The Precious Sister of The Villainous Grand Duke

Veronica hit Charlotte enough for her to faint – though she was someone who keels over easily – and then dusted off her hands and turned to me.

"Sister's here."

"............"

"What are you doing? Shouldn't you come here and hug me?"

She stood tall in front of me with open arms and cracked a smile.

I bit my lips because if I didn't, I felt like I would burst into tears, and then I ran to her and squeezed her with all my might.

Even so, I couldn't stop crying.

"Huuuu."

"Oh dear, is that so?"

"Hinnng."

"There, there. Is my sister so sad?"

Recognizing my desire to be coddled, she smiled warmly like the sun and embraced me.

Now, the height difference between Veronica and I wasn't much – just close to one head – but she lifted me up without any difficulty and shook me up and down.

"Huhh, I really, hinngg, missed you, Veronica."

I buried my face in her neck as she hugged me like a child and shook me like a paper doll.

"Me too. I missed you a lot."

"You didn't even remember me!"

Though I had also completely forgotten her, my voice rose because I was embarrassed about my puffy eyes.

"Oh. I missed you so much as soon as my memory came back."

"When did it come back?"

"About an hour ago?"

She deftly laughed at my rebuke.

"Phew. There was a time that I really missed you without words. I really had a hard time."

"You exaggerate."

"It's not an exaggeration, though? It wasn't even an hour ago that I realized something was wrong with you that the sky felt like it would collapse."

As she spoke, she didn't remove the smile that filled her lips.

Ah, how I missed that refreshing smile.

I couldn't berate her anymore so I gently embraced her and opened my mouth.

"......How did you get here?"

"Dietrich summoned Amon and Zagan, so I followed them. I thought you might be in danger."

I told them firmly not to get involved but in the end, he still called for Zagan and Amon.

'I knew he didn't have faith in me.'

Even though he nodded so firmly earlier. I scoffed at Dietrich's dubious behavior.

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"Is that so?"

"Yes. So I had run at once and deserted Yuric but you were beating up some kind of bug."

"..........."

"You were so cool while beating up the bug that I thought my little sister was under some kind of stress, so I let you be for a while."

"I d-don't think I've been beating it that hard."

"It looked like that in my eyes though."

Was it that much?

'Well, I really did hate Hella."

How difficult must it have been for the children of Lagrange all this time just because of her self-interest to rule this world as a God.

"But that bug deserved to be beaten."

"Of course, of course."

Veronica nodded and quickly responded to my words.

"Whose sister are you? There's no way you can't catch a single bug."

I smiled and rubbed my head against her neck, believing that she would stand by me no matter what I did.

"That tickles."

Veronica complained like that but she seemed to have no thoughts of letting me down.

"I think it's time for me to go back to Dietrich."

I pointed my chin at Charlotte who had lost consciousness.

'We need to discuss Charlotte and Hermann's disposition.'

It was rarely revealed but she and Hermann were old friends anyway.

"For now, shall we?"

"A~ni~ssa~!!!"

Then, from afar, I thought someone was calling my name, and soon, a loud thudding of footsteps rang out.

"Anissa~!!!"

It was Yuric.

"Your brother came to help you, little ~ sister~!"

Beads of sweat were running down Yuric's chin, who had run the distance without a break. His head moved quickly from side to side as if looking for an enemy to defeat.

"Yuric!"

"Yes! Anissa, I'm here! Who is it! Who do I have to kill?!!"

I smiled broadly as the afternoon sun dazzlingly hit his blue eyes and sparkled.

"You're late, stupid."

"It's already over, you moron."

Yuric's shoulders drooped at the words Veronica and I simultaneously uttered.

────── 〔✿〕──────

"The boat is broken."

Though it was a natural occurrence because if the boat had remained intact throughout all that fuss, I didn't think we could have still called that a boat.

"Then, how do we get back now?"

I murmured softly as I checked the fragments of the boat scattered on the shore of the lake.

'I think it would be unreasonable for all of these people to get on the Zagan.'

Zagan, which Yuric and Veronica had ridden, was almost the only demon among the demons in Lagrange which could be used as a means of transportation.

Baal could only move one person as well.

"Anyway, Baal is useless."

"..........It seems that your memory has not completely returned yet."

I hummed and snorted, glancing at the demon who was furtively lurking around my shadow.

"Hmph."

"Princess."

"What is it?"

"I swear before the honor of the evil god that I never dreamed Hella to be a demon."

"Aren't you overdoing it by swearing on his honor?"

His respect for Asmodeus was measly enough to only live on his mouth.

When I turned sideways like I didn't have any intentions to listen to Baal's excuses anymore, he started following me and rubbed his hands together like a fly.

"Phew, you seemed to have gone through a lot."

"Yeah. It was a lot. Do you know the maid's work is difficult?"

"Y-You're right. Your face looks so haggard."

".......What?"

I frowned at Baal's words who mumurmed in an ant's voice to console me.

"My face is haggard?"

"N-No! I'm saying that though you're still so pretty that I couldn't dare to open my eyes–!"

"Sister!!!"

I searched for Veronica, cutting off Baal's excuses like a radish.

At my call, she, who had been climbing at Zagan with one foot on the demon's neck, turned to look at me.

I pointed at Baal and raised my voice.

"Baal said that I'm so ugly he didn't want to open his eyes!"

"This crazy demon bastard did?"

At my scream, Veronica approached us while riding on Zagan.

Zagan, who had assimilated with her feelings, growled and revealed his crooked fangs.

"I didn't say such a thing!"

"Are your eyes on the soles of your feet? Do you want me to take it off and put it on for you?"

Frightened by Veronica's words, Baal grew pale and started graying out.

"Y-Your Majesty–!"

The poor, shrunken demon began to look around and look for his master.

"Where are you, Your Majesty!"

"What."

Dietrich, who had been arguing with Hermann for a long time, exchanging pros and cons as they were talking, approached indifferently.

He looked alternately between me and Baal with a slightly gaunt, but as usual and like always, stunning face.

"What happened?"

"It's n-nothing."

I felt kind of embarrassed to look at his face after I'd completely recovered my memories.

'I think I felt more comfortable when I knew him as Dylan.'

Instead of me, who bowed my head without meeting his eyes, Veronica answered and gestured with her chin.

"Your demon is talking nonsense to Anissa."

"When did I–!"

Baal raised his voice as if it was unfair, but Dietrich quickly snapped his fingers at Veronica's words.

I was startled at the shadow of Baal disappearing in an instant and my jaw dropped.

'.......Did he just dump him? Into the demon realm?'

"Where did Baal go?"

As I stuttered in embarrassment, Dietrich, who approached me at some point, shrugged his shoulders.

"I sent him back to the demon realm."

"You stupid!"

I was planning to get out of this island in Baal's arms since he could float into the air!

"Now that Baal's gone, how are we going to leave this island?!"

Dietrich scratched his chin at my admonishment. He tilted his head to the side and whispered bizarre words to me in a peculiar voice.

"I think we can leave a little late."

What.

No.

"Why, why, why are we leaving late! What are we going to do for us to leave late!"

"Isn't it obvious?"

"No. No. Don't say it."

I felt like my heart was going to explode so please shut up.

To make matters worse, just looking at his face made me remember what happened in the cave that my heart started to pound making me unable to think properly.

"Even if you say so, it couldn't be helped."

I shook my head vigorously and he motioned for Zagan absentmindedly.

'Well, it's true there's no more space.'

Zagan would have to pick up Yuric and Veronica, and Hermann needs to take care of Charlotte.

But why did this inflexible situation feel so dangerous?

'Is there really no other way?'

Dietrich smiled beautifully as he placed his hand on my cheek while I was chewing on my lower lip.

"So you and I will be a little late—"

"Ah, I think I can solve that problem."

While thinking that if he smiled like that then I wouldn't be able to stop myself from wavering, Hermann suddenly poked his head between us.

"I have a way to get everyone off this island with my ability!"

Hermann beamed with delight at the thought that he would be able to help me.

"Therefore, there's no need for only the two of you to be left alone on this island, Duke!"

".............."

"Isn't that a good thing?!"

"I see."

Dietrich, who had been smiling, had returned to his cold expressionless face and ground his teeth while glaring at the back of Hermann's head, who was moving away in short and quick steps.

"Will everything be alright if that punk disappeared?"

He murmured villainous lines not caring whether I heard them or not.

What if Dietrich secretly killed Hermann?

I held his hand in apprehension.