Betrothed to My Sister's Ex

A light rhythmic knocking sounded at the door.

“Here!”

As soon as I answered, Mio stood up to greet the visitor.

Standing beyond the open door was Lady Ryuu-Ryuu. She glanced into the room and let out a puzzled “Oh?”

“What’s going on, gathering so many people in Lady Marie’s room?”

Though she said “so many,” it was just the four of us: Mio, Tunic, Lord Cyrus, and me. The room was spacious enough that it didn’t feel cramped.

To his mother, Lord Cyrus pinched a strand of his black hair and showed it.

“The other day, when we went to the market, Marie gave me a decorative cloth hair accessory. It can be used as is, but Marie wanted to add some finishing touches.”

“So, what are you doing then?”

“I’m just watching the process. I’m standing by in case Marie pricks her finger with the needle, so I can immediately help.”

In other words, he wasn’t really doing anything. As he said, Lord Cyrus watched my hands with warm eyes.

I was sewing emerald beads onto high-quality silk fabric, then embroidering the edges with gold thread to match the surrounding decorations.

“Done!”

At that moment, Lord Cyrus, still seated, turned his back to me, apparently wanting me to tie his hair. I couldn’t help but smile as I gently ran my fingers through his black hair, fulfilling my fiancé’s wish.

“W-Wow… Lord Cyrus’s hair is so beautiful…”

Speaking my honest impression, Tunic nearby sniffed proudly and puffed out her chest.

“Everyone in this castle uses Miss Tunic’s special treatment, you see. Men and women of all ages have smooth, shiny hair.”

“Oh, that reminds me—Toppo always smells nice too.”

“That’s probably the smell of food,” Mio muttered quietly beside Tunic.

“Thanks to that, I get hungry every time I pass by. It’s troublesome.”

Haha, that must be tough.

The two sitting around the modest tea table in my room weren’t doing anything either. They just quietly watched me tie Lord Cyrus’s hair.

Uh... being watched like that made me feel a bit embarrassed.

Lady Ryuu-Ryuu laughed.

“Well, how charmingly innocent. You two look more like a couple in first love who just met, not an arranged marriage engagement.”

“That’s exactly right,” Lord Cyrus said firmly. His passionate words were as usual, but he seemed a little flustered in front of his mother, speaking a bit fast.

“Ryuu-Ryuu, do you have urgent business? If not, please wait a moment.”

“Is there something else?”

“We will hold a ceremony.”

“It’s not that big a deal!”

I hurriedly took three shell bracelets out of the pouch on my lap. I had bought them at the market too. I put one on myself, handed one to Tunic, and gave the third to Mio.

“Really, it’s nothing grand, but I bought matching ones. The strings were a bit weak, so I re-threaded them with sturdy silkworm thread… For Tunic’s, I removed the parts where water could collect.”

“Wow, thank you! They’re so cute!”

“And for Mio, I shaved down the sharp edges of the shells so they wouldn’t rub on your long sleeves. How is it?”

“For me?”

Mio blinked her large blue eyes and stared at me intently. I tilted my head in question, and she spoke plainly.

“Excuse me, but I understand that Marie-san brought almost no cash from your family home and that the recent shopping was paid for with rewards earned helping the Granado family’s work.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Then why buy something for me?”

“Eh? I mean, as a souvenir. While looking around, I wanted to buy something for the castle folk too.”

“I see. Indeed, buying souvenirs is part of the fun of going out. Understood. But there is still something I don’t quite understand.”

“Yes? What is it?”

“After enjoying shopping, why did you use your own time and effort to process the items further to fit my lifestyle—?”

“Just take it already!”

Tunic slapped the back of Mio’s head sharply.

“Ow!”

“Mio, you’re so troublesome sometimes. You should just be happy like me, ‘Yay, thank you!’”