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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: My Rival Sister Cares for Me
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“Lady Harper, about yesterday…”
Jena carefully began.
“Yesterday?”
She seemed to be referring to my quarrel with Clarissa and Leroy’s expulsion, but her serious expression suggested it wasn’t simply a ‘congratulations on winning’ sentiment.
Oh, was she belatedly going to scold me for switching the food?
Suddenly, I felt cold sweat trickle down my back. Jena was a gentle person, but she could be terrifying when she scolded someone.
“Yesterday, I had no choice but to…”
“I owe you a debt of gratitude, my Lady.”
Just as I was racking my brain for an excuse, Jena knelt on one knee and firmly grasped my hand.
“…Huh?”
“If you hadn’t exposed Leroy’s actions… I would have been the one beaten and thrown out.”
Jena, whose eyes met mine, spoke in a slightly subdued voice. Her eyes glistened as if on the verge of tears.
“No! If I hadn’t gone to the kitchen…”
“I should have handled the food situation myself so that you wouldn’t have had to go to the kitchen. In truth, I deserved to be punished.”
I shook my head, but Jena didn’t release my hand and continued.
“Because you were young and never voiced any complaints… I thought the situation was acceptable as it was. To be honest, I even resented you, thinking no one appreciated my work.”
“Jena…”
“But not anymore.”
She wiped away her tears with a swift motion and smiled at me. It was a smile that showed genuine affection and a certain resolve.
“The moment you demanded an apology from the Madam on my behalf, I decided. You are my only master, my Lady. As long as I live…”
She kissed the back of my hand and said,
“That will never change.”
For a while, I couldn’t think of anything to say.
A vow of loyalty—I had never heard such words in my previous life. Jena was a kind person, but there had always been a distance between us.
I didn’t want to harm Jena because of my own circumstances, and Jena had no reason to risk her life to be loyal to me.
I had always thought it was for the best that she married and left my side during my dangerous period. Especially since the man Jena met happened to be a wizard exceptionally skilled in concealment.
Thanks to him, she not only avoided the conflict between Callista and me but also survived after the Crown Prince’s war broke out. She was truly a winner.
“Now, please go. I will come for you at mealtime.”
As if she had said all she needed to, she stood up and gently nudged me into the hallway. The sky-blue water bucket dangled from my hand.
What was that just now?
I hadn’t intended for it, but my relationship with Jena seemed to have deepened, becoming more intertwined.
***
“Hmph!”
*Creak—Clunk.*
“Hwaaah!”
*Creeeeak—Thud.*
“Phew…”
I took a deep breath, then leaned my entire body against the heavy library door, a massive thing of dark wood with melted gold decorations, and pushed with all my might.
This was my third desperate attempt to push the door open. The previous two times, the door had merely trembled before swinging shut again. As a result, I was drenched in sweat.
This room wasn’t meant for children to use. No, in the first place, I was the only child in the Ducal House who would even enter the central building.
Move, you stupid door!
I glared at the colossal dark brown object, gathered strength from my gut, and let out a yell.
“YAAAAAAAH!”
*Creeeeeeeak—*
Putting every ounce of my strength into it, a small glimmer of hope appeared. Before, the door would swing shut the moment it moved, but now I could see into the library.
“Ugh!”
*Creak—Whoosh!*
Suddenly, the door swung inward.
“Kyaaah!”
Having leaned my body against the door, I stumbled into the library in a rather undignified manner, practically tumbling inside.
If someone hadn’t caught my arm, I probably would have fallen.
“You’re quite boisterous for your first day, my Lady.”
The long fingers that had gripped my arm belonged to none other than Theon.
His sharp, gleaming eyes stared at me from behind his glasses.
“Uncle Theon!”
“You must be quiet in the library.”
“But! There’s no one else here right now…”
“It is loud to my ears.”
Oh, that’s harsh. To a child who just almost fell.
I thought we had become a little closer after I helped him get rid of Leroy Brown.
Theon released my arm and straightened his bent posture. His naturally tall frame, standing ramrod straight, made him seem even more distant and imposing.
Judging by his strict expression, he seemed to have been waiting for me, intending to lecture me at length about library etiquette. I meekly clasped my hands and tried to look as bright-eyed as possible, awaiting his words.
Considering he was letting me use the library, I could at least listen to that much.
“You haven’t brought any food in, have you?”
“No, sir.”
“Half of the books on the third floor are unique items in the entire Empire. Even the Emperor covets them.”
“Yes, sir.”
“If there are any books you wish to remove, you must show them to me first. Of course, books on the third floor are strictly off-limits.”
“Yes, sir.”
“If even a single mark is made on a book… *Cough!*”
He was about to lay down the law when he suddenly broke into a coughing fit.
“*Cough, cough!* Excuse me, my Lady.”
“…Uncle? Are you alright?”
“I’m fine. It’s due to the dry weather… *cough!* You may go now.”
He pulled out a handkerchief and covered his mouth, turning away as if accustomed to it. His already pale face was completely drained of color.
“*Cough!* *Haaah*…”
I quietly moved, leaving the sound of his coughing behind me. And as I ascended the spiral staircase, just as Theon had instructed, I thought:
‘It must have started quite a while ago.’
Theon, who had everything, lacked only one thing in his previous life: health. He had always been plagued by a cough. It lasted until his death.
It wasn’t fatal, but it must have been quite distressing for him. In winter, he would sometimes cough up blood, and he couldn’t sleep properly at night.
No matter what remedies he tried, nothing worked, because it wasn’t a common illness but rather caused by a poisonous herb he’d accidentally ingested as a child.
Since the poisonous herb itself was rare, no physician in the capital could cure it.
‘There was a way to fix that, though…’
I paused on the stairs and turned my head to look at Theon. I hesitated for a moment, wondering whether to tell him the information I had accidentally learned in my previous life.
“*Cough!*”
Turning back at the sound of another cough, I saw Theon half-turned away, stuffing a handkerchief into his mouth. He was struggling to stifle the sound, while his peripheral vision seemed to be wary of me.
“I told you not to worry, my Lady,” he added coolly. His demeanor, almost like a warning not to pity him, made my shoulders hunch.
Right. Theon, who came from humble beginnings and associated with the wealthy, loathed nothing more than being pitied.
Knowing this, even Callista, who was generally considerate of her subordinates, never offered him a simple ‘Are you well?’
“…Yes, sir.”
Alright, I’ll leave him be.
Yesterday, I had tried my best to gain Theon’s attention, but now that I had permission to use the library, I had no further business with him.
Anyway, he would eventually serve Callista as his master, and that would make him dangerous to me.
I turned my head back and quickened my pace.
The atmosphere was uncomfortable, so I just wanted to hurry up and get upstairs.
*Thump, thump, thump… thump… thump.*
Huh?
“Haaah… *gasp*.”
Contrary to my intentions, my footsteps, which had been echoing loudly, gradually slowed.
Why are these damn stairs so tall?
The bookshelves were unusually tall, which meant the ceilings of each floor were incredibly high. This meant I had to climb for a long time to reach the next floor.
And just like the library door, these stairs—narrow in width and high in rise—were not designed with a child in mind.
And there was even less consideration for a child like me, whose nutritional status wasn’t exactly great.
“Ugh… Huh?”
Perhaps I’d put too much strength into my legs, but as I tried to step onto the second floor, my foot slipped, and I felt my body sink. My leg had plunged right into the gap between the stairs.
“Kyaaah!”
*Grab!*
Some long fingers wrapped around my wildly flailing body. The next moment, my leg was dangling in the air.
“…Uncle Theon?”
“You cause trouble the moment I look away?”
I looked up to see Theon, who had somehow followed me up, glaring at me with his steely gray eyes.
*Pull—*
He gripped me with both hands and pulled me out of the gap in the stairs with a forceful tug.
“Let me down! I can go by myself!”
“It’s a waste of time. Your short legs won’t get you there quickly.”
Without listening to my request, he grabbed both my arms, tucked them firmly against my sides, and simply lifted me up again.
I was carried up the stairs, stiff and unmoving like a log.
*Thump, thump, thump.*
Theon strode up the stairs in that manner, then deposited me onto the green carpet as if rolling a ball.
“Ugh…”
I slumped to the floor, feeling like a rag doll. It was nice to arrive quickly, but my dignity was in tatters.
“Here we are, the third floor. Feel free to look around.”
“Yes, sir…”
I answered weakly and stood up, heading towards the gap between the bookshelves in front of me. My body, which had swayed for a moment, quickly regained its balance.
Still seeming displeased, he followed a few steps behind me, as if keeping watch.
His presence was burdensome, but I couldn’t meet his sharp gaze and tell him to leave.
Alright, I’ve arrived. I decided to look at the situation positively.
I familiarized myself with the organization of the bookshelves and the titles of various books, searching for the area I wanted.
With every step I took, my eyes widened a little more.
