Raising the Princess to Overcome Death

Chapter 201: The Beggar Siblings - The Runaway Wife

201. The Beggar Siblings - The Runaway Wife

The morning air was heavy. Thin rays of sunlight streamed through the cracks in the window. The princess, who typically enjoyed sleeping in, slowly lifted her eyelids.

The uncomfortable bed had disturbed her sleep. Though soft, the rough pillow had woken her up, and as she tossed and turned, she blinked open her golden eyes while still lying down.

"Have I been kidnapped?"

This was wartime. Knights from the Aisel Kingdom had infiltrated the rear and roamed the territory. She might have been taken hostage in her sleep.

Nervous, the princess hesitated to move. She wiggled her toes to check her body's condition and cautiously turned her head.

It was a room. A room filled with the sweet scent of perfume mixed with floral fragrance. It was a room filled with faint memories.

The princess was bewildered.

But as she slowly sat up, Lena realized where she was.

It was her sister Jenia's room.Last night, her sister had laid out bedding on the floor for her, and she had fallen asleep there. It seemed that Jenia, as always, had put her in bed and gone out for her morning exercise.

"As always?"

This should be my first time here...

Confused, Lena began to tidy up the bedding. As she folded the bedding on the floor, she realized she had forgotten where to store it.

“Oh my, you’re up?”

Just then, as Lena wandered around with the large blanket in her arms, Jenia entered the room. Fresh from her morning exercise, she greeted her and changed her clothes.

Lena bowed slightly. This time, it wasn't the usual polite bow with hands at her waist; there was a noticeable elegance in her movements.

Jenia flinched. She looked Lena up and down, noticing the change from last night, but Lena just returned her gaze with clear eyes.

Something felt...

Jenia shook her head, dismissing it as overreaction, and led the dignified girl to the shower. After washing and having breakfast, they returned to the theater, and it was still morning.

“I have to work now. What will you do? If you can read, you could read some books here.”

“I’ll just sit.”

Books piled up in the corner of the actors’ dressing room, where actors began to gather. Lena sat on an old, worn sofa and blankly looked around.

The polished wooden building.

The various stage props scattered around and the passionate movements of the actors were familiar to Lena. She even felt a sense of nostalgia as memories began to surface...

It felt cramped.

Simultaneously, she felt it was too insignificant and cramped for her. What’s wrong with me? Lena thought it was because her brother wasn’t there, and she was throwing a tantrum.

She had a proper place to sleep for the first time in ages and had a warm meal, so tantrums seemed unreasonable, but she couldn't think of another reason.

Luckily, her worries disappeared when Leo arrived. Lena exclaimed, “Brother!” and ran to him.

“Hey, my sister. Did you sleep well?”

“Yes. What about you?”

“I slept fine.”

He dodged the question.

In reality, he had almost had a rough night, losing sleep over various concerns, and had narrowly avoided the landlord.

It wasn’t Leo who would have had a hard time if caught. He just didn’t want to cause any trouble.

“Where’s Jenia?”

“She’s over there.”

Jenia was practicing with other actors at the far end of the dressing room.

Leo waved, but she was too engrossed in rehearsal to notice. Not wanting to interrupt, he turned his attention back to Lena.

“What were you doing here?”

“Just sitting. Brother, I had a dream. It was so vivid, but I don’t remember it well...”

“...Really? What was it like?”

“I don’t know. It felt very busy.”

Lena gently touched her forehead, trying to recall. Leo felt a twinge of anxiety at her mature movements.

Lena’s growth depended greatly on her environment. Unlike the determined childhood friends Lena or Lena Ainar from her engagement scenario, Lena didn’t have a specific dream, so she tried her hand at whatever was available.

Under Cassia’s care, she became a shoemaker; under Jenia’s care, an actress. When she knew she was a princess, she became a duchess on her own.

She had talents for anything. Though these were hidden under the hardships of the beggar sibling scenario, once the dam broke, her abilities surged. The direction of this surge depended on Leo.

Utilizing this well would undoubtedly help in clearing the game.

But Leo didn’t want to use his sister. He didn’t want to exploit her, and he couldn’t handle the repercussions if things went wrong. The ‘Red Light District’ ending. He still couldn’t forget the picture of his sister, seductively posed.

‘Please... just live a normal, happy life.’

To clear the game, he needed to make Lena a princess, but he just wanted her to stay as she was.

Yet even Minseo’s simple wish was in jeopardy. In a single day, Lena had changed, and he couldn’t just be happy about it.

Moreover, who knew what other dreams she might have? What should I do? Her dreams might all be nightmares caused by my mistakes...

“Hm? Brother? What’s wrong?”

“Ah, nothing.”

Leo swallowed his sigh. He set aside his hopeless concerns and spent some time playing with his sister.

Leo wanted to continue playing with his sister, but he had many tasks to complete before leaving Orville in a few days.

‘I should get going,’ he thought, noticing a boy hesitating in the distance.

"Lena, I have to go now. I’ll be back this evening. Isn’t that your friend over there? Why is he just standing around?"

"Huh? Tian! Tian~!"

Lena ran off, her little feet pattering on the ground.

With his sister occupied, Leo left the theater without worry. Passing by, he remarked to the boy, "You must be Santian, right? Make sure you play nicely with Lena."

  *

"Never seen you before. Are you on an errand? What’s with the sword? Are you a squire?"

Leo arrived at Count Peter’s mansion. The guard blocked his way, demanding the usual papers an errand boy should have, like a delivery note or an entry pass, but Leo had none.

He didn't have time to waste making such things either. Leo silently drew his sword.

"What are you doing...?!"

Leo's sword crackled with energy. The guard’s eyes widened. Leo wasn’t about to take the long way when he had this convenient means at his disposal.

He wasn't sure what problems showing an aura blade might cause, but he’d be leaving soon anyway. Leo addressed the startled guard.

"Tell Count Gustav Peter that Leo is here. Describe me, and he will understand."

It would have been convenient to meet the Count immediately, but Leo had to undergo one more round of scrutiny.

The guard, too scared to approach the Count directly, brought the butler. Leo displayed his aura blade to the butler as well, which finally got him escorted to the parlor.

A few knights eyed him warily and with surprise, but he had gotten through relatively easily. Unlike in the past, where he always needed some token to meet a noble, he could now enter estates by force if necessary—and even do so peacefully.

“Please wait here. I’ll fetch the Count. May I ask what this is about?”

“I’ll explain to the Count directly. Tell him Leo is here. If he doesn’t understand, show him this necklace.”

Leo handed over a necklace with the symbol of his mother, Ainass de Yeriel. He wasn’t sure if the Count would recognize it, but he could get it back later.

The butler hurried off, instructing a maid to bring refreshments before disappearing.

Leo relaxed on an embroidered sofa. Despite the knights still watching him, he paid them no mind.

This was his second visit. The first time, he had tried to win over Count Gustav Peter by leveraging his knowledge of the Cardinal Berg and their relationship, and referencing the Count’s actions from much earlier rounds.

When he became a royal guard and met the prince, he even had the {Barbatos’s Bracelet}, making him confident he could persuade the Count. But there had been a problem.

[Achievement: Baptism of the Saint – Leo gains the ability {Divine Perception}.]

Count Gustav Monarch was a man imbued with divine power, like a priest. The bracelet, based on Barbatos’s power, was useless against him, and mentioning his father made Count Gustav react provocatively, much like the Cardinal had.

What should I do this time?

Despite considering this, Leo wasn’t overly worried. The failure last time wasn’t due to failing to win over the Count but because he had kissed Princess Chloe and met Astroth, the ancient god-king of Bellita. The Count had said he would help.

Yet, Leo couldn’t understand the actions of the Count and the Cardinal. Despite being father and son, their relationship seemed very strained.

In the beggar siblings’ scenario, needing to defeat Oriax to reclaim their {Bloodline}, the Cardinal’s assistance was crucial. The person connected to him was in Orville, making it necessary to go through the Count.

‘What happened between them? Why do they hate each other?’

This time, Leo needed to find out. Being a Swordmaster, he should start with conversation rather than intimidation.

How to begin...

Leo tapped his fingers, recalling information about {noble society}. Before long, the Count arrived, even before the refreshments. Leo greeted him with a bright smile, skipping formalities.

"Baron Monarch, it’s been a while."

  *

Count Gustav Peter was writing a letter to his runaway wife. A year ago, the Countess had left home, shouting,

"You idiot! How can you talk to the child like that? I didn’t like you from the first time I saw you either!"

She vowed not to return until the issue was resolved and went on a trip.

It was frustrating. How could mother and child act so similarly? Still, the Count wrote to her regularly. Recently, she seemed to have calmed down and hinted at coming back. He was writing a reply to that effect.

In this world, it wasn’t common for a woman to stand up to her husband like this. But in the Peter family, Gustav Monarch’s position was a bit ambiguous.

In short, he was a consort. Although a noble of the Conrad Kingdom, he married the only daughter of the Count of the Bellita Kingdom and took her name.

Therefore, technically, the head of the Count’s family was the Countess, and Gustav Monarch was merely her husband. He couldn’t do anything about her leaving.

Even if he divorced her, he would be the one leaving the estate, not her.

Of course, neither of them wanted that. They still loved each other, and the current conflict was only about their child.

Gustav was writing, “I’ll have eighteen flowers ready for your return,” when he thought she might prefer a painting. He was pondering the final sentence when the butler burst in.

“Count! A Swordmaster is here to see you.”

“Herman Forte? What brings him here without a word? Ask him to wait a moment.”

“It’s not Count Forte! It’s a young man...”

What?

The butler seemed shocked by the appearance of a young Swordmaster, but Gustav was stunned for a different reason. This was no time to be writing letters, so he hurried to the parlor.

He was right; the young man was who he thought. Though unexpected, his hunch was correct.

Leo de Yeriel.

The supposedly dead prince of his homeland stood before him. Gustav tried to mask his surprise, but the prince didn’t allow it.

“Baron Monarch, it’s been a while.”

“...Do you remember me?”

‘I should have asked, “Who are you?”’

The prince didn’t miss the slip.

“Ah, you remember me. I remember you too. I was worried because I was so young when we met. It’s a relief. Shall we sit and talk?”

“...Yes, let’s.”

Silence ensued.

While waiting for refreshments, Count Gustav tried to gauge how to handle this dried-up prince, and Leo opened with light small talk.