The Male Lead’s Fake Sister - Chapter 52

Sitting on a window sill, she stared down at him silently.

This lingering calm was quite unfamiliar for him, too.

He thought Ravia would have left him asleep like she did back then.

The one who went wild after failing to control his anxiety and greed was Tidwell. Though she had her own reasons to not push him away, she had no reason to remain by his side.

Yet he closed his eyes again despite her presence.

He’d prefer she left him while he slept rather than watching her leave in front of him.

Why would Ravia, of all people, stay by my side? Is this a dream?

As the sunlight poked his eyes, Tidwell grimaced slightly and mumbled.

“If you tell me that it’s just a dream, I will close my eyes again.”

“Seems like you’re not fully awake yet.”

The answer came back like a breeze. Ravia stared back at his obedient eyes and reached out her hand.

“Haven’t you already slept enough…..?”

Ravia swept back Tidwell’s hair that scattered around his forehead. Meanwhile, he closed his eyes like a faithful follower.

It was ironic coming from the guy who supposedly never let his guard down around anyone.

Since when did you stop avoiding my touch?

If it was before, she would have been wary of his submissive attitude, but now Ravia knew.

That this was the result of taming him.

‘Does it ever cross your mind that I’m about to hit you in the back?’

Or does it not matter to you even if I do…….?

Either way, there was nothing good to be had from mulling it over.

To think that she had this kind of thought when she planned to stab Tidwell’s eyes.

‘That doesn’t mean I will change anything.’

Suddenly, it occurred to her that her hand was stabbed, and Ravia quickly pulled her hand away from the man leaning on her legs.

She was thankful that Tidwell closed his eyes.

Otherwise, he would have gotten a clear sight of her distress. However, she shouldn’t remain in this state for too long. If she kept her hands off him for a long time, Tidwell would eventually open his eyes.

So Ravia controlled her distress and spoke.

“….Isn’t it time to wake up now? I didn’t say it was a dream.”

Or does it still feel like a dream to you?

Tidwell slowly looked up at the whispering voice.

His blue eyes locked with Ravia’s.

His gaze was just as persistent as if he had never left Ravia’s side even for a moment.

His eyelids creased thinly. It occurred to her that Tidwell smiled a lot when he was with her.

Since when did I pay attention to such a thing?

“I know it’s not a dream, but I often feel a bit groggy when I’m with you, Sister.”

“You make it sound like I’m some kind of bad medicine.”

“If possible, I would swallow everything.”

So I can always be drunk on you.

Ravia understood what Tidwell didn’t say. So she unwittingly refuted him.

“Medicine is bound to wear off at some point.”

“I know.”

“The more you get intoxicated by it, the more painful it is when you wake up.”

“Do you think I don’t know that?”

Tidwell raised his upper body and moved closer to her. The tips of their noses touched.

Ravia’s eyelids trembled, and she looked up instinctively. With much hesitation, she lowered her gaze to match his sweet, blue eyes.

Her voice trembled nervously.

“But….”

“Say it, Sister.”

The blanket wrapped around Ravia’s shoulder slid down. His large hand enveloped her own.

Behind a glass window, with her obedient shackle.

Ravia barely looked him in the eye. Into his face that was tinted with blue sunlight, she asked.

“Do you still want to swallow it?”

Even though you know that one day reality will crush you into the ground right after waking up? Do you still want to get drunk on that?

But despite Ravia’s hesitation, Tidwell only smiled lightly at her question. Albeit a little sadly.

“Sister.”

The man smiled and whispered.

“That kind of question only works for people who don’t need medicine.”

If anyone wants to get drunk, they wouldn’t even consider that in the first place.

As he ended his reply, Tidwell kissed her as if it was very natural punctuation.

And as if she were used to it, Ravia closed her eyes.

‘Tidwell.’

If that’s your answer, then you shouldn’t blame me. You decided to swallow it even when you know. So don’t even think it’s unfair even if I stab you in the eyes.

Look at so many blades that I swallowed until I kissed you. I let blades enter my stomach until there’s no room left just so I could understand you.

….But I’m not that harsh to you, am I?

From the beginning, my plan was not to drive a knife into you.

A flower that I planted.

If you could endure just this one flower, then you can beat me. But if you don’t, then….

‘Then….’

He or she must follow in Macbeth’s footsteps.

That fact was especially painful, so Ravia closed her eyes and let herself sink into a dream. She wanted to fully embrace this sweet dream that soon would shatter into pieces.

Only now she could finally understand Hamlet’s agony.

*** 

Amnesia; a flower known as the Angel’s Gift.

At first glance, this flower looks no different from a lily, but the price was enough to feed a commoner family for a whole year.

There were two reasons.

The first was scarcity. Amnesia grows only in clean waters in a climate with severe temperature differences and high humidity, but unfortunately, not many places meet these conditions.

At best, it would grow in the oasis of a desert nation located in the western part of the empire.

Because of that, this flower was rare in the continent, and it could only be found in desert countries.

In fact, the price of flowers doesn’t usually rise this much just because of scarcity alone. No matter how rare it was, the price doesn’t go up more than a certain amount if there’s no one willing to buy it.

So when Amnesia was first imported to the Empire, it was a little bit more expensive than other rare flowers. It was used as a means to showcase people’s wealth.

Anyway, up to this point, it was at a level where it was considered normal for the price of an exotic flower.

But about 15 years ago, the price suddenly soared.

The hidden value of this flower was accidentally found by a woman who always decorated her mansion with Amnesia. Amnesia’s petals and scent were effective in purifying the body and soul.

It meant it was a natural antidote that could cure addiction to some extent just by getting near it.

‘Of course, it’s not exactly hidden, but it’s just that people in this country didn’t know about it.’

As this fact became known, the demand from the wealthy rose exponentially. The wealthy were those who were always wary of being poisoned, after all.

Amnesia, the flower that wealthy people bought for show-off purposes, quickly became as expensive as the price of two huge mansions. Eventually, the Imperial Family put a limit on the volume and price of Amnesia imports to end the matter.

Until then, the company which had been monopolizing Amnesia was booming in an instant.

The company’s name was Rose Quartz. At that time, Richter, the owner of the Rose Quartz and Tidwell’s father, was the primary importer of Amnesia in the Empire.

‘So there’s no way that Tidwell won’t recognize this flower.’

Tidwell and Amnesia had a history all their own. Since it was so difficult to get, Ravia only found three flowers in total.

‘This should be enough.’

Three flowers were enough.

There were three places to use it. Ravia ordered Crow to mix Amnesia in the flower bouquet that would be placed in Marquis Callister’s banquet hall.

At lunch, a note was delivered to Ravia.

‘Now, Amnesia is a flower that almost never existed in the Empire. It’s impossible for anyone except the Imperial Family to own it.’

Owning it meant a close relationship with Rose Quartz Company, which monopolized Amnesia.

So Tidwell wouldn’t be able to stay still. From the moment he saw Amnesia, he would suspect Marquis Callister and be anxious to find out about him.

Then, where did she use the remaining two?

Ravia walked through the subdued hallway. The dusk glowed blue just outside the window.

She stepped out of the shadow of the sunrise, holding a white bouquet in her hand. She stopped in front of the door on the fourth floor.

Knock, knock,

Ravia knocked on the door.

“I’m Ravia, Father. May I come in?”

The voice that followed was gentle.