-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: Really, Sister?
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Really, Sister?
Adelrin Silveniar.
She was known as the Sword Dancer, slicing through battlefields with a single sword stroke that danced like a whirlwind.
Blue flames always trailed her blade. It was said there was nothing those flames couldn't cut.
An S-rank scout I absolutely had to recruit later on. Though this was seven years earlier than in the original story, her talent wouldn't be bound by time.
"Can you show me the qualities of a lady?"
I shot a sharp glance at Camilla beside me. But she remained utterly composed.
"Please give your approval, my lady."
Adelrin's eyes lit up once more. The goodwill that had faded returned as anticipation, now fully fixed on me. Swallowing my resentment toward Camilla, I decided to refuse Adelrin.
But it wasn't me who responded to her.
"I'm sorry, but my daughters are too innocent to enjoy such rough and dangerous games."
A delicate yet clear, powerfully enchanting voice filled the room. Its owner was none other than Roselia.
"It's an honor to meet you, Countess."
Unlike me, who hadn't noticed Roselia's arrival, Adelrin calmly rose and offered a dignified bow.
"Unfortunately, I have a picnic planned with my daughters from now on."
Roselia, who had silently approached, lightly lifted Camilla and me with both hands.
"I hope we get another chance next time."
It was polite on the surface, but essentially an order to leave. Sensing the intent, Adelrin looked at Camilla and me with regretful eyes.
"If you truly wish to confirm the qualities of the Rahel Tani lady..."
Noticing Adelrin's lingering attachment, Roselia's red lips slowly parted into a cold smile.
"I can be your opponent."
Adelrin fell silent before those coldly gleaming red eyes.
A brief silence fell. But Adelrin lifted her gaze confidently once more, offering Roselia a short bow.
"I've been rude with my sudden visit. I apologize."
Even before Roselia, Adelrin's unshaken demeanor left me astonished.
"Then, I'll take my leave."
Adelrin straightened her clothes and gave Camilla and me one last look. Those deep blue eyes lingered finally on me, not Camilla.
※
The night after Lady Adelrin's departure.
I lay blankly on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
No matter how much I recalled the game's settings, no connection came to mind between the Rahel Tani and Silveniar families—even accounting for this being six years before the original story began.
Today's encounter felt like an exceptional deviation from the original plot.
The Rahel Tani's appearance at the Black Disaster subjugation contest was probably the decisive trigger. They were known as a family that never participated in such external events.
'...I never expected to meet Adelrin this soon.'
I didn't worry much about the story diverging. It wasn't something I could handle anyway.
Like a butterfly's wingbeat summoning a mighty storm, the original had been destined to change from the moment I reincarnated into this world.
Controlling every variable to preserve the original flow perfectly would require near-omnipotence.
Besides, a changed story wasn't necessarily bad. It could shift in a better direction—that was my hope.
"Sister, what are you thinking about?"
Camilla's voice reached me as I was lost in thought. She lay beside me in black pajamas.
I narrowed my eyes and glared at her.
"Why did you say that to Lady Adelrin earlier? You put me in a tough spot."
"I thought Mother would stop it."
Her reasonable reply surprised me. Apparently, Adelrin wasn't the only one who sensed Roselia's presence.
"You were just joking around?"
"Do you think I'd just sit back and watch you get chummy with another girl?"
"...What does that even mean?"
I tilted my head at the baffling words. But Camilla fired back with an unrelated question.
"Sister, do you really think she's pretty?"
It came out of nowhere, but she was probably recalling my slip-up with Adelrin.
"Pre...tty? Yeah, she was. Don't you think so?"
It was a slip, but no need to deny it. Even without my bias as her biggest fan, Adelrin's beauty ranked top among the heroines.
"Not really."
Camilla didn't agree at all. Come to think of it, she showed no reaction when they met either.
"Mother's way prettier. Like, several times more."
"...Can't argue with that."
I had to nod. Roselia's beauty was overwhelmingly stunning, even to me.
In the game, her face was always half-covered in blood, hiding its full glory. Seeing it up close was different.
And maybe it was my imagination, but her beauty seemed to grow more radiant over time.
'...And Sister's even more so.'
Camilla mumbled something. Her voice was too soft to catch. When I asked what she said, she didn't respond.
"By the way, why'd you turn down Blue Flame?"
Adelrin's offer was a no-lose deal by any measure. The fame from Blue Flame, the connections with its powerhouses—under normal circumstances, I'd welcome it with open arms.
"Looked boring."
But Camilla was anything but ordinary by any standard. It was her choice anyway, so no need for me to meddle deeply.
Plus, recalling Adelrin's parting words, she didn't seem like the type to give up after one refusal.
"Well, you're lucky. Lady Silveniar acknowledged you."
I smiled warmly. After over a year together, we'd grown close enough that her good news felt like my own.
"See? I told you you'd shine someday."
"..."
Being able to share our inner thoughts like this meant she'd accepted me into her world to some degree.
I couldn't predict where this bond would lead. But I sincerely hoped Camilla would grow up bright and healthy on the path ahead.
"So no doing bad things, okay?"
"Do I look like someone who'd do bad things?"
"Yeah. Totally."
Camilla gave me an exasperated look. Her pale, soft cheeks puffed out.
"I won't."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
I couldn't be fully certain yet, but she was clearly heading in a different direction from the game's Camilla. Compared to our first meeting, her brighter demeanor let me relax a bit.
"Sister."
"Yeah?"
"Take classes with me."
It was unexpected. I widened my eyes and stared at her.
"What?"
"Join the lessons I'm taking. Self-studying to circuit ability level means you've got real talent. With a teacher, you could improve even more."
I wondered if she was joking, but her eyes were astonishingly serious.
"...Thanks for the offer, but I'm fine."
She was right—formal instruction would be more efficient than self-study.
But I couldn't. It would mean building achievements by borrowing the Rahel Tani family's power.
Education from facilities I'd funded myself was fine, like an academy. But this was different.
"...You don't want to rely on the family?"
Camilla pierced right through me, as if reading my mind. Apparently, I'd learned about her over the past year, and so had she about me.
"Yeah."
"..."
Camilla pressed her lips together silently. Her eyes gradually cooled.
"You treat Rahel Tani like strangers."
With that, she turned away, pulling the blanket up to her chin. I blinked blankly at her small back.
I called her name several times after, but she just showed me her back, as if she had nothing more to say.
[I wish you'd rely on us a little more.]
Roselia's voice suddenly echoed in my mind. The expression she'd worn then overlapped with Camilla's now.
'It's not like I think of them as strangers...'
I'd decided to accept Roselia as family. My heart hadn't fully opened yet, but I hoped it would someday.
The same went for Camilla. I saw her as a little sister. Yet despite those feelings, I'd hurt her heart anyway.
[You don't have to handle everything alone, Bella. We're family.]
Roselia's voice dug into my heart again. I bit my lip unconsciously.
I didn't want one-sided help. Achievements gained by borrowing others' hands weren't truly mine. Living that way would make me someone who couldn't do anything alone.
I didn't want to lean on anyone. I'd always thought it would make me weaker.
But now, staring at Camilla's cold-turned back... could I confidently say I was right?
'Family.'
Yes. I'd decided to accept the Rahel Tani as family. Not just lip service, but truly.
It was sincere.
Yet maybe these actions of mine were hurting Camilla and everyone else.
"Camilla."
"..."
"Can I join your classes too?"
Camilla's shoulder twitched. She slowly turned to look at me. Her faintly glowing purple eyes were much wider than usual.
"You'll do it?"
"Well... not all of them, but a little might be okay..."
Camilla's lips trembled lightly, then one corner lifted slightly. I stared blankly at this unfamiliar expression on her changing face.
The first smile from Camilla since coming to Rahel Tani—and the first I'd ever seen. It was quite subdued and stiff to call a full smile, but it was definitely one.
"Really, Sister?"
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Read 153 more chapters ahead on NovelDex!
https://noveldex.io/series/adopted-by-the-villainous-noble-family
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━