Their recent issue brought to light was the most recent tea party. I had to rush over by horseback to clean up their mess after they erupted into chaos because of the “drama of tea wars." My eldest sister, Aerilyn, had urged the younger two to “throw hands for the drama” after another noble lady had “accidentally” spilled tea on her. My twin sister, Linnette, became reactionary and “threw hands” with said noble lady. The youngest, Penelope, claimed she was the “calm one” as she howled encouragement from the side for the brawl that broke out. As a son of a duke, there are very few times I need to bow to anyone—until their accident, and I've had to bow and apologize to multiple families. 

I’ve had to waste countless hours ungentlemanly spying on my sisters during their ‘meetings’ just to keep an eye on them - which is now where I currently am. Legs tucked in like a child as I hide in their wardrobe listening in on their conversation as if I were some perverse man we were strictly raised not to be. I’ve never felt such shame before.

“I saw him horseback riding at Saraleigh’s house!”

“Lady Rimmins, you mean?”

“Saw who?!”

“Who else? The male lead! He was fucking gorgeous!”

“Watch the language… We can’t make that a habit.”

“That doesn’t matter right now. She witnessed Callum covered in sweat while gloriously riding a horse!”

“You mean young Marquis Rimmins…”

“Shush!”

“I’m just so excited to watch him fall in love with the female lead!”

“Lady Shammel, right? I was excited until I met her at that tea party. She had a very different personality than I expected… She felt so weirdly different from the novel that I got goosebumps.” 

“Everything gives you goosebumps…”

“Shut up, I’m not some prude. It takes more than a little bit of sweat to get me going.”

“Did his shirt ride up?”

“I wish we got a flash of abs. But when he moved into a galloping position on his horse, that cake popped. I just wanted to squeeze—"

“Calm yourself. That’s the male lead; hands off.”

“Does he have to be?”

“Yes!” I heard two of my sisters yell out, causing me to cover my ears from the echo. Though half of their conversations during these meetings made little sense, the other bits I could make out horrified me. My sisters were previously quite the dignified ladies. Now they were reduced to depraved ladies, with mouths no different from bordello girls.

The fact that they were speaking so about venereal actions regarding Marquis Rimmins was highly concerning. He was a respectful lord at the age of twenty-eight, a gentleman eight years my senior whom I’ve looked up to for several years. And now my sisters were perversely obsessing over such a respectable man. 

I grimaced in disgust. Were these girls truly my sisters, or had something more carnal replaced them? I hated these types of childish and invasive thoughts—but my sisters and I had always been close—so how could I not notice such a drastic change? 

They had gone on to call people by titles, such as male lead, female lead, villainess, supporting characters, and even cannon fodder. I had even heard them refer to me as the ‘second male lead.’ A frustrating notion that the only son of a ducal family was reduced to a backup option in an unrequited love with a baron's daughter. But the fact that the ‘Male Lead’ was supposedly Marquise Rimmins made it hard for me to compare myself to such a talent.

“What about Liviere?” My ears perked up at hearing my twin sister mention my name.

“What about Brother Livi?”

“Well, it doesn’t feel good to have him end up as a loner…”

“I think he needs to work on his personality and tone down his confidence level. No one likes a narcissist.” 

“He’s just confident. He’s the son of a duke, the heir, handsome, gentlemanly, and smart."

“Thinks he's funny, controlling, and demanding; a little skittish—"

“He’s only like that because he has us as sisters. Wouldn’t you go a little crazy if your sweet, ladylike sisters were suddenly trashy high school graduates who play more dating sims than interact with society?”

“Did you see how he came rushing on horseback when we brawled with those ladies?”

“Let’s not go that far again. We made the heir of a duke bow to many lower families. They could hold that against us later on.”

“I’d like to see them try! Isn’t the dad a duke?”

“It’s ‘our father,' not ‘the dad.'"

“Whatever, same thing.”

“No, it’s not. We have to be careful with how we talk here. First, we had to deal with the Tea Wars. Next, it’ll be the war of wits. And we aren’t trained in that; we weren’t raised here.”

“So, we’re at a disadvantage…”

“Are we, though? We should be fine. We survived and graduated from a modern high school, where most bullying happens out of sight.”

“Social death means something different here, though…”

“I don’t regret it; that lady was ruddeeee.”

“Was she the villainess?”

“Rosetta? No. I heard she didn’t attend due to a prior engagement at the royal palace.”

“I wanna meet her, but I also don’t wanna meet her.”

“Well, the story hasn’t started yet, so she hasn’t reached the reason for her villainous deeds!”

“She’s from the grand duke's family, right? Is that why she went to the palace?”

“Yeah, she’s a cousin of the crown prince.”

“Is she engaged to Callum yet?”

“No, at this point, it should only be talks between their families.”

“So he hasn’t met the female lead yet?”

“No, and at this point, Liviere shouldn’t have met her yet, either.”

“Then should we just try to set Brother Livi up with Primrose?”

“No way! She never saw him as a love interest. That’s why he was stuck as a sub-male lead. Plus, she’s kinda weird.”

“That, and I don’t think Daddy Duke would approve of a baron’s daughter as an in-law…"

“Hmm… oh! The bell! It must be time for dinner!”

“Good, I’m starving. I love the fancy meals we eat and all, but these historical food options really lack a variety of spices… Everything’s kind of bland…”

“Should we start a business?”

“Naw, they would all complain it’s ‘too spicy.’”

“True…”

I listened, cramped against the wardrobe door, as their voices faded from the room and down the hallway. I gave a heavy sigh, feeling the start of a headache creeping up. I would need to write some more notes just to make sense of everything they discussed. 

I reached to push open the wardrobe, only to fall as I attempted to leave my hiding spot - legs giving way. My fall must have been louder than expected because a servant came in to check on me - only to give me a disturbed look when they realized I had come from inside the wardrobe before reluctantly helping me stand straight. I nodded my thanks in embarrassment before I quickly left the room - hurrying to the dining hall.

I walked into the large, high-ceiling room—not too far behind my sisters, who sat opposite my assigned seat at the far end of the table. Father was already seated at the head; his usual stern expression was replaced with exasperation the more my sisters talked. I could already guess that they must be speaking even more unladylike rhetoric. I nodded as I took my seat, deeply understanding my father's obvious pain. Don’t worry, Father. We shall bond yet again over their lunacy as the only males in this house. 

"Liviere," my father called to me with a heavy sigh. I paused as I reached for the fork.

“Yes, Father?” I replied, looking up at him with a straight face.

“Please explain what happened with your sister’s attendance at the Rimmin’s household.”

“Ah,” was all I managed to reply before returning his sigh with one of my own. “It seemed that there was a disagreement among the ladies at the outing, Father.”

“A disagreement?”

“Yes…” I nodded slowly, glancing at my sisters, who all looked elsewhere in the room, pretending I wasn’t looking at them for answers. Wait, are they… whistling right now? “From what I heard, Viscount Lodeytte’s daughter had purposely dumped tea on sister Linnette. And my… dear sisters reacted to protect sister Lin from the… wrong she faced?”

I winced. I didn’t mean to end it as a question - but without their input, I had to drivel my way through with malarkey to convince Father of whatever out-of-pocket madness they stumbled themselves into.  I glanced between my father and my sisters as the room fell silent. He stared them down, but they continued with a conversation of their own - ignoring Father entirely. Ridiculous. 

“So you’re trying to tell me that a viscount's daughter thought she had the right to humiliate a duke's daughter - and you still went out of your way to bow your head to a lower family?” Father replied in a cold and calm tone. I chewed on the inside of my lip as I contemplated how to respond. I squeezed my eyes shut, and when I opened them again, all my sisters were giving me curious side-eyes with guilty expressions. Ah, so they do know they were in the wrong. I sighed once more, turning back to our father.

“Though a swift form of discipline to someone of the lower class is a reasonable response - my sisters did go too far in their retaliation, even encouraging more violent behavior. It seems that their rationality has been affected by the accident," I explained slowly to Father, glancing at the girls who stared me down with a variety of expressions. So I continued, “So I’d like to propose to be their chaperone for the next several outings they have - until we confirm they can act like proper ladies in high society.”

My sisters gasped in unison—and my eldest sister, Aerilyn, shouted out in protest. It took a lot for me not to break my facial expression as I looked Father in the eyes with a concerned expression. My father nodded along in understanding, seemingly agreeing with my suggestion. 

“Let’s do that, then,” my father responded. I smiled in thanks.

“What? No! Sir!” my twin sister, Linnette, yelled out. “We don’t need a babysitter!”

“It seems you do for the time being. Listen to your brother. We won’t be discussing this anymore, so eat up," he replied firmly. Their mouths gaped open like fish, and I could no longer hide the smirk that broke out on my face as I proudly looked at each of them with the most smug expression I could conjure.

I won't let them get away with whatever they are planning. I’ll meet these supposed ‘novel characters’ they secretly discuss, make my own plans, and set my sisters right - whether they are my sisters or not, they are actually my sisters.  After all, these frauds weren’t exactly the most intelligent body stealers.