I Played the Role of the Adopted Daughter Too Well

Viola involuntarily swallowed her words. Sister, what is this? Such a burst of power! She wanted to shout with honest words, ‘Hold me, sister!’

 

“I will kill your butler.”

 

At that moment, Zenon’s body flinched. Viola noticed it by chance.

 

‘Uh?’

 

One fact came to mind.

 

‘Truly, Zenon must have been careless.’

 

He probably didn’t know that a blood spirit with the corresponding level of a spirit king would come. Because of his carelessness, his mind was stolen.

 

‘But isn’t the opposite also true?’

 

From the spirit’s point of view, it must be the same. Blood, who took control of Zenon so easily, was now caught off guard because Zenon was much stronger than Blood thought.

 

‘Because older sister Medea arrived with such a strong aura… There must have been a disruption.’

 

And even though it was just a tiny disruption, Zenon was someone with strong enough willpower to destroy the world of illusions.

 

“My little sister. What have you been pondering for so long?”

 

“Older sister.”

 

She hardened her heart. With just a little more time, Zenon would be able to regain his consciousness on his own.

 

“Huh?”

 

“Thank you for your willingness to help me.”

 

Medea tilted her head. She wondered what her sister was trying to say. Judging by her attitude, she seemed unwilling to ask for help.

 

“I don’t know how long my sister has been watching me.”

 

“From the time you summoned that child.”

 

The boy with blue hair, Pom-Pom, purposefully made eye contact with Medea. He did it because he felt he would lose for some reason if he averted his eyes. Conversely, it means that he felt the need to avert his eyes.

 

Medea didn’t understand.

 

“Then my sister would have seen it.”

 

Viola secretly looked at Zenon’s eyes. Zenon was biting his lip. It could be interpreted as an aid to the process of Zenon regaining his consciousness. Perhaps he was fighting a war that wasn’t a war in the mental world.

 

“Did you see your little sister? I never really moved.”

 

“Come to think of it, that’s how it was.”

 

“It’s because I’m the White Bellato.”

 

In fact, she just stayed still because she couldn’t react. In any case, it wasn’t a lie that she didn’t move.

 

“I want to prove my ability as the White Bellato, so even until the end, I didn’t fight properly. The moment I fight properly, my value as a White Bellato is undermined.”

 

Thinking her sister was funny, Medea huffed and touched her chin lightly. She didn’t move because she was a White Bellato? At first glance, she was right, but on closer inspection, she was also wrong.

 

“Even if you were a Black Bellato, you couldn’t fight that natural disaster.”

 

Medea compared the difference in ability between Viola and Zenon. Although her sister was great for a twelve-year-old, she wasn’t up to par with Zenon, who had lost his mind.

 

“I trust my butler. I still believe in him.”

 

“…Huh?”

 

Medea’s eyes narrowed. Her eyes caught the small cuts here and there on Viola’s body. A Bellato butler hurt a Bellato successor candidate. This alone was already deserving a significant reprimand. Maybe she should lay open his neck.

 

‘She believes in him?’

 

It was difficult for Medea to understand. The moment Zenon attacked Viola, for whatever reason, he lost his qualifications to be a butler. He wasn’t worthy of trust.

 

‘But you believe in him?’

 

The Viola that Medea usually saw was the iron-blooded princess. From the welcome dinner to the present, everything she showed was like that. She never thought that the word ‘believe’ would come out of Viola’s mouth.

 

“Even though I could move, I couldn’t move.”

 

Viola spoke slowly.

 

“Because I was testing the butler.”

 

“If something went wrong, you could have died.”

 

“That is also my choice.”

 

Of course, she had absolutely no intention of dying. Her goal was to live a long, happy life while drinking honey, without wanting to die. Viola suddenly came across as very refreshing to Medea.

 

“I believed that if it was my butler, he would be able to sufficiently free himself from the mental restraints and return to his right mind. And that still remains the case.”

 

Viola looked at Zenon and opened her mouth.

 

“Zenon, stand up and look straight at the one you serve.”

 

* * *

 

A voice came through Zenon’s hazy consciousness.

 

“I trust my butler. I still believe in him.”

 

“I believed that if it was my butler, he would be able to sufficiently free himself from the mental restraints and return to his right mind.”

 

It felt like things were brightening up.

 

“Zenon, stand up and look straight at the one you serve.”

 

He drove out that ‘something’ that was eating away at his mind. Soon, everything became clear. Zenon’s face hardened as he stepped in front of Viola. Jeremy grabbed his sword and tried to block him but Viola raised her hand.

 

“It’s fine.”

 

Zenon had already come to his senses. He knelt in front of Viola.

 

“Princess, how can I pay for my sins?”

 

“Pay for it with your life.”

 

“Alright.”

 

Without hesitation, Zenon raised a dagger to his throat.

 

Clang!

 

There was the sound of metal colliding against metal as Medea blocked Zenon’s dagger.

 

“I don’t think she meant suicide, butler.”

 

The Medea who was respectful towards Zenon, was no longer there. As she looked at Zenon, her eyes were those of the White Sakpung, a cold killing wind. Her eyes were dry without emotion and even a little bit of disgust was buried in them. Zenon nodded his head.

 

“I was so heartbroken that I acted emotionally. Please forgive me. I will pay for this sin by serving the princess for the rest of my life.”

 

Viola’s voice kept ringing in Zenon’s ears.

 

“I still believe in him.”

 

‘Then what about me? Am I worthy of that trust? Am I really a good butler?’

 

After all, he tried to test Viola, deliberately depriving himself of consciousness by a spirit. He wanted to see how much Viola’s ability had grown. He wanted to see how sharp and strong her dagger had become.

 

“Are you such an insignificant person that your will was taken away by a spirit?”

 

Viola hit the nail on the head. Zenon deliberately gave up his mind. And when she correctly pointed out that fact, he didn’t bother making excuses.

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

With her dry eyes on the kneeling Zenon, Medea said, “I think Viola intends to forgive the butler.”

 

Medea raised her greatsword.

 

“But I am not that forgiving.”

 

The shallow cuts carved into Viola’s skin strangely looked like deep wounds. Medea glanced at Viola once again.

 

‘You seem to be trying to get through today by yourself again.’

 

Viola tested the butler with her own possible death in mind. It was seen that even her near-death did not intimidate the White Bellato. Medea regretted it a bit.

 

‘I wish you could rely on me a little.’

 

Medea wanted to be a good sister. She wanted to become a beautiful tree-like person her younger siblings could rely on. 

 

Editor’s Note: a “tree-like person” provides shade and protection to others.

 

In the ecosystem called Bellatura, that may be a beautiful, overly ideal dream. But she, Medea, was sincere.

 

‘I can be a much stronger older sister than you think.’

 

Her regret, along with her anger toward Zenon, was expressed with a murderous look. 

 

“I’ll have to take at least one of your arms.”

 

Then Viola stood in front of her.

 

“Older sister.”

 

Viola was afraid. She was afraid to look straight into Medea’s eyes. She wanted to immediately run away but she mustered up the courage. Medea looked like she would really cut off Zenon’s arm if left alone.

 

“I am so thankful for my sister’s love for me. I never thought I could feel this kind of gratitude for a Bellato sibling.”

 

Another step forward. Overcoming her fear, she drew closer to Medea.

 

“And today I felt it. Looking at my older sister who appeared with the force of a typhoon and embraced me like sunshine, I realized this older sister is truly my sister. I can be protected by this person. I feel a sense of relief and stability.”

 

“That- that doesn’t sound like a Bellato.”

 

She was Viola, who behaved more Bellato-like than anyone else. But now Viola was speaking in an un-Bellato manner. Medea didn’t know why she liked this ‘not like Bellato’ so much.

 

“I don’t want to be Bellato in front of my sister.”

 

Because she had no desire to become the Duke of Bellato. Anyway, the next Duke would be her older sister so she didn’t have to pretend to be Bellato in front of her. Hehehe.

 

“I like my sister.”

 

At those words, Medea flinched. She heard Viola clearly, but she deliberately pretended not to hear.

 

“What?”

 

She wanted to hear it again. But Viola did not say the same thing again, she said something different.

 

“And I don’t want to hate my sister.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“I don’t intend to deliberately act Bellato-like in front of my sister, but I am nonetheless Bellato.”

 

“I never said you weren’t Bellato.”

 

It was just that she liked how Viola wasn’t acting Bellato. She liked this younger sister who relied on her more and leaned on her. In front of her, she wanted Viola to let go of the ‘iron-blooded princess’ image. While considering that, Medea calmly listened to Viola’s words.

 

“If you hurt what’s mine, I would have no choice but to hold you accountable.”

 

“By ‘yours’… Do you mean Zenon?”

 

Viola nodded her head. Zenon was very capable. Even though he was a person who didn’t acknowledge and help Viola until the second half of the novel, she couldn’t let Zenon lose an arm. He would become a precious, valuable power and shield for her in the future! Viola didn’t voice those words but continued.

 

“I am really grateful for my sister’s heart. However, I think that if my sister punishes my butler, whom I didn’t punish, she is overstepping her authority.”

 

Even as she said this, she was nervous. What if Medea was in a bad mood? Medea ultimately held everyone’s right to life or death. If Medea put her heart into it, she could annihilate everyone here.

 

“It’s an abuse of authority.”

 

In reality, Medea seemed a little offended.

 

“Isn’t it my responsibility to punish the man who hurt my sister?”

 

“But that person is mine.”

 

Viola paused a beat before continuing.

 

“The problem is that my responsibility for not managing my things properly is greater than your responsibility.”

 

“Even though I was adopted, I am also a noble.”

 

Viola was no longer the orphan Han Arin, she was the aristocrat Viola Bellato. Nobles had numerous rights but they also had responsibilities that went along with them.

 

“As a noble, I have the right to have a butler.”

 

But having that right wasn’t the only thing she had.

 

“Accordingly, I also have the duty to take responsibility when my butler does something wrong. Because I’m a noble.”

 

Once again, Viola nailed it on the head.

 

“You learned well.”

 

“If my sister punishes Zenon, I, as the person in charge of him, should be held accountable for failing to manage him. If you cut off one of Zenon’s arms, you’ll have to take one of my arms as well. Does my sister really want that?”

 

She shouted without thinking, “If that’s really what you want, I will be punished by you. You may take my arm.”

 

 

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Translator Note: