After I, a Penniless Noble, Entered a Fake Engagement with the Most Elegant Duke’s Daughter at the Academy, For Some Reason She Started Showering Me with Love - Chapter 10.3: My Fake Fiancée and My Sister Do Not Get Along

Chapter 10.3: My Fake Fiancée and My Sister Do Not Get Along

“So… would you care to explain, big brother?”

Lulu narrowed her amber eyes—just like mine—and shot me a glare sharp enough to cut through steel.

That stare could kill.

A bead of cold sweat trailed down my cheek.

We’d moved to the guest room, hoping to talk things out calmly—

But unlike birds, Lulu didn’t forget things just because we changed locations.

Sitting across from me on the other couch—its black leather worn thin with age—

Lulu kept up the pressure while I slowly crumbled under it.

“I’ll explain everything, okay?”

“Fufu~”

Yuri, sitting next to me, let out a small giggle.

I gave her a “seriously, you?” kind of glare,

But of course, it didn’t work on her. It never did.

She was the one who started all this.

But if I left the explanation to her, things would only get even more chaotic.

No choice—it had to be me.

With a sigh, I turned to Lulu, who was still pouting, and began to explain how our “engagement” came to be.

“It’s a fake engagement.”

“…I’m sorry, what did you just say?”

Yeah. That reaction made sense.

If our roles were reversed, I’d probably say the same thing.

Trying to keep it as simple as possible, I laid out the whole deal.

Yuri wanted a private space at school.

In return, I’d pretend to be her fiancé to keep away unwanted attention.

That was the deal we made.

Lulu rested her hand against her chin, thinking silently for a moment.

Then, with an absolutely serious expression, she looked straight at me and said—

“Brother, that’s fraud.”

“I know that…!”

And yet here I am.

Still stuck playing the role of fake fiancé.

All because I got roped into this mess.

“This contract is invalid. Let’s cancel it.”

“Never heard of a fake engagement being broken off before.”

“Brother?”

“…Sorry.”

One glare from my sister, and I crumbled completely.

What a pathetic display of big-brother energy.

Lulu let out a sigh and turned her face just slightly away from me.

Her eyes landed on Yuri—the root of this entire mess—who was calmly sipping her tea like royalty.

Lulu opened her mouth for a moment, hesitated, then closed it again.

But then, with both hands clenched tightly over her apron on her lap,

She looked straight at Yuri with eyes full of determination.

“Please cancel the contract you have with my brother.”

“I must decline.”

The response came so fast it was like she’d rehearsed it.

Still smiling, not even a flicker of hesitation.

The soft clink of Yuri placing her teacup back onto the saucer echoed through the room.

“…Why not?”

“Because I need my dear husband.”

Yuri’s ears twitched slightly as she said it.

“Lady Yuliana… you’re very beautiful.”

“Thank you. That means a lot. Also, just call me big sister, alright?”

“…………I understand that Lady Yuliana is having trouble with suitors. But my brother doesn’t have to be the one to solve that. No offense, but he’s the son of a fallen viscount, with no assets to his name. His title is barely worth anything, and he has no strength or influence to protect someone like you from marriage proposals.”

Oh, my sweet sister.

I appreciate that she’s trying to break off the fake engagement for my sake,

But… did she have to say all that?

Sure, everything she said was true.

I couldn’t argue with any of it.

But just because it’s true doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt, you know?

“You’re right. Your explanation wasn’t wrong, little sister.”

“Then—”

“But I still can’t cancel it.”

Yuri’s quick and flat rejection left Lulu completely speechless.

A brief, heavy silence followed before she finally managed to squeeze out a quiet,

“…Why not?”

Yuri gave her a warm look, as if charmed by her earnestness,

And smiled softly as she replied—

“Because it’s the same reason you love your brother so much.”

“—~~—!?”

Instantly, Lulu’s face turned bright red.

She glanced toward me as if trying to gauge my reaction,

Her eyes shimmering as if they might tear up.

But then she quickly turned her head back forward—

Only to find Yuri sitting right there in her line of sight.

“I-I’m… not admitting anything, okay!?”

Unable to bear it any longer, she jumped up from the couch and dashed out of the room.

Bam!

The door slammed shut with a force I rarely saw from her.

It said everything about how flustered she was.

The tension in the room finally eased.

I could breathe again.

And just like that, I was already exhausted.

And this was just after getting home.

Even the trip here had been a struggle.

I shot a side glance at Yuri, silently blaming her with my eyes.

“Isn’t that a bit mean to someone younger?”

“Letting them know who’s on top right from the start is a noble’s way of saying hello.”

“What a terrible tradition…”

Yeah… that’s not the kind of world I want to live in.

“But if that’s what you were aiming for, couldn’t you have just introduced yourself as a duke’s daughter from the start?”

“…” (staaaaare)

“What’s with that ‘You really don’t get it, do you?’ look?”

“Exactly that. You don’t get it.”

Even though I totally didn’t get it, apparently I somehow did.

Great. That clears up nothing.

“I didn’t want to rely on titles or status. I wanted to show Luluris who’s who—on equal ground.”

“…Why?”

“Woman’s intuition.”

“Oh no, not that. That’s my weakest subject.”

Lulu pulls that card out sometimes too.

I’ve never really understood what it’s based on.

If you’re calling it intuition, then there’s clearly no logical explanation behind it—

And yet somehow, it’s usually right.

Still, it feels a little unfair that Lulu ended up teary-eyed because of it.

Then again… she was acting way too harsh with Yuri from the start.

Even if she misunderstood and thought Yuri was my real fiancée,

There was no reason to be that snappy with her of all people.

Maybe that’s intuition too?

I don’t get it.

Not one bit.

Still thinking about that mysterious sixth sense, I stood up from my seat.

Yuri glanced up at me.

“Going after her?”

“Yeah… figured I should.”

I pictured Lulu’s red, tear-filled face as she ran off.

“Lulu’s not the type to cry over something like this… But I’m sure she feels bad about being harsh with you, so I’ll at least go check on her.”

“Hm. I don’t recall her being particularly harsh with me, though.”

Yuri touched her lower lip with her ring finger, like she was pondering it.

“She’s usually a lot friendlier than that. You know, unlike some people.”

“Dear husband, you really shouldn’t talk down about yourself like that.”

“…You know that’s not what I meant.”

When I shot her a look, she just gave me a shrug and an innocent smile, like “Who, me?”

Sarcasm had no effect on this woman.

Honestly, trying to beat Yuri in a conversation was impossible from the start.

I wondered if there was anything I could actually win at…

Yeah, I’d think about that later.

I couldn’t come up with a single thing, and now I was the one who felt like crying.

Just as I was about to leave the room to go after Lulu, I paused—

A quick question came to mind, so I turned back to Yuri.

“You’re an adult, so I doubt it’ll be a problem, But… you are going to get along with my sister, right?”

Because if not, this whole comfort mission I’m about to do would be completely pointless.

Yuri looked up thoughtfully for a second, her blue eyes wandering—

Then she looked straight at me and smiled brightly.

“But of course.”

“Thank you for the least trustworthy answer I’ve ever heard.”

Come on. That’s the kind of thing you’re supposed to say immediately.

◆◆◆

I found Lulu sooner than expected.

She was just down the hall from the room, crouched down with her knees pulled to her chest.

When Lulu got upset, she usually hid—either diving under her bed or curling up in a corner.

So even though she was sitting like this, the fact that she wasn’t trying to hide at all…

Well, I guess that was progress.

I walked over quietly to where she sat, her back small and rounded.

As I stepped in front of her, she must have sensed me.

Without looking up, she spoke in a muffled voice.

“…I’m sorry, big brother.”

“You don’t have to apologize. That was Yuri’s—”

“No… it’s not that, brother.”

“Huh? Lulu?”

I called her name, but she just kept repeating to herself in a soft, wavering tone.

“I… I…”

Then finally, she lifted her face.

“…I don’t think I can get along with Lady Yuliana.”

Her cheeks were flushed red, puffed out in an exaggerated pout.

She was sulking—so obviously that it almost felt scripted.

Lulu was usually all gentle smiles and soft-spoken kindness.

Seeing this expression on her face was rare enough to genuinely surprise me.

Whether it was just bad chemistry between them, or something else entirely, I couldn’t say.

But either way, we were all going to be living under the same roof for the next few days.

And yet here we were—already off to a rocky start on day one.

Lulu wasn’t the type to get into full-on confrontations, especially not head-on…

But knowing Yuri, I could easily imagine her poking at Lulu with a smile like it was a game.

So much for finally relaxing after coming home.

Instead, I’d just gained a brand new source of stress.

I hadn’t even brought up the whole gold vein thing yet.

Was this really going to be okay?

I suddenly pictured myself caught between two cats, both hissing with their backs arched.

That image felt a little too real…

And it filled me with dread about the days to come.

◆ End of Chapter 10 ◆

To be continued.