The Duke’s Daughter Is Hated

Chapter 30

Macey Shefinko's Regrets ①

Translated by KaiesV
Edited by KaiesV

「…It’s that rumored person.」

「They said that he hounded his sister because of a misunderstanding.」

「We believed them because Louise-sama and the others told it like that.」

I, Macey Shefinko, was being laughed at isocial gathering. There is no favoritism in the whispered words.

I used to be spoken to by the opposite sex in a positive way, but I treated my sister, Ottilie Shefinko, coldly. Deep down in my heart, I assumed that Ottilie was an evil woman.

I recall Ottilie…

A girl with red hair and blue eyes. The old Ottilie was irrepressibly selfish. As the heir to a ducal family, I was raised strictly. I was expected to be strong. Perhaps it was because I myself thought it was uncool to take advantage of my parents. I just did what was required of me and studied hard.

Unlike me, Ottilie lived freely.

She was spoiled by our parents, she could say what she wanted, and there was enough environment to make it happen. I didn’t like that about Ottilie. Both father and mother forgave Ottilie for being so selfish and causing so much trouble for others. I guess I was not amused by the fact that we were brother and sister.

That is how I met Louise-sama in a difficult environment.

Louise-sama was a girl who was only one year older than me. Her beauty and her straightness were a light to me. I honestly think I liked her. However, Louise-sama was in the position of being the fiancée of the His Highness, the Crown Prince whom I was supposed to serve. So, I pushed those feelings away.

And that kind of love turned into longing, and I began to honestly wish for Louise-sama’s happiness.

I was in pain of having their expectations directed at me, and I thought of Louise-sama as a goddess who had taken that pain away from me.

So I thought everything Louise-sama said was true.

Louise-sama is kind and gentle to everyone—— she was like the sun for this country.

A kind woman who made many things happen for this country… Otilie was hated by Louise-sama. Or perhaps I should say that she was more on her guard than disliked.

Louise-sama was surprisingly wary of Ottilie. Otilie, who was always selfish, became quiet. It’s not that I didn’t think anything of the silent Ottilie.

But I was also wary of Ottilie, who had stopped being selfish, because Louise-sama was wary of her… So I believed it. Because it was what Louise-sama, of all people, said.

My parents said a lot of things to me like,「Ottilie is not that kind of child. As her older brother, you should try to protect her,」and「Why do you assume such a thing about our lovely Ottilie?」

Not that I was not moved by their words… But because Louise-sama says so.

——That’s the kind of person Ottilie Shefinko is. My parents have been deceived.

Louise-sama said such a thing and I believed it.

Looking back, I would have been repulsed by my parents and servants who always talked about my sister, saying “Ottilie was that, or Otillie wasn’t like that.” Ottirier had somehow become friendly with the servants, and I was not amused by that either.

I was trying to deal with the fact that Ottilie was deceiving me, but I knew that my parents and the servants did not feel good about me, even though they smiled on the surface. I was told by Louise-sama that it was necessary to awaken them to such a situation, and I thought she was right.

I had assumed that Ottilie was a villainess, an evil woman.

——But it was at that graduation party that it was discovered that Ottilie was not like that. I had been mistaken and assuming all along, and had only been pushing Otilie over the edge.

So it is no wonder that I am in a delicate position when I took over as the head of the ducal family.

That’s all I did, and that’s all I did to my blood-related Ottilie.

There are those who would naturally say that I am not fit to be the head of a ducal family after having done such a thing. Many of the servants also left with Ottilie and my parents. The remaining servants serve me, but I cannot say that we have a good rapport.

So, no matter how many people whisper bad things about me—— I’ll take it in stride and accept it. This is what Ottilie has been subjected to until now. No, Ottilie was surely in a more difficult situation than this.

——So I accept this situation. After accepting it, I will not run away from this situation like my sister who grew up so strongly and beautifully. There was no way I could do such a thing after what I had done to Ottilie.

Louise-sama and Aloige-sama have gone to the frontier. It is unlikely that they will return to the Royal Capital… As for Aloige-sama, he seemed happy, probably because he was happy to be able to monopolize Louise-sama, even if he had to give up his position as the crown prince. I don’t know what that person thinks about all this fuss, because I can’t read his thoughts in the middle of the day. The second prince, His Highness Seanno, also went to a different place, apparently to reexamine his spirit on his own.

The other two, who were friends of Prince Seanno, have been disowned and are no longer in the Royal Capital.

——Only I remain in the social scene in my capacity as the head of the ducal family.