Former Assassin - Arc 1 Early Life - Chapter 6
“Your Highness, did my older sister do something?”
“…No.”
Even though it was Rosemary who was actively disrespecting the prince.
Not only did she intrude on the prince, she also didn’t ask for his permission to speak.
Normally, her head will be rolling by now.
“Just as the daughter of Count Jordan said, she’s quite ignorant of the etiquette of the aristocratic society and is in no position to participate in the tea party. My apologies. We shall take our leave right now.”
“Huh, but Older Sister? We’ve just arrived…”
“Please excuse us.”
After bowing to the ladies, I grabbed Rosemary’s arm and dragged her out of the venue. She was keen on staying.
Rosemary was spouting things like “It hurts, let me go!” and “I haven’t eaten any sweets yet!” It was so unbecoming of a daughter from an aristocratic family.
As I thought, adopting a commoner was a no-go.
If Amaryllis felt sorry for her, she should’ve at least hired Rosemary as a servant or something.
After all, a lowly servant would have nothing to do with the nobility. It’d have been safer for her. She was still a child. No matter how much one felt bad towards her, placing her in an aristocratic society, where endless dangers lurked, was like throwing a kitten into a lion’s den.
To make matters worse, Rosemary’s behavior was completely devoid of manners. It was equivalent to disgracing the Duke family before other aristocratic and royal families.
“Oh, you’ve returned already? That’s fast.”
When we arrived home, Amaryllis greeted us with shock.
“Mother! Can you believe it? I hadn’t even spoken with my friends or eaten any sweets! Yet, Older Sister forced me to come home! How antisocial can one be!?”
Rosemary cried to Amaryllis.
Amaryllis gently caressed her head. “Oh no…”
“I’m not being antisocial. The biggest issue is that Rosemary hasn’t learned basic manners to attend a tea party. Please finish teaching her as soon as possible.”
When I pointed that out, Rosemary sulked.
“But I used to be a commoner…”
“Yes. However, you’re now the adopted daughter of the Duke’s family, so there’s no excuse. If you don’t like it, leave the Duke family and continue living as a commoner. With the authority of the Duke family, some jobs can be arranged for you; you can even work as a maid in this house.”
At my suggestion, tears welled within Rosemary’s eyes and she cried, “How terrible! You’re telling me to die!”
“I never said that. There are children your age who are working even when they don’t have parents. I also said that I’d help you get a job, not that you should go to the slums.”
“Older Sister has no clue how painful it was to be a commoner! That’s why you can easily say that!”
I know very well how painful it can get.
Certainly, I was the ‘carefree’ Duke’s daughter in this life, but in my previous life, I used to be an assassin.
I, who didn’t have a name, didn’t even know the faces of my own parents. I lived without knowing anything about the love or the warmth of a home.
There were times when I was so hungry that I thought I’d die. Sometimes, I’d get assaulted.
Rosemary, you were found and rescued by Amaryllis shortly after your mother passed away.
You, who’d never huddled in a slum or been driven to the brink of starvation, wouldn’t know how painful it was.
I just didn’t want to lose my current luxurious life.
I just wanted to live a more luxurious life.
I stared at Rosemary, who was wailing in Amaryllis’ arms.
She was poison to the Duke family.
She was overly ambitious…
“Serena, I feel sorry for her. She just hasn’t gotten used to the environment yet, so let’s observe her some more and see how she does.”
Amaryllis said while cradling Rosemary.
…and crafty.
“She disrespected the prince at the tea party. I sure hope it won’t result in the downfall of our family.”
I couldn’t bear the sight of her any longer, so I decided to go back to my room.
Along the way, I heard the servants criticizing me.
‘She’s so cold.’
‘The Lord and his wife are so kind, yet their child is so heartless…’
The servants were also foolish.
The residents here, including the servants, took their lives for granted.
“How peaceful.”
Nobody heard my sarcastic murmur.
———-
Translator’s Note
Secretly killing them later is OK but not disrespecting the prince goddammit.
Editor’s Note
Secretly killing them = a chance to continue living this luxurious life
Disrespecting the prince = instant death