My Step-Daughters Are The Villainesses

When the sisters learned that Ulrich had awakened, Esther was the first to move.

She rushed from Camellia’s chambers without a thought for the castle corridors, the guards stationed at every intersection, or the princess walking behind her.

"Wait, Esther!" Hermione called.

Airam followed at once, her expression calm but her pace swift.

Camellia did not run, yet she came after them as well.

Esther arrived first.

The guards recognized her immediately. One of them opened the door before she even managed to catch her breath.

"Lady Esther—"

She was already inside.

The first thing she saw was Ulrich sitting upright in bed.

He looked pale, his crimson hair slightly disordered hanging besides his stern face, and the bandages beneath his loose shirt were still visible at his collar and wrists. But his eyes were open. His expression was calm. He was alive.

Esther stopped.

Her blue eyes widened.

Then tears filled them so quickly that she could not stop them.

Ulrich looked toward her.

She rushed past Kaliantha without noticing the Queen was still present.

"Lord Ulrich!"

Esther collided with his chest.

She wrapped both arms around him tightly, pressing her face into the front of his shirt as tears began to fall in earnest. The movement caught Ulrich off guard. His arms lifted slightly, uncertain where to place them, while Esther clung to him with all the force her small body could manage.

"I—I was scared!" She cried.

Her voice broke.

"I—I was so scared! So, so scared! Hic!"

Ulrich looked down.

He had seen Esther upset before. He had seen her sulk when Hermione scolded her, cry when a story moved her too deeply, and become frightened in the first weeks after coming to Rubenhart Estate.

But he had not seen her cry like this since Anna-Maria’s burial.

Her shoulders trembled beneath his hands.

Her tears soaked into his shirt.

Ulrich did not know what to do.

So he placed his hands lightly on her shoulders.

"I am fine," he said.

Esther sniffed and raised her face.

Her eyes were red and wet.

"A—Are you?"

"I am."

Ulrich nodded.

The reassurance did not stop the tears. Esther only hugged him again, tighter than before, as though letting go would somehow cause him to vanish from the bed and return to the terrible moment when the poison had taken him.

Footsteps sounded in the chamber doorway.

Hermione and Airam entered together.

Hermione’s expression softened when she saw Ulrich awake. Relief showed plainly in her eyes, though she tried to hide it behind a composed posture. Then she noticed Kaliantha standing beside the bed.

Her body stiffened at once.

"Y—Your Majesty," Hermione said, quickly lowering into a curtsy.

Airam did not curtsy.

She looked at Ulrich first.

Then at Esther, still attached to his chest.

Then back at Ulrich.

"Are you all right?" Hermione asked him.

The question was awkwardly formal, restrained by the Queen’s presence. Under other circumstances, Hermione would likely have crossed the room already, demanded to know why he had risen, and what the hell actually happened that day.

But she stood where she was.

Her worry was obvious despite her effort to hide it.

Ulrich looked at her.

Then at Airam.

All three sisters were unharmed at least.

"I am," he replied.

Hermione exhaled.

"Come on, Esther," she said, approaching the bed. "You are bothering him."

Esther shook her head without releasing Ulrich.

"I—I want to stay with Lord Ulrich a little longer," she said, shaking her head.

"You are holding him too tightly," Airam said.

"I am not."

"You are."

Esther only pressed her face more against Ulrich’s chest.

Ulrich looked down at her.

"It’s fine."

She reluctantly lifted her head.

His hands moved to her shoulders, and he eased her back enough to see her face clearly.

"I am fine."

"R—Really?"

"Yes."

"You will not fall unconscious again?" She asked tearfully.

The question came out quietly.

Fear still lingered beneath it.

Ulrich’s expression softened, though only slightly.

"I will not," he said. "It was a small incident."

Hermione almost spoke.

A small incident?

Ulrich had been trapped inside a barrier with five demons. He had been cut several times, poisoned by a weapon designed to kill the Queen, collapsed in the ballroom, and required the royal physicians to work through the night.

But Hermione held her tongue.

Instead, she gently pulled Esther away from the bed.

Esther did not protest. The moment Hermione’s arms went around her, she turned and clung to her sister instead, crying with quieter relief against her shoulder.

Hermione held her close.

"It is over," she whispered. "He is awake now."

Kaliantha watched them in silence.

Then she looked toward Ulrich.

"Recover well, Lord Rubenhart," she said.

Her tone was formal again, the Queen returning fully to her voice. "We will speak later."

Ulrich nodded at her.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Kaliantha turned toward the door.

Then Camellia entered.

"Oh."

The princess stopped when she saw her mother.

For a moment, she looked uncertain. She had not expected Kaliantha to remain in Ulrich’s chamber after the sisters arrived. But Camellia quickly lowered her head in greeting.

"Mother."

Kaliantha nodded.

Camellia then looked toward Ulrich.

The soft concern in her expression changed into a smile.

"Lord Rubenhart," she said, "I am glad to see you awake. The physicians said you were recovering, but I wished to see it for myself."

Ulrich nodded once.

"I appreciate Your Highness’s concern."

"Hehe."

Esther wiped at her eyes with one hand.

"Princess Camellia really loved your gift, Lord Ulrich."

The room went still.

Hermione froze.

Camellia stiffened.

Ulrich’s eyes shifted toward Esther.

Kaliantha’s attention came back then.

"A gift?" She asked.

Camellia could not reasonably pretend she had not heard.

"Oh," she said.

A faint warmth reached her cheeks.

She reached into the small pouch she carried at her side and withdrew the pendant.

The camellia flower rested in her palm, suspended from its thin silver chain. Its pale pink petals caught the light filtering through the chamber windows, while the small gemstone at its center held a quiet gleam.

Kaliantha’s heterochromatic eyes followed the pendant.

Her expression did not change.

But her gaze remained fixed upon it.

Ulrich looked at the necklace as well.

For perhaps the first time since waking, he appeared briefly at a loss for words.

He had not expected Camellia to open it so quickly.

More importantly, he had not expected her to find it while he was still in the royal castle, let alone while Kaliantha, the three sisters, and half the people most likely to misunderstand its meaning stood in the same room.

Ulrich knew perfectly well what necklaces could imply when given by a man to an unmarried woman.

He had not been careless enough to ignore it.

But there had been no better form for the enchantment.

A necklace was difficult to misplace. It rested close to the chest, where it could respond to danger quickly. It was simple to conceal beneath formal clothing. And because a person felt its weight every time they dressed or moved, it was difficult to forget.

That was all.

It was practical.

Very practical.

Camellia held the pendant slightly higher.

"It is beautiful," she said softly. "And the enchantment is remarkable."

Ulrich’s gaze lifted to hers.

"I am glad Your Highness finds it useful."

"Very useful," Camellia said, widening her smile slightly. "I appreciate the care and thought you put into choosing my gift, Lord Rubenhart."

Ulrich inclined his head.

"I am glad it is to Your Highness’s liking."

"Indeed," Hermione added, her voice notably dry, "Lord Rubenhart clearly put a great deal of thought and time into choosing a gift for Her Royal Highness."

Ulrich glanced at her.

Hermione had already looked away.

Her arms crossed over her chest, and her expression had the stiffness of someone attempting very hard not to show that she was upset.

Ulrich understood none of it.

Or rather, he understood enough to know Hermione was displeased, but not the precise reason.

The pendant had been a practical decision. Camellia needed protection. The design suited her name, made the artifact easy to conceal, and allowed it to rest near her heart where the enchantment could activate without delay. Nothing about it had been needlessly elaborate.

Hermione, however, seemed to consider the matter personally offensive.

She had lived at Rubenhart for over two years.

Ulrich had given the sisters rooms, food, clothes, tutors, safety, and the freedom to live without hiding from every rumor and accusation that followed witches. He had made sure they could ask for books, materials, dresses, or anything else they needed.

Was that not enough?

If Hermione asked, he knew exactly what he would say.

He had given them a new life.

Surely that outweighed any jewel.

Yet, looking at her crossed arms and tense expression, Ulrich had the vague sense that this would not be an acceptable answer.

Esther, still half-hidden against Hermione’s side, watched the pendant in Camellia’s hand.

Her face carried none of Hermione’s attempt at restraint.

She looked jealous.

Not unhappily so. Esther was clearly pleased that Camellia had received something beautiful. But her eyes moved from the pink camellia pendant to the necklace at Kaliantha’s throat, and a small longing appeared in her expression.

Ulrich had bought jewelry for the three sisters before.

They had worn necklaces, earrings, and other ornaments to the royal celebration. But those had been purchased because formal etiquette required them to appear properly dressed. A noble’s wards could not attend a royal coming-of-age ceremony with bare necks, plain sleeves, and no jewels at all.

Those were not personal gifts.

Not gifts selected for one person alone.

Not a secret artifact crafted to protect them from danger.

Esther looked down at the floor, sulking a bit.

"You commissioned an artifact for my daughter."

Kaliantha’s voice interrupted the silence.

Her mismatched eyes had shifted from the pendant to Ulrich.

He met her gaze.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"And did not mention it."

Ulrich raised a brow, not understanding what she meant.

"It was meant as a coming-of-age gift," he replied.

The answer came out with the faintest trace of uncertainty.

Not enough for anyone else to notice, perhaps.

But enough that Ulrich himself noticed it.

Was he imagining things, or did Kaliantha look displeased?

No.

That would be strange.

Perhaps she found the gift too personal. It was understandable. A necklace from an unmarried Count to a royal princess could invite assumptions, especially after the court had already watched Ulrich dance so closely with the Queen and defend her with his life.

Kaliantha had every reason to be cautious.

Ulrich had no improper intent.

He needed to make that clear.

"I considered only Her Highness’s safety," he added. "The artifact was selected for protection."

Kaliantha looked down at the pendant once more.

"I see that."

Her answer was quiet.

Too quiet for Ulrich to understand what she meant by it.

The Queen’s gaze lingered on the camellia flower for one final second. Then she turned away from the bed.

Her gown swept softly across the floor as she crossed the chamber. Her posture remained as composed as ever. Her face gave nothing away.

"Recover properly, Lord Rubenhart," Kaliantha said.

Then she left.

The door closed behind her.

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