The Duke, who had just returned from going out, was wearing an overcoat, and a chill could still be felt from him.

Feeling her mouth go dry, she swallowed hard and greeted her father politely.

“You’re back, Father. I just went to the library to read some hardcover books.”

As she said this, she awkwardly showed him the novel she had been clutching tightly. As if trying to explain herself.

To this, the Duke looked around with little interest in the hardcover book, then put one hand to his mouth and said,

“Have you still not reconciled with Gaizen?”

“What is there for us to reconcile?”

“That may be so. But no matter that he’s my son, I don’t know who he takes after being so stubborn.”

Biare smiled faintly without saying anything, feeling like her mouth might start twitching.

“Don’t hate him too much. He’s still your flesh and blood.”

“I won’t, Father. You must be tired, please go in and rest.”

“I shall. My daughter, have sweet dreams.”

“Yes, you too, Father.”

Biare bowed briefly and hurried to her room to ensure the Duke wouldn’t notice any change in her.

It seemed as if the peaceful times of the past still lingered in the Duke’s residence, as if nothing had happened.

Of course, Gaizen and Biare would not belong in that.

Although she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was askew, the fact that she couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was troubled her.

The stars faintly buried among their own kind were shining brilliantly, in contrast to her troubled mind.

Unable to fall asleep easily, Biare was merely pacing by the window where moonlight spilled in.

‘I can’t go on like this with Gaizen forever.’

Though they both harbored uncomfortable feelings towards each other, the Duke was also keeping an eye on the siblings.

Deciding that she should at least reconcile with Gaizen on the surface, Biare slowly walked to his room.

Perhaps he wouldn’t want to see her now. No, of course he wouldn’t.

‘I thought I knew you better than anyone else.’

She had thought she was a sister Gaizen could rely on, but that was just her arrogance wrapped in conceit.

With a bitter smile on her lips, Biare was lingering in front of the room, unable to easily open the door.

Just then, sensing her presence, Gaizen flung the door open, and upon confirming it was his sister, he immediately hid his killing intent.

“…Elder sister?”

“Yes, may I come in?”

Clearly showing signs of slight surprise, he ruffled his own hair and reluctantly nodded.

Upon entering Gaizen’s room, chess pieces and a board were scattered on the table, as if he had been playing chess alone.

It seemed he still had the habit of playing chess alone when feeling uneasy or lost in thought.

He must be feeling just as conflicted as Biare, if not more so.

Just as she was about to avert her gaze from the table, something caught Biare’s eye.

She raised one eyebrow and stared at it silently, to which Gaizen turned his head curiously, following her line of sight.

Seeing the green glass bottle at the end of her gaze, his face turned bright red as he hurriedly waved his hands and said,

“This isn’t alcohol. Don’t misunderstand!”

Biare assumed he had probably brought it out of curiosity from the samples received among the merchant guild’s goods.

The green bottle, though not containing added alcohol, was called the devil’s drink due to its rather high caffeine content.

As she was already well aware of this, she didn’t think much of it, but seeing her brother react so sensitively made her want to tease him more.

“It’s alright, I won’t tell Father.”

“What are you saying? I told you it’s not!”

“There’s nothing wrong with being curious.”

“What curiosity…”

“Of course, the fault lies with you.”

“Elder sister…!”

Gaizen’s face was flushed red with heat, finally realizing he had been played.

Watching his sister burst into giggles, he shook his head as if resigned and said,

“That stuff isn’t good. Don’t drink it, elder sister.”

“Alright, I won’t.”

Unexpectedly hearing Biare agree so readily, Gaizen slumped onto the sofa, deflated.

Watching him, she fiddled with the bishop and rook on the table for a while before saying,

“Choose between black and white.”

“You want to play chess, elder sister?”

“Yes, we used to play often when we were young.”

Looking somewhat doubtful, Gaizen picked up a black piece and said rather seriously,

“You remember the rules of chess, right?”

“Yes, more or less.”

Biare answered briefly and placed the white chess pieces one by one on the board, and he did the same with his black pieces.

Smiling meaningfully, she looked at Gaizen and said,

“It might be boring to just play, how about we make a bet?”

“What bet at this age?”

“Why, not confident?”

“Of course not!”

Seeing him react so indignantly, he looked just like a young boy. Like the Gaizen of those days, so pure he would fall for even small provocations.

Though grumbling, he seemed to want to play the game anyway, as he looked at her and asked,

“So what are we betting?”

“The winner gets a wish granted.”

Guessing what her wish might be, his expression gradually darkened, and he answered uncertainly,

“…Can we refuse the wish?”

Biare had a general idea of what her brother was worried about, but she had no intention of revealing her thoughts to him yet.

He seemed to have already resolved to win this game desperately.

‘That’s not it, you fool.’

Pretending to be nonchalant, Biare looked at Gaizen and said,

“Then how about becoming a slave for 3 days as an alternative?”

“Elder sister. Are you perhaps wanting to return to your childhood?”

Seeing her shrug, Gaizen tilted his head as if sensing something odd, then sighed.

Biare glanced at the chess board with all the pieces set up, then slowly and leisurely moved a piece.

Surely Gaizen would try to protect his bishop and rook at all costs; he valued gaining the upper hand most in winning or losing.

Using the pawns set up as infantry in front, he advanced all the way to Biare’s territory, removing her pieces one by one.

That’s why she needed to strategize well at times like this.

Whether by using the lowest-ranked pawns for psychological warfare, or cleverly employing the unconventional knights to cause confusion.

Gaizen, with his strong competitive spirit, was burning with fighting spirit as if he needed to seize victory in this game to be satisfied.

However, excessive desire for victory was nothing but a deadly poison.

If one focuses too much on one area, unexpected weaknesses can be exposed and trip them up. Just like now.

“Checkmate.”

In the end, Gaizen’s king was completely surrounded with nowhere to move, and Biare smiled softly with satisfaction.

“Elder sister. Did you use some kind of trick?”

“Who knows.”

‘It’s fortunate you haven’t fixed that habit.’

As the person who first taught Gaizen chess, Biare was confident she knew his habits well.

Therefore, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say she won the match relying solely on memory, without any special techniques.

She had no intention of telling Gaizen this fact, and planned to use it often in the future.

Although it wasn’t exactly a fair match, Biare was willing to remain his first chess teacher and eccentric genius.

“Still, a promise is a promise, so tell me your wish, elder sister.”

“Hmm, a wish…”

Gaizen swallowed hard, his eyes trembling slightly, then said without properly looking into her eyes,

“Elder sister, you said being a slave would be for 3 days, right?”

Biare rested her chin on her hand, covering her mouth as she looked at the young duke who was already thinking about becoming her slave without even hearing what the wish was.

Clearing her throat to hide that she was laughing, she said to him in a gentle voice,

“My, at least try to maintain the dignity of a young duke.”

At least for Gaizen, being a slave for 3 days wouldn’t even count as a humiliation.

Rather, his sister learning the truth would be far more dangerous than this.

That’s why the young duke of the Ruschef family and future leader of the Cheil Merchant Guild looked truly desperate.

Feeling pity for Gaizen who was hanging his head, she thought it was time to stop teasing her brother.

“My wish is…”

“…”

“To reconcile with you. Is that alright?”

“Elder sister…”

Gaizen was at a loss for words, seemingly quite moved by his sister’s unexpected words.

“We can’t go on like this forever.”

“Then elder sister, you’ll do as I say?”

‘No, I’ll uncover things my own way.’

“Yes, I’ll do that.”

“Thank you so much, elder sister.”

‘Well, I wonder how long you’ll be thankful.’

Biare hid her complicated feelings and looked at him with a gentle smile before standing up.

She had originally intended to just have a brief conversation, but ended up playing chess and quite a bit of time had passed.

“I’ll head out now.”

“Okay, go back and rest well.”

“Yes, have a peaceful night too.”

Leaving Gaizen’s room, Biare gradually dropped her smile and headed to her room with a rather serious face.

While she absolutely refused to return to her ignorant past, she also couldn’t stand the current situation where no truth was easy to discern.

All too naturally, she knew nothing. As if she never had the right to know from the beginning.

That’s why she intended to face the hidden truths in her own way.

She would no longer be played by their hands. Biare vowed this to herself over and over again.