Perhaps her adorable little sister had been waiting for her, because after just two short knocks, the door was opened by a smiling high school girl.
There was something strange about her smile, though. It wasn't just that she was happy to see her, no, it was almost as if she had won a war or something?
Samantha shook her head with a smile. What was she thinking? Her little sister did look quite smug and proud, with her cheeks slightly flushed and her eyes glittering in delight. It was very cute.
She wished she could take a photo, but Emilia would probably throw a tantrum if she tried to do that.
Spotting the stacks of books and the still lit phone on the table, she had either figured out some difficult problem or won an argument with some friend. How cute.
Unfortunately, there were graver matters she had to deal with today, or she would have loved to gossip about whatever it was that made the little girl so happy. It was such a pity, but she would at least try her best not to affect her little sister's mood.
"Hi~ Sam, come in!"
"Mhm."
Unlike the rest of the mansion, Emilia's room had its floor completely covered in soft white fur. As Samantha took off her indoor shoes to step inside, she immediately felt more at home here than she did in her own room.
The nostalgia hit her like a truck. Just how long had it been since she last stepped foot in here?
She still remembered how her little sister had picked one of the smallest rooms in the mansion because she insisted on having a soft and cozy 'nest' to play in. Although it was small, somehow it felt so much more comfortable than her own room.
Unfortunately, her little sister's objective of playing in this soft and cozy nest had always remained unfulfilled. The only peer she was chasing had always given her the cold shoulder, after all.
Perhaps Samantha was the only one aside from the staff and her parents to enter her little sister's room.
She wished she hadn't let her sister get close to the Amos guy, maybe they would have remained close then. Wouldn't it have been so much fun to play in this room, make it their secret castle, have a lot of fights?
Unfortunately, an opportunity missed is an opportunity gone.
'Well, even if I'm already an adult and she won't want to play with me anymore, she did make some friends now. She's still young, maybe she'll fulfill her dreams of playing around in this 'little soft fortress' of hers soon, hopefully.'
Emilia looked at her elder sister strangely as the girl just kept looking around without speaking a word. She did not even take a seat after entering the room. She simply stood there, looking lost.
Oh, but there really wasn't much sitting room here. Since there was only a single table chair and no sofas, maybe she was confused?
"Don't just stand there, Sam, here, you sit there on the bed, I'll take the chair!"
Samantha realized she had been lost in thought for too long, and followed her little sister's instructions with a sigh.
'What a ridiculously soft bed!'
Wouldn't her little sister have back problems if she kept using this thing? But she couldn't bring herself to scold her into changing it either.
'Hm… I should secretly have it replaced later. But let's deal with the matter at hand first.'
"How has school been to you, Emilia, all good?"
Emilia smiled, her eyes bright. "Very good! I met three really nice girls, and I'm even going to have one of them tutor me from tomorrow."
Samantha sighed. As expected, she's oblivious, which is not a bad thing.
"Oh, good, that's good. If you have any troubles or need anything you should definitely let me know."
Her little sister seemed to have just remembered something important, and clapped her hands in excitement.
"Actually, now that you mention it, I did have something to ask of you!"
Samantha smiled. "What is it?"
Emilia looked a little shy. It was a bit of an unreasonable request, after all, but she didn't have to be particularly virtuous or reasonable as a villainess, right?
"Can you maybe arrange a shower room for me and my friends in school? You know how I've been going to Dixie's grandpa for training these days, and then it's a bit hectic to have to come back just to take a shower before going to school, and it also takes too much time. So… is it possible?"
"How can such a little thing be an issue? Since my little sister has asked, just consider it already done. You and your friends can directly go to school after dojo from Monday morning, I'll take care of everything."
Emilia breathed a sigh of relief. She had been slightly worried how to get it done, but looks like her elder sister was more reliable than she gave her credit for.
"Thank you, Sam…"
Samantha shook her head, her smile a little less genuine than before. "Small matter. By the way… have you encountered any other… uh, problems?"
Emilia tilted her head, as if wondering what she was talking about. Could it be that something happened on the business side of things? Was the Black Tiger family making some moves?
"I don't think so, is anything wrong?"
Her elder sister breathed a sigh of relief.
"Mhm… alright then, nothing's wrong, don't worry."
She then bit her lip, but finally couldn't help herself. Even though she had wished to keep her little sister always innocent and out of the muddy waters of the corporate world and high society, but she couldn't do that anymore.
It was better for her to get involved and learn how to take care of herself than be caught off guard in some place she couldn't protect her. At the very least, she had to make her own choices.
"Actually, I've been thinking, you've always chased after Amos before and never bothered with integrating into our circle, but now that you don't care about him anymore, how about it?"
Emilia blinked. "You mean getting involved in the business matters?"
Truthfully, she wouldn't actually mind getting involved, but currently she already had her hands full. She wasn't sure how well she would do with even more on her plate.
Samantha shook her head.
"No, more like socializing with people in our circle. Opening up some connections, getting to know others."
Emilia smiled. If it was just this much, then it's no big deal. "And what exactly does that entail?"
"Mhm, well, occasionally there are parties and stuff you can attend. Usually, it's either mom or myself attending them, since dad hates that kind of stuff. But if you're interested, you should also attend some."
Emilia nodded. "Alright, I don't mind going. Just let me know when and where."
Samantha sighed. She had half hoped that Emilia would actually reject it, but oh well, it was her sister's choice.
"Alright then, tomorrow night there's one. I'll take you there."
Emilia smiled. It was better if her sister was around to watch out for her for the first time. She could definitely be more comfortable this way.
"Cool. I'll be ready."
Her elder sister didn't look so convinced. How could her little sister be prepared already?
"Really? Do you even have a dress ready?"
"Plenty!"
Samantha bit her lip. "No, I mean, a party dress. Although there is no formal dress code tomorrow, you can't dress casually or people will give you strange looks. So you can't just wear anything, okay? Should we go shopping tomorrow?"
Emilia looked a little helpless. Of course her elder sister would doubt her, because if it had been the original villainess in her place, she really wouldn't know what to do right now.
"Oh I know, Sam. Don't worry, no need to go shopping with me, I know what to get myself. Besides, my weekends will be slightly busy with both dojo and tutoring, the party is already enough. I won't have the time, maybe another day?"
After a little back and forth, Samantha could only helplessly give in to her stubborn little sister.
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Samantha had left Emilia's room with a smile, but as soon as the door closed, her gaze turned dark and chilly. The housekeeper was still waiting for her with a phone in hand as she descended the stairs.
"You got it?"
The butler bowed deeply as he handed her the phone.
"Rest assured, miss, there will be no more mistakes."
She smiled as she saw the message on the screen.
"Good.. Let's see how those little bitches handle the consequences of trying to lay a hand on my sister."