Chapter 649: So, Are You Planning To Punish Me For Being Naughty? [Part 1]

"Joanne, it's time for dinner," Princess Ramona said as she looked at the curled-up girl, covered with a blanket, on the bed. "Come out so that we can eat together with Ethan."

"I'm not hungry," Joanne replied from under the blanket. "I ate too much earlier, so you can eat with him on your own."

Princess Ramona sat on the bed with a sigh.

Ever since they returned to her Villa, her friend had not said a word to her, and looked down for some reason.

"Did my brother do something to you earlier?" Princess Ramona asked. "If he did something, tell me. I'll make sure to tell Ethan and Father about it."

"Hmph! As if that weakling can do anything to me. Just go and leave me alone. I want to sleep early."

"… Fine. But if you change your mind, you can still join us, okay?"

Seeing that Joanne had no intention to answer, the Princess sighed a second time.

However, since she could tell that Joanne had no intention of leaving the bed, she decided to leave her alone and have dinner with Ethan.

Once she was certain that her friend had really left her alone, Joanne popped her head out of the blanket with a pouting face.

'Look at you throwing a tantrum like this because you let your guard down earlier,' Joanne's Other Half said in a teasing tone. 'Were you scared?'

'No,' Joanne replied. But as if wanting to prove that she wasn't really scared of what happened, she repeated her answer. This time, her tone was firmer than ever. "NO. I wasn't scared."

A giggle sounded inside her Sea of Consciousness.

"Of course, you weren't scared," Joanne's Other Half commented. "After all, you knew you had me as insurance if things went terribly wrong. But, be honest with me. You were scared, right? It's no use hiding it since you and I share the same body."

Joanne closed her eyes and didn't even bother to confirm or deny her Other Half's words.

Earlier, when Prince Rufus' empowered Charm Spell hit her, it did manage to break past her mental defenses.

While she was under the Charm Spell, she could clearly see and hear everything around her.

The taunting words that the Prince said to her and the order he gave her to kiss him made her skin crawl so much.

'I'd rather kiss that so-called brother of mine than kiss that disgusting scum,' Joanne thought, which elicited another giggle from her Other Half.

'I know, right?" Joanne's Other Half smiled sweetly. 'Comparing your brother to that scum is like comparing a human to a cockroach.'

'I'm going to sleep,' Joanne stated. 'Wake me up early tomorrow, so I can teach Ramona magic.'

'Understood, my dearest Joanne,' Joanne's Other Half replied. 'Do you want me to cast a dream spell so that you will dream a happy dream?'

'Un.'

'One happy dream coming right up!'

Joanne felt lonely most of the time, which caused her to always have trouble sleeping. She was only able to sleep well the past few days because she and Ramona slept in the same bed.

She didn't expect that sleeping with someone would be enough to put her mind and heart at ease.

The princess was of the same age as her, and unlike her, who had an aloof and cold attitude, Ramona was the complete opposite—warm, kind, and friendly.

Perhaps that was also the reason why she felt a kinship toward the Princess who did not hesitate to hold her hand, despite her cold attitude. seaʀᴄh thё Nôvel(F)ire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

A minute later, the young lady's soft sleeper breaths reverberated inside the room as she slept soundly on top of the bed.

Half an hour later, the young lady opened her eyes, and a mischievous smile was plastered on her face.

The first thing 'Joanne' did was fold the blanket she used, after which she left the room to look for her 'friend', whom she believed had already finished eating.

Just as she expected, Princess Ramona was on the balcony with Ethan, looking at the purple sky.

The sun had just set, and the stars were starting to show up in the heavens.

Princess Ramona and Ethan sensed her arrival and looked in her direction.

Joanne calmly walked toward them and did something that caught the princess and the young man by surprise.

Instead of taking the empty chair beside Princess Ramona, Joanne sat on Ethan's lap and kissed his right cheek.

After that, she rested her head on her shoulders and closed her eyes in satisfaction.

"W-W-Wha…" Princess Ramona, who momentarily lost the ability to speak, looked at her friend with eyes filled with disbelief.

She knew how much Joanne hated her brother, so seeing her act so intimate made her wonder if she drank some kind of juice that she wasn't supposed to drink.

It was not only Princess Ramona, who was caught by surprise by Joanne's action. Ethan, who had been kissed by his sister, also stiffened before shuddering subconsciously. It felt even weirder when he was hugged by the young lady, whose head was now resting on his shoulder.

"Brother, I love you," Joanne said softly, making Princess Ramona's face turn beet red.

'Ethan, be careful,' Sebastian commented. 'It might be a prank. When girls usually do this, they will ask something from you.'

Ethan's Other Half, on the other hand, smirked and remained silent.

He wanted to know how things would turn out, so he didn't mention anything to the young man, who was at a loss whether he would hug his sister back and return her kiss on the cheek.

To his surprise, the young man didn't hug, kiss, or push the girl who was sitting on her lap away.

He only asked her a question.

"Who are you?" Ethan asked, which made Princess Ramona's eyes turn solemn.

"Why are you asking me this, Brother?" Joanne said as she raised her head and cupped Ethan's face. "I'm sure you already know what is happening, right? After all, you and I are the same."

Ethan met the young lady's gaze, and for a brief moment, saw a purple light flash in the depths of her blue eyes.

"I see," Ethan nodded. "So, you are the naughty Joanne."

Joanne giggled, and her giggle was like the sound of peeling bells that made anyone who heard it feel as if their hearts were melting.

Ethan's sister was already an extremely cute girl, and seeing her act girly was enough to make any man feel the strong urge to protect her smile.

"Yes, brother," Joanne replied sweetly. "I'm your naughty sister. So, are you planning to punish me for being naughty?"

"W-W-Wha—" Princess Ramona, who didn't know if she should pull her friend away from her brother or join her to sit on Ethan's lap, once again lost the ability to talk.

Sebastian, who finally realized what was happening, glanced at his comrade before laughing out loud.

He didn't expect Joanne to also have another version of her inside her head, who was looking after her and willing to lend her help when she needed it the most.

Joanne's Other Half, who had been found out, kissed Ethan's left cheek this time before resting her head on Ethan's shoulder.

Since Ethan's sister didn't want to acknowledge him, her Other Half decided to take the opportunity while Joanne was sleeping to spend some quality family time with the young man, whom she was talking to for the first time since she had awakened inside Joanne's consciousness.