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 32

(What in the world is going on?)

Iama bit her lip in frustration.

It had already been three months since her younger sister, Otilie, left the mansion. Apparently, she was still holding the position of Varick’s assistant.

Moreover, there were even rumors that she was achieving merits and being highly valued. That Otilie, stupid and incompetent, who should have been utterly useless. It was only natural to be furious.

(And that servant I sent to bring her back just came waltzing home empty-handed. It’s truly infuriating.)

Three months ago, Iama had strictly ordered a servant to go to the castle and bring Otilie back. But the man had reported back with a smile, saying, “I wasn’t even granted an audience.”

Iama’s rage at that moment was beyond description.

“You good-for-nothing! What do you mean, ‘wasn’t even granted an audience’? You should have persisted until you could meet her! If a frontal approach didn’t work, you could have just infiltrated the castle, couldn’t you?”

“If I did that, I’d lose my life.”

“Then lose it! Fulfilling my wish is far more important!”

Her fury was so intense that even the servants who usually adored Iama trembled. The fact that the servant in question kept smiling awkwardly only irritated her further.

“Now, now, Iama, he did his best for you. Let it go at that.”

“Father!? That’s impossible! I absolutely cannot forgive this! Fire this man immediately! Otherwise, I won’t be satisfied!”

Iama snapped fiercely at her father, who rarely intervened. But he continued to placate her with an apologetic expression.

“We can’t fire a servant over something like that. Our family is already under His Highness’s watchful eye. There’s a high chance we’d be accused of unreasonable dismissal. Do you understand?”

“……What is that supposed to mean?”

Iama furrowed her brow and shoved her father’s chest.

“His Highness is nothing but a lowly man whose only merit is his status. After treating me so disrespectfully, he took Otilie as his assistant!? What is there to fear? With our family’s power, we should be able to handle a man like that however we—”

“Enough!”

Her father raised his voice in a shout. Hearing her father’s angry voice for the first time in her life, Iama instinctively flinched.

“Forget about Otilie. That girl might as well have never existed from the start. There’s no need for you to obsess over her. ……Isn’t that right?”

“Well……”

When put like that, Iama had no retort.

In truth, she could never forget. Otilie was a tool to satisfy Iama’s sense of superiority, an important toy. Her existence was indispensable for venting the frustrations that built up over days.

“Fine.”

At Iama’s reply, her father and the servants sighed in relief.

For now, she added in her mind, furrowing her brow again.

It had already been three months since then. Iama had waited long enough. However, since her father had warned her, it seemed difficult to retrieve Otilie using the same method as before.

(That’s it! My brother, who works as a civil official, might know the details of Otilie’s situation.)

There was no way someone like Otilie could manage as an assistant. The rumor that she was being highly valued was likely information spread by those trying to curry favor with the Einhorn family to her father, far from the truth. Her brother would surely give Iama the unvarnished truth about Otilie, without any flattery.

(Yes. Now that I think about it, I should have my brother bring Otilie back. He must be ashamed to have an incompetent relative working as an assistant, too.)

Strike while the iron is hot. Iama hurriedly wrote a letter and ordered it to be sent to her brother.

(Just you wait, Otilie. I will absolutely bring you back to this house.)

Iama grinned as she gazed in the direction of the castle.

(I see.)

Varick let out a small sigh as he read a certain report.

“What does it say?”

“Miss Iama has started moving again. She never learns, does she?”

Handing the report to Airny with a wry smile, Varick shook his head.

The day after his stroll through the town with Otilie, Varick had received a report from the knights. A servant from the Einhorn family had come to pick up Otilie.

However, the male servant had many suspicious points. Even after being told Otilie was absent, he loitered around the castle and tried to infiltrate it by taking advantage of the knights’ lapses. As a result, he had been imprisoned in a cell overnight.

“I’m glad the knights reported directly to me instead of Otilie back then. Thanks to that, I could avoid causing her unnecessary anxiety. And I gained a valuable information source, too.”

Saying this, Varick glanced at the report.

Three months ago, he had decided to meet with the captured Einhorn family servant. He had anticipated that the man was likely being manipulated under Iama’s charm.

Sure enough, the servant was under a strong suggestion from Iama: he absolutely had to bring Otilie back.

Fortunately, he had been employed by the Einhorn family only recently, so the charm’s influence was weak. Thanks to Varick’s ability, the servant was able to regain his senses.

“This is terrible… To be used like this…”

Learning that he had been manipulated, the man was deeply shocked. No wonder, Varick thought, since it had landed him in a cell.

“What do you want to do now?”

“Well… I’m scared. I’m afraid Miss Iama might order me to do something unreasonable again. But it also feels frustrating to end up just being used.”

“……Then, how about making a deal with me? I promise I won’t treat you badly.”

Varick smiled. The servant’s eyes widened in surprise.

“A valuable information source. That’s true. If Miss Iama had just given up, such a thing wouldn’t be necessary.”

“It seems she’s quite fixated on Otilie. I thought she wouldn’t back down easily.”

Varick had proposed two deals to the servant.

One was to provide information about Iama to Varick. The other was to gradually free the Einhorn family servants from their charm.

Varick had given the servant crystals infused with his own power and instructed him to pass them on to the other servants, starting with those with shorter employment periods. So that gradually, more and more would regain their senses. The report noted that progress on that front was going well.

“Still, Otilie’s brother, huh?”

“Will you meet him?”

“Yes. I was planning to have him accompany me on the next inspection anyway, so this is a good opportunity.”

Hearing Varick’s reply, Airny bowed and said, “Understood.”

(Well then.)

It was about time to move on to the next task. Varick steeled himself.