chapter 08
As I stared at the utterly outrageous postcards, a realization suddenly struck me.
Wait… these are actually being sold?
Was this what he meant when he said Seniel was “repaying his debt with his body”?
If the Seniel in these illustrations was real, then the story about him paying off a debt with his body suddenly made perfect sense.
The suspicion growing heavier by the second, I narrowed my eyes so fiercely that the veins at my temples stood out, scrutinizing every postcard in detail.
As his older sister, I couldn’t bear the thought of strangers buying these things.
But I didn’t have enough money to buy them all.
If I’d known this would happen, I would’ve robbed a bank if I had to.
After a long and very serious internal debate, I picked out the postcards where Seniel was wearing the least clothing and held them out.
“I’ll take these.”
The vendor glanced up at me.
“My, my… so that’s your taste, miss?”
With a knowing grin, he reached behind his stall and pulled out one of the few scrolls he’d hidden away.
“Then you’ll want this too.”
“What is it?”
Instead of answering, he crooked a finger, inviting me closer.
When I leaned in, he whispered into my ear so quietly no one else could hear.
“You won’t regret it. Trust me.”
His confidence was strangely persuasive.
Before I knew it, I’d already paid three times the price of the postcards and bought the mysterious rolled-up paper as well.
“…Sigh. What exactly did I just buy?”
I returned to a bench, trying to settle my complicated thoughts.
A moment later, a young noblewoman cautiously approached.
Her face was hidden behind an extravagant fan. She sat beside me and, without any introduction, made me an offer.
“Would you be willing to sell those to me? I’ll pay five times what you spent.”
“Five times?”
“Yes. I waited in line, but they sold out before my turn. I’ve been waiting forever.”
I was still staring at her in disbelief when another noblewoman rushed over from behind.
“I’ll pay ten times the price! Please sell them to me! I’ll pay whatever you want!”
“Excuse me! Isn’t it rude to interrupt while someone else is negotiating?”
The two ladies immediately began arguing, each insisting I should sell to her instead.
I had no intention of selling them anyway.
Taking advantage of their bickering, I slipped away while they tried to stop me.
As I hurried down the street, I glanced back.
One young lady who had failed to buy a postcard was openly sobbing.
“…What on earth is going on?”
A line from an old report about Seniel surfaced in my mind.
P.S. Extremely popular.
Then I remembered Orbis mentioning the word fan.
I honestly hadn’t imagined this was what he meant.
The thought that Seniel might have come to the capital only to continue posing as the model for these indecent illustrations made anger well up inside me.
“…Calm down.”
“Talk to him first.”
If that were really the case, it would be exactly the sort of thing he’d never want me to know.
I’d just have to create an atmosphere where he couldn’t avoid telling me the truth.
I stopped by the market and bought fresh vegetables and ingredients for dinner.
If I cooked him a homemade meal first, maybe I could gently coax the truth out of him.
That evening’s menu was tomato stew simmered slowly with plenty of vegetables, a fresh salad, and roasted chicken glazed with sauce.
Just as the stew reached the perfect simmer, Seniel and Orbis returned home.
“We’re home, Sister.”
“Sniff, sniff… What’s that smell?”
“…Wait…”
“Rosia… you cooked?!”
I happened to be tasting the stew with a ladle.
Glancing over my shoulder, I smiled.
“That’s right. I put some effort into it.”
“…Oh no.”
“We should’ve come home earlier.”
“Maybe… maybe we can still go eat somewhere else…”
“Close the door, Orbis.”
“…Yes, Sister.”
Orbis, who had been halfway out the door again, quietly shut it under my icy stare.
Their reaction wasn’t without reason.
I’d never had any talent for cooking.
Even when I followed recipes exactly, the end result somehow became an unidentified life-form masquerading as food.
Because of that, I’d avoided kitchens my entire life.
But I’d wanted Seniel to eat something I’d made with my own hands, so I’d tried cooking a few days ago.
The problem was that both Seniel and Orbis had spent the entire following day suffering from stomachaches.
Since then, I’d practically been banned from entering the kitchen, and Orbis had taken over dinner duties.
Given that history, I could understand their panic.
“Rosia, you promised you wouldn’t cook anymore.”
“This time is different. It looks much better than last time, doesn’t it?”
I pointed at the stew with complete confidence.
Seniel’s eyes visibly wavered.
“…Sister.”
“What exactly did you put in it to make stew… purple?”
“Cabbage, maybe?”
“Just taste it. I sampled it already. It’s actually not bad.”
I cleared my throat and deliberately pretended not to hear the question.
Seniel suddenly became very interested in hanging up his coat.
Orbis hovered nearby, pretending to help.
“Seniel… how could I possibly eat Sister’s cooking before you do? You should taste it first.”
“What are you talking about? You’re standing closer than I am.”
Unable to listen to them pass the responsibility back and forth any longer, I thrust the ladle toward them.
“My arm’s getting tired.”
“Someone’s eating it.”
“I’ll do it.”
“If it’s something you made, Sister… I’d eat it even if it were poisoned.”
“…It doesn’t have to be that dramatic.”
Seniel stepped forward.
Squeezing his eyes shut like a condemned man facing execution, he tasted the stew.
A long silence followed.
Then he simply gestured for Orbis to come over.
The room grew tense as Orbis reluctantly tasted the stew too.
“So?”
“Rosia…”
“Please never cook again.”
“You’ll ruin those beautiful hands.”
“Exactly,” Seniel added with a solemn nod.
“If someone were perfect at everything, what would the rest of us have left? It’s perfectly fine if you can’t cook.”
I understood exactly what they were politely trying to say.
With a sigh, I picked up the entire bowl of stew.
“I see.”
“I’ll throw it away.”
“I don’t want either of you getting sick again.”
“Why throw it away?”
“It may not taste good, but I’ll eat all of it.”
“You made it for us.”
“Me too,” Orbis said.
“If it’s something you cooked, I’ll endure it.”
They were both incredibly kind.
And painfully honest.
“…Is it really that bad?”
I tasted it again.
I still couldn’t tell.
Tilting my head in confusion, I set the finished dishes on the dining table anyway.
Dinner proceeded much more slowly than usual, filled with a warm atmosphere… and the occasional muffled scream.
Once both Seniel and Orbis finally laid down their utensils, I casually brought up the topic I’d been waiting for.
“I bought something in the plaza today.”
I picked up the postcards I’d prepared beforehand and laid them on the table one by one.
The instant Seniel saw them, he froze solid.
The color drained from his face.
“…Sister…”
“How did you get those?”
“It was an accident.”
“I saw you on them.”
“You have no idea how shocked I was.”
As I spoke calmly, he seemed to recover a little.
Though whatever composure he regained immediately evaporated thanks to Orbis, who burst into uncontrollable laughter beside him.
“Pffft—HAHAHAHA!”
“I’d only heard about these before! This is my first time actually seeing them!”
“They’re incredible!”
“Can I keep just one?”
“Absolutely not!”
“I’m throwing every single one away!”
His ears burning bright red, Seniel snatched every postcard off the table and gathered them protectively in front of himself.
Watching his reaction carefully, I spoke as gently as I could.
“Seniel.”
“No matter what you’re doing…”
“I’m on your side.”
“So trust me.”
“Tell me everything.”
“We’re family.”
The moment I said family, his pupils trembled.
“…Thank you, Sister.”
“But…”
“I don’t really have anything to confess.”
Were the postcards not enough?
“What about this?”
Instead of explaining further, I placed the rolled-up paper the merchant had sold me onto the table.
There had been a reason it came rolled up.
Unlike the postcards, it was enormous.
And more importantly…
It depicted Seniel completely naked.
“…Good heavens.”
The moment he saw it, Seniel went utterly speechless.
His face crumpled with despair.
He squeezed his eyes shut, as though refusing to accept reality itself.
“Pff… pff…”
“Puhahahahahaha!”
Orbis threw himself backward laughing like a madman.
Then, to make matters worse, he actually reached out and traced the illustration with his finger.
“They got this part wrong.”
“This should be thicker…”
“And this should be much bigger—”
“Shut up!”
“Sister!”
“Where did you buy this?!”
“I’m going to make whoever drew this pay!”
Grinding his teeth, Seniel shot to his feet, ready to storm out after the merchant.
I hurriedly pulled him back into his chair.
Then I asked the question that had been bothering me all day.
“…Were you doing this today too?”
He blinked.
His face had already turned noticeably pale.
“…Doing what?”
“Modeling.”
“Weren’t you doing this to pay off your debt?”
“…Debt?”
“What debt?”
“…?”
The two of us stared blankly at each other.
After several seconds, we both realized we weren’t having the same conversation at all.
“The man who came to the villa,” I explained.
“He said you owed him money.”
“He said you were paying it back…”
“…with your body.”
“Wasn’t that true?”
