* * *
“Shall I kill them for you?”
Startled by the sudden eerie voice, Reibella lowered the catalog she had been staring at intently and gazed at the boy in front of her.
With eyes that seemed to burn fiercely, he gripped his sword as if ready to dash off somewhere at any moment.
At times like this, that word was indeed necessary.
Reibella called to him.
“Brother.”
“……Huh?”
At the title “brother,” his glaring eyes gradually softened, and even a subtle smile appeared on his face.
Should a protagonist be this easy to handle?
“Brother. I told you not to kill people recklessly, didn’t I?”
“Don’t know.”
His quick change from smiling to grumbling made him look exactly like an adolescent boy.
“Everyone has their reasons, so don’t worry about it.”
“How can I not worry? They’re insulting you.”
And for good reason—since the news spread that the mana stone mine would become Reibella’s property, quite nasty comments had been pouring in from both inside and outside the castle.
Starting with stories about a wicked fox sneaking into Vicheravali and stealing property, there were even claims that the survivor should also be punished for treason for not reporting information Felicity possessed to the imperial family.
How could a mere 7-year-old child discover a mana stone mine? If Felicity had obtained this information earlier, they would have excavated it sooner. Such nonsensical statements were spreading.
Following that, constant accusations erupted suggesting that Felicity had been concealing the existence of the mana stone mine to gather funds for rebellion, and that Reibella, as the successor, should not be taken lightly.
As the latter voices grew louder, demands to punish Reibella for treason poured in—their demand was to remove her, the actual owner of the mana stone mine, and surrender the property to the imperial family.
Of course, realistically, Vicheravali would not easily give up the mana stone mine, so they couldn’t speak openly about it.
Anyway, with all sorts of rumors continuously pouring in, it was natural for the atmosphere inside the castle to become unsettled.
“Perhaps we revealed this fact too early?”
“We can’t silence everyone’s mouths, Royan.”
It wasn’t that she hadn’t predicted this situation. When rumors about the mana stone mine spread, Reibella’s name would inevitably circulate.
That’s why the Duke of Vicheravali had cautiously suggested that since there would be no problem managing the territory even without the mana stone mine, perhaps they should wait and observe a bit longer before revealing it.
But Reibella had insisted that she didn’t care about rumors and that they should develop it immediately.
There were several scholars who went to investigate the mana stone mine, and there was a village nearby, so it would have been impossible to completely block the rumors anyway.
Moreover, for the sake of Vicheravali, who frequently went to war, she thought it was right to develop various weapons using mana stones as quickly as possible.
Besides, those weapons could also help Calyx.
“Once we spread the rumor like this, it will be easier to bring in people who develop weapons. They might even approach us first.”
She was willing to do anything to protect the home she had finally obtained. So being criticized a little didn’t bother her at all.
After all, wasn’t she the nation’s scapegoat?
“Reibella.”
“I’m really fine.”
Because now she had someone by her side who got angry for her sake, even more so.
“People who want to criticize will do so anyway. So don’t get angry. Rather……”
When she stared at Royan, he quickly relaxed his expression, raised the corners of his mouth, and made a ‘what?’ expression. Reibella asked him:
“Royan, is there anything you want as a birthday present?”
“Birthday present?”
“Yes. I heard your birthday is the day before the festival. I just found out today.”
Everyone was busy preparing for the upcoming festival, so she hadn’t known that the day before was Royan’s birthday.
How surprised she was when she accidentally found out this morning that his birthday was in two weeks!
The reason she was looking at catalogs now was also because of Royan. She wanted to give him a birthday present for the first birthday they would celebrate together.
But out of her desire to treat him well, she hadn’t been able to decide what to give him. He probably already had everything ordinary, and there wasn’t enough time to create something new.
So she decided to just ask. A surprise gift could wait until next year.
“Hmm……”
“Her Highness is not an option. I can’t bring him to you.”
At Reibella’s preemptive strike, his face instantly turned red. Seeing him flushed like a well-ripened apple was truly endearing.
“Do you like Her Highness that much, brother?”
When Reibella asked teasingly, his face turned even redder. Seeing this, Reibella couldn’t help but tease him once more.
“How much do you like her? As much as the sky and earth? Is your heart deeper and wider than the sea? You must want to see her right now. Should we go to the capital now? Your face is very red—what if you explode in front of Her Highness?”
It had been a long time since she had teased someone like this. Perhaps that’s why it was so much fun. She even laughed at her own words.
Meanwhile, Royan was fidgeting with his fingers, looking quite flustered. It seemed awkward for him to hear someone else speak the words he had kept in his heart.
“W-well, I don’t plan to meet her now anyway. I’m still… lacking……”
“Tsk! I told you not to say such things! What’s wrong with you, brother? You’re handsome, smart, and good with a sword—what are you lacking?”
When Reibella passionately defended him, the corners of Royan’s mouth slowly turned upward.
Seeing this, Reibella felt sad for no reason.
She couldn’t forgive that bastard who had killed the self-esteem of and abused this cute and lovable protagonist.
She thought she should quickly deal with him and instill dreams, hope, and love in this timid child.
‘Alright. I’ve decided. I’ll give him the Marquis as a present.’
As a birthday present, if she attacked that bastard just as Royan had done in the novel, wrapped him up nicely, and handed him over, it would be a very meaningful gift.
……At least that’s what she had been thinking.
“What? He’s ruined?”
They say Marquis Pueblo is ruined.
Why?
‘He’s supposed to be ruined in Part 2, isn’t he?’
The reason Royan, after gaining power, had kept him alive until the events of Part 2 was simply because he was his mother’s blood relative. So he had kept him alive, and before killing the Duke of Vicheravali, he had dealt with him to confirm that no blood ties remained in himself.
But why was he already ruined?
Reibella looked at Charlotte as if asking if it was true, but she merely nodded.
“Did the Duke do this?”
“Yes! That’s…… Ah!”
Charlotte was about to say something but seemed to catch herself and closed her mouth. Her lips were moving as if choosing her words.
Feeling frustrated, Reibella asked again.
“What is it?”
“What Miss said is correct!”
Something felt off.
“Does Royan know?”
“Um, yes. He knows.”
As soon as she heard the answer, Reibella jumped up and headed to Royan. Whether it was a consideration when assigning rooms after moving to the main building, Royan’s room was again across from hers.
She flung the door open and entered, finding Royan holding his sword. He appeared to be preparing to go out for afternoon training.
“Royan!”
“Are you coming with me again?”
Having participated in the morning training, Royan showed an expression as if he had received an unexpected gift.
Instead of answering, Reibella hugged him tightly. Then, looking at his face again, she asked:
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Sister, your brother is always fine.”
“How can you be fine? I heard the Duke took care of Marquis Pueblo. And you knew about it?”
“Ah.”
Royan looked at Charlotte, who had followed, with slightly surprised eyes. Then, with a relieved expression, he grinned.
“My sister was worried about her brother! I’m happy.”
“Still.”
It was the death of someone who was nothing but a nightmare to him. The sense of liberation from his death would be momentary, but the wounds he had left would undoubtedly remain and torment him for a long time.
She remembered how in the original story, even after succeeding in his revenge, he kept ruminating over past wounds, and her heart ached.
“……Are you really okay?”
“Yes. Because that person is no longer my family. Whether he’s thrown in the imperial prison or never comes out, it’s none of my concern.”
……He’s not dead?
‘In the novel, the adult Royan killed him……?’
Although it was a different ending from the novel, Reibella thought this was actually better.
Even as an adult, he suffered so much—for a child to take such revenge. She was glad Royan wasn’t hurt.
Reibella hesitated for a moment before declaring to Royan:
“Brother. I’ll make you the happiest person in the world.”
Even though he was a male protagonist who would reach a happy ending anyway, she wished there wouldn’t be even small wounds on the way there.
“……Can I be happier than I am now?”
“Of course. I’ll definitely make you happy.”
At Reibella’s confident declaration, Royan smiled brightly.
Looking at his pure smile, Reibella thought she should quickly deal with the elder council first for this innocent and naive brother.
“Brother, just trust me.”
I’ll make you walk a path of flowers, Royan!
- ianthe
remember to support the authors everyone~ (๑'ᵕ'๑)⸝*
Gladiolss
I like the plot of this novel, it’s really different from the others but impressive.