Was he not coming home today as well?
Unaware that Leon was risking his life in a sea of alcohol with a terrifying red-haired bad woman for the safety of himself and his siblings, Anna sighed quietly as the streetlights below the apartment turned on and Leon's figure was still nowhere to be seen.
But as she stood up from the window, intending to clear the meal on the table she had purposely left, she suddenly heard some familiar footsteps in the stairway.
Could it be... he's back?
Hearing the highly identifiable heavy footsteps, the frail girl's expression lit up ever so slightly. After wiping her damp palms on her apron, she quickly ran over to the door to open it.
However, just as she stood up, she realized that although the footsteps were very similar to Leon's, with the same heavy burden-like sound, the stride was noticeably smaller.
So it wasn't my brother...
Somewhat disappointed, Anna sighed and released her grip on the doorknob. Yet those footsteps that were so similar to Leon's headed straight toward her, and then, the door was gently knocked.
"Knock, knock-knock."
Hearing the rather sudden knocking, Anna was briefly stunned and then cautiously inquired through the door, "Who are you looking for?"
Hearing the voice from inside the door, the person outside paused and then replied warmly, "I'm looking for Leon, Leon Laine."
Looking for my brother? And that voice... a woman?
Although the woman's voice was very pleasant and carried a kind of convincing calmness, Anna couldn't help but instinctively become wary, almost subconsciously making an excuse, "He's already asleep! And it's very late now, you should come back tomorrow!"
Sensing her defensiveness, the woman outside pondered for a moment before leaning closer to the door and speaking softly, "You're Anna, right? Leon has mentioned you to me.
Also, although there are men's shoes left deliberately outside, Leon's pair isn't here, so he hasn't come home yet, right? Don't worry, I'm not a bad person; I really came to find him."
Caught lying straight through the door, Anna's face flushed slightly. She quickly turned the doorknob, feeling embarrassed, and apologized, "I'm sorry... My brother told me a few days ago to be more careful lately, saying that someone might be targeting our family, so I..."
Looking at the beautiful woman in front of her, who appeared somewhat tired yet had an astonishingly good figure, Anna found her words stuck, both shocked and instinctively comparing her own measurements to the woman's voluptuous front.
It actually can be ... This is unfair!
"It's okay; it's normal to be more cautious when I show up so late suddenly."
Seeing that she had finally succeeded in tricking her way in, Princess Veronica, who could not afford a hotel and could not return to the Royal Palace with just a Silver Wheel from Leon, secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
To have a place to stay tonight, she recalled the information she had read and tried to charm her with a warm and friendly smile, "Nice to meet you; my name is Veronica. As for my identity... I'm your brother's fiancée."
After hearing Princess Veronica's shocking introduction, the frail girl was left stunned as if struck by lightning, akin to a little duck in a daze.
He said he would spend his life... In any case, even without a blood relationship, I'm his most important sister! He would definitely tell me about something like marriage first! This woman must be lying... um...
Anna was about to scold the woman in front of her, burning with a nameless anger, telling her not to lie, but she couldn't help but glance again at the woman's chest.
Perhaps... maybe it's not completely impossible? After all, she's really...
Waiting for a long time without hearing any skepticism, Princess Veronica, whose prepared talking points were unusable, had to think on her feet and improvise, saying, "I know this news might be hard for you to accept, but I'm not lying to you. I really am your brother's fiancée."
"But... but he never told me anything, and he's been so busy... Where would he have had the time..."
"It is indeed quite sudden."
Holding the frail girl's sweaty hand, she led her affectionately inside as if she were really her sister-in-law and apologized genuinely, "Just this afternoon, in the main hall of the Ryan Manor estate, in front of all the guests attending the ennoblement ceremony, he proposed to me.
Since we got along very well, I agreed after thinking about it. Because it all happened so abruptly, I didn't have a chance to inform you... Oh, did Leon tell you where he was going today?"
Not noticing that Princess Veronica had deliberately left out "dating duration" and "why no introduction to family" issues, Anna correlated this "sister-in-law's" authenticity with whether Leon went to Ryan Manor today.
Remembering Leon had indeed mentioned going to Ryan Manor for an ennoblement ceremony, and seeing the "intelligence" match on both sides, the last shred of doubt in her heart was completely dispelled due to the "all true if partly true" mindset. With complexity in her eyes, she said, "So you really are..."
"I really am your sister-in-law."
Her nose, smudged slightly with soot, twitched as she caught a whiff of enticing food aroma. Starving since morning, the ravenous princess could no longer resist.
Pulling the dazed Anna to sit by the dining table, she naturally lifted the dish covers and pushed a small plate toward Anna, concernedly asking, "You don't seem to be feeling well; did you eat too little and feel unwell?"
With her mind full of her brother getting married, the bride not being... not being... her brother got married and hadn't told her, Anna eludedly replied, "I guess... I didn't eat much..."
"Then eat a bit more; I'll eat with you."
Naturally picking up a dish and placing it before her, Princess Veronica speared a broccoli piece for Anna and then elegantly cut herself a sizable slice of still warm fried fish, impeccably put it in her mouth.
Chewing the fish at record-breaking speed and swallowing it whole, the princess, successfully conning her way to a meal, scooped mashed potatoes while persuading with concern, "Hurry and eat; you look so thin. If Leon returns and sees you didn't take care of yourself, he'll be upset for sure."
Under Princess Veronica's earnest persuasion, Anna mechanically consumed two pieces of side broccoli and a few small carrot slices meant for soup ingredients.
Looking at the three plates cleaned out by her "sister-in-law," Anna finally noticed something was amiss. She gazed suspiciously at the woman opposite, who was contentedly wiping her mouth.
This sister-in-law... seemed to be here to swindle a meal, didn't she?