Chapter 115 (1/2)

Melancholy filled the air in one of the rooms of the Noir mansion.

For better or worse, the Noir mansion was always filled with life and joy due to the presence of the energetic mistress of the house. However, a feeling of overwhelming weariness took over the living room.

There were two people there.

One of them was Michelie Noir.

It was a few short years after she had graduated from the Academy. Almost at the age of twenty, she was still a lady squatting in the Noir mansion. She would most likely spend the rest of her life there. As long as her sister was there, she would stay rooted at home, and she made sure it happened at any costs.

The worsening of her sister complex was no longer reversible, but they still lived happily together, so it wasn’t much of a problem.

The other person was Charles Noir, the spouse of Chris, who was mistress of the house.

With their relationship as stepsiblings unknown to most, Michelie and Charles were very much alike. Not only in semblance, but in terms of character as well. Thus, they didn’t get along at all.

And yet these two sworn enemies were spending time together.

At the current moment, Chris was out running errands, which were spread over the course of three days.

The moment Chris left the house, a fierce battle broke out between them, causing an overwhelming amount of trouble for the servants. Their fight lasted for about two days, until they ran out of breath.

They were fighting over the same reason.

“Big sister… isn’t here……”

“No, she isn’t……”

Precisely because they both loved Chris and were competing with each other, the fact that Chris wasn’t there made them lose their will and determination.

Thus, they ran out of energy, and were lounging about listlessly.

It was supposed to be the day of Chris’s return. They were on standby in the living room with the front door of the mansion in sight, waiting to welcome her home.

Their thought process was basically the same. They looked at each other, consumed by lethargy and weariness.

While drinking a cup of black tea, Michelie thought:

I wonder if I’ll hit Charles if I throw this plate like a saucer.

Charles thought:

If she throws that plate at me, I’ll hit her face with this half eaten cake.

Their thoughts remained exactly the same from when they were five years old.

As they came up with such helpless thoughts in such a helpless mood, they heard the front door opening.

Chris was home. Their expression changed.

They became so cheerful that one would find it difficult to believe they had been so helpless.

Charles was the first to stand up.

In terms of physical capability, Charles was no doubt the better. Even if they became old and started from the end of the hallway, Charles would probably still be first.

Of course, Michelie would never allow that.

“Oops, my hand slipped.”

“Huh?!”

Michelie said monotonously while dragging the carpet at her foot with full force.

Charles fell forward.

Serves you right. Michelie’s face was filled with glee as she ran past Charles, who tumbled pathetically. She would perform her duty as a sister in welcoming Chris home.

However, Charles was no ordinary person. Rather than being the only one to fall, he dragged Michelie down with him by pulling on her skirt.

“Wha-?!”

This was the perfect example of a situation in which they could hardly bother maintaining their own appearances.

As a result, they fell on each other splendidly.

“……What are you doing? Are you such a child to grab a lady’s skirt?”

“I couldn’t help it because a certain someone caused me to lose my footing.”

Of course, there were no indecent intentions between the two of them.

Michelie, who ended up on top of Charles like he was riding a horse, thought that it was the perfect chance to take a mounted position and hit him. However, she also considered the possibility that Chris would come in and see her hitting Charles, so she hesitated.

It was the same for Charles, who simply wanted her to get off because she was heavy.

“You two! Your mistress Christina Noir is ho-”

The beautiful woman with black hair swung the door to the living room open.

Her eyes were sparkling with energy and generosity. It was as if anyone who looked into them would be filled with the same energy. Above all, her smile was most charming.

It was a priceless smile of intelligence and purity.

That smile stiffened as she saw Michelie on top of Charles in the living room.

“Big sister, this isn’t what you th–”

Just as she tried to explain the situation, it dawned upon her and Charles that it looked like they were having an affair. They became silent.

“……”

Chris closed the door while maintaining her stiff smile.

“-!”

“Argh!”

Michelie suddenly stood up, kicking Charles in the stomach. Ignoring his cries of pain, she ran down the corridor to chase after her sister.

“Big sister! I said it’s not– She’s gone?!”

Despite her upbringing as her lady, Chris was also a physical brute. She had disappeared from the mansion in a flash.

________________________________________

On that day, Surfania Calibrachoa was surprised to see the lady dash into her room.

“–Then, Michelie and Charles were… there… hug… hugging each other……!”

Her old friend Chris was talking almost intelligibly, looking as if she was about to cry.

She sobbed and choked on her words, but Surfania was able to deduce from her minced words that Charles and Michelie were having an affair. Even for her, it was difficult to imagine such a situation.

“Huh, I see.”

“*sniffle*……”

They were the least likely pair in the world. Even if they were the last remaining humans, they would most likely kill each other first. In fact, they would be the most likely cause for the extinction of the human race. In which case, it would no doubt be caused by a war over Chris.

Thus, Surfania had only one thing to say.

“That’s stupid. They probably tripped over each other, ended up in that mounted position, and were just about to hit each other, no?”

“Of course not!”

Even though that was roughly what happened, Chris refused to admit that Michelie and Charles – especially Michelie – would do such a thing. Chris’s judgment had always been clouded because she thought too highly of Michelie.

“Hey! Let’s talk about more serious things. What should I do now?!”

“I think everything will be over once you go straight home and say ‘I’m home’.”

“I said I was being serious, right?!”

“Oh, sorry, Chris.”

For once, Surfania had been listening and giving her advice in all seriousness. She apologized coolly.

“I have plans to see a play with Leon today. I don’t have time to play along with any more of your nonsense.”

“You traitor!!!”

Chris grabbed Surfania’s shoulder and stopped her just as she was about to leave.

“Why are you so unreliable as a friend?! Leave that worthless Leon aside! Take me more seriously! I’m the one thinking normally, so I’m more important, right?!”

“Sorry. I don’t have time to play along with a worthless lady, and I never thought the day would come when you would think of me as unreliable as a friend.”

“Why are you saying this?! There’s no one who takes friendship more seriously than I do!”

Surfania frowned at her confident words.

She posed a question to Chris.

“Whose situation would you prioritize? Mine, or that wicked sister of yours?”

“Michelie’s, obviously!”

“Farewell.”

Surfania had seriously thought about canceling her plans and apologizing to Leon depending on her response, but she squinted at Chris in displeasure and flatly said goodbye.

It felt just like a girl breaking up with her useless boyfriend.

“Hey! Y-you’re seriously leaving?!”

“Isn’t it obvious? Oh, hurry home after I leave. It’ll be a problem if you remain here. ……Oh, Chris. Allow me to say a word of thanks.”