Surviving My Stepsister (6) - Ch. 16: Trailing Footsteps
Footsteps followed me in.
Then the door closed, leaving just the two of us in the counseling office.
I glanced at her sidelong.
Veronica Sinclair.
My stepsister, and the person who'd heaped the most humiliation on me.
Normally, just seeing her face should have made my blood boil.
But now that we were face-to-face, even that thought didn't cross my mind.
She looked like she could barely hold herself up, collapsing into the worn-out sofa as if it might swallow her whole.
...I saw it earlier, but her condition is way too rough.
I'd heard the rumors lately.
Lady Sinclair skipped another tea party, or she seemed to be struggling with headaches.
Of course, it was obvious her health was poor.
Even so.
I didn't think it'd be this bad.
She was trembling even after burying herself in the sofa.
...I'd let her in, but is this really okay?
Well, I'd do what I could, at least.
"I can assume you're here for counseling... right?"
I hesitated for a second.
The firstborn of the family that exiled me.
Should I treat her like a sister or a client?
As if dismissing my dilemma outright, Veronica snapped at me sharply.
"...Talk like you normally do. It's nauseating."
Even in her haggard state, the way she looked down at me hadn't changed.
Talk like normally, huh.
Back in the family, she'd only ever swung a whip at me one-sidedly—no real conversations.
Fine, I'd keep it casual.
The noble-speak was getting tiring anyway.
"So, what's the issue?"
My tone shortened in an instant.
Veronica let out a hollow chuckle before speaking.
"I heard the rabble chattering."
Her voice was cracked.
"They said coming here makes it better."
The rabble.
She meant all the noble ladies who'd visited my office, lumped together.
What elegant word choice.
"Better how, exactly?"
"Headaches."
As expected.
Every lady who came complained about headaches, so I'd half-guessed.
Turns out that was their goal all along.
And at the same time, I felt it.
A displeasing sensation crawling up my spine.
This was definitely a danger signal.
Counselor Isaac.
Not bad.
Sounds legit.
But "Headache Healer" Isaac...
Feels way too trashy!
"What, lost in another idiotic thought?"
I flinched.
She frowned as if she'd seen right through me.
"No. Just pondering the counseling approach."
I glossed over it smoothly.
Veronica sank deeper into the sofa and snorted.
"Counselor, huh. Not bad for an exile."
"It's the only talent I've got."
She rolled her eyes, not grasping the point.
Then she clutched her throbbing forehead and spilled the details with a deep sigh.
"I heard it from another lady. She came here with headaches, and you told her she was 'stressing too much.'"
A brief silence.
"Arrogant advice."
"..."
Ah, so that's the advice I apparently gave.
Obviously, I don't know what clients remember from sessions.
The details were fabricated by their hypnotized brains.
And I couldn't just ask them afterward.
—What did I just say?
That'd make me seem weird or goldfish-brained.
Anyway, good intel.
If the ladies who came and went heard that line.
I could just say the same.
"As long as it works."
"Like it'd work."
Veronica scoffed.
"If cheap words fixed it, no one would be hurting to begin with."
If she really believed that, she wouldn't have come here.
Her words said one thing, but she wanted results.
Well, she looked sleepless, so I'd cut her slack.
Sleepless people aren't in their right minds.
I'm wide awake because of you, though.
Anyway, what to do.
Her state screamed for all three hypnosis uses.
Forcing sleep on the sleep-deprived always helps.
As I pondered, Veronica pressed her temples.
"Hng..."
A shallow groan.
Unbearable pain leaked from her tightly pressed lips.
Another headache wave.
Unable to endure, she swallowed her pride and spat it out.
"...I can't sleep. My head throbs like mad, and medicine does nothing. Useless doctors."
Her lips trembled.
"Overwork, they say."
This was what I'd been waiting for.
My perk only triggers when they show an opening, after all.
Hypnosis Activated
In that instant, Veronica's gaze locked onto me.
Her sharp eyes softened just a fraction.
Her eyelids slowly drooped.
"........."
She fell into a deep sleep, not even snoring.
I moved behind her immediately.
Reached out and touched her head—something hot and ominous.
What the hell is this?
Even with Lady Fleur, the inner heat had felt off.
But Veronica's was on another level.
Hotter, more sinister.
What the hell was happening in her head?
For now, release what I can.
No time to dwell.
I kneaded her head firmly.
"Haa..."
A deep sigh escaped her sleeping lips.
Like expelling some pent-up burden.
Good. Whatever it was, it was working.
Time for her to wake.
I timed my suggestion perfectly.
"You shouldn't stress so much."
She blinked a few times as she heard it.
Her hazy focus sharpened, landing on me.
"........."
Just 15 minutes of sweet sleep.
But definitely different from before.
A hint of ease in her demeanor.
Still, she shot back coldly.
"You know I wouldn't waste my energy on such things."
Oh, really?
I didn't.
What exactly was she not supposed to stress over?
I'd just recycled what I overheard.
"No, you definitely were stressing."
I pushed a bit more, whatever it was.
"...Ridiculous."
Veronica cut me off coldly, but it didn't matter.
Hypnosis would make the conversation fit seamlessly anyway.
And to improve her even a little, this was my only option.
Hypnosis Activated
Second time.
Her eyes glazed over again.
Eyelids dropped, head tilted sideways.
I caught it before it hit the armrest.
Didn't feel heavy at all.
Was she even eating properly?
I stood, circled behind her once more.
Pressed my fingertips to her forehead.
Cooler than before.
Temperature dropping, maybe? Or not.
But that boiling sensation from the first touch had definitely weakened.
Keep going, then.
Still ominous energy in her head—knead it out.
Come to think of it, the massage working so well was probably the perk too.
Effects amplified on contact, right?
"Huu..."
Her breathing deepened.
How long did I work on her?
Finally, she stirred awake.
This time was different.
Her pupils dilated slightly the moment her eyes opened, staring straight at me.
A moment of silence.
Not the sharp gaze from before.
Something had loosened.
Like a layer of venom peeled from her eyes.
A subtle expression, as if realizing something late.
"Is that so."
She murmured.
"So that's the burden weighing on my mind."
Unclear if she was talking to me or herself.
If she felt that, better reinforce it.
"Might be good to let it go."
Whatever it was.
"As if I could—"
Hypnosis Activated
Third and final.
She didn't even finish before her eyes glazed again.
Veronica sank into the sofa, asleep.
I'd finally used all three hypnosis slots in one day.
First time since Chloe.
I'd thought it'd be scary if she turned out like her, but I did what needed doing.
Cautiously, carefully.
Last time, I touched her head.
The heat in my palm.
Definitely cooler than before.
Not gone entirely, but that surging energy had subsided a lot.
...The other ladies weren't this bad.
Same headaches, but this was different.
I still didn't know what the heat was, but one thing was clear.
Definitely not overwork.
Head was good enough; I lowered my hand.
Now her back—firm kneads.
Shoulders next—worked them thoroughly.
"Mm..."
A faint sound leaked in her sleep.
Not enough time to release it all.
But the urgent fire was out.
She woke.
No surprise this time.
Just opened her eyes quietly.
Looking up at me—calm, settled eyes, not the bloodshot glare from entry.
Meeting them, I dropped today's final line.
"It'd be good to keep your mind at ease."
At least to steer this session's conclusion right.
"No need to make it harder than it has to be."
Total talk time barely hit an hour.
But it was like color returning to a corpse.
Her face had definitely changed.
Effects accumulate on repeated use of the same target.
And the sneaky warning-not-warning popped up.
The good feeling of saving someone lasted only a moment.
That line made me uneasy again.
I glanced at Veronica sidelong.
No way she'd turned out like Chloe, right?
She stared at her palm for a while.
Clenched and unclenched her fingers a few times.
A small voice.
"...I never thought I'd forgive."
Forgive?
What was she thinking on her own?
Well, if she was better, good enough.
Veronica stood.
Her face still arrogant on the surface.
But her steps were steadier than before.
Firm footfalls.
The door closed.
And only after she left did I realize.
"Oh, right. Counseling fee."
The flow was so natural, I just let her go.
You freeloader.