I Need to Raise My Younger Sister Right

Chapter 8

Rachel felt like she couldn’t breathe.

Liz was eight years old, but the girl in her arms looked seven at best.

Rachel hugged the girl with trembling hands.

***

[Humans are truly delicate and affectionate beings.

The way they struggle to survive in order to fulfill their many desires couldn’t be more pathetic and adorable.

The magic violently thrashed inside Liz’s heart from anger.

Saintess, what makes it so easy for you?

How is it that you can easily get anything you desire without having to yearn for it so hideously and revoltingly?

That warm affection that I’ve never had… That peace I’ve never felt before…]

***

Rachel released the child from her embrace and slowly kneeled down to her eye level.

Her blue eyes, so similar to her own, resembled a forest engulfed by a deep shadow—quiet and empty.

Almost like that man… Grand Duke Lexerville.

What kind of time have you endured here?

Rachel felt numbness in her chest as she parted her trembling lips.

“Hi... there?”

At her greeting, the child reacted slowly, as if she were waking up from a deep slumber. “You... have the same...”

Perhaps she found it fascinating?

With her delicate little hands, Liz gently grabbed a lock of Rachel’s hair, then quickly let go.

“That’s right. I have the same silver hair as you.”

She held the child’s hand and placed her hair on it.

“My hands are dirty...”

“It’s okay. You can touch it all you want.”

Your hands aren’t dirty. The only filth here is from the adults who forced you to live like this.

“You better not come crawling back home! I won’t let you off easy next time!” a healthy-looking woman huffed as she threw something out the door.

What fell to the ground were a few pieces of clothing that were old and torn.

The woman, who huffed and puffed as if to calm her anger, turned pale when she noticed Rachel and the knights that surrounded her.

“W-who might you be?”

“Me?” Rachel stood up very slowly, and with a cold, stern face, she opened her mouth.

“I’m her sister.”

***

Eight years ago, on a spring night, a baby wrapped in a thick and cozy blanket was abandoned in front of a house.

Inside the baby’s blanket was a bundle of money and a small note which said:

[The child’s name is Liz.

I will send you money consistently, so please raise her to be healthy.]

In the baby’s arms was an amount of cash that Anz wouldn’t have been able to earn even if she had worked a full month.

Overcome with a greed for money, Anz had raised Liz diligently in her own way for eight long years.

Though she wasn’t sure who this child belonged to, she was certain that she was the illegitimate child of a wealthy family.

However, the consistent stream of cash had eventually grown less and less over the past half year. Finally, about two months ago, the payments had come to a complete stop.

Anz saw no need for her to take care of that dreary child any longer.

Little did she realize…

***

“Her sister.”

A woman who very much resembled an older version of Liz had appeared suddenly out of nowhere, accompanied by knights who were suited in shining armor.

The inside of Anz’s mouth began to dry out. She wasn’t simply the child of a wealthy family. In fact, she was no ordinary child.

No matter how unlearned and ignorant Anz was, she understood what level of status the woman in front of her held in order to be accompanied by knights!

Rachel’s voice fell to a low register. “And to think that I was considering thanking you for taking care of Liz.”

Rachel had been fully aware that Liz’s life wasn’t an easy one.

But look here, Author.

Isn’t making Liz the victim of a miserable tragedy taking things too far?

Anz laughed. “So... You are Liz’s real sister, is that right? As you can see, I was only scolding Liz because she kept causing trouble...”

“Enough. I don’t want to hear it,” Rachel said, interrupting the excuses that didn’t sound like excuses.

The child had caused trouble? This sort of mistreatment wasn’t simply a scolding.

Liz was dirty as if she hadn’t been cared for in a long time, and unlike the woman, who appeared healthy, the child was extremely thin.

“Marcus, didn’t you clearly say that we’ve been paying for child support?”

“Yes. After the passing of the former duke, I’ve even had to gather my own savings to send her. But I’ve been so busy these past two months that I...”

“And yet look at the state she’s in...”

The inside of Rachel’s throat pounded as if a beast were howling.

What was to come of this soaring fit of anger?

She darted her rage-filled eyes at Rupert, who said, “Your Grace, just give me your command.”

He stepped forward with a hand on his sword.

But to show such a cruel sight to the child wasn’t an option.

Rachel turned around and gently grabbed Liz’s shoulder. “Liz, would you like to come with me?”

“Are you really my sister?”

“Mhm.”

“Really?”

“Yup. Look at this. It’s the same color as yours. Our hair and eyes too.”

“Ah...”

She looked tenderly at Liz, who touched her hair again in disbelief.

That warm affection…

I shall be the one to give it to you, that peace you’ve never felt before.

I shall let you feel it.

“So come with me.”

“Even though I’m a strange child?” There was an unreadable sense of fear and wariness hovering in her blue eyes.

A strange child? Rachel couldn’t understand why Liz would say such a thing.

“It doesn’t matter. If you wish to stay by my side, that’s what will happen.”

At those words, Liz reached out her hands.

Finally, she had been chosen by the child. She held the small hands reaching towards her tightly. She was flooded with a wave of emotion that couldn’t be put into words.

After all, this was the moment she had long been waiting for.

“I assume you’ll know what to do even without my command?”

Rupert nodded his head. So did Marcus, Ann, and the knights. They knew how much she’d anticipated meeting this small, young child.

Ignoring how dirty her clothes would get, Rachel held Liz and entered the carriage.

And then—a storm ravaged the residence where Liz had remained for years in loneliness.

***

Finally, I’ve been reunited with my fave!

Rachel looked tenderly at Liz, who stood next to her looking around in amazement at the ducal estate.

The driving force in her life that she’d held onto at a time when she wanted to let go of everything… The fact that this child was standing in front of her felt like a miracle in itself.

Just then, the grumble that came from the girl’s stomach signaled that it was time to eat.

Come to think of it, she must be very hungry, especially after all that ruckus she experienced this morning.

“Liz, shall we wash up and eat?”

“Yes.”

Embarrassed by her dirty appearance, Liz lowered her head and fiddled with her hands.

Come to think of it, her clothes and her room…

There are a lot more things I need to prepare than I realized.

She summoned Bella to her office.

“Bella, from now on, this child is the master you will serve.”

Bella widened her eyes upon hearing that this tiny child would be her new master, but only for a brief moment. Bella, who had been taking lessons to become a lady-in-waiting over the past few days, masked her surprised reaction fairly quickly and lowered her head.

“It’s nice to meet you, my lady. Please feel free to call me Bella from now on.”

She flinched as Liz tugged on the hem of her dress in surprise.

“I’m not a lady...”

“It may sound unfamiliar now, but you’ll get used to it soon.”

Rachel continued to speak after looking away from Liz, who blinked her big eyes as if she didn’t know how to react. “Bella, take Liz to the bathroom. I have some things I need to prepare in the meantime.”

“I understand. My lady, please follow me.”

Rachel sent a bright, reassuring smile at Liz, who kept glancing back towards her.

“Anyway, what should I do with her clothes?”

She’d been planning to buy new clothes for Liz on the way home, but she totally forgot at the thought of wanting to get her there as quickly as possible.

The clothes that she’d worn at her previous place of stay were no better than rags, so there was nothing she could wear as of right now.

“I suppose I should look through the storage.”

The nobles in this world held onto many of their cherished objects, which included fountain pens, clothes, and even dolls they’d played with when they were younger. While it was a way of showing the family’s history, it was also because every single one of those items were valuable.

Naturally, the clothes that Rachel wore when she was younger were safely tucked away in storage.

***

Rachel quickly covered her lips to prevent her squeal of delight from escaping her mouth.

So cuuuuute!

Bella also wore a tender smile, thinking the same thing as Rachel.

Liz, who was now sparkling clean, looked lovely enough to be mistaken for a fairy. Her cheeks were as pale as mochi alongside her rose-colored lips. And of course, her silver hair, which was previously covered in dust, now shone.

But for some reason, there was a weird look in Liz’s eyes.

Perhaps she was disappointed that the clothes were too old?

“The clothes are a little worn out, aren’t they? It’s because I used to wear them when I was little. Although I can’t purchase new clothes for you right this instant, I’ll be able to very soon...”

“No, that’s not it!” said Liz.

“Huh?”

“I’ve just never worn clothes this pretty before.”

Liz fidgeted with the lace decoration on her sleeve and muttered in a low, astonished voice, “It reminds me of a princess dress.”

A princess dress?!

Just look at how expressive she is.

“Thank you, Sister.” She topped off her comment with a polite bow.

How was it possible that she was so lovely?

How could this child, who knew to be grateful and feel happy at something so small, later grow up to become a villainess?

Rachel recalled the look in Liz’s eyes from a few moments ago.

It’s a good thing I brought her here before it was too late.

It made her grind her teeth to think of how Liz would’ve stared as she endlessly waited for the door to open if Rachel hadn’t gone to get her.

Rachel said to Liz, who kept fiddling with the lace hem on her clothes with flushed cheeks, “I’ll buy you a bunch of pretty clothes that fit you perfectly very soon. Okay?”

It didn’t matter how much it was going to cost.

Spending ten million gold wouldn’t even be enough to let our child enjoy all the things she didn’t get to have until now.