IBVS 02

Chapter 2

This Is a Perfectly Legal Proposal. Probably?

“Uh… um, really?”

For a moment, I froze in confusion. Sasha kept talking.

“Yes! My family hates me, but you like me, Sister! So… so I like you! Is that… not allowed…?”

Sometimes, a child’s innocent words can be unsettling. Sasha spoke without any malice, yet the adults, pricked by a strange sense of guilt, only ended up hating her even more for it.

It felt like she knew exactly what she was doing.

But now that I had already come to love Sasha, none of it hurt anymore.

“Why wouldn’t it be allowed? It’s fine.”

“Yes!”

“Then shall we go inside now?”

Sasha nodded her round little face up and down. But despite trying to look brave, she seemed a bit tired.

“Sasha, do your legs hurt?”

“Yes.”

“Do you want me to carry you?”

“No! Sasha isn’t a baby! I can walk by myself!”

Trying hard to look cheerful—afraid that I might dislike her—the child shook her head from side to side. She was pitiful… and yet adorable.

“It’s okay to ask to be carried when you’re tired. That’s allowed too, Sasha.”

“Really?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“Then… will you still like me, Sister?”

“Of course.”

Sasha, whose body was a bit smaller than other children her age, stretched both arms toward me, as if her legs truly hurt.

“Then… I want Sister to hold me.”

I hugged her, her cheeks flushed red.

“Where did you go today?”

“I went to the Mage Tower today! That’s why I’m tired. There are so many stairs there—I don’t like it… ah! No, it’s fine. I can go. My family likes it when I go to the Mage Tower…”

“If you don’t like it, you don’t have to go.”

“Really?”

Her eyes sparkled as she looked at me. Just how much had she hated going there, to smile so brightly at a single sentence?

“Yes. If there’s a problem, I’ll talk to the Tower Master.”

“Uuuh… but the Tower Master is a little scary… I’m worried he’ll get angry at you, Sister.”

“Don’t worry. I’m pretty capable.”

That old Tower Master. If he dared to mistreat my sister, I had my own plans.

I’ll just make him retire a little early.

The novel didn’t talk much about Sasha’s childhood, but it wasn’t completely silent either. All the major events worthy of a history book were described.

One of them was the first-ever resignation of a Mage Tower Master. The Mage Tower earned money by supplying magical tools to various places—but the Tower Master had embezzled the funds.

No matter the world, people obsessed with money always exist. The amount he stole was so enormous that he was driven out in utter disgrace.

So if he ever bothered Sasha, I’d just send him off early. From now on, I wouldn’t let her do anything she hated.

Perhaps sensing my resolve, Sasha slowly nodded.

“Okay! Then Sasha won’t go to the Mage Tower anymore!”

“What about going to the temple?”

“Yes! They give lots of yummy food there! So… I wanted to go with you and eat together, Sister, so I brought this—”

Just as Sasha tried to pull something out from her arms—

“Oh my. What a performance.”

At the sudden voice, both Sasha and I froze and turned our heads toward the source.

Standing there, glaring at us with obvious displeasure, was Isabella’s mother.

Startled, Sasha stopped mid-motion, her body trembling.

Then she began to hiccup.

“Hic… hic…”

“Are you okay, Sasha?”

“I—I’m okay…”

There hadn’t been any physical abuse, as far as I knew. Then why was she reacting like this?

As I wondered, Mother walked toward us.

“Mother. Why would you say something like that?”

“Like what?”

‘A performance.’”

“Well, isn’t it? Why are you carrying her around like that? That’s how she gets delusions about her importance. What, does she not have legs?”

At those words, Sasha squirmed in my arms, silently asking to be put down. I didn’t want to, but I was afraid we’d both fall, so I gently set her on the floor.

“I’m… sorry.”

“Shanensia. I told you, acting spoiled only makes people hate you more. We tolerate you because you’re family. Try that elsewhere and see what happens. Do you know how much people curse you behind your back after smiling to your face?”

“…Yes.”

“I don’t know if you’re stupid or just incapable of understanding.”

Sasha looked at me.

Her eyes seemed to ask if I hated her too, if I would speak badly about her as well.

Remembering the Countess’s behavior in my memories was one thing. Seeing it in person was another entirely.

Her sharp voice made even my chest feel tight.

They say even young children can tell who likes them and who doesn’t. Just how hard must it have been for Sasha to live like this?

“She’s not stupid. And I don’t badmouth her. She’s precious.”

The Countess gave a short laugh and turned her gaze to me.

“Oh my, what a kind~ sister we have.”

Maybe because I wasn’t even the original owner of this body, any lingering affection vanished instantly. To say such cruel things so casually—I wanted to sew her mouth shut.

“Are you mocking me?”

“Mocking you? I just find it amusing how you’re suddenly pretending to be kind. You never acted like this before, yet now you’re standing up to me over something so trivial.”

I could hear irritation creeping into her voice. Sensing it, Sasha began to tremble again.

As if annoyed by even that, the Countess curled her lips.

“Shanensia, you see? This is because you’re a bad child. If you were good, your sister and I wouldn’t be arguing like this.”

“I… I’m a bad child…”

“Yes. You are a bad child.”

“No. Sasha doesn’t need to hear things like that.”

“And why not? Bella, I’m simply talking to my child as her mother. Shanensia, come here. Let’s have a talk with Mother.”

As if trying to cut off any bond between us, the Countess crooked her finger at Sasha like she was calling a dog.

“Ah…”

Sasha hesitated, taking a step toward her.

“No. Sasha. You don’t have to go.”

Just as I hoped, Sasha avoided her mother’s gaze when I stepped between them. That seemed to ignite the Countess’s anger.

“So now you’re ignoring your mother? Bella, what’s gotten into you? Are you playing at being the ‘good sister’?”

“This isn’t some whim or a game. I genuinely care about Sasha.”

“Hah. How amusing. Why are you trying to monopolize her?”

“Mother.”

It was hard to believe we were family. The Countess’s eyes were cold.

“Sasha belongs to everyone.”

“To everyone?”

She seemed to be forcing her anger down, though irritation still leaked into her voice.

“Are you trying to take her all for yourself? Keeping her just for you?”

“…So this is what people become when they’re obsessed with money.”

“What?”

“Oh. Sorry. I said that out loud without meaning to.”

To me, both Sasha and that woman were technically strangers, sharing not a drop of blood. To the original owner of this body, they may have been family—but to me, the Countess was nothing more than a heartless, cruel person.

I couldn’t stand listening to her speak about Sasha that way.

Talking about monopolizing her, treating her like an object—it made my skin crawl.

The Countess looked at me as if she was disgusted.

“I always thought you were ill-mannered, but you really are…”

“Who do you think I learned it from? I must take after my parents.”

“Isabella!”

“You don’t need to shout. You say I’m monopolizing Sasha? Then hold her. Love her. That’s all it takes. Yet you’re afraid of losing her without even giving her something as light as affection.”

The Countess’s face turned deathly pale at my words.

“How dare you—how dare you speak to your mother like that!”

“Then please stop saying unnecessary things, Mother.”

“Ha… You’ve really gone mad. The maids said you were acting strange, that you were treating Sasha lovingly—so I came to see. But I never imagined it was this bad. I knew you were greedy from a young age, but—!”

I glanced at Sasha.

Her trembling had stopped, but her expression was blank.

The smiling face she had shown me earlier was gone, replaced by a doll-like emptiness.

I couldn’t forgive this rotten household.

I’d finally gotten her to open her heart, and they ruined it in an instant. Anger surged within me.

“Yes. My greed is exceptional. That’s why I’ll love Sasha as much as I want. I’ll drown her in love. So if you don’t like that, then start looking at her with love instead of money. You’ll regret it one day.”

Not that someone like her would ever listen.

“All you’ll do is spoil her! Bella! Listen to your mother! If you don’t, you’ll be punished too!”

“Sure, go ahead and try.”

“You’re ignoring me! That’ll only ruin her manners! Bella! Bella!!”

I walked past the Countess as she screamed loud enough to hurt my ears. ‘Ruin her manners’? Saying that to a seven-year-old made my blood boil.

Her voice echoed down the hallway long after we left. Perhaps out of pride, she didn’t follow us.

Only after we reached a corridor where her voice could no longer be heard did I look at Sasha.

The child, who had followed me silently, forced a smile when I met her eyes.

“Sister.”

“Yes?”

As if smiling was the only way to be loved. As if she had no other emotions.

My heart felt like it was being torn apart.

“I’m okay! I don’t want you to fight with Mother because of me. I’m… I’m fine living like this.”

What do you mean, fine?

If she had cried or thrown a tantrum, it might have hurt less. But her saying she was fine felt like pouring salt into an open wound.

“No. That won’t do, Sasha.”

“Right… I guess it won’t, will it? Fighting with Mother because of me…”

“Yes. You’re right.”

Her face fell.

“That’s exactly why it won’t do.”