Raising the Princess to Overcome Death

Chapter 331: Beggar Siblings - Purpose

330. Beggar Siblings - Purpose

In the dim, early morning, Nella woke with a start, opening her eyes. Immediately, she wrapped her arms tightly around her husband lying beside her.

It was partly the sweetness of newlyweds, but mostly the need for warmth. Despite all the preparations they had made to endure the brutal northern winter, there was no way to completely block out the cold.

Autumn was only just ending, yet it was already this chilly.

Clicking her tongue, Nella gave her beloved husband’s belly a gentle pat before collecting herself and getting up. Pulling back the thick quilt her parents had given her, she felt the crisp bite of the dawn air.

Time to head out.

As she stepped out of bed, the floor crunched underfoot. They couldn’t afford a carpet... just straw.

To insulate against the cold seeping up from the ground, they’d made a mat of straw to keep their shoes from freezing. Nella slipped her feet into her shoes and, wiping her face dry with her hands, tossed a handful of kindling into the dying embers in the fireplace.

“Honey, wake up.”

She woke her husband and then poured some milk to warm in their single, precious iron pot. Once she had set out a simple meal (she didn’t eat herself), she hurried to get ready to leave.“See you later.”

Out the door at the crack of dawn, her husband surely wasn’t pleased, but Nella had no choice.

There was no one else to look after the viscount. The new maid had run off.

Nella braved the frigid morning wind and entered the lord’s castle, a place little more than ruins. The guard was dozing.

As the head maid, she scolded the guard awake before heading straight to the viscount’s chambers. He probably hadn’t been able to sleep...

‘Huh?’

When she opened the door, she found the viscount fast asleep.

Could he have finally managed to doze off?

Seeing the melted candles piled up on the bedside table and books scattered around, she figured that must be the case. Gently, Nella lay down beside the viscount, as was her usual routine.

This was her duty.

The viscount couldn’t sleep without a woman by his side.

When she first started working here, she was utterly shocked. She thought she’d been hired by some scandalous noble in need of a bedmaid and had felt close to tears, thinking, What on earth am I supposed to do?

She even thought of fleeing, but then worried about what would happen to her tenant farmer parents. With a heart burdened by the weight of a thousand stones, she had reluctantly entered his chamber.

But, as the viscount had promised her (and though she hadn’t believed him initially), he never laid a hand on her. He would simply fall asleep if she lay beside him.

So she had stayed by his side for years...

‘And now I’m married.’

Nella looked quietly at Viscount Bretin Sauer’s sleeping face.

What use is it being a noble?

Trapped by the past, he can’t even sleep. Poor man.

At that moment, the viscount groaned and turned over, and Nella was about to gently tap the bed to signal her presence when his eyes shot open.

“Oh dear, you’re awake? I’m here now. Please, go back to sleep.”

“...”

Bretin looked at Nella intently for a moment, then let out a deep sigh, either in relief or resignation, and sat up.

“Is it morning?”

“Yes. I just got here. Huh? You’re getting up?”

“...Seems like I managed to sleep a bit. Prepare breakfast for me.”

Nella blinked in surprise but smiled brightly and rushed off. Bretin pulled back the thick winter curtains, staring blankly at the bed now awash in sunlight, as a cold, metallic scent of dried blood filled the air.

Tearing his gaze from the bed, he instinctively reached for a bottle of liquor. But instead, he spotted something peculiar.

A long, triangular candlestick, typically used for rituals, was lying on the floor near the door.

‘What’s this doing here?’ he wondered as he picked it up and carried it out of the room. The candlestick found its way back to its place far down the hallway, where it stood beneath the portrait of someone he missed terribly, yet wished he could forget.

“...”

Later, Bretin asked Nella, who brought in his breakfast.

“Where did our guests sleep last night?”

“Well... let me think. Ah! Prince Yeriel is staying in a guest room on the first floor, and the princess chose the room at the far end of the hall. I assigned the maids to my old room, while the attendant and knight are in the annex.”

“Hmm.”

“...Did I assign the rooms poorly? Actually, I didn’t make the arrangements—the maids did it themselves. Should I ask them to move?”

“Absolutely not.”

Bretin’s response came with a start.

“This is your first time dealing with royalty, isn’t it? These guests have extraordinarily high status. Even I can’t just rearrange their room assignments. Also, it’s not Yeriel but Yeriel, the rightful heir of the Conrad Kingdom.”

“Even though this is your castle?”

“Let’s just say... it’s better to avoid offending them. I don’t know what business a prince from the Conrad Kingdom has here, but it wouldn’t do us any good to be disrespectful. So be cautious.”

“Yes, sir! I’m just happy that you slept well and didn’t drink any alcohol this morning.”

Nella’s response was cheerful.

Royalty or not, to her, there wasn’t much difference between nobles and commoners.

In fact, Bretin wasn’t too concerned about the prince who’d come from a distant kingdom. He simply thought, ‘The lord’s castle will be bustling for a while...’

Much like how the princess had wandered into his room in the dead of night, probably having lost her way.

He had planned not to worry about whatever the prince was here for... but it wouldn’t be long before he realized how naïve that thought was.

Diallo Brina.

The prince had brought along none other than the second son of the Viscount Brina—a man Bretin never wanted to see again. A fiery glint appeared in Bretin’s eyes.

---

“Why did you bring him along?”

Lean asked Ray on the road. Ray shrugged, looking equally clueless.

“I don’t know.”

“What do you mean you don’t know when you’re the one who brought him?”

“I mean, I don’t know why he’s needed. I just felt he might be, so I brought him along, and as for how it happened...”

To sum up Ray’s explanation:

After receiving a message through the mirror, Ray had woken up.

He, who possessed memories up until the 20th cycle, where Astroth had descended, was overwhelmed by how everything had turned out just as he had wished.

His mother was alive.

The Kingdom of Aslan had never been torn apart and continued to uphold the legacy of the ancient Maunin-Reti kings and queens, while Avril Castle was peaceful. Even his father, who used to spend his days buried in books, was actively serving as a knight.

Savoring this miracle, Ray spent several days relishing the peace, carefully observing all the changes. He’d even gained a younger sibling, a change likely resulting from his mother’s survival, and Dehor was no longer a Grand Warrior.

Aside from that... Wait!

It was then that he discovered that Avril Castle’s lord had changed.

Avril Castle was now under the rule of the Kazak Barony.

It had previously belonged to the Kazak family but was confiscated after the Nine Days’ War due to their alliance with the Kingdom of Aster. The estate was seized following the war, and the king had appointed a new lord to govern it in his stead—none other than Diallo Brina.

Considering this notable shift, Ray decided to pay the lord a visit.

Avril Castle was now governed by Daniel Kazak, the heir of the Kazak family. Ray found him to be a cheerful but somewhat stubborn lord.

The opinions about him were generally positive.

He had a tendency to handle matters strictly by the book, likely due to his youth, but he also showed respect toward the Ainar tribe, which comprised the majority of Avril Castle’s population.

This was in line with the ancient wish of Maunin and Reti, who had championed the tribe’s autonomy.

However, this respect for the Ainar tribe had been the case even before the change in lordship. Ray saw Daniel as merely a replacement for the previous lord and shifted his attention elsewhere.

So, where had Diallo Brina gone? Upon further thought, Ray remembered that he and Diallo shared a connection.

After all, Lean had recently requested that Diallo help facilitate a smuggling operation that Viscount Brina had been planning.

Ray had a hunch that the change in lordship might be a clue.

Not the current Viscount Diego Brina or his eldest son, Diuro Brina, but the second son, Diallo Brina, might be crucial for the task Lean had requested help with.

With that thought, Ray set out to find Diallo Brina.

Though he didn’t know exactly where Diallo was, he could use his {tracking skills} to locate him. After giving his parents a convenient excuse, he summoned Kus and set out on his journey. Before long, he found Diallo Brina.

However, the Diallo he encountered looked quite different from the man he remembered...

“So, that’s why you brought him along.”

“Ugh, why’d you cut me off right at the end?” Ray complained, glancing over his shoulder at Lean.

Seated in the back of Ray’s carriage was a gaunt man.

Rera, meanwhile, was gazing curiously at the prince, but regardless, the man sitting there was undoubtedly Diallo Brina. The plump, well-fed man of before was gone, replaced by someone who looked like he’d endured a hard life as a merchant.

It was the fate often shared by second or illegitimate sons.

In noble families, it was customary for the eldest son to inherit the family’s titles and wealth, while the second and third sons typically led lives that were hardly different from commoners.

They had an initial advantage, having received a good education and decent resources, making it possible for them to lead successful lives.

But in reality, this rarely happened. Though they knew that their surroundings would change one day, it wasn’t easy to prepare for it, and those who were suddenly thrown into the world of commoners often struggled to adapt.

It seemed Diallo Brina had been one of those.

Ray arrived at his conclusion through deduction.

“Honestly, I’m still not entirely sure why he’s the one we need, but since he’s both a merchant and from the Brina family, he might be able to help us facilitate smuggling between Viscount Sauer and Viscount Brina’s estates. I think that’s why he’s ‘useful’ for us.”

“Hmm... That does sound plausible... Alright, bringing him was a good move.”

Lean said, tapping his upper lip thoughtfully. Ray recognized that habit instantly.

He always taps something when he’s mulling things over.

“What’s wrong? Something is not going well?”

“...Viscount Sauer seems to already know about Marquis Tatian’s plans. I tried to feel him out, but he drew a line and turned me down.”

“Oh.”

This time, Ray shrugged. There was a peculiar similarity in the way the two of them moved.

“Well, we’ll know more when we arrive. You said you only just got here?”

“Yesterday. I thought you’d arrive before me. Was Diallo Brina far away?”

“Not exactly. I took some time to have a little fun with Rera along the way. Oh, and I need to return before the year’s end.”

“Why?”

“Rera said she’d make me regret it if we didn’t get back by then. I might’ve dragged her along a bit forcefully... She’s pretty upset.”

Lean chuckled knowingly. Not because of Rera’s temperament, but because he understood Ray’s situation.

Ray had never been able to turn down Rera’s requests. For someone like him, a broken engagement was unimaginable... Suddenly, Lean asked,

“Come to think of it... you don’t seem angry with us anymore. When you saw Rev, you practically wanted to fight him. How far back do you remember?”

“...Up until Minseo returned.”

“Ah, so you don’t remember capturing Malhas. That makes sense, then.”

Ray was silent for a moment, watching Woody and Kus trot side-by-side before speaking.

“I’m sorry.”

Though he didn’t specify, Lean immediately understood that this apology was meant for Minseo. He remained quiet and continued driving the carriage.

After all, Minseo already knew.

Woody seemed to have taken a liking to Kus.