Chapter 95

‘What am I doing right now?’

Looking at the back of the siblings heading to the courtyard with her arms folded together, Ellenia was briefly engulfed with a serious sense of shame.

‘What’s wrong with me?’

After turning five, she had stopped snooping around at her own house and spying on others.

Contrary to how she decided to turn around and return to the dinner hall, Britannia’s ice princess was already discovering herself secretly and quickly following them.

She didn’t even know what she was doing.

Just because of Izek’s request?

Because Rudbeckia seemed weird before?

Regardless of what she was possessed by, she wasn’t thinking of letting her go, such a strange intrusive feeling that was scratching a corner of her nerves all day.

It was a reason that wasn’t even funny…….

“Ahem.”

Elenia turned her head away in anger at the sound of a low cough from behind her back.

Then she saw a flower-like paladin with meaningful glistening green eyes.

There was a moment of silence.

“If I didn’t know Sir Ivan well, I would have thought you were watching me.”

“If I didn’t know My Lady well, I might have thought she had a crush on the crown prince of the South.”

Was he teasing her?

Ellnia looked straight at Ivan’s smiling face for a moment, but soon fixed her mind and let out a short sigh.

“I wonder if her brother…?”

“Yes, to the princess……?”

“If this is the case, I don’t know why he attended the match in the first place. He should just have stuck to her.”

Ellnia seemed genuinely annoyed. It was just that irritating.

She didn’t know why and swallowed the reason hovering in her mouth, as Ivan followed her quietly.

“I guess they went to look around the gla.s.s garden.”

“…….”

“Princess?

“……I don’t know what I’m doing. Ruby would be very displeased if she knew. It’s pathetic.”

“There’s another person we’re going to feel pathetic about. Isn’t Iz the one who is evil here in the first place?”

“He told you to keep an eye on Romangnan envoys, but he didn’t tell you to spy like this.”

“What do you mean? But there must be a reason, right? If you have something, it must be a good reason. Okay then.”

Ivan, who added softly, suddenly stuck out one arm.

Ellenia stared at the arm for a good moment, and finally opened her mouth.

“Yes…”

“Let’s go. We’re out for a walk in the garden.”

* * *

Was this how a child felt when he saw someone breaking into their precious secret place?

This was not a precious secret place, and my brother didn’t invade without my will, but if I had to compare my current feelings, it would probably be similar.

Of course, Cesare, who didn’t know how I felt, was just looking around with an interested face as if he were really curious about the appearance of the garden.

“What’s that? Ruby, I don’t think you’d play there.”

That was the meaning of a doll house.

Oh, my face is suddenly burning.

“Of course not. Princess Arien often came to play with her friend and brought it in.”

“Princess? Oh, that one. You seem to be quite close to her.”

“Rather than being close…. She likes this place. It’s also her cousin’s house.”

“Everyone knows that the n.o.ble Omerta cannot recognize a half hybrid as a relative.”

Somehow, it was a disregarding tone.

He could have said something softer about a child, but he was not a human being who could have such common sense in the first place, so I just smiled vaguely.

Besides, it was not only Cesare who thought like that.

What Freya said to me the other day was in a similar context.

Until she became close to me, Arien had never had a private relationship with Omertas.

In the original work, there was no such thing at all, so I set everything. Phew. Poor Arien.

“Well, we would be in a similar situation if our father hadn’t been in his current position. It would have been better than being treated as pagan blooded beings, but still.”

Why was he pretending to look after himself?

I stared back with my eyes wide open.

Cesare stood with his arms folded and stared at the waterfall fountain where water poured out coolly.

“That’s why father wants to hand it all over to me.”

“…….”

“Of course. I know that’s a given…”

While his voice subsided dimly, his fierce blue eyes also flickered.

Oh, I didn’t know why he suddenly became grumpy.

Seriously, the people around me are all the same. I looked like a foal running among them, right?

Was there not a single adult person who was mentally healthy, hard-willed, and strong?

Whether it was the past or the present…… Or was I the problem?

No matter how normal he was when he was with me, there was a curse that caused serious mental problems?

c.r.a.p, that sounds like something very possible.

“Even if Father wasn’t the Pope… Brother would have become something great. I know.”

I was used to going back and forth in his conversations, but I couldn’t get used to the strangely bitter atmosphere, so I said it cheerfully.

Apart from my feelings, such an ambitious and capable jerk would have become something without his father’s power.

Cesare, who took his eyes off the water, slowly looked back at me.

The face of the man he faced looked bitter and lonely, complicated feelings in him.

He really looked like my older brother from my previous life. Not only the appearance, but also his behavior and this att.i.tude.

“Do you really think so?”

“Of course, of course. Honestly, I don’t think I’d be much different than now.… The same goes for you.”

“Sometimes I think we might all be happier than we are now if our father had not been the Pope.”

“…….”

“Especially you and I. Sometimes.. I just want to quit everything and run away to a small island far away with you. Where no one knows who we are and no one will interfere.”

There was silence.

I was speechless. I had to react appropriately, but strangely, it felt like my head was turning white.

Why on earth are you saying such nonsense that doesn’t even fit in? What are you up to?

No, it wasn’t something he was up to.

The reason I was speechless was purely because I knew he was serious now.

It’s ridiculous and I was really curious about where he put his conscience… It was not like I didn’t know he was crazy, but what is this feeling of being beaten hard on the back of my head?

While I was so frozen, Cesare turned from the fountain and looked around the gla.s.s dome wall where the sparkling sunlight poured out.

When I saw it, I felt strange as if I was seeing a different person.

“You’re definitely a great catch, regardless of whether you’re clumsy or not. I didn’t know I’d be swayed by this kind of thing.…. He’s a formidable man.”

What does this mean?

I quickly came to my senses. Whatever it was, I just had to endure it safely until tomorrow.

As I strengthened my mind, he held my hand again and slowly turned toward the entrance.

“Honestly, it’s not that bad. The Romagna house garden is much more colorful.”

“Fancy isn’t everything. You must be very happy here.”

“Well…”

“Don’t you think so?”

“Huh?”

“Are you happy here, Ruby?”

Tell me the true meaning of happiness written in your dictionary.

You could call it happiness, and even though I don’t know when I’ll be able to sleep, it’s much better than when I was in Romagna with them. I was less worried about dying.

It is not right to die soon or to get caught by him.

I stopped and glanced at him sulkily.

“I don’t know why you ask me that.”

“Is that so?”

“What do you mean! I’ve been saying that I want to be the Lord’s bride since a long time ago. If that wasn’t the case, I wouldn’t have been sold so easily just to get separated from my brother.”

He glanced into my eyes.

I think he’s trying to see if I’m serious or not. Or…

“You don’t know what happened inside the walls of the monastery.”

It’s about when I was young again. The pulse is a little off. Do you want to bring up another story of saving your sister who was abused in a monastery as a hero?

“What do you mean I don’t know? I was in the monastery when I was young.””

“It’s different from that. Besides, I was young. After becoming a real nun, you probably won’t even get to imagine how to live.”

Oh, it’s an unexpected reply. For a moment, I even misunderstood that you were seriously worried about me and stopped me. Ah, you’re so kind.

“I can’t be a nun anyway, can I? I just said it because my brother asked a strange question.”

“That’s weird…?”

“Of course, it’s weird.”

“Then is what I said weird too?”

“What are you talking about?”

“I said I wanted to quit everything and run away to an island with you.”

What’s wrong with him?

As soon as I tried to control my facial expression and chose the appropriate words, he said again. Just like this time.

“Father asked why not devour the North altogether while we’re at it. You gave me an unexpected move.”

I felt my body stiffening.

My hands held together flinched, and my breath also became ragged.

What did you just say…?

Whether he expected my reaction or not, Cesare looked down at me with a calm look and continued in an extremely dry manner.

“If you go beyond being a princess and become the queen, the high-spirted north will no longer be able to help.”

“…….”