Wasn’t I the Female Lead of a Regret Novel? [Novel] Chapter 40

ch 40

“Twins?”

Vendia was surprised by Ron’s explanation, but it made sense immediately. Aside
from their height, build, and hair length, their faces were practically
identical.

“Pffft… Hahaha! Wheeze…!”

“Stop laughing and get out here.”

Ron dragged his still-howling twin out of the office. Vendia stood there,
blinking, feeling as if a hurricane had just swept through the room.

“Oh, I really need to thank my grandfather. I never thought I’d see the day you
looked like such a pathetic mess. Pffft!”

The twin sister, Ailet, was still doubling over with laughter.

“Just leave,” Ron snapped.

“No way. Why would I leave when things are just getting good?”

Knowing her all too well, Ron let out a heavy sigh and ran a hand through his
hair.

“It’s Ron.”

“What?”

Shaillet scowled at her brother, confused about why he was suddenly referring to
himself by a nickname.

“If you’re not going to leave, call me Ron. Don’t use my real name.”

“What kind of nonsense is that?”

“Don’t mention the family, either. And don’t use your real name.”

“What are you talking about?!” Shaillet barked, frustrated by his string of
bizarre demands.

“Just don’t slip up in front of her,” Ron warned, his voice turning lethal.
“I’ll kill you, and I mean it.”

“…”

Shaillet wasn’t one to be intimidated easily. She stared at Ron, a thought
suddenly clicking into place. Now that she thought about it, their grandfather
had mentioned there was a woman near Ron. Was it the woman in that office?

But why was he so adamant about her not knowing his full name?

“…Ugh. Are you serious?” Shaillet looked at Ron with genuine disgust as she
realized the dynamic at play.
“What? Do you think you’re some prince on a white horse? Are you playing out some ‘star-crossed lovers from different worlds’ fantasy?”

“Do you want to die?”

Ron’s eyes flashed dangerously at her ridiculous theorizing. It wasn’t like
that. He simply didn't want Dia to know his true status. He liked things the way
they were now. It was easier this way, rather than having everything become
awkward and complicated once the truth came out.

“Look, even if I decided to help an idiot like you, do you really think you can
keep up a lie? Most nobles would recognize us on sight.”

“Recognize us? Are you being serious right now?”

“Well… I mean, they could if they really wanted to.”

Shaillet scratched her cheek. Since they rarely engaged in public social
activities, there were plenty of nobles who didn't even know they were twins.

“If you aren’t leaving, just do as you’re told. And her.”

“What about her?”

“She’s not a noble, so don’t you dare act all high and mighty or mess with her.”

“…You’ve really lost it, haven't you?”

Shaillet’s eyes went wide, and she felt goosebumps break out on her arms. In all
their years together, she had never seen her brother protect someone like this.

“Actually, never mind. Knowing you, you probably got bitten trying to mess with
her first.”

Ron thought of the thugs who had been thoroughly trashed by Dia and let out a
dry chuckle before heading back inside.

“He’s officially gone crazy,” Shaillet muttered, utterly baffled.

“So, he threw a tantrum and ran away because he didn’t want to take over the
family business and told me to do it instead!”

“Oh…”

“But do you think I’d just let that slide? Not a chance. I’m a fan of fair play.
Who does he think he is, deciding who gets the burden and who doesn’t?”

“I see…”

“He has no idea how brutal the world is. To think my own twin is having a
mid-life crisis and running away from home in his twenties when he didn't even
do it as a teenager… It’s pathetic.”

“…”

Vendia felt like her ears were going to start bleeding. The light had long since
left her eyes. She had been trapped for over thirty minutes listening to Ron’s
twin, who introduced herself as Ailet, rambled on.

Perhaps it was because they were twins, but their personalities were just as
similar as their faces. The only difference was that while Ron was tight-lipped
about himself, Ailet was the polar opposite. Vendia felt like she was moments
away from learning exactly how many spoons Ailet had in her kitchen drawer.

“My language is a bit rough, isn’t it? Sorry. We grew up roughing it in the
countryside,” Ailet said, scratching the back of her head sheepishly when she
noticed Vendia’s dazed expression.

“In the countryside?”

“Our mother passed away early. So we were sent down to the sticks to be raised
by our grandmother, while our father couldn't have cared less about us.”

“Oh…”

Vendia wasn't sure how to respond to such a sudden, heavy family history, but
Ailet kept going as if it were nothing.

“My grandmother was adamant about not letting strangers raise her grandkids, so she
practically looked after us and educated us all by herself.”

Ailet chuckled as she reminisced, but a hint of sorrow flickered in her eyes.
Vendia recognized it as the longing for someone who was gone, because Ron’s grandfather
had mentioned her when they met before.

“Grandmother passed away two months ago, and we moved back to the main house.
Ever since then, that idiot has been acting like this, claiming it’s his fault she
died or something.”

“Hey. Haven't you left yet?”

Just as Vendia was starting to feel awkward about hearing such personal details,
Ron appeared before them. He held the mascot head under his arm, his hair damp
with sweat. Vendia had half-expected him to run away out of embarrassment after
being caught by his sister, but he had surprisingly stuck to his task, handing
out samples in that costume.

He’s more responsible than I thought, Vendia noted, reaching out to offer him a
handkerchief.

Ron took it and wiped the sweat from his brow.

“We’re having a great time, so don't interfere and get back to work. Stop
slacking off,” Ailet teased, still finding the whole situation hilarious.

“The only interference here is you. She’s busy, so get lost.”

“Are you busy?”

Ailet looked at Vendia with wide eyes. It wasn’t a lie, so Vendia nodded.

“I do have quite a bit to do.”

There were dozens of things to check before the grand opening.

“Hmm. Is that so?”

Ailet scanned Vendia from head to toe with an unreadable expression before
speaking again.

“By the way… are you really not a noble?”

“Hey!” Ron barked suddenly. His face was twisted in a fierce scowl, clearly
agitated.

“What? Go put your mask back on and keep shaking your hips,” Ailet said
dismissively, completely unfazed by her brother’s outburst.

“I’ll kill…!”

“I suppose I do have a certain air of elegance, don't I?” Vendia interjected
quickly, cutting Ron off before he could explode.

Her conscience pricked her for lying about her status, but she had no choice.
Besides, very few people would recognize her as a noble.

For some reason, her parents had kept her locked away in the estate since she
was a child, forcing her to do menial chores like a servant, so she had never had a
birthday party, nor had she ever attended a tea party with other young ladies.
Even during her brother Calvasa’s birthday celebrations, she was confined to her
room. Her parents had kept her hidden from the world, a secret they refused to
reveal.

She had only made her debut once she became an adult, and there had been only
one true act of rebellion in her life. Faced with an arranged marriage to an
elderly Marquis, she had wanted to experience the world just once before her
life was over. She had sneaked into an imperial ball.

That was where she had seen Denross Calvermer and witnessed him being pressured
into marriage with the Princess. Later, she married Denross instead of the old
Marquis, but her life remained much the same, trapped and isolated from society.

“Yeah, really. Why are you so pretty?”

“Uh, I was joking…”

Ailet leaned in close, catching Vendia off guard. Vendia instinctively leaned
back. She had intended it as a joke to change the atmosphere, but Ailet’s gaze
and tone were unnervingly sincere.

“What do you do for your skin? Why is it so smooth? What are you wearing on your
lips to make them sparkle like that?”

“I don’t really use anything special…”

“What kind of oils do you use? How is your hair so shiny?”

“Well, actually…”

“Sniff, sniff. You even smell good. What’s your perfume?”

As Ailet pounced with predatory curiosity, Vendia shot a silent SOS to Ron, but
he simply sighed and walked away.

How can you just leave me here alone?!

“Lady Ailet. You’re a bit too close,” Vendia said, squeezing her eyes shut as
Ailet’s face hovered inches from hers.

“Ailet? Ha! Right, I’m Ailet.”

Ailet blinked, then let out an awkward laugh and finally pulled back.

“How did you do it?”

Suddenly, the playful atmosphere vanished, replaced by a look of intense
seriousness on Ailet’s face.

“Do what?”

“Him. That idiot would never do something like this.”

Ailet gestured toward Ron, who was off in the distance, back in his costume and
handing out coconut chip samples.

“I didn't really do anything.”

It was the truth. Ron was the one who had insisted on working.

“Really? I thought he’d just be acting like a pathetic loser, but I guess not.
Even though it’s ridiculous that he’s doing this after abandoning the family and
running away.”

A look of faint relief crossed Ailet’s face. It seemed that despite all the bickering, family was still family.

“He might have run away, but maybe it’s better for him to be out here trying something new,” Vendia offered.

“…You think so?”

“Yes. If you don't do anything, nothing ever happens.”

Vendia was fighting a silent battle to protect her rental income. She had managed to turn back the grandfather who tried to drag him home; she couldn't let Ailet take him away now.

“…”

Ailet stared at Vendia with surprised eyes. A wide grin slowly spread across her
lips.

“Is this why he’s protecting you so much?”

“Pardon?”

“Nothing. My, you even speak beautifully.”

“Haha. Thank you for the compliment.”

“But haven't we met somewhere before? You look so familiar.”

“Us? No. This is the first time.”

That wasn’t a lie. There was no Ailet in her memory.

“Really? Why do you feel so familiar, then…?”

Leaving Ailet to her thoughts, Vendia, whose throat was parched from all the talking, picked up a bottle sitting nearby.
It was filled with coconut water, one of the products they were currently selling. She made a point of carrying and drinking products from The Second while walking around The Line, It was a form of self-promotion.

“Dia, would you like a sister-in-law like me?”

“Pffft!”

“Hahaha! Your face is priceless!”

Ailet howled with laughter as Vendia accidentally sprayed a mouthful of coconut water across the air in shock.