"Are you sure this is the right decision? If it is then we're going in some weird direction..."

Edwin looked at Linda oddly as she chewed her tarts peacefully.

"Ughhh..."

If someone were to ask him what the most challenging ordeals to accomplish, he wouldn't hesitate to add to his top 5, separating his sister from her tarts.

"Linda..."

She quietly looked up at him with blank eyes. She blinked her eyes once then opened her closed mouth.

"Wha du yu wan me du abut it?"

"...Hah..."

'Can she just talk to me without chewing on those...'

He pathetically cried silently at the somewhat understandable words she blurred out.

"Phew... Never mind, we can just talk about this later I guess..."

Linda stared at him with a satisfying look and went back to her tarts.

Edwin inwardly grumbled in frustration and turned his attention towards Ian who is currently trying to leave the library. For a moment an evil thought suddenly appeared in his mind. A smug smile strangely spread across his face with smiling eyes.

Ian couldn't help but feel the same chill behind his back from back then. He silently turned his head towards the source and saw Edwin smiling peacefully in his direction. Doubt could be openly seen on his face.

———

"...Heave, Ho..."

Ian breathed heavily as he nervously sweated looking at his current situation.

'How could he possibly be calm in this kind of situation?!'

He turned his head to see his lord playing with the string that was the cause of all this.

Edwin playfully twirled the string and twisted it into a knot. Within a knot was a small mimic that couldn't fully recognize its true appearance due to its undoubted ability.

"Hmmm..."

"So this is the so-called mimic in this world? But don't they like to disguise themselves into objects rather than creatures..."

Edwin quietly muttered as he played with the string. He curiously stared at the small fluffy creature that was the size of a mouse.

He inwardly chuckled at his encounter while he was "playing" with Ian.

He had played multiple role-playing games in the past but not as much after entering college. Having his younger sister always observing his every activity in place of their aunt, he didn't play as much as he did when he was younger.

What was interesting about his current situation is his ability to be able to control strings of any kind with wistful movements with no difficulty.

If it were possible in his previous life, he would be able to be a professional puppeteer who entertains people with his theater skills.

He quietly giggled at his silly thought. Unknown to him, Ian looked at him with wavering eyes at his sudden appearance.

Ian stared at the smiling Edwin who was laughing quietly while playing with the string and the small creature struggling within it.

'I want to go home and see Peony's adorable face!'

He inwardly tearfully cried out without expressing anything on his face.

"My lord, I think we should head back and inform the aide..."

"Just one moment..."

Hearing Ian's words, he grabbed the tied mimic into his small hands and stood up from the ground. Looking around, the dark hall is brightened with dim candlelights against the walls. This was the secret passage they found while he was looking around their mansion.

Edwin isn't sure if this passage is known to the duchess, Rebekah, or if he just found it by coincidence as he played around without his sister.

He walked towards a wall and stood in front of it. He turned his head and stared at Ian as he blinked his eyes.

Seeing his signal, Ian took a breather and jumped up touching a small door on the roof of the passage. A crack could be heard after getting hit with force.

Landing on his feet, he stared at the little opening of the door did the same action twice, and got it slightly wide open so the two could fit through.

Ian silently held Edwin against his armpits and raised him towards the door as he put Edwin's feet on top of his shoulders. Edwin struggled to climb up with his small body and landed on the top safely.

Seeing Edwin successfully out. He quietly wanted as Edwin pulled the knotted rope down. Ian grabbed the rope and climbed up towards the opening.

"Hehe."

Hearing a giggle by his side, Ian turned his head to the source and tilted his head in confusion. Edwin pointed at his hair signaling the cause of his laughter.

Ian touched his now puffy hair. His once-bright ginger hair now turned dull due to the dust of the door when he was trying to open it.

He grumbled in frustration and ruffled his hair to get rid of the dust. Even as he tried to get rid of it, it wasn't completely gone off his hair.

"Haha!"

'Right now, this isn't important...'

"Lord Edwin, are you sure you're going to... keep that?"

Ian couldn't help but look at the creature in disgust. Even if it does have a cute and fluffy appearance, knowing their ability is already scary enough. He just wants to immediately take it out of his lord's hands and hand it over to Captain Drew.

"Of course! I want to see Linda's surprised face if she sees this..."

He evilly grinned in imagining his twin's expression distorted at what he found. Ian couldn't help but feel pity for his lady.

The two twins' temperaments are different from each other despite their identical features.

"My apologies, but I won't be able to escort you to Lady Linda as I need to take care of my appearance..."

He hurriedly made an excuse to immediately leave before he got involved than he already has. Edwin gave him a suspicious glance but nodded in approval.

Ian hurriedly picked Edwin up, moved him in front of the twin's bedroom, and immediately ran away from the halls.

Looking at Ian's hurried departure, he gave out a small smile and opened the door.

There he sees his sister's head peeking out from her book and staring at him curiously as she glances at the tied creature.

 

 

AKS