Chapter 141
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 141
Chapter Title: Ice Crystal -3-
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The sister's bedroom in the capital mansion, which Chloe was seeing for the first time since arriving, wasn't much different from the room etched in her childhood memories.
No luxury items anywhere, plain monochromatic wallpaper that didn't cater to any particular tastes, and furniture neatly arranged.
The bedding, spread out with sharp, precise corners, was utterly unlike anything in her own room.
"Sit comfortably here."
Her sister sat at the small round table in the bedroom and welcomed her.
On the table sat an ornate wooden box that seemed completely unrelated to Chloe, with faint wisps of white smoke drifting from a slight gap in its lid.
'...What's that?'
Curiosity stirred, but Chloe obeyed her sister's words and settled onto the chair opposite her.
The chill in the air made Chloe, uncharacteristically, speak first.
"Isn't your room a little cold, Sister...? Even you could catch a cold."
Her sister gave a small smile at the concern and pointed to the wooden box on the table.
"It's this giving off the chill. I usually keep the room plenty warm. Condition management is the top priority... Thank you for worrying."
"Y-Yeah. Hehe..."
Grateful for how the awkwardness had melted away in that brief exchange, allowing their conversation to flow naturally once more, Chloe eyed the wooden box—the apparent source of the cold—while waiting for her sister to get to the point.
Her sister placed a hand on the box, tapping it lightly with her fingers as she began.
"The reason I asked you to come to my room today... as you can see, is this item."
Kreek—
Inside the wooden box, its lid flipped open, lay something resembling an unidentified lump of ice.
It could have been an uncut gemstone ore.
But the moment the box opened, the chill in the air intensified, making the ice lump impression hit first.
'Ice...? Or maybe a gem...?'
Yet Chloe's knowledge and experience offered no clue as to what it actually was.
"Sister...? I have no idea what this is..."
It looked impressive, but not knowing what it was felt embarrassing, leaving her at a loss for how to react.
Honesty brought a pleased expression to her sister's face instead.
"It's not common, so there's no shame in not knowing. Few people would recognize it on sight."
"Mm!"
Chloe let out a quiet sigh of relief inwardly and perked up her ears.
"This is an elixir called an Ice Crystal. A gift from Roman to you, Chloe."
"...Uh, yeah...? R-R-Ro—?"
His name triggered an instinctive honorific, and the unbelievable content drew out something like an alien tongue.
Her sister lifted the corner of her mouth in amusement at the reaction and continued her explanation.
"The study has books and documents that can't get wet, so this was the only place that came to mind."
Chloe's breath hitched briefly at the word "study," but she forced herself to regain her composure and asked again.
"Sister...! W-Wait a second...! Why would Brother send me an elixir...?"
She didn't know its exact value in detail.
But she knew elixirs were things she could never afford, even if she saved every bit of pocket money until the day she died.
Even in prominent noble families, they were bestowed only on direct descendants with talent or promising potential.
To Chloe, elixirs were utterly unrelated to her—a distant, alien concept.
"He wants to score points with his future sister-in-law, apparently... I was floored too, but that's what he actually said. Though that's not all he said..."
Her sister's smile deepened, exasperation clear just from recalling it.
"Still, I'm fine...! You eat it, Sister!"
The elixir felt far too extravagant for her.
She wasn't even a knight yet, with no merits or achievements to her name. And she wasn't some standout cadet in the Knight Department either.
It was wrong for something so precious to go to waste on her.
Just because she was her sister's little sister didn't justify receiving it.
"This elixir has no effect on anyone who's already consumed one. Roman and I took ours long ago."
Chloe's mouth snapped shut briefly at Eclair's words, but she shook her head and refused once more.
"Still, I don't think so...! Something as amazing as an elixir for me... It's practically throwing it away—"
"Chloe."
"Yeah...?"
About to press on, Chloe froze as her sister—her face a complex swirl of emotions—spoke again.
"Just hear me out first."
"O-Okay..."
"Roman said... that we sisters are strikingly alike. Not in looks, but in something else."
"Sister and me...?"
There had never been an exception until now.
Anyone who said the Dreitna sisters resembled each other always meant their appearances alone.
She, full of nothing but shortcomings for becoming a great knight, couldn't deny it—and she believed it herself.
The same held true now.
No matter how she racked her brain, she couldn't think of any similarities beyond certain facial features with the sister she admired.
She was just grateful they even shared looks in part.
Her sister stared intently at the furiously thinking Chloe, then shifted her gaze slightly to the empty air and answered in a softer tone.
"He said we're especially alike in not loving ourselves... or valuing ourselves properly."
"..."
The words turned her mouth to stone; she couldn't utter a single reply.
"I was utterly speechless when I heard it. It felt like he'd read my mind and my values... But if you, Chloe, harbored similar thoughts, I couldn't bear it."
"Sister..."
Gaze fixed on the ceiling, Eclair continued in a voice moist with rare emotion.
"I always thought it couldn't be like that... But now I think I understand a little... what Roman saw."
Chloe saw herself as worth less than the elixir, using it on her a loss and a waste.
Eclair could feel that she meant it sincerely.
To Eclair, this wasn't mere politeness or overthinking on her little sister's part—it was a grave issue she couldn't brush off with a smile.
The Dreitna sisters had only recently mended their bond; time was still short.
They were busy sharing only the good parts, positive and joyful experiences to make up for lost years.
Yet as blood sisters sharing depths words couldn't touch, it was joyful... but it also meant confronting painful truths like this unintentionally.
It tore at her heart to see Chloe value herself below an elixir.
"...I can hold these views and thoughts, but it's selfish to think you can't."
"..."
"Chloe. How do you see yourself?"
If someone asked Chloe whether she valued herself, she'd first look back on her actions.
Mediocre grades, aura awakened but unable to make progress alone—awkward talent, quick to tears with a small voice.
When excited, she lost control and messed up; she agonized for days over things others wouldn't even ponder.
Flaws everywhere, making it hard to hold self-esteem or love herself.
If something hurt, she avoided it because she hated the pain, not because her body was precious.
It felt natural, yet selfish thoughts crept in too.
Just as her sister said, she didn't want her own sister to harbor such notions.
As her vision blurred with tears, she parted her trembling lips, struggling to convey her true feelings.
"I'm not sure if I love or cherish myself... But I hate it if you don't cherish yourself, Sister...! You, at least—just you, please don't..."
Eclair reached across the small table and clasped the hand of her restless little sister.
"Someone like me, who's lived this way my whole life, might not get through to you."
"..."
Biting her lip in brief hesitation, Eclair decided to speak her mind plainly.
"Chloe. Love yourself. Cherish yourself. We sisters need to change our thoughts and values together."
The words sent emotions surging, her chest heaving with a swell.
See—even this crybaby who couldn't control her feelings was on the verge of tears from one sentence.
The thought that she'd worry her sister again, combined with self-pity over her tearfulness, crashed down.
Tears she couldn't wipe away with their hands clasped streamed down her cheeks.
"Hic... S-Sister, sorry... I don't wanna cry... Hic...!"
Her sister rose with a smile as warm as the hand's heat and gently dabbed her damp eyes with a handkerchief.
"Chloe. Even if this Ice Crystal is a precious elixir, how could its value compare to yours? If anything, you're the one lacking—never too much."
As if reading the negatives Chloe hadn't voiced, her sister comforted her.
Maybe this was the "understanding" her friend Rike had mentioned.
If she didn't affirm herself, her sister wouldn't affirm herself either.
'We're sisters who cherish each other more...'
This went far beyond the understanding she'd thought was her greatest achievement so far.
Once her tears subsided and she agreed to consume the elixir, her sister's face finally cleared of worry.
Knock—knock—
'...?'
Her sister stood and began unbuttoning her shirt.
Stunned by the sudden action, Chloe watched blankly until her sister pulled her to her feet, gesturing to the Ice Crystal on the table as she explained.
"Chloe. For the preparation, take off all your clothes. No exceptions, not even underwear."
"Y-Yeah?"