50: A Place of Comfort
I didn’t know how Leticia’s mother made a living.
Therefore, I couldn’t rule out the possibility that she worked at a brothel.
While there was no comparing which was ‘worse’—a father frequenting such establishments or a mother working in one—either way, if it were true, it would be incredibly awkward as half-sisters.
“I… also have dealings with such establishments. And I believe… I understand the circumstances of those who work there.”
I was in a position of power, the one who did the utilizing.
I would probably never truly understand them.
Just as they would probably never truly understand the weight on the shoulders of the Vanderwaals family head.
But I couldn’t be so detached as to be unmoved by their circumstances.
“So… even if your mother worked in a profession you might not approve of, there’s no need to be ashamed.”
I considered being mean.
However, even a seemingly heartless ‘villainous sister’ had her limits.
We had both lost our mothers, and our fathers.
I loved my mother, and I was sure Leticia did too.
If I did anything to tarnish that, my sins would be beyond even the guillotine’s judgment.
“Leticia, I don’t know what your mother did. I’ll be honest. When I decided to bring you into the family, I investigated both you and your mother. But I found nothing. That’s all there is to it.”
I couldn’t find any trace.
“Is that so… I wonder what Mother did…”
“…I don’t know. There’s no way to tell.”
There was no way to confirm it now.
When I learned of my sister’s existence, I searched through the remaining family documents.
However, my father hadn’t left any records about Leticia or her mother.
The passage of time had veiled everything in the mists of the past.
However, I had another hypothesis.
…I suspected Leticia’s mother might have been one of the Vanderwaals’ “shadows.”
Perhaps she had been working undercover in the “back alley,” quietly and inconspicuously—for the “Coldhearted Vanderwaals.”
There was no comparing which was ‘worse’—a father having an affair with a prostitute or a father having an affair with one of his subordinates.
As a daughter, I wanted to take issue with the former, and as the head of the family, I wanted to take issue with the latter.
Either way, it seemed that even my father, who I had always seen as cold, strict, dignified, and worthy of both fear and respect, had his secrets.
Leticia spoke.
“What if…”
But then she stopped.
“…What if?”
I prompted her.
She hesitated, then looked at me intently.
Her blue eyes, the same color as mine, were filled with anxiety.
“What if… the investigation… had found something? Would you… still have acknowledged me… as a Vanderwaals relative?”
I answered immediately.
“—No.”
“…Big Sister.”
“Call me ‘Elder Sister.’”
This exchange was becoming routine.
“…I don’t like you.”
It was a lie—but also partly true.
…I wanted her to stop messing with the gears of fate with her cuteness.
And I wanted her to follow the [Official Scenario] a little more closely. She was the protagonist, after all.
Leticia looked downcast, but I pretended not to notice and continued,
“I can’t imagine what Father was thinking.”
I sighed, my breath misting in the cold air.
The lack of records meant he was guilty in his daughter’s eyes.
…Even if there were records, explaining the circumstances behind his relationship with Leticia’s mother, I would still be angry. As his daughter, he would probably be guilty no matter what.
If Leticia had been my full sister…
If we had grown up together in the same mansion, if I could have showered her with affection…
How happy I would have been.
Perhaps I would have grown up a little more… normally.
But that past didn’t exist.
Such shared experiences weren’t allowed between my sister and me.
Even so.
“Even so, we are sisters, connected by blood.”
“…Elder Sister.”
“Make yourself useful.”
I smiled as sarcastically as possible.
Balance was important.
“Yes. I’ll do my best.”
As her older sister, I felt like I could forgive my father’s sins.
Because he had left such an adorable sister in this world.
I had a feeling that, whether or not my mother forgave him, she would have loved Leticia.
――Even though there was no such scenario.
All three of our parents were gone, taking their secrets with them.
I, too, would probably die with secrets of my own.
“We’re… a strange pair of sisters, aren’t we?”
Fate had made us sisters.
She would be gifted with happiness, and I would be sent to the guillotine.
I could accept that.
Because my death had meaning.
“…Yes, we are.”
Leticia gave a wry smile.
That smile also had its own unique charm, and I wanted to hug her.
“—Achoo!”
Leticia sneezed.
Even her sneezes were cute, but I urged her towards the mansion.
“Come on, let’s go back inside. You can take a bath after that.”
“Yes, Elder Sister.”
We talked as we unwrapped our mufflers.
While I was holding back on my meanness, we seemed like normal sisters.
The next [Official Event] I would be involved in was in spring.
While it seemed like we had plenty of time, considering the density of events, there weren’t many left.
From now on, the story would be woven between my sister and the [Capture Targets]. The villainous sister was just a spice, not invited to the main romance.
She had apparently used her ‘freedom of action,’ in her own unique way, to visit the Royal Castle on the first day.
While I wasn’t worried about Prince Konrad or Knight Commander Felix, whose favorability seemed high, I was concerned about Chief Physician Louis, whose scenes I had stolen. However, it seemed she had interacted with him to thank him, and they had talked afterward. I tried to subtly inquire about the topic of their conversation, but she wouldn’t tell me.
According to Leticia, it was “various things.”
I wanted to know what those ‘various things’ were.
In any case, she was surely accumulating [Individual Events].
However, she didn’t seem to be pursuing any particular person at the moment.
The romance was still a free-for-all.
I removed my gloves and flexed my hands, which were stiff from gripping the shovel.
Leticia did the same…
…and then she took my hand.
Our slightly sweaty hands touched.
“…Leticia, what are you—”
“Let’s go home, Big Sister Adelheid.”
Home.
…Had this mansion become my sister’s ‘home’?
Had it become a place of comfort for her, who had lost her mother, lived alone in a single room of a dilapidated, almost abandoned house without even glass windows, a house that would likely collapse under the weight of snow, and worked jobs a noble lady would never do, surviving tenaciously?
Had it…?
I decided not to pull away from Leticia’s hand as she tugged me along.
After all, the future was predetermined.
I wouldn’t let anyone change the ending.
Not even myself.
I had less than a year left.
So, until spring…
…wasn’t it within the performer’s discretion to spend the intermission like this?
As I opened the front door, Leticia looked back at me.
She was wearing a soft smile.
Seeing that smile, I felt like everything—past and future—was worth it.
As we walked down the hallway, hand in hand, Leticia stopped, as if she had thought of something.
She turned to me with a mischievous smile.
“By the way, since we’re here, why don’t we take a bath together?”
“Go bathe by yourself.”
I wished she would stop tempting me.
My sister laughed brightly again and pulled my hand.
< Volume 1 End >
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