Part 2 Begins
Part 2 Begins
Where is this.
With a hazy mind, I looked around. More than that, my head hurts.
Just as I thought I wanted to drink water.
"You filthy bastard! You should covet what you're meant to covet, yet you dare try to steal what's mine?!"
Suddenly, a loud voice reached my ears.
Who was shouting so loudly?
Frowning, I felt a strange familiarity. I clearly seemed to know him, but who was that man?
"Why is this yours? You don't have the qualifications. Above all, you haven't even proven it."
The woman's voice that followed was the same.
A calm yet chilling voice.
That voice also sounded familiar, but for some reason, I couldn't recall it.
"I am the true heir of the family! Unlike you, my blood is pure and clean!!"
Listening quietly, I found it absurd and let out a laugh.
To maintain a family, skill was necessary, and before skill, lineage was no longer valued.
I too was willing to give up the heir position anytime if my younger sister wished it.
"Stop your tyranny."
"That's right. The head of the family has already made a decision."
"You bastards...!"
Look at that. It seems the man was obsessed only with lineage and had no skill to speak of.
It seemed no one would step forward for him.
"This family is mine! Not that lowly bastard—I should inherit it!!"
The man resisted to the end.
But the tide had already completely turned.
"It seems all you have to boast about is that precious lineage of yours."
"How dare you, how dare you!!"
"Then try to beat me. If you can take it, go ahead and take it."
There was no one on the man's side.
As I listened to the conversation, I gradually felt I knew who these two were.
"I'll make you regret it. The empire that didn't choose me, the family, and even you—I'll make you all regret it!"
That disgraceful, pathetic, incompetent man was me.
".... Go ahead and try. Though I'm not sure if you'll ever find the moment to regret."
And the opponent was none other than my younger sister...
"It was a dream."
Waking up drenched in cold sweat, I was greeted by the now-familiar ceiling of the dormitory.
Sighing, I couldn't understand why I had such a dream.
Surely, this was the first time I had a dream like this.
Then my gaze turned to the table.
"Could it be because I received a letter from my younger sister after a long time?"
My younger sister, Mary Wiesent.
Unlike me, born from the legal wife, she was a girl who might have come from somewhere our father brought her.
Who her mother was remained unknown, but father registered Mary into the family without any explanation.
"I wonder how she's doing."
Usually, bastards are treated coldly. Mary, whose lineage wasn't even known, was ignored even more, but I cherished her.
-Do, Doryeonnim?-
-From now on, call me orabeoni. And let's eat together too.-
-.... Why is that?-
-What do you mean why? You're my younger sister.-
Because in my original life too, I was an only child, so a newly acquired younger sister was very welcome.
-Oh, orabeoni... No, this isn't something I did...-
And above all, I was the one who early on discovered the talent Mary possessed.
Power and ability that far surpassed me.
For some reason, Mary tried to hide her abilities from everyone.
But I revealed them completely to the family.
That the future of the Wiesent family lay with Mary. Having no desire for the title, I thought Mary should inherit it for the sake of the Wiesent family.
That way, the Wiesent family would be safe in the future.
-I have no intention of becoming Margrave. The only next successor of Wiesent I recommend is orabeoni.-
But that shattered because Mary gave up.
-I cannot accept anyone other than orabeoni, so please know that.-
Rather, thanks to Mary's strong support, I ended up with the heir position I never even imagined.
"I wonder how much stronger Mary has become in the time we've been apart."
Since morning had started, I decided to put off replying to the letter and got up from my seat.
'It'll be fine to reply later.'
"Good morning, Aniel."
"Did you sleep well?"
The morning was no different than usual.
I trained briefly with Aniel and also had breakfast together.
"Allen. Good morning."
"I greet the Imperial Princess."
"I'm here too."
"The Saintess has come as well."
However, there was one change.
The person I was having breakfast with was not only Aniel.
After passing the re-examination, Lucia and Lily also started using the dormitory cafeteria.
'What if Iris were here too?'
For better or worse, Iris had a lot of morning sleep and couldn't join.
"Do the two of you find the dormitory cafeteria to your taste?"
I can eat anything well, but what about them?
One is royalty who only eats the finest things, and the other is someone equivalent to royalty.
"To become Emperor, I should know how others live, don't you think? And I'm not as picky as you think."
"When I donate porridge and bread to people on the streets, I also eat with them. This is rather luxurious in comparison."
There was nothing I could say since they said so.
"It's not just a flower in each hand, but how many flowers?"
"Dazzling again today."
"We have to acknowledge Allen at this level."
But I couldn't get used to these stares.
Even just eating with Aniel drew considerable attention, but now with those two also here, it felt like everyone in the cafeteria was staring.
'Surely, if such beautiful flowers are together, it's natural to attract attention.'
Even at morning, they were beautiful flowers with hardly any flaws to find.
Having breakfast with such flowers made me feel a bit nervous.
"More than that, until when will you call me Imperial Princess?"
"Your Highness..."
"Isn't it common sense for friends to call each other by name?"
What was more difficult was them.
"I suspect you might not have been thinking of me as a friend."
"How could you say that? I truly consider the Imperial Princess a precious friend."
Seeing Lucia who looked about to sob sadly, I said hastily.
That we are friends. So please don't cry.
But then her attitude changed as if she had taken the bait.
"Then why do you call only Aniel by name?"
"That's..."
Whether publicly or not, I had been calling Aniel by name.
Almost no one made a fuss.
Because she had kissed me on the cheek in front of everyone at the class notice board.
I turned my head and stared at Aniel.
Hoping she would help me out a little.
"Delicious today too."
But Aniel was avoiding my gaze.
Even she, the only one who could help, must have nothing to say.
[Aniel Windelof: Affection 57]
By the way, how did that affection level get even higher after the cheek kiss?
"Allen. Then try calling me by name."
My gaze turned back to Lucia.
[Lucia Cratia: Affection 35]
Looking at her, who had an affection level of 35.
".... Lucia-nim."
"Drop the -nim."
[Lucia Cratia: Affection 36]
Why is the affection level rising? Does this count as my defeat too?
Puzzled, I reluctantly complied with her request and said.
"Luci, a."
[Lucia Cratia: Affection 37]
It rose again. After confirming the increased affection level, I lowered my gaze and looked at Lucia.
"Well done, Allen."
A smile lingered at the corner of her lips.
'How many people would see that smile and not think it's beautiful?'
It was beautiful. Very much so, no less than Aniel.
Even though I felt awkward calling her by name, it was somehow nice.
Because it felt like I got closer to you.
"Allen. You'll tell me too, right?"
"Se, Saintess?"
As if there's a mountain beyond a mountain, this time Lily spoke up.
Lucia alone was enough, but now Lily too...?
"Perhaps you dislike me?"
"How could that be!"
Saying I dislike the Saintess - that would be a disaster if anyone heard.
As I hastily denied it, Lily smiled with crescent-shaped eyes and said.
"Then call me by name. I want to be called by name, not Saintess, at least by you."
Was the dream I had this morning a trigger?
I feel the day is unlucky.
With no escape route in sight this time either, I raised both hands in surrender.
"Then I'll call you Lily."
Like with Lucia, I omitted the -nim since it was obvious she wouldn't accept it, and Lily was genuinely delighted.
"Hehe, I should be satisfied with this for now."
"Saintess, what did you just say?"
"You just serve your precious goddess. Don't harbor any other thoughts."
But I was flustered by her following words.
Satisfied? What does that mean?
Even Aniel and Lucia, who had been quiet, were now sending wary glances, but Lily, seemingly unbothered, looked only at me.
"Now, say ah. As a commemoration of being called by name, I'll feed you myself."
"Saintess!!"
Am I imagining the battlefield atmosphere?