Episode 16
Helen thought she had gone mad.
It was this situation—receiving everyone’s attention inside the mansion after the Emperor had returned to the Imperial Palace—that she thought was crazy. But what she truly thought was crazy was not the attention directed entirely at her, but Lukas Drifon.
The Platini family was wealthy thanks to the success of its many businesses, yet its power was not great. The notion of not interfering in politics had been passed down since the family’s earliest days. But since it had already been well over two hundred years since the family’s founding, that notion seemed to have worn away somewhat.
They had inevitably become involved in politics for the prosperity of their business. As a result, they had gained business success and a little power, but that was exactly where it stopped. Just enough not to become a thorn in the eyes of other families, and no more.
The Empress played the role of lending strength to the Emperor. To think that he would choose someone from the Platini family—and moreover, someone who had left the Count’s estate long ago and lived alone in Heoksillopeu—for such a weighty position.
Helen lightly rubbed her throbbing temple with her hand at the headache-inducing reality.
The Platini family would be of no great help to the Emperor. The Emperor’s strength would certainly help the Platini family, but...
“……Was that his aim?”
An assistant who would not become a threat to the Emperor. If Lukas had truly thought of this, then unless the notions the Platini family held were completely shattered, nothing would happen that could pose a threat to him.
Brother, really.
“He really does have good instincts.”
“Who? Who has good instincts?”
Roji entered the attic wearing a cute dress that resembled hers. Letting out a grunt, she closed the door, blocking it off completely, before slowly catching her breath. The attic was located at the very top of the mansion, so one had to climb a ladder to get up. Moreover, wearing a dress, she must have been so exhausted that she didn’t even have the strength to smooth out the wrinkles.
Even so, Roji Platini wore a bright, clear smile on her flushed face.
“Sister, who is it that has good instincts?”
“…….”
*Sister.* It had already been three days since Helen returned to the mansion, but she still found the word unfamiliar. She was clearly this child’s sister, and their blood must be partially mixed, yet it felt as if she weren’t.
“Just someone. You wouldn’t know even if I told you.”
If she were this child’s real sister, and therefore could trust her completely, she would have told the truth, but Helen constantly doubted Roji.
Fortunately, Roji lost interest in whoever had good instincts. She made a rather disappointed expression but stopped there. Instead, she revealed the reason she had come to the attic looking for Helen.
“Mother has been looking for you for a while.”
Helen was not surprised by Roji’s words. For the first time since the Platini family came into existence, the Emperor had visited. A Count’s child could simply be summoned to the Imperial Palace; yet the Emperor had come in person.
The imperial carriage had been stationed before the main gate of the Platini mansion, more than enough to draw the attention of people passing by the main road in front of the mansion. Perhaps it might fill the front page of tomorrow morning’s newspaper. No, Helen thought again. It was certain to fill the front page of tomorrow’s newspaper.
*The Emperor’s Scandal! The Empire’s National Wedding, Finally Coming to Fruition?*
That should do for a headline, she thought.
“Now that you know where I am, will you go and tell the Lady?”
“No! Don’t worry. I told Mother that I didn’t know where you were, so by now she’s probably tired of looking for you and gone to meet other noble ladies.”
“To boast about His Majesty’s visit?”
“Yes. Mother loves to boast, after all.”
At those words, Helen clutched her stomach with both hands and giggled. Not because Roji’s words were funny, but because she pitied the Countess’s life.
Before explaining why she laughed mockingly while wiping tears from the corners of her eyes, Helen apologized.
“Sorry. I laughed because I pity the life of a lady who loves to boast.”
“Is that something to laugh about?”
“But of course. Of all the men, she had to marry Father, and in her life with him, there must not have been much to boast about.”
Only then did Roji nod and understand Helen’s laughter. Count Platini had lived a life of successfully concluding businesses or investing for success. All that remained for him was nothing but wealth.
What else was there for the woman who had become the wife of a Count with not even a speck of interest in plunging into political circles to build fame, other than ever-increasing wealth to boast about?
“I wish I could have become Mother’s pride and joy... If only I were a bit smarter and helped Father with his business, would I have become her pride?”
Helen read sorrow on Roji’s face as she bowed her head and fidgeted with her ten fingers. In that moment, she realized her hand was resting on top of her half-blooded sister’s hand, without even realizing it.
“You are enough of the Lady’s pride simply for being her child.”
“Sister…….”
“So don’t worry. It’s not as if I will ever become the Lady’s pride.”
“But! You’re going to marry His Majesty, and that alone will bring glory to the family!”
“Exactly. That’s why I’m saying it won’t happen.”
Helen withdrew her hand from the back of Roji’s hand.
The Empress of the Empire. The national wedding of the Empire. Helen Platini was not the one suited for it. The one suited for that seat should be someone who loves this country, or at least someone who loves Lukas Drifon.
Not someone incapable of loving Lukas Drifon.
“I was about to go out into the city; would you like to come with me?”
“Of course!”
Roji, blooming with a bright smile, rose to her feet. Leaving behind words that there was much to prepare before opening the only exit from the attic, so Helen should come down slowly.
For Helen, who would follow after, Roji opened the door and left before departing. Helen’s eyes turned toward the space beyond the door, where light streamed up from below. Unlike the attic, which would never be bright except when the sun hung directly overhead at noon, it was a space leading downward that would not be dark so long as night had not yet fallen.
For the sake of her half-blooded sister, Helen conceived the thought of using her sister from now on. And further, for the future of the family. And further still, for this country.
* Sibello
Had they not hired a carriage, they would have been unable to go outside due to the crowds gathered to see the person whom the Emperor had visited in person.
Helen admired Roji’s shrewdness and was simultaneously thankful that it was winter. It was the perfect weather to hide her red hair inside the hat attached to her outer garment.
Winter was heading toward its end, but the cold remained fierce. The wind was sharp, and the world was white. The place Helen and Roji headed to was a teahouse. It hadn’t been in the plans; visiting this place was entirely Roji’s wish.
The teahouse, which occupied an entire three-story building, was packed with people. There were even more than the crowds gathered in front of Count Platini’s mansion. Helen thought the reason this place was so popular was its luxurious interior and the fact that it was decorated with small rooms where secret meetings could be held.
Roji entered the room and drew the velvet curtains, cutting off contact with the outside. Then, taking off her outer coat, she grumbled.
“If His Majesty visits the mansion twice, there will be trouble.”
Helen could not answer. The Emperor would come again tomorrow, the day after, and even a week later. He was a great man with more than enough reason to do so.
“But thanks to that, it’s nice. We get to go out together like this, just the two of us.”
“……Hearing you say that makes me all the happier.”
“Sister.”
Roji scrunched up her face, and her protruding lips trembled.
“How long are you going to speak formally to me? I wish you would be comfortable with me…….”
“For now, this is more comfortable.”
Helen’s sincerity weighed heavily on Roji. She understood Helen’s feelings well enough, but that only made her more upset.
She had gained a sister. No, the sister who had existed all along had only just appeared now. That was why she was all the more precious. She wanted to let her experience things she hadn’t been able to enjoy, and make her feel the familial love she had never felt.
“But still…… I wish people would see us as sisters.”
“I…….”
Did she want them to look like sisters? Unlike a young lady who had obviously grown up receiving abundant love, a young lady who had grown up as a commoner’s child without ever properly receiving love would surely show a difference. It would be fortunate enough if they didn’t look like a lady and her maid.
Ah, was that what she wanted? To show that she had been different from birth, and to make her know what it felt like to receive a family’s true love when she was in the position of being sold off for the family instead of the beloved daughter?
The thought crossed her mind that it was a prank all too transparent in its pettiness. She had concluded without properly confirming what Roji Platini’s true feelings were that she was simply a bad child. That she must take after Count Platini’s bad nature.
It was she who had intended to use Roji, who might truly consider her an older sister.
“Fine.”
“Sister!”
At the unexpected answer, Roji sprang to her feet and spread both arms. She had intended to hug Helen, but unfortunately, a table sat between them.
“I’m so happy! It finally feels like we’re real sisters…… Look at me. I’m tearing up.”
As Roji sniffled, Helen held out a handkerchief embroidered with small yellow flowers.
“Don’t cry. I may not be in a position to say this, but I didn’t come down from Heoksillopeu just to watch my little sister cry.”
“Yes, Sister!”
“Good girl.”
Helen stretched out her arm, but the hand that had tried to pat Roji’s head clenched into a fist. It wasn’t because of the table blocking them. It was simply that, unlike the action her head had thought of, her heart would not follow.
Unlike Roji, who was so happy she didn’t know what to do with herself, Helen’s heart was nothing but heavy.
“Roji, there’s something I need to tell you.”
“What is it?”
“Actually, I’m not feeling well.”
“What? Where? Where does it hurt! Did you come here while sick? Let’s go to a doctor right away!”
Roji was startled and eventually even got angry. Her only sister was sick. Now that she thought about it, Helen had always looked listless since returning to the mansion. To think it was because she was ill!
The leisure to remain in the popular teahouse vanished. Roji gathered her discarded outerwear and rose from her seat. Where was the nearest doctor? She knew a doctor who was acquainted with the Count, but she couldn’t for the life of her remember who it was.
Only when Roji was stomping her feet in anxiety did Helen open her mouth.
“Roji, calm down.”
“How can I calm down! You’re sick.”
“It’s not as bad as you think. It’s simply a cold. You know how cold Heoksillopeu is. Far beyond what the capital’s cold could compare to.”
Located at the northernmost tip of the Empire, Heoksillopeu was the place with the longest winter in the entire Empire. The winter cold was fearsome without even needing to mention it. Especially when blizzards raged, even an adult found it difficult to take a step. Therefore, it was the place with the lowest crop yield in the Empire, and simultaneously the place that recorded the most snowfall. The year before last, it had snowed the second-most in the Empire’s history since its founding, preventing demon beasts from invading throughout the winter.
Roji had heard that the cold of Heoksillopeu threatened people’s lives, but she dared not imagine that cold. She thought she could partly understand the reason Helen remained calm even while suffering from a cold.
“Then let’s return to the mansion for now. I’ll call a doctor, so you wait in the carriage first.”
“Roji. I don’t want to worry the family. Moreover, His Majesty was here. It could cause needless commotion. I don’t want that.”
“Sister.”
“I just need to take medicine. Fortunately, I know what medicine to take to get better. So will you help me?”
So that I can take my medicine.