Reincarnated as a Son of the Sword Saint and the Sage

371  Rupert's Drop n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

A few hours before midnight, the three of us—my sister, Iris, and I—gathered in the living room of the villa to talk about the things that would happen. In the meantime, we were having some late-night snacks and drinks to fill our stomachs with something other than problems. "Thank you for allowing me to stay here, Miss Louise," Iris said as she was lifting her cup of coffee with the saucer. "If there is anything else I can do, I would gladly help you."

My sister was stunned by the arrival of Iris here earlier. She tried to persuade Iris to refrain herself from this, but Iris insisted that she wanted to. She was already here, so my sister let out a defeated sigh and let her come here with us. Also, Iris already told her brother about this before he even tried to stop her.

"Well, thanks, Iris," Big Sis responded awkwardly. "We are planning to stay here for several days; are you fine with that?" "It's fine, Miss Louise. But I do hope that my brother will interpret my actions as voluntarily joining the Raevender siblings."

(I also do hope so. It would be a big mess if they interpreted it as kidnapping their daughter. Nevermind the Arcenciel family; we actually took away the daughter of the Grise Archduchy.)

"While Christine was still in the bathroom, let's discuss what our future plans will be." My sister opened the conversation. "Miss Christine really looks depressed right now; her fiance just shattered her heart after all," I said. "Are you sure she is not going to end herself while she is alone?" "I already reminded her of that, and she said she wouldn't." My sister reassured me. "But more importantly, why did you suddenly change the plan halfway, Raphael?"

Big Sis then pierced my eyes with her glare before she continued. "It is true that she was in a disadvantageous position at most times, and our words would not sway Prince Edward, but even so, we should show her that there are some people who still believe in her amidst the situation. We may be late for a minute or so, but that short moment really devastated her. So why?" "Very well, actually, I am certain that our words are not going to take effect on Prince Edward, and the same probably applies to actions too. He even said that he wouldn't want to make Edith her mistress or concubine, whatsoever, and he would rather break up with Miss Christine than have both of them. In short, our actions would be useless no matter what. There is no use arguing with someone as stubborn as him." "But that doesn't mean you can abruptly change the plan." "I know, but I have to remind you of what you said to me that night. You said that you would make Christine yours." "H-hey, don't just disclose it so nonchalantly, Raphael?!." As if I hit the mark, Big Sis suddenly lost her composure and panicked. "Special in front of other people!"

"Oh my, Miss Louise really has feelings for Lady Christine?!" Iris excitedly said as she was clasping her hands. "So what I have heard right the last second before the teleportation was all correct, if I remember. She really meant to have Lady Christine as her queen consort. How sweet, if only we ignored the current situation."

"You're right, Iris. My sister just realized her feelings for her. Before, when we were still a viscounty, my sister would not have a chance with her. But this time is different; we are royals now, and Sister is on the footing high enough to have Miss Christine as her partner." "But how does it have something to do with this new plan?" My sister asked.

"Well, there is actually someone who tipped me about Miss Christine. This person said that she is more fragile than we thought. She always seems to have a stoic demeanor, but in reality, she has been piling up all the pain and stress until her weaknesses were exposed, hence her current situation." If I were to compare her to anything, Christine was like Prince Rupert's drop. Some parts were very tough, but if its extremely fragile tail was damaged, the whole thing would explode into countless little shards. "Wait a minute, Raphael. By having that information, you intentionally delayed my action earlier in order for Christine to take so much emotional damage to the point she breaks..." "That's right, Sister. I knew that she loves His Imperial Highness so much, so I let him implant more pain into her heart. Humans are emotional beings and tend to become vulnerable when they are hurt. So by hurting her feelings, you can take advantage of her vulnerability and win her heart by slowly comforting her weakest state. Such a bad human, am I?" Upon hearing my explanation, my sister narrowed her eyes on me.

"Raphael... playing a woman's heart that way...you are the worst." No matter what others saw in me for the things I had done, I did such things for the sake of my sister's happiness. I did not want to be a bad guy, but I needed to. She might get mad at me, but I would not regret it. All we needed to do was make Christine fall in love with my sister.

"Anyway, during our time here, please kindly use those days working out with Miss Christine. I have done my part, so don't put my efforts all in vain." Feeling unbothered, I said as I took a big sip of my coffee. Showing my behavior, the stares of Big Sis at me intensified. "But taking advantage of one's vulnerability is unethical and inhumane. How do I face her now that I learned about this? Even though I am not directly involved, I am the one who is feeling guilty here. I appreciate your efforts, but this is too much for me to digest, Raphael." "Then chew it slowly until it becomes swallowable," I told her metaphorically, and then I stood up from my seat. "Well then, you better check her now. Please call me when you are done with the bath." "Where are you going?" "I am going to show Iris her room. Also, I think we should bring a maid from the mansion to tend the chores. Let's go, Iris." "Good night, Miss Louise." Iris took a light bow to my sister before we exited the living room.