Chapter 2
Charlotte was five years old and Claire was six when she was taken in by the Martino family.
Charlotte, the beloved daughter of her father Benjamin and his mistress, lived modestly with her mother in a village away from the royal capital. But when Charlotte's mother died of an illness, she was brought in as the second lady of the Martino family.
This kind of event is not so rare in the aristocratic cla.s.s, but the fact that she was only one year younger from his wife's child, and that she was a descendant of the Martino family, caused quite a stir in social circles.
Claire's mother had died in a tragic accident just the previous year, so there was not the slightest hint of welcome for Charlotte at home or in social circles. …….But.
Everyone in the family, or rather in the house, gradually fell in love with Charlotte, who was bright, cute and unfathomably clever.
Her maternal bloodline was particularly dominant, and she has entirely a distinctive kind of beauty from Claire and her brothers. In addition, her fluffy blonde hair, delicate frame, and big eyes with an amiable charm are that of a beautiful girl no matter who is looking.
"Big sister Claire, you're going to marry Asbelt-sama, aren't you? You're going to be a real princess in this country…what a fairytale story!"
She called out to Claire in her feminine, pleasant voice that tingles like a bell, and her frankness in saying what she thinks is true was very amusing. To Claire, Charlotte was undeniably her most important sister.
However, being from a commoner background, Charlotte was not well received by other n.o.ble ladies.
At the tea parties that the sisters attended together, Charlotte often burst into tears because of some harsh pointing, but Claire defended and protected her each time.
And by the time Charlotte turned fifteen, having been given the same lady education as Claire since the age of five, no longer had anyone treated her existence as an ugly scandal.
(Now, you're safe. I'm going
Or so I thought.
The change in Claire and Charlotte's relations.h.i.+p came at Charlotte's ritual two months earlier.
Even though it's been two months, Claire can still remember that day vividly.
The baptismal ceremony took place at the spring fountain in the church to which her mother's birthplace belongs. Because Charlotte's mother was the daughter in the neighboring Paphet country, the ritual was performed in a church in Paphet country.
The moment Charlotte stepped into the spring fountain, poof, the whole area lit up white. The entire surface of the spring sparkled white, and Claire was so dazzled that she couldn't keep her eyes open.
And at the same time, echoed the whooping joy from the aristocratic witnesses.
"…White!! Well done, Charlotte!"
Father Benjamin ran up to Charlotte and hugged her.
The color of Charlotte's magic was a color only ever inherited by the eldest daughter of the Martino family…white, which proved her excellent bloodline.
Among the royalty and aristocrats that rushed up behind him was also the figure of the First Prince Asbert, who accompanied them as a witness.
In the center of the scene that Claire failed to grasp a year ago, Charlotte was laughing happily, while Claire just looked on in a daze.
"This means that Asbert-sama's engagement with Miss Claire is likely to be swapped for one with Miss Charlotte, right? I can't say it out loud, but I've heard he's intimate to Miss Charlotte at the academy as well."
"Although she's the daughter of the Duke too, the fact that he has bothered to attend her baptismal ceremony of the second daughter, is it possible that Asbert-sama originally has a thing for Miss Charlotte?"
Such heartless conjectures pierced Claire's ears over and over again as the crowd lost sight of her and erupted at fever pitch.
After Charlotte's baptismal ceremony, her return from school from once a month increased to once a week. This was because of the weekly evening and tea parties that were held to introduce Charlotte to her superiors and the n.o.bles by her father and brothers.
And Claire had been ordered to chaperone her every time.
Everyone that her father introduced to Charlotte were originally acquaintances of Claire's. She was the one who has been looked upon as the fiancée of the First Prince and a candidate for the future vizier.
But, everything has changed.
When she accompanied Charlotte into the venue for evening parties, they were always met with stares, envy towards Charlotte and pity for Claire.
Immediately after the ritual, Father Benjamin began to want Charlotte, not Claire, next to Prince Asbert.
Asbert was all the more amenable because he originally adored Charlotte like a sister.
"You're my sister's fiance… In what way…is it bad?"
Charlotte found that uncomfortable to say at first, but now that two months have pa.s.sed, before she knew it, she was able to fit in next to Asbert naturally.
Claire was made into a wallflower, always smiling through it all.
(Somebody, free me….)
She has long prayed with all her heart for this day to come.
———-
When Claire returned to the dormitory after killing time in the academy so as not to run into the n.o.ble sons of Asbert's friends and Charlotte and the others, it was already pitch black inside the room.
She turned on the lights and opened the closet with a bang. She took out the largest trunk case that she only uses when going back home and spread it out in the middle of the room.
She picked out some clothes from the closet that looked easy to move around in and lay them out on the bed.
She avoided dresses and chose practical ones.
….. Knock knock.
She has a visitor.
"Yes, who is it?
If possible, she doesn't want to face anyone right now, but she still went to the door and called back cheerfully, keeping her face down while suppressing the emotions she wanted to hide.
"This is Charlotte, big sis. I need to talk to you. …Um, could you let me in, please?
There's only one Charlotte she knows, her half-sister came to visit.