The Elder Sister Who Ran Away After Being Cheated by Her Fiancé and Younger Sister - Chapter 20:

This is a “test.”

Estelle tightly closed her eyes.

She had almost been tricked by Fretes and Kautny.

No way. I can’t let them look down on me.

I’ve been dealing with Hollander merchants since I was a child.

Why do family members keep showing up one after another?

How does Fretes know such minute details?

This is a setup.

They’re testing how Estelle will handle this, and measuring her loyalty to the military.

If I resign and go home now, that would be acceptable.

Letting my brother take the contract would be a bad move. I’d be marked as being too soft on family and require close watching.

And if I abandon my family…

Estelle lifted her head.

What terrible tunnel vision I had?

There’s no point worrying after only hearing my mother’s one-sided story.

I need to investigate properly.

I have to determine if there’s really anything I can do about it.

Including being prepared for the worst.

“My policy is decided.”

Estelle smiled brightly and resumed eating. Delicious. Things are going to get tough again from here on out. I need to build up my strength.

“That was quick! By the way?”

“Fretes’s face.”

“My face?”

Fretes looked puzzled and tilted her head slightly.

That genuine “gap” when she’s caught off guard is really cute, I think. Much better than her usual composed expression.

“It was too perfect. Fretes is too good at acting. So good that I could tell.”

Chomp—she opened her mouth wide without hesitation and ate the meat. Delicious.

But you gave away too many hints.

This isn’t because Fretes is being lenient, but rather because I’m not being tested that severely.

If anything, I feel like I’m being given an opportunity to reconsider and reflect on my future career.

“Huh…?”

Leaving the confused Fretes behind, Estelle ate a lot.

It was delicious.

Fretes was cute too.

◇

“I’d like to consult with you about something.”

After heading to Kautny’s office and reporting that she had successfully delivered the message, Estelle deliberately lowered her voice.

“Do you know any good detectives?”

Kautny made an “oh my” face but probably had expected this. He took out a map from his desk.

“Well, there are several, but this one would be best for you.”

What did he mean by “for you”? Maybe this was also a prepared route.

If so, I’ll gladly take it. Estelle expressed her thanks and left.

The introduced location was a room in a worn-down apartment building with no sign.

Estelle felt a bit intimidated, but since the location was correct, she boldly knocked.

The person who came out was a kind-looking elderly woman with a bent back.

Estelle seriously wondered if she had made a mistake, but the woman confirmed she was indeed a detective. Though slightly hesitant, Estelle trusted Kautny’s recommendation. She submitted her request to investigate her family and left the room.

The card she received on her way out read “Meinels Detective Agency.”

Something about that name tugged at Estelle’s memory, but she couldn’t recall what.

◇

The investigation results generally matched what each visitor had told her.

The investigation fee was cheaper than market rate perhaps a first-time service which she was grateful for.

What Estelle wanted to know was her father’s true intentions.

Her mother had said those things, but if her father was against Estelle returning, it would only create new conflicts. Her mother probably wanted to dump all the persuasion and adjustments on her, but Estelle wanted to tell her to handle that much herself.

According to the information obtained, her father apparently doted quite a bit on Patrick.

Him?! she couldn’t help but think, but his attitude toward his son must be different. It had to be.

While they had prioritized Clara as the firstborn, after Clara married and left home, her father seemed to rapidly shift his focus to his son. Though he understood Patrick’s incompetence and recklessness and complained about it, he apparently still couldn’t bring himself to cut him off.

Among the veteran employees, there seemed to be a group that, like her mother, wanted Estelle to take over. But her father would appear to agree while still favoring Patrick, secretly covering up his mistakes (though everyone knew), and while saying he was hopeless, would still put him in important positions. Apparently, everyone had completely given up by now.

Estelle wearily fell backward onto her bed in her room.

How one person feels about another is something only they can understand.

No matter how ridiculous it looks from the outside, how people’s feelings flow isn’t governed by logic.

Even if you have an official partner or prospective partner, your heart can still turn toward someone else.

And Estelle wasn’t chosen.

—You knew that, didn’t you?

The corners of her eyes grew hot, and her vision blurred.

So, what if we’re parent and child?

So, what if we’re sisters?

Because we’re related by blood?

To hell with all of it. Every last bit.

Estelle sat up abruptly using only her abs and shook off her tears.

It’s not that Patrick became the successor because I left home it’s that because they decided to make Patrick the successor, I became unnecessary. Don’t twist the timeline.

To put it more bluntly, I even ended up being hired by Petrak, so I was completely removed from the Heinny membership.

And now what? How many years has it been since Patrick came rolling in?

Don’t treat people like some tool you dug out of the shed where you’d stored and forgotten it, just to test it out.

I have nothing to do with Patrick’s incompetence. Even if you say we’re siblings, I wasn’t even told about his existence or name. We’re not strangers. The manufacturer should take responsibility and reforge him.

If Dad keeps making bad judgments because he loves his son so much.

I can’t keep up with that.

If they say that as the firstborn, I have responsibility for the family—well, maybe that’s true.

Then come and tell me that.

If those people who say they support me come and tell me that to my face, I’ll think about it then.

Why should I push myself forward when I haven’t even been called?

I’m not stupid enough to go become a source of trouble myself.

Actually, why don’t you veterans just take over?

Or you could all quit and start a new guild.

Please think for yourselves.

Cold-blooded is fine. Irresponsible is fine. I have my hands full just trying to survive.

It’s impossible. I’m sorry.

I’ll submit a transfer request.

It’s precisely because I’m in the nearby capital that those people mistakenly think they have Estelle as a card to play.

I’ll request to be transferred somewhere far away—somewhere they definitely can’t use me as a card.

Anyway, I’m alone with no lover or marriage partner. I can go anywhere.

—Estelle can now go anywhere on her own power.