Chapter 6. Adolescence. [RotDE] (Patreon)

Two women walked on the town's streets, hand in hand. The one with black hair asked, her tone sweet but having an underlying elegance. "Big sister, why haven't you found a husband yet? You are already twenty-four years old!"

"Little brat! Are you calling your big sister old!? It isn't my problem that no man dares take me in." Answered a lightly tanned woman at the perfect point of her youth.

The young one lightly bumped her shoulder with the older one and snorted, "I think if big sister were to act more like a lady, all the men in town would flock to you. Big sister is beautiful, after all."

The 24-year-old rolled her eyes in exasperation and spoke with a resigned tone. "Flock to me? How could that be possible? Because of my absolutely charming little sister, all the women in town are having a hard time finding a good man! Well, it is obvious. My little sister is the most beautiful girl in the town, the flower that every man wants to pluck."

The two bantering women were extremely popular in the small Redforest Town.

The eldest one had a fierce disposition. Her skin was lightly tanned because of the hours she spent working in the fields to help her father and training as a huntress. Her body was somewhat muscular but without exaggerated muscles; her arms were toned but not big, and her abdomen was beautifully defined. Her legs were long, and her thighs thick and with very little fat.

She had curvy body proportions inherited from her mother, with a pair of breasts that barely fit in a hand and wide hips.

When all her qualities combined, it gave her a powerful yet attractive look. Of course, the usual beauty standard leaned more toward delicate women, so even when she was charming for the rural place they lived in, her muscular disposition made many men not take her into account.

Still, her extraordinary looks and usual attitude that leaned more on the masculine side led to her being even more attractive to women than she was to men.

However, since they were in a rural town with traditional values, they didn't even know or think about same-sex marriage, so there weren't women courting women.

During her younger years, the woman had gained a title. They called her 'tigress' because all the men that had tried courting her had ended up in the woman's clinic, inherited from her mother about two years ago.

She was a healer, one of the only two healers in town. The main problem was that she was creating her own patients!

The townspeople didn't know whether to be glad or not that she was the current doctor.

Young men were the most frustrated with this woman because they knew that this big sister was extraordinarily close and overprotective of her little sister.

This led to them being unable to successfully court the little one or the big one until now!

Many thought that she loved this little sister too much, but no one found it too strange, so they didn't bother with it.

The younger sister was the complete opposite of the eldest one.

She had grown up in a house filled with love, and her personality was sweet and cheerful. Innocence poured through her red eyes, and her long black hair bobbed with each of her buoyant steps. She was an incredibly kind woman to the elders. There wasn't a single person who didn't like her.

Her complexion was fair, and her skin was smooth and tender. Even after helping her family with fieldwork, only her hands gained some callouses, but they were still beautiful with long and slim fingers.

Her exotic red almond eyes captured the hearts of the people who looked at her, and her body was that of a budding, slender beauty. Even then, they could see that in the future, her figure would be close to perfect.

Her cheeks still had some baby fat, giving her a youthful and lively disposition.

Everyone in the town called her 'little flower' because of how beautiful she was.

It was also common knowledge that the younger sister, Tatyana, liked her big sister, Loreia, the most. They thought it was normal because Loreia always guarded her like some sort of divine protector from the tales they heard.

Each time they were together, Tatyana would cling to Loreia with a beautiful smile that made all the young men dazed.

The way her red eyes looked at her big sister adoringly each time she beat one of the strongest men in the town spoke volumes of how much she liked her. This was another reason young men didn't like Loreia. They were jealous of her!

In the past, Loreia had even said something like. "If you want to court my sister, at least you have to beat me! And if you dare to beat me, I won't ever heal you in the future!"

Shameless!

That's what all people thought of her statement. They may be able to seek help from her mother now, but what about when she passes away? What if her grudge goes so deep that she doesn't even heal their future generations?

They didn't dare offend the tigress unless another healer stopped in their town!

Meanwhile, Tatyana was very grateful for her big sister's efforts in protecting her. Since she began maturing, more and more eyes were directed at her, which made her uncomfortable.

She was strangely aware of people's eyes, and it made her uncomfortable when lustful gazes landed on her.

Still, she also felt burdened. 'Big sis hasn't married yet because of me, and she is getting a bit old. All the women from her generation had already become married, and most even have children! Ugh, why is big sister so insistent on not marrying? Even the man that had been waiting for her for almost seven years gave up, finding himself another woman.'

That's why the previous conversation was ongoing. Tatyana wanted her big sister to find someone to love and to live happily with since Tatyana thought that finding true love, like her father and mother, was the epitome of happiness.

A thought that would be ingrained in her soul for the rest of her life, whether it was a good thing or not.

In their town, the average marrying age was 16~20 years old, but, as Tatyana said, Loreia was already 24, the typical age when women had their first or second child.

When this thought crossed Tatyana's mind again, she decided to try again. "Big sister, did you find a good man?"

Loreia frowned for a second and then relaxed her brows. "I didn't. There isn't anyone who can satisfy my requirements."

Tatyana chuckled. "You are so exigent. What do you want in your husband? I will help you search the town or those that come here from time to time."

Loreia looked at Tatyana's beautiful and eager red eyes, making her heart thump. Her little sister was truly beautiful, and this was before she completely matured. Loreia couldn't help but imagine how beautiful Tatyana would be two or three years from now.

Then, thinking about their current conversation, she stealthily sighed, hiding the bitter smile that threatened to appear on her thin but attractive lips. 'Why do you think that I'm not marrying yet?'

Loreia, as usual, hid her deepest secret feelings and put forth a façade, smiling widely and ruffling Tatyana's hair. "You don't have to care about that. I will stay single until you find someone you like and settle down. That way, you will have someone taking care of you."

Young Tatyana missed Loreia's hidden tone and snorted. "I've already said you are Twenty. Four. Years. Old! Do you intend to take care of me for life if I don't find someone?"

Loreia looked into Tatyana's angry eyes and then looked sideways, imagining that future. In her mind, the sight of both of them spending time together, growing old, and being with each other made her become a bit dazed. Slowly and quietly, she muttered to herself, "I wish I could…"

Tatyana didn't hear her and asked, leaning a bit closer and making her natural scent tickle Loreia's nose. "What did you say?"

Loreia froze for a second at the magnified beautiful face and then answered with a confident grin.

"I said that I wish I could! You are so clumsy that I'm always worried."

Loreia, hiding her real feelings for her stepsister that threatened to spill at that moment, blurted that out in hopes of suppressing her increasingly more prominent love.

Tatyana puffed her cheeks and lightly hit Loreia's arm. "I'm not that clumsy! I'm very smart and always complete everything Mom or you tell me to do! Moreover, I'm good at hunting and medicine!"

Relief and disappointment that Tatyana didn't pick up her undertone flickered in Loreia's eyes. Still, seeing her puffed face, Loreia sincerely laughed at her cuteness and played with her soft and tender cheeks. "You are so cute, little Tatyana. How about giving big sister a big smile~."

Tatyana looked at her big sister's happy face and smiled, making Loreia's heart jump at Tatyana's beautiful face one more time. 'I shouldn't ask her these things. It is bad for my little heart. She is too beautiful.'

Loreia kissed her little sister on the forehead to soothe those feelings somewhat and said, her voice soft and gentle. "Let's go home. Your 16th birthday is approaching, so we have to prepare for the celebration."

The budding beauty grabbed Loreia's rough hand and nodded. "Let's go then. However, didn't I tell you that I didn't need a celebration? It costs a lot of money!"

Loreia laughed. "How could we not make the coming-of-age celebration? Very, very soon, the little beauty will become an adult!"

Tatyana smiled and hugged Loreia's arm as they walked. Thankfully, the big sister had lightly tanned skin or the redness of her cheeks would be too obvious.

As they walked home peacefully, Loreia suddenly asked, her voice trailing. "Do you have someone you like, Tatyana?"

Tatyana didn't answer for a few seconds, looking in her head at the men she had seen. This made her adoptive big sister hold her breath for a few seconds.

Eventually, Tatyana shook her head and harrumphed. "All the men are worse than Big Sister. I can't find someone to like!"

Loreia hid her delighted expression as a pleasant current streamed through her heart, but she couldn't hold back the happy chuckle that left her mouth. Loreia said in a teasing tone, "So they are all worse than me? How about you marry big sister? Hm~?"

Tatyana burst into laughter, finding it ridiculous, and spoke. "How could two girls marry, big sister? We can't have children that way!"

Loreia's happy heart instantly sank, and she couldn't help but retort. "So what? Can't two people be together if they love each other?"

Tatyana looked confused at Loreia's angry face. "Why are you angry, big sister? Isn't it normal to try and find a good husband to spread the lineage?"

Her face tensing, Loreia's step became slightly quicker. Tatyana hastily ran after her. "Big sister!? Wait for me!"

Loreia wanted to ignore her, but she couldn't. She slowed down and allowed Tatyana to catch up. "Why do you say it is impossible?"

Her tone was flat, and Tatyana frowned, her intelligent mind turning. Suddenly, her red eyes flashed with understanding, and she smiled teasingly. "Oh? Does Big Sister have a woman she likes?"

Loreia panicked, unable to control her expression quickly enough for Tatyana's sharp eyes to miss it. Looking at the increasingly enlightened eyes of her little sister, she felt feelings of fear, longing, excitement, and nervousness fill her. Blushing, she blurted. "Is there a problem?"

Tatyana laughed and hummed. She had finally realized why her sister was so adamant about not marrying. "No. Nothing wrong with it! If Big Sister likes a girl, then that girl must be a marvelous person." Thoughtful, Tatyana spoke. "If Mom and Dad oppose it, I'll take your side."

Loreia was instantly stunned. 'Huh? She isn't against it?' Then, a silly smile formed on her lips, 'Then, all I have to do is work harder~.'

Tatyana blinked her ruby eyes twice cutely as she looked at Loreia's silly smiling face. 'Why is big sister smiling like that? Is she that happy about this?'

Somehow, Tatyana felt a bit jealous of that mysterious woman. 'Will she steal Big Sister from me? Bad woman!' But she didn't show that on her face, wishing in her heart that Loreia's love could be realized.

She wasn't very bright relationship-wise since she had always been receiving adoring looks from almost anyone, making her somewhat of an airhead except for those uneasy, lustful glances. Loreia's protection had made it quite difficult to get any experience whatsoever with men.

Therefore, the almost sixteen-year-old Tatyana was clueless and couldn't even stop to think that the woman might be her.

In that fashion, each with their thoughts, they arrived at their house shortly after.