The Unwanted Guest at Bledy Lake
“Why are you here, Serian of Cardion?”
The rumors about Serian spread like wildfire. The genius talent revealed by the youngest daughter of the Cardion family. While the family hadn't officially opened their mouths, rumors have a way of flowing naturally. It wasn't long before other noble houses caught the scent of the honey pot, and quite a few began proposing marriage alliances for Serian. Of course, the head of the house easily dismissed such absurd proposals, but it was difficult to decline invitations to tea parties or social gatherings.
While various families were eyeing Serian, a different kind of worry was rising within the Cardion household: a collective concern for the young master.
“May. Is the young master doing alright?”
“Ah, yes. In fact, he seems incredibly bright.”
Incredibly bright... Alfred, the butler of the Cardion estate, let out a sigh. It would have been better if he had at least shown anger or some form of expression. For a young child like the young master to hide his emotions might imply maturity, but it was equally dangerous. No matter how mature a child might be, this kind of deprivation is fatal to a young noble with high pride. How many times had a noble house been torn apart by such incidents? In truth, it was a common occurrence. How could one expect talent to be distributed exclusively to the eldest son, born of the same genes? So many noble families had collapsed due to conflicts between the first and second sons, or the eldest son and the eldest daughter. It was a primary source of strife among the nobility.
As the butler of the Cardion family, he could never take this lightly.
“From now on, report everything that happens to the young master to me.”
“Understood, Butler!”
The current situation was something even the head of the Cardion family, his master, was wary of.
“What kind of ripple will this cause in the family….”
Whether Lumiant of the Cardion family would turn into a ruthless tyrant or eventually succumb to Serian—neither path promised happiness for the household staff.
My life had changed significantly since Serian awakened her talent. The tutors who used to be attached to me had long since moved to Serian. I was barely performing the remaining training, and even that was being blocked by the servants.
My plan was slowly coming to fruition.
“Young Master! Please, take a break now.”
“You are overworking yourself too much.”
If it were the usual atmosphere, they would have praised me, saying, “As expected of the Young Master! So diligent!” Now, they were startled if I even twitched a finger. Did they not realize that such behavior might actually irritate Lumiant? To the servants, it was their own way of being considerate, but this behavior was likely what tormented the original Lumiant. Of course, for me, it was a boon. An older brother who tries his best but is forced to refrain from training due to the servants' intervention? That wasn't so bad.
Now, my daily routine consisted of doing nothing but snacking, except for the bare minimum of training. Serian, however, was living the exact opposite life.
“Oppa…. Save me….”
“You’ve worked hard, Serian.”
“Can’t you do my studies for me instead?”
“I don’t think that’s possible, is it?”
“Eh….”
There had been efforts to separate Serian and me, but regardless of those efforts, Serian would sneak into my room and bury herself in my arms.
“Why does everyone tell me I’m so amazing?”
“Well, that’s because your talent is incredible, Serian.”
“I don’t know…. Oppa is much more amazing than me.”
That’s because your talent is truly incredible, that’s why.
“Oppa won’t be like that, right? Dad and Mom are the same…. Everyone treats me like I’m a different person.”
It would be difficult to treat her like the past, no matter how hard one tried. Even in my previous life, people always had high expectations for children who studied well. It was natural for the child who studied well to feel burdened, and for the child who didn't to feel jealousy and inferiority toward the beloved child. But if, suddenly, the greatest talent on the continent appeared—not just someone who was good at studying—the way people treated you would inevitably change, even if you didn't want it to. In a normal sibling relationship, this was the perfect recipe for a fallout. Serian probably wanted to rely on me for that very reason. And Lumiant would have felt even more inferior to a Serian who relied on him. If the younger sister he already found unpleasant to look at kept clinging to him, her affection might have stabbed at his heart even more.
But who am I? The symbol of pacifism. There was no way I would cast away the guaranteed future that was currently clinging to me.
“There’s no way I’d be like that. Serian, are you scared I’ll change?”
“Yeah…. Does Oppa think I’m a genius too?”
Of course. If you aren’t a genius, who is? I barely managed to swallow the words rising to my throat. If I said that, Serian’s expression might crumble, and she might burst into tears.
“Serian, were you worried about that?”
“Mm….”
“I told you I’d scold you if you worried about things like that.”
“But….”
“I won’t change. I swear.”
“Really?”
“Of course.”
Serian held out her pinky finger to me.
“They said if you make a pinky promise, you can’t take it back.”
“Where did you see that?”
“I don’t know? I think it was in a fairy tale book?”
This damn romance fantasy. A pinky promise in a fantasy world like this.
“So, are you going to do it or not?”
My younger sister’s eyes dimmed coldly, and the light in her pupils vanished for a moment, but I didn't pay much attention to it.
“Of course I have to. How could I refuse you?”
As Serian whined, I hurriedly hooked my pinky finger with hers.
“Are you relieved now?”
“Yes!”
Only after hooking our pinkies and pressing our thumbs together did Serian lie down with a relieved expression. To think that such a promise would last a lifetime—should I call her innocent? After that, my day ended with listening to Serian’s whining.
How many days had passed since then? It was during one of those boring days.
“Young Master, today is the day of Lady Serian’s social gathering.”
“Has the time already come?”
A social gathering. It was a meeting that wouldn't have taken place at Serian’s age originally. The time for a debutante in high society was around sixteen, requiring much more time. In the case of light social gatherings, they often started around the age of ten. Considering Serian’s age, it wasn't an exaggeration to say this was a bit early. In fact, not just a bit—it was a lot.
However, Serian was a candidate for the next Archmage. In that situation, Father and Mother had started this gathering with the intention of easing the attention of the surrounding nobles.
“Was I supposed to be hiding somewhere?”
“Hiding, sir? …You are welcome to participate, Young Master.”
“Forget it.”
No one would say anything if I participated. But no one would welcome me either. This event was likely one that would have chipped away at Lumiant’s pride in the novel. The comparison with his talented younger sister, and the attention that should have been poured onto him going to her instead, was enough to wound the pride of a young heir. Even if I were a different person from the original Lumiant, it wasn't a party I necessarily had to attend. The further I distanced myself from this kind of high society, the more it would serve as proof that I had no desire for Serian’s power.
“The others are also waiting for Lumiant-nim to participate.”
“You don’t have to tell such lies, May.”
“That’s not it….”
May tried to comfort me with a worried voice, as if she were concerned.
“I’ll just be training my swordsmanship at the lake, so please prepare a mat for me.”
“Shall I prepare sandwiches as well?”
“That would be even better.”
I didn't want to get involved in such common tropes. I grabbed the sandwiches and mat May had prepared, along with my sword, and headed to the lake.
I arrived at the lake shortly after. The lake next to the Cardion estate castle was famous as a landmark of the territory. It had appeared briefly in Serian’s episode in the novel. After my neck had been severed. The protagonist patting the back of a grieving Serian, and Serian being moved and influenced by that protagonist. The background of that episode was this territory’s lake, Bledy Lake. I visited it often, but the scenery was truly artistic.
“So relaxing.”
Spreading the mat over the grass and looking up at the sky, all the worries of the world disappeared. If I could just live like this, that would be enough—what more could I want? Still, out of conscience, I had to train. If I didn't even do swordsmanship training here, I might really be discarded, left behind by the family. There were few noble heirs who lived like trash and were discarded, but it wasn't as if there were none. In the novel, my neck had already been cleanly severed once. I had to be more careful.
I shoved the sandwiches May had packed into my mouth and swung my sword. How much time had passed? Just as I began to feel my whole body heating up, I felt a gaze I didn't usually notice. The only people who would come here were May and Serian.
“May? Is the tea party over?”
“….”
“Serian?”
Who is it? I called out a few more names, but there was no answer to my words. A presence was clearly felt, but they were pretending to be empty. An assassin? I was too useless to be a target for an assassin, wasn't I? Could it be that Father had started a scheme to ensure no future trouble would arise? I swallowed hard, but I couldn't feel any killing intent. It was probably just a small wild animal, like a rabbit. I hoped there wouldn't be any animals like bears. If it really were a bear, I might have to prepare for death.
I was about to approach to chase away the wild animal.
“Wait a moment!”
I was more startled than anyone when a person appeared in a situation where a rabbit should have popped out.
“I didn't mean to watch you secretly! So…. I was just trying to rest, and I heard this lake was a famous spot….”
The person who popped out of the bushes was someone I hadn't expected at all. The corners of her eyes gave off a cold impression even at a young age. And her golden, shining eyes sparkled so much I wondered if they contained actual gold nuggets. Her jet-black hair, dark as the night, reached down to her waist. The main villainess of the novel I had possessed. One of the main antagonists, Arcien Harben.
“So this is!”
Where did the villainess who tormented and lashed out at the female lead go? There was only a young child, stupidly gesturing as she tried to make excuses for the situation to me.