Chapter 53: A Chaotic Day Under One Roof

As Lara opened the door, she spotted someone sitting on the living room floor. Right beside that person, there was another.

“Sis, did you hear? I overheard yesterday that His Highness is getting engaged to Lady Elina I,” one said.

“Really? Amazing! Such a waste of a woman.”

“I know, right? His Highness was once infamous as a tyrant. You can tell by his character alone.”

Lara watched as two people in matching pajamas and munching on snacks chatted amiably. One was Elina II, her silver hair loosely tied, and beside her was the fierce-looking Rozally with her lavish red hair.

Lara stood in the doorway with wide eyes when Elina II suddenly turned around to face her.

“Oh, you’re here? Come on in and have some,” she called out.

“Aren’t we supposed to be a bit reserved around each other…?”

“I’ve already forgotten all about that. I never hold a grudge.”

Elina II laughed cheerfully and glanced sideways.

“You two don’t even know each other’s names, do you? Let me introduce you! Rozally, this is my good friend Raan. You met him once before, right?”

“Ah, from that time when I was with you…”

Rozally scanned the rather unimpressive commoner knight from head to toe with narrow, slitted eyes.

“I said he’s a close friend, so try to get along. I’m Rozally. Starting today, I’m moving in with your sis,” she declared.

“What?”

Lara was utterly shocked, her expression saying it all, while Elina II responded nonchalantly.

“Since you left home and have nowhere else to go, and since Rozally is engaged to Mikhail, it only makes sense for her to stay here for a while.”

“You didn’t have to be so considerate—but that’s just like you,” she replied.

“She’s always ready with a compliment the moment she opens her mouth!”

“Are you teasing me? I guess you’re cute too for being the Female Lead,” came the retort.

“Who are you calling cute? Coming from a villainess, that’s even cuter!”

‘What are these two…’

Ever since Elina II legally proved that she and Mikhail had nothing more than platonic ties, the bond between the two had grown noticeably closer.

Rozally couldn’t bring herself to push away Elina II, who reached out first—a fact legally settled, leaving no reason for rejection.

Thus, over time, the relationship between the villainess and the Female Lead had solidified into an unbreakable bond.

“Sir Raan.”

Rozally got up and approached Lara. Looking down on Lara with barely concealed disdain, she snapped,

“My sis and I are sharing that room over there. So do not even think of going near it.”

“But that room was originally mine…”

“Ha! How dare a commoner knight talk back to me?!”

Rozally raised one hand high.

“Rozally, when did you say a slap should be used?”

“…Only when you really can’t stand it.”

“No matter how villainous you are, this reaction is way over the top.”

“Alright, sis. Maybe I was a bit too sensitive.”

With a spirited chuckle, Rozally quietly lowered her hand. Holding her head high, her red hair fluttered as she strode past Lara. And she didn’t forget to give a sassy glance.

Seeing Lara’s bewildered expression, Elina II quickly approached and shrugged her shoulders.

“Rozally never got any love as a kid, so she’s rough around the edges. But she’s a kind soul when it comes to jealousy. You understand, right?”

“You’re amazing. How on earth did you manage to tame her?”

Elina II simply tilted her head in confusion at Lara’s whisper.

So began the precarious cohabitation of the Female Lead and the villainess—with the Male Lead and an extra making the mix even stranger.

“Hey, Rozally.”

Early in the morning, Lara dressed in menswear to go to work and roused Rozally, who was still sprawled in bed.

For nearly a week, Lara, Mikhail, and Elina II took turns making breakfast, while true to her villainous nature, Rozally slept in every day, lazily nibbling her food before retreating back to bed. Today, Lara decided it was time to speak up.

“Rozally, you’re on breakfast duty today. Get up now.”

“Hmm… How dare someone wake me up…?”

Still with her eyes closed, Rozally made a gesture as if to slap someone’s cheek. Lara watched Rozally’s slick wrist movement before grabbing her firmly.

“Rozally, you’re on breakfast duty! Open your eyes now.”

“Ha, you insolent commoner knight! What are you doing barging in…? I’m not leaving now!”

Rozally leapt up, frantically waving her other hand at Lara. Startled by the threatening gesture, Lara darted behind the door to watch the raging villainess.

“How dare you order me to make breakfast! Am I a maid or what? Hey, over here!”

In a hysterical fit, Rozally flung her pillow aside and glared fiercely at Lara. At that moment, Elina II, who had been sleeping beside Rozally, murmured softly.

“…Rozally, I prefer toast for breakfast.”

“Alright, sis. I’ll whip up the most delicious breakfast ever.”

“Mm… Thanks, really. I’m so sleepy…”

“Go back to sleep, sis.”

Terrified by her sudden mood swings that bordered on a split personality, Lara quietly closed the door and stepped out. In the living room, she found Mikhail leisurely sipping his tea on the sofa.

“It’s noisy already this morning. When will they leave?”

“I don’t know… But isn’t it alright for the Male Lead to just be a bystander? Those two seem incredibly close.”

“Let them be. I’m not interested in the whole Male Lead/Female Lead drama anyway.”

As expected, the center of the universe—our Male Lead—exuded an air of supreme arrogance. Yet, no matter how you looked at it, those two women invariably circled around Mikhail. It was as if the Male Lead was their inevitable prize, leaving the extra in an awkward bind.

Lara let out a long sigh and then tensed when she heard the sound of a door opening nearby. Moments later, Rozally emerged elegantly yet irritably, her voluptuous figure on full display.

She shot Lara a withering look before abruptly turning towards the kitchen. It seemed she intended to prepare her own meal. Just as Lara prayed that no one would get burned, sizzling soprano-like reprimands from the kitchen filled the air.

“How dare you… How dare you, for something as trivial as bread!”

“How dare you… For something as trivial as carrots!”

“How dare you, even for eggs!”

“How dare you for ham!”

Thinking something was off, Lara rushed to the kitchen and saw Rozally chopping ingredients—not with a knife, but shattering them with swift, snapping wrist motions as if delivering a series of slaps.

‘…Oh, my goodness.’

Just when Lara thought things couldn’t get worse, Rozally placed a pat of butter into a heated frying pan.

“How does that feel? This is nothing compared to what’s coming! I’ll continue until your skin melts away over four years!”

It wasn’t so much melting butter as it was like branding skin with a hot tool. Enduring this gruesome butter torture, Lara quietly returned to Mikhail’s side.

After some time, Rozally reappeared carrying a tray. She arranged two plates neatly, tossing the rest aside, and then hurried off to wake Elina II.

Needless to say, the remaining plates were meant for Lara and Mikhail.

Mikhail picked up a piece of perfectly toasted bread and took a bite. Soon after, Elina II and Rozally emerged from the room. Mikhail mumbled a few discontented words before setting the toast back on the plate.

“Tastes awful.”

Then he retreated back into the room. Rozally stood silently, glaring at the door through which Mikhail had disappeared. Her white-knuckled fist trembled before she stepped to the door and offered a quiet, knowing smile.

“Hoho… I’m sorry it didn’t suit your palate, Mikhail. Next time, I’ll serve something far more delicious.”

‘I’m definitely voting for some poison to be added…’

Lara resolved to tell Mikhail not to eat anything Rozally prepared for a while.

* * *

Tenth day of observation. The villainess and the Female Lead maintained a sisterly bond without a hint of conflict. Lara hadn’t just watched passively; she had tried everything to sow discord between them.

For instance:

“Where are all my clothes? Commoner knight! You must have stolen them…!”

“Elina II was the one who wore them a while back.”

“What the—! Sis, you could at least lend me that pretty bag with that outfit.”

Or:

“My hidden snacks are gone! Who ate them? It was you, commoner knight!!”

“Elina II was the one eating them earlier.”

“What the—! Sis, if you want more, I could always get you some.”

Such were the petty schemes.

Even though these were the kinds of bickering that could shatter even the closest of sisterly bonds, their trust remained unblemished. Lara eventually decided to stop meddling.

“When are you two leaving?”

Mikhail, back late in the evening, leaned against the door and asked sourly. Lara, sitting comfortably in the living room with Elina II and Rozally as they shared snacks, looked up at him.

“You’re here?”

“This is maddening. Whether we’re family or not…”

“It’s better than silence, right?”

Lara quickly tugged Mikhail by the arm, urging him to join the snack fest. Though his expression was unenthused, he eventually helped himself to a few treats.

The cheerful evening passed, and soon night fell. Amidst a restless sleep, Lara awoke to faint voices outside.

“…This is strange.”

“…Don’t speak like that.”

“…I said it’s a misunderstanding.”

Curious about the late-night chatter, Lara opened the door to see the Female Lead, the Male Lead, and the villainess gathered in the center of the living room.

“But why on earth are two people coming out of the bathroom together? Are they dating or something?”