When Lorin said that, Hale’s first instinct was to refuse.

No matter how he looked at it, “Come to my room tonight” was way too loaded. Way too dangerous.

But Lofu was right there beside them, and Lorin was looking at him with such open expectation.

That made refusing a problem in itself.

Hale thought it over.

Judging by the timeline, Lorin’s route hadn’t truly started yet. And before he got involved with Lorin, or with any other heroine, his odds of getting killed were basically close to zero.

So maybe he could stabilize Lorin first.

Better that than some other weird branch popping up again.

“We’ll see when the time comes. Eat first.”

He hadn’t fully agreed.

Even so, Lorin still showed a happy expression. Just looking at that smile felt healing.

But then Hale remembered that one image from the game, the one where Lorin appeared after his death, blood smeared across her cheek.

He sobered up at once.

...

Tonight’s dinner was, for the first time in a long while, served in the main hall of House Faxius.

The main hall of House Faxius was enormous. In Hale’s memory, ever since his mother died, it had only been used when relatives and family friends were invited over for banquets.

But since Lord Faxius was rarely home, even those banquets had been few. In practice, the only regular one was at New Year, when Siman’s family would be invited over.

After his eldest sister left, it was used even less.

But now that Lorin had returned, and the chance was rare, Lofu suggested they make use of it. The servants had just cleaned the hall recently anyway.

Before the master returned at the end of the year, the place would definitely need another full cleaning.

So instead, why not let Hale and Lorin have a candlelit dinner here first?

Lorin looked very happy about that.

Hale felt there was no need to make such a fuss, but Lofu had already arranged everything.

He had no reason to refuse.

As for why Lofu had done this, it was of course to please Lorin.

Lofu understood what mattered more.

No matter what, Lorin was different from Siman, Christine, and the others.

Lorin was Hale’s little sister. Even if Lorin liked Hale, it could only go as far as sibling affection.

And trying to ruin the bond between Hale and Lorin as brother and sister? Lofu felt that was basically impossible.

Besides, in Lofu’s eyes, Hale’s feelings toward Lorin really were just sibling affection. Nothing beyond that.

Ever since they were little, Hale had always been able to act as Lorin’s older brother, but he was never clingy with her. He’d just bring her tasty things now and then.

And when Lorin made requests, he didn’t grant every single one of them either.

Between Hale and the young miss, there was a subtle line, one Hale himself had drawn.

That was how Lofu understood it.

Even now, Lofu still believed that line remained.

So she was very much at ease. No matter how much Lorin liked Hale, Hale would never treat Lorin like a lover.

With that as the premise, whether for public reasons or private ones, she could go all out in pleasing Lorin without holding back.

“Oh right, Brother. I heard Vestal Candidate Christine came to see you?”

Halfway through the meal, Lorin brought the topic up again while cutting into her strawberry milk cake with knife and fork.

Hale nodded and didn’t deny it.

“She did come see me once a while ago.”

“What for?”

“Isn’t she taking part in the Saintess election at the end of next year? House Faxius is considered a family of great prestige in Saint Louis. Getting on good terms with our house was probably an order from her Cardinal Bishop, Ron.”

He said it lightly.

After all, there was no way a third person in this world could know what had really happened that day.

Christine would keep the secret, and so would he.

As for the story they told the outside world, that was entirely up to his mouth.

Besides, Cardinal Bishop Ron really was one of the least well-connected among the seven Cardinal Bishops.

He wasn’t even a native of the Papal Dominion. In the game’s story, Ron really did intend to secretly form alliances with several great families in Saint Louis. He even promised that once he became Pope, he would redraw the distribution of benefits and restructure the balance of power.

“Oh... I’ve heard Cardinal Prelate Ron is a very frightening person. Brother, you should be careful.”

Lorin said that while eating her cake.

Hale nodded again. Ron really was dangerous. None of the Cardinal Prelates were easy to deal with.

In some of Christine’s routes, he would even choose to sacrifice Christine, a bargaining chip that was extremely important to him.

But that was all very late-game. Within the next year, Hale and Ron would most likely have no contact at all.

Still, Lorin’s words reminded Hale of something.

Whether Christine knew he could replenish magic or not, the fact that she had arranged a private meeting with him would definitely reach Ron’s ears.

As he was thinking that through, he had been about to dig deeper into the game’s plot and consider future developments, trying to prevent dangerous events.

Then he suddenly felt something soft crawl onto his thigh.

He looked down.

At some point, Lorin had changed how she was sitting.

His little sister had already been seated beside him. But now she was sitting sideways, letting her small feet, wrapped in white cherry-patterned ankle socks, rest on him.

“Brother, Lorin’s feet are so cold...”

Her whisper spread through the quiet room and the candlelit atmosphere.

At that moment, Lofu was no longer in the main hall. The little maid was quite busy. After serving the dishes, she still had plenty of things to do.

Only the two siblings remained.

The instant his eyes met Lorin’s, Hale felt a little dazed.

He didn’t even know why, but all of a sudden, he felt slightly tired.

“Can I slip my little feet somewhere warm on Brother~?”

The girl wore a natural smile. She was as pure as an angel. Her little feet slowly crept along his thigh like inchworms, as if searching for a gap in his clothes so they could slip right in.

Almost no one could refuse a request like that.

And in Lorin’s mind, no one would be able to refuse.

Because she had used a little trick.

—Succubus Feather.

Succubus Feather belonged to the same category of item as the Succubus Blood Letitia had wanted to buy before.

Its effect was weaker, but compared to Succubus Blood, it was easier to obtain. And in the academy’s research lab, there was usually some stock.

According to the Church’s doctrine, succubi were descendants of fallen angels from ancient times.

The black-red bloodline in their bodies was already completely defiled. But the priests believed their feathers still held the possibility of returning them to purity.

That was why Lorin had been able to obtain this item.

Using Succubus Feather as the base, she added a few special magical ingredients and made it into a potion.

And because it wasn’t nearly as potent as Succubus Blood, Lorin could only drip the potion into her pupils and onto her eyelashes.

Just now, while Hale had been thinking about Ron, she had pretended her eyes were uncomfortable and dabbed a few drops onto her lashes and pupils.

The chance was rare, and Lorin could tell Hale was hesitating. So she had never intended to wait until they went to her room to look at the paintings.

At this moment, she had obtained a level of overwhelming allure that should never have belonged to someone her age.

Seeing her brother’s dazed expression and his breathing grow slightly heavier, she knew her plan had worked.

At that moment, she grew a little bolder.

She wanted to press her foot against Hale’s lower body and lean forward until she was flush against his chest.

Truthfully, Lorin had been waiting for this day for quite a long time.

Ever since she had come to understand the matters between men and women, and what love was, she had been enduring it.

In the past, because they were siblings, she still had her reservations.

This time, the reason Lorin had been able to make up her mind and do this was—

—she had learned a secret of House Faxius during this period.

“In that case, how could I let some other woman take Brother away? If anyone gets to steal the forbidden fruit with Brother, it can only be me...”

Outside the window, rain was already pouring down in sheets.

The girl’s slender shadow as she leaned over him was cast onto the wall by a flash of lightning.