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Inside the second-floor drawing room of Chloe's seaside mansion.
The sound of maids chattering could be heard through a slightly open door.
“Lady Theresia is truly like an angel. I heard she came to help Lady Chloe again this time.”
“How can they be so different? Lady Chloe hates Lady Theresia.”
“It's because Lady Theresia wields divine power, while Lady Chloe wields darkness. I suppose supernatural abilities follow one's nature.”
Listening to the giggling voices of the maids, a smile played on Theresia's lips.
On the other hand, Chloe was staring blankly at her younger sister, Theresia.
“Do you find it amusing to listen to such useless noise?”
“Hmm? Sister, I don't know what you mean.”
“I know you're intentionally spreading rumors about me and making sure they reach my ears. Stop being needlessly bothersome.”
Chloe didn't have the energy to respond to every single thing.
Theresia, who had been enjoying the sight of the lethargic Chloe, spoke up.
“You're still living such a difficult life, Sister. Truly the behavior one would expect from a ‘dark mage on the verge of a berserk state.’”
Theresia Ardos.
Deep pink hair mixed with a fiery red, and brilliant golden eyes.
She smiled radiantly, like a Saintess.
“Don't misunderstand. I just want to be of help to you. As you know, there is a world of difference between my purification power and your dark magic.”
A pale grey light, tinged with slight impurities, flickered at her fingertips.
All humans on the continent were divided into two groups: those with supernatural abilities and ordinary people.
Ability users were those blessed by the gods, using the mana within their bodies to employ specialized supernatural abilities.
Those possessing even a minor ability made up only about 1% of the entire empire's population.
Because they were born so rarely, every single one of them was a precious asset to the empire.
Among the five main branches of supernatural abilities, the most precious was the healing power based on the ‘light ability.’
Unfortunately, while the purification power Theresia possessed could treat a sick subject, it fell far short of true healing power.
Furthermore, there was not a single person in the current generation who possessed true healing power.
Thanks to that, Theresia, who possessed purification power—often called ‘pseudo-healing power’—received extraordinary treatment.
“Thanks to my ability, I became a candidate for the Saintess of this generation, so Mother has gone to the temple.”
“Is that so? Then why did such a great person come to my mansion? Cut the preamble and just tell me your business.”
Theresia beamed.
“I just thought it was a bit too dirty here. So, I wanted to heal it.”
As soon as Theresia spoke, Chloe almost burst into laughter.
Theresia's purification power had no effect on her berserk state. And even if she could cure Chloe, she knew Theresia would never actually do it.
‘Healing is just a superficial reason to let the world know.’
There was likely only one reason Theresia had come here.
Chloe looked at her again with a bored expression and said,
“Do you want to gain Father's recognition by pretending to treat me? If you want to be recognized as the successor, do your own work instead of bullying me.”
“......What?”
Theresia's lips tightened.
Her only weakness was her bloodline.
Theresia was the daughter brought into the family when her stepmother, Duchess Lucrezia, remarried.
However, she was also making full use of her bloodline.
“I want to get along with Sister Chloe, but perhaps it's because I was registered in the family late. She seems to hate me.”
“Father, are you discriminating against me because I'm not your biological daughter?”
Having her sore spot poked, Theresia's face turned beet red.
“Even if I'm an adoptee of this family, I'm better than a cripple like you. Keep that in mind.”
Theresia, who had been dutifully calling Chloe 'sister' despite her reluctance, finally revealed her true colors. But Chloe countered nonchalantly.
“I never said it was because you're an adoptee.”
“You know, Sister. I don't do stupid things like you, shutting myself away for a year just because a dog died.”
Chloe's gaze turned cold.
Even if everything else was a nuisance, she could not tolerate insults toward Coco.
For the past year, everyone had asked her, directly or indirectly.
Why was she acting this way over the death of a mere dog?
But Coco was not just a mere dog.
‘The being I want to protect most in the world.’
Without Coco, what meaning did life, wealth, or power have?
But Theresia would never empathize with her heart.
Because she had never experienced the disappearance of the thing she loved most.
Staring at her, Chloe lightly raised her hand.
Then, a sphere appeared above her hand, looking as if pitch-black dust had been rolled into a ball.
“You, what is this!”
“It's getting hard to be patient, so just leave.”
“You, how dare you treat me like this.......”
“Why? Say more. Are you afraid this sphere might explode?”
If Chloe were to go berserk right here, Theresia's power would not be enough to stop her.
Knowing this well, Theresia bit her lip and left as if fleeing.
After the door closed, Chloe broke into a fit of coughing, as if hacking up blood.
“Damn it.”
To cough up blood just from using a single spell.
If it were her past self, it would have been absurdly ridiculous.
Wiping her mouth, Chloe left the drawing room and headed for her bedroom.
For the past year, her room had been silent, devoid of any noise.
But it was different when Coco was alive.
When she sat at her desk quietly reading a book, she could hear the lap lap sound of drinking water behind her.
‘Silly Coco.’
If she tilted her head and pretended not to notice, she would hear the patter patter of paws running lightly toward her.
A white fluff of fur that would tilt its head and then hop onto the sofa.
A small puppy with sparkling black eyes that always looked only at her.
‘And so greedy with food. Always coveting everything I ate.’
She remembered getting angry when she told Coco that grapes and chocolate were forbidden.
She could still remember Coco sticking out its tongue and huffing as if protesting.
Such a greedy little puppy.
Still.......
“......You were cute.”
Whenever she struggled to become the family successor, whenever people called her a ‘villainess.’
Just having that soft fluff of fur by her side made her happy.
The small, huffing breaths, the way it mimicked eating something with a smack whenever it slept, and the way it rubbed its moist nose—all of it.
‘The only friend, family, ......and salvation of my life.’
That was why, when Coco died, she felt as if she had lost everything.
Everyone said she was crazy.
That it was stupid to pour so much affection into a mere dog.
Chloe had always wanted to be the successor and wanted her father's recognition.
That was why she had always obeyed her father's words.
But the day her father tried to bulldoze Coco's grave was different.
That was when she defied her father for the first time in her life.
The rumors of her being a villainess grew, but she didn't care.
“I just want to die, anyway.”
It was just as she was about to lie down in her bed, which felt like a grave.
How strange.
Right in front of the door, there was a purple flower she hadn't noticed before.
“......Coco?”
Coco always woke up before her.
Every morning, Coco used to leave a purple flower by the bedroom door.
Chloe picked up the flower with trembling hands and grit her teeth.
‘Is this another one of that damn Theresia's tricks?’
Fearing that the traces of the dead Coco might disappear, she had always cleaned the area around her bedroom herself.
She had warned every single maid not to touch it.
Then who dared to ignore her words and leave this flower?
* * *
“Little one? Why are you here.......”
The maid was shocked to see me standing in the hallway near Sister's room.
I rolled my eyes.
“Hmm? What?”
“Little one, you mustn't wander around like this. Besides, I think you should return to your annex for today. An intruder entered the annex. They said a strange flower was found near Lady Chloe's room.......”
Gasp, Sister must have seen the flower I brought!
‘I slid the flower right through the gap in the bedroom door!’
I knew using my brain was the right move!
I beamed a wide smile and waved my hand.
“I'm the one who put that flower there!”
The maid's complexion instantly turned pale.
“Why, why did you do that?”
“Because the flower is pretty!”
“Now is not the time to be smiling, little one!”
“Hmm? Why?”
The maid beat her chest in frustration.
“You could be crushed to death by dark magic! Because you left that flower!”
What is she talking about?
My sister loves purple flowers.
Unless she gives me delicious sweet potatoes as a reward, I'm fine!
“Lady Chloe ordered that the culprit be brought to her as soon as they are found.”
My purple eyes sparkled like jewels.
Alright.
I have to get ready to meet my sister in a wonderful way!
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