Part One, Section Four: “The End And the Beginning”
Chapter Thirty-eight (Mia’s POV)
“Well, today is the party hosted by the Adenauers. If we get through this party, our family will be secure. We must host it properly.”
“That right, because both His Highness Fernando and His Highness Julius will be attending. Mia, you absolutely must not offend His Highness Julius.”
The father and the mother were hurriedly directing the servants to begin party preparations.
Their expressions were frantic, but they looked strangely elated, even in a good mood, as if Prince Julius had assured their status. All the while, they were plotting the assassination of Prince Fernando…
I was getting increasingly nervous as the day approached, but when the father suddenly shouted, I turned towards him, wondering what had happened.
“I haven’t sent you an invitation! Hildegarde!”
Apparently, Aunt Hildegarde had arrived here even though she wasn’t invited.
I’ve only met Aunt a few times. Sis had studied under her, but I was forbidden from receiving any teachings from her.
Seeing her face again after such a long time, I couldn’t help but think once more: She looks exactly like Philia… Of course, she was much older, but I could easily imagine my sister looking like her when aged.
“It’s not proper for a man to raise his voice so crudely. Today, as a saint, I had an important matter to discuss with my niece Mia. Once our business is finished, I will leave immediately. You don’t want to get Mia in trouble, do you?”
“Disappear once your business is done! And what’s this nonsense about being a saint at your age!?”
The father shouted angrily at Aunt Hilda. She mentioned she had some matters to discuss with me… I wonder what kind of business it could be…
“It’s quite hectic in here. Shall we step outside for a moment?”
“A-alright, Aunt Hilda…”
Aunt and I moved to a place outside the venue where we wouldn’t attract any attention.
She wants to talk secretly right here…? But since she’s someone Sis respects… it must be something important.
“I’m grateful you’ve resumed your activities as a saint, Aunt. Thanks to you, we’ve somehow managed to prevent demon invasions until today.”
“Spare me the flattery. My return is like a drop in the ocean. Soon, the whole country will suffer greatly at the hands of demons. It’s truly lamentable. My disciple Philia managed to resolve this situation all on her own…”
Aunt Hilda felt it too, that the situation in Girtonia was already approaching the point of no return.
I also want to lament my own powerlessness… I made up my mind, even if it meant worrying Philia, but there was so little I could do.
“So, Aunt, about your business…”
Since dwelling on it wouldn’t change anything, I decided to ask Aunt Hilda about this “business” she mentioned. She spoke as if she wanted to talk as a saint, but… there must be some underlying reason.
“The purpose of the party is the assassination of Prince Fernando…”
“…!?”
“Even if he was incited by His Highness Julius, it doesn’t change the fact that it’s my foolish brother’s plot. He will… lose everything today.”
Does Aunt Hilda know about Prince Julius’s plot? Does that mean she…? No way…
“Yes. I am a supporter of the first prince. His Highness Julius did something as low as betraying my precious disciple. When I heard from Pierre that you had sided with us, I waited for an opportunity to make contact.”
As expected, Aunt Hilda was also siding with Prince Fernando. Naturally, even without considering Philia, a saint should never even think about supporting Prince Julius.
“…So, Mia, if anything happens, please become my adopted child.”
“Y-your adopted child, Aunt…?”
“Yes. Marquis Adenauer and his wife will be imprisoned whether the plan succeeds or fails. It will be inconvenient without parents around. I lost my husband, but I can manage with just you.”
Aunt Hilda was right—I knew Prince Julius’s personality well. Even if the assassination succeeds, he would likely condemn my parents as the masterminds.
But becoming her adopted child…
“Don’t worry about it. Your parents have taken away someone else’s daughter too.”
“They take away a daughter? D-don’t tell me…”
I instantly grasped the meaning behind Aunt’s words. She wasn’t the type to make jokes. Her statement about my parents taking another person’s daughter was serious.
The daughter my parents took…
Her face was exactly like my sister’s. It was truly astonishing.
Could it be that my parents were able to sell off Philia so easily because she wasn’t their child…?
Then Philia and I weren’t blood-related sisters…?
“Shall we talk about the past for a moment? My brother became jealous that our mother only cared about me, a would-be saint, and he began to resent and despise me. Eventually, he started fabricating false stories about me to our father, and by the time our mother fell ill and passed away… I was cast out of my own home, despite being a saint, and lost my influence within the Adenauer family.”
Indeed, Aunt Hilda rarely interfered in household matters.
She just acted like Philia’s mentor, and immediately retired after we became saints.
I never knew such discord existed between the father and Aunt.
“Afterward, my brother, who was slated to inherit the Adenauer household, got married, but they long struggled to conceive. In our family, which comes from a lineage of saints, it’s imperative to have daughters. If that wasn’t possible, we would adopt from relatives, but… if one were too distant, the lineage would weaken. That’s when I was pregnant with Philia my brother set his sights on her.”
So, they adopted Aunt Hilda’s daughter, Philia? But why did she say they “take away” her?
“My brother, who despises me, came ‘begging’ to adopt my child. I’ll never forget his arrogant declaration, ‘If your child is a girl, I will take her.’ Of course, I declined his proposal.”
You declined…? Then why did Sis end up here…?
“But my father—your grandfather, that is—didn’t permit it. Upon hearing of the birth of a girl, he forcefully took her from us, and spread rumors that our child was stillborn, then fabricated the ’fact’ she was born to your mother.”
S-Something like that…? So, my father forcibly took a child from his sister, and my mother just accepted it…? But no matter what, if you claimed she was your child…
“I did. I insisted many times that the child was mine… But the people around me only saw me as someone who had lost her mind after losing a child. And as I was doing that, my husband’s condition, who suffered from an epidemic, worsened… and I lost my husband too.”
If this story is true, ever since I was born Sister Philia was…
As I began to grasp my parents’ mindset, I found myself wanting to curse my existence…
“I chose to think of her as not my daughter, but shortly after, you were born. Philia must have endured mistreatment from that couple all this time. All I could do was to train her to have the strength to face whatever might come her way in the future. I don’t have the right to call myself her mother since I couldn’t rescue her, and I have no intention to tell her either.”
“Then why did you told me about it…?”
“It’s my own way of revenge. You don’t have to believe me either…”
It was obvious that this story was not a lie. Philia must have been Aunt Hilda’s daughter. And in the end, my parents sold the daughter they had stolen.
The reason my sister was so strong was because she had to be strong enough to endure everything…
And I ignorantly admired how incredible she was as a saint… I want to erase such a stupid me who never noticed…
But it won’t do me any good. To me, Sister Philia is…
“She’s my one and only sister! Whether Philia is my real sister or not… none of that matters! To me, she’s a woman I look up to as a role model…!”
Regardless of Philia’s origin, I’d always looked up to her. I admired her flawless conduct as a saint and aspired to become like her someday.
So, to me, she’s a respectable older sister… and she will always be.
“Sigh… I will never forgive my brother for the rest of my life. But the one good thing I can say is that she has a sister like you… Philia is definitely your sister. Thank you, and good luck, Mia Adenauer.”
Leaving those words, Aunt Hilda turned her back and left. I was shocked by what she said about Philia, but I didn’t have time to dwell on it or feel regret.
Because I have things I must do now…
Yes, the party would begin soon. I must settle things with Prince Julius… and with my parents.
I kinda don't like what Mia says here...it's almost like she only recognizes and thinks of Philia as a sister because she admires her, not because she feels genuine affection for her...and the fact that she never noticed how Philia was being treated only seems to support that theory...
ReplyDeleteI disagree a bit with this, as Mia described her sister as kind and caring but bad at expressing emotions. It gives me the feeling that while her sister was away most of the time (living at the temple) their relationship was a close one whenever they were together. And Philia was thinking about how she was keeping her harsh life away from her sister because she thought her sister would worry.
Deletei think the sisters care
ReplyDeleteWasn't expecting that twist!
ReplyDelete