The more she spoke, the worse the situation became.

There was nothing left to say. Reno, who had managed to grab her bag while escaping, handed over a book with the familiar green cover.

Looking at the cover of the book she had definitely written herself, Roa could only sigh.

“If you were going to save one, you should have saved volume 2.”

Even in this situation, Roa muttered what would have been the best choice.

If fate dictated that one would inevitably be taken, volume 1 was better than volume 2 where the romance had developed.

It was only natural since volume 2 was where Levin Enora, Reno’s older brother, and Ann, the knight commander of a ducal family, began their passionate love affair.

Unlike volume 1, where they hadn’t yet confirmed their feelings for each other, in volume 2 the two had begun a proper relationship.

Imagining the person who would be reading volume 2 filled with kisses and embraces, Roa clutched her aching head.

“I feel bad about that too. He probably burned it, right? I hadn’t even read half of it! I got caught right at the part where they were about to kiss after their eyes met during sword practice.”

Reno, who was savoring the memory of the unfinished book, seemed to have forgotten the seriousness of the situation.

Being the only one taking this seriously, Roa gritted her teeth in frustration.

“Forget memories and all that, think about how we’re going to fix this situation first.”

“About that, let me stay here for a week.”

“Are you joking? Go beg for forgiveness until your hands fall off. I don’t want to know. I don’t want to help clean up your mess.”

Roa firmly refused. Though she had made a mistake letting Reno take the book, she had no intention of taking the blame with her.

Roa would rather have the book burned due to Reno’s carelessness. That way, the evidence would be gone.

As Roa tried to get up from the bed, Reno wrapped her arms around her waist.

“Let go of me!”

“No, I’ll really die. Are you going to pretend not to see your friend’s suffering like this?”

“I’ve never had a friend like you!”

‘After today, we are no longer friends.’

Repeating this like a mantra in her mind, Roa ignored Reno.

But thanks to Reno clinging to her waist, Roa’s bottom remained stuck to the bed.

Reno held onto Roa’s waist like it was her last lifeline, refusing to let go.

“Huuuung- Friend. Just let me stay for a week. You have plenty of empty rooms. Just let me stay until my brother goes back to the academy. After that, I’ll somehow burn that book.”

Levin Enora, Reno’s eldest brother, was a swordsmanship instructor at the academy. The academy was located on the outskirts, so he practically lived in the academy dormitory.

That’s why Reno had been confident enough to take the book.

Already familiar with Reno’s family situation, Roa could tell that he would be staying at home for a week this time.

Despite her grand words, she was essentially saying she wanted to run away from her brother because she was afraid of being scolded.

Roa shook her head at words not even worth listening to.

“Hey. You only ever come to our house, so how do you think you can escape?”

Everyone knew that whenever Reno caused trouble, she would go to the Helena grand ducal house.

Everyone knew they were close friends—the heavens knew, the earth knew, even the flying birds knew.

Even if she let her stay for a week, Reno couldn’t escape her fate of being a mouse in a trap.

Seeing Roa’s pitying gaze, Reno pulled up the corners of her mouth.

“My eldest brother isn’t the type to rudely barge into someone else’s house, so it’s fine.”

‘This friend who has thrown all manners to the wind……’

She wanted to give her a smack. Roa’s hands trembled finely with anger.

Roa pinched the back of Reno’s hand, which was boldly making nonsensical claims.

“Hey, human. If someone discovered a book like that, do you really think they’d wait at home until you came back?”

If Reno had been her sister, he would have come after her immediately, manners be damned.

And for him, the Grand Duke’s house was a friend’s home he had visited often since childhood.

He was an old friend of Roan’s. It wouldn’t be strange for him to come catch his sister while visiting his friend.

As it happened, Roan was also at home on vacation. As Roa informed her self-centered friend of reality, Reno spoke firmly.

“Then what should I do? I just need to be out of my brother’s grasp even for an hour.”

Seeing Reno’s unwillingness to back down, Roa sighed. She massaged her aching head. This friend was truly unbearable.

Knowing that in the original story, Reno had been a friend who stayed with Roa until her dying moment, Roa couldn’t bring herself to turn away the desperate Reno.

In the original work, it was written in one line that Reno had attempted suicide due to the shock of losing her precious friend, so Roa knew Reno’s sincerity.

After that, Reno had become their helper because she wanted to see the princess, who resembled Roa, be happy.

Roa let out a sigh.

“Fine. Do as you please….”

“Yay!”

In any case, her fate was to be caught by Levin and leave the Grand Duke’s house.

Reno, who didn’t think about future consequences, smiled brightly and lay down on the bed with her arms spread out.

“By the way, have you really not written anything new?”

“You can’t even go home because of that book, and you want to bring that up again?”

“The book is innocent. It just met the wrong owner.”

“So you do know your guilt?”

Her obsession was beyond imagination.

Looking at Reno, the ultimate self-centered person, Roa took out a red book she had hidden in a secret space, a safe under her bed.

Despite everything, Roa liked Reno, who seriously appreciated and gave advice on her books.

Hobbies are more enjoyable when shared.

Reno’s face lit up at the sight of another book, different only in the color of its cover.

“Oh!”

As soon as she saw the book, Reno rushed toward Roa. Easily avoiding her movement, Roa hid the red book behind her back.

Reno swallowed with disappointment and glared at the space under the bed where the book had been hidden. She looked like a hyena eyeing its prey.

Reno’s eyes sparkled.

“Who are the protagonists this time?”

“Brother Roan and His Highness the Crown Prince.”

Hearing the protagonists’ names, Reno covered her mouth with her hand.

Roa could guarantee that Reno wasn’t covering her mouth in shock at her friend’s boldness in writing an irreverent book about the crown prince, but to prevent herself from shouting in admiration.

“Amazing! So that rumor was true after all!”

“No. Brother likes women.”

It wasn’t something Roa, who was teasing Roan, should say, but as the male protagonist of the novel, Roan couldn’t possibly like the crown prince.

If the crown prince really liked Roan, the original work wouldn’t have been in the romance fantasy genre.

Seeing Roa’s strong reaction, Reno narrowed her eyes.

“Aw~ That’s something we don’t know!”

“Stop spreading uncertain rumors. Do you want to be arrested by the imperial palace for blasphemy?”

Knowing that Reno was the source of the rumors about Roan and the crown prince’s love affair, Roa seriously warned her friend.

Of course, even as she warned her, she didn’t think the warning would be heeded.

As if wanting to show that her expectations were exactly right, Reno laughed “huhuhu.”

“You’re not normal either, making books about those two.”

Roa shuddered at the lecherous look in Reno’s eyes. She couldn’t deny it since Reno’s words weren’t wrong.

“It’s amazing that Brother Roan still doesn’t know your true self. Is he oblivious?”

“Brother has blinders on when it comes to me. He’s just oblivious when it comes to me specifically.”

He was the type to think, ‘My sister doesn’t know anything, that can’t be possible.’

Being so devoted to his sister, Roan had no reason to unnecessarily investigate her.

One was the pure youngest of the Grand Duke’s family. One was a human who had seen everything, coming from the 21st century.

Her thorough ordinary person cosplay was enough to blind Roan’s vision.

“Of course, my perfect acting also plays a part.”

“Not just me, but you’re really something else too.”

“Please, you at least shouldn’t say such things to me.”

Her pride couldn’t accept being called abnormal by someone who wasn’t normal herself.

* * *

⟨He glanced at the young master who had learned and trained with swords under his father since childhood, now grown up and teaching swordsmanship to others.

His face, which had shed its childish features, was so handsome that one could look at it all day without getting tired.

It had only been a week since he had confirmed his feelings with the man he adored, so to Ann right now, Levin looked most handsome.

And his mouth itched with the desire to boast that this man was his.

“Ann.”

Ann, who had been expressionlessly doing something else, realized he hadn’t been focusing on the young master’s call and swung his sword with a bright red face.

It looked perfect to others, but Levin could see the trembling at the tip of his sword.

After correcting the postures of the duke’s children, Levin approached Ann.

As he heard the steady footsteps coming closer, Ann’s heart also raced.

Had his improper feelings been discovered? Ann’s pupils trembled. Levin’s mouth twitched as he looked at his cute lover.

“Ann, follow me behind the training ground for a moment.”

At Levin’s low voice, Ann stopped his sword practice. Was he disappointed in him for not focusing on his sword during training time?

Looking at Levin’s face, which seemed colder than usual as he tried to hold back his smile, the dejected Ann followed behind him.

After walking to a place where people didn’t pass by, Levin turned around and looked at Ann, who had lowered his head.

“Ann. Good children look at me with their heads raised.”

At Levin’s words, Ann raised his head that had been lowered.

The first thing he saw was Levin’s mischievous smile. Ann swallowed at the privilege that only he could see.

“I won’t tolerate you hiding that cute face.”

“Y-yes.”

Levin reached his hand toward Ann’s face. Then he fiddled with his reddened earlobe.

He had never imagined that love could be such a delightful thing.

“I understand you want to reveal that we’re dating, but please separate public and private matters. Instead, I’ll let it slide today.”

Ann closed his eyes at the young master’s face coming closer…⟩

“AAAAAHHHHH!! What am I reading!!”

He couldn’t bear to see the next part. Levin lowered his head at the book filled with the intention to shame him.

He might not have minded if his counterpart in the book had been a woman.

He was shocked by the fact that the person paired with him was a man of the same gender.

The paper crumpled in Levin’s grip.

Even if it was a novel filled with pure affection, for Levin, who had little experience with romance, it was close to unbearable torture.

Levin’s face burned red with shame after reading the novel.

‘This bastard, I swear.’

He had wondered what his sister, who didn’t even like books, was reading so intently. He never imagined it would be a book with such content.

It was quite a feat to have obtained such a book.

Thinking that the culprit must be someone who knew his family circumstances to some extent, Levin narrowed down the suspects.

“Just wait till I catch you.”

Levin threw the book into the fireplace without hesitation to burn it. Watching the book burn up, his anger toward his sister grew.

He tapped the desk with his wrist. The servants, sensing his anger from the sound coming at regular intervals, swallowed nervously.

“Um, young master….”

“Philip!!!”

Not hearing the servants calling him, Levin jumped up from his seat.

Imagining what might be in the other volume he hadn’t confiscated yet made his body heat up, unable to stay still.

Levin rose so violently that his chair tumbled to the floor and called for his valet in a loud voice.

At the young master’s call, Philip, who had been on standby, approached and bowed his head.

“Did you call for me, young master?”

Philip broke into a cold sweat at the angry expression rarely seen on the usually calm young master.

What kind of trouble had the four-dimensional young lady of the house caused this time?

Philip rolled his eyes left and right to assess the situation.

Except for the incomprehensible book crackling as it burned in the fireplace, there was nothing unusual.

Thanks to Reno, who caused four-dimensional incidents, Philip couldn’t dare to read the cause of his anger. Levin spoke to Philip.

“I need to prepare to go out.”

“I will inquire about Miss Reno’s whereabouts, young master.”

“No, that kid Reno only has one place to run to. Contact the Helena grand ducal house. Tell them I request a visit.”

Levin’s eyes were engraved with intense killing intent as he roughly loosened his tie and messed up his hair. A small aura rose behind his back.

Philip, who was close to being an ordinary person, felt his breath catch. Philip guessed that this time Levin wouldn’t let things go easily.

Philip bowed his head, barely able to breathe under Levin’s killing intent, and hurriedly left the room.

“The young master says he will go out.”

As soon as Philip left Levin’s room, he informed the waiting maids of Levin’s outing plans.

The footsteps of the maids who had to enter hell were heavy.

“It would be best to be careful not to disturb his mood.”

The maids nodded at Philip’s warning and moved busily. Dense killing intent leaked through the door as the maids entered.

“What did the young master say?”

The head butler of Duke Enora’s family, who had quickly noticed the commotion in the mansion, carefully asked Philip.

“He said he would visit the Helena grand ducal house.”

“Did he say anything else?”

Philip shook his head with a grave expression. The head butler roughly understood the situation by looking at Philip’s face devoid of any smile.

“I couldn’t figure out what kind of trouble Miss Reno has caused. I’m sorry, Head Butler.”

Philip bowed his head and apologized to the head butler.

It was common sense that understanding the general details of an incident made it easier to clean up.

The first principle of incident management in this mansion was to identify the cause of the dispute.

The head butler’s face didn’t look good as he couldn’t even guess the nature of Reno’s creative incident today.

“Sigh…. I hope the young master doesn’t scold the young lady too severely.”

“From the atmosphere, it seems there will be a big commotion this time.”

“I understand for now. You should prepare to accompany the young master.”

The head butler rubbed his aching head. He could only hope that the greatly angered Levin wouldn’t raise his voice at the Grand Duke’s house.

A first-class alert was issued at the Enora mansion.

* * *

Roan, who had come out to greet his friend who had notified him of his visit to the mansion, saw a carriage approaching fiercely.

The large black carriage had the Enora family crest stamped on it—a large sword embraced by two white wings.

Roan immediately recognized it as Levin’s carriage.

“Levin.”

Roan waved his hand to Levin, who was getting out of the carriage and walking toward him.

Levin’s gait as he approached Roan from the carriage was stiff.

From his perfect stride and speed, one could tell at a glance that he was a principlist and that his profession was a knight.

Roan clicked his tongue at Levin’s appearance, which hadn’t changed even after a long time.

“What brings a man who knows nothing but swords all the way here?”

Despite his grumbling tone, when Levin came close, Roan embraced him to show his delight.

Roan’s face was full of joy at seeing his friend after a long time.

“Seeing you welcome me even though you’re at home, I guess you’ve been abandoned by your sister.”

Roan, who had been abandoned by his sister during his sweet vacation, stopped abruptly. Levin smiled.

The obvious behavior of his childhood friend was completely within his palm. Roan stopped embracing him and scratched his head.

“Do you think I want to be abandoned?”

“I still hear rumors that you’re too busy dating the crown prince to receive your sister’s affection.”

“How far has that rumor spread?”

Roan shuddered at the fearsome reach of the rumor that had spread all the way to the knight academy on the frontier and reached Levin’s ears.

Hearing with his own ears that there was truly no one in the empire who didn’t know about the rumor with the crown prince, Roan seriously considered quitting his job.

Levin looked at Roan’s expression and burst into laughter.

“Aren’t you curious about what form the rumor is taking?”

“Aack! I don’t want to know. Shut your mouth.”

Levin, who had been about to tell him about the marriage news between Crown Prince Levian Khan Yvaine and Roan Helena, covered his mouth as he watched his friend writhing in agony.

Roan sighed as he watched his long-unseen friend teasing him.

The friend who had never been mischievous had learned only bad things at the knight academy.

Being like this made it feel like they had returned to their childhood when they knew nothing.

“Why did you come here? You didn’t come to see me.”

Roan addressed Levin in a voice tinged with resignation. Only then did Levin’s expression harden as he realized his purpose for coming here.

“Where’s Reno? She’s here, right?”

Roan shrugged at Levin’s obvious business, just as he had expected.

“Where else would Reno go? Just from the fact that I’ve been abandoned, the destination is obvious.”

“Shouldn’t we also consider that it’s partly your fault?”

Roan closed his mouth at Levin’s words that hit the mark. Roan narrowed his eyes and glared at his annoying friend.

“If your business is with your sister, just take her and go. Don’t dig into other people’s hearts.”

“I was going to do that even without you telling me.”

Levin naturally put his arm around Roan’s shoulder. Roan felt tired following his initial delight at seeing his friend.

“What kind of trouble did Reno cause before coming here?”

Even before he stated his exact business, Roan immediately figured out why Levin had come all this way. Levin sighed at Roan’s question.

“It was my first time experiencing such torture.”

“Torture?”

Roan tilted his head to the side, not quite understanding what his friend was saying.

Levin, who had muttered words that only someone who had seen the book would understand, frowned at the naturally occurring content of the book.

It was especially mortifying just to imagine Ann, the duke’s knight known for his huge build and muscles, blushing.

“I learned for the first time that a person can be killed by shame alone.”

Levin, who had been muttering to himself, suddenly turned and grabbed Roan’s hand. Philip, who had brought Levin, flinched.

Philip couldn’t hide his uneasiness as the two hands, held with an expression that looked like they might hit someone, twitched as if they might cause an accident at any moment.

Fortunately, Levin, who controlled his emotions well, spoke without relaxing his serious expression.

“Be careful not to let Roa be influenced badly by Reno.”

Unaware that Roa was the author of the book his sister had been reading, Levin firmly advised him.

Uncomfortable with his friend’s serious expression, Roan nodded and asked.

“Why are you suddenly advising me on something so obvious?”

“Reno was reading a book that paired me with Ann.”

‘She was doing all sorts of things.’

Levin whispered in Roan’s ear about a part of the book he had read, lest others might hear.

Among them, he chose to tell him about scenes where they realized their feelings and expressed their love outwardly. Levin’s face was miserable.

Although he could have kept quiet to hide his shame, Levin took courage for the sake of his friend and his sister.

Roan’s face, which had been listening without much thought, fell into despair in an instant. The servants around them were very curious about the content of their conversation.

What they could tell was that it wasn’t good news for Roa. Roan shouted with a face that had turned pale blue.

“Aack! Roa!!!!!”

“Young master, if you run…!”

Levin followed behind Roan, who was running to Roa’s room with a pale face.

It was a natural choice since the person he was looking for was also on this path.