Chapter 66
"Who are you calling ugly...?"
Holding my slapped hand, I glared fiercely, and Billy, with a genuinely puzzled expression, pointed at me.
"...Were you listening to their conversation?"
"They said that your stepsister, Celestia Rotisch, is jealous of you, who is cherished by her father and fiancé, and oppresses you. That's what they said, but..."
"That's right. So why me? The ugly one is my stepsister, isn't it?"
"But that's just what you're saying, isn't it? Has anyone actually seen her oppressing you with their own eyes?"
"What did you say...?"
"Celestia, jealous of her stepsister? Caring enough to oppress her? That's impossible. It's more believable that you're the one jealous of her and trying to spread bad rumors."
"Hey...!"
"She, Celestia Rotisch, is not the kind of person you're describing."
I glared at Billy, who clearly spoke in defense of Celestia, but he returned a piercing gaze that made me flinch slightly. Unwilling to back down, I straightened my back defiantly.
"Are you close with my stepsister... you?"
Restraining myself from raising my voice, I covered my mouth with a hand, let out a mocking laugh, and implied with my words, 'Just a mere baron family?' Noticing this, Billy seemed to think for a moment before shrugging exaggeratedly and smirking at me.
"We take the same classes, train together, and strive to improve every day, don't we?"
"The same...? No way, at the Military School?"
"Y-Yes... schoolmates."
As I stared intently at Billy, who stumbled over his words, he turned his face away as if to cover something up and cleared his throat. Frowning at his behavior, I heard murmurs of "Military School" from Margot and the others.
"Lord Hyuton, is it true that Lady Celestia attends the Military School?"
"What's this all of a sudden? If you doubt it, go ask someone around here. The people by that table are also school... mates."
"So it's really true!"
I recalled my mother saying that the news of Celestia entering the Military School spread quickly in Social Circles, and the story of a count's daughter placing herself in a harsh environment mixed with commoners was currently the most talked-about topic everywhere.
Margot and the others were excitedly exclaiming, "That's amazing!" but there's nothing impressive about the granddaughter of a soldier entering the Military School.
After all, she's the granddaughter of a Marshal, right? She could probably graduate at the top of her class at the Military School without doing anything but playing around.
She's probably acting like a queen, just like in a game, basking in the servitude of lower nobles and commoners.
"I can painfully understand the feeling of being jealous of her."
Even though I've said over and over that it's the other way around, Billy's presumptuous understanding and knowing expression irritated me terribly.
"But you'd better stop speaking ill of her."
"I'm not speaking ill of her. It's the truth."
"...Do you want to die?"
I couldn't help but let out a "Huh...?" at the dangerous words Billy uttered.
"I'm warning you because I've personally experienced what kind of person Celestia Rotisch is. If she were the type to be driven mad by jealousy and oppress her stepsister as you claim, she would undoubtedly crush her opponent—mentally, physically, and socially—so thoroughly that they could never defy her again, make them regret being alive, and then quietly dispose of them. Absolutely!"
"...Are you really my stepsister's schoolmate?"
For some reason, Billy quickly scanned the surroundings before nodding gravely with a "Of course."
"Anyway, you shouldn't talk about such things in a place where you don't know who might be listening. It could cause trouble for the Count as well."
"Trouble...?"
"If rumors spread that he's oppressing his remarried spouse and her daughter, it becomes a family scandal."
"So, are you saying I should just endure and put up with it?"
"To begin with, I can't see how you're being oppressed at all. You're attending official events as part of the family, wearing quite fine dresses and accessories."
"That's because my adoptive father cherishes me."
"Wealthy nobles often have exclusive designers. Those designers, whether male or female, tend to prioritize the opinions of the heir for future considerations. No matter how much the Count cares for you, if Celestia, the heir, had a say, you'd be wearing something far inferior to what you have now."
"It can differ depending on the household."
"Don't you get what I'm saying? If she wanted to, she could do whatever she pleased with a stepsister. The fact that you can speak so freely like this is the clearest proof that you're not being oppressed."
"If that's the case, why don't you ask my stepsister's fiancé, Lord Floyd Armle? He always
protected me from her."
The man in front of me keeps doubting me, thinking I'm lying, but I'm only exaggerating a little—it's not a lie. I can even produce a witness, and it's true that Celestia glared at me when I was close to Floyd.
"I don't think there's anyone who wouldn't feel something when a man pays more attention to his fiancée's stepsister than to his fiancée herself... Don't you think you'd be upset if the same thing happened to you?"
Suddenly dragged into the conversation by Billy, Margot and the others looked surprised, exchanged glances, peeked at me, and then nodded slightly.
Around us, many noble sons and daughters were listening in on our exchange.
Until Billy showed up, they had been sympathetic to me, but now they looked confused.
"That's awful. Even if you're a friend of my stepsister, how can you speak ill of me when you know nothing...?"
If that's the case, I'll just make them sympathize with me again.
With teary eyes and a faint voice, I criticized Billy, and the surrounding people, easily deceived by such simple acting, began to direct disapproving looks at him.
"Was it pointless to warn you?"
Since this man defends Celestia so much, he must be some kind of villainous side character or something.
(None of your business.)
As I looked up at Billy and moved my lips without making a sound, he only furrowed his brow, said nothing, turned his back, and left the Ballroom with his friends.
"Mirabel, that Lord Hyuton..."
My so-called friends, utterly useless at critical moments, kept glancing toward the door, worried about Billy, but I don't care if he dislikes me.
"It seems there was a misunderstanding. It's fine, he wasn't angry."
But they still have plenty of uses, and since they might interfere with events again, I need to keep them as my pawns and take good care of them.
Smiling at Margot and the others, who seemed relieved by my words, I told them I'd return to my adoptive father soon and quickly moved deeper into the Ballroom.
Having cooled my head, I remembered the most useful pawn I currently have.
"Lord Floyd."
I spotted Floyd in front of a table positioned with a good view of the royal seats, stopped a little distance away, and called out to him when his uncle, the Prime Minister, stepped away.
"...Mirabel?"
As expected of the game's hero...
Inwardly, I praised his formal attire as being on par with the Crown Prince, then clung tightly to Floyd's arm with both hands, acting like a spoiled child.
With a gentle personality, doll-like appearance, wealth, and status, Floyd has it all.
What a shame, truly a shame. If only he weren't a yandere willing to resort to abduction, confinement, anything...
"Have you seen Celestia?"
"My stepsister?"
"It's about time to leave, so I thought we'd go together, but I can't see her in the Ballroom."
Even though I've been ignoring her for a while to adjust favorability, he's still more concerned about Celestia than me...?
"Did my adoptive father ask you to find her?"
"No, I just haven't talked to her much today."
In the game, Floyd evolves from mild attachment to possessiveness, and then into a yandere.
Though it was described as mild attachment, it was actually quite intense.
That attachment begins when the heroine enters the Academy and he becomes jealous of her growing close to other heroes...
"Even though the former head and the Count are in the Ballroom... I wonder if she's okay..."
Observing Floyd, who restlessly scanned the surroundings, I smirked inwardly, guessing that this was likely the start of his attachment.
I can't fathom why he's fixated on Celestia instead of me, but that villain must have done something to interfere with me again. I'll make her realize she's only tightening the noose around her own neck.
"My stepsister was at the lake with His Highness, the Crown Prince."
"The lake...?"
"Well, earlier, I got lost and wandered into the area with the lake, and I was in trouble. Then, my stepsister came to the lake with His Highness, the Crown Prince, and..."
"Just the two of them with His Highness?"
I deliberately avoided mentioning the Second Prince, offering only a vague smile.
"Since she went to greet the royal seats with Lord Fielde earlier, they might have been told to stay together as children."
Floyd's tone was very gentle as he smiled with a troubled expression, yet his eyes weren't smiling at all...
"The two of them looked very close. My stepsister even told me to go back to the Ballroom because I was in the way!"
"...Is Celestia still at the lake with His Highness?"
"Yes. And..."
I stood on tiptoe and brought my lips close to Floyd's ear.
"Celes... His Highness, the Crown Prince, called my stepsister by a nickname. Just like a fiancé would."
Watching Floyd's eyes widen, I whispered inwardly that I was surprised too.
Since Floyd had said she went to greet the royal family, maybe Celestia told him to use a nickname at that time. So unfair.
"...Well, since the other party is royalty, she probably had no right to refuse."
I giggled softly and slipped my hands away from Floyd's arm.
"You know, all girls dream of marrying a prince. The Rotisch family may be a count family, but they're close enough to greet His Majesty the King, so maybe my stepsister really could marry a prince!"
I placed a hand on my cheek and exclaimed, "Amazing!" with innocent joy, smiling at the now pale-faced Floyd.
"But I love both my stepsister and Lord Floyd. I'd be so happy if the two of you got married."
"......"
"So,"
I stood in front of Floyd, lifting his wrists as if to restrain them, and raised the corners of my mouth.
"Make sure you properly hold on to my stepsister, okay?"
When I let go of his hands abruptly, Floyd stared at his wrists where I had grabbed him, remaining motionless for a while.