I'm sorry, Sister... It seems Primula has become a mean little girl.
As she taught Rest his studies, Primula Rosemary silently apologized to her beloved sister in her heart.
They had been together a long time. She knew everything there was to know about Viola.
Viola was clinging to Rest with an air of absolute ease, pressing her chest against him — but Primula could see right through it. Behind that confident exterior, Viola was actually quite flustered.
Sister is dead serious about this too, huh... I expected her to compete with me by wearing a negligee, but I never thought she'd go this far.
Resting her cheek against his as she clung to him, nuzzling softly... Primula could feel the full weight of her sister's resolve.
Both Rosemary sisters were in negligee.
It was loungewear, so it wasn't exactly revealing — but it was the kind of outfit that felt embarrassing to wear in front of a man.
The first one to put on a negligee and appear before Rest hadn't been the outgoing Viola. It had been Primula, the shy one.
I'm not beautiful like Sister, and I don't have her charm either... So I have to try harder if I want Rest to notice me, even a little!
Lacking in confidence, Primula had deliberately chosen the bold outfit for precisely that reason.
The effect was spectacular.
Rest was visibly reacting to the sisters' outfits — and to the chests pressed against him.
Rest is so cute when he blushes like that...!
Looking at Rest, who had gone red all the way to his neck, Primula's expression softened the way one might when gazing at a tiny, adorable animal.
Primula had always been bad with men.
As the daughter of a marquis — a young lady with a delicate, almost ethereal beauty, though she herself was only dimly aware of it — she was often approached by men at noble gatherings. But she had never felt anything toward them other than discomfort.
Even the other day, when Cedric Eberun had made contact with her, the only feeling he'd stirred was irritation at the way his eyes lingered disrespectfully on her chest.
And yet... why is it that Rest doesn't bother me at all?
However, strangely enough, she felt neither fear nor discomfort toward Rest.
She had always hated having men's eyes on her chest, but if it was Rest looking, she didn't mind at all — she was even glad to have his attention.
It wasn't that she felt no embarrassment... but the knowledge that her appearance was found appealing by the man she had feelings for gave her a joy and a sense of superiority that outweighed any shame.
(A chest just a little bigger than my sister's... I never thought this would actually come in handy...)
The sisters resembled each other in facial features, but when it came to chest size, Primula was the larger one.
She had never felt anything but complex about that fact — it had never once made her happy.
(But... from now on, this might just become my weapon. It's probably the only area where I can beat my sister.)
"Nnh...!"
She pressed herself against Rest's arm, her deep cleavage engulfing it in a warm embrace, and felt his shoulders twitch in response.
As expected, he was adorable... Primula's smile deepened at the corners of her lips.
"Mnn...!"
Viola, burning with competitive fire against Primula, threw herself into Rest's arms as well.
(As expected of my sister... but I can't afford to lose!)
Ever since they were young, Viola had insisted that she would marry a man stronger than herself.
She even went so far as to say it would benefit House Rosemary, speaking openly about sacrificing herself for the family's advancement.
Primula had always felt both proud of her sister's strong will and complicated about it, all while worrying about her sister's future.
(It makes me happy that my sister has found a man she likes. But I absolutely cannot give up Rest...!)
What cruel twist of fate it was for two sisters to fall for the same man.
The Primula of the past might have stepped aside for her sister's happiness.
But learning what true love felt like had changed the way she thought.
(If my radiant, sun-like sister marries the man I love, then I'll spend my entire life as the moon, forever living in her shadow...)
Primula wasn't grown up enough to laugh that off and offer her blessings.
She couldn't give Rest away. She wouldn't give him up.
Ten years from now, twenty years from now — she couldn't imagine anyone by her side but Rest.
She couldn't marry anyone else. She didn't want to bear anyone else's children.
These feelings only grew stronger with each passing day, scorching Primula's heart with a restless heat.
(This is the first time I've ever felt like this... So this is what love is...)
She watched her sister — poised and confident on the surface, yet flustered underneath — as she administered her "punishments" to Rest.
She adored Rest. At the same time, she adored Viola.
Falling in love with the same man might have been a cruel stroke of misfortune... but part of her felt proud of it.
(I would never try to one-up my sister. I love her just as much as Rest does.)
She couldn't take him away from her sister. She couldn't bear to hurt her sister.
If that was the case... then there was only one option left to consider.
(I wouldn't mind being the second wife. Welcoming Rest together with my sister wouldn't be so bad, perhaps. Bearing his children together and raising them together — that actually sounds like it could be wonderful.)
With the knowledge that Viola would probably faint on the spot if she ever heard these thoughts, Primula pressed her ample chest against Rest's arm and let her fingers trail gently along the body of the man she cherished.