The Villainous Older Sister Who Loves Her Younger Sister Aims for the Guillotine 153

153: An Invitation for the Night

While I hadn’t been raised with the constant doting of a princess, I had plenty of experience with kisses.

Both giving and receiving. I hadn’t kept count.

However, those were chaste kisses on the cheek, exchanged with my mother or Ciel, as expressions of affection.

A kiss on the lips… was special.

A simple act, two pairs of lips meeting, with no biological significance, yet we imbued it with meaning.

It was a classic trope in romance stories, a clichéd ending to a scene.

But it was… a good thing.

As I pressed my lips against my sister’s, lips I had only dreamed of, imagined the feel of during the ball, a wave of happiness washed over me.

…And a sense of… transgression.

“Ha…”

“Ah…”

When I pulled away, a sigh escaped my lips.

My sister’s face was beet red.

“B-Big… Big Sister…”

“—I wonder… how long I’ve wanted to do this.”

I released her arm, which I had been gripping, and touched her cheek.

I savored the feel of her firm skin, even through my glove, longer than I had at the ball.

Then, I poked her cheek with my index finger.

“…This too?”

My sister looked bewildered.

I poked her cheek again.

“Yes… Are you… disappointed?”

“What? No! Not at all… but…”

My sister trailed off.

She covered her mouth with her hand and looked away.

“…My brain… can’t keep up… with all these new developments…”

“I felt the same way… every time you did something unexpected.”

No wonder things hadn’t gone according to the script.

“…I’m sorry.”

“Why are you apolog—”

I placed my hand on her cheek again, and my sister froze.

“I don’t think I can… let you go free anymore… I don’t want you to look at anyone but me.”

“Huh?!”

Leticia’s eyes widened.

“…Is that… in a… romantic sense?”

“What else could it be, in this situation?”

Leticia shook her head.

“…I… was more afraid of you not finding happiness… than of going to the guillotine. More afraid of hurting you by forcing my desires on you… than of being executed. My position as the head of the ducal family… was worthless if it couldn’t make you smile.”

I stroked her cheek with my palm.

“As a woman… Big Sister loves you very much, Leticia.”

Tears welled up in my sister’s eyes, and I panicked.

However, Leticia took my hand, which was still on her cheek, and smiled.

“I love you too… Big Sister Adel.”

I had only allowed her to call me Adel during the inspection in Vandergant.

And even then, I had instructed her to use formal language, so being called ‘Big Sister Adel’ was… new, and… ticklish… and wonderful.

And the certainty that our feelings were finally mutual spread through me like the warmth of a hot spring.

That warmth filled me to my fingertips, and my heart felt light.

――I wasn’t afraid of anything anymore. Not as long as my sister was with me.

I was so simple, it was almost laughable, but I truly believed it.

“…But… I still have some thoughts… about being kissed so suddenly earlier.”

“…Oh, um…”

My sister looked at me with narrowed eyes, and I flinched.

I almost pulled away, but she grabbed my hand, preventing my escape.

“Well, I’m happy that Elder Sister kissed me, but… it was my first kiss, so I would have liked some… mental preparation.”

She had a point.

“I’m sorr—!”

My sister, standing on her tiptoes, pulled me closer and kissed me again.

My sister’s eyes narrowed in satisfaction.

Then, they closed, and I closed mine as well, savoring the kiss in the darkness.

I leaned down slightly, pulling her closer by the waist, and her heels touched the floor.

I wanted to stay like this forever, but soon, we were both breathless… and, sensing our mutual need for air, I opened my eyes and broke the kiss.

“…Do you understand… how I feel?”

My sister, looking up at me from so close, smiled innocently, but her smile now seemed… mischievous.

“I like…”

“…Do you really understand…?”

Unable to suppress my feelings, I blurted out, and Leticia frowned.

“W-what? Yes. I understand. Really.”

“…You’re a terrible liar.”

My sister’s gaze, now even more intense, was so adorable that I couldn’t help but smile.

“Why are you smiling like that, Elder Sister?”

“Because I finally understand how incredibly cute my sister is.”

My sister tried to frown… but failed.

Her cheeks twitched, and she looked… happy.

“…Oh, honestly!”

My sister buried her face in my chest and hugged me. She was good at deflecting.

Of course, I hugged her back.

I held her like that for a while.

Happy.

That my beloved sister was in my arms.

That I didn’t have to let her go.

Hugging her, being hugged by her… it was pure bliss.

“…Leticia.”

“Yes, Elder Sister?”

I whispered, still holding her, and Leticia responded, her voice a soft murmur near my ear.

Her gentle voice sent shivers down my spine.

Basking in the afterglow, I mustered all my courage and invited my sister.

“…Want to… sleep together?”