The villainess will survive!

Part 87: A big brother's regret

The hall was destroyed from attempts to attack the bird, the open sky peering at us through the vestiges of the spell.  

"I may not have been the best big b-brother." 

"If I even deserve that title at all." 

"When my little sister needed me the most, I instead turned her down as spoiled and started to started to miss when she was much more innocent." 

"But without human progress, how could we grow up?" 

"I started to compare her in my mind with someone who didn't even share the same blood as me." 

"I disillusioned myself into thinking that I could gain an pure and naive little sister again." 

"And when my real blood sister asked for help, I thought that she should learn how to pay for her own sins, being this spoiled." 

"I refused to believe her words over a few other people's." 

"Even if she actually did those actions and deserved what little punishment they served, I should at least have guided her on the right path." 

"Instead, I only thought she would grow up after them and left her alone."

"And when my help and trust truly mattered, I didn't give either." 

"I had thought that she had truly lost herself, and there was no bringing her back from this."

"In the end, I was truly a horrible big brother." 

I stayed quiet while listening to these words, only feeling sympathy for the original Roselyn. 

I wasn't an idiot, I knew these words weren't about me but his original sister in his first life. 

Although spoiled and self-centered, having those qualities solely would not bring down the guillotine on your neck. 

In the end, it was a poisoning attempt by her that brought her execution. 

This only made my heart ache even more. 

Although I was a politically-neutral person with my own ambitions, not exactly a person serving justice and justice only, to be killed under a false crime truly made my heart boil with rage. 

I could feel Onii-sama's own helplessness under his tone, and the guilt that had been bearing down on his shoulders. 

I couldn't blame him either, since he didn't know that the original villainess was truly innocent. 

If he knew, I'm sure he would have done whatever he could to overturn her charges.

"Was I the replacement, Onii-sama?" 

Truth is, I was fine even if I were. 

To taste being cared and loved for, that was all I ever wanted even if he didn't even see me. 

Onii-sama shook his head, and I knew that there was no point lying now that the situation had come this far. 

Then it had to be the otome game's Ivy. 

I thought Onii-sama saw Ivy in a romantic fashion, but it seemed that he only saw her as a little sister he used to have before the purity went away. 

But in the end, Ivy truly did grow up too shielded and protected. 

Those eyes of concern for me weren't fake, that I was sure. 

Then I was someone he decided to protect no matter at all costs, in apologies for the real Roselyn. 

I didn't mind being part of his regret, because I know that he saw me as a little sister too.