A Young Lady Who Has Had Everything Exploited By Her Sickly Younger Sister Will Not Let Anyone Take Anything From Her Anymore - Chapter 2

Sometimes, Colette just wanted to be selfish—to be loved and spoiled for once.

She wanted someone to praise her for all her hard work.

She wished her parents would spend even a little time with her.

Why don’t Father and Mother even look at me? she wondered.

When Colette cried or got upset, her parents didn’t comfort her. Instead, they slapped her and said:

“You’re supposed to be the strong one!”

She had to be perfect all the time. One small mistake, and they got angry.

“Unlike Liliane, you have plenty of time! Why can’t you do something so simple?”

“Liliane is in pain every day… and you’re complaining about this?”

“Do you ever think about Liliane’s feelings? You’re lucky you get to study and live normally!”

But Liliane? All she had to do was smile and everyone forgave her.

*****

No matter what Liliane did, she was loved.

Have they ever thought about how I feel…?

But Colette never said that out loud.

Yes, Liliane was sick and truly pitiful. Colette knew that. She knew she wasn’t supposed to be jealous. But she couldn’t help it.

How can I make them love me like they love her? How can I get their praise, even just once?

Her mind became filled with these thoughts.

Even when her tutors called her “talented” or “amazing,” her parents didn’t care. They just ignored her.

Even after she learned how to act like a perfect noble lady, they barely noticed.

That coldness, that emptiness—slowly ate away at Colette’s heart.

*****

There was one thing Colette had to do every day:

Tell Liliane about her day.

When they were little, Colette enjoyed this time. But as they grew up, it started to hurt.

If she didn’t visit, Liliane would tell their parents—so Colette had no choice but to go.

Liliane always greeted her with a cheerful smile.

“Hey, Sister Colette! Tell me what you did today!”

“Uh… sure. Let me think.”

Liliane was always sweet and friendly. A perfect little sister.

No wonder our parents love her so much…

That thought made Colette’s heart ache even more.

She forced a smile, fighting back tears, and began talking.

At the end, Liliane said, “I envy you, Sister Colette.”

Colette froze. She didn’t know what to say.

*****

I envy Liliane so much…

But if she said that, it would hurt Liliane—so she kept quiet.

If only Liliane had a bad personality, maybe it would be easier to hate her…

Colette felt trapped, like she was chained by something invisible.

She wanted love so badly that she even tried to look more like Liliane—she let her olive-green hair grow long.

But her parents just said, “Liliane’s silver hair is beautiful. Yours looks like weeds.”

Even when Colette looked at them with her golden eyes, they only cared if Liliane was okay.

To Colette, they’d say, “Try harder,” or “That’s still not enough.”

Bit by bit, Colette’s world lost its color. Everything turned dull and gray.

By the time she was twelve, she had made her debut in society and started going to lots of parties and tea events.