Sister-in-law of the Heroine in a Childcare Novel - Chapter 15

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 15

The pleas of the crowd gathered around us sounded less like words and more like screams.
“Please, calm down!”
“I beg you!”
“Young lord, this is the Imperial Palace!”
“Ahhh, aaaahhh! Let go of this! Let it go! I’m going to report this to His Imperial Majesty! I’ll tell him to behead that savage beast!”
“You dare show such disrespect to the Castrain family?! I’m telling the Duke about this!”
Fine, fine. It was a perfect disaster.
Lisianthus continued snarling and howling as well, bearing witness to what was essentially a mad brawl between a man and woman who had descended from mockery of each other’s circumstances, abilities, and status into sheer chaos.
The conclusions kept circling back to “I’m telling Mother and Father”—admittedly childish—but then again, children’s quarrels have a way of becoming adults’ quarrels.
Ironically, that was precisely why today’s pandemonium wouldn’t become a major problem.
Both Lisianthus and I already had reputations that had hit rock bottom. Even if we fought like madness, wrecked the Rose Palace, and set it ablaze, no one would be surprised.
Just by looking at the servants and handmaidens trying to separate us, you could read it in their eyes: ‘I always knew a day like this would come.’
The palace burned quite thoroughly. Even as the servants worked desperately to extinguish the flames, all they could manage was to contain the fire from spreading beyond the Rose Palace.
Both Lisianthus and I ended up being seized by the servants and handmaidens, dragged along half-limp.
Even as our limbs were grabbed and held by those pulling us apart, we didn’t forget to curse and hurl insults at each other right to the bitter end.
The ruined state of the Rose Palace and the sight of Lisianthus and me were so perfectly chaotic that no one could have imagined we’d planned this together.
I didn’t think the matter would escalate.
Both the Imperial Palace knew of Titania’s inability to tolerate Lisianthus, and the Ducal House knew of Lisianthus’s fiery temperament.
The Ducal House might be billed for the reconstruction of the ruined Rose Palace, but the Emperor—not one to take losses to the Ducal House—would never approve of something that looked so petty.
Unless it involved Raymond, her betrothed, running to the Emperor to plead her grievance would only—
—earn her a lecture about how she couldn’t even tolerate a future brother-in-law with a somewhat difficult personality.
In short, if this blew up into an issue between the Ducal House and the Imperial Family, neither Lisianthus nor I had a reputation stellar enough to warrant such concern.
The whole arrangement was quite satisfying.
I breathed in smoke, rubbed myself down with ash, scrubbed my filthy appearance until it was spotless, then dressed in soft pajamas and slipped into bed for a solid sleep.
And then I woke.
“Ahhh-ooh-ehh, ahh, cough. Ugh. Fire is fire—I caught the smoke and now my throat’s raw.”
I cleared my throat with a “Hem, hmm,” and stretched, my limbs popping audibly.
My bedroom was gloomy. Though the reception hall where the fire had started was some distance away and the flames hadn’t reached my sleeping quarters, the chaos from yesterday had been so severe that no one had thought to come tidy up.
But that wasn’t the real issue.
Looking at the sword lying alone in one corner of my bedroom, I felt the way a student must feel seeing a pile of homework waiting on the last day of vacation.
The blade sat sheathed, and the seam between hilt and scabbard was wrapped in fine cloth to prevent accidental opening.
The lustrous grip and the intricate engravings on the scabbard marked it as a genuinely beautiful sword, a masterpiece even—but….
“…….”
In the end, I hadn’t broached the subject of the sword with Lisianthus yesterday.
As for the Empress, I could simply claim I wanted to surprise Raymond with it as a gift when we met in person.
The Empress knew Raymond and Titania didn’t see each other often.
She’d probably sent it ahead as a way of saying not to make excuses about the coronation ceremony.
But now I was genuinely troubled about what to do with the sword.
A blade like this draws attention no matter where it’s sent. It can’t be casually sold off. Did I need to commission a fake?
I could ask Raymond to simply pretend he’d received it.
But we’d already incurred a small debt to the Ducal House through Rose Palace repairs, and it felt wrong to ask for more favors on top of that.
The real problem, however, was something else entirely.
It’s a Demonic Sword, but if I can just suppress Velis’s power, it could function as a living lie detector.
Who knows—maybe the Castrain Ducal House could suppress it and put it to good use.
“…Ah! Gloria’s Banner!”
Right, as the saying goes, even rotten fish tastes good sometimes. At the very least, it’s a weapon imbued with the power of light. Since I’ve already secured that, maybe I can use it to make this sword work properly.
So that means….
I exhaled a long breath, unwrapped the cloth, and tentatively grasped the sword’s grip.
It wasn’t reckless. I mean, when you’re giving someone a gift, don’t you need to directly measure how dangerous it is?
What if they misunderstand and think I’m trying to sabotage the Ducal House?
Even in the original story, Brian wore this sword, showed it off from the early chapters, felt nothing amiss about it, and only destroyed himself when the story reached its climax.
He was a mediocre royal with light-bearing power he never even consciously recognized—like me. So just holding it briefly to gauge its nature shouldn’t cause any problems.
Well, if I don’t feel anything odd, I’ll just set it down and wrap it back up carefully!
As if mocking my rationalizations, the moment my hand closed around the grip, a strange voice echoed.
-Welcome, Contractor! (=’▼’=)
…What, what even is this peppy yet mechanical-sounding voice? Some sort of mascot? And what in the world is that emoticon?!
-This sword welcomes
Veloborg
‘s rightful Contractor and celebrates your Master Ceremony!
W-what is that?!
-In human language, I am called Velis! Veloborg, the god of light and creation, the almighty being who created me with aid from Veles to guide the Contractor’s path forward! Fifty percent of my functions are locked by default, but all capabilities will be unleashed once you complete the Master Ceremony with Gloria’s Banner! ✧ฺ･｡(✪▽✪*)･｡✧
Then sparkles scattered around the blade like pollen.
As if mimicking flower dust.
“…….”
…This is terrifying.
Wasn’t this supposed to be a Demonic Sword? Where did the Velis-Patio I knew about go?!
The sword spoke cheerfully to me as I stood frozen.
-Would you like to begin the Master Ceremony now? ヽ(๑╹▽╹๑)ノ
I shrieked in terror.
I didn’t know what was happening, but instinct was screaming that I absolutely must not shout YES here.
“No, I won’t, it’s fine! I don’t like this!”
-If you don’t perform the Master Ceremony, you’ll only be able to use twenty-five percent of my full capabilities, no matter if you are a Contractor! The ‘Velis/Patio’ personality you’re experiencing is my hospitality function, activated automatically for anyone using this sword for over six months without proper credentials! ༼இɷஇ༽
“Wait, why am I your Contractor in the first place? And what’s with that bizarre time limit? If that’s the case, I just won’t use the sword!”
-Welcome, Contractor! Since you have already been formally registered as Veloborg’s Contractor, once contact is established, I am bound to you as my eternal and immutable master! All other users will automatically trigger my ‘Velis/Patio’ function! ◝(⁰▿⁰)◜
“…….”
Ah….
I hadn’t been doing something I shouldn’t have done….
I’d trusted the original story far too much…!
I screamed silently.
I was just a minor princess with a villainous role as an extra who’d suddenly awakened to my past life—I should have realized that a sword simply listed as “Demonic Sword” in the story could be something entirely different!
-However, since Veloborg acknowledges human nature’s tendency to overreach, I am permitted to share my use with one person with whom the Contractor has entered into legal marriage or equivalent recognized partnership! ♡~(>᎑<`๑)♡
"……."
So is this sword telling me to go flirt with Raymond, explain that while people know this blade as a famous sword, it's actually a Demonic Sword that becomes a normal sword if we're legally married, and then propose to him as a gift?
Could a mere sword really be so delicately, naturally orchestrating the ruin of my future?
I felt a twinge of sorrow—if I'd still been the old Titania, this would actually be the kind of scheme she'd pull.
Empress Cleo…! You're more formidable than I thought. I never would have predicted this, but I really hate it!
-The ultimate purpose of myself and the Contractor is
Veloborg
's enemy and the creator of all Magic Beasts, the sealing and annihilation of Chernobog, who lies in the subterranean world beneath the sealed Northern Barrier, seeking to destroy this realm!
"Translate."
-Contractor! The Barrier that Veloborg has protected humanity with grace and power all this time is in danger! Before Chernobog resurrects, please use me to save this world! ( ˃̣̣̥᷄⌓˂̣̣̥᷅ )
"But that's exactly why I—"
-Because you're the Contractor!
"I never made any contract with anyone!"
I don't even know what Veloborg and Chernobog are in the first place! In the original story, there was nothing like this—Bibi and everyone around her just figured everything out on their own!
Feeling as lost and adrift as I'd been when I first woke from my coma, I clutched at my hair in despair.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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