Chapter 9
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How to Survive as the Villain's Younger Sister Episode 9 * * * "Phew!"
The moment I stepped out of Alexis's room, I exhaled the breath I'd been holding. 'Is it because she's become the head of the house? Her presence is so overwhelming.' She's truly the protagonist! Tall, with an extraordinary aura and beautiful features. Sharp-witted and perceptive to boot. 'I never expected her to ask about the ink so directly. And to a little child like me, no less.' Thanks to my adequate performance, everyone saw me as a foolish little girl. A position where I could do almost anything and receive punishment, but never suspicion. 'But Alexis suspected me.' Fortunately, it seemed I'd managed to get past it. There was only one thing I regretted about Alexis. 'She's still so cold to me. Sigh.' I'd worked so hard to make that gift! What I'd given Alexis was 'yakgwa'—a traditional honey pastry. 'It may be unfamiliar, but it's definitely delicious.' Because it was made using the [unlocked] skill, [Mother's Touch. Lv3.]. The process hadn't been smooth. 'I thought [Mother's Touch] would simply make me good at cooking.' But this [Mother] was thoroughly a Korean mother. I thought I'd made an exquisite soup, but it came out tasting like doenjang-jjigae. I tried to make beef steak, but when I came to my senses, it had become gochujang bulgogi. The Head Chef, who'd offered to taste-test, had plunged his face into a water bowl, claiming his lips were on fire. 'In the end, I compromised by making yakgwa.' I'd had the kitchen staff try it beforehand, and their reaction was excellent.
"Far superior to that organ-exploding steak you made before... I mean, that fiery spicy steak!"
"I nearly lost my sense of taste from that soup you made initially... or rather, I was quite startled by the exotic aroma! But this pastry will surely be loved by everyone!"
These philistines who don't appreciate Korean cuisine! I swallowed back tears. Still, everyone had said the yakgwa was delicious. 'I really hope Alexis ate my yakgwa.' I made it with [Mother's Touch], after all! * * * Meanwhile, alone in her room, Alexis was lost in thought. It was due to one of the greatest problems facing the new Duke of Parkision. The farmland of Parkision Territory had always been barren. Despite the climate being favorable, life struggled to take root in the soil. People said it was because Parkision was the "Lord of Nightmares."
They claimed that because a great demon, the "Nightmare Sovereign," was sealed deep beneath the earth and the castle and territory were built above it, the demon's toxins rendered the land barren. 'All pathetic nonsense.' Yet the infertility of the farmland was genuinely a grave problem. No matter how much quality fertilizer I used or how I changed farming methods, nothing worked. Moreover, Father's indifference only worsened the territory's plight. He devoted himself entirely to indulging in luxury and pleasure. As a result, the already barren territory now suffered from dire financial straits as well. 'At this rate, I won't be able to endure the coming 【Famine Season】.' I had to find a solution. My head throbbed with the weight of complex worries. Then, suddenly, a sweet fragrance wafted through the air. It came from the pouch I'd pushed to the side of the table. 'This is what Cyrilia gave me....' My gaze fixed upon the pouch. 'She said it was a birthday gift, didn't she?' I found myself enchanted, reaching for one of the honey cakes and taking a bite. It was soft, without that crisp crunch of biting down. Yet it wasn't merely fluffy either. 'Is it a cookie? Or just bread?' The texture was peculiar. But the more I chewed, the more delicious it became. 'It tastes just like something Mother used to make.' The thought came unbidden, and I furrowed my brow. 'That makes no sense.' My biological mother had died of postpartum illness after giving birth to me. Naturally, I had no memory of any food she'd prepared. 'Why would I think such a thing?' It felt as though I were under some spell. I tilted my head in confusion and reached for another honey cake. Though I typically disliked snacking, my hand kept returning to these. And again and again, the taste of a "mother's touch" I'd never experienced came to mind. 'Could this actually be laced with a hallucinogen?' Even as I thought this, I found myself emptying the pouch entirely. * * * A few days later. An unwelcome visitor arrived at my door early in the morning.
"I am Dreiny Volgo, and I could not overcome the sorrow of losing my only sibling."
I sat on the Reception Room sofa, regarding Dreiny with an expressionless face as he whined in a melancholy tone.
"Yet no matter how great my grief, I thought it could not compare to that of the new Duke, who has lost both parents, and so I have come."
Dreiny dabbed at the corner of his eyes with a handkerchief. Not a single tear had formed.
"How difficult it must be to bear such weight alone. How lonely you must feel. That is why I, Dreiny, wish to offer my assistance to His Grace the Duke. After all, am I not your maternal uncle?"
To spout such nonsense, he had shown up unannounced without so much as a courtesy visit. 'Jenin has barricaded himself in the Prayer Room, so now Dreiny is causing a commotion.' Alexis felt irritation rising within her. Yet her expression remained perfectly composed. She spoke with that familiar icy beauty of hers—cold and captivating as a frozen lake.
"I am quite well. I have already resolved the grief of losing both my parents."
"I beg your pardon?"
Dreiny repeated her words blankly. It was an answer he had not anticipated. 'A young girl has already overcome the sorrow of losing her family? Regardless of how cold their bond was, that cannot be true! Surely she must feel some fear at being left alone!' She was clearly putting on a brave facade to avoid being underestimated. Dreiny suppressed his displeasure with effort. "You need not pretend to be fine. If you continue to endure like that, you will collapse. Even I still grieve so deeply and painfully. I, Dreiny, cannot bear to witness such a sight."
"It seems difficult for you to comprehend, but leading Parkision leaves no room for sorrow. In truth, I am not particularly grieved."
Alexis sighed, lamenting the waste of time.
"Unlike me, it appears Baron Volgo has yet to process his grief. I cannot accept assistance from someone still drowning in the sorrow of lost family."
"Yes, I—? B-but..."
"Please return and rest. I shall send you a soothing tea as a gift."
Alexis rose from her seat.
"Before you go, do take one of those confections on the table. They are called yakgwa, and they are quite delicious."
Dreiny gazed at the flower-shaped pastry on the table. It was the same kind Cyrilia had given to Alexis as a birthday gift. Alexis had taken such a liking to it that she had requested the Head Chef make more. The dignified Head Chef had been quite startled. Alexis had never made such a request in all her life.
"I can certainly make as many as you wish. However..."
"However?"
"That dessert was not made by me, but by Miss Cyrilia herself."
This time, it was Alexis's turn to be surprised. 'She possessed such a skill?' In any case, from that point onward, the Head Chef had been steadily producing yakgwa with Cyrilia's assistance. After Alexis left the Reception Room, her thoughts lingering on the yakgwa, "That... that insolent girl...!"
Left alone, Dreiny's fury erupted. 'What does a mere child know, speaking as though she alone can manage the duties of the duchy?' She might act so rigidly now, but surely it would not last long. Soon she would bungle everything, come weeping to him, and beg for his aid. It was obvious that Roel wouldn't cooperate either. Which meant I was the only person Alexis could rely on. 'Before that, I should order the steward to keep a close watch on Alexis's movements.' Dreiny left the Reception Room and headed somewhere. It wasn't toward home. His destination was Cyrilia's chamber. Dreiny burst through the door and stepped inside. * * * I was startled, my small hand clutching a large brush as I combed through my luxuriant silver hair. Dreiny had barged in as though he owned the place, entering my Inner Chamber without ceremony. My eyes widened in the mirror's reflection.
"U-Uncle?"
Meanwhile, the maids bowed their heads as though accustomed to his presence.
"Welcome, sir."
Dreiny had entered my chamber uninvited, yet no one stopped him. He seemed to be their master. 'They probably consider Julia and Dreiny as their true masters.' After all, he had won them over with money and jewels. It wasn't just my personal attendants. 'Among the employees of the Parkision Ducal House, many are Dreiny's stewards.' Though Alexis had become the Duke, she would face considerable difficulties with so many stewards loyal to him. 'Of course, I'm struggling too...' The maids knew that Julia had always treated her daughter coldly. So their disdain for me showed through subtly. And now that Julia was dead. 'A twelve-year-old child, and they won't even properly care for me—I have to brush my own hair!' Despite having maids standing right beside me.
"Cyrilia, it's pathetic how you idle about with nothing to do."
Huh? Criticism the moment he arrives? I opened my mouth in disbelief.
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