Chapter 9
ㅤWe decided to calm down and talk things over, so Lily and I used magic to quickly tidy up the messy room. Now we’re sitting on the sofa again, facing each other, but across from me is Lily……and my dear Chelsea, clinging to her. Isn’t this strange?
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ㅤ”I’d appreciate it if you could explain everything from the beginning.”
ㅤ”Before that. Chelsea, why were you crying? If it’s because of this man, then we really shouldn’t be calmly explaining anything.”
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ㅤLily furrows her brow and glances at me. It seems that her affection for her sister isn’t a lie.
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ㅤ”I was just so happy to see you, sister, that I started crying. It’s not Lord Oswald’s fault.”
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ㅤ……And it seems Chelsea is also fond of her sister.”Well, that’s alright then,”Lily said, squeezing Chelsea’s hand tightly.
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ㅤ”Lily. Rumor had it that you were going around calling Chelsea a failure.”
ㅤ”That’s true.”
ㅤ”If you’re close, why would you do such a thing?”
ㅤ”……Sister was protecting me.”
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ㅤChelsea started to speak haltingly, taking over from Lily, who admitted it frankly.
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ㅤ”A long time ago, at a tea party for children, I was pushed by a boy……and when I fell, the girls laughed at me, and I became very shy around people. It was around that time that I also found out I had no talent for magic……I knew that if I went to social gatherings, I would be compared to my sister, who was said to be the future Saint, and because I was shy, it would be difficult to avoid that. So my sister deliberately spoke ill of me so that I wouldn’t have to go to social gatherings.”
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ㅤ……Certainly, if she didn’t appear in public, she wouldn’t be directly subjected to hurtful words or overhear such gossip. In this country, schools are for those of lower status, and nobles usually hire tutors, so there’s no problem with education. By saying things like,”She’s incompetent, so I can’t take her to social gatherings,”Lily might have been frowned upon as a bad person, but she was doing it to protect Chelsea from the public eye. In fact, the”Saint’s sister”received more sympathy than criticism for being a failure.
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ㅤ”I thought the rumor that I was abusing my sister had reached Lord Oswald’s ears. So I told her to use that to gain sympathy and take advantage of the situation.”
ㅤ”……Wait, what do you mean?”
ㅤ”My sister has liked you for a long time.”
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ㅤChelsea blushes beside Lily, who looks sullen.
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ㅤ”This is news to me.”
ㅤ”I’m sure it is. You’ve only met her a few times. And yet you stole Chelsea’s heart, so I honestly didn’t like you, Lord Oswald.”
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ㅤIs that why she’s been glaring at me every time she looks at me? It seems that”sisterly love”means something far beyond my imagination in her case…….Still, I can’t believe Chelsea has had feelings for me for so long…….Is it my face?
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ㅤ”Honestly, I don’t remember doing anything to be liked. Since when?”
ㅤ”……When you first came to our house as my sister’s fiancé. Lord Oswald, at that time……you said you would protect my sister…….’Your’ sister.”
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ㅤ『I will protect your sister. I promise to bring her back to you safely.』
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ㅤDid I say something like that? I try to recall what Chelsea said, but I have no memory of it. But I was putting on a good act back then, and since I wasn’t interested, I only half-listened to the rumors about the”Saint abusing her sister.”If I thought of her as my fiancée’s cute little sister, there’s a high possibility I said it.
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ㅤ”My sister is strong……Even our parents said that she would be fine because she has holy magic. It’s true that my sister’s holy magic repels magical beasts when activated, but she’s defenseless until then……So I was happy when you said you would ‘protect’ her. I felt relieved……and I thought you were like a prince from a story.”
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ㅤChelsea also seems to have a strong sister complex, far beyond my imagination. As I nod in understanding, I hear,”She simply likes your face too, you know,”from beside me. So it is my face after all.
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ㅤ”Sister! W-Well, now……I like more than just your face!”
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ㅤSince Chelsea muttered this with a bright red face, I’ll let this matter slide.
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ㅤ”S-So, you really did protect my sister, Lord Oswald. When I heard that you were bedridden after protecting her, I thought my heart would stop.”
ㅤ”……She looked like she was about to rush to your side, so I told her to go as your replacement fiancée. Since Chelsea likes you, I was going to break off the engagement with you eventually anyway. I thought that if she devotedly nursed you while gaining your sympathy, you wouldn’t send her away. It seems to have worked.”
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ㅤI see. Then that explains it.
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ㅤ”Chelsea. You came to my house with only the bare necessities because……”
ㅤ”……? Because I wanted to see you as soon as possible.”
ㅤ”You didn’t even bring a single maid because……”
ㅤ”I thought it would be a burden on you, Lord Oswald, to have more unfamiliar people around while you were in poor health.”
ㅤ”……And the commotion just now?”
ㅤ”I tripped over the table while trying to hug my sister.”
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ㅤSo all of my worries were unfounded.
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ㅤ”……Lily, there’s one thing I need to correct.”
ㅤ”What is it?”
ㅤ”Chelsea never tried to gain sympathy on purpose…….She never said anything bad about you.”
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ㅤThat’s right. It was all my misunderstanding. Every time Lily was mentioned, Chelsea’s face turned blue, probably because she remembered being told to”gain sympathy by pretending to be abused by your sister.”She must have struggled a lot because she couldn’t do that, even if it was a lie.
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ㅤLily gasps and looks at Chelsea. Chelsea’s eyes are filled with tears again.
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ㅤ”I-I couldn’t say it. Because I know that my sister cares about me more than anyone else in the world. But I couldn’t tell Lord Oswald the truth either. If I did, I would ruin the opportunity my sister had created for me…….Every time Lord Oswald was kind to me, I felt guilty, thinking that I didn’t deserve to be treated so well……I felt like I was taking my sister’s place, and it was painful. I’m sorry. I’m sorry to both of you……!”
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ㅤMy former fiancée’s gentle, tearful voice, which I had never heard before, said,”You fool.”Lily repeated,”You fool,”as she hugged Chelsea and stroked her head over and over again.
