Chapter 5: Negotiation

In the morning class, I tried my best to get rid of my image of being a failure. I scored about 70% on the quiz, and my performance in the practice was about the same as others. However, once an image is established, it is not so easy to get rid of… Everyone just assumes “it’s a fluke” or “she’s cheating.” I guess the only way is to ask my sister to directly stop the rumor. I decided on that and hurriedly left the classroom as soon as lunchtime came.

While more than half of the students were heading for the cafeteria, I headed for the fourth floor. As I squeezed my way through the crowds to my sister’s classroom, ────I bumped into her in the hallway. She must have been on her way to the cafeteria because she had her purse in her hand.

“Oh, it’s Charlotte. What’s wrong? What brings you up to the 4th floor? “

Scarlett, the older sister, smiled gracefully, not knowing that her sister was suffering because of the false rumors she had spread. It’s not often that the word “carefree” fits someone so well. I held back the urge to yell at her right there and now, and pointed upwards with my index finger.

“Onee sama, I’d like to talk to you alone. Can we talk on the roof? “

The blue-haired girl looked puzzled when I said, “I’d like to talk to you alone.” I’m sure she’s wondering why, because I don’t usually make contact with her.

“I don’t mind, but don’t talk too long, okay? I have a lunch appointment・・・・with His Highness, Leo. “

My older sister calls His Royal Highness Prince Leonardo by his nickname in a friendly manner, but the surrounding …… or rather the female students give her a hard look. Their eyes were filled with envy and jealousy, and I shook my shoulders in fear. His Royal Highness Leonardo, despite his position as Crown Prince, still does not have a fiancée. There were several candidates for the Crown Princess, but he had yet to decide who to choose.

It was under such circumstances that my sister Scarlett appeared. She is not an official candidate for the crown princess, but she is known to everyone around as the shadow crown princess candidate. This is because she is the closest unmarried woman to His Highness Leonardo. Unlike the official candidates, her family background and bloodline are inferior but other than that, she is otherwise perfect. So many unmarried women felt jealous of my older sister.

“There’s nothing scarier than a woman’s jealousy,” I shuddered, urging my sister toward the stairs leading to the roof.

“The conversation will be over quickly. So let’s head to the roof.”

“Yeah, okay.”

Whether she was oblivious to the sharp stares of the female students or pretending not to notice, my sister smiled cheerfully. I walked up the stairs with the beautiful blue-haired girl, I had a headache from the difference in temperature between my sister’s good mood and the people around me. After making sure that no one was following us from behind, I opened the door to the rooftop. Then a spring breeze blew past us and warm sunshine poured down on us.

I’ve never been on a rooftop before, so I didn’t know it was like this. It was very quiet and had a nice view. I look around the rooftop, which is surrounded by high railings, and step onto it. The lush sky is refreshing and beautiful. The blue sky was refreshing and beautiful. The suffocation of school life was lessened, and I felt a little more at ease.

“──── So, what exactly is it that you want to talk to me about?”

I frowned for a moment at the beautiful blue-haired girl who pooped out from behind me. It was rude to but I thought to myself, “If my sister was not there, it would have been better…” The feeling that had been lightened became heavy again, and I feel depressed. The thought of having to convince this person was a heavy burden. Haa… I’m not going to get anywhere by worrying about this so let’s just get it over with. My sister doesn’t seem to have much time either.

“What I want to talk about is the rumor about me. Of course, you know about it, don’t you, Onee sama? “

With a firm expression, I stared straight into her Tanzanite eyes. I had a serious look on my face, while my sister Scarlett had a puzzled look on her face.

“Rumor about Charlotte…? Is there such a thing? “

The blue-haired beauty blinked repeatedly as if to say she couldn’t think of anything like that. For a moment, I almost yelled, “Are you kidding me?” But from the look on my sister’s face, she didn’t seem to know about the rumor. I did my best to keep my annoyance to myself and smiled affectionately at her.

“I’ll change the question. Did you ever tell people around you, “My sister is incompetent and incapable of doing anything”?

“Did I ever tell anyone around me that Charlotte was ……? Oh, yeah ──── I’ve talked about that a few times. People find it funny, so I told them a lot about you.”

The beautiful blue-haired girl who simply affirmed without any sign of offense made me think “I knew it” and I felt annoyed. However, I told myself not to get angry here and clenched my fists tightly.

“I see… Then please set the record straight. Your sister is mediocre, but not an incompetent failure…”

“Oh, why? We say this kind of thing a lot at home, don’t we? There’s no need to say otherwise. “

“──── This isn’t our parents’ house! It would be bad for my standing if people talked about me like that at school! I’m rumored to be an incompetent sister and my classmates keep their distance from me! I just want to enjoy my school life! So, please set the record straight with your mouth!”

I shouted at my sister, who had the childish idea that “it was fine at home, so it will be fine at school.” I couldn’t help but get angry at my sister’s overly optimistic attitude. In the Viscount Meyers family, it was fine because the story ended in the house. The only people who looked down on me as the “mediocre sister” were my sister and my instructor… But it’s different at school.

There are far more people living in the school than in the family home, and most of them are higher than Viscounts… It was not a place where a weak aristocrat branded as incompetent could survive. I’ve put up with my sister’s arrogance and selfishness up until now because I thought “it would be troublesome if I upset her.” But there are some things I can tolerate and some things I can’t. This time, I couldn’t just let my sister’s insolence go. If you don’t find a good husband by the time you graduate from Frügel Academy, you may end up marrying a man who has a lover or a man who is old enough to be your father… I don’t want that!

For aristocratic daughters, marriage makes or breaks their lives. If you end up in a bad one, you will have to suffer for the rest of your life until you die… As the second daughter of a viscount, I may not have the right to choose a man…but there were some things I couldn’t give up. He doesn’t necessarily have to be handsome. He doesn’t have to be excellent. I don’t care if he doesn’t love me… There are two conditions I look for in a partner. The first is that the person must be sincere and secondly, kind. That’s it. So, if you want to interfere with my peaceful future of finding a husband… I won’t allow it, even if you are my sister.

“Onee sama, I’ll say it again. Please set the record straight. It’s not that I want you to say that you were wrong. I just want you to say that you misspoke a little. “

Desperately suppressing the anger that was bubbling up from the depths of my heart, I asked again in a gentle tone. I gently held her hands in mine, offering a compromise to protect my sister’s position. I stared at the beautiful blue-haired girl as I silently pleaded. Please…! Nod your head. Just say “I understand”! The blue-haired beauty stared back at me as I turned my expectant gaze to my sister. Then she smiled ──── and shook my hand away.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t do that. I’m the vice president, and if I spread false rumors, it’s going to make me look bad. Besides, ──── Charlotte is my supporter, so I’m sure you can put up with this. You’ll have to endure it for my sake.”

My sister’s response, which I would call outrageous, made me dizzy and I involuntarily closed my eyes. I was more dismayed than angry, and I froze, unable to say anything. I seriously wondered… how I could persuade my arrogant older sister. So I’m not even entitled to enjoy my school life. She must think that since I’ve always put up with her selfishness without saying anything, it is natural for me to put up with it. I’m sorry but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to make that argument? As I was feeling a headache from my sister’s insane behavior, the beautiful blue-haired girl shouted, “Ah!” loudly.

“Oh no, it’s already late! I have to get to the cafeteria quickly…!”

My sister turned pale when she saw the clock above the door and hurriedly turned around.

“What? Wait! Wait, please! We’re still talking about…! “

“I don’t care how many times you say it, I’m not going to stop the rumor! I’m done talking about this! Well then, I’ll leave now since I’m keeping His Highness Leo waiting! “

Having shaken off the voice of command, the blue-haired beauty opened the door to the rooftop a little roughly and hurriedly ran down the stairs. I gawked at the back of my sister’s head as she disappeared from my sight in a flash. I was left alone on the rooftop, and I couldn’t even muster up the energy to go after her, so I let out a sigh. From the looks of it, it’s going to be hard to convince my sister… I’m sure there’s nothing I can say that will help. Will I just have to put up with it like I always have? Pessimistic thoughts passed through my mind, and I stared down in sorrow at the state of my life.

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