Afterimage (9)
The drawing-room was filled with warm sunlight and the faint aroma of tea.
Levina picked up her teacup, took a sip, and then asked .
"That servant just now, do you know them?"
"No, it's my first ti eting them."
I picked up a cookie from the table and replied.
A crisp texture and sweet taste spread in my mouth.
"Looks like they need so special training.
Making such a dazed expression even when looking at a superior."
Levina said so and set down her teacup.
"First, bring them to ."
At my words, Levina let out a small laugh.
"Still have that hobby of tornting servants?"
"I don't know."
I shrugged.
I didn't particularly have such a hobby, but it was too botherso to deny it.
Levina drank another cup of tea, nibbled on a small piece of confection, and looked around.
"It's not that they put out anything low-quality just because it's the annex, but everything is old...
There's really nothing better than what's in the main building."
She said with a dissatisfied expression.
"I don't know why you wanted to co here. When are you going back?"
"I'll just stay for a day and go back tomorrow."
"Can't we go now?"
"If you're going, go alone then."
At my reply, Levina smiled.
She stood up from her seat and slowly walked towards .
Her shadow stretched long, touching my toes.
And then she slightly lifted the skirt she was wearing.
She pulled up the sleeves of her white blouse to her shoulders.
Her body was covered in bruises.
So were from hitting her, but others were visible too.
"...Don't you think it's too childish to show sothing like that and expect to feel distressed or sorry?"
I said.
Levina laughed and replied.
"I know. I'm not that much of a brat."
She stood before , looking down at .
"Who wouldn't know that apologizing for what I did to you in the past and showing regret now is aningless?"
As she said that, she looked around.
The servants standing in the corner of the drawing-room were watching us with slightly dazed expressions.
"What are you gawking at?
Figure it out yourselves and get out.
This is why the slow-witted ones at the annex are like this. Tsk."
At Levina's voice, three servants left the room.
The sound of the door closing broke the silence of the drawing-room.
After watching them leave, Levina sat down beside .
It was a chair ant for one person, so the space was quite cramped.
She forced herself into the seat, then placed her legs on my lap.
It was practically a posture of half-sitting on .
"Get off , stop ssing around."
I tried to slowly push her away with one hand.
But Levina simply hung onto my neck with her arms.
Her hair tickled my cheek.
"Don't be so harsh on .
At least I didn't beat you until your whole body was covered in bruises like soone else did."
Levina whispered in my ear.
Her last image, walking towards the Demons, overlapped in my mind.
Seeing Levina subtly trembling even as she spoke, instead of grabbing her hair with the hand I had placed on her head, I sighed.
Levina was looking up at , grinning.
"Even without specifically apologizing to you, you've co to the annex that your older sister always talked about, my little brother.
And you don't even dislike walking around with anymore, do you?"
Levina cupped my face with both hands and looked into my eyes.
Her hands were cold.
"You know it too. That everything I did was because I was thinking of you.
And even if you deny it repeatedly, deep down, you've only now realized that it was the right thing to do back then."
I grabbed Levina's wrist and removed the hand cupping my face.
"Are you done with all your nonsense?"
At my words, Levina shook her head.
"So quit the Academy and just stay here with .
Of course, I'll have to wait here for a while until I graduate and inherit the family head position."
I looked down at her and said.
"I've tried it."
Levina seed not to understand my words and didn't reply.
"I said, I've tried it."
I stroked her head, then lightly gripped her hair, and said once more.
"And I know very well that living with you isn't that happy."
"But you don't dislike , do you?"
Levina's voice trembled slightly.
"How could I not dislike you?"
"Then why, after beating up so much and saying such harsh things, don't you reject when I co close and say I'll follow you?"
She shifted her body slightly on top of .
"Normally, a brother and sister, especially an older sister, don't sit on a younger brother like this, Lavin.
And no younger brother would stay still if his older sister climbed on him like this."
Levina grabbed my wrist, which was holding her hair, and slowly pulled my fingers one by one to loosen my grip on her hair.
Then, she tidied her hair and stood up.
"Well, it's because we're not normal, that's why this is happening.
Our parents weren't exactly normal, and everything around us was a ss, so we ended up growing up ssed up too."
Levina took down a painting hanging on the wall.
She removed the painting from its fra, threw it into the fireplace, and lit its edge.
The splendid landscape painting slowly began to blacken in the flas.
"Soone like you shouldn't grow up with other people.
Think about the children who will grow up by your hand, and think about the people you associate with.
The closer they get to you, the more they'll all change, just like you or ."
She said, looking at the burning painting.
"Because everything we saw and learned was like that, right?
You shouldn't have gone to the Academy.
It's so obvious that everyone there grew up normal, happy, and ordinary."
"I know you're excited to be alone at the annex, but stop spouting nonsense."
"Think about Seraphina.
That beautiful girl, who grew up so loved, started associating with you and... Pfft, she beca not normal, didn't she?
It's because she associated with soone like you that she ended up like that."
"Seraphina's story is... Hmph, how long are we going to keep doing this?"
"Because you only say idiotic things and are a blockhead who can't do anything. It can't be helped, Lavin."
Levina's voice felt sohow warm.
If I just slapped her cheeks and kicked her appropriately, would her noisiness quiet down a bit?
It's a thought I always have, but perhaps ho education is incredibly important.
Because my sister, who crawled out from under so Satan-like woman, was always like this.
I wanted to take her sowhere in the forest and put a bullet in the back of her head, just like last ti.
I recalled thinking I should have refused her when she said she'd follow to the annex.
Whatever Levina now spouted beside just felt annoying.
The Demons would swarm in and kill Levina right before my eyes anyway, and I didn't want to expend ntal energy like this.
I stood up, walked over to Levina, grabbed her by the collar, and slapped her cheek.
But this ti, Levina didn't quiet down.
"See? Just as I said, Lavin, you're a horrible piece of trash who treats won roughly, a complete imbecile who can't do anything right.
Only your family would ever like a person like you."
She said, still being held by the collar.
Still gripping Levina by the collar, I kicked her shin, then slapped her cheek, knocking her down.
Then, I sighed and looked down at her.
Levina, lying on the floor, t my gaze and began to whimper.
"...So, just get angry instead. Don't look at with eyes like that."
"You need to learn how to keep your mouth shut, older sister."
"You said no one else understands but you."
I didn't answer, but glared at her before leaving the room.
After that, I spoke to a servant passing in the hallway.
"Send that girl who was staring intently at in the hallway just now to my room."
And then I entered the room I had stayed in before.
The room was cleaner than I expected.
It seed guests occasionally visited, or it was cleaned daily.
I took out the tobacco from my pocket and lit it.
Perhaps because it was a gift from Estelle, the fatigue seed to dissipate much more effectively than I had expected.
Not long after, a knock sounded at the door.
It was Lineta.
As she entered the room, I sohow felt a faint hint of the 'scent' she had ntioned.
It was similar to the sll that emanated from my body on days I had used spells almost to the point of coughing up blood.
"Lineta, right?"
"Ah, yes! I'm Lineta! I apologize for my rudeness earlier! I'm truly sorry, young master! No, sir!"
She bowed deeply.
"And you're from that small village around here."
"Yes!"
"Do you live in this mansion all day, or do you go to the village once your work is reasonably finished?"
"Ah, um... Guests like you, young master, rarely visit the annex, so I usually go back to the village more often! The butler and head maid are also very kind, so if I feel like I'm free after lunch, they let go to the village to rest or even study here!"
Lineta replied brightly.
"Do I sll of anything, like a scent?"
"It seems like you have a rather pleasant scent about you!"
"Nothing unusual in the village?"
"Nothing at all!"
As I continued to stare at her silently, Lineta fidgeted and asked.
"Did I, perhaps, make another strange mistake?"
"I heard people from the church have been visiting the village recently."
"Ah, yes! They give us food if we just listen to the Bible teachings!"
"Go, listen, and write down everything. I'll check it later. You can go now."
Even after Lineta, bowing her head and leaving the room, had disappeared, I continued to gaze in that direction.
I tossed the nearly finished cigarette out the window, then took out a fresh one, put it in my mouth, and lit it.
White smoke slowly filled the room.
It was a strangely tiring day.
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