My Fiancé Fell in Love with My Older Sister. After Locking Myself in My Room for Five Days, 500 Years Had Passed. - Chapter 15

At that moment, my body moved before I could even think.

I put strength into my feet, focusing on landing on my heels first.

—Thud!! A terrible sound echoed.

(Ah, this might be bad…??)

A bad feeling crept up on me, but I moved before thinking.

Once my feet touch the ground, before I twist my ankle the wrong way…

I bent my knees with all my strength…!!

From a squatting position, I let myself fall backward.

But I made sure to tuck my chin in and protect my head.

(A backward breakfall from a crouch…!!)

In my past life, I had worried about my body as I aged, so I took up rock climbing to stay healthy.

That experience was helping me now.

Rock climbing—it’s all about falling. You just keep falling.

Beginners especially fall a lot.

You slip from sweat and fall.

You lose your grip from exhaustion and fall.

Basically… you fall!!

The first thing I learned in rock climbing class was how to fall safely.

And I still remembered it (deep in my soul).

But this height…

I couldn’t completely stop the momentum of my fall, so I ended up landing in a seated position, like a forward stretch.

From an outsider’s perspective, it must have looked like a sudden and bizarre movement.

But it was still better than tumbling down the stairs.

The staircase was long.

If I had fallen like a joke scene from a comedy, I probably would have broken a few ribs.

Looking completely unladylike as I sat in a stretching pose, I let out a slow breath.

(My dress… is so tight…!)

And as expected, I think I twisted my ankle…!!

No, I’ll check for injuries later.

If I acknowledge it now, I might not be able to move.

Slowly, I lifted my face and locked eyes with my sister, who stood at the top of the stairs.

“…!!”

She gasped.

Even from a distance, I could tell her face had gone pale.

I slowly started to sit up.

The moment I moved, a dull pain shot through my ankle.

“—Ah…!”

(This… might be really bad.)

Did I break a bone?

No, I can stand, so I should be fine… right?

I’m too scared to check right now.

I got up, dragging my right foot behind me.

“Hii…!”

My sister let out a small scream.

“Hii”? What…!!

I’m the one who should be screaming!!

I just got pushed down the stairs!! Me!!

(…What was my sister thinking when she pushed me…?)

Did she want to kill me?

No. I didn’t feel that kind of clear intent.

So she must have…

Acted on impulse, overwhelmed by emotion.

The pain in my right ankle pulsed, growing hotter by the second.

I tried not to focus on it and instead distracted myself with other thoughts.

(If I think of this as extra leverage against Father… maybe it’s a small silver lining.)

I had to think that way, or I wouldn’t be able to endure this.

(What did I do to deserve this…?)

All I did was try to live my life properly.

I never hurt anyone.

I never exploited anyone.

So why—why do I have to suffer like this?

I was pushed.

If things had gone worse, I could have died.

“…”

Right now, I was probably looking at her with an extremely cold expression.

Just like Mother.

The sound of footsteps echoed from the distance.

They must have heard my fall.

The approaching people first noticed my sister standing at the top of the stairs.

“What happened!? That noise just now… Lady Agnes!?”

A knight gasped when he saw my sister.

They must have been shocked to see a sheltered noble lady here.

This was still within the royal family’s private area.

Judging by the knight’s reaction, my sister must not have scheduled an appointment, just like last time.

Seeing her there, the knight looked uneasy.

(…Now that it’s caused this much commotion, surely…)

Just as I thought that—

“—Agnes!?”

A voice of surprise came from the top of the stairs.

The exact person I was expecting.

Felix had arrived. Of course, he had.

My ankle throbbed, and now I was surrounded by curious stares.

(…Why does it always turn out like this!?)

I was so done with this.

I clenched my fist inside my sleeve.

And then—

“Felicia… she fell down…!!”

From the top of the stairs, my sister’s trembling voice rang out.