Noble Blood
Of course, Lumiela had never seriously intended to drag me away. She was simply a little angry at my reaction and had only played what she considered her own version of a 'prank.' But the words I said to her afterward... went far beyond her imagination.
'Noona? What the hell...'
Lumiela's snow-white face flushed crimson. What, what on earth... The corners of her mouth unconsciously curled into a foolish grin. It was a word so pleasant it made her lower belly tremble.
"S-stop it, please."
The woman who had been pressing me with perfect composure suddenly turned demure. I was thrown off balance.
'What...? Did it actually work that well?'
I'd only said it half on survival instinct, but her reaction suggested it had landed far more effectively than I'd dreamed.
Just as I was thinking I'd somehow survived another crisis, the moment I actually stopped, Lumiela spoke in a voice that sounded almost pleading.
"...Will you call me that one more time?"
"Huh?"
"That title you used earlier..."
'The title from before...'
It had felt far too ticklish, so I'd naturally switched to something else.
"Ah, Big Sister."
"......"
Lumiela's expression turned icy again.
"...Noona?"
"Mmm..."
Rub rub— Lumiela pulled me onto the bed with a delighted face and began kneading my cheeks. I let her fuss over me for a while, my mind going completely blank.
'...How the hell did it come to this?'
After moving to Lumiela's bath, this was the result. If you looked only at the outcome, I had succeeded in conquering Lumiela in less than an hour.
In the original story, Lumiela hadn't appeared often, but every time she did, her distinctive coldness and absolute 'rationality' stood out. Because her personality was so starkly different from the heroine Olivia, she had enjoyed considerable popularity among the original readers.
'Well, that's all before the drift, though.'
I laughed bitterly as I accepted her touch. Lumiela was currently handling me like a doll, touching me everywhere and hugging me tight. I'd been through so much of it that resisting felt like too much effort, so I simply surrendered my body to her.
Lumiela was well aware that touching a man's body so freely was rude, but under the excuse that I was her 'younger brother,' she lightly ignored such etiquette. Of course this was impossible between normal siblings, but Lumiela had never properly felt human warmth since childhood. To her, interacting with me was more important than anything else.
'It's only natural for a noona to take care of her little brother...'
After a long while like that, Lumiela returned with a rather serious expression and asked me.
"Ian, so what do you plan to do now?"
She wanted to spend more time with me, but it was time to decide how to handle my situation.
'...I wish she wouldn't ask while hugging me like this.'
Lumiela currently had me sitting on her lap, arms wrapped around me. It was an incredibly awkward position, but I didn't bother arguing and answered honestly.
"I suppose I should return to my hometown, Catabel. Living there, finding suitable work and just getting by..."
"......"
Lumiela's face distorted.
"...Does that even make sense? How could someone born with noble blood like me possibly do such vulgar work!"
Nod. As if satisfied, Lumiela stroked my head.
"That said, now that I have my 'younger brother,' revealing my identity right away would be difficult."
'Is she talking about Alex?'
The Third Prince, Alex von Lebeus. Recalling the Alex from the original work, I felt a sour twist in my gut.
'That one isn't normal either.'
As destruction drew nearer, the Emperor and Evangeline spiraled into the extremes of madness. After the empire fell, even Olivia went insane. In the midst of it all, Lumiela left the empire and vanished toward the 'end' of the continent. At a glance it seemed the entire imperial family had caught some collective mental illness, but among them Alex was the relatively normal one.
Of course, Alex wasn't truly normal. If I had to put it nicely, she possessed a rather trivial hobby for a prince.
'Prince... no, rather than prince. Sigh.'
Recalling the original story, I clutched my head. On second thought, the entire imperial family seemed far from sane. I set my thoughts aside for now and spoke to Lumiela.
"I believe it's still too early to reveal my identity."
The very claim of being royalty had come from a misunderstanding. Rather than keep explaining, it would be smarter to pretend to accept it and quickly find an escape route.
'I need to get out of here as fast as possible.'
Besides, whether I was real royalty or not, the empire wouldn't last another five years. I couldn't stay trapped in the palace like this. I hid my true intentions and crafted a plausible excuse.
"For now, how about I observe the situation from outside the palace and step forward when the time is right? For example, after my sibling ascends the throne."
If I appeared after Alex officially inherited the throne, even if I were a direct descendant, would he really care? It would take quite a long time, but it was feasible.
"...Not a bad idea."
Lumiela seemed to think it was practically the only option.
"Right?"
But when she saw my expression, an ominous feeling seemed to strike her.
'Surely not.'
Ask anyone in the empire whether they'd choose the life of a servant or a prince, and all one hundred would pick the latter. But if it was me?
She looked at me with meaningful eyes, as if she'd guessed something.
"Ian. Isn't that right?"
"Huh?"
Suddenly a cross-shaped pattern rose in one of Lumiela's eyes. A sign of the Magic Eye.
Lumiela knew my resistance level well. But what if she raised the output just a little 'more'?
The golden Magic Eye began to glow so intensely it revealed its full brilliance. She had drawn out power close to her maximum. It was dangerous enough to risk triggering an awakening, but that was how desperately she wanted to hear my true feelings.
Her Word Spirit activated once more.
"Tell me honestly. Right now."
'Fuck.'
A corridor filled with solemnity and splendor. The Fourth Princess Evangeline coldly watched her blood relative approaching from afar.
"Third Prince?"
"E-Evangeline. Why do we keep using honorifics? You can just call me Brother..."
Third Prince Alex von Lebeus. She muttered in a timid voice.
"That can't be. If you have no business with me, may I leave now?"
"Uh, uh, yes..."
Evangeline didn't show it on her face, but inside she was pouring out every curse she knew.
'Retarded and incompetent. How can something like that be my brother?'
The person Evangeline hated most in the imperial palace was Alex. Since childhood, Alex had not only failed to be born with the Magic Eye, but her timid personality and small frame had made her a constant target of subtle ostracism. Of course no one dared openly disrespect a prince, but everyone avoided her all the same.
One might expect pity for such a sibling, but Evangeline was congenitally deficient in empathy. She simply saw Alex as a stain on the imperial bloodline.
"E-Evangeline..."
Alex wanted to stop her departing sister, but lacked the courage. She slumped her shoulders and returned to her own palace.
Step, step—
When the dejected Alex reached her room, her appearance began changing in an instant.
Crack—
With the sound of bones and muscles shifting, her height shot up to that of a tall adult.
"Mm, maintaining the Bone Shrinking Art really is exhausting. I should collect more useful martial arts from the Eastern Continent..."
Third Prince Alex von Lebeus. She was one of the empire's hidden powerhouses. And what Alex enjoyed most was—
'How should I act next time?'
Pretending to be weak.
'...Honestly?'
I instinctively realized I wouldn't be able to resist her power this time. Even if I tried, it would take time. Her ability was already active. My mouth was slowly opening on its own.
'My body is already restrained, so immediate escape is impossible. In that case...'
I needed something to seal my mouth in the shortest time possible. Raising both hands was too slow. The only thing within reach that could block my mouth was...
A single insane idea flashed through my mind. Did I really have to go this far...? But the scope of 'speaking honestly' was simply too wide.
The fact that this world was a 'novel' and the future events that would unfold. Both carried enormous consequences, but the biggest problem was that I had transmigrated into this body. Strictly speaking, the current me and the previous 'Ian' were completely different beings. If Lumiela realized that, she would obviously kill or subdue me on the spot.
So the method I came up with was to use the Lumiela right in front of me.
I hesitated for a brief moment right before executing it, but—
'Can't be helped. I'm sorry.'
After apologizing inwardly, I immediately pressed my face toward her.
"Huh...?"
Lumiela was startled, but before she could react, my lips touched hers.
Chu—
The only way to seal my mouth. It was Lumiela's own lips.
Serena finished her 'sparring' with me and, dragging her exhausted body, called out to Bianca.
"Bianca."
Seeing Serena soaked in sweat, Bianca recoiled in horror, but of course she couldn't outpace Serena.
"U-uh? W-why... I really didn't do anything wrong this time..."
"Bianca. Saying it like that makes it sound like I scold you every single day."
"S-sorry..."
"Anyway... I've been wondering for a while. Since you have a Magic Eye too, doesn't that mean you're from royal blood as well?"
"Uh, yeah? I guess?"
"Then why are you so awkward with Olivia?"
It was a question Serena had harbored for some time. They clearly shared the same blood, so why did they treat each other like complete strangers?
"Who knows...?"
Bianca had never once considered the matter, so she simply tilted her head. At that exact moment, the silhouette of a massive fox appeared behind her.
"The bonds between imperial family members are practically nonexistent."
"Chunja?"
"....."
Talian had grown so tired of the nickname that she no longer felt like arguing.
"From the beginning, the Magic Eye is a heaven-defying power never meant for humans. No matter how much you refine the bloodline, it's impossible to avoid side effects. In the end, a beast is still a beast. For example, every emperor in history has been famous for their eccentricities."
"Are you really from the Eastern Continent? How do you know all these details...?"
"This seat is not from there... Hoo, explaining it now is simply tiresome."
Grumbling, Talian turned away as if sulking.