a pleasant matter. But you should hear it yourself, not through me. Your sister… Anastasia Chadelan is your family.”

Wrapped in Lord Cyrus’s large cloak, we walked through the corridor before dawn.

The hall Mio mentioned was the space just inside the castle gate of Granado Castle—just an empty area. There were no chairs or carpets, only cold stone flooring. It definitely wasn’t a room to keep guests waiting.

In such a place, there were two men. One was Thomas, the young gatekeeper. The other was a man dressed shabbily.

They were kneeling on the stone floor, waiting to receive their lord—or rather, Thomas was forcibly holding the man down. Upon closer look, the man’s hands were bound behind his back. Who was he?

I stiffened, startled. Thomas, usually gentle and meek, had an expression that was harsh, unlike himself.

Still holding the man down, Thomas saw me and lowered his eyes.

“…Hello. Well then, I’ll be going now.”

He muttered and left the castle. Mio said nothing and stood by the man’s side in Thomas’s place. I tried to approach, but Lord Cyrus stopped me a short distance away.

“Stay by my side.”

His passionate words were cold and stiff like an ice wall.

Mio spoke to the man.

“Raise your face. I will introduce you to Lord Cyrus Granado, head of Granado Castle.”

The man kept his head bowed. He was short but sturdy, with gray hair and yellowish skin… a foreigner?

Mio grabbed his shoulder and forced him to lift his face. His round, bulging eyes and large nose confirmed he was indeed a foreigner.

…Huh? I feel like I’ve seen this person somewhere before…

“State your name.”

The man shook his head even after Mio urged him. He protested with meaningless sounds. Could it be he didn’t understand the language? Mio’s gaze sharpened.

“Jacob. Don’t dodge. You came to work from Banderry years ago and have lived in the kingdom ever since. You can’t not speak.”

“Ah… Ah, no… I only understand a little, just a little.”

“In the Chadelan Territory, you spoke much more fluently and proudly for a gold coin. Just say the same here.”

“No… Ah, I don’t understand. What am I saying? I don’t understand at all.”