I love how thoughtful your comments were. I"ve never thought about it like that, but you guys are certainly right about Victor"s att.i.tude. But alas, his ‘standard" is in the better spectrum than Lily or Yugo, and that will be what they adhere to. Enjoy the chapter!
TL: clover
ED: clover
Magnificently, we are consistent with the kind of figures hated by Victor-niisama.
His sister prioritizes her pride more than anything else, believes that she is the best without a doubt, and spends money recklessly.
His brother does not accept anyone other than those who he deems beautiful, gathers those who suit his fancy and hosts tea party repeatedly without even working.
Indeed, my eldest brother must have been fed up with us.
While feeling fed up, he must have been wondering why the sister whom he hates the most in a sense has been persistently trying to talk to him.
—Well, of course he would have a disgusted expression.
To be honest, I don"t believe we will have face-to-face communications either.
But because he is my family I have to be patient.
……if I were to be ruined as a 『villainess』, it would be Victor-niisama who abandoned me first.
—I feel relieved. I"ve never thought of you as my sister. I"ve hated you for a long time.
When I thought my eldest brother would utter those words, I grimaced.
"Lily?"
He must be wondering why I fell silent. Al addressed me. I responded to him dejectedly.
"Um, yes……I"m fine."
"Really? If so, I"m glad. Even so, it would have been better if I was a little bit more considerate when I spoke."
I shook my head.
"No. I"m glad that you said it clearly. Otherwise, I probably wouldn"t understand. Al, this is very shameful, but everything Al said is true. I am convinced that it is only natural that Yugo-niisama and I are hated by Victor-niisama."
"……I see. You admit it, huh."
I nodded a bit to Al"s words.
"Otherwise, there is no reason for Victor-niisama to hate me or Yugo-niisama. I……needless to say, even Yugo-niisama……are people who do not appreciate the existence of those who are not beautiful, we are people who brazenly say that ugly people"s lives do not have any worth."
"Victor certainly would hate that. Because he is a just man."
"Is that……so?"
This is my first time hearing and learning that my eldest brother is a just person. To be honest, I can"t believe it, but if Al said so, then it must be true. And, if that is the case, everything matches.
Surely, Victor-niisama"s hate for Yugo-niisama cannot be compared to his hate for me.
Because, there are too many hated elements.
Every week, he must have been raging deep down because I made a new dress without any concern, and my usual arrogant att.i.tude must have been annoying as well.
It must have been unpleasant that such younger sister suddenly talked to him now after all this time.
Yup. I slowly understand the current situation.
"Lily……are you alright?"
While I was thinking quietly, Al asked me worriedly.
"I"m fine. I didn"t even know why I was hated up until just now. Now that I understand it, everything makes sense."
"……you know that you are being hated, right?"
"Yes."
I raised my face and said clearly.
"No matter how I think about this, I am hated because of my own mistakes. There is no other way but to prove to my eldest brother that I have changed."
That"s right, there is no shortcut about this sort of thing.
Within my eldest brother, his affection for me is no longer the same as before. Even if it is impossible to recover it, or whether it even exists, there is nothing wrong in making efforts.
"What"s done is done, and at this point, I don"t think there is a convenient way to make my eldest brother fond of me or anything like that. But, I think it will depend on the efforts I maintain until I close my eyes."
My goal is not to be a 『villainess』. And a 『villainess』 is a hated person.
In other words, it will be fine as long as I am not 「hated」.
"When thinking about being liked, I think that it is impossible for the moment and I don"t think I will aim for that, but I guess I can aim for not being hated……um, Al?"
"Pft! Kuku……kukukuku! S-sorry."
Al suddenly laughed even though I was speaking seriously. I don"t know why he laughed, and when I tilted my head, Luke who was behind me also laughed.
"M-Milady, sometimes, you display a pointlessly positive att.i.tude, huh. A normal lady would probably be depressed and lament, 「Oh no. What should I do? 」"
"That"s stupid. Will something changes if I lament?"
While feeling exasperated, I reproved Luke.
It is easy to lament. Just think about nothing and wait for the surroundings to do something. That would be a very easy path. But the time for me to take that path has pa.s.sed.
Right now, every second count. If there is time to lament, I should try as many measures as I can and try to avoid becoming a 『villainess』.
"I am not such an idle person. Things like being depressed and lamenting, I have done it in the beginning. So, I can only push forward to help myself after that."
"That"s exactly right."
When I said so to Luke, Al agreed with a laugh.
"I fully agree with what you said. Really, I can"t believe that you"re a 『villainess』 after all."
"I also don"t want to believe it, but it is true that I am hated, so I can"t ignore it. Now, I am aiming to distance myself from the 『villainess』 image that Prince Wilfred said even just a little."
"Yeah, I think that"s a correct decision."
While saying so, Al turned his eyes towards me. My heart jumped for a moment from the look in his eyes.
"You, who are doing your best to reach your goal, don"t look like the existence called a 『villainess』 at all, and on the contrary, I think that you are trying your utmost and are very cute. Yeah……indeed, I"m glad that you are my fiancée."
"T-thank you very much……"
I know that was only flattery, but being praised doesn"t feel bad. When I was looking down and feeling embarra.s.sed, Luke grinned mischievously and said.
"I"m happy for you, Milady. Those were flattery, you know, flattery."
"I knew that!"
Al who was staring intensely denied it in a blink of an eye.
"Eh? That"s not it. Why would I have to flatter my cute fiancée? Everything I said is true."
"……thank you very much."
When he gave a follow-up to that extent, I feel like running away. I decided to accept the happy feelings some time ago and said.
"anyway! Thanks to Al, I understand why Yugo-niisama and I are hated, to make my eldest brother deem me acceptable……no, to be allowed to enter my eldest brother"s line of sight, from now on I will be even more careful about my behavior, speech, and conduct!"
"……to be allowed to enter his line of sight……I mean, isn"t that an extremely low aim?"
"The other party is that eldest brother, you know? I think this is already too high."
When I replied seriously to Luke"s comment, he nodded and said "Indeed" after thinking about it for a moment. Al also smiled wryly.
"That"s true. But, I think he is not the kind of person who ignores those who strive to change themselves. So, if he sees you doing your best, Lily, Victor will surely recognize your effort."
"Yes."
If Al who knows my eldest brother at the castle said that, I think it might be true.
If I do my best, my eldest brother will change.
"Yes, I will do it! I will do my best!"
In order not to become a 『villainess』.
To not reach the future where I will be forsaken by my family.
I don"t fully believe what Prince Wilfred said. Perhaps, what he said is mere made-up words and they may not even mean anything. I think there is enough possibility for that.
However, I think there is nothing wrong in changing myself, after all, I am aiming at becoming a perfect lady, and I will definitely say 「Serves you right」 to Prince Wilfred someday.