I’d Rather Abandon Than Be Abandoned

“Resolution?”

At first, I didn’t understand what Naila meant.

Only after listening further did I understand her meaning.

“If you drove away Luke and brought me here, you must be really angry, right?”

“…”

“Or maybe you have something to say about the Crown Prince. As Luke said, you wouldn’t have called me out for no reason.”

A headache began to form.

Not only Luke, but even Naila treated me this way…

“I just wanted to spend a peaceful time with my family. I want to put the past behind us and start anew, like normal sisters.”

A smile spread across Naila’s face.

But it wasn’t a pure smile of joy.

It was a chilling smile that made my blood run cold just by looking at it.

It felt like facing a viper poised to strike.

‘Was Naila always like this?’

In the game I knew, Naila was a bright and lively girl, fitting for a protagonist.

But somehow, the Naila I faced now was different.

Darker and more sinister…

“That’s not like you. Didn’t you say yourself that even if the world changed ten times over, we’d never live like normal sisters?”

“I said that!?”

Naila wore a look as if to ask why I was acting surprised now.

I hurriedly tried to cover it up.

“Did I? It was such a long time ago, I don’t really remember.”

“…”

“When we’re young, we all make silly mistakes. If I really did say that, I want to apologize now.”

I hoped my sincerity was conveyed, but I wasn’t sure.

What was certain was that I had to work harder to see her genuine smile.

Healing a deep wound required a significant effort.

“To show my sincerity, I’ll tell you something in secret. My plan to collect spirits, which I haven’t told anyone.”

“…Were you serious about that?”

“Of course, I was serious. I’m going to Sharko Island soon to find a spirit.”

“Sharko Island…”

“Yes, it’s a bit dangerous. But according to what I know, there’s definitely a spirit there.”

Sharko Island was a small uninhabited island located southeast of the Velkinus Empire.

Though small, what exactly lay within the island was unknown.

It was teeming with monsters.

I plucked a rose.

“Actually, the monsters are just a safety mechanism to protect the spirit. Like the thorns on this rose.”

The spirit had deliberately hidden on the monster-infested island to avoid humans.

If the monsters were dealt with, awakening the spirit would be easy.

So, for now…

“Aaaaaah!”

As I was smiling, thinking about the bright future, Naila’s sharp scream rang out from beside me.

Startled, I quickly checked on her.

She was cowering with tears in her eyes.

“N-Naila? What’s wrong?!”

She pointed with trembling fingers at a rose leaf.

Upon closer inspection, a caterpillar was on it.

“Oh… It’s okay. It’s not a dangerous bug. It looks like the larva of a blue-spotted butterfly to me.”

I had seen this caterpillar when I chose the profession of entomologist in the game.

This caterpillar, a blue-spotted butterfly larva, would soon become a large and beautiful butterfly.

I gently placed it in my palm.

It was plump and seemed close to becoming a pupa.

‘Interesting? It’s rare to see one this big. Maybe it’ll be educational for Naila?’

I cautiously brought it in front of her eyes.

“Look, if you look closely, it’s quite cute. And though it looks like this now, in a few days, it will become a very beautiful butterfly…”

I couldn’t finish my sentence.

I saw Luke coming from the other side of the garden.

His eyes looked like those of a demon fresh out of hell.

His terrifying expression made me forget what I was saying and call out to him.

“Brother?”

I should have dodged when he stopped in front of me.

But I couldn’t, and he roughly shoved me.

It was inevitable that I fell on my backside.

“What are you doing!”

“I heard Naila scream just now. Explain.”

Luke roughly lifted me up again, as if he couldn’t stand the sight of me.

I heard a cracking sound from my arm.

A little more force, and my shoulder might have dislocated.

“I didn’t do anything!”

“Then what was that scream?”

Seeing he didn’t believe me, I looked to Naila for help.

If she explained, the situation would easily be resolved.

But it was strange.

Naila just stood there, not saying a word.

All she had to do was say she screamed because of a bug…

I had no choice but to explain myself.

“She screamed because of a bug.”

“A bug?”

“Yes. Naila was startled by a bug.”

I pointed to the caterpillar wriggling on the ground. Luke’s response was absurd.

“You used a bug to torment Naila?”

“…”

I had to restrain myself from cursing.

Only then did Naila step in.

“Brother misunderstood. I was just startled by a bug on a rose leaf. Claudia didn’t do anything wrong.”

Luke stared at Naila, who finally told the truth.

Then he stroked her soft brown curly hair.

“Really? You don’t have to be afraid or worry about being honest. I’ll protect you.”

“Yes, it was really just a misunderstanding.”

“…Then that’s a relief.”

When I spoke, Luke said nonsense about using a bug to torment her.

But he quickly accepted Naila’s words.

“Since you’ve had enough fresh air, should we go back together?”

“Okay…”

Surprisingly, they were about to leave.

Leaving me, still feeling wronged.

I couldn’t let them go just like that.

I immediately blocked their path with my body.

“Wait. What about the apology?”

Having played the game 200 times, I knew that it wasn’t just Naila and Regis who tried to kill Claudia.

Luke also contributed in his own way, like providing Naila with clues about my misdeeds.

That’s why I couldn’t let him go without an apology.

‘If I let this slide, the misunderstanding will only deepen. He might live his whole life thinking he was right.’

But if I got an apology, it would be different.

After apologizing, Luke would recognize his mistake. Then, even if he continued to hate me, he would recall today.

And he would think deeply.

‘Could I be misunderstanding Claudia again?’

“Apologize properly. You misunderstood. No matter how much you see me as an evil witch, that’s not the reality. You should apologize.”

His eyes filled with complex emotions.

He must have been shocked that I, who usually smiled at him, was acting this way.

“…Alright, I’m sorry.”

It was a trivial apology.

But I was satisfied.

The difference between making him admit his mistake and not doing so was significant.

‘This is enough for today.’

I stepped aside, keeping eye contact with him until the last moment.

---

On the way to my room, I kept pondering.

‘Can I live peacefully with Luke?’

The answer came quickly.

‘At this rate, something troublesome will surely happen eventually.’

Living with Luke and Naila, who both disliked me, how could things go smoothly?

Until now, I had ignored their actions, thinking it was an adjustment period, but my thoughts changed.

It seemed better to find a way to avoid them if possible.

As soon as I reached my room, I took out my notebook and wrote on the first line:

Long-term Goal 1. Leave the family

Given the situation, I wrote this as my first goal. Then, staring at the ink drying on the page, I pondered.

‘To leave, I need to first gain the strength to be independent.’

There were two ways to gain strength that came to mind.

Find a spirit.

Or get help from someone with wealth and power.

The latter seemed easier for now.

It seemed best to start by finding someone who could help.

After writing my first goal, I wrote my second on the next line.

Long-term Goal 2. Break off the engagement

The Crown Prince significantly impacted my survival.

At first glance, he seemed to merely assist Naila’s revenge, but that wasn’t all.

He must also hate me. From his perspective, I was an obstacle to his love.

Moreover, I even tormented Naila, so his hatred for me must be immense.

In other words, letting him go quickly would slightly increase my chances of survival.

Long-term Goal 3. Reconcile with Naila

I wrote this and then spun my pen for a long time.

At first, I thought reconciliation was the key to survival.

But Naila’s earlier reaction was very strange.

‘Why did Naila leave me to be misunderstood? Why didn’t she actively mediate? It was as if she wanted Luke to harass me…’

The original Naila wouldn’t do such a cowardly thing.

‘For some reason, I feel uneasy. I’ll put off getting close to Naila for now. So the goal to achieve first is…’