One Day My Sister Died - chapter 39

**Chapter 39: A Very Lenient Name for That Demon**

Yuan ground her teeth without realizing it.

The titles of “good-for-nothing” and “tyrant” were very lenient names for that demon.

“After that crazy emperor left, the late-arriving Marquis Reve traveled across the continent, gathering doctors, shamans, magicians, and even dark sorcerers, but this is all that could be salvaged.”

Henna, exhausted, let out a sigh with a slightly softened demeanor.

Tears had been welling up in her large eyes for some time now. She quickly wiped them away before they could flow.

“Since then, the master has kept his distance from those attendants who had served him for a long time. The elderly ones left here have been with him since the time of the late emperor. Most of those who were in the mansion that day died, and those who survived were not there because they were busy with funeral arrangements. The few who survived… Each time the master treats them coldly without even showing his face, it hurts them, yet they can’t let him go because he was so kind to them when they were young.”

Henna looked out the window at nothing, sensing that she could speak more after seeing Yuan’s suppressed emotions.

“Oliver is the same.”

“Oliver?”

“Since that day, the master has never once held Oliver. He used to carry him around at the slightest whimper. If there was something delicious, he would save it for Oliver.”

“I can’t imagine that.”

“Right? After that incident, he became extremely sensitive to anyone sent from the palace, isolating himself, and he hasn’t mentioned Oliver’s name either.”

Henna spoke bitterly.

“Everyone thinks that His Highness the Prince has been betrayed too greatly by his family, and we can only feel bitter about it.”

“……”

“I used to follow my grandmother to the palace and occasionally played with Princess Apollini. I was very young, so my memories are sparse. I always think that if only the princess hadn’t passed away, the master would have suffered much less.”

“That would definitely be the case. She was the only family he had left after his parents died.”

“The master always carried the physically impaired Princess Apollini on his back. Even as she grew a bit, if she whined about wanting to go together, he would say, ‘Try to catch me!’ and run off, only to come back right away to give her a ride. I can’t express how envious I was of that as a child, heh heh. I didn’t have an older brother.”

As Yuan contemplated such a tragic incident, Henna, who had been observing her for a while, cautiously opened her mouth.

“Maybe the master… doesn’t realize he sees Princess Apollini in you.”

“In me?”

“You are of the same age, and your presence is similar.”

Yuan imagined the princess she had never met.

A beautiful princess with sparkling blonde hair and amethyst-like eyes.

The complete opposite of the raven-haired Yuan.

Claude could not have imagined that sparkling and noble princess in her.

“Anyway, what I want to say is! The master wasn’t always like this.”

Henna spoke urgently, seeing the subtle expression on Yuan’s face.

“Ten years can change everything.”

“……”

“He’s just… changed a little.”

Henna stared at Yuan’s hand, which was holding her own, for a while.

“I hope the mistress stays here for a long time.”

The scene of that day must have been the worst memory of Henna’s life as well.

She said she still often dreams of that day’s nightmare.

Not being able to protect Princess Apollini, the faces of her parents hid her beneath the wooden floorboards.

And her parents’ screams as they fought against Emperor Igor, who was trying to kill her grandmother, Margaret the nanny.

Soon followed by the image of her grandmother, who screamed while trying to protect Cloude, only to have her neck cut.

Despite the nightmares that would start again, Henna was pleading with Yuan to stay, even if it was difficult.

Even though Yuan had no intention of leaving this place.

“I want to try living well, too.”

At Yuan’s sinking voice, Henna’s previously gloomy face noticeably brightened.

“But I sometimes feel like the Master truly hates me.”

Her brightening face was suddenly filled with doubt.

“What do you mean, My Lady?”

Then she straightened her slumped body.

“The butler said that once, The Master couldn’t even bear the sunlight coming through the curtains, but now, it’s become a daily routine for him to open the curtains wide and look out at the garden. Is that all? Sometimes, he even opens the windows.”

“He must have felt suffocated.”

“He’s changing. If he hated you, he would have locked the door tightly and found some way to chase you away!”

He only kept me by his side to avoid suffering.

Yuan thought bitterly while smiling.

But cowardly, the voice of Lancelot broke through the sounds of Henna shouting in frustration and lingered in her mind.

‘If he didn’t like you, he wouldn’t keep you around, would he?’

She knew it wasn’t directed at her, yet she continued to hold onto it in her mind, like a secretly hidden snack that she would bring out and savor.

The hurt from being told not to cross the line seemed to have flown away somewhere.

Yuan prepared Claude’s lunch beside the welcoming head chef, Ralph.

Ralph openly praised Yuan’s skills, defiantly looking at the butler who dared not assign tasks to the lady.

He even let out a dismissive snort, saying not to disturb the baby mistress’s hobbies.

Yuan awkwardly chuckled, shaking off her feelings of disappointment regarding Claude.

*Knock knock.*

There was no response, as always, when she knocked on the door in front of Claude’s bedroom.

Even though it was always like this, her heart ached.

If she hadn’t heard about his circumstances, she might not have felt this way. But now that she knew, it hurt her heart, and she felt compelled to take care of him in some way.

Upon stepping into the bedroom without hesitation, Claude gave her even less attention than usual.

To be honest, no matter how much Lancelot or Henna insisted he wouldn’t keep her around if he didn’t like her, Claude, the main character in all this, remained silent, and she couldn’t dare ask him if he liked her.

If she asked and he said yes, she wouldn’t believe it. If he said no, she would be hurt even more.

“I’ll come up again when the sun sets.”

After a long pause, Claude slightly nodded, as if to indicate he heard her.

Yuan sighed with relief and gave a faint smile.

The past cannot be changed.

Just as there is no way to reclaim the birthday presents taken by her cousins in her childhood.

All she could do now was try to make Claude, who looked lonely and wounded like a scarred wolf, a little happier.

She would clean the annex even faster. Prepare hearty meals for every meal. Open the curtains to help him get used to the bright light again.

“I’m planning to go out to get some fresh air, following those who go for water more often.”

Yuan sought permission from Claude, who was only staring at the meal she had set out.

He silently drank the soup, and Yuan patiently waited for him.

“Do whatever you want to that extent.”

With his usual dry response, Yuan felt her heart settle.

That kind of reply was much better than being told not to cross the line.

Perhaps she had even adapted to his whims; to Yuan, his brief permission sounded like, “You can do anything you want as long as you just say it.”

“It would be nice if Master went along too.”

Her more assertive response didn’t elicit a favorable reaction.

Claude narrowed his eyebrows, as if he thought it wasn’t worth considering, and returned to his rocking chair to lie down.

***

This desolate mansion had very few horses.

To go out with the water cart procession, Yuan had to mix with the servants and sit in the cargo cart, which the butler wasn’t keen on.

But that was the only time Yuan could see Louise’s grave.

She sprinkled fallen flower petals around Louise’s grave, praying that Louise could go to heaven.

And on the way back to the mansion with the cargo cart, a thought suddenly crossed her mind.

Could it be that Claude wanted to come out of his bedroom as well?

After all, he had hardly stepped outside for ten years.

It wouldn’t be surprising if he felt stifled.

From what she heard from Henna, Cloude had been quite active as a child.

She came out under the pretense of needing fresh air, but honestly, she wasn’t particularly stifled and didn’t mind staying in the black mansion for a while.

Unless she was going out to take care of Louise’s grave, she had no complaints about remaining there for the time being.

At the Felice mansion, it was difficult for Yuan to even step into the garden.

She could only dream of going out unless she was near the laundry room or the incinerator.

Except when he assigned tasks, the uncle kept Yuan hidden from the outside world, and her cousins busied themselves teasing her, calling her dirty for not being able to wash properly, so Yuan was always confined to her room.

Now, she could freely roam most of the black mansion, and simply watching the gardening made her days pass quickly.

Moreover, lately, she had been busy cleaning the western annex.

‘It’s definitely because of his face that the Master doesn’t want to take walks in the garden.’

Yuan thought it was time to start making Claude’s face clean during the day as well.

On the day the western annex was completely clean, she would make sure Claude’s face would be just as clean.

Yuan resolved to work hard, both day and night.

She wanted to wipe away every trace of that damned, wild emperor from Claude’s face.

***

Lancelot, who had visited the black mansion to check on Claude, raised an eyebrow at the butler’s bright expression and Claude, who was scribbling something on a document in front of him.

“Did the sun rise in the west?”

“Butler. When someone comes to my house, pay attention.”

“Since you haven’t inherited the title of Count Loxenhardt, strictly speaking, this place is ‘legally’ owned by my father, and later it will belong to Eddie.”

“Quit being petty.”

“You’re the one who just acted petty.”