Chapter 41. How Pretty Can a Fiancée Be?
She couldn't even care about having been thrown down.
Seele hurriedly propped herself up to get up.
But this made it hard on Bronya, who was pinned beneath her.
Bronya was still dazed from the fall when a sudden force surged up from under her, lifting her straight up.
Her body tipped backward uncontrollably and—thud—the back of her head smacked against the doorframe.
The pain made her eyes well up at once.
Unfortunately, the culprit noticed none of it.
The moment she got up, she stormed toward the living room.
"Th—this kind of thing, why doesn't Seele know about it!! Seele does not agree!!"
As if mustering all the courage of her life, Seele glared at Cocolia, fuming.
"Don't be hasty, don't be hasty. Calm down."
Calm down?
How is Seele supposed to calm down?!
Her brother is about to be snatched away by some wild woman from who-knows-where.
How could Seele possibly calm down!!
Seeing that unyielding, defiant stare—and behind her, Bronya rubbing the back of her head, eyes brimming with tears yet staring back just as unflinchingly—Cocolia felt no nervousness at all.
"Um, I think this fiancée business isn't really necessary, is it?"
Seeing this, Xander hurried to state his position and was rewarded with Seele's sweet smile.
Then, hands on her hips, she fixed Cocolia with a look and declared with no small momentum,
"Exactly! Brother has Seele and Sister Bronya, and that's enough. He doesn't need anyone else!"
Bronya froze for a moment, turned to glance at the rather worked-up Seele, opened her mouth, and in the end said nothing.
Good grief.
Xander could only exclaim inwardly: is this the broken windows effect?
Before this, Seele had never said anything like that.
If he even leaned a little close to Bronya, Seele would get jealous.
So then, that dream of sharing the same bed and pillow…
Could it really have a chance to come true?
Secretly thrilled, Xander actually felt a bit grateful for Cocolia's unilateral decision.
"I said don't get worked up. I'm not finished yet."
Cocolia spread her hands at her two daughters, seeming quite delighted by the scene.
"It's called a fiancée, yes, but it's only in name. At most, you meet her. If you like her, keep her. If you don't, just arrange to put her somewhere. It doesn't matter either way."
At that, Seele relaxed a little—so Brother wouldn't really have to marry.
Then, puzzled, she asked, "Treating the other party like that… won't there be a problem?"
"Of course not."
Cocolia let out a cold snort and replied, "A tool has already served its purpose.
What becomes of the tool afterward—no one cares."
"A tool? Why use such an excessive term for a person?" Bronya frowned.
"Because it's apt."
Cocolia calmly said something that left Seele and Bronya silent: "From birth, their only meaning is set as handling an arranged marriage. They're forbidden to attend school, forbidden to interact with others, then raised amid tedious etiquette drills. If that isn't a tool, what is it?"
...
As an outsider, Xander had no way to judge the ideas of these great clans.
Frowning, he asked, "Can't the arranged marriage be canceled?"
"It can."
To his surprise, Cocolia nodded without hesitation.
"Really?!"
Seele and Bronya's eyes lit up.
Delighted yet urgent, they began, "Then—"
"But—"
Their mouths had only just opened when Cocolia's next words cut them off.
"Setting aside the impact canceling it would have on me, the young girl wouldn't be so lucky. If she's a bit fortunate, she might get her name changed, then marry some decrepit old man in obscurity. If she's less fortunate—well, a tool that has lost its use… tsk tsk tsk…"
Seeing the instant conflict on Seele and Bronya's faces, Cocolia twisted the knife again: "By the way, when that child heard her betrothed was a boy two years younger than her, she actually heaved a proper sigh of relief. If we now tell her she's been rejected, I wonder what kind of expression she'd make. I truly am a bit curious."
It had to be said: Cocolia understood the three of them far too well.
After all, she had watched them grow up herself.
That tilt toward kindness meant that, after hearing this, the idea of refusing became impossible.
"Seele… Seele will go cook..."
"I'll help..."
They had arrived all fire and fury and slunk back just as crestfallen.
Watching the kitchen door shut tight once more, this time there were no shadows reflected in the glass.
"You really have presented me with a tough problem."
Feeling Xander's somewhat resentful gaze, Cocolia shot him an irritable glare in return: "Brat, don't play coy after taking advantage.
Do you really think I don't know whether Seele and Bronya can keep an eye on you?"
"How did I…"
"Elysia."
...
Just the single name was enough to silence Xander.
After a pause, he tested the waters: "How did you find out?"
"Heh~"
Cocolia let out a disdainful chuckle, folded her arms, and teased, "Did you think I'm the only one who knows?"
As she spoke, she jerked her chin toward the kitchen.
"Then they…"
They had never shown anything like that…
Xander had wanted to say that, but in an instant a cold sweat broke out along his back.
"What, figured it out?"
Cocolia laughed, especially at the sight of her son's embarrassment.
"So, um…"
Wearing a wry face, Xander looked at Cocolia and asked, "If I turn myself in now, can the sentence be lightened?"
Propping her chin, Cocolia bent down closer to him: "What do you think I deliberately brought up the fiancée in front of them for today?"
"Hiss—"
Xander froze for a second, then drew in a sharp breath.
Looking at Cocolia, excitement gradually welled up in his eyes, and his voice even trembled at his own audacious thought: "You're saying?"
"Mm-hmm~ Thanks to that one 'Mom' of yours, I changed my mind.
Well?
Want to say it again?"
At that, Xander didn't hesitate in the least.
A real mom—definitely a real mom!
Cocolia, satisfied, put away the voice recorder.
As had been said before, Cocolia certainly played favorites among her children, and the one who had accompanied her from the very beginning through hardships—Xander—was naturally her favorite.
Liking a few more girls wasn't anything excessive.
From her position, it was already a rather "kind" preference.
Having seen the perverse antics of those tycoons and politicians, one could say Xander's ideas were downright "simple."
At that moment, she suddenly said, "Oh right, I forgot to tell you.
Your fiancée is actually quite pretty.
That's why I figured I'd let you have the bargain, brat."
"Pretty? Heh. Could she possibly be more adorable and beautiful than Seele and Bronya?"
Grateful as he was to Cocolia, on this point Xander could not possibly agree.
But Cocolia drew a quiet breath and, as if unable to understand, said with some puzzlement, "You know, if we set aside matters of the heart, that child is probably the most beautiful girl I've ever seen."
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