Chapter 13
What was it? I didn’t particularly remember anything, but did Charlize ever bully her just by smiling?
“……At least today, I don’t think you’re a bad person, Du-Duchess.”
“That’s an honest impression.”
Excluding today, she thought I was a bad person. Exactly right.
Because excluding today, it had all been the real Charlize up until then.
“A-Are you angry?”
“No? Why would I be angry? Getting angry is just a waste of energy anyway. More importantly, now that we can talk, I’m curious why you came to see me. Can I ask?”
Aria’s complexion wasn’t looking good at all, so it seemed like I should either go out myself and call for a Remute Family knight or wait for the mages to hurry up and arrive.
“……Ac-Actually, it’s because… I feel like it’s my fault that you’re here, Duchess.”
“Ah. You mean when you fainted after seeing me a few days ago?”
I gently rubbed my arm and shook my head.
“You don’t need to think that way. Even if that hadn’t happened, Duke Remute would have gotten angry about something anyway. He hates me, that man.”
At that, Aria’s eyes widened round, and her mouth twitched.
It was as if she was admitting that was an undeniable truth she couldn’t make excuses for.
“But this time, I think my brother got even angrier because of me. Actually, this time you didn’t do anything wrong, Duchess.”
“It’s fine. I understand. Just because I didn’t do anything this time doesn’t mean all the things I did before are forgotten.”
That’s why it was so unfair.
How on earth was I supposed to atone for all the karma this Charlize had racked up?
Well, the path to becoming a rich, idle noblewoman wouldn’t be easy, I supposed.
“…….”
Aria stared at me with that same enigmatic expression from before.
I couldn’t tell what she was thinking, but with the orange blanket pulled up over her head and her groaning faintly, she somehow looked like a white rabbit surrounded by carrots. I barely suppressed a laugh.
What a pair of beautiful siblings.
“……This is the first proper conversation we’ve had, but you don’t seem like a bad person all the way to your heart.”
I’d wondered what she was thinking so hard about. I couldn’t help but make a slightly surprised face.
‘……What is this near-blank-slate purity?’
Hey, if you’re going to drop your guard this quickly just because I gave you a blanket, spoke politely a few times, and said some nice things, what am I supposed to do? Think about what I’ve done!
I was dumbfounded, but I kept my mouth firmly shut.
Right, actually, I’m a different person. It was great if this pretty beauty saw me in a good light.
But since I had a conscience, I couldn’t help but add one thing.
“This is probably not my place to say, but think about the things I did before.”
No, her fiancé would make sure she didn’t get beaten up out there somewhere.
Was that why her little sister grew up so pure and innocent? Like a flower in a greenhouse?
‘Ugh, she has such stunning beauty that I’d want to cherish her like a flower…….’
“If you let your guard down that easily, you’ll get hurt badly somewhere.”
“Wh-When you say it like that, it makes you seem even less bad. Of course, I haven’t forgotten…….”
Fortunately, the wind showed signs of dying down, but the rain poured even harder.
If it didn’t let up, I was about to go out and call a knight myself, but now I could barely see an inch in front of me.
I’d said I didn’t care if I caught a cold, but I didn’t want to invite a full-blown illness on purpose.
“……They didn’t even light a single magic lantern at night.”
“Ah, that’s because the castle has no money…….”
Aria said that and her face turned bright red. She soon made a pouty face, so she wasn’t completely clueless about their situation.
“It’s because of me. Because so much money goes to me…….”
Anyway, I couldn’t go out until the rain let up even a little, so I had no choice but to wait patiently for the rain to ease or for the mages to arrive.
I swept my hair up.
“Well, I don’t think your brother would want you thinking that way.”
In the book, Duke Remute endured all of Charlize’s misdeeds.
But the trigger that finally made him snap, join hands with the heroine, and kill his fiancée himself was none other than his little sister.
Because his one and only precious family member, whom he cherished above all, ended up dying because of his fiancée.
“You’re not his only family? Duke Remute seemed like a parent to you.”
“…….”
“Well, saying this, I don’t have parents either, so I can kind of understand how you feel.”
Both I and Charlize had lost our parents.
Charlize at least had a brother whose treatment of her was questionable, but my brother Yoon Ji-hoon had died along with our parents. That was a difference.
“Having only a brother versus having at least one parent alive is definitely different.”
What if Yoon Ji-hoon had lived? Would that wretched brother have tried to take care of me like Duke Remute? Probably. Even so…….
“Either way, a brother can’t fulfill every role.”
Aria hesitated a little before nodding slightly.
“……You’re right. Ah! Not that my brother is bad.”
“I know.”
“I wish my brother would rely on me too…….”
Rely on her? I got the meaning, but wouldn’t her shoulders be too slender for anyone to lean on?
Her fiancé would probably be grateful just for her breathing. I scratched the back of my neck awkwardly and stood up from my seat.
“If you’re so worried about your brother, try to live at least one more day.”
I plopped down next to Aria.
“And sorry, but it’s too cold. I won’t take the blanket, so I’ll just stick close for a bit. Susan, you come over here too? The temperature’s dropping more.”
“Yes, yes, Duchess!”
Suddenly, we were huddled together closely.
For a moment, I wondered what this was, and a soft laugh escaped me.
As she blinked wide-eyed, I felt her gaze and turned to see Aria staring at me intently.
“Why?”
“Ah, um! Your hair is just… so pretty, Duchess…….”
Ah, this? I lifted a lock of my slightly damp hair.
My straight hair hung limply in the humid air, but thanks to regular care, it still held its luster even in this atmosphere.
“Your color is pretty too. Silver is a rare color, isn’t it?”
“M-Mine tangles so easily…….”
“Then how about changing your hairstyle? Try cutting it a little.”
Still, pressing skin to skin under the blanket felt decently warm.
I turned to Susan. Soon, I had her bring me a comb.
“If you don’t mind, want me to teach you how to brush it? Just brushing properly can make your hair shine.”
“Ah…… I-I-I’m curious. If it’s okay with you…….”
It was a memory from Charlize, not me.
This villainess had natural beauty on top of proper care, it seemed. Vicious, with high pride too.
With Aria’s permission, I took her hair and started brushing, but what was this.
‘It’s really tangled.’
Her hair, which looked like a pretty color from afar, up close had no luster from all her illness, was limp, and tangled badly.
Plus, affected by the humid air, it frizzed more as I brushed.
“……Du-Duchess……. Sh-Should I do it?”
“Hmm…….”
Maybe I’d been too confident with an expert right there.
With an awkward expression, I nodded and handed the comb to Susan, then explained the situation to Aria. Fortunately, she nodded readily, saying it was fine.
What a kind, gentle girl. Could we get closer? I wanted to.
It was right at that moment, in the midst of our warm, chatty conversation as we switched places.
Bang.
The door flew open roughly without warning.
“Aria!”
Whoosh. Even amid the roaring rain, it was a rough, booming voice that pierced the ears.
I quietly looked at the heaving broad shoulders.
It was Askin.
His sharp gaze flicked to Aria once, to me once, alternating between us.
Soon, the greatest fury I’d ever seen twisted across that beautiful face.
Wait, that guy had misunderstood something…….
“Did you just grab my little sister’s hair?!”
No!
In my injustice, I jumped up from my seat.
But maybe because I’d been shivering too much in the cold, my body staggered.
“Miss!”
“Du-Duchess!”
Fortunately, Susan caught and supported me.
In the meantime, Aria had been swiftly scooped up by her brother and pulled out of the carriage.
“Get down right now.”
“Brother, Brother, wait! Brother!”
“You stay put.”
I bit my lip hard. No, why had the situation turned out like this?
I thought an explanation should come first, so I quietly got out of the carriage.
I figured the circumstances were understandable enough and planned to speak reasonably.
I’d only reached out to explain. Just grab this man’s sleeve once and hear me out, that’s all.
“Get out of my castle right now!”
But my hand was roughly shoved away, and soon pain shot through my rear.
What the hell?
‘This is so unfair……!’
