Help! Get Me Out of My Sister's Chapter 139: ’Why Her?’

The scent of freshly brewed tea curled through the air, warm and rich, carrying the faintest hints of chamomile and honey. Florian settled into his seat in the gazebo, the soft creak of the chair barely audible over the rustling leaves.

Sunlight stread through the delicate latticework, casting shifting patterns of gold and ivory over the pristine white tablecloth. It was a picturesque afternoon, the kind that invited ease and quiet conversation—though he had the distinct feeling this eting would be anything but.

The maids moved gracefully around them, their steps light, their hands steady as they poured tea into fine porcelain cups.

He noted how their deanor, once rely polite, had shifted—there was a newfound deference in the way they served him, an extra layer of courtesy that hadn’t been there before. It wasn’t just respect. It was sothing closer to reverence.

’Well, that’s unexpected.’ He lifted his cup, watching the steam curl from the surface. ’I suppose they’ll be much more pleasant now that Heinz actually acknowledges .’

Athena sat across from him, her hands folded neatly in her lap, her posture still as proper as ever. But there was a softness to her now, a warmth in the way her lips curved into a hesitant smile whenever her gaze t his. She had always been shy, but today, she seed almost... at peace.

Alexandria, on the other hand, was as composed as ever, her golden hair catching the light with every subtle movent. She stirred her tea slowly, deliberately, violet eyes flickering toward him with sothing unreadable.

The poised, untouchable princess—yet there was a weight to her gaze, as if she were calculating the right mont to speak.

Florian had barely taken a sip before she finally turned to him, voice smooth but firm. "Prince Florian," she began, setting her spoon down with a quiet clink. "I hope you don’t mind asking sothing rather direct."

He lowered his cup, already sensing where this was going. "Of course. What’s on your mind?"

Alexandria exchanged a glance with Athena—quick, subtle, but not unnoticed—before exhaling softly. "I received a sign from the gods," she said, her tone carefully asured. "It told that much of what I believed during the test... was false."

Florian stilled.

’A sign from the gods?’

Athena shifted in her seat, fingers twisting together for a brief mont before she spoke. "We talked about it," she admitted, voice quiet yet firm. "Alexandria and I both... poisoned the king."

A bird trilled in the distance, its song light and unbothered. The world carried on as if the two princesses hadn’t just uttered sothing that would have sent any lesser man into a panic.

Florian blinked, montarily caught between disbelief and amusent. He fought the urge to laugh at the sheer absurdity of their serious expressions.

’Even though I told them not to talk about it?’

He leaned back slightly, fingers tracing the rim of his cup as he regarded them. "And you figured out that it was part of the test." It wasn’t a question.

Athena hesitated, then nodded. "I—I was afraid at first. That we had actually done sothing terrible. But after speaking with Alexandria... we thought that perhaps it was ant to deceive us."

Alexandria’s gaze locked onto his, steady and searching. "Was it?"

He could have kept up the act. Could have feigned ignorance, spun so excuse to keep them uncertain. It would’ve been easier. Wiser, even. But as he looked at the two of them—so earnest, so concerned—he realized he didn’t want to. Not about this.

’They deserve the truth, at least about this much.’

"Yes," he admitted, allowing a small smile to tug at his lips. "King Heinz wasn’t really poisoned."

The tension in the air dissipated almost instantly. Both girls exhaled, relief washing over them like a breaking wave. Alexandria pressed a hand to her chest, her shoulders loosening. "That’s... honestly a relief."

Athena nodded in agreent, her grip on her cup slackening. "I—I was scared. I didn’t want to harm anyone, even if it was by accident."

Florian studied them, sothing twisting uncomfortably in his chest.

’If it were , I’d be furious about being tricked like that. But they’re just relieved they didn’t actually hurt anyone.’ He glanced down at his reflection in the tea, the dark liquid rippling ever so slightly. ’Heinz really doesn’t deserve them.’

But the mont of respite was short-lived. Alexandria hesitated, then carefully lowered her teacup, her fingers tightening around the handle. When she finally spoke, there was sothing different in her tone—sothing heavier.

"Prince Florian," she said carefully, "I wanted to ask you sothing else."

Florian raised an eyebrow, keeping his expression carefully neutral. "Go ahead."

Alexandria hesitated for only a mont before drawing a breath. "Why did you choose Scarlett?"

The question was delivered smoothly, but there was an unmistakable weight behind it. A quiet challenge.

Across from him, Athena’s expression barely changed, but her lips pressed together just slightly—silent agreent.

’Ah. There it is.’

Florian’s fingers curled against his knee, a barely-there motion of restraint. He hadn’t chosen Scarlett. Heinz had. But how was he supposed to explain that? More importantly, should he?

"I was surprised," Alexandria continued, her voice even, composed. But there was sothing else beneath the surface—sothing that made Florian pause. "I’m happy for her, truly. But... if I’m being honest, Scarlett is complicated."

’Complicated is one way to put it.’

His gaze flickered toward Athena. She remained quiet, her expression a mask of neutrality, but her eyes betrayed her. A flicker of sothing—hurt, maybe? He knew why. He hadn’t forgotten.

Scarlett had tornted Athena. She had made her life unbearable at tis, hiding cruelty behind effortless smiles and pretty words. And yet, now she was the one who had been chosen. It was understandable that Athena would feel... sothing about it.

The air between them grew heavier, the unspoken tension wrapping around them like a second skin.

Florian exhaled quietly, weighing his words before finally saying, "Despite Scarlett’s... eccentric behavior," he began, voice asured, "and despite our differences, she passed all the tests."

A clean, logical answer. Simple. Safe.

It was also a lie.

He knew it. They probably knew it, too. But what else could he say? That Heinz had made the decision without even pretending to consider anyone else? That the tests perhaps had never truly mattered?

Alexandria studied him for a long mont before offering a small, polite smile. But it didn’t reach her eyes.

’She doesn’t believe . Not entirely.’

He pushed the thought aside and reached for his tea again, letting the warmth seep into his fingers.

Alexandria had always seed to genuinely like Heinz, unlike Athena, who remained more neutral. That was interesting. It ant Alexandria might take Heinz’s decisions a little more personally.

He hadn’t thought much about that before.

And then—unbidden—a mory surfaced.

Scarlett, crying. The raw, broken sound of it.

Florian shoved the image away before it could linger, before he could question why it even did.

Alexandria lifted her teacup, her gaze thoughtful as she took another sip. When she finally spoke, her voice was quieter, almost contemplative.

"I suppose there must be a side to her that only you and His Majesty have seen... one that she doesn’t show the rest of us."

Florian humd, noncommittal.

’You have no idea.’

A quiet lull settled over them, the conversation montarily giving way to the gentle rustling of leaves and the occasional clink of porcelain. The tea had cooled slightly, but its fragrance still lingered in the air, warm and calming. The sunlight filtered through the gazebo, casting soft patterns across the table.

Florian traced the rim of his cup with his thumb, his gaze drifting toward the two maids standing nearby. Their expressions remained composed—professional, even—but the way their hands stilled ever so slightly, the way their movents slowed as they refilled cups, made it clear that they were listening. Or at least, they wanted to.

’They’re pretending not to eavesdrop, but they’re curious.’

It was almost amusing. The weight of their conversation had been thick with unspoken truths and carefully chosen words, yet to an outsider, it likely seed nothing more than a casual afternoon tea.

Florian considered changing the subject—perhaps sothing lighthearted, sothing to ease the underlying tension that neither Alexandria nor Athena openly acknowledged. But just as he parted his lips to speak, a flicker of movent caught his eye.

The two maids suddenly stiffened, their gazes snapping past him. Then—

"Y-Your Majesty!" Alexandria’s maid gasped, her voice hushed but urgent.

Florian turned his head just in ti to see Heinz approaching.

He carried himself with his usual regal ease, his dark, intricately embroidered clothing accentuating the sharpness of his presence. There was sothing almost oppressive about him beneath the golden afternoon light—like a shadow that stretched too far, consuming everything in its path. His expression, as always, was unreadable, his sharp eyes missing nothing.

Alexandria, Athena, and Florian imdiately rose from their seats, bowing in unison.

Heinz stopped a few steps away, his gaze sweeping over them before settling on Florian. The air seed to tighten.

"What a surprise," he mused, voice smooth yet carrying that unmistakable weight of authority. "I hadn’t expected to see the three of you together."

Alexandria straightened, her smile composed as she placed a hand lightly over her chest. "We only wished to spend so ti with Prince Florian, Your Majesty."

Athena nodded in agreent, her posture still perfectly proper. "It has been a pleasant afternoon."

Florian said nothing, rely observing the exchange. Heinz’s presence always had a way of shifting the air in a room—or, in this case, the entire gazebo. It was as if the very space around them had rearranged itself to accommodate him, demanding silence, demanding attention.

Alexandria gestured toward the table. "Would you care to join us, Your Majesty?"

The invitation was warm, polite. Expected.

But Heinz didn’t hesitate. "No."

The response was curt, final.

’Alright, damn?’ Florian blinked, caught off guard by the sheer bluntness of it.

Alexandria’s smile remained, but sothing in her expression wavered. It was subtle, barely there—but Florian saw it. A flicker of sothing unspoken. A disappointnt that hadn’t quite been masked in ti.

Athena, who had been watching quietly, glanced at Alexandria before lowering her gaze, as if unwilling to bear witness to whatever emotion had just passed between them.

Heinz, seemingly unfazed, turned his attention back to Florian.

"I am only here for you."