Chapter 3 – Unrequited Love, That Difficult Path (Part 1 ) 

“…is.”

‘No matter how much, how—’

“…sis?”

‘—could one feel fluttered by Edwin Duncan.’

She definitely wasn’t in her right mind that day. Lorraine could be sure of that.

‘It’s because of overwork. Yes, I didn’t sleep well the night before.’

Lorraine gave a reasonable excuse to understand herself.

At that moment, Olivia’s shrill voice broke her train of thought.

“Sister!”

“Oh… oh, yes.”

When Lorraine answered reluctantly, Victoria, who was sitting next to her, whispered.

“What are you thinking so deeply about?”

“Why?”

“Lorraine, you’re in favor of my marriage, right?”

Olivia asked abruptly.

But before Lorraine could even answer, Diana responded to the youngest Olivia’s words with a serious voice befitting the eldest.

“Does that make sense? She’s eighteen. Not twenty-eight.”

“You two are already married to your work!”

Watching the two argue, Lorraine asked Victoria, who was sitting next to her.

“Why the sudden talk about marriage?”

Victoria, with a reluctant expression, looked at Lorraine briefly before answering.

“She got a proposal.”

“Oh… oh?”

Lorraine, who was nodding indifferently, turned to look at Victoria.

“Why are you looking at me? Look over there.”

When she looked where Victoria was pointing, Diana and Olivia were still arguing.

“Don’t impose your values on me!”

At Olivia’s shout, Diana pushed her glasses up with a cold face and retorted.

“It’s not imposing. Think about it, who gets married at eighteen these days?”

Then Olivia laughed coldly and said.

“We’re all of marriageable age. It’s just that you two didn’t get married.”

There was a faint hint of sarcasm. Feeling an inexplicable sense of foreboding, Lorraine called Olivia’s nickname.

“Libby.”

But unfortunately, once Olivia’s mouth opened, it wouldn’t close until she finished.

“All my friends are engaged. You two are the abnormal ones.”

Too late.

Lorraine subtly averted her gaze and pressed her temples. Then Diana called Olivia with a grim voice.

“Olivia Wiig.”

Only then did Olivia, regaining her senses, close her mouth.

“Get out.”

But by then, the situation had already deteriorated. Diana commanded with a cold face.

“…Sister.”

Lorraine called Diana to try to settle the situation, but it was to no avail.

“Get out. Don’t hang out with us oppressive sisters.”

After saying what she wanted, Olivia seemed to realize she had gone too far and looked at Diana with teary eyes. But Diana’s face remained unyielding.

Unable to watch any longer, Lorraine spoke to mediate.

“For now, just go out.”

“Sister….”

“You need time to think rationally too. Understand?”

When Lorraine asked in a gentle voice, Olivia slowly nodded.

“Alright, then go out.”

Olivia stood up reluctantly. She looked back with every step she took. Diana kept her mouth shut until the attic door closed.

“…How could she say that to us?”

“Sister.”

Lorraine called her with a sigh.

“She could feel that way. We have to understand.”

“…Do you understand?”

“We did delay engagements and marriages to focus more on work. Do you regret that choice?”

When Lorraine asked in a gentle voice, Diana’s brown eyes deepened. Watching her lost in thought, Lorraine suddenly swung her fist in the air and said.

“Still, she needs to be scolded for trying to explain it that way. How dare she, to us, her sisters.”

Brown eyes and bright blue eyes clashed in the air. Then both of them burst into refreshing laughter at the same time.

Hahaha.

The lights in the attic went out long after that.

***

The cold war between Diana and Olivia didn’t last long. From the start, they weren’t in a relationship that would be decided by victory or defeat-.

「Sister… I’m sorry. But please meet him just once.」

「…Alright.」

In Lorraine’s view, they were both the same.

“Lorraine.”

Awakened from her thoughts by Philip’s call, Lorraine turned her head.

“This doesn’t seem to add up. Can you check it?”

“Oh, yes.”

Lorraine put on the glasses she had taken off and received the document.

In Moses, there were the central bank run by the imperial family, private banks run by the merchant guild, and local banks run by lords.

Edwin was a director of the central bank among them. And the central bank usually held its annual general meeting around the end of spring.

And there was less than a week left until this year’s annual general meeting.

At that moment, the office door burst open. It was Edwin, his hair disheveled.

“Why are these related documents missing?”

Edwin’s tone was sharp. He always became fierce as the annual general meeting approached.

“Just a moment. I’ll check.”

Philip started rummaging through one of the piles of documents stacked almost to the ceiling. Soon, he pulled out a bundle of documents from an envelope.

“The bank omitted them and sent them late. Here they are.”

“The preparation for the annual general meeting?”

Edwin asked while checking the documents Philip handed over. Lorraine answered his question.

“We just need to finalize the financial statements.”

“Bring them as soon as you finish.”

Then he left the office without looking back.

With the sound of the door closing, Philip slumped into his chair.

“No matter how many years I go through this, I can’t get used to it. Right?”

“…Indeed.”

As Lorraine responded absentmindedly while looking through the documents, Philip sighed deeply and muttered.

“I shouldn’t have asked.”

As he spun his chair while looking at the ceiling, he suddenly straightened up as if he had remembered something.

“Oh, by the way, Lorraine, are you interested in being introduced to someone….”

The answer came swiftly.

“No.”

Even as she said this, she scribbled something on the document.

Philip, whose words were cut off, cautiously asked again.

“But at least think about it….”

At his earnest tone, Lorraine looked up. Her bright blue eyes were filled with annoyance at being bothered while she was busy.

“Absolutely not.”

“Alright.”

After two firm refusals, Philip nodded reluctantly.

“But… don’t your parents say anything?”

“…About what?”

‘Does he not want to work?’

Lorraine pushed up her slipping glasses and raised her head. Philip added.

“Marriage.”

Somehow, the topic felt familiar. Lorraine’s eyebrows furrowed slightly.

“Is it… some kind of season lately? Related to romance or marriage?”

At Lorraine’s question, Philip scratched the back of his head and thought for a moment before shaking his head.

“Huh? I don’t think so…? But why do you ask?”

“No, I just hear a lot of talk about marriage these days.”

‘Oh, I miscalculated again.’

Lorraine muttered in an indifferent voice. She continued speaking as she pulled out a new piece of paper.

“My younger sister wanted to get married and tried to persuade Dianna, our eldest sister, but they fought and didn’t talk until a few days ago.”

“Really…? Didn’t your sister just join the administration recently?”

She continued speaking while rechecking the calculations on the new sheet.

“No, the youngest. She wants to marry the person she’s seeing now. She’s attending the music academy.”

Satisfied with the accuracy of her calculations, she closed the document.

“Here. The interest rate for this month was missing.”

Philip took the document Lorraine handed over and asked.

“Isn’t she still young? She must be only….”

“She’s eighteen.”

Lorraine intercepted firmly. She put down her pen and rolled her stiff neck from side to side as she continued.

“And most of the unmarried women living in Moses usually get engaged or married between sixteen and nineteen years old.”

– Her gaze was unbearably cold as she spoke.

***

At the time when everyone was asleep, Edwin’s office was still lit.

“Oh, by the way, I heard she’s getting married.”

Philip was surprisingly calm for someone delivering forgotten news. Edwin, processing the few remaining documents, responded indifferently.

“…Who?”

“Wiig.”

At Philip’s answer, Edwin looked up.

His golden eyes stared piercingly at Philip, as if to verify the truth of his answer.

“…Wiig?”

Despite Edwin’s reluctant voice, Philip nodded with a nonchalant face.

“Yes, Wiig.”

“…With whom?”

Philip shrugged and said. His expression was indifferent.

“Oh, I didn’t get to ask that.”

‘This way, he won’t deny it.’

On the day of the party, despite Philip’s long explanation, Edwin didn’t acknowledge his feelings.

「No, Your Excellency. How could you not know that?」

「How do you know my feelings?」

Instead, he was being questioned.

As soon as he heard that Lorraine’s sister had decided to get married, Philip planned this.

Of course, if he got caught, it would be the death of him.

Philip loosened the cravat that felt like it was choking him slightly.

“The Wiig I know, right?”

Edwin asked repeatedly, as if he couldn’t believe it.

‘Is this the only way?’ 

Philip momentarily doubted his choice. There might have been other ways if he had looked.

Then, suddenly, he thought, after all, Olivia Wiig is still a Wiig. He forced a smile on his tense lips.

“Yes, Wiig.”

And not long after, Philip deeply regretted his choice.