🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 6
At the same time.
Inside the second-floor drawing room of Chloe’s seaside estate.
Through the slightly open door, the maids’ chattering voices drifted in.
“Lady Teresia really is like an angel. I heard she came again to help Lady Chloe.”
“How can they be so different? Lady Chloe dislikes Lady Teresia.”
“Well, Lady Teresia wields divine power, while Lady Chloe uses darkness. I suppose even one’s abilities follow one’s character.”
Listening to the maids’ giggles, Teresia curved her lips into a faint smile.
Meanwhile, Chloe stared dryly at the younger sister before her.
“Do you enjoy listening to such pointless noise?”
“Hmm? Sister, I don’t know what you mean.”
“I know you deliberately spread rumors about me and make sure they reach my ears. Stop being needlessly irritating.”
She didn’t even have the energy to respond to each and every one of them.
Teresia, who had been watching Chloe’s listless demeanor with amusement, finally spoke.
“You’re still living such a difficult life, aren’t you, Sister? As expected of a ‘dark mage on the verge of rampaging.’”
Teresia Ardos.
With deep pink hair tinged faintly with fiery red and bright golden eyes, she smiled radiantly—like a saint.
“Don’t misunderstand. I just want to help you. As you know, my purification power and your dark magic are worlds apart.”
At her fingertips flickered a pale gray light mixed with faint impurities.
All humans on the continent were divided into two types: ability users and ordinary people.
Ability users were those blessed by the gods, capable of using specialized powers by drawing upon the mana within their bodies.
Even those with minor abilities made up only about 1% of the entire empire.
Because they were so rare, each one was considered a precious asset of the empire.
Among the five major branches of abilities, the rarest was healing power based on the “Light” attribute.
Unfortunately, Teresia’s purification ability could cleanse afflicted targets, but it fell far short of true healing.
Moreover, there was not a single person in this generation who possessed genuine healing power.
Thanks to that, Teresia—who had what was called “quasi-healing”—received tremendous treatment and respect.
“Because of my ability, I’ve become a candidate for Saintess this generation. Mother has already gone to the temple.”
“Is that so? Then why would someone so remarkable come to my estate? Spare me the pretense and get to the point.”
Teresia smiled sweetly.
“It just seems rather… dirty here. So I thought I’d cleanse it for you.”
The moment Chloe heard that, she almost burst out laughing.
Teresia’s purification did nothing for her rampages. And even if it could cure her, Chloe knew Teresia would never actually do so.
Healing is just the surface excuse to show the public.
There was only one real reason Teresia had come here.
Chloe regarded her with a bored expression.
“Are you pretending to treat me to gain Father’s recognition? If you want to be acknowledged as heir, do your own work instead of tormenting me.”
“…What?”
Teresia’s lips pressed tightly together.
Her only weakness was her bloodline.
Teresia had entered the family when her mother, Duchess Lucrezia, remarried and brought her along.
But she had been making full use of that very bloodline herself.
“I want to get along with Sister Chloe, but maybe she dislikes me because I was registered into the family so late.”
“Father, are you discriminating against me because I’m not your biological daughter?”
Having her sore spot struck, Teresia’s face flushed red.
“Even if I’m adopted into this family, I’m still better than a cripple like you. Remember that.”
Teresia, who had reluctantly called Chloe “Sister” with forced politeness, finally showed her true colors. But Chloe calmly shot back.
“I never said it was because you were adopted.”
“You know, Sister, I wouldn’t do something as stupid as hiding away for a year just because a single dog died.”
Chloe’s gaze turned icy.
She might find everything bothersome, but she would not tolerate insults about Coco.
For the past year, everyone had asked her—directly or indirectly—
Why are you like this over just one dog?
But Coco wasn’t just a dog.
The one I wanted to protect more than anything in the world.
What meaning did life, wealth, or power have without Coco?
But Teresia would never understand.
She had never lost the thing she loved most.
Chloe, who had been staring at her, lightly raised her hand.
A sphere appeared above her palm, as though black dust had been gathered and compressed into a ball.
“Y-you, what is that—!”
“I can’t tolerate you anymore. Leave.”
“How dare you treat me like this—!”
“Why? Go on. Are you afraid this sphere might explode?”
If Chloe were to rampage here, Teresia wouldn’t be able to stop her.
Knowing that all too well, Teresia bit her lip and fled as if escaping.
After the door closed, Chloe broke into violent, blood-choking coughs.
“Damn it.”
To cough up blood from using magic just once.
Her past self would have found that absurd.
Wiping her mouth, Chloe left the drawing room and headed toward her bedroom.
For the past year, her room had been silent.
But when Coco was alive, it was different.
When she sat at her desk reading quietly, she would hear slurp, slurp—the sound of drinking water from behind her.
You silly thing, Coco.
If she tilted her head and pretended not to notice—
Tap, tap, tap—the soft patter of paws as Coco ran lightly toward her.
The little white fluffball who would tilt her head and hop onto the sofa.
The small puppy with sparkling black eyes that looked only at her.
You were so greedy for food. Always coveting whatever I ate.
She had scolded Coco for trying to eat grapes and chocolate.
She still remembered the way Coco stuck out her tongue and panted in protest.
Such a greedy little dog.
And yet…
“…You were cute.”
Whenever she struggled to become the heir, whenever people called her a “villainess.”
Just having that soft bundle of fur beside her made her happy.
The tiny panting breaths, the way Coco smacked her lips in her sleep as if eating something, the way her moist nose would nuzzle her—all of it.
My only friend, my family… my salvation.
So when Coco died, Chloe felt as though she had lost everything.
Everyone said she was crazy.
That it was foolish to pour such affection into a mere dog.
Chloe had always wanted to become the heir. She had always wanted Father’s acknowledgment.
So she had always obeyed him.
But the day he tried to remove Coco’s grave was different.
For the first time in her life, she defied him.
The rumors of her being a villainess grew even louder, but she didn’t care.
“I just want to die anyway.”
She was about to lie down on her tomb-like bed.
How strange.
Right in front of the door lay a purple flower she hadn’t noticed before.
“…Coco?”
Coco had always woken up before her.
Every morning, Coco would place a purple flower at the doorway of her bedroom.
Chloe picked up the trembling flower and clenched her teeth.
Is this another one of that damned Teresia’s tricks?
Afraid that even the traces of Coco might disappear,
she had personally cleaned the area around her bedroom.
She had strictly ordered the maids not to touch it.
So who dared to ignore her and leave this flower here?
“Miss? Why are you here…?”
A maid gasped in shock upon seeing me standing in the corridor near my sister’s room.
I blinked.
“Hm? What’s wrong?”
“You mustn’t wander around like this, Miss. And I believe you should return to your annex today. An intruder has entered it. They say a strange flower was found near Lady Chloe’s room…”
Gasp—so Sister saw the flower I brought!
I slipped it through the crack in her bedroom door!
Good thing I used my head!
I beamed and waved my hand.
“That flower? I put it there!”
The maid’s face instantly turned pale.
“W-why would you do that?”
“Because it’s pretty!”
“This is not the time to smile, Miss!”
“Hm? Why not?”
The maid beat her chest in frustration.
“You could die from being crushed by dark magic! Because you left that flower there!”
What is she talking about?
My sister loves purple flowers.
Unless she’d rather get delicious sweet potatoes as a reward!
“Lady Chloe has ordered that the culprit be brought to her immediately.”
My violet eyes sparkled like jewels.
Perfect.
I need to get ready to meet my sister looking cool and impressive!
