The Villainous Older Sister Who Loves Her Younger Sister Aims for the Guillotine 110

110: A Table for Five

“Your order, everyone!” Leticia greeted the three men at the table with a bright smile.

“E-excuse me?” Konrad’s smile faltered.

“…You two seem to be getting along quite well.”

Was that sarcasm?

Leticia was holding my hand.

While I didn’t see the need for such physical contact, if ‘Leti,’ my younger sister, wanted to hold hands…

…‘Big Sister Adel’ had an obligation to comply.

“Yes. I feel like I’ve gotten much closer to Big Sister Adel since coming to Vandergant.”

“…’Big Sister Adel.’”

Konrad parroted her words.

“Do you have a problem with that, Konrad? I’m happy to fight. Leti, sit down.”

I released my sister’s hand—a bit roughly—and sat down.

Leticia sat next to me.

Felix glanced at my bandaged right hand.

“It’s not like you to get injured.”

“…I won’t tolerate anyone causing trouble in this tavern.”

This was Camilla’s tavern.

The tavern of someone I was indebted to… I believed I had learned something important here.

I had learned how powerless I was without my family name.

And I hadn’t been able to accept my own powerlessness.

――I had been just a young lady, with nothing but my noble upbringing.

Camilla, who had started this tavern with her savings and a loan.

The waitresses who had nowhere else to go.

The kitchen staff, each with their own circumstances that led them to work at a new, unestablished tavern.

Camilla, the owner, and my fellow waitresses had once called me ‘strong’ for standing up to troublesome customers.

…I wasn’t strong.

I was a young lady, protected by my status, with Ciel, my governess, as my bodyguard. I was never truly in danger.

I had been able to act that way because I knew Ciel would protect me.

It was a safe test. …And, frustratingly, I had been aware of it.

I wished I could have at least believed I was struggling.

While I had struggled, by my standards, and it had been difficult, it was ultimately just a nobleman’s game.

“――I would have done the same, no matter who they were. Don’t think you’re special.”

Even at Camilla’s Tavern, newly opened and forced to hire those with… complicated backgrounds, I, the youngest there, had been treated with kindness.

Once, when a drunk customer harassed me, a coworker had intervened before Ciel could even reach me.

Simply because I was younger, her junior.

…Even though she had no one to protect her.

I had been ashamed.

If I had stayed safely within the walls of the mansion, my coworker wouldn’t have been targeted.

I couldn’t forgive it.

My own powerlessness—the fact that even in a test where I couldn’t use my family name, I had prioritized my noble pride.

So, I had decided not to tolerate any harassment of my coworkers, even if it meant relying on Ciel’s authority.

While most backed down when I stood up to them, some became aggressive… and Ciel had been a great help.

That was partly why she had become even more popular.

While companions weren’t supposed to interfere or offer advice, Ciel had a duty to protect me, to a certain extent.

I had taken advantage of that duty.

Leticia looked down.

“…I know… I’m not… ‘special’ to Elder Sister…”

You are, though.

I wanted to comfort her, but I couldn’t say anything. Even with the help of our ‘inspection’ roles, I couldn’t let them ‘misunderstand’ and think I was on my sister’s side.

In the scenario of [Moonlight Liberium], I was, consistently, my sister’s adversary.

Well, a petty villain, but still.

Even so, such seemingly minor acts of meanness… should hurt.

The fact that I continued to do this, knowing that… made me a truly horrible person.

Leticia looked up.

“But… I’m glad… you came to my rescue.”

My sister was truly kind-hearted.

The three men looked at me reproachfully. Good, let them glare.

I felt uncomfortable, having said such heartless things to my sister and then being treated with… gratitude.

Trust was more difficult to handle than hostility.

…Because all I could do was exploit it.

“I was so scared… my mind went blank…”

There was a difference in size and build. Combined with his intoxication, reason wouldn’t have worked.

It was natural to panic in such a situation.

Knight training wasn’t just about physical strength and skill; a significant portion was dedicated to mental fortitude, being able to act under pressure.

“…I should have called the bouncer, or Ciel…”

But who my sister had called out to…

Who she had sought help from…

“After I called out ‘Big Sister,’ I thought, ‘Oh no.’ Even calling out to her… was a burden…”

I didn’t consider it a burden. I would gladly bear any burden for her.

“…But you came. —Like a knight in shining armor.”

There were many kinds of knights in stories.

There were even eccentric characters like the female knight who, consumed by unrequited love, sold her soul to the devil and became a love rival.

…But what Leticia meant was probably…

…a classic, traditional knight.

“Yeah, she was pretty impressive, wasn’t she?”

“Indeed. I have to admit, I’m impressed.”

Felix grinned, and Konrad nodded in agreement.

“Yes. Standing up to someone stronger than yourself for the sake of the weak is… a commendable act.”

Louis was mistaken.

“…I’ve never stood up to anyone stronger than myself.”

“What?”

“My enemies have always been weaker than me. …I’ve only ever fought battles I could win.”

I had always been stronger than my enemies.

In family status, in financial power, in information, in military strength—I had always had the advantage.

The only time I had conceded defeat before even fighting was against the scenario of [Moonlight Liberium].

Even that was a matter of how you defined victory.

If my sister found happiness, then I could call it my victory.

“—Isn’t that… a knight’s job?”

Felix said, his expression serious, tapping the table with his thick fingers.

“I don’t think the ideal of knighthood is to challenge those stronger than yourself. The ideal of knighthood is to take up arms for those you’ve sworn to protect.”

His words, simple and clear, expressed the ideal of knighthood in a way that didn’t sound like a borrowed phrase.

He must have internalized that vague concept of knighthood, making it his own.

To unite and lead his subordinates, each with their own ideals.

“Those drunkards earlier, if they had been fulfilling their duties as guards, fighting bandits or beasts, they would have been relied upon and thanked. But here they are, drunk in a tavern, harassing a waitress…”

While I had undergone considerable training, a man who was knocked down by a single punch from a woman would likely struggle to find work in the future. Not that I sympathized.

Just then, knights in thick blue quilted tunics and white surcoats entered the tavern. The gecko crest, embroidered in a blue similar to the tunics, clearly identified them as Vandergant Territorial Knights.

They must have been called in response to the commotion.

Camilla and the bouncer in black addressed them—the knights, seeing Ciel explaining the situation, looked at me.

“Ad—?!”

One of them, his eyes wide, was speechless.

He was one of my training cohort, clutching his forehead and shaking his head.

Having successfully completed the joint training exercise with the Eustasia Knights, he seemed to be diligently performing his city patrol duties today.

Felix sighed, looking exasperated.

“Don’t cause too much trouble for your subordinates.”

“You’re one to talk.”

He had no right to say that.

Ciel nodded at me, as if to say, Leave it to me, so I did.

I was slightly curious about how she would explain the situation, but I shouldn’t interfere this time.

“—Come on, let’s eat.”

Felix changed the subject, smiling at us.

“…Alright.”

I nodded.

“Then, let’s start with beer.”

“…Adel, you should avoid alcohol, since you’re injured.”

Louis was being strict.

“Beer isn’t alcohol.”

“Can you say that in front of your governess?”

Konrad…

The rest of the dinner was spent admiring Leticia as she happily sampled the recommended dishes.

And, at the same time…

“Leticia, your sister is feeding you properly, right?”

“I usually have three meals a day with Big Sister Adel, Sir Felix.”

“Leticia, about your room during the inspection…”

“I’m sharing a room with Big Sister Adel, Dr. Louis.”

“Lady Leticia, does your sister treat you well?”

“Of course, Your Highness.”

It felt like an interrogation about me.

I casually endured their increasingly intense—or rather, lukewarm—stares, picking at the cheese and nibbling on the thinly sliced ham, with each question and answer. However, it made me want some wine. It was tavern food, after all.

“…Specifically?”

Konrad looked at me expectantly.

I glanced at Leticia, silently pleading with her not to say anything unnecessary, and my sister smiled.

She placed her index finger on her lips.

“…It’s a secret.”

She hadn’t revealed anything unnecessary, as I had hoped.

But, Leticia…

…you didn’t have to make it sound so… meaningful.