Chapter 148

Chapter 148

“Come to think of it, I suppose you wouldn’t know that feeling either, Miss Pedelian. What it feels like to have an older sister like Roxana, that is! Since she’s been there for me since the moment I came into this world, I’ve only ever known it, so I’ll actually never know how it feels not to have an older sister like her. To tell you the truth though, I’d be perfectly happy if I never ever had to.”

Jeremy smiled mischievously.

Tch! This time it was Sylvia whose frustration had mounted to the point of needing to clench her fist in anger. She met his gaze before answering, “I may not have an older sister... but I do have a wonderful older brother.”

“Oh, of course. Just as you have a wonderful older brother, I have a wonderful older sister.” His agreement came almost too easily as if his eyes were actually saying that he didn’t envy her in the least.

At this point, both youths were smiling at each other as if out of habit.

“Ahaha.”

“Heh, heh.”

To make matters worse, their laughter sounded so hollow it was somewhat eerie to the ear. They were in fact the sounds of two people concealing their sinister thoughts.

What an arrogant man.

What an arrogant woman.

Then they reached the same conclusion.

There’s no getting along with this one.

To the other unsuspecting guests at the tea party the two likely continued to appear to be perfect companions as they had been smiling throughout the majority of their exchange. However, as they had finally exhausted their favorite topic of conversation, they were suddenly caught in an awkward silence.

“May I ask what amusing things you two are discussing over here?”

As if summoned by their quiet tension, a cute, emerald-eyed, youthful face surrounded by wavy, red hair suddenly appeared before them. Jeremy’s younger half-sister Charlotte had finally decided to join the party. He didn’t bother to hide at his sister’s intrusion.

“Amusing,” my ass. He would have liked to have told her to get her eyes checked, but instead turned toward her and began to speak in a cold tone. “Charlotte, you...” However, recalling Sylvia’s presence, he tempered his irritation while retaining the warning tone in his voice. “You would be wise to learn when not to interject yourself into others’ conversations.”

“What’s the big deal? Isn’t the purpose of this gathering for all of us to chat and get to know each other?”

Contrary to how cautious she would have been back in Agrece, she appeared unfazed and simply shrugged off his scolding remark. Charlotte then turned her green gaze toward Sylvia while smiling brightly. “And good day to you, Miss Pedelian. It’s such a pleasure to meet you.”

“Oh, the pleasure is all mine. I take it you’re also a member of the Black clan.”

“Yes, I’m Charlotte Agrece.”

Sylvia immediately returned the redhead’s smile but retained a sort of invisible mental distance all the while. In that way, they continued to converse rather courteously.

The Blue Princess was, of course, a bright and amiable person in general, but even she wasn’t one to warm to the Agreces too quickly. Especially not after the suffering her brother endured years prior. Even so, with the purpose of the gathering weighing on her mind, she couldn’t very well ignore one of them entirely either.

Roxana had long since proven herself an exception since she had actually helped Cassis escape from that terrible place. Thus, without ever hearing that any other Agrece had been of any help to him, she remained at odds with the rest of their clan in her heart. Even in that moment, Sylvia’s tolerance for Jeremy was due to the overwhelming care his sister showed him. Then as if he had sensed the slight change in her demeanor, he redirected his gaze toward the Pedelian.

Charlotte seemed to see his change in focus was her invitation to plop down in the seat next to him. Jeremy began to kick at her under the table in an attempt to shoo her away from them, but she pulled her leg away smoothly without drawing an ounce of suspicion from the Blue Princess. “You know from this close, I can see the remarkable resemblance between you and your brother, Miss Pedelian.”

“Oh, is that so?”

As he could sense what his younger sister was after, the Black Master began to seethe internally. Has this little brat actually lost it?! She’s so effing annoying!

Charlotte was, after all, the same girl who had lashed out three years prior since she couldn’t have Cassis as her toy. The fact that she had come to cozy up to a younger, more delicate, and smaller yet nearly identical version of the plaything she had missed out on was an unsettling truth for him alone to have to stomach no matter how natural it was for his half-sister to gravitate toward the younger Pedelian sibling.

As thick as the redhead was, he was doubtful that she would try anything to harm the Blue clan’s princess right there for all eyes to see. On top of that, he noticed that the Blue knights were keeping a sharp eye on Sylvia’s safety. Thus, his bratty sister was already set to fail should she take any impulsive actions.

Still, he couldn’t shake just how annoying he found this sibling in particular. Regret over having let her off easy the last time he had reprimanded her crept over him. He imagined that if he had pummeled Charlotte as soundly as he had their other siblings, she would have thought twice about coming anywhere near him. He pondered for a moment if it might be in his best interest to set her straight before she did something to irritate their sister.

All the while, the impish teenager remained oblivious to the unpleasant and ill intentions her brother was harboring toward her, so she continued to merrily chatter on with the Blue Princess. “If it’s all right with you, Miss Pedelian, why don’t you and I go talk somewhere else? You know, just us girls.”

But before Sylvia could answer, a smooth, honey-like voice sounded from behind her. “Good day, Charlotte. I had no idea you planned to come down here as well.” Then a hand fell on the young Agrece’s shoulder with both a feathery sensation and deadly intent.

“Big Sis, you made it!” Jeremy immediately rose and began to move toward Roxana.

Their younger sister turned awkwardly to peek behind her seat as if she feared her neck would crack if she looked back too quickly. Her half-sister was indeed standing there looking more beautiful and radiant than the night before.

“R-Roxana... H-Hi.”

Roxana beamed down at her younger sister like the gentle spring sun before answering. “I feel like I haven’t seen you once since arriving in Yggdrasil. Glad to see you’re doing just fine.”

As her older sister leaned in closer, her beautiful, long, golden hair brushed against the redhead’s shoulder. To an onlooker, the exchange would appear harmless, but to Charlotte, the sensation of those golden tresses was akin to the scales of a serpent slithering to wrap itself around her neck.

“So what sort of exciting discussion have I missed so far?”

Next she felt the blond’s hand slowly inch toward the nape of her neck, which caused the young Agrece to tense up even more. Then while pressing down on a vital point on her younger sister’s neck, Roxana continued to speak with a smile.

“Would you mind if I joined you for that little girls’ chat? Hm, Charlotte?”

There was an unmistakable menace in those scarlet eyes as they peered into the quivering emerald orbs. The creeping, prickly sensation of goosebumps rising all over her body made the teenaged Agrece shiver involuntarily. Unable to bear the ominous air she had become ensnared in any longer, Charlotte shot up from her seat. “I-I seem to have forgotten something. Enjoy your tea!”

Given the rapidity with which her long, red waves of hair swished behind her as she made her exit, it was apparent that she was leaving with the utmost haste. What the hell?! I thought Roxana wasn’t planning to attend any of today’s events!

In the past she might have chanced causing a scene by trying to take on her older half-sister. After all, the blond had not only monopolized Cassis Pedelian but was also muscling in on his equally gorgeous younger sister Sylvia. However, Charlotte no longer possessed the same foolhardy courage she had three years ago. After the memory of almost being eaten alive by her sister’s butterflies, her fear of the older Agrece had been permanently etched onto her mind. Either way, the redhead had run away without so much as a glance back to bid them a final farewell.

“Oh dear... I suppose whatever she forgot must have been something quite important.”

Roxana shrugged her shoulders as the fleeting image of her sister’s back disappeared from their view. Her brief exchange with her younger sister had distracted them from noting that Roxana’s mere presence in the rose garden had seemed to draw everyone’s attention to their table. Like Jeremy, she was also wearing all black to represent her clan’s color.

However, rather than look dreary, the gown appeared elegant and refined as it contrasted with her alabaster skin and golden hair, while also complimenting her vibrant, red eyes.

“I thought you were planning to rest in your room today, Xana.”

Jeremy had been pleased with how quickly she had chased away their younger sister as she had vacated the seat next to him while doing so. However, just as he was pulling out the chair for his older sister, he realized that he didn’t want anything Charlotte had tainted to sully Roxana, thus tossed it aside. He quickly grabbed a different one and placed it in the same space next to himself before directing his sister to have a seat.

The look on his face all the while made it abundantly apparent that his red-headed sister’s intrusion was already a thing of the past. Even so, he still intended to offer the little brat some private lessons in etiquette later on.

“I was feeling a bit tired, but I’m feeling much better now.” Roxana smiled as she answered him, then turned her attention toward Sylvia. “Miss Pedelian, I hope you don’t mind if I join you two.”

Sylvia shook her head vigorously while her cheeks reddened with excitement. “Not at all! You’re more than welcome here!”

As if she had been waiting for that very invitation, Roxana finally sat down gracefully in the chair her brother was holding out for her.