I lightly laughed at her outburst, earning me an angry yet cute glare in return.
'She doesn't learn, huh?' I thought, flicking another precise splash of water into her eyes while smiling, but this time she was ready. Her eyes squeezed shut as a grin crept onto her face while sweeping her entire hand through the water in retaliation.
"Tsst," I clicked my tongue in annoyance at the overkill of her payback. A cascade of water splashed into me, which I blocked with both hands—covering my eyes and nose.
This was all just a feint though, as she quickly kicked her foot up from beneath the water, sending a crash of water at my face the moment I put my hands down.
I can't lie, she got me good.
While I managed to close my eyes fast enough, some water went into my nose, making my face scrunch up slightly, uncomfortable.
Opening my eyes, I was met with her smug expression.
I turned my face away, not wanting to look at that smug face any longer, saying "I hope you won't trouble the servants and clean up this mess yourself," referring to the large puddles of water flowing on the floor.
"Don't worry, I will. I got a lot of energy just now," she responded in a mocking tone, still wearing that smug expression.
'Ugh… What can I do to wipe that off her face, it's so annoying…'
Unfortunately, before I could formulate a plan, she changed the subject.
"So… For tonight, please don't cause a huge scene. I know you'd like to, but it is a very important day."
"Hmm—I make no promises," I calmly declared, making my sister sigh.
"I hope the other families don't go too far," she muttered to herself.
I hope they do, it's time for me to turn my reputation into a proper villain instead of a trashtalking fraud.
"Oh that's right! Did you tell Evelyn about your true talent yet? Have you gotten permission from dad?" She inquired impatiently, the thought seemed to have just struck her mind.
"I didn't, I also haven't asked dad about it. I think I'm still going to keep the secret for now."
"Hmm, Why?"
"Well… Why not? It seems kinda fun~"
Having your partner worry and take care of you, traditionally a desire of women, but I quite like the idea as well.
At that, my sister's expression turned stern. "It's not good to keep secrets from your partner, you know?" she said.
Then her voice shifted, growing more serious. "For this situation, it's understandable to keep her in the dark, considering it's an incredibly important family secret. But, for other things, don't hide them just because you feel like it. You wouldn't like it if she kept a lot of things from you, right?"
I nodded slowly. She was right…
With how possessive I am, I definitely wouldn't be happy if the roles were reversed.
On this topic, it also made me realize something.
In the web novels I've read, the protagonists are always secretive, constantly hiding things from the people close to them.
I never gave much thought to how the supporting characters must have felt… but now I realized, it has to be awful—caring and being concerned for someone who keeps everything to themselves.
That is why moving forward, I want to be as transparent as I can reasonably be with the people I trust. If something is troubling me, I want to tell them rather than bottling it up.
I know they're worried about me and keeping things to myself will only make that worry worse than simply being honest with them.
"Done thinking?" Anastasia asked with a warm smile, likely happy with my serious reflection at her previous words instead of brushing them off.
"Yeah."
After a brief pause, she then proceeded to hound me with questions about Evelyn. Basically what my thoughts on the engagement were and I answered them in a similar manner as I did to Evelyn.
A lengthy discussion later, I got out of the tub with Anastasia following suit. We had been soaking for over an hour, our body feeling well relaxed.
It was then, a sudden thought hit my mind, making me smile.
"I want to get a cat," I abruptly blurted out.
"Huh?"
While exiting the tub, it reminded me of just yesterday—on earth—when I gave my cat a bath.
I had her for over a decade by then, and perhaps, I should be thankful in a way towards the author or whoever transmigrated me here.
This was because I didn't have to see my cat die, knowing her end was near, I constantly dreaded possibly finding her gone any day.
But after I blurted my desires out of getting a cat in this world, I was soon hit with the same inevitability—they will die before me, only accompanying me for a brief period of my life…
However, just then, realization struck! I can get a mythical creature! And I know where!
'Hehe… Hawks, you sure are useful.'
In a semi-early arc, Hawks obtains a fox spirit mythical creature that is capable of transforming into various animals—including cats—from a rift.
Moreover, as a mythical creature, it is capable of living hundreds of years, more than capable of being my lifelong companion!
I quickly decided that in this alternate reality, that fox will be mine!
***
Donning a pristine white bath robe, I left the changing room to wait for my sister in the hall. Surfing the internet, I found many unsavory things about myself, especially with my engagement ceremony to Evelyn tonight. I smiled looking at some of the sentiments.
'It should've been me, not him! It's not fair!'
'If only I had a talented sister…'
'I feel so bad for her, being forced to marry this piece of trash! If I can meet him, I will humiliate him in a battle, for sure!'
"What're you smiling at? Texting a girl?" My sister's teasing voice sounded behind me, causing me to look her way.
I scoffed at her words, remarking, "you sound like dad."
"Anyways, should we go find mom now? She should be home by now," my sister asked.
"Sure."
***
The midday sun warmed the estate as my sister and I walked the paths decorated for tonight's engagement ceremony. Ribbons fluttered from trimmed hedges, and servants hurried to place fresh flowers everywhere. The dominant colors were violet, scarlet, emerald, and gold to match the respective eye and hair color of Evelyn and me.
Anastasia strode excitedly, studying the details of the transformed estate, occasionally muttering something about color contrast, harmony, and balance. My thoughts were like, 'that looks pretty good, this looks really nice.'
Soon, we arrived before our mother, she had already arrived in the estate while we were soaking in the hot tub. She was a beautiful mature woman with long, flowing aqua hair. We resembled her more than our father, which she took pride in.
Annerose stood taller than my sister, but shorter than me as she patted both of our heads, then gave each of us a gentle hug.
"I've missed you, my darlings~" she said wistfully, looking at both of us. Shifting her gaze to me, she continued, "and my baby boy is getting married today! You're finally becoming a man."
I scoffed at her words, "this is what makes me a man?" I mockingly questioned, making her giggle. "And I'm just getting engaged, the marriage is still far away!"
After a bit more bantering, we went to go fetch Evelyn and have the discussion with her parents or whatever.
"Hehehe, I always knew she would be the one!" She remarked as we began walking.
A short walk later, we met Evelyn in a hall, looking at the magnificent garden through a large window.
"Eve!" Anastasia called out in a cheerful tone, causing Evelyn to turn around with a smile that suddenly froze as she flinched, seeing me. Her cheeks turned lightly pink, rapidly jerking her head away from my direction.
Both mother and sister were confused by her reaction at first before a smile crept on their faces. Taking the initiative, Anastasia asked "oh? Is there something wrong with my brother? Why are you so red"
"N-no, nothing. It's just that—"
"That my boy is looking too handsome right now?" My mother cut her off, making Evelyn's cheeks turn pinker.
"Those dark violet strands, framing that bright golden eye—they look great, don't they? Especially still slightly wet after exiting the bath. The eyes—one gold, one amethyst—isn't it unfair how breathtaking they are?"
Evelyn's face turned red and her eyes dilated, finding those words eerily familiar as my mother pressed on. I delightedly watched as she squirmed under my mother's barrage of teasing.