I Need to Raise My Younger Sister Right

Chapter 7

Just what was going on?

Rachel tilted her head to the side. “Sir Rupert, I don’t recall appointing a new tax collector yet.”

“Indeed. That’s what I thought too.”

“So what exactly is happening right now?”

Two big men were ruthlessly dragging away a woman, who was as thin as a flower stalk, in front of her younger brother.

Rachel’s tone was the same as always, but her head was as cold as if someone had poured a bowl of ice water over it.

She walked in the direction where everyone was looking.

“Enough.”

At the sudden sound of a voice, the men paused and turned around.

“What the hell is this thing?” said one.

“Hey, lady, you look like the daughter of a wealthy household, but if you interfere with our official duties, you’ll get hurt. Got it?” said the other.

She had heard that public order was unstable, but she was so consumed by thoughts of money that she didn’t consider the immediate safety of her people.

This was her mistake.

“M-my lady. It’s dangerous. You shouldn’t get involved!” said the young woman.

She cared for Rachel even in the midst of this commotion. How kind of her.

“Hurry and run away! I can’t let anyone else be harmed by my business! Nicky, you run along too!”

The woman clung onto the man’s arm with all her might.

“You little wench!”

The man shook the woman off in annoyance, and she fell to the floor.

“Aah!”

“S-Sis!”

Rachel, who had been quietly watching, opened her mouth. “Sir Rupert, take care of him.”

“I understand.”

At her low command, Rupert stepped forward with a sharp look in his eyes.

“Hah, my goodness. It seems this lady has yet to learn how scary this world is.”

The way they shook their bodies and stretched their necks made them resemble back-alley gangsters. They drew their swords fearlessly and pointed them at Rupert.

When his eyes glinted fiercely at the sight of the shining blades, Rachel said to him, “Don’t kill them.”

She had a lot of questions for them. After all, they couldn’t be the only ones impersonating tax collectors.

“I accept your command.”

There was no chance that those back-alley gangsters could be a match for the knight commander of House Agnus.

Rupert quickly beat the two men when they came rushing towards him with clumsy stances.

“Y-you! Are you not afraid of the duchess?! How dare you lay your hands on a tax collector?!” said one of the men.

“The dukedom won’t let you off easy, but if you get on your knees and beg for forgiveness right now...!” added the other.

At their shouts, the people who’d been watching with cheerful faces began to worry.

Rachel, however, quietly looked down at the two men as she gently took off her veil. Her silver hair swayed as it fell down, and her clear eyes shone. Her cold gaze shifted towards them.

“The dukedom won’t let me off easy? How amusing.”

“Your Grace, what shall we do with them?”

At Rupert’s words, the expressions on the men’s faces darkened.

This was Rachel Agnus, the owner of this vast territory.

“Sir Rupert. A man who has no connection to me dares to wander about selling my name. How are such men usually punished?”

“They are executed right away.”

She smiled at the men, who were now trembling. “You hear that? What do you think?”

“P-please have mercy on us!”

“Please forgive us!”

The men kneeled as they begged for forgiveness. They were in no position to worry about their pride. Their lives were on the line.

She glanced away from the men, who were sobbing and begging, and looked around her surroundings, which had now grown quiet.

“You are exempt from taxes this quarter. I’ve already made an official announcement about it. So if men like them ever appear again, don’t hesitate to report it to the dukedom.”

I’ll have to inspect the security forces as well. They won’t have escaped corruption either.

Through her inspection, Rachel was able to witness many things that she couldn’t have learned from mere piles of papers. She could hear the people’s resentment-filled cries towards her, and she saw the lives of the people that hadn’t improved because of the deep-seated corruption.

At her words, the people kneeled and looked down at the ground. No one would dare raise their head in front of the owner of this territory.

“You. What is your name?” She pointed to the woman, who’d instantly knelt to the ground and trembled upon hearing her identity.

“A-are you talking about me?”

“Yes.”

“I-it’s Bella.”

“Indeed. Bella.” Rachel had taken a liking to her. “Will you come with me?”

At her words, Bella’s eyes quivered like rippling water. “M-me...?”

“Yes.”

A bright smile spread across Rachel’s face.

I’ve chosen you as my fave’s personal lady-in-waiting.

***

After returning to the estate, Rachel worked tirelessly. She was busy taking care of all the problems that had come to light.

Simply posting a notice and spreading rumors weren’t enough to solve this situation. She had to prioritize dealing with the thugs rampaging around the streets.

For two days, she confined herself to her office.

“Your Grace. Please take a break,” Ann said worriedly as she placed a cup of fragrant tea on the table.

Rachel responded with an exhausted voice. “Thanks for worrying, but there are duties that require my attention right now.”

“Your Grace, while it’s good to attend to your duties, your health is the most important thing. You haven’t even been able to get a good night’s rest for two days...”

Rachel responded with a faint smile. She hadn’t been inside her bedroom for the past two days. She had been taking naps lasting a mere hour or two on her office sofa. It was only natural that Ann was worried.

“Your Grace, it’s Marcus,” came a voice from the door.

“Yes. Come in.”

Marcus entered the room with a heavy expression.

“The official notice isn’t being properly delivered to the people.”

The notices that were posted throughout the town squares were all damaged.

It was the thugs’ doing.

She had ordered Sir Rupert to carry out a thorough search to capture them, so that problem should be solved soon.

However…

“Are you still not going to tell me where my sister is with the outside world in such a dangerous state?”

Marcus contemplated for a moment. He had made a promise to tell her once she had completed taking care of her general political duties. But with public order in such a precarious condition, was it the right decision to have the duchess’s bloodline live elsewhere?

As he continued to contemplate, Rachel held out a bundle of papers.

“These are...”

They were the documents that she had finished processing in the past two days after she’d returned to the mansion.

“You have to keep your promise, isn’t that right?”

Marcus scanned the papers with trembling hands. He had thought it would take at least a month to get through all these papers, but she had completed them with incredible speed.

Moreover, none of them were approved haphazardly.

In just two days, the duchess had finished a month’s worth of work.

Ah! This is the person I must serve!

She was the type to forego her sleep to look after the well-being of her people.

Amazed by her phenomenal abilities, Marcus parted his trembling lips.

“Your Grace’s sister is...”

However, little did he know that her phenomenal abilities were simply rooted in her deep, fanatical desire to bring her fave back to the safety of the ducal estate.

***

A carriage bearing the symbol of House Agnus made its way down the street.

Inside the carriage were Rachel, Ann, and Marcus.

The three of them were sitting inside, and the knights of House Agnus were riding alongside them, forming a tight guard.

“Finally!” Rachel calmed her trembling heart.

Though she still wasn’t used to the bumpy ride of the carriage, she had no time to focus on the pain riding up her tail bone.

It was finally the day she would meet her fave—the day she would finally see the face of the girl she had only envisioned in her mind, the captivating villainess, Liz Agnus.

How adorable and lovely must she have been as a little child?

Ann smiled at Rachel, who tried to calm her beating heart by taking a deep breath, and said, “You must be really nervous, Your Grace.”

To think that the duchess, who was always confident and not afraid of anything, was nervous about something…

Her half-sister.

In other words, the duke’s illegitimate child. Even to commoners, the existence of a half-sibling wasn’t a welcome idea. It was even worse for a noble family that valued their honor and lineage.

But seeing Rachel so nervous and filled with anticipation at the thought of meeting her new family member, Ann felt a sense of humane closeness to her.

“I’ll finally have a family.”

“Ah...”

Half a year ago, Ann had been reminded of how the duchess was always alone after the late duke and duchess had passed. Her Grace must have been very lonely.

At this thought, Ann felt a rush of pity.

“Marcus, when will we arrive?”

“Soon, Your Grace.”

Marcus sighed, fed up with Rachel’s questions which were directed at him every five minutes.

A while later, the carriage stopped in front of a red two-story residence.

The doors opened, and Rachel stepped out of the carriage.

It was their first meeting, so she wanted to appear both pretty and cool. Was there anyone who could understand her fanatic desire to look good in front of her fave?

She checked her appearance in her hand mirror and walked towards the door.

But what should she say?

Hi? I’m your biggest fan.

No, no. That wouldn’t be right…

It’s nice to meet you. I’m your older sister!

That doesn’t quite sound right either.

How should she greet her?

“Shall I go in instead?” asked Marcus.

She had said she would bring her sister home as soon as she met her, but seeing her hesitate, Marcus stepped towards the door.

“No. I’ll just do it,” Rachel said.

Whatever happens will happen. Oh well.

Just as she was about to reach out her hand and press the doorbell, the door slammed open, and a small figure was thrown out.

“Get lost! I don’t need parasites like you!”

This child is…

Rachel instinctively held the little girl in her embrace, and she whimpered and trembled in her arms.

Although she was covered in dust, Rachel knew instinctively that this was the very child she’d longed to meet.