[V5C17] My Sister

“With this, we have decided on the revision of the trade agreement between the Ridill Kingdom and the Randall Kingdom. The representatives of both countries may now sign.”

The mediator for the Ridill side, Neil Clay Maywood, prompted the representatives from each country to sign the documents.

Randall was a small nation sandwiched between several major powers like the Ridill Kingdom and the Schwargard Empire, so it always had to be cautious in its dealings. Due to constantly gauging the sentiments of their neighbors, they tended to take quite some time in concluding treaties or agreements.

Agreements that had progressed to the verge of conclusion were often delayed indefinitely at the last moment, leaving them in limbo. Thus, Neil secretly breathed a sigh of relief once the revision of the agreement had successfully concluded.

With the signing complete and the meeting coming to a close, a pleasant atmosphere filled the room, and voices of conversation echoed from various corners.

Amidst this clamor, a woman approached Neil and spoke to him.

She was the beautiful diplomatic secretary, Bridget Greyham, clad in a navy uniform, with her glossy blonde hair tied up.

“It’s been a while, Lord Maywood. I appreciate your efforts in revising the agreement.”

“Miss Bridget… er, Secretary Greyham. I’m glad if I could be of any help.”

Neil accidentally addressed her the same way as when they were at Serendia Academy, but Bridget returned a beautiful smile without a hint of displeasure.

Though renowned for being a capable secretary, Bridget had lost a bit of her thorniness since her days at Serendia Academy, so her smile seemed gentler.

As Neil conversed with the beautiful secretary, envious glances gathered towards him.

Few knew that the youthful-looking Neil was already married and soon to become a father.

“Excuse me, Secretary Greyham.”

Interrupting the conversation between Neil and Bridget was a young secretary from Randall.

He was still in his early twenties, perhaps. A young man with long black hair and silver-rimmed glasses.

Seeing Bridget, the young secretary let out a sigh of admiration.

“I’ve been wanting to talk to you directly for some time.”

“You are from the Randall Kingdom…”

“Please, call me Sven, beautiful lady. Ah, your hair is as lustrous as a rose covered in morning dew, and your eyes are so brilliant, as if the sun is captured within. The moment you entered this room, I truly felt the spring breeze blowing inside. Could you be a spirit heralding the spring?”

Despite being likened to a spirit heralding the spring, Bridget’s eyes were darker than the night sea, and she exuded an icy air akin to midwinter.

Neil knew that Bridget would get goosebumps when she heard such empty compliments. All he could do was smile wryly.

Bridget pasted a smile on her face and turned to Sven.

“My, Sven-sama, you are quite flattering.”

“I merely spun the words welling up in my heart. Ah, the way your eyelashes flutter is like a butterfly with delicate wings of gold…”.

With a courteous smile, Bridget glanced sidelong at Neil.

Her amber eyes, likened to capturing the sun, sparkled like a wildcat, conveying a certain message.

Namely, Could you mediate this man as well?

Neil intervened with a troubled smile.

“Hello, Lord Winkel. Your younger brother took good care of me during our student days.”

“Oh, if it isn’t Lord Maywood. I appreciate all the help you have given my dear brother.”

Observing the exchange between Neil and Sven, Bridget murmured, “Brother?” with a slightly furrowed brow.

It wasn’t unreasonable for Bridget to be perplexed. While she had met Sven’s brother, it was only for an incredibly short duration.

“He was the vice president when I served as the student council president, Robert Winkel-kun.”

“I see.”

Bridget blinked her long eyelashes, widening her eyes in surprise.

Robert was robust and resolute, while Sven had an air more befitting a government official. Aside from their hair color, they bore little resemblance to each other, so Bridget’s surprise was understandable.

“It seems my brother has also had the pleasure of meeting you, Secretary Greyham. What do you think? Isn’t my brother an outstanding good boy? I am very proud of him.”

Indeed, Robert Winkel was an exceptionally capable man.

He excelled in both practical and lecture classes, consistently achieved top grades, and was extremely diligent. He had been of great help to Neil, serving as his vice president in the student council.

…But when it came to chess, Robert became a man without boundaries.

During their time at school, Robert had tried to recruit the Silent Witch Monica Everett as an advisor for the chess club, and once, he even attempted to infiltrate the Ridill Royal Palace to find her. Neil had thwarted such plans on numerous occasions…

Reflecting on those bygone days, Neil gave a hollow laugh. Meanwhile, Sven lifted his long bangs and continued.

“In fact, I have plans to meet my brother later. In Sazandol.”

“…Huh?”

Neil’s cheeks twitched at Sven’s words.

Sazandol. That was the town where the Silent Witch resided.

Robert was unaware of this fact, and no one had disclosed Monica’s address to him. Anyone could foresee that if Robert learned about Monica’s home, he would inevitably barge in to play chess with her.

Robert was currently a third-year student at Serendia Academy. Why would he be in Sazandol…?

“As it happens, my siblings are currently staying in Sazandol for work.”

“I-I see…”

“That being the case, we plan to meet up in Sazandol and spend the holiday as brothers, free from any interference. Robert wanted to see his brothers on the job, so he took a vacation to Sazandol the day before. Despite his appearance, my little brother always makes such cute requests.”

“I-Is that so…?”

While nervously nodding in agreement with a forced smile, Neil prayed to the heavens.

Oh, please, do not let those two bump into each other!

＊　＊　＊

After Throth and Veronica fled, Monica and Anthony headed outside the shop. Naturally, their objective was to pursue the escaped Throth.

“Well, well, that was quite a surprise, Miss Monica. I never expected you to be one of the Seven Sages.”

“Oh, um, please keep that a secret…”

“Oh, of course! You can rest assured! I, Anthony, am known for my tight lips!”

Given that he recently spilled the beans about his secret mission, his credibility was very questionable. However, Monica had little choice but to believe his words for now.

Currently, Melissa and Raul remained in Throth’s room, digging through the snow-covered furniture to find the magic potion bottles.

According to Melissa:

“Once the shop owner Throth is gone, you can bet the shop will turn chaotic. So, let’s quickly collect what needs to be collected and get out of here. Little One, take the big guy and catch Throth. If he has a potion bottle, make sure to bring it back.”

Even though she learned Monica’s true identity, Melissa’s habit of addressing her as “Little One” was very much in line with her character.

“Um, Anthony-san, your younger brother is waiting outside, right?”

“Yes. I have four younger brothers, two of whom are in the same knight order. We three were assigned to this top-secret mission. Also, my youngest brother wanted to observe the work of his brothers, so I brought him along too.”

For a top-secret mission, was it really okay to bring a younger brother along for observation?

Seeing Monica in confusion, Anthony continued with a slightly spirited voice.

“Our youngest brother is adorable. He’s still a student, but he admires us and says he wants to become a knight in the future.”

“Um, okay…”

“Oh, speak of the devil. Thank you for your hard work, my brothers!”

Once they left the store and went around to the back, Anthony waved his hand.

The morning sun had started to rise in the sky, but the surroundings were still dim. Monica could only see the shadowy figures of three people.

As Monica strained her eyes, Anthony’s younger brothers approached.

The forefront was Teodor, who gave her a gentle smile. At his feet was a dog with black and brown fur.

Walking beside him was a young man dressed in the attire of the desert people.

Monica remembered his face. He was the young man, Michel, who had served her at the first-floor hall and tried to help her escape outside. It seemed he was also one of Anthony’s brothers.

While waving his hand with a flutter, Michel spoke to Anthony.

“Good job, Anthony-niisan. Throth has been relieved of his magical tools and handed over to our subordinates.”

“Good work, Michel, Teodor. By the way, did Throth have any magic potions or the like?”

“No, he didn’t. He only had some accessories on him.”

It seemed that Throth didn’t have Melissa’s magic potions in his possession. In that case, all the potions should be in his room.

After making a mental note to inform Melissa about this, Monica observed as the person behind Teodor and Michel stepped forward.

“…Huh?”

No way, it couldn’t possibly be… Rubbing her eyes in disbelief, Monica watched the person approach her.

Anthony happily exclaimed, “Oh, it’s been a while, Robert!”

“Nice to see you again, Miss Monica.”

Slipping past Anthony, who was about to embrace him with outstretched arms, a tall young man with black hair stood in front of Monica.

This was the man who had once proposed a marriage to Monica in order to play chess with her——Robert Winkel.

Monica quivered her lips in silence, prompting Anthony to raise his thick eyebrows in confusion.

“Hmm? Are you acquainted with Miss Monica?”

“Yes, this is the woman I wanted to woo, the one that I consulted with you all about.”

The sun had only just risen on the early spring morning.

A faint red glow was melting away the night’s lingering blue hues. Under the dimly shining morning sun, the Winkel Brothers——Anthony, Michel, and Teodor——stared at Monica and shouted in unison.

“Sister!?”

“Sis!”

“Little sister!”

Quite the leap of logic.

Monica shook her head vigorously, but it seemed nobody paid attention to her reaction.

Anthony turned to Robert and confessed with a troubled expression.

“Robert, forgive me. I love you from the bottom of my heart… but, in truth… in truth… I really wanted a little sister!”

Anthony had tears glistening in his eyes, crying from emotion. He seemed to be genuinely moved to tears.

As Monica stood dumbfounded at Anthony’s over-the-top reaction, Michel nodded in agreement.

“I get it, I get it. Five brothers can be a bit rough.”

Michel’s emotionally packed words were filled with understanding.

Seeing Monica struggling with her response, Anthony placed his hand on her shoulder.

“Sister! Next time, let your big brother take you hunting! I’ll show you my heroic figure!”

Anthony peered eagerly into Monica’s face, who was sweating bullets. Then, Michel approached Monica with a joyous smile.

“Oh no, Anthony-niisan. Girls prefer shopping to hunting, right? Hey, want to go shopping with me? Big brother will buy you anything you want.”

“Uh, um… erm…”

Monica looked to Teodor for help.

Teodor only smiled gently, holding up a scary-looking dog in his arms.

“Hey, do you like dogs?”

“…”

These brothers, who didn’t seem to resemble each other at first glance, were strikingly similar in their refusal to listen to others.

Afterward, Anthony insisted, “Come and watch the knight order’s training! See how cool your big brother is,” while Michel said, “I’ll buy you sweet treats,” patting Monica’s head. Teodor began describing the two dogs he left at home.

It was actually somewhat refreshing how much they refused to listen to her.

In the midst of this, one man with a strong voice spoke up: Robert.

“Brothers, you appear to be troubling Miss Monica.”

Ah, good, now they might actually listen to her… Monica breathed a sigh of relief, but it was short-lived.

“Her priority is to play chess with me. Don’t worry, Miss Monica. Even though I am on vacation, I’ve brought a chessboard with me.”

“…”

The argument between the brothers only grew more chaotic from there.

In no time, they were debating whether to be called “Onii-sama” or “Onii-chan.” The discussion shifted to how much each of them wanted a little sister, before eventually leading back to the date of the wedding. In the midst of this, Monica turned her back on the four.

“Well, um, there is some, er, work to do so… I have to go now.”

And with that, Monica hurriedly excused herself and ran with all her might.

…She heard many heated shouts behind her saying “Miss Monica!” and “My little sister!”

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