60: A Mud-Covered Saint
Knight Commander Felix, minus three points.
Prince Konrad, minus two points.
Chief Physician Louis, minus one point. (in order of score)
The three men’s favorability ratings plummeted shortly after the [Horse Riding Event] began.
For my sister, it was a heart-pounding romantic event (probably), and for me, it was an opportunity to assess whether these men were worthy of her.
While I was judging them, ultimately, the choice was Leticia’s, so my opinion of them didn’t matter.
However, since I couldn’t just gallop off on Lillie, all I could do was observe and mentally deduct points.
Felix, who showed no concern for my sister on her pony despite his earlier words of caution, was out of the question. He was treating a leisurely ride with a lady the same as a ride with his fellow knights.
Konrad wasn’t much better. He hadn’t made her gallop, but he was far ahead.
Louis… was keeping an eye on us from a distance, but he hadn’t said anything, so he wasn’t being helpful.
…I was starting to worry about my sister’s future after I was gone.
Well, they were supposed to be closer by then…
And my sister was supposed to be able to choose who she rode with during this event…
My sister seemed a little nervous.
Well, she had been expecting a pleasant horseback ride, only to be given a pony as a mean-spirited prank. It was understandable.
“…Leticia, you can ride with those three if you’d like.”
I tried to say it gently, so she wouldn’t feel pressured to stay with me.
However, my sister, riding her pony beside me, looked up at me—since she was on a smaller horse, she had to look up—and smiled radiantly.
“I want to be next to Elder Sister.”
Her cuteness was interfering with my plans!
“…Flattery won’t get you anywhere.”
“That’s not what I—”
My sister’s expression visibly darkened.
Oh, dear! I didn’t mean it like that! I didn’t want to make her sad!
But there was nothing I could do.
…Well, I was supposed to be sent to the guillotine as the head of the Vanderwaals family, not stripped of my title.
Our graves might be next to each other.
It was a long-term plan, since I intended for my sister to live a long and happy life.
Thinking such thoughts, I watched for the right moment.
We were almost at the designated spot.
The moment everyone’s attention shifted away from my sister, I made my move.
“—!”
I let out a dramatic scream, feigning a loss of balance—I slipped my foot out of the stirrup and ‘fell’ towards my sister.
What was I doing falling? Well—the scenario didn’t say the ‘villainous sister didn’t fall,’ nor did it say she had to ‘look down from her horse.’ Besides, when I callously plucked the wildflower and threw it at her, I was on the ground. Doing it earlier wouldn’t change anything.
I ‘fell’ from my horse, bumping Leticia’s pony and causing her to fall as well, while subtly guiding her fall with my hand on her back to prevent any serious injuries.
Bracing myself for some bruises, I landed on the grass, rolled to lessen the impact, quickly got to my feet, and positioned myself to look down at my sister.
“E-Elder Sister? W-what—? Mud?”
My sister, sitting on the ground, looked up at me with bewildered eyes, covered in mud.
I had carefully dug up the soil with a shovel and sprinkled it with water, creating a muddy patch that would both cushion her fall and enhance the visual impact of my mean-spirited prank. I had even meticulously removed any small stones, so while she was muddy, she shouldn’t be injured.
Of course, I had prepared several such spots.
It had been a full day’s work.
I had used all my free time, somehow squeezed out of my schedule, preparing for this day, to safely push Leticia off her pony.
It had been a good workout.
Today’s ‘fall’ and ‘injury’ were meant to showcase my cruelty as the villainous sister to the player.
And to lessen the unpleasant aftertaste of my execution.
But wouldn’t everyone in this world already know that?
That’s why I decided to preempt fate and create the [Falling Event] myself.
And, looking down at my sister, still sitting on the ground, I delivered the [Official Line].
“[Oh dear, Leticia. Despite all my instruction, you still can’t ride properly. Perhaps you’re better suited to tending to draft horses?]”
She was riding a pony, and I was the one who pushed her off.
The line lacked any credibility, but wasn’t being unreasonable part of being a villain?
I wasn’t expected to be reasonable.
My ‘role’ was the [Villainous Sister] of [Moonlight Liberium].
“Um, that was… kind of weird… did you perhaps—”
“—What was that?”
I silenced her with a glare.
“N-nothing!”
My sister lowered her gaze.
“Lady Leticia!”
The prince called out my sister’s name and rode towards her.
He subtly pulled on the reins, using his horse as a barrier. I understood his haste, but what was he going to do if his horse couldn’t stop in time? Minus points.
“—Leticia?! What happened?!”
Minus points for the Knight Commander as well. Leaving the lady he was supposed to be protecting to go off on his own; what a mutt.
While scouting ahead to ensure there were no dangers was important, his first priority should have been to watch me.
“Leticia, are you hurt?”
Perhaps I would give the Chief Physician a pass.
Though just being near my sister warranted a deduction.
All three of them looked at me as if I were their sworn enemy.
“[Oh my, what’s with the scary looks? —This was just an accident, wasn’t it?]”
What a nasty line.
It sounded exactly like something I would say.
Well, it was me, so naturally.
The mutt, I mean, Knight Commander Felix, snapped at me.
“You…! There’s a difference between right and wrong!”
“I didn’t do anything… anything to hurt my precious little sister…”
I smiled seductively.
Well, all I had done today was put my sister on a pony and make her land on her backside in a mud puddle I had diligently prepared the day before.
Thank you, Ciel. Thanks to your rigorous training, I was able to push my sister off her horse while pretending to fall, without injuring her—I sent a grateful thought to my absent tutor.
Lillie, who had suddenly been forced to dismount, was also unharmed. I also confirmed that the pony, which had been similarly forced to dismount Leticia, was also fine.
“I-I’m alright. It was… my fault… I-I fell on my own. I’m not hurt.”
My sister shook her head.
No, I pushed you.
“Lady Leticia…”
“Leticia…”
“Leticia…”
The three men looked at her with concern, seeing her bravely enduring such unfair treatment.
Good, they were all on my sister’s side!
Now, for the finishing touch.
I checked to make sure the [Yamaidome] was at my feet.
――Of course, I had created the mud puddle where it was growing.
A resilient plant that bloomed from spring to late autumn. Its jagged leaves grew in thick clusters, and its small white flowers, while not showy, were… quite pretty.
Harvesting and drying the Yamaidome before the onset of winter… before the snow buried it and it lost its blossoms, to be brewed and used as needed—that was a practice of the past.
Even now, it was sometimes used in herbal teas as a folk remedy, and the Vanderwaals had also been producing it in small quantities.
However, it had a distinct bitterness and was mainly advertised as a stimulant.
I plucked one of the delicate white flowers and tossed it at my sister.
It landed on her ample bosom.
“[Here’s your medicine. Just right for a country bumpkin like you.]”
The prince, the Knight Commander, and the Chief Physician all closed in.
“Lady Adelheid! We will be filing a formal complaint with the Royal Palace about today’s incident!”
“Be my guest. But if you protest over such a trivial matter, it’s my sister who will be embarrassed.”
Villainous.
“Adelheid! Stop disgracing the family name!”
“Oh, I’m honored that you’re so concerned about our family name. But… you know… our family is known as the ‘Coldhearted Vanderwaals,’ and I am the head of the family…”
Villainous.
“Lady Adelheid…! What were you planning to do if she had been seriously injured?”
“Injured? She’s just a girl, not even the head of the family. What’s the problem?”
Villainous.
“Thank you… Elder Sister…”
Huh?
Leticia picked up the flower from her chest and examined it closely.
“This flower… it’s medicinal, isn’t it?”
She knew?
At this point in the game, there was no explanation; it was simply a scene where the [Protagonist], the player’s avatar, was callously tossed a weed and told it was medicine…
The fact that this plant was once used medicinally was something the player only learned after diligently researching in the library, connecting it to my words.
There was no indication that Leticia had this knowledge… there shouldn’t be.
“You were worried about me, even though I wasn’t hurt.”
Um, no…
This wasn’t going as planned.
The three men reached the edge of the mud puddle, but Leticia stood up and climbed out without any help.
Then, she smiled brightly.
“Are you alright, Elder Sister?”
…My sister was a saint.
I wondered when the guillotine would finally claim me…
Or rather, let’s just skip ahead to the ball.
My sister was a saint.
“Lady Leticia…”
“Leticia…”
“Leticia…”
While all three men’s favorability towards her seemed to be increasing, I was actually the one whose favorability towards my sister was increasing the most.
But this event had to end with the lines from the scenario.
“[This has ruined my mood. I’m leaving.]”
“Whoa!”
As a final touch, I pulled a towel from my pocket and threw it at my sister’s face.
“This rag is all that’s fit for such a dirty face.”
It was clean, by the way.
“Make sure you wash off all that mud. You won’t be allowed back in the mansion otherwise.”
Tossing her the towel under the guise of meanness was… probably within the performer’s discretion.
Ignoring the three men, who were now glaring daggers at me, I gracefully mounted Lillie and nudged her sides.
Without looking back, I urged her forward, picking up speed.
“Elder Sister!”
To outrun my sister’s voice calling after me.
I wiped the mud from my cheek with the back of my hand.
I looked down at the mud smeared on my skin.
…I wish I could have stayed like that.
With my sweet little sister, who still admired me—the head of the “Coldhearted Vanderwaals”—as her older sister, despite everything.
I wanted to walk alongside her on horseback through the refreshing summer fields, undisturbed, enjoying the scenery and each other’s company.
But that was outside the performer’s discretion.
I didn’t want to change the future.
I shouldn’t change it, for my own selfish desires.
――Except for the future where she found happiness.
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