My Sister Picked up the Male Lead - Chapter 24

“It’s there, by the way.”

Not meaning to be rude, I pointed at his chest.

“Isn’t your body trashed* right now? After my sister comes back, you should go and wash up.”

*T/N: literal TL be chewed up but that makes no sense in english

“Haha. I-I’m fine.”

“My nose is not fine.”2

“… My apologies! D-do… I smell?”

His face flushed in an instant.

“No. I was just joking.”

“…”

His face flushed redder.1

Gosh. It was refreshing to interact with a man who was completely different from the straightforward Knox. Looking at the blushing man, I slightly smiled as I tilted my head.1

“Knox will probably wake up around midnight.”

It’s not that the Knox at night doesn’t sleep at all. He usually gets up in the period between nightfall and the wee hours of the morning to check on me before falling back to sleep. He could also wake up even earlier. When he couldn’t sleep he would take a walk, but that was rare.

“Ah, yes. I understand. Commander sleeps a lot. This is just one of the side effects of the curse.”

“I see. Why don’t you talk to him? He probably won’t remember anything… But you never know what could change if you try talking to him.”1

That was what I said, but my words stopped halfway. It was because of the man who looked at me with his big teary eyes.

“Thank you… for caring. Just like you said, the Commander doesn’t remember me.”

“Yes? Yeah… It’s a shame but you can do it.”

This was a situation I could never imagine myself being in. All I could do was to get up from my seat and go console him.

Afterwards, I searched through the closet for large-sized clothes. These were originally made for the Knox at night but they could also fit Gray.

Knox had always been half-naked anyways so I wasn’t sure if giving these to him would help at all.1

“Wash up and change into these clothes… Stop crying.”1

Sniff.5

“Alright…”1

Gray rubbed the tip of his chin with the back of his hands before receiving the clothes I was giving him.

Knox was using my room, so the only rooms left were the living room and the storage room. Gray nodded his head fervently and said that he was alright with the storage room. Before turning to leave to his room, Gray said.

“Uhm, miss? Sorry for disturbing you but there’s something I’m curious about.”

As if he had something to say, he blinked his eyes eagerly.

“Y-You seemed quite calm.”

“About what?”

“No. It’s nothing… I’m sure that the issue with our Commander’s identity and the fact that I suddenly turned up must not be something that is completely impossible to believe…”

“That’s true…”

I tilted my head.

“But the fact that he is a child during the day and a young man at night is not something that happens to people commonly, right?”

“… You’re right.”

Let’s just say that I was naïve. Gray nodded his head blankly, just like how Knox would during the day. I looked at him being in a daze and laughed. Then, I raised my hand slowly to show him.

“Do you see this?”

Gray looked at my hand before his jaw slackened. My hands were trembling as if I had been frightened. I wasn’t acting. From the moment I met Gray, I’ve been holding in my fear.

I wasn’t afraid of Gray. Instead, when I saw someone holding such a long sword, I was reminded of the day Knox bled fighting the intruders. I was also reminded of an older scene where my sister was fighting our pursuers when we ran away. She had been protecting the fearful me, but all I could remember of that moment was the unexplained terror that struck me.

“I’m only pretending to be calm.”

Gray stayed quiet for a while before apologising. Of course, the truth was a far from the truth that Gray was actually thinking. But I didn’t correct him on purpose.

“What about her?”

After a while, my sister returned clean from washing up and sat next to me.

“I let him use the storage room.”

Gray, seeing how tired my sister looked, decided to talk about it another time. My sister nodded her head before tapping my shoulders.

“Alright, well done. We’re both tired.”

My sister decided to tell her part of the story at a later time. My sister might have looked like she was in a good mood as usual. But there was a hint of complexity behind her expression that I had never seen before. I couldn’t help but to also feel a complex mix of feelings.

If Gray explains the situation to her, my sister will find out who Knox is. I wonder what will change? I had distanced my sister from Knox because of the novel…

I wondered if I was doing the right thing. Guess I’ll never know.

The sun was setting and night came a little earlier to our home.

Perhaps we were all tired. Only snores could be heard throughout the house.

At midnight, I crept out of my sister’s bed, leaving my sister who was fast asleep behind.

Click.

The moment I opened the door, my sister murmured softly.

“Amy. Don’t go out…”

“Okay.”

“If anything happens, just shout for me. I’ll start crushing their legs.”

“O-of course!”

My sister may have liked the Knox during the day, but even though she believed that he wasn’t lying about his situation, she was still anxious about Knox. After checking that my sister was asleep again, I stepped out of the door.

When I entered the living room, I froze.

“… What are you doing?”

Under the moonlight, two men were tangled together.10

One was the man beautiful enough for me to change the way I viewed beauty in the world. The other, while he may not have been as good-looking, was the warm-hearted man.

What am I seeing? Looking at Knox, I widened my eyes. Gray was being pinned down by Knox and who was grabbing onto one of his arms. When I met eyes with Gray, he called out for me.

“Miss Amy!”

Once Gray called my name, Knox frowned.

“Amy.”

Knox alternated between looking at me and Gray. He remained silent for a while before speaking quietly.

“… Did you pick up another man?”10

His eyes looked as if they were going to burst into flames. You weren’t misunderstanding something, right? 3 months have passed since he’s been here, but I still remembered how harsh his gaze was when we first met.

Sometimes, when Knox turns to look at me, I would freeze. Maybe because I was hoping that he wasn’t actually like how the novel portrayed him.

I tried to smile calmly before retreating my steps. Gray probably jumped on Knox after being so happy to see him again. But then ended up like this.

I narrowed my eyes as I saw Gray tearing up.

“… It wasn’t me. It was my sister.”

… I’m sorry side character Gray, I’m powerless here.

I turned a blind eye to Gray’s pleading eyes. Gray sniffed as if he had been falsely accused. Crying didn’t look good on a big person, but maybe since he looked like that, his voice when he was crying suited him well. He looked pitiful.2

“It’s me, Commander! Me, Gray! The Gray who has been clothed and fed by you, Commander!”

“I don’t remember ever clothing or feeding any one like you.”1

“T-That’s because you lost your memories, even all your happy ones! This is too much! How hard did I work just to find you, Commander…”

When Knox turned his head away from him as if he didn’t want to deal with him anymore, Gray whimpered like a dog denied of food.

Uhm. He shouldn’t be moving around like that when he’s hurt.

“Commander, I said that it’s me! Commander! Ack! Commander! My Lord! Rey…”

“I don’t want to hear it.”

It was me who was the one going to suffer from this.

‘I think my sister is going to wake up because of this.’

I heard something come out of my sister’s room. There was no way my sister wouldn’t have been woken up by this uproar. No matter how tired she was, she would always put me as her priority.

If my sister comes out and sees this, she was definitely going to kick one of them out. And I mean Gray.

So, the fact that she still hasn’t come out yet meant that I am supposed to handle the situation.

“Uhm, Knox. Why don’t you let him go so we can talk? That person is injured.”

I approached them carefully and grabbed Knox’s arm. When his arm relaxed, it didn’t feel real.

Oh my. I may have told him to but I didn’t think that he would actually let go of him, so I could only blink blindly.

“Ack, Commander!”

“How noisy.”

Without hesitation, Knox jabbed the back of Gray’s neck with his hand immediately. Seeing Gray pass out quietly, I could only gulp nervously and widen my eyes. I’d never thought that I’d be able to see someone knock someone else out just by hitting the back of their neck.3

“… Knox. What do we do after you knock someone out like that?”

“Didn’t you say that you want to talk?”

“Did you want to just talk between the two of us?”

He looked up at me as if to say ‘Then who else would I talk to?’.

Seriously? I turned my head and looked at Gray with the corner of my eye. He was hit by the one during the day and knocked out by the other at night… If I were him, I would’ve been depressed and wouldn’t have any more thoughts of serving him anymore.1

“This person is a guest of this house… I just thought you’d be curious.”

“…”

As I walked towards him, I hesitated a little before carefully grabbing his arm.

“Then, starting from now, we must whisper.”

“… Why?”

“My sister might wake up. Be quiet as if we are sleeping.”

I held his shoulder gently before whispering in his ear. When he looked at me, he flinched. I had never taken the initiative to touch him before so both Knox and I were feeling awkward.

“This person’s name is Gray.”

I sat with him on the sofa before whispering.

“He knew Knox before you lost your memories. He also knows your real name. He probably knows you very well.”

“… What?”

“Aren’t you curious? What kind of person you were? What’s your real name?”

Actually, I was really hoping he could reply ‘Yes’. I hoped that he could follow Gray back to where everyone was missing him.

Why was I still nervously swallowing my saliva while looking at the quiet Knox? I bent my head a little.

“Hm, if it were me, I’d be very curious.”

“I’m not.”

“Huh?”

“I’m saying that I’m not even a little curious.”

Knox said as he removed my hand from his shoulder and held it in his own.

“Will you send me away once you know everything about me?”

“I never said that.”

“No but you’re talking as if you would.”1

“Going back to where you’re from is not a bad thing.”

“Then why don’t you tell me where you think I should be?”

This is what happened when you ask such questions to someone without his memories.

I closed my eyes tightly before opening them again. We didn’t make any eye contact, but I could still feel his gaze.

“… I don’t think I have a right to decide for you.”

“I don’t want to go.”

His firm arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me closer to his breath. Even if I wasn’t facing him, I could feel his gaze. I didn’t think I should raise my head. I sealed my lips when I felt him tighten his grip on my hands.

“I’m not going anywhere. Amy, just let me stay by your side.”

“…”1

“Do I need to ask for permission for doing this too?”

There was something I still couldn’t make out after 3 months. What does he feel whenever he sees me? The Knox in this timeline. The male lead.12

T/N: ISN’T IT OBVIOUS URGHHHHHHHH7

Even after he says his piece, I could never tell what he was feeling or the reasons behind his actions.2

What will happen to the story if my sister manages to survive without dying? Has Knox started liking me instead of my sister like in the novel? How could I be so sure? That’s why I couldn’t give him a straight answer.1

So, this was the last straw.

Once I crossed the line, I could feel myself dropping into an unstoppable current.

Won’t he be happier later on when he professes his love for the female lead?

“… What would change if I give you permission?”

At my question, he tightened his hold on my waist. I looked away as our distance narrowed. I couldn’t tell since it was dark, but I could feel his breathing change a little.

“Nothing will change. You… You’ll just be happier.”

Bringing my captured fingers to his lips, he kissed my fingertips before sincerely offering up his heart.

“I mean, you will.”

I was speechless. I mean, until now I was still quite unsure, but from his sweet words I can finally tell.

Anyone could tell that he was trying to seduce me. How the heck can a man who had lost his memories still be able to do this? The heat that started from my fingertips blazed through my body. I managed to let go of the breath I was holding before murmuring.

“How about we talk to Mister Gray first. Yes? I won’t tell you to l-leave anymore.”

“… Mister Gray?”

“Huh? It’s that person.”

“…”

I could feel the pressure from his silence.

“… I’ll just call him that person from now on.”

Then he gave me a slight smile before lowering his head.2

“I mean, only when we’re talking about him.”

His breath was grazing my neck and it made me tense up. I could barely breath, just as he leaned his head against me, I said.

“Yes. Alright, alright, w-when I talk about him… Could you just move a little…”

“Do you not like it?”

“That’s not it… I’m just. A little embarrassed.”

… I only wished that the distance between us could widen a little.

I flinched as I gently pushed his arms away, but he wouldn’t budge. Rather, I could clearly see him slightly smile. I had nowhere to back up to thanks to his arm that was wound tightly around me.

“If it’s a request from you, I would gladly do anything.”1

***

The next day.1

When Gray woke up, he briefly explained his thoughts to me and my sister, the identity of Knox who was a child during the day and a young man at night.

It was a story that I had already heard about when I treated his wounds, so I wasn’t very surprised, but my sister was different.

“… Knox is the Grand Duke?”

Her eyes widened as she muttered.

“The Grand Duke Ilberk from the North? The war hero?”

“Yes, you’re right.”

My sister who did not try to hide her surprise, blinked in shock and covered her mouth.

“Oh my. Amy, I’m not dreaming, am I?”

“Yes, Diana. I was also surprised, since I never thought this could be possible…”

I quickly nodded my head next to her, pretending to be surprised.

Like a rabbit that was grooming, my sister rubbed her face for a while. She needed time to calm down and regain her rationality.2

My sister spoke calmly after a while.

“Does that mean Knox has to go back? He’s still a child with no memories.”

“A child… The Commander a child… Hm, it might seem that way, but in his Dukedom there are many citizens anxious over his wellness. The same goes for our Knighthood.”

Gray said seriously.

“Even if he still hasn’t regained his memories, it’d be better for him to stay where he used to live in.”

“I’m sure you’re right but…”

Gray is definitely a good person in the novel. He could have threatened and forced us to let Knox go, but he chose to explain his meticulous thoughts.

In fact, seeing how solemn he looked, I couldn’t help but to hold in my laughter. It looked so different from how he was crying yesterday.1

“Give us some time. Amy and I need some time. This concerns someone we’ve been treating like part of our family all this time. You can understand, right?”

“… Of course, I can. But, by any chance, do the both of you have any thoughts on returning to the Dukedom along with us?”2

“Huh?”

“The Grand Duke is now in debt to the two of you.”

After a moment’s hesitation, my sister firmly shook her head. I fully understood why my sister believed that it will be impossible. My sister and I are children of criminals. So how could we go to the Dukedom? If we return to the Empire’s land, what was the whole point of us running all the way into this forest?

“It looks like you need more time, I shall give that to you. My colleagues are currently situated at the west of this forest. Please continue taking care of the Commander while I run to get my colleagues. I’ll try to be back as soon as possible.”

“Ah, do you not want to see Knox at night one more time?”

“Yes, but I think bringing my colleagues here first is more important. Even now, they’re still hard at work searching for him.”

He made sense. But just my bad luck, I had just been persuaded by Knox to let him stay.

‘And all this time, I’ve been trying to convince him to leave.’

It felt unfair. It’s not like I was stopping him from fighting or throwing his fist around, but I just wanted to have a nice conversation with him…

Instead of revealing my feelings, I calmly nodded my head. There was still some time before little Knox woke up. I wondered if he was going to wake up soon.

“Well, I’ll leave it to you. Give our Commander lots of food…”

“Yes, we will, don’t worry.”

“Help him sleep well at night…”

After he nagged at us like a mother leaving her child at a day-care centre we finally saw him off, we felt no sadness.

“… He talks a lot.”

“Yeah.”

Even my sister, who rarely talked bad about people, murmured as he left. I nodded before returning to the room. It’s still too early in the morning. Knox will only wake up an hour from now.

It should be peaceful for a while, right?2

I’m sure it’ll be.1

Looking at the forest, I saw a bird flying up from the trees. At the same time, a huge hawk passed by and met the bird before snatching it away.3

I didn’t know why. But strangely, I had a bad feeling about this.

T/N:

Damn the next few chaps are a whirlwind HAHAHAAH