I was Reincarnated as the Villainess's Older Brother, but it seems My Sister is Obsessed With Me. And for Some Reason, the Male Love Interests are also Doting On Me.(BL) - Chapter 8

The Duke of Raveles’ salon.

Sunlight streamed in through the windows, offering a clear view of the garden. Though different from the royal gardens, it possessed a unique grandeur of its own. Even from here, one could see the meticulous care the gardeners had poured into cultivating its beauty.

Stefan wasted no time in offering a greeting.

“Welcome to our humble duchy. The last time I saw you, you were as enchanting as a tiny fairy, and today, you look as radiant as an angel sent by the goddess herself, Lady Fiona.”

“O-oh, thank you for inviting me.”

“You do realize that I’m here too, right…?”

Honestly, I had to admire his ability to spout such flowery words without the slightest hint of embarrassment.

“Oh, pardon me. I hadn’t noticed you there.”

The way Stefan said it—his expression utterly sincere—was almost too convincing.

That’s the kind of thing that wounds a man the most, so please stop.

“Brother, that was quite rude to our guest. You did invite him yourself, did you not?”

The one addressing Stefan as “Brother” was a beautiful young lady with the same striking green hair as him. Her gentle brown eyes were slightly downturned, adding to her refined appearance.

She was about the same height as Fiona—so this must be his younger sister.

The two of them certainly made an attractive sibling pair. Meanwhile, Fiona and I… Well, we probably looked more like a noble lady and her attendant.

“Sir Arclight, I sincerely apologize for my brother’s rudeness. I am Sphere Raveles. Please, feel free to call me Sphere.”

The girl who introduced herself as Sphere performed a graceful curtsy, exuding the elegance of a true lady.

Fiona and I followed suit with our introductions.

“No need to apologize. I am Clive Arclight, and this is my sister-in-law, Fiona. Please, just call me Clive.”

“And you may call me Fiona as well.”

In the spirit of payback, I decided to take a jab at Stefan.

“I must say, Lady Sphere seems to be the exact opposite of her brother—polite, well-mannered, and mature.”

“Exactly! In fact, I sometimes wish she were my older sister instead. Not only that, but she has even been chosen as the fiancée of the second prince! Incredible, isn’t it? You must be envious—my sister is truly exceptional.”

…Wait, what?

“Oh my! Lady Sphere, congratulations! To have caught the prince’s attention—how enviable!”

…Fiona, are you really envious?

So, she really was rooting for Christel all along. I should have known, but for some reason, I still felt an odd pang of disappointment.

Still, while it pains me to ruin Fiona’s first love, I will never allow her to have a romantic relationship with Christel. If Sphere is engaged to him, then that works in my favor. If the story is already deviating from the original game, then the ending should change as well.

And should Sphere ever find herself in danger, I’ll be happy to assist from the shadows, now that we’re acquainted.

But right now, there’s a bigger problem to deal with—

“Lady Fiona, what is your favorite color? Although, I daresay any shade would suit an angel such as yourself.”

“I suppose… I like bright colors.”

“Ah, I see, I see. In that case, how about green? It’s a wonderful color, don’t you think? I would love to see you draped in my colors. I shall prepare a special dress just for you.”

“Oh, no, Sir Stefan, that won’t be necessary—”

“Oh, come now, please—call me Steve. And in return, I shall call you Fee.”

“S-Steve… sir?”

…Fiona, if you’re being completely steamrolled by Stefan like this, you are nowhere near walking the path of a villainess.

If I leave things as they are, she might end up engaged to Stefan before I know it.

“Sir Stefan, that is quite enough! My sister-in-law is clearly uncomfortable.”

“Clive, are you jealous? Very well, I shall make an exception. While I rarely permit men to address me so informally, I will bestow upon you the honor of calling me Steve as well.”

“Like hell I want that honor!”

Being around this guy is exhausting. His thought process is completely unpredictable. I just want to go home.

“Lord Clive, please forgive my brother. He has no friends because of his personality.”

Hearing his own sister worry about him like that made me feel a little sorry for him. Not that I have any friends either.

But… didn’t he seem pretty social at gatherings?

“He has plenty of superficial connections. As you can see, he is the son of a duke.”

“Sphere, don’t say unnecessary things!”

“But it’s true, isn’t it? Lord Clive is the only one who always treats you as an equal.”

Wait—me? Treating him as an equal? I’m pretty sure all I do is fire off sarcastic remarks. Honestly, sometimes I even worry that he’ll crush my entire family just to get back at me.

Besides, when we arrived here, Stefan completely ignored me.

“My brother is just shy. You know, the kind of person who avoids eye contact and gets too nervous to speak when they’re in front of someone they like.”

…Wait. What?

No way—does he have that kind of interest? Sorry, but I can’t reciprocate. I prefer cute noble ladies, thank you very much.

“But the invitation was addressed to Fiona, not me.”

“That’s because I knew that as a devoted older brother, Lord Clive would never let Lady Fiona attend alone.”

Did she just try to call me a siscon? Was that a subtle insult?

“Then what was all that earlier? You were practically showering Fiona with praise and pushing yourself onto her.”

“That was merely my special talent—flattering young ladies with poetic compliments to delight them.”

“What kind of useless talent is that!?”

“I can’t help it! With my stunning looks and overwhelming status, young ladies constantly approach me. If I don’t entertain them or offer compliments, they just give me those pitiful looks—as if I’m some tragic waste of potential.”

Stefan pouted slightly as he spoke. Despite his handsome features, there was something oddly childish about him at that moment.

Was he bragging? Was he deliberately picking a fight with me, the most average-looking guy imaginable? I’ve never once been approached by a noble lady in a romantic sense. Actually, not even in my past life.

…Damn. My life is kind of depressing.

In the game, Stefan was supposed to be a notorious womanizer. Turns out, in reality, he’s just a socially anxious guy who learned to charm women as a survival tactic.

Still, I’m shocked that he has an interest in men.

“Clive, don’t misunderstand—I am not interested in men. I simply wanted a true friend.”

Stefan’s cheeks were slightly flushed, making for a rather picturesque sight. Though, given the context of this conversation… I wasn’t quite sure how to feel about it.

“Yeah, yeah. So, I take it you’re not interested in Fiona, then?”

“A friend’s little sister is like my own little sister. Oh! We should celebrate—now I have two sisters!”

“Are you an idiot?”

“Brother-in-law, I don’t quite understand, but it seems like you’ve made a good friend.”

Fiona smiled brightly as she spoke.

Then, Sphere extended a hand toward her and said—

“Lady Fiona, would you like to be friends?”

“Of course!”

And just like that, Fiona and I gained our very first friends.