The Villainous Older Sister Who Loves Her Younger Sister Aims for the Guillotine 137

137: The [Protagonist] Takes the Stage

“Th-this is a decree issued in the name of His Majesty the King—”

“What has the King ever done for us?! What has the royal family ever done?!”

The herald looked nervously at Prince Konrad, who was standing behind him.

I also looked at the prince; his jaw was clenched, his expression grim.

Until now, it had been an era of peace.

Most citizens had enjoyed prosperity, grateful to the royal family.

Yes, ‘most citizens.’

Those gathered here were the ones left behind.

The residents of the stratum we had discarded… abandoned.

The poor, the antithesis of the nobility, the embodiment of a different kind of inequality.

The crowd began to remove the ragged cloth coverings from their faces and shout, their voices filled with unrestrained anger and… hatred.

This was the result of the choices we, the ‘upper class,’ had made.

The future we had created.

A shiver ran down my spine.

…This would turn into a riot.

According to the ‘scenario,’ that wouldn’t happen.

Because the protagonist would quell it.

…But my sister was just a girl.

A noble, yes, but she hadn’t been trained to handle the Vanderwaals’ dirty work.

And while she was the [Protagonist] of [Moonlight Liberium]—that was just a story.

Leticia was just a girl.

The hostility in the air was palpable, stinging my skin.

The swirling mass of anxiety and unrest felt like it was about to explode.

The knights reached for the swords at their hips—but Knight Commander Felix stopped them.

“Don’t draw your swords.”

“But…”

Felix barked,

“Don’t draw your swords!”

He was right. …If they drew their swords, they would have to use them.

Against a few? A few dozen? —Or perhaps everyone?

They would have to cut down everyone here who showed hostility, everyone who was considered an ‘enemy.’

But even if they didn’t draw their swords, there was no guarantee the situation would be resolved.

In [Moonlight Liberium], Leticia’s speech would calm the crowd.

…But this atmosphere…

“…Lady Adelheid, we can’t. This… this isn’t going to end well.”

Ciel, who seemed to sense the same thing, placed her hand on my arm.

“We should leave this to the Knights… Let’s leave, with Lady Leticia.”

Her assessment was correct.

…Unless there was a miracle.

Unless fate intervened, this situation wouldn’t be resolved peacefully.

My sister, standing beside me, stepped forward.

While the crowd hadn’t noticed her yet, our gazes were fixed on her.

“Let me… speak to them.”

Her voice, surprisingly, carried over the shouts of the crowd.

“Lady Leticia…”

“Leticia.”

“Leticia…”

Konrad, Felix, and Louis called out to her.

Their voices held a mixture of apprehension—and… expectation? Perhaps even they didn’t know what they were feeling.

I didn’t either.

“You all know, don’t you? I’m from the ‘back alley.’ I understand how you feel. I understand… your anger… Maybe… you’ll listen to me.”

We exchanged glances.

Konrad, after a moment’s hesitation, nodded first. He was nominally the highest-ranking person present.

Then, Louis, after looking at my sister intently, also nodded. She had been working with him, visiting and comforting the sick. He must have decided he could trust her.

Finally, Felix, with a reluctant nod, turned his face away. He understood how precarious the situation was.

I was still hesitant.

“Leticia… you don’t have to do this.”

It was a lie.

She had to do this.

If we were to follow the scenario.

Even so, I didn’t want to put her in danger.

I had paved the way for this—for today.

And yet…

“…Elder Sister, I want to do this.”

She turned towards the crowd.

“…Because this is… my town.”

“Lady Leticia, even if you’re from here, realistically—”

Ciel tried to stop her, but I nodded.

“It’s fine. Go ahead.”

“Lady Adelheid!”

Ciel placed her hand on my arm and turned me to face her. She was unusually assertive.

I looked at her.

“Ciel… do you… trust me?”

“Y-yes… but…”

Ciel was seeing the reality of the situation.

The danger level had increased dramatically… especially for those of the highest rank.

While the knights hadn’t drawn their swords, they had no choice but to protect the lives of us ‘VIPs’ gathered here.

…Stories were, after all, just stories.

If we followed the scenario, her speech would be… clumsy.

No matter how heartfelt, it wouldn’t be enough to calm this crowd.

In a story, that was fine.

On stage, as long as the atmosphere was convincing, that was enough.

――But now… she had to reach these people, this crowd teetering on the edge of a riot, consumed by hunger, cold, and the fear of disease.

I couldn’t do it.

Neither could the prince or the Knight Commander. The Chief Physician had the best chance.

But perhaps…

If it were Leticia…

If it were her…

If it were she, the [Protagonist] of [Moonlight Liberium]…

Perhaps…

I realized I was placing an unreasonable amount of hope on my sister, six years younger than me.

What burden was I placing on her?

I placed my hand over Ciel’s, which was resting on my arm.

“If anything happens, prioritize Leticia’s rescue. I can handle myself.”

“Lady Adelheid…!”

Ciel’s voice was strained.

…Her usually composed expression was now etched with worry.

Did I seem… reckless?

By the “Coldhearted Vanderwaals'” standards, inaction wasn’t an option.

Whether it was retreat or suppression… there were established procedures.

Even so…

I had made my decision.

I had decided to trust.

Not in [Moonlight Liberium].

Not in the convenient [Scenario] written by the unseen playwright.

I had decided to trust in my sister, Leticia.

“—That’s an order.”

I squeezed Ciel’s hand.

“—Yes, ma’am.”

Her expression became neutral, and she bowed.

She removed her hand from mine and took up a defensive position beside me.

At Konrad’s gesture, the herald clumsily descended from the platform.

Leticia climbed onto the platform.

She shouldn’t be up there.

According to the customs of this country, it was unthinkable for someone like her, a mere noble’s daughter, to be entrusted with calming this crowd.

But she was the [Protagonist].

Everyone believed in her.

She made them believe that she could somehow… make things right.

Fate would pave the way for her.

The scenario would force her onto this stage.

All I could do was watch.

And hope that everything would go according to plan.

And—if fate betrayed her, I would save her, no matter how many I had to kill.

A murmur went through the crowd as a young girl, her short blonde hair swaying in the wind, not a prince or a knight commander or any other obviously important figure, took the herald’s place on the platform.

She took a deep breath and began to speak.

“[—My name is Leticia von Vanderwaals.] …Until this time last year, I lived alone in Room Seven, at the end of the third floor of the ‘Collapsed Mansion,’ behind the old Fourth Warehouse District. [I’m from the ‘back alley.’]”

…Her lines were different.