It took almost half an hour for Christine to calm down enough to speak.

“...Excuse me for that shameful outburst.”

Those were her first words. She was sitting beside me on a couch, her body turned away while leaning against my arm. It was like she was too embarrassed to face me directly but still wanted to stick close as we talked.

There was a bit of an awkward air around us, but I was willing to sit here and wait. The poor girl’s pain has gone unheard for long enough. After several false starts, where she opened her mouth just to sigh and close it again a few seconds later, my little sis finally began talking.

“I was never good enough.” Christine mumbled. “Even before Ms. Perrins, the other teachers simply did a better job of hiding their dissatisfaction. I tried as hard as I could but there were just so many pointless rules to remember… which fork to use first, how to greet this noble compared to that one, when to just smile and keep my mouth shut, it always felt like I was a trained monkey putting on a performance. Albert was the first one to really let me study what I wanted and answer my questions about the world. Everyone else would just brush me off, saying that those things were ‘irrelevant’ and ‘unnecessary’ for a lady of my stature.”

The girl sullenly tugged at a loose thread sticking out from the couch's seam.

“I hated the way mother and father always compared me to their friends’ daughters… as if growing up was a contest and I was falling behind. Meanwhile you got into all sorts of trouble and never took anything seriously, but they treated you like a priceless jewel. It would have been fine if they at least tried to hide it. But they never did! It was like they didn’t care what I thought of them as long as I followed their orders like an obedient child.”

Christine sighed and continued speaking sadly. “Deep down, I always knew that it wasn’t your fault. You didn’t ask our parents to treat us so differently. It was just so much easier to get mad at you, because I was still hoping that they would change one day.”

“No.” I shook my head. “No matter how you look at it, I was in the wrong too.”

Or rather the bastard that owned this body was in the wrong. I felt a distinct headache as I wondered how long I would have to keep cleaning up Alexander’s messes.

Christine was silent for a while longer, then mumbled something I was barely able to catch.

“I’m scared.”

“Of what?” I asked, doing my best to sound gentle lest she clam up again.

“...I’m scared that I’m not good enough for him. Ms. Perrins said that Prince Jonathan will never be happy with me as I am now.”

“Ms. Perrins can shove a stick up her… nose.” I said angrily, censoring myself just in time. “You’re a wonderful young lady and anyone would be lucky to be with you. Even a prince.”

I patted her head. She flinched, as if unused to the sensation, but didn’t complain or ask me to stop.

If anything, being too much of a ‘proper lady’ was a disadvantage. Jonathan fell in love with a clueless (and often borderline incompetent) country bumpkin for crying out loud! He’s not exactly the type to care about things like manners or upbringing. Fall out of a tree onto his lap and you’ll be all he can think about for the next two weeks. Huh, maybe I can actually arrange that somehow…

However, sensing that Christine wasn’t reassured by my words, I suddenly thought of something different.

“Do you want to get married to him?” I asked.

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She shuddered. It looked like my guess was right on the mark.

“I won’t tell anyone, promise. You can speak freely.”

It was a while before she worked up the nerve to answer me.

“...I don’t know.” Christine said hesitantly. “For years that’s what I’ve been working towards. Mother and father expect so much from this engagement that my opinion has never mattered and I’ve never thought about any other path. Prince Jonathan is a good person, but...”

“But you don’t feel anything for him.”

Another lengthy silence. Then a tiny nod.

“There’s nothing wrong with him, I just wish I had a choice. I want something like what you have with Francesca!” A sigh escaped her lips, and luckily she didn’t notice my grimace. The girl continued speaking in a resigned tone. “Don’t worry, I know that we have roles to play. I’m not selfish enough to ignore our family’s needs. And almost nobody in our position marries for love, right brother?”

“That’s hogwash.”

“Huh?”

I made her turn to face me. Her still slightly red and swollen eyes looked at me in confusion.

“Didn’t I say that I’ll always be on your side? No one can ever make you do anything as long as I’m here.” I stuck my chest out proudly. “I am the next head of House Halesworth, and I say that my sister can marry whoever she wants. Our parents’ ambitions be damned!”

Lost in Love’s Christine must have felt completely trapped. Her only hope of ever gaining her parents’ approval was by marrying Prince Jonathan, someone she did not even like, and they made her feel like this was her entire reason to exist. Imagine a lonely young girl doing her best to live up to her parents’ ideals of a perfect lady. Imagine the countless hours - years - she devoted to fulfilling that twisted goal, ignoring her own wants or dreams, until finally her hard work paid off and she was engaged to him.

Now imagine some random lass from the countryside, the exact opposite of what she trained to become, swoops in and steals Jonathan’s heart in a matter of weeks.

Everything Christine sacrificed up to that point was under threat. The approval she desperately sought from her parents would morph into scorn and blame. “How could you let a common mutt snatch him from you!? You disgraceful waste of a girl!” She’d become the biggest laughingstock of the academy and the upper class, unwelcome even in her own home. All sorts of terrifying scenarios must have played out in her mind and she had no one to turn to for help.

How pitiful… while it doesn’t excuse her bullying of Mary, I’m not surprised that she ended up going a little nuts in the game. But I will never let that happen in this lifetime.

Christine was still staring at me blankly, so I smiled and tried to fix her tousled hair. I only succeeded at messing it up even more, but thankfully she had yet to notice. Damn buns, how do they work?

“Marry whoever you want. You don’t have to worry about anyone’s happiness other than your own, understand? And if anyone tries to say otherwise, leave it to me. That’s what big brothers are for.”

Finally the girl’s expression gave way to a tiny smile. She sniffled and pulled out a handkerchief again.

“You know,” Christine said, turning away from me to hide her slightly watery eyes, “I’ve been thinking this since earlier, but you’re really good at spouting really embarrassing lines without flinching. I didn’t expect you to be so thick-skinned.”

“Oh shut up.” I reached around and lightly flicked her on the forehead.

“...But thank you. I feel a lot better now.”

And for the very first time since coming into this world, I heard her laugh.

It was nothing like her cruel, sardonic laughter in the game. This was a beautiful and incredibly gratifying sound, the kind of innocent girlish giggle I would have never expected to hear from her just a short while ago.

Ahh, so cuuute! How could this little sweetheart ever be a villainess?

Barely resisting the urge to smother her with another hug, I thought about what I should do from now on. Cathartic as this heart to heart may have been for her, we’ve got years of neglect and loneliness to make up for. I can't waste this chance or she might retreat back into her shell. But how should I begin cheering this girl up? After thinking about it for a while, I smiled as the perfect idea came to me.

“Right, how do you feel about going to Cassador with me sometime this week?”

“Hm?” Christine looked utterly puzzled as she tilted her head.

“I was planning to get you a gift from there, actually, but it might be more fun if we just shop for something together. It’ll be a fun brother-sister outing!”

The girl sank into thought for a few seconds, before smiling and nodding with genuine anticipation.

“Yes... I think I’d like that.”