Chapter 2
None of them could open their mouths after hearing Lynette’s words. Watching the three of them sit there silently, as if they had honey stuck in their throats, Lynette crossed her arms with ease.
She then began quoting a passage that had briefly appeared in a book, but with details explicit enough to be rated “for adults only.”
“My sister sitting at the desk in my room, and Fer holding her legs…”
“Stop!”
Just as Lynette was about to describe it as though she had actually seen it, Kenneth cut her off.
Then Edgar shouted out loud.
“Hey! I told you not to read too many romance novels! You’ve got nothing better to do, so you waste time on those kinds of books and start spouting nonsense.”
“I read romance novels, sure, but not adult ones. If I didn’t see it myself, how would I be able to describe it in detail? Am I wrong?”
Lynette proceeded to describe in detail what Esther and Fernando had been wearing at the time.
“That necklace my sister’s wearing right now? Fernando gave it to her. You can even go ask at the jewelry shop at 2-8 Sky Street. He bought it there as a gift for her.”
“N-no, that’s not true. A friend gave this to me.”
“Even now, you’re lying? Then which friend was it?”
“Th-that was… Lady Amber of the Countess of RS…”
“Father can investigate this matter himself. If he sends someone both to Lady Amber and to the jewelry shop, the truth will come out quickly. Of course, Sister, you’ll be staying here in the meantime.”
Esther, who had been about to slip away, froze at Lynette’s words. Her green eyes, so much like their mother’s, began to tremble. Seeing that, Lynette let out a cold laugh.
She couldn’t stand that fake innocence—acting virtuous on the surface while wallowing in filth behind people’s backs.
If she wanted Fernando so badly, why not just marry him herself? Why sneak around as his mistress?
“Esther, is what Lynette says true?”
“N-no! Of course not…”
“Then stay right here. I’ll send people to check. If it turns out to be false, Lynette, you’ll be punished!”
Lynette only shrugged her shoulders and chuckled at Esther’s flustered face.
“And if the truth comes out—what will you do then?”
“Of course… I’ll annul the marriage.”
“And?”
“And… sigh…”
Kenneth couldn’t answer immediately. He let out heavy sighs instead. If Lynette’s words were true, there could hardly be a greater disgrace.
“Do you know how shocked I was when I saw them that I fell down the stairs? And you’re telling me there will be no punishment at all?”
Of course, Lynette hadn’t fallen because she’d been shocked by that scene. She had simply twisted her ankle in unfamiliar high heels. But there was no reason to explain that. Fernando and Esther had to be separated, no matter what. Otherwise, she would again be executed as the “villainess” who killed them both.
“F-father, I need to go to the bathroom…”
“Go ahead. There’s one right here.”
Lynette pointed to the bathroom inside the study. Esther bit her lip.
Edgar, watching, frowned slightly. Lynette might be disobedient, but she had never resorted to outright slander.
“O-on second thought, I don’t need to go.”
“Trying to weasel your way out, huh? Even if you say you’re sick, it won’t work. Just sit there.”
Esther, who always acted the frail beauty despite being in excellent health, gnawed on her painted lips.
Meanwhile, servants sent by Kenneth were already running in two directions.
“Sigh… how did things come to this…”
His eldest daughter looked visibly shaken, while his younger daughter appeared utterly calm. To any outsider, it was obvious who was guilty. Still, Kenneth wanted to believe in his firstborn until the end.
As for his younger daughter, even if she caused a fuss, she could always marry into the Phyllis household. Surely Lynette’s words were nonsense…
Just then, as if on cue, news arrived that Fernando himself had come.
“Young Lord Phyllis has arrived, asking to see Lady Lynette.”
“Not me. He’s probably here to see my sister.”
“…Excuse me?”
“Never mind. Bring him here. Butler!”
At Lynette’s words, Kenneth nodded, and the butler Nixon soon brought Fernando upstairs.
“Ah! Everyone’s here.”
Into the icy atmosphere bounced Fernando, the adulterer, smiling as if nothing was wrong. Lynette smirked. He wasn’t particularly handsome, clever, or worthy of her future. Why had she ever thrown away her life for this man?
“So, what were you all discussing? I’ll soon be family too…”
“You. And my sister.”
“Huh? M-my sister-in-law and me?”
Fernando blinked in confusion.
“Fernando, Lynette claims you and Esther had… relations in her room.”
“W-what?! That’s absurd!”
His exaggerated shock only made Edgar narrow his eyes. Fernando’s blue eyes trembled like leaves in the winter wind.
“Is Lynette telling the truth?”
“O-of course not! I’m about to marry Lynette—how could I with her sister…! Count Fruina, surely Lynette is still disoriented from just waking up.”
Treating her as if she’d lost her mind, Fernando spoke down at Lynette. Edgar’s eyes narrowed further.
“Now that I think about it, you did visit Esther often while Lynette was unconscious.”
“O-of course! She’s Lynette’s sister. I was simply comforting her delicate heart…”
His excuses were sickening. Lynette scoffed.
“Right. The two of you ‘comforted’ each other in my room, on my bed, holding onto my sheets—while saying it was even more thrilling because it felt like I was watching.”
“W-what are you…”
“People sometimes hear even while unconscious, you know.”
“No! Never!”
“Don’t deny it. Even animals wouldn’t do such a thing—using the bed where your unconscious sister lay.”
Her vivid words drained all color from Fernando and Esther’s faces.
Fernando tried to leave, but the door wouldn’t open.
“C-count, the door…”
“It won’t open until the truth is uncovered.”
Lynette spoke sweetly. Fernando’s smile vanished. He sat on the sofa, glancing anxiously at Esther. She stiffened, clutching her dress, flinching every time Lynette hummed a tune.
Soon, the two servants returned at a run and reported together:
“The jewelry shop confirmed a man matching Young Lord Phyllis’s description bought the necklace.”
“Lady Amber of RS says she never gifted such a necklace to the eldest lady.”
Checkmate.
Bang!
Kenneth slammed his fist on the table, rattling the teacups.
Father, don’t overdo it. You’re a man of letters, not a warrior. Hit it a hundred times, and it’ll be your bones that break, not the table.
“You bastard! You’re engaged, yet you’re having an affair with your fiancée’s sister!”
Edgar, who had never been of gentle temper, grabbed Fernando by the collar. The imperial knight’s grip shook him like a leaf about to fall.
Thud!
Esther chose the excellent tactic of fainting. Lynette felt no pity. In her past life, thanks to this “sister” and “husband,” she had been abandoned by her father and executed as a villainess.
Whether or not they knew it, Lynette had no intention of forgiving them. She simply sat on the sofa, watching how things would unfold.
Fernando, already beaten, was swelling up like a dumpling. Kenneth sighed and ordered servants to carry the unconscious Esther to her room.
“You lunatic! What are you going to do now?”
“B-brother-in-law, I’ll take responsibility and marry Lynette…”
“You dare say that after touching my sister? And what about Esther?”
“I-I’ll take responsibility for her too…”
“And what does that mean? You’ll marry Lynette but keep Esther as your mistress? You insane bastard!”
That was just like Edgar’s blunt way of speaking—though unfortunately, he sometimes used it on Lynette herself.
If only he were a fictional brother from a novel, not a real one. A handsome brother in reality was useless anyway.
“Edgar!”
“What? I haven’t beaten him enough yet.”
“Let him go.”
“Of course I’ll let him go—into a coffin!”
As long as it wasn’t her being shaken, Lynette found the scene refreshing, like drinking a soda. Edgar pummeled Fernando until he was unrecognizable, then glared at Lynette with lingering fury.
“Hey! Why didn’t you tell me right away if you knew? You think you’re some kind of angel?”
“I just told you, didn’t I?”
With no trace of chivalry, Edgar stuffed Fernando into a wooden box and threw it at the servants who’d come with him.
“You bastard, listen carefully. If this engagement breaks off, it’s because of your infidelity. Say that clearly. Otherwise, if I ever see you at a party again, I’ll beat you in front of everyone like a dog!”
After unloading his rage, Edgar turned to Kenneth, who was clutching his head in despair. The revelation had crushed him: his younger daughter’s fiancé, caught with his elder daughter.
“If you had listened to me from the start, we wouldn’t have needed such a messy showdown.”
“….”
“So Father really doesn’t trust me, does he?”
Lynette smiled bitterly and shook her head.
“Hey, considering your usual behavior…”
“Whatever I may do, I’d never sleep with my sister’s fiancé.”
Edgar had nothing to say to that. He just sighed and slumped on the sofa.
Kenneth too sighed deeply, but then looked at Lynette. She was still bandaged, in need of absolute rest.
“…Fine. I’ll grant the annulment.”
He rose, intent on writing to the Phyllis family. Lynette smirked.
“And one more thing—remember?”
Kenneth had brushed her off earlier when she asked what else he’d do once the truth came out. But Lynette wasn’t about to let that slide.
“What else do you want?”
At that, Lynette’s lips curled into a bright smile.
“Remove that woman who dares wear the mask of my sister—from before my eyes.”
