The Villainous Older Sister Who Loves Her Younger Sister Aims for the Guillotine 93

93: The Duty to Share My Sister’s Good Qualities

There was no way I could mistake my sister’s voice.

It was definitely Leticia, my beloved sister.

That much was certain, but… “my turn again”?

What did she mean by ‘again’?

“Alright!”

“We’ve been waiting!”

Cheers—or rather, jeers—that seemed unbecoming of an audience for a noble lady, erupted.

Was this a second round?

No…

…Or perhaps… more than that…?

“Next… let’s see… I’ll tell you about the first time Elder Sister gave me a riding lesson.”

This was bad. Very bad.

A ‘riding lesson’?

――That was after I met my sister, brought her home, had riding clothes made for her, after she met the prince and completed the [Ceremony of Recognition], after her dance lessons.

And Leticia had said “next.”

I had a feeling that everything up to that point had already been embellished and recounted.

I quietly and discreetly circled around the group.

“We went to a ranch for the weekend for riding lessons. We rode in the same carriage, of course. She even left the seat in front of her open for me.”

I could still hear my sister’s speech as I moved.

Her voice, as clear as a bell, was adorable. Specifically, its clarity resembled mine.

If I remembered correctly, I had simply told Ciel to sit next to me.

Not that I was lying.

“She even called the Vanderwaals’ exclusive tailor and had matching riding outfits made for us, in different colors. I love them.”

What was my sister saying, with that clear, bell-like voice of hers?

“Tailor” was the one who designed and chose the fabric for the riding outfits, not me.

…While it was true they were matching, in different colors.

And I loved them too.

“Since it was my first time riding, she let me ride Lillie, her beloved horse. She looked like a painting, nuzzling her face against that beautiful white horse…”

I felt a surge of pride at the compliment about Lillie.

And what was that last part? What was she thinking?

I took a deep breath and approached my sister, making no attempt to hide my footsteps, as if I was simply walking towards the sound of her voice.

“And then, she personally gave me a double riding lesson so I could get used to horses. She put her arms around my waist from behind and held me tight—”

Those who noticed my presence looked startled and fell silent.

Then, in the sudden quiet, I tapped my sister on the shoulder.

“What is it? This is the best part…”

Leticia’s disgruntled expression faltered as she turned around.

My sister had a wide range of expressions.

She blinked a few times.

And then, for some reason, she smiled.

“…And then, Elder Sister…!”

“Wait. Stop that.”

――Leticia, who had turned back to her audience with renewed vigor, was stopped by my firm grip on her shoulder. But my sister wriggled free. She placed a hand on her chest and declared passionately,

“No, I won’t! It’s my duty to share Elder Sister’s good qualities with everyone!”

“You have no such duty.”

I looked at Ciel, who was sitting on a wooden box near Leticia.

“…Ciel, why didn’t you stop her?”

“I judged that there was no safety risk.”

…That might be true, but!

Deciding I couldn’t rely on Ciel for this, I turned back to my sister.

“Why are you doing this… here, of all places?”

“Doing what?”

Leticia met my gaze directly and challenged me.

“This is still officially a joint training exercise. While some casual conversation during mealtimes is to be expected—”

“There’s nothing wrong with that.”

I decided to ignore her.

“I fail to understand why the topic of conversation is me.”

“The main purpose of this joint exercise is to get to know each other better, to build camaraderie, right?”

“The main purpose is to understand each other’s skills and improve coordination.”

While my sister’s point was partially valid, it wasn’t the main purpose.

If that were the case, a banquet would suffice. There would be no need for the full battle armor, which required careful maintenance to prevent rust, or the warhorses, which required meticulous care.

The cost of this exercise… would make a commoner faint.

Since it was a joint exercise, the Vanderwaals weren’t covering the entire cost.

However, as the hosts, we were responsible for preparing the training grounds and providing accommodations, which was a significant expense. Even with the Vanderwaals’ ample funds, we needed to see results.

Even so, it was better to spend gold coins than to pile up corpses.

Perhaps sensing my seriousness, my sister’s expression became more resolute.

Even that serious face was too cute—no, I couldn’t afford to be distracted.

“Elder Sister is the supreme commander of the Vandergant Territorial Army. I believe it’s important for the soldiers to understand her character.”

While her words sounded reasonable…

“And the best way to do that is to talk about… our double riding lesson?”

“Well… um… doesn’t knowing about someone’s personal life make them seem more relatable?”

My sister persisted, even as I pressed her.

“…It doesn’t.”

It did, though.

I wanted to know everything about Leticia, every little detail of her daily life.

Separating what you felt from what you said was part of being an adult.

That was probably why children called adults hypocrites.

“—I don’t know what you’ve been talking about until now…”

That was half a lie.

I had heard the stories about the chocolate in the snowy mountains, the bear hunt, and the food server.

What I was most curious about was what my sister had been saying, how much she had revealed, and how she had phrased it.

“I’ll overlook it this time. But these aren’t things you should be discussing in front of the person involved, are they?”

I glanced around, and everyone quickly averted their gazes.

…The Territorial Army and the Knights were surprisingly similar in that regard; perhaps their coordination had improved.