My Life Was Taken by My Charm-Wielding Sister—But It Ends Here (The Mind-Reading Noble Lady’s Journey to Happiness After Escaping Her Toxic Family) - Episode 29

“Stop! You mustn’t go that way! Please! Stop!”

Shouting desperately, Otilie runs toward the carriage. But the sound of the ground shaking, the clamor of people noticing the situation and fleeing in panic, and the whinnying of the horses drown out Otilie’s voice.

[Go… keep going! My wish is about to be granted!]

“Otilie, are you sure about that carriage? I can’t hear the voice.”

“Lord Varick, yes! I’m certain!”

Unlike before, the voice in her heart was now clear. Otilie nodded firmly.

“But I can’t stop him. If this continues, he’ll crash into the square.”

“It’s alright. We’ll definitely stop him. Philip.”

“Yes, Lord Varick.”

At that moment, Philip, who had remained as Varick’s guard, held Otilie and the others back. Then he leaped in front of the accelerating carriage and smoothly raised his right hand.

“Mr. Philip!? But the carriage is already so close! At this rate, he’ll crash head-on—”

“It’s fine, Otilie. All my attendants have remarkable abilities.”

Varick’s expression as he spoke was brimming with confidence. Otilie cautiously looked toward the carriage again and saw that the horses, which had been charging toward the square moments before, had abruptly stopped.

[Why!? Why did the horses stop so suddenly!? Don’t stop! Move! Run!]

The painful sound of whips cracking against the horses could be heard. But the horses didn’t budge an inch; instead, they bowed their heads toward Philip.

“Lord Varick, I can’t believe it. For the horses to stop in that state…”

“Impressive, right? I deeply respect Philip. Actually, I’m quite fond of animals. I take in abandoned cats, dogs, and others and care for them at the castle.”

“Yes, I’m aware of that.”

Hearing that, Otilie wondered if she wasn’t in a similar position to those stray cats and dogs. Of course, she remembered it clearly.

“But unfortunately, I’m not particularly well-liked by animals myself. No matter how much I dote on them, they quickly turn away. Still, I really wanted to be friends with them. So, when I heard there was a knight with a wonderful ability to be liked by animals, wouldn’t you want to employ him?”

Saying this, Varick looked toward his guard knight—Philip. He was being nuzzled by the horses while smiling toward Otilie and the others.

“Well, at that point, it’s more accurate to call it an ‘ability to control them at will’ rather than an ‘ability to be liked.’ Even with rampaging animals, Philip can calm them down as you saw. Truly a one-of-a-kind talent, right? I’m utterly envious. That’s why I’m truly glad he became my attendant.”

Varick gazed at Philip, squinting as if dazzled. Otilie couldn’t help but gasp.

‘My ability isn’t something that lets me do anything on my own, you know? My mother has the ability to see the future and protects the country splendidly, but I can’t do anything without others’ abilities. For a long time, I was frustrated, resentful, and sulky. But one day, I suddenly realized—there’s no use longing for what I don’t have. So, I decided to change my approach. If I don’t have something, I can gather it. Not limited to the Einhorn family, I decided to gather various talented people around me.’

(I see. It’s not just the aides that Lord Varick is gathering. The guard knights are also people he collected because he was captivated by their abilities.)

Otilie recalled what Varick had told her on the night they first met.

“Your ability is the same, Otilie. A one-of-a-kind talent that no one can imitate. Thanks to you, we were able to notice the situation in advance.”

“Eh? But I only heard the voice in his heart; I didn’t actually stop the man.”

“You don’t need to be able to do everything alone. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. What’s important is to do what you can when it’s needed—just like you did today. So have confidence. Don’t rush. I want you to slowly come to terms with your ability. I need you, Otilie.”

“Lord Varick…”

He must have seen right through her anxiety. Hearing his kind words, Otilie nearly burst into tears. Above all, being needed by Varick made her unbearably happy.

“Damn it! Damn it!”

Giving up on moving the horses, a single man climbed down from the carriage. He was a gaunt, emaciated middle-aged man. Looking closely, he held a short-bladed weapon in his hand.

“Lord Varick, look! The man!”

“It’s alright. No matter how an amateur swings a knife, he can never match a trained knight. Philip is excellent as a knight, too. After all, he’s my guard knight.”

Just as Varick said, Philip easily wrested the knife from the man and pinned him forcefully to the ground. “Good,” Varick murmured softly and smiled.

“Well done, Otilie. If you hadn’t been here, many people would have been injured. I’m glad we prevented the incident before it happened for the sake of that man who was planning the crime, too. Thank you so much.”

“No, not at all… I’m happy if I could be of help to you, Lord Varick.”

She still wasn’t used to being thanked like this. Moreover, the weight of these words was different from when she completed routine administrative tasks. Overwhelmed by embarrassment, Otilie gently looked down.

“We can leave the rest to Philip and the others. You must be tired, right? Shall we head back to the castle now?”

Varick gave Otilie’s shoulder a light pat. After hesitating for a moment, Otilie gently shook her head.

“If possible, could I just for a little while, speak with that man?”

“Eh? But…”

[Even though we’ve disarmed and neutralized him, he’s a man who planned such a terrible thing. I’m a bit uneasy about letting Otilie speak with him directly. I don’t want her to be hurt by hearing his inner voice, and she must be extremely tired already. Honestly, I don’t want to burden her further.]

Varick’s inner voice reached her. He probably didn’t realize Otilie could hear his thoughts. She could sense his hesitation about whether to say it or not.

(Lord Varick himself must be tired, too.)

That’s why he couldn’t fully block Otilie’s ability.

But even so, Otilie looked straight at Varick’s face.

“I want to know. That man’s heart. Why he was so driven to despair…?”

Varick’s eyes widened.

“Otilie…”

“No, it might not be something I can change by knowing, and I understand there are professionals for that kind of work. But I could hear him screaming, struggling, and crying in his heart all along. So…”

Perhaps there were things only Otilie, who could hear inner voices, could understand? —She couldn’t help but think so, even if it was presumptuous.

Varick gently narrowed his eyes and softly stroked Otilie’s head.

“Alright, let’s go.”

“…! Thank you! Um, I’m sorry for being selfish. Even though you were concerned about me.”

“Don’t think that. Actually, I really like that about you, Otilie.”

“Eh?”

The word “like,” spoken so casually. But its impact on Otilie was immense.

(Like… like………… I know it doesn’t have any special meaning! But I wish he’d chosen a slightly different word…)

It was just a figure of speech. She shouldn’t overreact at a time like this. Even knowing that, Otilie’s heart was pounding loudly.