I Raised My Younger Sister Beautifully

Chapter 3

“Okay, let’s get ready.” 

Only after the help of more than six maids was Cezanne able to dress up as a decent princess.

Cezanne looked at the mirror and nodded.

It was a rather lovely pink dress, and her curly blonde hair was polished with a glossy finish.

Even the shoes and accessories must have been carefully selected.

Above all, Cezanne was relieved to see them alive and moving again, who had hardened into stone statues.

Cezanne couldn’t wait to meet her mother and family. She wanted to confirm with her own eyes that they were alive and breathing. 

“Everyone worked hard. Let’s go now.” 

“It, it’s an honor, 2nd Princess.”

Upon hearing the word thanks from the princess for the first time, the maids opened their eyes wide and went away.

‘The princess told me I did a good job!’ It was written all over their faces.

“You look so happy today.”

Mel smiled happily.

“Is that so?”

Cezanne answered casually, and headed to the Empress Palace along with a group of maids.

It was when she left the Princess Palace and passed through the corridor near the main palace. As soon as the maids, who were giggling among themselves, saw Cezanne, their laughter stopped.

“I greet the 2nd Princess.” 

Cezanne asked the maids who were greeting with courtesy.

“Which palace are you from?”

When Cezanne, who does not talk to maids of other palaces, spoke to them, the maids became quite flustered.

“We are serving Princess Vivian.”

“I see. You may go.” 

“Yes, princess.”

It was disgraceful to see the maids exchanging glances with each other as if the 2nd princess had done something strange.

At that time, a middle-aged woman and a small child were seen from afar.

She had definitely seen that middle-aged woman’s bitter face, but she couldn’t remember her name.

Cezanne hinted at Mel, who was next to her.

“It’s Miss Fletta and her nanny, Mrs. Milla.” 

“…that kid is Fletta?”

She couldn’t see the child’s face well, but she was wearing an old, dirty dress.

She couldn’t recognize her because of the patchy hair, but the small and shabby child was indeed Fletta.

Looking back, the eyes she met were dark like pitch black.

The child looked at Cezanne from afar with sad, dark eyes.

The small, slender child was almost dragged away by Mrs. Milla’s unpleasant hand. 

Cezanne frowned when she saw it.

Soon after, Mrs. Milla, who was dragging the child, stopped walking and bowed her head to show courtesy.

“I greet the 2nd Princess. What are you doing, Miss Fletta? Why don’t you say hello?”

When Mrs. Milla urged on, the child opened her small, dry lips.

“…I greet the 2nd princess.” 

She could feel the child’s gaze, but Cezanne flinched and turned her head.

She tried to hide it, but her hands trembled.

Then, she turned around to the other side and walked past her. It was an obvious disregard, but in the Imperial Castle, there was no one who received Fletta’s greetings except the mockers. 

Cezanne hardly felt fear.

It felt like it was only yesterday.

The child who killed everyone. 

A child who caused a cursed disaster and turned everyone into stone.

She was a child who created a terrible tragedy. She was scared and frightened. 

She even felt dizzy and light-headed.

Her heart was pounding from the depths of her chest.

It seemed that Fletta would hurt everyone again at any moment.

But at the same time, the words Fletta had said just before her death came to mind once again.

-If there is a next life, can I really be your sister?

Then Fletta ended herself. Cezanne closed her eyes.

 The tip of her eyelashes trembled faintly. 

‘Fletta…’ 

From a distance, she could hear the maids of the 1st Princess Palace gossiping and chattering.

“The beautiful scenery of the Imperial Palace is being harmed. There’s a beggar walking around.”

“Pfft, that’s so funny!”

“Shh, lower your voice. Someone is listening.”

Mel asked, furrowing her brow.

“Should I give you a warning?”

“No. Let’s go.”

“Yes.” 

Their words were unpleasant, but Cezanne was not confident of meeting Fletta again.

She was so confused. Fletta was a child with the power of darkness that destroyed her family and the imperial family, and at the same time, she was a wounded child.

Cezanne took a moment to catch her breath and reached the entrance of the Peridot Hall, the luncheon area of the main palace, along with the maids.

Her eyes met the eyes of a woman with dazzlingly beautiful silver hair.

“Cezanne!” 

Cezanne ran to her mother and hugged her.

“Mother.”

The empress’ blue eyes widened, but soon curved beautifully.

“Come here, my daughter. You’ve been sick for a long time. Did you miss your mother’s hugs? You’re really okay now, right? I was relieved when I heard from the doctor that your fever went down.” 

“Yes, I’m fine. Mother is not sick anywhere, right?”

“Of course, why would I be sick?” 

The mother she recently remembered was a sickly woman. Her condition had deteriorated to the point where she spent most of her days in bed with an ashen-like face.

But now, the mother in front of her was full of vitality like blooming daffodils.

“Come on, let’s go inside. Everyone has arrived.” 

“Yes.” 

Cezanne held her mother’s warm hands tightly.

The images of her mother and family, who had been hardened into cold stone statues, came into her vision again.

She had a terrifying thought that it would harden again if she let go of her hand, but she soon began to calm down gradually.

The reality, which used to be blurry like a dream, has now come to her one by one clearly.

‘Nothing happened yet. I’m back to a time when there were no problems.’

With that relief, Cezanne held back the tears that were about to come out incessantly.

She was just grateful for everything. That her mother is alive, that she is alive, and that everyone in the imperial palace is safe.

Cezanne felt a sting in her heart as the image of her family, who had turned into stone in an instant, overlapped.

 She still couldn’t believe she came back with them.

“Father.”

As soon as she saw Emperor Charles, Cezanne, who was held in his arms, barely held back her tears. Then, Charles’ dark green eyes completely softened.

“Cezanne? Our pretty baby bird, how are you feeling?” 

“Thanks to your concern, I feel better.”

She was a close but distant daughter, who was always open-minded, even though he usually begged to hug her several times.

Charles was stunned.

Moreover, the words that came out of Cezanne’s mouth were very warm.

“Father and mother, I hope both of you will stay healthy for a long time.”

At those words, Charles’ fierce eyes softened. 

“Haha. My empress and I will live for a very long time because Cezanne says so.”

Emperor Charles laughed loudly and patted his daughter, who would not hurt anyone even if he put it in front of her eyes. 

But no matter what, Cezanne had never been this sweet. Suddenly, Charles hardened his face and asked his daughter carefully.

He seemed to have been worried about his daughter’s change. 

“Cezanne, did anything happen?” 

“No, nothing happened.”

Cezanne shook her head quietly.

“Yeah, of course there shouldn’t be. My daughter. I can’t imagine anything happening to you.”

Only then did Charles’ bright smile returned to his face. 

“Cezanne!” 

The young man who approached Cezanne in a soft voice was the 1st prince, Luca

With silver hair that came down to his neck and green eyes, he stroked Cezanne’s hair while curving his slender eyes more finely.

“I’m glad you got your energy back soon. Our little girl.”

“Hey, I’m no longer a kid.”

Oh, come to think of it, this was a time when Brother Luca treated her as a kid for a long time. Cezanne briefly puffed her cheeks.

“You’re still a kid in my eyes though?”

Luca said, pinching Cezanne’s cheeks.

“Hey (Let go of me)!”

As if angry, Cezanne shot her only brother with a glare.

How old is she, to be humiliated like this…

Vivian, who had her arms crossed while watching the scene from afar, soon approached Cezanne, shaking her hands.

“Yeah, that’s a relief. Cezanne! You can’t get sick anymore. I was worried.”

Vivian hugged Cezanne and looked into her father’s eyes. Charles shook his head as he looked at his daughters with a happy face.

“…Thank you, sister.”

All the rest of the family were happy to see each other, but Vivian was the only one who wasn’t happy. 

  *

As soon as she returned to the room after the luncheon, Cezanne stretched out onto the comfy sofa. Seeing Cezanne’s tired appearance, Mel ran up to her and asked with concern.

“Princess, you look tired for some reason. Should I call a doctor?”

“No, I’ll just rest. You can go now.”

“If you need to rest, wear comfortable clothes…”

“I’ll call you if I need it.” 

“Yes.” 

As Mel retreated, Cezanne bit her nails and got lost in thought.

Obviously, what she went through was not a dream.

Like a lion from hell, Fletta possessed the terrible power of darkness.

How was that possible?

Cezanne recalled Fletta’s gloomy face during the day. 

How did such a small, fragile child’s body have such tremendous strength? She couldn’t believe it easily.

Mrs. Milla and Vivian’s maids, who were dragging her recklessly, also came to mind one after another.

In addition, she didn’t know how Vivian, whom she just encountered after coming back to the past, would act, but if she let things flow like before, Fletta would awaken the power of darkness again.

If so, the future would not change. 

They would face the same ending.

The collapsed imperial palace, the summoned beasts, and her family who turned into black stone statues, along with everyone in the palace.

The fall of Erantos should never be seen again.

In order not to be so, there was only one conclusion.

‘We have to stop Fletta’s dark awakening.’

Should she let her family know first?

But who would believe that?

No matter how much her family members loved her, it was clear that they would think that she had gone insane.

The fate of the mentally ill imperial family members and nobles were miserable. They were either forced to live in ruins inside a tower or commit suicide to prevent it from being revealed externally.

Then, Cezanne had no choice but to move on her own.

If it were the current Fletta, no one would notice if she was thrown out of the palace under everyone’s nose. 

Rather, it would be better for both Fletta and the imperial family.