Of course, I knew perfectly well that no real wild dogs would ever enter the estate grounds. The fence was designed so that no one, not even I, could enter unless my sister personally granted permission.
“You just couldn’t stand seeing that failure wandering around the estate, could you? But your intellect remains as low as ever. The moment you look away, she’s digging in the dirt like a commoner. What a vulgar imitation.”
I felt my expression harden at the unexpected interpretation from my wild dog mother, who clearly hadn’t been granted permission. “What do you mean, ‘failure’?”
“Of course I mean Laviange! Connected only by blood! Mihail, you’re the only beloved child I have left now. The very thought of having given birth to that thing is revolting—”
“Don’t you dare!” I cut off my mother—no, I couldn’t even call her that anymore. This woman. I couldn’t bear to listen to her. “Why did it turn out this way?! Laviange is your child too!”
“Mihail, what are you saying? That thing is my child? I refuse to acknowledge such a failure. You’re the only one I can call my beloved child. So I want you to speak to your father and have him return authority over the estate to me. Surely you don’t want your mother to suffer, Mihail?”
Everything about this woman, cooing with her wheedling voice to get close to me, was disgusting. She never gave either of us siblings any affection, let alone ever felt any herself.
“I’m sorry, but I no longer consider you my mother.” My feelings toward this woman were turning cold.
“What? What are you talking about? I told you I loved you!”
“What you love is yourself. And if my hair and eyes were the same as Laviange’s—no, the same as grandmother’s—could you still say that?”
“Don’t be ridiculous! Why bring her into this?! Never mention those cursed hair and eyes again! Be thankful you didn’t inherit that color like some failed experiment!”
“Didn’t my uncle, the next head of the house, have the same color too?”
“Don’t talk about that man who betrayed us after being seduced by that vulgar common woman!” It was the shrillest scream I’d ever heard. I’d apparently stepped on a land mine.
“As the next head of the house and the estate manager, I have determined you bring nothing but harm to the House of Robur,” I told her coldly. “You are forbidden from ever coming here again or claiming to be our mother. Your past abuses against Lady Robur are intolerable. Furthermore, your oversight and management of the estate have been woefully inadequate. All decisions will be communicated by the current head in due course. For now, return to your room immediately.”
For the first time in my life, I released killing intent toward this woman. She froze, her face turning deathly pale. Only after a moment, when I finally eased the killing intent, did she stagger away.
I watched, waiting bitterly for her to disappear. Then I hurried toward my sister, who had been on my mind.
Entering through the cute little gate, I felt relieved at first. I’d been harsh toward my sister for a long time too. Honestly, I didn’t know if she’d talked to that woman. By the time I got here, though, she’d been screaming. Even inside the shed, Lavi must’ve heard that voice. Frankly, I was on edge about the possibility that my sister might reject me and revoke my permission to pass through the gate.
I locked the gate properly and knocked on the shed door. I waited a moment, then knocked again. No answer.
I’d heard she was staying in the shed all day today. Was she not there?
Thinking that might actually be for the best, I twisted the doorknob to leave the package. My sister had told me that if there were deliveries, I should open the door myself and place them on the shelf right in front of me. Touching the knob triggered a magic authentication system that automatically unlocked and locked it. Apparently, I was the only one authorized besides my sister. As her brother, that made me a little happy.
There was also a mailbox outside, but unless I pointed it out, my sister wouldn’t bother checking it for weeks. Food I’d put in there as a treat had gone bad more than once. Since then, we’d switched to this system, though I secretly worried every time if this was really okay for a lady.
“Oh my, big brother?” As I opened the door, my sister’s cheerful voice came from inside.
“You were here? I knocked on the door a few times...”
My sister emerged from the back, holding earplugs I recognized from somewhere. “I was engaged in a little writing activity.”
“I see...”
That was definitely code for some R-rated something or another, meant to be offered up to some indecent bird somewhere, right?!
Even a brother like me was gradually learning about my sister’s habits. If it was a novel of a level of dubiousness that could actually be published, she might offer a ladylike smile, though the corners of her mouth might droop slightly. But recently, I’d noticed that when she was writing those obscene stories to be stored in her subspace and offered to the obscene bird, she’d blush faintly and give a shy smile. It was an adorable reaction, typical for a girl her age and the kind of thing she wouldn’t show to men like Regulus, that first-love fool. But the timing... What was up with that? She often used earplugs too, supposedly to boost concentration.
This time, thanks to that, she’d probably avoided hearing any of her mother’s ugliness. I was glad, but...what was up with that?
After handing my sister the package from John, I checked to see if that woman had properly returned to her room. But it turned out she hadn’t returned to the mansion at all—she had vanished without a trace.