“But the bride was suddenly changed overnight. As you know, your marriage to His Grace was part of an agreement between our families.”

With a deeply troubled expression, Avenne continued as though she had no idea what to do.

“Because of that, His Grace does not seem able to cast aside his suspicions completely.”

Realizing that the situation was serious, Rubier’s face also grew anxious.

“Th-then what are we supposed to do?”

“It seems he wishes to speak with Father personally before the wedding.”

Turning toward Rubier, Avenne carefully took the hand resting upon her younger sister’s lap.

“So I want you to bring Father here.”

Startled by the request, Rubier quickly pulled her hand free.

“Wh-what are you talking about? Did you not just say you hoped Father would not come looking for you?”

“That would only be a problem if he brought knights with him. With His Grace beside me, how could Father possibly take me away on his own?”

“That may be true, but…… still! Father would never approve of your marriage. How would bringing him here change anything? You should simply go ahead and get married.”

Ignoring her resistance, Avenne took Rubier’s hand again and smiled gently.

“Everything will be resolved if you simply bring him here.”

“…….”

“His Grace said that he would make an offer to Father that he wouldn’t be able to refuse.”

Two pairs of blue eyes held each other’s gaze.

“……Then how am I supposed to bring him here?”

After carefully scrutinizing Avenne’s expression, Rubier reluctantly began asking for instructions.

Perhaps she believed this was her final opportunity to secure her marriage to Victor.

As Avenne poured her a fresh cup of tea, she explained the plan.

“I will send a carriage to the Valleris estate on this day. You must get Father into that carriage by any means necessary. Once you bring him here, we will take care of everything else.”

Listening to Avenne with uncharacteristic concentration, Rubier eventually nodded.

“……All right. If I do that, you will be able to persuade Father, correct?”

“Yes. Just trust me. I want to marry His Grace as well, so I will do everything I can to persuade Father.”

Rubier stared at Avenne, whose expression seemed utterly sincere, as though she could not understand her.

She could understand why Avenne no longer wished to marry Victor after being betrayed, but how could she possibly choose a cursed man instead?

Well, Avenne’s stupidity was likely the reason she had spent more than a decade without realizing Rubier had been deceiving her.

Deciding that nothing was more pointless than trying to understand a fool, Rubier merely pursed her lips and let the matter pass.

“By the way, Sister, it has already been a month since you entered the ducal estate. Have you ever witnessed His Grace’s curse yourself?”

Avenne appeared to contemplate the question for a moment before cautiously nodding.

“R-really? What was it like? Does he truly bite people to death?”

Rubier shuddered, looking terrified. However, when she saw Avenne’s face stiffen slightly, she cleared her throat.

If she frightened Avenne too much and caused her to panic and insist on marrying Victor again, it would only harm Rubier.

“Of course. I doubt His Grace is truly that frightening. I only asked because I was worried about you. He doesn’t do anything like that, does he? That must be why you are still willing to marry him.”

“Fortunately, I have never witnessed his transformation firsthand. Whenever he senses the curse approaching, he isolates himself in the annexe. I have also been assured that no one has been harmed, so I am not particularly worried.”

“Really? That is a relief.”

Although she felt relieved inwardly, the answer was not what she had expected, and her interest quickly faded.

It might have been entertaining to see Avenne trembling in fear.

‘How amusing would it be to see her weeping that she could no longer live with him?’

After the two of them married, Rubier decided she would subtly encourage Avenne to confront her husband while he was transformed into a beast.

“By the way, Sister. About Victor……”

Rubier steered the conversation towards herself and began recounting how deeply she and Victor supposedly cared for each other.

Worried that Avenne might find out that her relationship with Victor was not going well, she invented events that had never occurred and boasted about them.

About two hours later, the coachman announced that it was time to leave.

“Oh, but I still have so much left to tell you……”

Rubier pouted regretfully.

If she didn’t come back on time, Count Valleris would realize that she had gone out.

He was already restricting her outings in an attempt to conceal Avenne’s disappearance. If he also found out that she had met with Avenne, she would face his wrath.

Setting her disappointment to one side, Rubier sprang to her feet.

“Let us meet again soon, Rubier. I have had so much free time lately that I hardly know what to do with myself.”

“I suppose so. I heard they do not even hold banquets in the North. I will visit whenever I have time.”

Before leaving, Rubier looked Avenne up and down once more.

She was wearing a shabbier dress than her own.

Despite the fact that Avenne rarely left the estate, her hair was plain and had not even been properly styled.

She used to attend so many banquets that she needed someone to manage her schedule. Now, however, she had so much free time that she eagerly awaited Rubier’s visits.

Rubier smiled sweetly and opened her arms, asking for a hug.

Once nestled in her sister’s embrace, Avenne buried her face in her chest and whispered.

“You look happy too, Sister.”

“Do I?”

“Yes. I think your life now suits you perfectly.”

As though unable to contain her excitement, the hands clutching Avenne’s back tightened.

Her voice brimmed with unparalleled happiness.

“Thank you, Sister, for exchanging destinies with me. In the end, we both found the places where we belong. Is it not wonderful that we are both happy?”

Avenne gave a faint laugh and gently stroked the top of Rubier’s round head.

“No, I should be the one thanking you.”

“…….”

“Thank you for changing my destiny, Rubier.”

For the first time, Avenne lowered her guard and confessed the truth.

She was grateful that Rubier had shown her proof of Victor’s infidelity that day, and even more grateful that she had ultimately killed him.

Had she married Victor Maimont without knowing the truth, she would have been forced to endure the filthy gaze, lips and touch of a man who desired another woman.

She would have continued to cherish and love him like a fool, never realizing that Rubier had deceived her all along, nor that her family had never truly loved her.

The mere thought of such a life was horrifying.

“I will never forget what you have done for me, Rubier.”

After all, Rubier was willingly taking that piece of trash who had betrayed his fiancée into her own hands.

Even better, she intended to stay with him, allowing Avenne to dispose of them both at once.

“You have no idea how proud I am to call you my sister……”

Truly, Avenne could not have been more grateful.

***

“Hehe, let us go look at wedding dresses together next time! We can spend some time alone as sisters and choose each other’s gowns.”

“Shall we? Send me a letter when you have time. Have a safe journey.”

Rubier waved cheerfully at Avenne, who had come to see her off, but the instant the carriage door closed, her expression hardened.

After staring intently at her reflection in the window, Rubier burst into laughter.

“Haha, hahahaha!”

Once her laughter began, it refused to subside. She laughed until her face had turned bright red.

‘To think she is living in clothes that look like rags! Of course the wife of a monstrous duke would never be treated with respect.’

Noctaven certainly wasn’t short of money. However, given that Avenne was walking around in a dress that Rubier wouldn’t even wear if it were given to her, it was clear how she was being treated at the estate.

If Avenne hadn’t willingly stepped aside, it would have been Rubier receiving such treatment.

‘And despite all that, she still spouts such nonsense about being grateful.’

Her flushed cheeks, her long eyelashes trembling whenever she smiled.

Recalling Avenne’s foolishly innocent face as she whispered those affectionate words, Rubier once again burst into laughter just as it had finally begun to subside.

“How fortunate I am that my sister is such a fool……!”