In a World of Reversed Chastity, I Strive to Become an Honorable Male Knight, but Lustful Women Keep Targeting My Body - 248

Chapter 248: The Stepsister Knight’s Anxiety

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“Uuugh…”

I, Karina Blondin, was completely at a loss. That was because I had realized that my dear older brother and Gilberto-san were starting to get rather…Close.

It all began when I spotted the two of them, acting strangely, heading into an unpopulated work shed… A development lab, or something like that. Of course, there were guards stationed around the building to protect my brother, but fortunately for me, their leader was Josette-san.

Josette-san was my brother’s childhood friend and also my instructor. Because of that, she was willing to bend the rules a little. When I explained the situation and begged her, she somehow allowed me to eavesdrop. Naturally, she firmly warned me that if I ended up learning any military secrets as a result, I was to keep my mouth shut.

“He didn’t seem entirely against it…”

Letting out a deep sigh, I murmured to myself. Apparently, Gilberto-san had tried to propose—or something along those lines—to my brother, only to be interrupted by an elven assassin… And after that, my brother had urged her to continue her confession of love. That seemed to be the situation.

Perhaps he lacked the courage, because in the end Gilberto-san never said the most important part…But judging by the atmosphere, what she wanted to say was painfully obvious. And my brother seemed to understand that as well.

Gilberto-san was capable, and her family background was good. She was a bit short… Well, even so, she was still much taller than me but she was undeniably a reliable military soldier. If you said she was a good match for my brother, you wouldn’t be wrong. It was frustrating, but I had to admit that much.

“This is pretty bad… Isn’t it?”

After all, I was aiming for my brother myself. The current situation was far from ideal. Of course, I was well aware that my own position was extremely unstable. Even though I had been adopted into the Blondin family, in the end I was nothing more than a disowned daughter.

That was why I had made a deal with Margrave Suolahti, one of the greatest nobles in Galea, and obtained permission to become my brother’s de facto lover… but in exchange, I had been ordered to repair the relationship between the margrave and her daughter, Sonia.

Fixing a mother-daughter relationship that had become that badly strained was obviously difficult. That was why I had left it alone, using my busyness as an excuse… But it looked like I really needed to start taking action now. Considering the terms of the deal and the noble hierarchy, I couldn’t very well make a move on my brother ahead of the margrave…

“Uuugh…”

“What’s wrong, Karina? You’ve been muttering to yourself for a while now.”

As I groaned to myself, my brother, the very person in question, spoke to me from beside me. Realizing that my thoughts had slipped out as words, my face flushed bright red.

“I-it’s nothing!”

“I-is that so…? We’ll have guests arriving soon, so pull yourself together, okay, Karina? Even if they’re someone we’re close to, they’re still a very important person.”

Smiling slightly, my brother gently patted my head. The pleasant sensation made my face relax. In the past, he would only pat my head if I asked, but recently, thanks to my efforts at “training”…He had started placing his hand on my head naturally. …Well, by “training,” all I really did was keep demanding that he pat my head every time we had private time together.

Right now, we were waiting inside the lord’s manor to welcome our guest. According to the schedule, they were supposed to arrive in less than half an hour… Apparently. Since a major figure was coming from the royal capital, the servants were busy making final checks of the furnishings and cleanliness.

“I-I know!”

Even as I replied, my heart remained heavy. Having him pat my head like this made me incredibly happy, but in the end, it was still just an extension of our sibling relationship. Since I wanted more than that, I couldn’t keep contenting myself with this position forever. I understood that, but working up the courage to take the next step was no easy thing.

More than that, approaching that mad dog—no, that mad dragon—Sonia was the real problem. She was terrifying. And on top of that, the goal was to repair her relationship with her estranged mother, right? That was like deliberately touching an exposed dragon scale. Just thinking about it made me feel like I was about to wet myself…

“……”

Silently, I glanced over at Sonia, who was standing behind my brother. She had looked terribly unwell this morning, but now she seemed fine. Maybe her monthly thing had been a bit heavier than usual? I wasn’t sure, but it was the first time I had ever seen Sonia in poor condition, so it had really surprised me.

Putting that aside, what did Sonia think of Gilberto, anyway? If she found out that he was making a move on my brother, she might fly into a rage… Vut still, those two seemed to get along pretty well.

When friends fall in love with the same man, there are two possible outcomes. Either they fall out, or they end up becoming even closer. Close friends sharing a husband wasn’t all that rare, after all. …The former would be a problem, but the latter would be troublesome too. Uuuugh.

“Haa…”

In any case, I needed to approach Sonia as soon as possible and mediate between her and the Margrave Suolahti. If I didn’t hurry, my brother would slip farther and farther away… Ah, I really messed up. I hesitated for too long.

I remembered my brother once saying, “To secure a tactical victory, it’s essential to keep seizing the initiative and never let it go.” It seemed that this rule applied to romance as well. Of course, if you just sit around doing nothing, it was only natural that you’d end up at a disadvantage…

That said, I absolutely couldn’t accept defeat without even fighting. I had to do whatever I could to turn things around. Being married off to some scrawny noble brat whose origins I didn’t even know was the last thing I wanted. It had to be my brother. No one else would do.

“Love is war, huh.”

I muttered quietly so my brother wouldn’t hear. If that saying was true, then the military studies I had learned from him should come in handy. Now then, what should I do first in a situation like this… 

“Know yourself, and know your enemy, and you will never be imperiled in a hundred battles.”

That was it! For now, I’d start by looking into Sonia more closely. And after that, I’d investigate Gilberto-san too.

…Seriously, it was hard having so many rivals. Supposedly, I had a great noble backing me as well, but the territory was so far away that I wasn’t getting any support at all. Haa, this was rough. I wanted more allies…

“Bishop of the Palea Diocese, Lady Fiorenza Chiarugi, has arrived!”

As I was thinking all that, a messenger came running in and delivered the announcement. I slapped my cheeks lightly. No matter what, right now I needed to welcome our guest. I couldn’t afford to embarrass my brother. I had to straighten up and act with the proper decorum. 

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