145: The Freedom to Monopolize
“…Leticia? What’s the meaning of this?”
“The meaning…? Of what?”
She answered my question with a question.
I just wanted to know why my sister, whom I had just told she was free to do as she pleased, was snuggling up to me.
“…You don’t have to… bother with me.”
“I know. I don’t have to, but I’m going to.”
Was she even listening?
“Leticia—you’re free to do as you wish.”
I hadn’t even wanted to give her the role of [Protagonist].
Because while it promised happiness, it also came with a lot of trouble.
The same was true for the role of [Villainous Sister].
I had only accepted it because the required acts of meanness were, if I was careful, trivial and inconsequential.
My adorable little sister.
I didn’t want to hurt her.
I wanted to protect her.
…I didn’t even know how.
Officially, I hadn’t had a sister until three years ago, when I learned of Leticia’s existence through [Moonlight Liberium], and I hadn’t been taught how to behave towards a younger sister.
Therefore, I… Adelheid von Vanderwaals, the head of the “Coldhearted Vanderwaals”… couldn’t make my sister happy.
So, I relied on fate.
And for the most part, it had worked.
She no longer had to fear unreasonable acts of meanness.
She didn’t have to worry about her older sister’s moods, didn’t have to feel constrained.
She didn’t have to be a caged bird.
The story of [Moonlight Liberium] would soon be over.
With a happy ending… for most.
And the [Villainous Sister]… no, I… wouldn’t allow that to be tainted.
What had I been working towards all this time?
To give my sister a happy future.
So, once the story ended, my sister would be free.
She could live happily ever after with the person she loved… She deserved that.
“Elder Sister—does ‘freedom’ mean… I can choose whatever I want?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
I nodded.
“And does ‘freedom’ mean… I can choose where I want to be… be where I want to be?”
“…Yes, I suppose so.”
I hesitated for a moment, then nodded again.
When Leticia lived in the “back alley,” she hadn’t had such freedom.
While there were no rules about where you could live, even if you were born in the “back alley”—it was simply a matter of not having the means.
The reason she had lived in that dilapidated old house… a building that deserved to be called a ruin… was due to her financial circumstances.
But things were different now.
My sister could go wherever she wanted.
She didn’t have to bother with her mean older sister.
All I had was my status, with its accompanying wealth and power, and even that would soon be hers.
My sister looked at me intently.
And then she nodded.
“I understand.”
She understood.
“If I’m free to choose… then I want to be… with Elder Sister.”
………?
This was strange.
I couldn’t understand her words. Or rather, her logic.
Did my sister not understand anything?
Had I been too mean…?
Had it made her… timid, unable to act freely…?
No, if anything, I was worried I hadn’t been mean enough.
Then, why would my sister want to cling to her older sister?
What other reason could there be, besides wanting to be close?
My mind presented possibilities, but my heart refused to comprehend.
I averted my gaze and said, as if to myself,
“It’s a ball. …You can still choose someone to dance with.”
“—Elder Sister! I—”
“—Then, would you care to dance with me?”
…Who was this?
That was my first impression.
A reasonably handsome man with auburn hair, but I had no other information.
I searched my mental list of nobles, as if consulting a dictionary or encyclopedia, and quickly confirmed that he wasn’t the head of a family. If I couldn’t recall him after a moment’s thought, he wasn’t someone the head of a ducal family needed to remember.
“The head of the family said you’re free to choose someone to dance with. It’s a ball, after all—”
“Who are you?”
Leticia interrupted him mid-sentence.
So, he wasn’t an acquaintance of hers.
“I don’t know you, and I was having an important conversation with my Elder Sister, so I would appreciate it if you wouldn’t interrupt us further.”
Her sharp tone… surprised me.
“Don’t you think we could get to know each other?”
I had thought Felix’s cheesy lines were insufferable, but this guy was even worse.
“Perhaps… you don’t understand Eustasian? Even in the ‘back alley,’ people understand the language.”
“W-what? No… I’m… a noble of Eustasia… from a count’s family…”
The reasonably handsome man, apparently related to some count’s family, began to stammer.
Konrad, at least, had the composure to maintain his princely facade.
“Everyone invited here is a noble, more or less. What do you expect me to do with that information? If you’re looking for a girl who will swoon at the mention of a title, perhaps you should look elsewhere.”
My sister’s eyes were cold, a rare sight.
While I had been slightly worried about whether she could handle being the next head of the Vanderwaals family, this display of assertiveness reassured me.
Louis, even when subjected to my cold stares, had still managed to retort, showing the fortitude befitting a Chief Physician.
“While I’m still new to noble etiquette, I can tell that your approach, from the timing to the choice of words, is entirely inappropriate. However, assuming that was an invitation to dance… I must decline. I don’t know you, and I have no intention of getting to know you.”
The son of some count (presumably), on the receiving end of her sharp, rapid-fire words, looked like he was about to cry.
“Besides…”
Besides…?
What more was she going to say?
My sister leaned against me, linking her arm with mine.
Like lovers, showing off their affection.
“—I don’t intend to dance with anyone else tonight.”
My sister, with her radiant smile, was incredibly cute.
