The Villainous Older Sister Who Loves Her Younger Sister Aims for the Guillotine 104

104: Camilla’s Tavern

The moment I stepped inside, nostalgia washed over me.

The familiar interior—had the seating arrangement changed slightly?

Even so, it was the same as it was eight years ago. It was ‘Camilla’s Tavern.’

“Welcome!”

A waitress in a red and white dirndl, a traditional dress with a low neckline and bare shoulders, greeted us.

Naturally, I didn’t recognize her. Turnover was high for tavern staff. The only reason I, a day laborer, had been able to work there was because they were often short-staffed.

I unconsciously searched for something familiar.

The figure behind the counter, with wavy red hair, giving instructions while cooking.

And then, I found her.

――And she saw me.

She wore a simple white shirt and a black waist apron, the mark of the owner.

Her hazel eyes widened the moment she recognized me.

And then, she called my ‘name.’

“…Adel?”

The name I had used back then.

Not a nickname, but an alias.

Ciel and I had chosen it because it was similar enough to my real name that I would be able to respond to it without hesitation.

The false name I had used in this town eight years ago.

And the name I was using again today.

So, for now, I was ‘Adel.’

She remembered.

She called my name.

And I, too, recognized her.

Unable to meet her gaze directly, I fidgeted with my hair, averting my eyes.

“…Yes, Camilla. It’s been a while…”

She came out from behind the counter, slowly approaching me…

…and then she hugged me tightly.

My straw hat fell to the floor.

“…I’m sorry… for deceiving you…”

That was all I could manage.

I couldn’t hug her back.

But I couldn’t bring myself to push her away either.

――I couldn’t even… keep my voice from trembling.

“…You haven’t changed a bit.”

She laughed, her voice raspy from years of alcohol and smoke, a voice common among those who worked in taverns.

She laughed it off. For me.

Eight years melted away.

Camilla released me and whispered in my ear,

“So… is that offer… still good?”

――I had granted her the privilege of one favor, as the lord.

I hadn’t set a time limit. The promise was still valid.

“…Yes. I swore on my family name.”

I felt calmer now.

――I could finally… repay my debt.

Perhaps she would ask for a favor with supply routes, a tax reduction… or even the acquisition of a rival business.

I mentally prepared myself, running through various scenarios, predicting her request.

It would be a significant request.

A request befitting the head of the Vanderwaals, the lord of Vandergant.

She grinned mischievously.

“…I’m short-staffed today. Can you help out?”

“…What?”

Why?

I was the lord.

A noble. The head of one of only three ducal families in Eustasia. A member of the ruling class, controlling about a tenth of the kingdom, governing Vandergant.

She could have asked for so much more.

Why… such a modest request?

My sister was the same.

Perhaps she was being frugal because of my meanness, but she hadn’t been using much of the funds I had given her.

While I was alive, all I could give my sister was her noble title, a room in the attic, clothes from “Tailor,” and… money.

I had no value without my title.

I was born and raised to inherit the Vanderwaals family.

Everyone around me saw my family name.

…Even I did.

I had always believed that.

“Do you have a uniform I can borrow?”

“Of course.”

We exchanged small smiles.

I had thought it was over.

I had thought it was all in the past.

Those warm days, a cherished memory, when the tavern owner, whom I had stumbled upon, had treated me like a daughter.

Reduced to a cold transaction, a single favor granted in the name of the lord.

Losing the place I had built for myself… the warmth I had found without relying on my family name… even that had been part of my ‘education.’

I had believed that.

…But it wasn’t.

I picked up my straw hat, which I had dropped, and dusted it off.

Camilla looked at Ciel, who was standing behind me.

“Ciel, it’s been a while.”

“Yes. —Shall I… help out as well?”

“That would be wonderful.”

Apparently, Ciel’s presence had once boosted the tavern’s business.

She was the head maid for a reason, and her serving skills were undoubtedly still sharp.

Camilla then turned to Leticia and tilted her head.

“And who is this…?”

Leticia smiled and replied,

“Call me ‘Leti.’ I’ll work hard if you hire me.”

“Do you have any experience waiting tables?”

“I’ve worked at a bakery, a greengrocer, and a restaurant. This would be my first time at a tavern.”

…Another previously unknown part of her past.

“If you’ve worked at a restaurant, you’ll be fine. Thank you. …May I ask how you’re related to Adel?”

“Um…”

Camilla, Ciel, and Leticia all looked at me.

I hesitated, unsure of what to say.

There were some things I couldn’t reveal.

Even so, there was one thing I could say with certainty.

“She’s my sister.”

“What? …I thought you said you had no family besides your father?”

“Yes, I thought so too, but… I later learned I had a half-sister.”

Camilla knew I was a noble.

Which meant she also understood the complications that came with it: inheritance rights, division of assets, and so on.

She put her arm around my shoulders and leaned closer.

“…You’ve had a hard life, haven’t you?”

“…Not really.”

…Even for a commoner, discovering you had a half-sister would probably be… complicated.

And, more importantly, it was Leticia who had truly struggled.

“My sister is innocent.”

Well, I was struggling because my sister was too cute.

Camilla chuckled.

“You’re a good older sister.”

“…Not really.”

The ‘good older sister’ within me wouldn’t torment my sister as the villainous sister.

But I felt like I had been a slightly ‘better older sister’ today.

Thanks to the ‘inspection’ setting and my sister’s full cooperation, my older sister powers had been boosted.

Though, I also felt like Ciel was the best older sister today.