I Became the Younger Brother of the Villainess

Days passed like this, repeating over and over.

I grew increasingly anxious about needing to win over my sister while also feeling stressed by the lack of progress. Yet, I kept those frustrations to myself, refusing to show any signs of struggle in front of her.

As these days of routine and stress accumulated, something changed.

The steward came to see me.

“Master of the night, great Head of the Chepes family, I greet you.”

Honestly, that greeting always feels excessive. It’s so over-the-top that it makes me cringe.

“Have a seat.”

“Yes, my lord.”

The House Head trait is an advanced form of the Nobility trait.

When I open my status window, “Head of the Chepes Family” is listed as my highest title. While only 「House Head」 appears, in truth, it encompasses several other titles, such as Duke of the Empire, Lord of the Chepes Territory, and other minor designations.

The “Chepes” in “Head of the Chepes Family” refers to our identity as vampires, whereas the “Chepes” in “Lord of the Chepes Territory” signifies the surname granted to us by the Empire.

When the Empire bestowed a title upon our house, they also incorporated the name “Chepes” into the noble register, differentiating between the vampire Chepes and the noble Chepes.

That my status window prioritizes “Head of the Chepes Family” as the highest title over “Duke of the Empire” signifies our house’s elevated standing in the supernatural world. Among the three noble vampire families—Nosferatu, Draculea, and Chepes—ours holds the highest prestige.

That’s a lot of background, but in short…

The 「Nobility」 trait, which is a subset of 「House Head」, includes sub-traits like 「Dignity」 and 「Grace」. Ever since I reclaimed the title of House Head from my sister, I’ve found myself instinctively adopting a noble demeanor during formal meetings, even without realizing it.

Like now.

When dealing with the Blackwood steward seated across from me, I probably looked cold and distant. If I glanced at a mirror, I’d see a sharp, icy man staring back—a stark contrast to my usual self. My sister blushes whenever she sees me like this.

Anyway, as I wrapped up my thoughts, the steward cautiously broke the silence.

“Recently, there have been ongoing disputes along the border with the neighboring Hayley Territory.”

“Hmm.”

I nodded lightly, signaling him to continue.

Hayley?

“Yes… The first incident occurred about two months ago, but at the time, you were unwell, so I didn’t dare report it.”

“And since my return?”

“There was a lull for a while. We assumed the warnings we issued had resolved the matter. My apologies for the oversight.”

“It’s fine. That’s understandable… Hayley, you said?”

“Yes.”

The name sounded familiar.

I wracked my brain, certain I’d heard it somewhere before.

Hayley… Hayley…

Ah.

“Christina Hayley.”

The cousin and supporter of Luna Taylor, the heroine of the original story.

She was the only one who stood by Luna when my sister orchestrated her bullying by the academy’s noblewomen.

I remembered because my sister from the other world—an otaku shut-in—liked yuri and once asked someone to draw Christina and Luna as a GL pairing. That’s how I knew who she was.

But disputes? Why now?

“Are we seen as weak?”

“Absolutely not! The Chepes family is one of only seven ducal houses in the Empire. While other ducal houses have seen multiple changes in leadership, the Chepes family has remained steadfast. Our territory is among the most prosperous in the Empire. Chepes is—”

Of course. Trust a Blackwood to start praising the Chepes family. If I didn’t cut him off, he’d go on for 30 minutes.

“Then does the Hayley family have the power to rival us?”

“No, my lord. The Hayley family is merely a count’s house, much like the Blackwoods. As former border counts, the Blackwoods hold far more influence. The Hayleys aren’t particularly wealthy, either.”

“Then what’s the reason?”

“Well, I’ve heard there’s been significant turmoil within the Hayley family over the line of succession. Perhaps some opportunists are using the chaos to act as bandits.”

“I see.”

I nodded, signaling my understanding, and thanked the steward for his report. I instructed him to send another warning to the Hayley Territory and dismissed him.

Watching a dignified Blackwood bow and retreat always struck me as slightly pitiful.

But then again, they seemed to enjoy it.

When I’d once asked if they harbored any grievances, they’d proudly said they had volunteered for this role.

Apparently, since childhood, they’d dreamed of serving the Chepes family, excelling in administrative tasks and other responsibilities to stand out within their own house and earn this position.

So the Blackwoods send their best and brightest to other territories?

…

I wondered what it would be like to visit their home one day.

Though I wasn’t keen on going myself. Maybe I’d send my sister instead.

For the past six months, the Hayley Count’s household had not known a single day of peace.

Since the sudden collapse of Count Hayley, his two sons had been greedily consolidating their power, while the youngest daughter played both sides, testing the waters and securing her own advantages.

To make matters worse, even the Countess—who should have been concerned for both the Hayley family and their domain—was neglecting Christina Hayley, dismissing her entirely. Rumors among the servants suggested that the Countess treated Christina poorly because she wasn’t her biological daughter. Instead, the Countess openly supported her own children, pulling strings from behind the scenes.

Christina, now left with only a few loyal retainers, struggled daily with the chaos caused by her half-brothers. Rather than addressing state affairs or managing the territory, the brothers were entirely consumed by political infighting, leaving Christina to clean up after them.

Meanwhile, her half-sister, emboldened by their mother’s support, began actively tormenting Christina the moment their father collapsed—ignoring the fact that the Count himself had always protected Christina.

Christina seemed to grow more and more worn out each day.

Had she herself been illegitimate, had she lacked a legitimate claim, perhaps it would have been frustrating but not unjust. Yet, it was her half-siblings, the true outsiders, who were the ones disrupting everything.

Originally, Count Hayley had married Christina’s mother, a daughter of a prestigious marquess’s family. However, before the marriage, the Count had fathered illegitimate twins during a brief fling.

He kept their existence secret, marrying Christina’s mother and later having Christina. Only then did he secretly bring the twins’ mother—a woman from a minor baronial family—into his life as his mistress.

Though the Count had wanted to formally recognize her as his concubine, Christina’s mother vehemently opposed it. Reluctantly, he settled for keeping her as a mistress.

Still, there was no comparison between a fleeting fling and the love he had for his wife, a woman of high status and his true affection.

Count Hayley adored Christina and her mother deeply. Even after Christina’s mother tragically passed away young, and the Count later remarried the twins’ mother, Christina remained his favorite.

As such, Christina never hated her father—until now.

In this moment, she resented him.

Resentment that she could do nothing about.

Swallowing her tears, she worked tirelessly with her loyal retainers to manage the household and protect the domain, burning the midnight oil in the study.

With her departure to the academy looming, she couldn’t help but wonder how she would handle things then. But the overwhelming workload left her no time to dwell on that concern.

As Christina grew increasingly strained and weary, a letter arrived at the Hayley estate.

Notification from the Lord of Chepes

The Lord of Hayley failed in his obligation to thoroughly and sincerely investigate the numerous disputes along the Chepes-Hayley border. This failure persisted even after two official cooperation requests from the Chepes steward were ignored. Furthermore, the Lord of Hayley disregarded the formal warning sent directly by the Lord of Chepes.

This blatant disregard for the goodwill and patience extended by the Lord of Chepes is unacceptable.

One week from now, the Lord of Chepes will personally visit Hayley to demand an explanation.

Should no satisfactory or convincing response be provided during this visit, the Chepes family will take punitive action under the banner of the Crimson Raven.

The letter’s blunt and threatening language was devoid of the typical flowery eloquence expected of nobility.

Reading the letter, Christina felt as though she might faint.