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The individual my younger sister had brought home, seemingly done with her business, quickly departed the mansion
She left leaving behind a mystery at the very end, however, it appears that my little sister has the answer to it.
I find myself, I believe, on the brink of being severed from the Amyulute family.

My elder brother had attacked Lady Cielmer, Mistress Fiiyanamia’s adopted daughter. Formally, I am the compensation for this act, as a form of atonement.
Even if this decision only came about because Viviana sought Lady Cielmer’s assistance.

Right now, I feel adrift. Both mentally and socially.
When my wedding to Triadol was arranged, I believed there was no escaping it. Marrying for the sake of the family was inevitable from the moment I was born into this lineage.
Though there are persistent, negative rumors about Triadol, he wields undeniable power, so aligning with him isn’t an inherently poor choice.

But I could not accept the opposition to Mistress Fiiyanamia.

No, I must confess, my personal disdain for Triadol is profound. I’m convinced that following him will lead to the family’s ruin.
Yet, my father and brother were deaf to my objections.

My father initially sided with me, but upon learning that Mistress Fiiyanamia had adopted a daughter, he gradually shifted toward my brother’s stance.
This is why a part of me desired to sever ties with this house.

Still, I harbor some sympathy for them. They’ve provided me a decent life, unlike with Viviana, and it pains me to foresee the downfall of the Amyulute family.
The Amyulute house is a sinking ship, and I’ve been rescued from it—an extraordinary stroke of luck.
Even if this incident had not occurred, ruin was inevitable from the moment they chose to defy Mistress Fiiyanamia.
As Viviana said, no one is likely to triumph over Lady Cielmer.

Witnessing this decline is painful, it’s heart-wrenching.
However, I’m relieved not to go down with the family as I no longer hold enough sympathy to be willing to sink with them. Above all, there is nothing more I can do. Lady Cielmer has decided, I’m not allowed to stay here of my own volition.

「Was it uncalled for?」

Viviana’s anxious voice pulled me back to reality.

「No, thank you, Viviana. It’s just that it made me feel a bit lonely.」
「Is that so……」
「Incidentally, who exactly is Ainsel?」

I must compose myself. I am no longer an Amyulute. It’s a blessing to be under Mistress Fiiyanamia’s roof instead of Triadol’s.

「About that, it’s not something I can talk about so lightly.」

Viviana responded, her tone more serious than I anticipated. But I understood her meaning and gave her a reassuring nod.
Viviana proceeded to produce a magic circle, something she once loathed to even see. Witnessing her growth fills me with pride.

The magic circle activated is likely designed to prevent sounds from escaping the room.
It’s use effectively announces to the surroundings that a crucial conversation is taking place within. However, since we’re using it indoors, it’s not an issue.

With the necessary precautions in place, Viviana began to speak.

「Regarding Lady Ainsel, I must admit, my knowledge is limited, so what I share may include some speculation.」
「I don’t mind. As long as I can grasp the essence of the matter, it’s fine.」
「If you say so. Lady Ainsel is Mistress Fiiyanamia’s other adopted daughter.」
「Another one, you say…」

I’ve never heard of this information before.
The very existence of Lady Cielmer was already a vague mystery to begin with, so I suppose this was only natural.
However, the fact that Mistress Fiiyanamia, who had never expressed interest in having children, suddenly adopted two, seemed quite peculiar.

Was there some underlying connection between Lady Cielmer and Lady Ainsel?

「And it seems like Lady Ainsel resides within Lady Cielmer.」
「……. continue.」
「According to Lady Ainsel herself, it seems that Cielmer’s body houses two souls. From her account, Lady Ainsel inhabited Lady Cielmer’s body soon after birth.」

Though the idea was difficult to accept, I don’t believe Viviana would lie in a situation like this. This conversation was, in a sense, sanctioned by Lady Cielmer’s command.
I wasn’t so dull-witted as to misunderstand the implications.
Viviana had to be truthful.

And besides, this information did clarify some previous uncertainties.
There were moments when Lady Cielmer had suddenly fallen silent.
If those pauses were her communicating with Lady Ainsel, it all makes complete sense.

「So you have actually seen Lady Ainsel, Viviana?」
「Yes, both at Estoque and Central. During my stay at Estoque, she introduced herself as Cielmer, so I didn’t realize it was her.
They seem able to switch with each other freely. Their appearance is entirely the same, but when we met the other day, Lady Ainsel’s hair and eyes turned black. It appears she can appear with either black eyes and hair or blue eyes and white hair. The two also differ in how they speak. Lady Cielmer is as you’ve just witnessed, but Lady Ainsel is quite courteous.」

In short, if her hair is black, it’s Lady Ainsel, but if it’s white, it could be either. One’s speech patterns can be altered with effort, so that wouldn’t be a reliable identifier.

If Mistress Fiiyanamia knows of the peculiarity of their existence, then I can understand why she decided to take them in.
The people of Estoque should have come to a similar conclusion, though.
Is that why they ran away? Resulting to them being sheltered by Mistress Fiiyanamia?

「Could you tell me more about how they were back at Estoque?」
「They aren’t much different from how they were back then. No, I believe Lady Ainsel was more active then than she is now.
They are excellent Hunters. Already much stronger than me, the only reason they were lower in rank was their youth.」

I’m not as knowledgeable about this as Viviana, but if I’m not mistaken, only B-rank hunters and above are deemed trustworthy enough for cross-border travel. This means something must have overturned the decision to prohibit her promotion due to her young age.

「Was Lady Cielmer able to reach the rank to be allowed into Central without any issues?」
「That, I don’t know myself. No, in her case, it’s highly possible she faced strong resistance. Just from what I know, a few Hunter Guilds have caused problems for her.」
「May I hear about it?」
「It’s already well-known in Estoque, so it should be alright. Among the Hunter Guild staff members, there was a receptionist with a Job that could distinguish people’s Jobs, leading to Lady Cielmer’s Job being exposed within the guild.」

Some renowned hunters make a point of publicizing their own Jobs, while others may just like to brag about their Job if it is considered excellent.
However, for a member of the guild staff to reveal someone else’s Job is a significant breach of trust.

After all, many individuals, not just hunters, may have Jobs that aren’t viewed as favorable or even useful.

「For someone of her caliber, I don’t imagine it would cause major problems, though.」

Catching my quiet mutterings, Viviana shook her head. Could it be that the mastery in sorcery I’ve witnessed has nothing to do with her Job? Viviana probably knows Lady Cielmer’s Job, but it wouldn’t be right for me to ask.

「Sister, did you hear about the monster stampede in Estoque?」
「Yes, rumors have reached me.」
「It was Lady Cielmer who gave the warning. Or perhaps Lady Ainsel. But after an earlier incident and an assassination attempt resulting from her exposure of a noble’s negligence, she sought an agreement to excuse herself from Royal Capital Estoque’s stampede response.」
「Assassination……?」

I see, people were out to end her life.
I’ve been fortunate to never have been targeted for assassination, but I’ve heard many tales of those who, having survived such attempts, found themselves closing off their hearts. From what I know, experiencing malice and murderous intent scars the soul more deeply than one might think.

「I share your concern. I’ve tried to look after her emotional well-being myself. However, they seem to have grown accustomed to living under threat.」
「So, they’ve been through enough to be that way.」
「They’ve never shared their past with me. Yet, at that time, she… Lady Ainsel seemed to be always on guard, constantly watching her surroundings. It was as if she felt surrounded by enemies, and no one else.」

And so we continue on! Sumiaria point of view this time around. I’m late this time around, so I’m going to continue my musings on the next half. But I do love the Viviana-Sumiaria interaction. I’m really sorry!

Now then, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please feel free to comment. Stay healthy, stay safe, and have a nice day~!