Volume 2 - CH 13

“You’ll really stop right?!”

I was crying. I was crying like I had way back when.

I was glaring at a man who was still a little pale while half delirious and screaming.

“You’re misunderstanding the situation, Aime. Please, stop crying?”

Rille-nee has been patting my head for a while but I still wasn’t at ease.

It was a terrible surprise!

I can’t believe that the General was pinning Rille-nee down in the garden.

I remembered the terror of my childhood as soon as I saw them and exploded in all sorts of ways. It had been a very traumatic experience for me.

“It’s a misunderstanding, really. I fell down on Owen-sama.”

It’s just like a scene in a typical love story.

How did you fall when you were only standing? You might have a brain anomaly if you fall down so much. And why is the General here? Isn’t he WORKING?!

“Please… don’t fall in front of men, Rille-nee.”

“Huh? Okay, I’ll be careful.”

I’ve never given someone this kind of warning before. I’m seriously begging you Rille-nee. You don’t seem to know what I mean. I also don’t know what I’m talking about either.

“Now, apologise to Owen-sama, Aime.”

Rille-nee said and I bowed my head to him.

I didn’t believe I would have been forgiven with just an apology since I could have been thrown into jail, but he forgave me in a strained voice, “I-it’s alright.”

He must have acted big-hearted because Alec and the others are here. I stared at him some more.

He must have done something when they fell, so he was going to do something.

Isn’t he forgiving me because of his guilt? Otherwise, how could he keep quiet about the fact that I had kicked him in his private parts because of a misunderstanding?

I don’t really know how much it hurts since I was a woman in my past life and I still am one, but I’ve heard that it’s beyond imaginable. I remember my brother in my previous life telling me that it was like having your internal organs come out of your body.

I almost forgot where I was and was about to hit him again and again when Rock and even Alec came out to stop me.

Well, I’m glad he forgave me. I would hate to be arrested for kicking the General in the groin. It would definitely go down in history as a weird fact.

“You must be the sister, Aime.”

General Owen looked at me calmly despite being pale. He’s tall which made it somewhat difficult for me to talk to him.

I heard that he’s still young.

Perhaps because of his royal blood, he had bright blonde hair, almost amber like Alec’s, and he had good features. He also had a firm body.

He wasn’t bad looking, but what about the rest of him?

“I heard a lot about you from Ridill. I’ve always wanted to meet you. ――― You have the same eye and hair colour as your sister. It’s almost like I’m looking at Ridill when she was younger.”

Of course, we’re sisters, so we do resemble each other a little.

But I can’t have you using me as fodder for your fantasies.

“I also heard that you’re attending the Magic School, but I had no idea you were on good terms with His Highness. Ridill was right, you’re so talented that you even caught His Highness’s eye.”

“I also heard a lot about you from my sister, General. I heard that you took care of her a lot, and I am very grateful for that.”

Thank you for your compliments.

I think it’s time for me to attack.

“I am sorry for what I did before. My sister, whom I have shared many hardships and joys with since birth, is the most important person in my life, and I am always worried that she would be attacked by a scoundrel. But there are not any scoundrels in the palace. Is there?”

“… Ah, yes, of course not.”

“And you are someone who has risen to the rank of general and you are an honourable man. I was careless. Please forgive me for my rudeness earlier.”

“It’s okay. You don’t need to worry about it anymore.”

Your eyes are wandering around. You’re too shaken up by this. I don’t think someone who is in a position of authority should show their emotions on their face this easily.

“Thank you very much. You are a kind man. I knew this. You always take care of my sister despite your busy schedule. I am glad you were with my sister today. I know how busy you must be!”

General Owen took a step back as he flinched from my words.

I took a step forward.

“I will do my best to block you if you are not serious or prepared.”

I told him in a whisper that only he could hear. General Owen’s expression changed.

“I will ask you this first. Are you serious?”

He should understand what I mean even if I don’t put it into words. The General also replied in a whisper.

“… I have never seen a woman as beautiful and pure as her. Her status doesn’t matter. She is almost divine and shouldn’t be violated by ordinary people, but I fell in love with her at first sight and the more I come into contact with her, the deeper I fall.”

His eyes looked behind me towards Rille-nee as if he was dreaming.

So, he is serious and crazy about her. His words were almost like a poem.

I feel that most men who fall in love with Rille-nee are in a lot of pain. If this happened gradually then love is terrifying.

Apparently, General Owen doesn’t seem to get bored easily.

He seemed like a serious person. But he looked like a strange person with a flower blooming on his head right now.

He is open-minded and more importantly, he likes her so much that he doesn’t care about her status.

That’s why it’s troublesome.

The question is whether Rille-nee feels the same about him. Also, how much this General thought about the future and whether he will actually take action will determine how this will move forward.

I’ll observe their progress for the time being. I’ll have to pay special attention to this from now on.

“――― By the way, how did it feel?”

“It was soft. It was a bit bigger than my hand…”

The General, who had been talking like he was dreaming, came back down to earth mid-sentence and turned towards me awkwardly.

I looked at him silently.

“You tightly groped a maiden’s breasts, didn’t you?”

“No, that wasn’t what I meant.”

You’re trying to cover it up, but it’s no use. I can already see a little through you. It was probably a coincidence that you touched it.

“The second time a coincidence like this happens, I will consider it intentional.”

I warned him.

After General Owen returned to work, Rille-nee asked me what we had whispered about but well I couldn’t tell her.

“I was just telling him about how cute my Onee-chan is.”

Then she flicked my forehead.

“You can’t tell the General any weird things!”

I wanted to tell her the painful things I had said to him since she looked so cute embarrassed, but I didn’t want to help him win her over.

I’m sure Rille-nee still believes she’s a nobody and she’s not taking the General’s advances seriously.

If Rille-nee doesn’t feel like reaching out to him then I can’t support her yet.

But just in case the General’s love for her gets out of hand, I’ll ask Franz-san and Jed-san to be more tenacious towards Rille-nee.

Franz-san readily agreed, and Jed-san looked fed up with me.

I didn’t ask for details, but it seemed that Jed-san, who works with Rille-nee, has already gone through a lot of trouble. I was relieved that there was a guard here.

After chatting with a few people, we quickly ended the tour early before we disturbed their work too much and headed back to the school.

I was really tired even though I was only there for a short time.

“Are you okay?”

Alec was concerned about the way I was slumped in the carriage, so I told him I was fine.

“I’ve never seen you cry before.”

That was a surprise to Alec. Well, I guess I would be surprised if one of my friends started crying suddenly.

“Rille-nee is important to me. I will cry, get angry and lash out if something happens to Rille-nee.”

I returned to how I normally spoke since only Rock was with us.

Since they told me I was being creepy before.

“I have a sister too. I think I understand why you worry about your sister.”

“Really? I see. Your sister must be really beautiful.”

“I don’t know about that.”

“She’s very beautiful and she is considered a national treasure.”

Rock replied in place of Alec who had difficulty rating his relative.

If it’s better to have a daughter first, then a son [1] then I guess Alec will be King. This Kingdom has never had a Queen on the throne.

“Do you two get along?”

“Yeah. But we might not be as close as you and your sister.”

“We had to work together to survive. We led rough lives right after we were born… so I want Rille-nee to be happy. I don’t want her to go through any hardships. Of course, Rille-nee’s feelings come first, but it’s complicated. Putting your feelings first doesn’t always lead to happiness, and one cannot think without regard to one’s position.”

Ideally, marriage is an event that brings happiness to you and others around you. It’s troublesome since it isn’t just about those involved.

Alec agreed with my opinion.

“My sister will be used in a political marriage in the near future. It would be best if she could be with whomever her heart chooses… but I feel cursed by my own helplessness since I can’t do anything to help her.”

Even the royals, who are waited upon, feel the same way as everyone else.

We are just people.

We are all affected by our circumstances. Living beings adapt and survive without defying their environment, so there will be times when we must give up and accept that there is nothing we could do.

“We should pray at the very least. And then, to gain the strength to help them if the time comes, that’s all we can do.”

“You’re right.”

Alec agreed.

I didn’t realise how much I could relate to him.

I had never asked him about his private life since I was being considerate, but today was a good opportunity.

“… By the way, Aime. I don’t know if it’s alright for me to ask him… but may I ask you something?”

Alec suddenly asked when the conversation came to a pause.

“What is it?”

“I’m a bit curious about what Giedt had shouted at you when he saw you.”

To Giedt? … Ah, is he talking about when Giedt called me a perverted girl? I wish he would just have forgotten about it.

I only wanted to observe his magic stone, and my mouth accidentally brushed against his cheeks. That’s all.

“… I see. So, it was an accident.”

I see, I see, Alec kept muttering repeatedly in a daze.

What’s with him? He’s being a bit scary.

“Hey, what’s wrong?”

“… It’s nothing. If that’s what happened, then it’s alright.”

What’s alright!?

I didn’t know what he was talking about, and Rock suddenly twitched as he looked at me. I feel a bit uncomfortable…