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 36

In Otilie’s memories, Aldrich was always an expressionless person with little emotional variation. She could hardly ever hear his inner voice, and she never really understood what he was thinking—or even if he acted with conscious thought at all.

That said, his memory was extraordinary, and he always pointed out mistakes and minor discrepancies with precision. She remembered how even the servants and their father secretly feared him for it.

(That brother of mine thinks I’m cute…?)

It was hard to believe. It felt more natural to think he was a completely different person.

“Otilie, are you all right?”

Varick called out to her. Why? she wondered, tilting her head. Varick looked at her with a serious expression.

[Did your brother say something awful to you? From what I gathered last time we spoke, I thought things were fine.]

It seemed he was worried because both Otilie and Aldrich had fallen completely silent without exchanging much conversation. Otilie shook her head and replied, “I’m fine.”

“Ah, Your Highness Varick, thank you for the other day.”

Aldrich, who probably hadn’t noticed Varick until now, greeted him.

(Now that you mention it, he did say he was meeting him before the inspection.)

There had been no particular mention of it, so she had completely forgotten until now.

(I wonder what they talked about?)

Could it be that the reason Aldrich’s demeanor was different from before was because Varick had broken the charm placed on him?

Her heart pounding, Otilie stared intently at the two of them.

“Likewise, it was a very meaningful time for me. I was happy to hear all sorts of stories about Otilie when she was little.”

“Eh? About me?”

Surprised by the unexpected comment, Otilie’s eyes widened. Varick chuckled softly and gave a light nod.

“Things like how adorable you were as a baby, the day you first walked, your favorite toys, how you talked, and lots more.”

“Y-you talked about all that?”

Otilie’s cheeks flushed red with embarrassment.

“Not ‘all that’—to me, it’s extremely important. After all, it’s about you, Otilie.”

Saying this, Varick narrowed his eyes slightly.

“…Aldrich genuinely adored you when you were just born. With his absolute memory, there’s no mistake. But it seems his interest in you faded over the years.”

“Is that… because of my older sister’s influence?”

Aldrich gave a small nod. Otilie pressed a hand softly to her chest.

“But it wasn’t like that from the very beginning. There was someone who truly loved you from the start. Knowing that made me very happy.”

Patted gently on the head, Otilie felt like she might cry.

“…Then, does that mean I wasn’t disliked from the beginning? Can I believe that Father and the servants felt the same way?”

For the longest time, she had wished that were true. That the cold treatment she received was due to Iama’s charm ability, and not because there was something wrong with her. She had hoped so, but she never had the confidence, and so she had carried on until today.

“I’m sorry for everything until now, Otilie.”

Aldrich, who had been silent until then, finally spoke. He slowly approached her and hugged her tightly.

“Even if it was due to the charm’s influence, I treated you terribly. It must have been hard, wasn’t it? I’m sorry I never noticed. I’m sorry, Otilie.”

She had no memory of ever being hugged like this by anyone in her family. But the warmth of Aldrich’s arms was comforting and somehow nostalgic.

“Brother…”

Even though important work lay ahead, her eyes grew hot with tears. She knew she shouldn’t dirty Aldrich’s clothes, but with him patting her head gently, it was hard to resist.

[That’s wonderful, Otilie.]

She heard Varick’s voice. His smile was so kind. Otilie nodded, tears spilling down her cheeks.

“Thank you, Lord Varick.”

Hearing her reply, Varick smiled, looking genuinely happy.

At the appointed time, the temple inspection began.

Led by the priests, they made a full circuit of the temple. Afterward, a briefing session was held in the prayer hall, usually open to visitors.

The materials distributed that day included details such as the number of priests (including branch offices), daily visitor counts, state subsidies and donations, and the temple’s financial status, including expenditure details.

(Everything looks fine, doesn’t it?)

Of course, it was only natural that nothing seemed amiss, but seeing the neatly organized figures, Otilie couldn’t help but feel relieved.

“Next, the financial situation. Please refer to the expenditure details in the middle of the document. Most of the income is used to provide meals, clothing, and support for impoverished believers.”

Varick, the head of the inspection, sat in the front row facing the priests. Otilie, as a newcomer, was seated at the very back, in the lowest position. Between them sat several other aides and officials from other departments, including Aldrich, making her keenly aware of the distance from Varick.

(In a few years, will I be able to sit a little closer?)

Before that, she had to do her best to secure her position as an aide. Just as Otilie was steeling her resolve—

[Well, it’s all lies, though.]

She heard a voice in her mind.

(Eh…? Lies?)

And that voice matched perfectly with the priest currently giving the overview.

(What does that mean?)

She wanted to hear more details. As Otilie leaned forward, the priest let out a low chuckle.

[Fools. Satisfied with these superficial inspections and audits every time. There’s no way they’ll notice we’re preparing for a rebellion this time, either.]

(What—a rebellion?!)

Otilie’s heart thumped loudly with dread.