Chapter 48 – Conquering the Villainess Sister (1)
In the original story, Diane lived a life just as miserable as Odelia’s.
She had only received a second name through a divine oracle, but because of that name, she was burdened with unwanted responsibilities for the rest of her life.
What she ate, what she wore, even standing in front of others and smiling—
Nothing was ever her choice.
Diane was, quite literally, the living goddess symbolizing the Holy Nation of Jupiter.
She lived her entire life under the grasp of her father, the king.
Everyone believed she was a strong woman who understood her noble status.
But that also meant she was nothing more than an illusion created by others—someone who didn’t even truly know herself.
Then, she was practically sold off to the Empire.
The reason? It was because of Ian.
There was an oracle that Ian would also be granted a second name.
No one knew exactly when, but the holy figures of the Holy Nation and the royals of the Empire were well aware of it.
So, they decided to pair the two individuals who would each receive a second name.
They probably believed a perfect being, wholly loved by the gods, would be born from such a union.
But sadly, no child was ever born between them.
In the original story, Ian had Odelia.
And the beautiful and noble Diane could never win Ian’s heart.
Thus, Diane transformed from a living goddess to a villainess blinded by jealousy, even plotting murder.
What a cruel end it was.
From the beginning, the power given to her was far too fragile.
“Just thinking about it pisses me off.”
“What now?”
When I scowled with an irritated face, Baizen beside me took my hand, asking what was wrong again.
Just thinking about the original story annoyed me.
Did the author have something against beautiful women? They made the two most beautiful women in the world suffer so much.
Why were there no proper villains in this novel to begin with?!
And the supposed villainess was such a kind sister that you couldn’t even hate her!
Well, maybe because all the male leads in the original were terrible people, any ordinary villain would’ve just faded into the background.
But that didn’t justify tormenting our sweet and beautiful Diane.
“So annoying!”
“There, there.”
Baizen, watching me stew in frustration, picked out a chocolate bonbon from the dessert tray and popped it into my mouth.
As soon as I bit into the bonbon, a sweet strawberry flavor spread in my mouth.
The rich, tangy sweetness instantly melted away my irritation.
“Still annoyed?”
“Nope, it’s melted now.”
“Good to hear.”
As I cupped my cheeks and savored the taste, Baizen gently patted my head.
And just as the chocolate melted and disappeared, another one entered my mouth.
This one was a thinly sliced almond covered in chocolate.
The crunchy, nutty sweetness wiped away the thoughts of the original story that had been crowding my mind.
“This is delicious!”
“Of course it is. I had it prepared for you.”
The one who responded to my praise instead of Baizen was Ian.
Wearing a pristine white uniform, Ian swept his golden hair back as he walked toward me.
With every gaze in the room drawn to him, I let out an involuntary sigh.
“Don’t you have work?”
“You always ask me that when you see me.”
Today, of all days, I had really hoped he’d be buried in paperwork and stuck in his office.
Unfortunately, it seemed today was one of his free days.
But Ian wasn’t someone to give up easily.
Even as I frowned, he smiled brightly and took my arm like nothing was wrong.
“Were you eating chocolate? That’s fine too, but come! I’ve prepared something special just for you!”
The excitement on his face gave me a sudden, ominous feeling.
“Behold! The Empire’s finest patissier made these macarons just for you!”
Ian beamed as he lifted the lid off the tray held by his attendant.
On the tray were flower-shaped macarons.
But the moment I saw them, I felt my blood run cold.
“Surely… you don’t expect me to eat these?”
I stared at the macarons—mouth agape—before asking.
Ian nodded eagerly, clearly expecting me to be delighted.
Inside the pink macaron were white cream and sugar stars.
If that were all, the lid would’ve closed normally.
But in between… something had been added.
On top of the cream sat a small cookie shaped like Ian.
Whoever made it had done such a good job that even the cookie looked handsome, glittering like it had a sparkle effect.
“Isn’t it cute? I designed it myself!”
A sparkling Ian next to a sparkling Ian cookie.
Honestly, it made me not want to eat it at all.
What was he thinking, feeding me a person-shaped cookie?
“Seriously, are you crazy, Your Highness?”
“Why?!”
Ian looked genuinely heartbroken, not understanding why I disliked it.
If it were just a normal cookie and a normal macaron, I wouldn’t have minded.
I like sweets, and I’m not someone who rejects gifts so bluntly.
But a macaron with a human-shaped cookie modeled after someone? That was a different story.
It was just… creepy.
“After all the effort I put in…”
When I didn’t eat it and just stared, Ian looked ready to cry, still holding the tray of macarons.
Something told me he wouldn’t give up until I ate it, so I finally picked one up.
But I still had no intention of biting into the Ian cookie, so I carefully pulled it out and took a bite of the macaron.
They weren’t kidding about hiring the best patissier.
The shell was crisp outside and chewy inside, with rich cheese cream and a burst of sweet-and-sour from the sugar stars.
It was honestly the best macaron I’d ever tasted in my life.
“This is so good! It’s delicious!”
“Haha, I knew you’d like it. Have more! Especially this cookie—it’s a masterpiece—”
“Put that away before I snap its neck.”
“……Aw.”
I threatened lightly and tossed the rest of the macaron into my mouth, ignoring Ian’s continued attempts to push the cookie.
“By the way, are you alone?”
Baizen, handing me a drink, asked Ian.
He was clearly alone, but since we were waiting for someone, I focused on Ian’s answer.
“Did you happen to meet anyone before coming to us?”
“No. I came straight here as soon as I saw you.”
I took a sip of my drink, disappointed.
Finally, Ian seemed to catch on and asked us,
“Are you looking for someone?”
“Yes, Princess Diane of Jupiter.”
“…Ah, her.”
At the mention of Diane, Ian’s face immediately stiffened.
Maybe because it wasn’t someone he was pleased to talk about, he tried to change the subject by handing me another cookie.
“If you think of this as me and eat it—”
“Your Highness, do you dislike the Princess of Jupiter?”
At my question, Ian fell silent.
He clearly didn’t want to answer.
It was obvious that friction between Ian and Diane would only worsen at this rate.
But that wasn’t the result I wanted.
“Don’t hate her. What did the princess do wrong for you to hate her?”
“Isn’t doing nothing a reason to dislike someone?”
His reply was uncharacteristically cold.
It seemed Ian’s feelings toward Diane were beyond simple dislike.
Even if he was immature, he wouldn’t resent her just because of a political marriage.
There was only one reason left.
“Is it because of me?”
“……”
His silence confirmed it.
I thought we had wrapped things up nicely, defining our relationship as friends.
And yet… was that whole “men and women can’t just be friends” thing true?
“Your Highness, if you’re disliking someone because of me, stop. It’ll come back to me in the end.”
“If anyone tries to harm you—”
“You know you can’t control your feelings like that.”
I shot him a look as I spoke.
You know, don’t you? Just like you can’t control love, hatred and jealousy are the same.
That was the meaning behind my words.
Thankfully, Ian nodded in understanding.
“Don’t go disliking people on my behalf. I don’t want my sister to dislike me either.”
“…Sister?”
“Beautiful, rich women are all my sisters.”
Ian turned to Baizen as if asking for clarification.
But Baizen only raised his glass and said not to bother trying to understand.
Ian, now thoroughly confused, looked to me for help—but I turned away.
“Well then, since we have no further business with Your Highness, you can go now. Go. Home.”
“No!”
Ugh. This brat.
I should’ve known the moment he showed up uninvited.
Ian never listens to people.
“Seriously, go! I don’t want my sister getting the wrong idea from us hanging out together! Did you smear honey on me or something?!”
“I did! On your sweet, sweet eyes—”
“Oh my god, say that again and I swear I’ll punch you!”
As I clenched my fist at his cheesy line, Ian shook his head, waving his hands in a sign against violence.
Still, the fact that he stayed so stubbornly was almost impressive.
I had gotten healthier lately, so maybe it was time to actually hit him—
But just as I was about to throw a punch, a familiar voice called out to me.
“Fancy seeing you again.”
“Huh? Diane?”
I barely managed to stop my fist midair and turned my head. There stood Diane, as picturesque as ever.
She was so stunning that for a moment I wondered if everything I saw was part of a dream.
But when I called her name, she frowned slightly—as if displeased. Though she quickly returned to a calm expression.
Come to think of it, in this world, names were always followed or preceded by a title indicating one’s status.
Lady, Marquis, Duke… In Diane’s case, it would be “Princess.”
I guess my casual use of her name had offended her, sudden as it was.
All the more reason to act bold.
To her, I was just someone who didn’t know who she really was.
All I knew was that she was brave, beautiful, and fair—someone named Diane.
“Diane. You’re Diane, right? Fancy running into you again!”
“…Yes, it seems so.”
“I’m so happy to see you again. I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Odelia Snifter.”
After all, any proper encounter should begin with a polite introduction.
