Chapter 4 Gracefull yet naive

The sister in front of me has such a calm demanor... a calm that is beyond that of our age but perhaps this is what a girl raised in such a rich family would act like.

But the problem was it whether she really acted how father said or not.

Knowing his real face, the probability of all his words being fake is high but in the end, I don't this sister well, so it might be that he is right.

'Pretty...'

It's just that the more I looked at her, the more this word dominated my thoughts.

She's grown so well that it would make others feel jealous but I can't feel jealous because this life isn't for me... not the life itself but living with that man isn't something I would be happy about.

And it's also because I've always been weak against pretty faces, so of course I'm dazzled. So as I stared at her, just her presence made me forget the awkwardness of the situation.

***

(Arin's POV)

What is going on here? Why is she looking at me like that?

Her gaze is so intense that it feels embarrassing, even uncomfortable.

"Cough! Is there something on my face?" I asked.

She blinked, as if waking from a trance, then smiled brightly and replied with something completely unexpected.

"Something on your face? No, nothing. It's just... you're super pretty."

"...What?"

I was dumbfounded. Was she serious? Or mocking me? How could she find me pretty in this situation? Instead of flattered, I felt strangely warry.

Then she rolled her eyes and added, "Ah, don't mind me. Let's eat before the food gets cold." She muttered under her breath, "They say beautiful people never realize how pretty they are... but surely others notice, admire, even comment. Why does she look so bewildered?"

I couldn't understand her at all. Still, since she focused on eating, I followed suit. She's such a strange girl. I had braced myself in case she would start harassing me, at least some verbally, but instead she called me pretty. This was not how I expected this meeting to go.

Just as I was lost in thought, a sudden shout broke the moment.

"Ah!"

I looked up to see soup spilled across Aira's clothes.

What now? Is this some scheme? Will she accuse me of spilling it and complain to Father?

The maid rushed over at once. She glanced at me, saw I hadn't moved, and seemed to conclude the spill was Aira's own doing. Turning to her, the maid asked, "Miss, are you okay? What happened?"

Aira waved it off. "Yes, I'm fine. I'm just... not used to using a spoon for soup. I tried drinking straight from the bowl, and... well, this happened."

Not used to a spoon? She was literally using one a few seconds ago! What on earth is wrong with her?

"I'll go change my clothes. Please clean this up."

"Yes, Miss."

The maid bowed, but her eyes betrayed her disdain. She looked down on Aira, ridiculing her, before sneering and hurrying away.

DANG–

Soon after she left, another sound echoed through the dining room. Not the sound of something falling... but someone.

As expected, it was Aira again.

This girl... why does she keep getting into accidents?

"Excuse me... Sister... could you please help me stand up and take me back to my room? My ankle hurt..." She requested so pitifully

Sister? Me? Was she talking to me? I glanced sideways, half-hoping she meant someone else, but the room was empty. So why me?

"Sister... my feet hurt. I can't stand up..."

Her pitiful expression struck me like lightning. She looked like a kitten abandoned in the rain.

I couldn't reject her. Reluctantly, I walked over and helped her.

"As expected... not only pretty, but kind too. Hehe." She murmured softly.

Why do I feel like I've just stepped into her trap...

***

(Aira's POV)

Caught!!

Hehe, now I've got her. Finally, some alone time without the servants hovering around.

All the way to my room, I kept thinking about how to talk to Arin.

But by the time we reached my door, I still hadn't figured out how to start. Fine. Let's just go naturally.

I looked left, right, behind-no one around. Good.

"I'm sorry to keep bothering you, but... could you please take me inside the room?"

"Inside... you say?"

"Yes, please~"

I blinked pitifully, playing the helpless act. Somehow, Arin seems weak against me when I do this. She opened the door and helped me inside.

The moment we stepped in, I straightened up, dropping the act because in the first place my ankle was perfectly fine.

As expected, Arin's eyes widened in surprise. Hehe... our naive Arin.