Chapter 1. I was abandoned by my family
***
“It’s good to know that it was the Rose Velvet that had the toxic substances in it.”
On the day the two of them came out to see the square after a long time, Leticia confessed what happened at the Imperial palace. Elle was only hearing the news now, and let out a big sigh with a look of relief. This was because she had been unconsciously stressed out by the bad rumor about the pink diamonds.
“There’s something else, Elle.”
“What is it?”
Elle’s face hardened as she automatically braced herself. However, as soon as their eyes met, Leticia smiled brightly.
“Pink diamonds have a detoxifying effect against harmful substances.”
“What?”
“It must have blocked the toxins from the Rose Velvet.”
Elle couldn’t believe it when she heard it, so she couldn’t hide her surprised expression and covered her mouth with her hand.
“Oh my god… No way.”
“That’s not all.”
“What else is there?”
Elle’s eyes glittered in anticipation. She stared impatiently, and Leticia smiled softly and pretended she couldn’t win against her.
“Low-grade pink diamonds also have a subtle detoxifying effect.”
“Huh… The pink diamonds that are used in my wishing bracelets?”
Elle asked for confirmation because she couldn’t believe it, but Leticia nodded lightly and smiled. This was what Seois had told her when she was about to return to the Achilles mansion.
“Oh, I guess that’s why the president asked me to raise the price on the wishing bracelets.”
She thought it was strange because they were suddenly selling so well, but the fact that it had detoxifying effects seemed to have spread.
Elle muttered as if she understood everything, then Leticia approached her.
“Are you going to raise the price of the wishing bracelets?”
“If I increase it, we’ll make more money, which would be nice.”
Even if it’s small, it has a detoxification effect, so there must be many people who want to buy it even if the price is raised.
But…
“I’m going to leave it as it is.”
“Why?”
Elle’s answer was unexpected, Leticia opened her eyes wide and looked at her. She shrugged her shoulders, and replied.
“You said you wanted to make accessories that anyone could easily buy.”
Elle wanted to keep Leticia’s original intention for her first bracelet to the end. Therefore, no matter how much money she could make, she never wanted to raise the price.
“Are you sure it’ll be okay?”
“Of course, I can use better gems for the next accessory, and sell it at a higher price. So it’s okay.”
Elle laughed out loud, hugged Leticia’s shoulder, and said.
“Anyways, I worried a lot, but I’m glad things worked out.”
“I know. I’m glad it all turned out okay.”
“Then as congratulations, let’s go eat dessert…”
“Elle, what’s wrong?”
They’d been chatting happily, but then Elle suddenly fell silent. Her face was also stiff, so Leticia followed her fixed gaze to the place where she was staring at with a strange expression.
“….”
At the end of her gaze stood Diana.
Elle frowned at Diana, and tried to walk away from her. However, Diana strode towards them before they could leave, looked at Leticia with dissatisfaction, and said.
“Hey, come with me for a second.”
“I don’t think we’re close enough to do that.”
“I didn’t want to come here either!”
“Of course.”
Leticia nodded insincerely at Diana, who’d raised her voice sharply, and tried to walk past her. However, Diana suddenly pulled on her wrist, and forced her to turn back.
“Oh really! It’ll only take a moment.”
“I don’t want to, even for a second. Can you let go of my hand?”
“Don’t interrupt me!”
“Aren’t you the one who started it first?”
When Elle noticed the grip on Leticia’s wrist, she tried to forcibly remove it, but Diana pushed her shoulder.
“Diana!”
Leticia was angry at her action, and stood in front of Elle to protect her from Diana. At that moment, people around them began to notice the commotion, and began to look over.
“Ha… Follow me.”
She was forced to move to a teahouse with fewer people, but Diana motioned towards Elle, and tried to demand they talk alone.
At that moment, Leticia’s annoyed voice came out.
“If you don’t like it, then you can go.”
“I told you I have something to say!”
“I don’t have a duty to listen to you. So if you don’t like it, you can go.”
“….”
Diana, who was well-versed in a determination that never backed down, clenched her teeth and stared at Leticia. However, Leticia quietly spoke with a detached attitude, like there was nothing she desired from her.
“If you have something to say, hurry up, and say it.”
“…Come home.”
“What?”
“Please help me!”
Diana, who’d raised her voice, turned her head nervously, and recalled what happened recently.
At first, she thought that Emil and Xavier had messed up their grades in an unusual way. They were good at everything, even with so little effort. She considered them pathetic for not putting enough effort in, and angering their father.
However, when it kept happening she couldn’t pass it off as a coincidence, and Diana started to become nervous. Not long after that, she overheard a conversation between the two.
[Hey, what should I do? I don’t think I can use my ability properly.]
[What?]
[I thought it was an illusion, but it’s not. I can’t use my ability like I used to. No, I think it’s disappeared.]
Xavier said to Emil, shaking his hands as if he were half out of his mind. Emil’s expression as he looked at Xavier wasn’t good either. Rather than being worried about his younger brother, he seemed to be in shock.
[What about your ability? Am I the only one having problems?]
[Xavier…]
[Can you use your ability properly?]
Even though Xavier grabbed his arms desperately, Emil didn’t answer. He just told him to be quiet because there might be people listening.
Diana was listening secretly, and realized something was wrong. Unlike Emil and Xavier, who were having issues with using their abilities, Diana’s had remained the same. As if her empty prayer that her younger siblings’ abilities would disappear had been granted.
It was clear that everyone would find it suspicious that there was no change to her ability. She could’ve tried to deceive them that her’s had disappeared as well, but she was worried that her flower rain would trigger if she lost control of her emotions.
There was also an even bigger problem. She belatedly realized that nothing good would come out of her younger brothers losing their abilities. As soon as she noticed that she could no longer benefit from them, Diana was in great shock.
[Baset: (/_-;) ]
In the meantime, a maid, who’d also overheard the conversation between the two, spread the news throughout the mansion and it eventually reached Marquis Leroy’s ears. As soon as he heard, the Marquis yelled at them until their expressions were severely distorted. After that, she was eager to find a way to restore their abilities.
‘If they find out it was because of her, then…’
Just thinking about it gave her goosebumps from the oppressive fear.
For her own sake, she had to bring Leticia back. That way Emil and Xavier would be able to use their abilities properly again.
“So help me out.”
“….”
Leticia, who had been quietly listening until the end of Diana’s story, couldn’t help but laugh.
She couldn’t even sigh, and wondered how far they were willing to go to reach the bottom.
“Hey, let’s go.”
“Elle.”
“You don’t have to listen anymore.”
Elle, who’d been sitting next to Leticia, pulled on her arm gently with a bored expression. However, Leticia pulled Elle back to her seat.
“Sit down.”
“But…”
“It’s okay, so sit next to me.”
Leticia affectionately held Elle’s hand, and stared straight ahead. In front of her was Diana, who was biting her lip nervously.
The fact that she’d come to her because of her selfish desire to cover up her mistake felt great in many ways. Fortunately, she no longer felt anything, other than disappointment.
“That’s not the attitude of a person who came to ask for a favor.”
“What?”
Diana frowned at her words.
Still, she could even laugh at her arrogant appearance as she crossed her arms, and raised her chin, as if it wasn’t her fault.
“Who raises their chin so stiffly, and asks for a favor, Diana?”
She deliberately called her name in a cordial way when she said that. However, her gaze as she faced her was cold and threatening, as if Diana was standing on thin ice.
“You have to ask respectfully and politely.”
“What do I do…”
“Uncross your arms, and lower your chin.”
“Are you ordering me around now?”
“What a wonderful way of speaking.”
“….”
She chewed on her lips at Leticia’s absolute refusal to do what Diana asked unless she did what she asked. So, she unfolded her arms and tried again.
“Please help me, sister.”
“….”
“Can we go now?”
Diana’s attitude of wanting to get it over quickly, and her tone of speech that lacked sincerity.
The corner of Leticia’s mouth curled up.
“No, I don’t want to.”
“What? That wasn’t enough! What more do you want me to do?”
“Do you want me to do you a favor?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Then beg on your knees.”
“Huh, what?”
Amazed, Diana burst into laughter, and looked at Leticia. She thought she’d heard wrong, but Leticia looked more serious than ever.
“Who knows? I feel sorry for you, so I wonder if I’ll do this favor.”
“….”
“What’s wrong? Can’t you do it?”
Diana began screaming at Leticia’s calm and uncaring tone.
“Do you really want to see your sister on her knees begging?”
“You said it yourself.”
“When did I do that?”
“On the day of the Knighting Ceremony.”
She frowned for a moment because she didn’t understand what she meant. Suddenly. Diana closed her mouth.
[Get on your knees and apologize.]
[It’s not fun to just end it with an apology.]
It was definitely what she said.
“You said it first.”
“You still remember that?”
Diana, who hadn’t expected her to still remember that, replied sarcastically.
Even though she was being treated as a petty person, Leticia spoke quietly without showing any signs of displeasure.
“You know what? I’ve always felt sorry for you.”
It was always Diana’s responsibility to take care of her younger siblings when Leticia went outside to earn money, even though it was only from running errands. She couldn’t help, but feel sorry because Diana was young at the time.
So she tried to be understanding and cherish her more than her younger siblings. She wasn’t asking her to recognize her efforts either.
She just wanted her to act like she was her older sister and family.
“Rather, you ignored me. No, you didn’t even treat me like I’m your older sister.”
“I…”
“So, please don’t call me sister, it’s unpleasant.”
After saying that, Leticia stood up as if she didn’t want to deal with Diana anymore. While holding Elle’s hand casually.
Shocked by the sight, Diana trembled with a pale face.
“You’re lying right? Even if my knees were sore from kneeling you wouldn’t have helped them anyways!”
In Diana’s dark blue eyes dark red veins stood out. She started at Leticia with a mixture of resentment, sadness, and dismay.
Leticia just smiled softly.
“Oh no, I was caught.”
“You…”
“I thought you wouldn’t realize.”