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Chapter 145
At That Time, the Royal Palace ②
Translated by AmaLynne
Rachel could not believe her ears.
――What did my sister just say?
“O-Onee-sama, what did you just say?”
“I am engaged to Samuel Scheidt.”
“Onee-sama really?”
“Yes, father introduced me to him. At first, I had doubts because he was a younger boy, but now I am happy with him. I know he didn’t want to get engaged to me, but I can feel his care and tenderness in the letters he writes to me.”
Stella, smiling happily, looked like a maiden in love.
“――Onee-sama all over again.”
At the sight of her sister, Rachel bites her lip
“Maybe Sam’s number one is Lise, but that’s okay. I know from the letter that he cares about me. We can’t live together yet, but eventually
Rachel? Rachel, what’s wrong?”
“
No, it’s nothing. Oh, is that letter from that Samuel Scheidt?”
“Yes, it arrived earlier today. He’s a fast responder. I didn’t think we could exchange letters this often.”
Stella found the letter on the desk and hugged it carefully.
This gesture also irritated Rachel.
Rachel tried her best not to blatantly distort her face in front of her sister.
She was determined to be the sister who listened to her sister’s story.
“I didn’t know that
.but he is a curious man, isn’t he? I’m somewhat impressed that he would accept onee-sama, who is surrounded by bad rumors.”
Although she was being deliberately sarcastic, the older sister never cracked a smile.
“True. But he doesn’t care about such trivial things. And I don’t care about rumors anymore.”
“――! W-Why is that?”
She asked her sister, hiding her agitation.
Her sister is a different person from the one who had been upset by trivial rumors.
“Rachel has been telling me a lot of gossip because she cares about me, but I don’t want to hear anymore. Thank you for all you have done. Now that I know that my father and mother love me very much, I am not afraid of anything anymore.”
“
That’s right. As a sister, I couldn’t be happier to see your positive attitude.”
“Thank you, Rachel. You’re a big part of the reason I’m here.”
“O-Ohohoho, as a sister, it is only natural that I care about onee-sama.”
With that, Rachel turned her back on her sister, not wanting to be here any longer.
“Oh, you’re leaving?”
“Yes, I’m afraid so, but I have some business to attend to. I heard that your sister left her room today, so I just wanted to check in on her.”
“Thank you so much. I am so grateful that Rachel was the only one who came to see me while I was shut up.”
“I believe Cedric-onii-sama has been in to see you as well.”
“I know he would have. I appreciate you and Cedric and Rachel. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. I’m going to leave you now. Good day to you.”
Without looking back at her sister, Rachel walked out of the room.
After a short walk down a long hallway, she returned to her room and proceeded to her bedroom.
When she reached the bed, Rachel lifted the pillow and slammed it down as hard as she could.
“What is it with that woman! I’ve given her all kinds of bad news so that she’ll stay cooped up forever! What is it that she loves so much! And now she’s engaged to Samuel Scheidt! And now you’re taking what you want from me again, bitch!”
The emotions that she had been holding back from showing in front of her sister exploded.
Rachel had always hated Stella.
She hated her sister, who took whatever she wanted, as well as their mother’s bickering, and she hated her with all her heart.
So she deliberately let her know that she was being laughed at behind her back for being an unrighteous child because of her gray hair.
Sometimes, she offered topics of conversation to the aristocrat, who was tired of Stella’s innuendos, to get her interested again.
This caused Stella to withdraw and retreat into her shell.
It was Rachel’s pleasure to pretend to be a caring sister and go to see how her sister was doing.
But even though her sister was a shut-in, she still had what she wanted.
The love of her father, the king.
People who adored her.
And later, Samuel Scheidt.
“But of all things, Samuel Scheidt, whom I so desperately wanted, was Stella’s! You’ve got to be kidding me!”
She repeatedly slammed the pillow down, but her irritation didn’t subside.
That was as it should be. Rachel had wanted Sam since the day she saw the duel between Sam and Albert.
She had her mother check him out, and when she found out that he was safe enough to be hers, she had just the other day begged her mother for him.
But the thought that he was already her sister’s by then made her gut churn.
Rachel was fascinated by Sam’s strength.
Rachel didn’t know any other man who was that strong.
She wanted to own him, to subdue him, to make him her samurai.
For the first time, she was willing to sacrifice herself for him.
“You’re being pampered by father. You can’t take away what I want again――”
Rachel, who was filled with the mad flames of jealousy, bit her lip as she thought of her abominable sister.