Conspiracy

"Sigh, why don't I ask my dad to reduce your work? Look at my aunt; she is now all alone without you," Ian said in remorse, ignoring the stiff smile on the face of his aunt.

How could he not know his uncle's thoughts? This old man came with Lyra and Aunt Margaret and began to talk about the border. He was clearly trying to show him that he was on the border with the army, fighting monsters.

"Haha, you don't have to worry about that. Working for the family is what our Veilstrider family should do. For you kids to enjoy all the glory, we old men have to work harder."

Thomas simply waved off Ian's rhetoric without paying attention to his aunt and continued in a whisper.

"I heard you joined the Imperial Academy for Lyra. Do you want your uncle to ask Duke Alex for marriage?"

'Sure enough, this old man is here to inquire.' Ian quickly figured out why he dragged Lyra with him. It was simply to use her to divert his attention elsewhere.

"Haha, Uncle, that's not the case. I am joining the academy for another purpose. There is no need to bother you for this," Ian laughed awkwardly and swiftly refused.

Thomas smiled with a look that all men could understand and said, 

"Don't worry. You can follow your heart. I support you. If you have any problem, you can ask your uncle. I still have some say in front of your father."

Ian nodded and exchanged a few flatteries. After some time, Thomas left on his own, leaving three beauties behind, who were standing there with awkward smiles.

After he knew that Ian had been admitted to the academy, he was relieved.

"Cough... Ahem..." Ian coughed to reduce the awkward atmosphere and looked at Lyra.

"Where were you before? I didn't see you anywhere."

However, before Lyra could reply, Sylvia said in a stern tone, 

"Humph, why do you want to know where we have been? You are not our parent." 

Her big blue eyes looked down at him with condescension. Ian looked at her angry expression and couldn't understand her behavior.

"Okay. What did Lyra tell you? Why are you angry with me?"

He then looked at Lyra, who was avoiding his eyes from the beginning, while his aunt was laughing softly at the side, watching the show.

"You hooligan. You still don't know what you have done. Why did you bully my sister?"

When Sylvia saw Ian's confused appearance, she exploded directly. She had always been like this since she was a child. Unlike her sister, who had a naive and tame behavior, she was expressive and violent. That's why she was also scolded by her parents since childhood.

Ian was bewildered. He looked at the finger that was almost trying to poke a hole through his face in front of him. He was sure that if Sylvia could, she would have beaten him here.

"Hehehe." Lyra, on the other hand, was trying to control her laugh. Ian could see her shaking shoulders from behind.

When she was with him, she couldn't control his behavior. Now that her sister was scolding him, let's see how he would bully her in the future. However, she was quickly disappointed. 

"You brat. When did I bully your sister? And why are you acting like this? Look at our aunt's graceful charm, exuding maturity, and your boy-like antics. If you continue like this, who will marry you in the future?"

Ian quickly walked behind his aunt and scolded Sylvia in return. However, he failed to notice his aunt's subtle disheartened, and sorrowful demeanor when discussing marriage.

Sylvia was stunned by his reply. The Ian she knew was nothing like this. When did he begin to argue back with her? Instead of arguing with her, he would cater to her every need so that she would say good words about him in front of her sister.

"You... You..." She didn't know what to say; she only clenched her fist and looked at him with anger. 

'When did this guy become so hateful?'

"What? Did you forget how to talk?" Ian continued to taunt her. How could he let this little brat stand on his head?

Looking at his taunting, Sylvia was completely furious. So, she began to curse without even thinking.

"You hooligan. You big bad guy. So what if I am like this? If nobody marries me, I will follow my sister with you and marry you together. Let's see how I will annoy you to death then."

"..." 

"..." 

"..." 

Ian, Lyra, and Aunt Margaret looked at Sylvia with stunned expressions. They never thought that the vicious curse she said would be to marry Ian together with her sister.

After scolding him, Sylvia quickly came back to her senses and realized that she had said something bad.

"What are you saying?" Lyra beside her looked at her in surprise and scolded her with a red face.

She was asking for help from her sister, and here her sister had instead said something outrageous.

Sylvia was completely flustered looking at her sister's angry expression.

"Sister. I was careless. I was angry and didn't know what to say. Please don't be angry."

Seeing that she had made a blunder, she hurriedly tried to calm down her sister's anger.

Ian, who was stunned before, talked in a low voice with a slip of the tongue.

"It isn't impossible."

Although he thought his voice was low, they were close to each other, so everyone heard it correctly.

Lyra and Sylvia, who were on the verge of quarreling, turned their heads towards him with stunned expressions. Gradually, both their faces and ears turned completely red.

"You stupid bad guy."

"Hooligan!"

Both of them cursed him through gritted teeth, turned around, and walked away.

'What's wrong with me?'

Ian, on the other hand, cursed himself. He didn't know why he was like this. Or maybe his real self was like this?

Just as he was about to explain, he heard the prompt from the system.