How to Live as the Terminally Ill Younger Sister of the Villain - Chapter 26
It was a fact known to every noble in the Grandonia Empire that Ante Flaubert was overly protective of his sister.
However, despite his attempts to protect her, some wondered how it was possible that she hadn’t been seen even once until she became an adult, leading to rumors that he might be keeping her confined.
There were whispers that he might be excessively controlling and oppressing his sister.
Blake, in fact, was leaning toward this hypothesis. If he was such a vicious and cruel person, he was certainly capable of doing that to his own sister.
And today, after seeing her knights, he gave more weight to this hypothesis. It looked more like surveillance than protection.
However…..
“My brother has a tender heart, so he worries a lot.”
That hypothesis was wrong.
“He’s so kind, incredibly so. Sometimes it’s even upsetting how considerate he is.”
How could that expression belong to someone who had lived under oppression and hardship?
Her feelings towards Ante Flaubert were pure affection and unfeigned sincerity.
It wasn’t just the Marquis who cherished his sister; that woman cared for her brother just as much.
‘But does that woman… not know what kind of person her brother really is?’
The only difference was that she seemed unaware of Ante Flaubert’s true nature.
This was evident from what she said about him and the sincerity in her words.
“My brother has a tender heart, so he worries a lot.”
That was genuine.
She believed it without a shred of doubt.
How is that possible?
‘It’s not that she’s oblivious. This is…’
Although they hadn’t met many times, she was certainly not a stupid woman. But to be this unaware…..
‘She must have lived like this her whole life.’
She never had a reason to doubt or question anything.
How this was possible could be understood by observing the behavior of those protecting her.
‘…Marquis Flaubert is no ordinary madman.’
Blake felt a chill.
Like a doll in a well-scripted play, everyone around her was deceiving her.
They put on the pretext of protecting her, but this was…..
“Your Grace?”
When Blake just stared at her without saying anything, Angelina called out to him. It was partly because his gaze on her had darkened slightly.
As he watched her examining his expression, Blake was overcome with a strange feeling.
She was a woman who had left quite a good first impression. A cleanliness that made him want to talk more.
Such purity was not easy to come by in the corrupt noble society.
But it felt like that purity was being tainted by the gloomy shadow of Marquis Flaubert.
It was unsettling and uncomfortable.
“Miss Flaubert, do you trust the Marquis?”
So a question containing his true feelings slipped out.
How long has that gloomy man been deceiving such an innocent woman?
He felt sorry for her, and also frustrated. He was angry at the Marquis, and just everything felt unsettling and put him in a bad mood.
In truth, there was no reason for his emotions to be this stirred up over the circumstances of a woman he had only met a few times.
Nevertheless, Blake realized why these various emotions were suddenly boiling up.
It was a sense of kinship and self-loathing.
Because he had been in a similar situation.
In his childhood, he had to endure all sorts of injustices, deceived by the Empress’s words that it was for his own good. His shameful past overlapped with what he saw.
Looking at those innocent amethyst eyes, his insides churned.
That’s why he momentarily became agitated.
But as soon as the question left his mouth, he came to his senses.
“…I apologize.”
He hastily added an apology.
No matter how emotional he had become, it was a question that shouldn’t have been asked carelessly.
“I think I expressed myself poorly. Please disregard it.”
Although he couldn’t take back what he had already said, Blake tried his best to smooth things over.
“……”
Angelina quietly observed Blake, who seemed more flustered after asking the question.
‘Was his straightforward and honest nature part of the original setting?’
If so, that apology must be sincere.
And that question, too, must have sprung from genuine curiosity.
“I’m not sure in what sense you meant ‘trust,’ but in any sense, I do trust my brother.”
So Angelina took his words at face value, without misinterpreting them.
According to the original work, with his excessively upright nature, he wouldn’t be able to say things that were different on the outside and inside.
“I’m not very good with words either, so I often make mistakes in expression. So please don’t feel sorry and feel free to speak comfortably.”
Angelina added, trying to make him feel at ease.
But Blake’s expression became even more complex.
Wondering why he was acting like that, Angelina rested her chin lightly and smiled.
“Perhaps, are you curious about my brother?”
As this was only the second time she had seen him directly, there wasn’t much she could figure out about him yet.
But with the help of the original work, Angelina could roughly guess what he was thinking.
“I thought maybe you wanted to ask about my brother, but your question came out that way.”
At her words, the fox familiar opened one eye and glanced at the two of them. As if it was curious too.
“…Yes, that’s right.”
After a moment, Blake agreed with her words.
Angelina felt pleased.
‘I’m grateful if you show interest in my brother.’
For Angelina, who was already trying to connect him positively with her brother, this was welcome news.
“But it’s fine now.”
“Pardon?”
However, Blake’s additional comment caught her off guard.
They hadn’t even started talking about her brother, and he’d already lost interest? This was troublesome.
“You can ask more if you’d like.”
Angelina said, feeling disappointed.
But Blake shook his head, and the fox familiar also seemed to lose interest, closing its eyes.
“No, the answer you gave me earlier is sufficient.”
“The answer that I trust my brother?”
“Yes.”
“…?”
How could that be an answer?
Angelina couldn’t understand.
“I… see.”
But it would be strange to insist that someone who wasn’t curious ask more questions, so Angelina swallowed her disappointment.
“Shall we end our meeting for today then? You must be tired from the battle, I’ve kept you for too long.”
“Not at all. It was an enjoyable conversation.”
As the two stood up, Haley and Laura immediately approached and began tidying up.
Blake escorted her to the front of the carriage. Though it was too short a distance to be called a send-off, they walked together.
The fox familiar also sprang up and followed behind Angelina.
“I’m glad you enjoyed it. We’ll be traveling together for a few days, it would be terrible if the chatter became boring, right?”
“You needn’t worry about that. It was an evening that makes me look forward to tomorrow.”
Angelina smiled at his kind words and returned the pleasantry.
“I felt the same. I look forward to tomorrow as well.”
Then Blake extended his hand to help her step onto the footboard of the carriage.
“Thank you.”
Angelina didn’t refuse his courtesy.
“Then, sleep well.”
Having easily boarded the carriage with his help, she was about to enter after saying goodbye.
But he didn’t let go of her hand.
“Your Grace?”
Angelina looked down at him with a puzzled expression.
Surprised by the sudden situation, the fox familiar watching nearby let out a low growl.
A sword peeked out slightly from Laura’s sleeve, Mason’s magic became a bit sharper, and the movements of the knights became somewhat sluggish.
Consequently, Blake’s companions also had to remain on edge while resting.
Of course, Angelina didn’t notice any of this at all, and Blake, while sensing it, still didn’t let go of her.
“Why…”
After staring at the back of her hand for a long time with a complex gaze, he began in a low voice.
“Don’t you ask?”
“About what?”
“Why I’m going to the magic tower.”
Angelina tilted her head at the sudden question.
“Why I tried to move through the Dark Forest instead of using the Tower’s path.”
He added in a whisper.
“Why I’m entrusting an heirloom-like object to you, whom I’ve only met twice, what my intentions were in not revealing my identity that day.”
After pouring out these words as if venting, he looked up at her.
“Why… don’t you ask anything?”
His eyes were full of confusion.
Because the conversation had flowed smoothly, she hadn’t noticed while they were talking.
But thinking about it now, she hadn’t asked anything. He realized this just as he was about to let her go.
The nobles he knew were always busy weighing and judging everything in every encounter.
They use all sorts of tricks to figure out the other person’s hand while not showing their own.
But she doesn’t do any of that.
