Chapter 21
---------------
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
---------------
How to Survive as the Villain's Younger Sister
Episode 21
He cleared his throat with an affected "ahem" and crossed his legs arrogantly.
"I've heard that Your Grace holds considerable influence in this region. That's why I've come to seek your assistance."
"Please, tell me what you need."
"I imagine you already possess many luxuries, so I thought perhaps offering land would be appropriate. Arable land that produces crops."
"Farmable land is quite rare in this region."
"I can provide any amount of money."
Jenin felt a surge of triumph in his heart.
'This fool. He claims to have visited the Parkision Territory before, yet he doesn't even remember that this place is nothing but wasteland?'
This was perfect.
He had troublesome wasteland he'd been unable to dispose of.
'I'll just dump it on this sucker.'
"Money isn't the issue, but... there is indeed some rare arable land available."
"Please, Your Grace, I'm begging you to help me."
"Of course I'll help. What does a man of faith like myself know about farming? The land should go to those who need it."
Wasteland where not a single blade of grass grew.
Even if he leased it out, there would be no harvest.
This was the perfect opportunity to sell it off.
Jenin swallowed his vulgar smile.
And so the wasteland where the Night Spirit Stone lay buried passed into the hands of Jamie Rolleng.
* * *
I felt a presence near the window.
'He's here.'
My eyes snapped open as I lay awake, waiting.
"!"
The moment my eyes opened, crimson irises filled my vision.
Eyes as beautiful and intense as ruby crystals.
My heart nearly stopped from the shock.
"That's quite the amusing expression."
Kyle laughed softly and stepped back slightly.
"Y-you can't just stare at me from that close! Of course I'd be startled!"
I clutched my chest and sat up in bed.
'I felt his presence near the window, so when did he get all the way to my bed?'
Kyle truly wasn't an ordinary boy.
I thought this as I lit a candle.
The warm candlelight pushed back the cold moonbeams, illuminating Kyle's handsome face.
"Here. The price you demanded."
Kyle handed me an envelope.
Inside was a land deed contract.
'It's the contract for purchasing Jenin's Wasteland.'
What I'd asked of Kyle.
'I needed him to purchase Jenin's Wasteland on my behalf.'
The Night Spirit Stone was buried there.
I had to obtain it before Jenin caught wind of it.
'But if I bought it directly, I'd draw suspicion.'
I didn't even have a trusted aide here who could act as my proxy.
So I made the request to Kyle.
'Kyle seemed capable of pulling it off.'
From the start, I'd sensed he was no ordinary child.
Following me when I was kidnapped, only to be kidnapped alongside me.
Vanishing like a ghost, then suddenly reappearing.
'Looking like a nobleman, yet claiming to be a wandering mercenary.'
He was unmistakably a capable individual who needed my assistance for some reason.
'Still, asking Kyle was a gamble.'
Fortunately, the gamble paid off.
"For a kid, you sure scrutinize contracts carefully."
Kyle grumbled.
I pretended not to hear and continued examining the contract.
The buyer's name was Jamie Rolleng.
"I bought it under the name 'Jamie Rolleng' like you asked, but who is that?"
Kyle asked.
"A distant relative of my older sister."
I answered.
Alexis's maternal family was the prestigious House Rolleng.
But after Alexis's biological mother gave birth to her and died,
contact between House Rolleng and the Parkision Ducal House ceased.
'House Rolleng thought the Duke hadn't made an effort to save his wife.'
Especially her half-brother, who had cherished Alexis's biological mother.
Jamie, the illegitimate son of the Marquis Rolleng, had even grabbed Duke Kanan by the collar.
'Given the difference in their stations, it was quite extraordinary.'
After that, Jamie wandered and eventually disappeared.
That's where the original story's mention of him ended.
'I'm sorry, Jamie. I'm borrowing your name.'
"Is that some 'fake' name you use?"
Kyle said something absurd.
"You don't need to know. Just as I don't ask about your 'real' name."
"My name is 'Kyle,' I'm telling you. Do you really think I deceived you?"
Kyle asked with a mischievous expression.
I nodded.
"You're awfully suspicious, you know."
"What do you mean?"
"It's strange that the Archbishop would deal with a child like you."
"I'm a master of disguise."
"You pretended to be an adult?"
"Exactly."
Kyle stated this with shameless confidence.
Should I believe him or not?
'If he's a nobleman hiding his identity, he could have sent a subordinate to conduct the transaction instead.'
I continued to regard him with suspicion, but Kyle remained completely unfazed.
There was even an arrogance and self-assurance in his demeanor, as if to say, 'What will you do if I'm lying?'
"I kept my promise. Now it's your turn to keep yours."
Kyle said.
"Fine. I'll hide you for now. Come here."
I grabbed his wrist firmly.
He suddenly flinched and pulled his hand away.
"What's wrong?"
"Oh, it's nothing."
Kyle shook his head with an embarrassed expression.
'What was that?'
I tilted my head in confusion.
Did he have some trauma about having his wrist grabbed?
That didn't seem to be the case though.
'Perhaps it's because he's someone of high status who's never had his wrist grabbed before.'
I led Kyle to a large cabinet.
It was a beautiful piece with lapis lazuli patterns carved into a golden base.
"I bought it for you."
"You didn't need to give me a gift."
"You need a place to hide and rest too, don't you? There's no need to be so grateful."
"What?"
Only then did Kyle's expression contort as he realized the cabinet's true purpose.
"You're not seriously thinking of putting me in a cabinet like this...!"
"Wow, you must be exhausted! Go on in and get some rest!"
I opened the cabinet and pushed Kyle inside.
"Hey! Hey, you...!"
Then I shut the door, pretending not to hear his protests.
I heard banging sounds from inside, but they soon ceased.
Then came the sound of snoring.
'I had prepared soft blankets and pillows inside, after all.'
And if he opened the door without my knowledge, the cabinet would show signs of it.
'I can get a rough grasp of Kyle's movements.'
Until I know for certain who Kyle really is, I can't trust him.
Alone now, I retrieved the contract Kyle had brought.
Then I drafted one more new document.
Once I finished, I left my room with the envelope containing the contracts.
The corridor at dawn was silent.
Tap, tap, tap.
Only the sound of my footsteps echoed quietly through the hallway.
My feet stopped at Alexis's Office.
'No one's around, right?'
The office door was naturally locked tight.
'Of course. The head of the household's office is thoroughly secured.'
'Should I try that method? I'm not sure if it'll work, but...'
I opened my inventory.
[Inventory opened.]
'The rank is low, but there's an item worth trying in a situation like this.'
I called out the item's name loudly in my mind.
'Thief Cat's Broken Key!'
[Thief Cat's Broken Key (E-Rank)]
An item so broken that even a dog wouldn't pick it up.
But perhaps it could still open a shoddy lock?
Was this an item or just a joke?
Still, it was something I'd acquired early on after awakening, so I held it dear.
'I've never even used it before.'
I inserted the old-looking black key into the office's keyhole and turned it.
Click.
Just as expected, the key got stuck halfway.
Some force was gripping and pushing it back.
'It must be a barrier.'
The Duke's office security couldn't possibly be so lax.
I had no choice but to channel mana into the key.
The barrier was neutralized for just a moment.
Without missing that instant, I quickly turned the key.
Click.
The door opened!
'All that mana training in my spare time paid off! But I need to hurry back before the barrier reactivates.'
I pushed the large door open with all my might, grunting with effort.
The office lay shrouded in darkness.
I'd heard that when the late Duke used it, it was filled with ornate decorations.
But now it held only the necessary furniture.
Stacks of work-related documents towered high on the desk.
'Alexis must be working herself to exhaustion.'
I felt a pang of sympathy for her.
Beside the documents, letters were piled like mountains.
I naturally slipped the envelope containing the contract among those letters.
Inside the envelope were three documents.
One was a land transaction contract between Jenin and Jamie Rolleng.
The other was a contract stating that Jamie Rolleng was gifting land to Alexis.
'And finally, a letter I wrote while pretending to be Jamie Rolleng.'
'To my beloved niece.
I wonder if you remember me.
I heard you've become a Duke.
Since I wander aimlessly, I can only offer a humble gift.
I give you this land, so that you may bloom like beautiful flowers.
- Jamie Rolleng.'
Few people remember Jamie Rolleng anymore.
His whereabouts cannot be traced.
But it was certain that he held Alexis's mother in special regard.
So it wouldn't be strange for him to suddenly send a gift to his niece Alexis.
'With this, all the spirit stones in the Parkision Territory are mine—I mean, my sister's!'
Sister, you're going to be rich!
I turned around with a satisfied smile.
And then I froze in place.
Alexis was standing in the darkness.
"How amusing. What gift are you trying to leave in my office and sneak away with this time?"
Beneath the cold moonlight, Alexis's lips curved into a crooked smile.
As if she had known I would appear.
"Um, sister..."
"A child who doesn't even sleep."
Alexis spoke sternly.
Then she picked up the envelope of documents.
Silver moonlight illuminated Alexis's elegant hands.
Those long, graceful hands that had been flipping through the documents came to a halt.
"Jenin's Wasteland? How did you possibly..."
Alexis looked at me with an expression of shock I'd never seen before.
---------------
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
---------------