Chapter 3My Late Sister

The comments flickered nonstop.

【Oh god, don't tell me his sister has an eating disorder too. She's so frail, she'd never survive it. Is the villain doomed to be alone forever?】

【Please, Willow, just one bite! Your brother has no one else left! He's so scared right now his lips are turning white!】

【Ahhh what do we do?! Can the heroine show up early and save her?】

【Maybe she just doesn't like chicken porridge? What about a different flavor?】

Fred suddenly leaned in and kissed my cheek, his own face a ghostly white. He managed a strained smile. "I get it now. Willa doesn't like the chicken porridge, does she?"

"It's okay, I don't like it either. How about I go make you something else?"

I calmly played with my fingers, ignoring him.

Under the guidance of our cook, Mrs. Gable, my clumsy brother managed to prepare a small bowl of butternut squash puree. His nerves were stretched so taut that he instinctively bypassed his own aversion, scooping a bit into his mouth to test it first.

Sweet, smooth, and perfectly soft.

Fred’s hand trembled as he extended the small spoon toward me.

Please, Willa. Please don’t be like me. Don't… don't leave me all alone.

Mr. Evans and Mrs. Gable watched with bated breath. The comments bounced around, praying to every deity they could think of.

Meeting my brother's anxious gaze, I opened my mouth, let the puree slide in, paused for two seconds, and slowly swallowed.

A collective sigh of relief filled the room.

Mrs. Gable chuckled. "Well, what do you know. It seems our little miss will only eat what her brother makes for her."

Fred’s tense shoulders relaxed, and a brilliant smile bloomed on his face as he offered me another spoonful.

I tilted my head, my big eyes blinking up at him. The next second, the butternut squash puree came right back out.

The smile on my brother’s face froze.

The comments, which had just been cheering, went completely silent.

"Willa, what's wrong…? Is… is something not right?" His smile was more painful than a grimace.

I stared at his spoon, saying nothing.

He wrung his hands, thinking hard for a long moment. Then, he picked up his own spoon, took a large bite while fighting the urge to gag, and hesitantly offered the small spoon to me again.

With everyone watching, I slowly swallowed the puree.

He repeated the process three more times.

And each time, I obediently swallowed my bite.

Mr. Evans slapped his forehead in a moment of revelation, his voice shaking with excitement. "Master Fred! She's copying you! She's learning how to eat from you!"

"From now on, just take a few bites yourself before you feed her, and she'll eat without a problem!"

The comments whispered amongst themselves.

【Is it just me, or does it feel like the little sister is doing this on purpose?】

【You know, you might be onto something. When has the villain ever eaten this much? This is probably more than he eats in a month.】

【Don't be ridiculous, she's only two years old.】

【I think it's possible. Don't forget, this is the kid who was supposed to die.】

【True… so all this back and forth was intentional? That little rascal! She's playing us!】

【Hahaha, this is great! Finally, someone can handle the villain. He never thought that after all his stubborn fasting, he'd one day be on his knees begging his little princess to eat.】

【Wait, no! If he keeps taste-testing everything, his anorexia will be cured! Then how is our Stella supposed to win him over?】

【That's disgusting! Why should Fred have to starve to death just to satisfy your heroine’s power trip?】

【Exactly! His eating disorder, his parents' death—it was all just a setup for her special ability. Hasn't the villain suffered enough?!】

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