07. Lies
I was stunned by Rachel's bombshell.
It felt as if the apple I threw with all my might had come back to life as a boomerang and hit me on the head.
Sister-in-law.
I reviewed the definition of a 'sister-in-law' once again.
Hmm. Rachel's 'sister-in-law' remark could be interpreted in two ways.
1. I wish you were my real sister!
2. I wish my older sister were my brother's wife!
...No matter how much I think about it, there's no way it's the latter. It's just too random.
So, does that mean you want to make me your older sister?
But usually in those situations, you use the word 'older sister,' not 'new sister-in-law.'
So, did you really use that title for me?
No, wait a minute. Did she accept Noelier as her older brother for now?
'Where did it all go wrong!'
My mind was filled with confusion. Thoughts began to jumble wildly like a tangled ball of yarn, so much so that not even a word of denial came out.
Just then, I felt someone's gaze. Startled, I turned my stiff neck. Thanks to Rachel pulling me closer, Noelier and I were quite close. Our eyes met. Judging by the slight trembling in Noelier's red eyes, he seemed just as flustered as I was.
Seeing those eyes, I came back to my senses.
'You're crazy. A dragon and a wolf!'
Rachel, I do like you, but you're going too far with your jokes.
I quickly moved away from him.
"Oh my goodness. Move a little further to the side, okay?"
Then Rachel pouted and tried to close the gap between her brother and me.
I lowered my head and whispered so that only Rachel could hear.
"Hey. Our little mouse?"
“Hmm?”
"What does that mean?"
“What is it?”
"No, why are you even mentioning that sister-in-law...!"
"Hehe."
Rachel looked up at me with a nonchalant smile. It was a smile that seemed to have gathered all the innocence in the world.
"But it's true!"
It was a moment when I could only let out a hollow laugh, dumbfounded by the overly innocent voice.
"Miss."
A confused voice squeezed in between us.
The man resembling a snake blinked his eyes with a bewildered expression.
"What did you just say? Sister-in-law? Surely this person..."
The man approached us hesitantly. At that, Rachel's face began to turn pale.
"I'm scared. Sister..."
"Ah. Miss...?"
"That man earlier..."
Rachel buried her face in my arms, her eyebrows drooping as if she were about to cry.
'Come to think of it, Rachel was terrified and cried her eyes out when she saw this man go berserk.'
It was a child whose memory was not intact and who was even afraid of their own strength.
The child, who had just barely accepted Noelier as her older brother, witnessed the runaway power with her own eyes.
I recalled the contents of the novel. Little Red Riding Hood, Rachel, who had to witness her brother's rampage with her own eyes.
My heart ached at the thought of that.
'How scared it must have been, my little mouse.'
I hugged Rachel protectively. I also shot a wary glare at the man. It had been a long time since I had completely forgotten the title of 'sister-in-law.'
"Please don't stare at me like that. The child is scared."
The man, who flinched at my gaze, shouted with a flushed face.
"I, I am being unfairly accused! Miss! Surely you didn't look at me like this before!"
The man glared at me as if reenacting the scene. Rachel, peeking her head out from my embrace, shook her head as if she couldn't believe it.
"Sister..."
Rachel looked up at me with tears welling up in her eyes.
No. Don't look at things like that. No. Let's only look at good things. Like your brother's face, for example.
I hugged Rachel again and spoke in a deliberately stern voice.
"What on earth are you talking about? There's no way Rachel would have done that. Can't you see she's trembling with fear?"
"No. Why are you afraid of me, Miss...! If anything, you would have made me into a skewer!"
The man pounded his chest in frustration. Then, as if rising to a fever, his fingertips began to turn red.
It soon spread to his face. The man's body turned blood-red.
They said he was a chameleon shapeshifter, and it seemed his body color changed according to his emotions.
"Wow!"
"Amazing!" Our innocent Zion jumped up and down next to the man.
"Y-yes! Leader! Please say a few words, too."
The end of the man's wronged gaze landed on Noelier.
Noelier still had a dazed look on his face. He looked like an innocent boy who had been touched by a witch. Rachel's remark about her sister-in-law seemed quite shocking.
'Is it that bad that I'm called sister-in-law?'
A bitter smile naturally formed on my lips. You really didn't have to make it so obvious that you disliked it. Noelier...
Just then, Rachel, who had been quietly nestled in my arms, peeked her head out.
Then, stretching out her hand, she grabbed Noelier's arm again.
The dragon siblings' gazes met.
"You only get one chance."
"The table is set." Rachel nodded while rambling on about incomprehensible things.
A glint appeared in Noelier's eyes. He looked like a well-trained puppy that had heard a command.
“Carmel.”
Noelier, with a hardened expression as if nothing had happened, called out to the man.
They said he was a chameleon beastman, and it looked like his name really was Camel. They really chose a good name...
Camel flinched at Noelier's serious face. Then he straightened his posture again. It was the gesture of a loyal subject facing his master.
Noelier spoke with a cold expression.
"How dare you do this in front of me?"
"..."
It was the exact opposite of his usual soft-spoken voice. Zion stared at Noelier with surprised eyes. Of course, I also let out a small gasp of admiration at this unexpected side.
'I didn't know Noelier could make that kind of face.'
Maybe because I had only seen him blush shyly, it felt a little fascinating.
Okay, as the leader, say a few words.
I felt a bit bad earlier because I felt bad for giving you a bump on the head, but not anymore. Please show me the taste of power.
'Paying dearly for making my younger sibling cry...!'
It was a time when I deeply longed for satisfying revenge.
"Greet her respectfully. She is going to be my wife."
Huh?
"What did you say...?"
My wife?! Me?!
I opened my mouth wide in shock.
"Me? You're saying I'm your wife?"
I'm barely managing to hide the fact that I'm a wolf, and now a wife!
I know you're happy that Rachel accepted you as her older brother, but you went too far with the joke.
This is too much. My life is on the line...!
If the fact that I am a wolf is discovered before I leave for the human world...?
It was clear that there would be an uproar over the insult to the leader and the young lady.
...As expected, it won't work. I shook my head vigorously. This time, neither Noelier's pitiful face nor Rachel's charms were of any use. I had to find a way to survive, too.
That was the moment I was about to deny it with all my might.
Camel slowly nodded with a serious expression.
"...Then she isn't a wolf."
"I... my wife...! What?"
The mouth that had been moving stopped abruptly.
Camel was looking at me with a face that had attained great enlightenment. His snake eyes held an infinitely serious light.
"Because there is no way the Leader would take a wolf as a mate."
"Ah..."
I just gaped like a fool.
Uh... can it be interpreted in that sense as well?
I looked back and forth between Noelier and Rachel with a confused expression.
The dragon siblings' gazes fixed on me. The two nodded with serious expressions.
It was a look that seemed to say, "You get what I mean, right?"
'Ah...!'
It was only then that I could understand the big picture of the siblings.
Noelier was the leader of the South, which was an enemy of the North.
And I was an ice wizard living in the North, and I was in the perfect situation to be suspected of being a wolf.
But what if he introduces me as his wife?
It was to prove that I was not a wolf.
There's no way Noelier, the leader, would take a wolf as a mate!
'How can you be so smart!'
I looked at them with an overwhelmed expression.
To think you even lied to prove I'm human...!
My heart ached. It was rewarding to see the bond we had built over time.
"R-right! I'm not a wolf, I'm a human. Uh, I just happened to end up living in the North, though."
Lying, something I usually did so well, felt awkward today. Ugh, I couldn't just kick away the opportunity the Dragon siblings had set for me like this.
I had no choice but to stealthily move and approach Noelier. My shoulder touched his body.
Since things had turned out this way, I had to deliver my best performance.
I moved a little closer to him. As I tilted my head, it rested against his solid chest. It was clearly a move that looked quite intimate.
I smiled awkwardly and looked up at Noelier.
"Noelier, no, Noel."
"..."
"Husband? Haha."
Noelier's eyes widened at my remark.
Please don't look at me like that. I'm the one who feels like I'm going to die from the cringe.
I felt like I was going to go crazy from the tingling sensation in my stomach as I tried to say a title I had never uttered in my life.
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