Chapter 76: The Duke’s Son’s True Feelings

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Translator: Soafp

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The day after I started getting bored of investigating the second prince.

While Victoria, who also seemed to be feeling bored since nothing much was happening, was fighting Kutama over my lap pillow—

“Ask Medicus!!”

“Oh, isn't that Duke A**l's son? What's wrong?”

“You haven't come to report anything at all, so I came to check on you myself!! Did you find out anything about Fran-sama and the second prince!?”

“…Ah.”

Now that he mentioned it.

“…You forgot, didn't you?”

“Sorry, I completely forgot.”

“Tch. Well, whatever. I know what kind of person you are by now.”

Duke A**l's son isn't even reacting to being called ‘A**l' anymore.

That's a little sad.

“Now then, give me your report—”

“Oh, Eri-chan. Another cup of tea, please.”

“Mm. I want some too.”

“Kyuu!!”

“Mm. Kutama wants milk.”

“Y-yes, right away!!”

Eri brewed tea for the two of us and poured milk into a bowl for Kutama.

…I'll have to return to the Kingdom of Kishirika soon, but honestly, I'd like to take Eri with me.

The tea she makes is really delicious.

She's modest by nature, easy to talk to, and the way she earnestly does her best at everything makes you want to support her.

…Maybe I should ask the emperor.

“I-I don't think it's right to order that person around so casually.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“…No, never mind. More importantly, tell me what you found.”

Duke A**l's son plopped down heavily on the sofa across from me.

Looks like he's not leaving unless I talk.

“Well, the second prince is being very aggressive in his attempts to woo my sister.”

“Damn that second prince!! I was the one who fell for Fran-sama first!!”

“Mm. There's no such thing as first or last in love. It's your fault for not approaching Sister-in-law Fran sooner and winning her heart.”

“Gah—”

Duke A**l's son collapsed to his knees.

…Victoria aggressively approached me and successfully secured our engagement, after all.

Coming from someone who put her words into action, that criticism is hard to argue with.

Still, seeing Duke A**l's son bury his face into the sofa and cry pitifully is a bit much, so I'll comfort him.

“Well, Nee-san doesn't seem particularly interested, so I don't think you need to worry too much.”

“Hah—y-yes, of course!! That must be it!!”

Still, Nee-san's future husband, huh…

Thinking about it again, that would make him my brother-in-law, so I'd prefer someone I can get along with.

In that sense, having more candidates isn't a bad thing.

“Oh, right. Eri-chan, what do you think of the second prince?”

“N-Nii—cough. You mean Prince Sidin?”

“Yeah. From the perspective of someone who works at the castle, what's he like?”

“…He's very kind now. But until a few years ago, he was a very unpleasant person.”

“Unpleasant?”

Come to think of it, Lidiel, whom we ran into while tailing the second prince, also said she didn't like him because of his elitist mindset.

“What was he like, specifically?”

“He used to bully me a lot, and he'd take money from the people under the pretense of taxes and go around wasting it… Honestly, as a prince and as a human being, he was trash.”

Wow. For kind-hearted Eri to call someone trash, he must've been pretty bad.

I'd assumed Nee-san punched him into becoming a decent person, but it seems he changed years ago.

Then Eri continued with a “But—”.

“At a certain point, he suddenly became a good person.”

“Suddenly? Why?”

“I don't know. He changed so completely that people even rumored the real prince had been replaced with a fake.”

“Huh. Well, people can suddenly grow and change.”

That sort of thing happens.

“Hmph. Humans don't change that easily. I'm sure the darkness in his heart is still pitch black.”

“Mm. You're saying the same thing as Christina Onee-sama.”

“Hn.”

“Before falling for Sister-in-law Fran, Jiruo should first apologize to Christina Onee-sama.”

“Th-that's…”

Victoria stared intently at Duke A**l's son.

It's been a while since we saw Stork Victoria.

“Christina Onee-sama is an idiot, so she only believes what she sees and hears herself. If you keep clinging to pointless pride, you'll never make up.”

“…You really say unpleasant things, Princess Victoria.”

“Mm. Advice from your former sister-in-law.”

Duke A**l's son made a face like he'd bitten into something bitter.

“…Even if I apologize now, what I did to her won't change.”

“Mm. That doesn't mean you shouldn't apologize.”

“That way of thinking proves you were raised spoiled, Princess Victoria. I envy you. But I was raised to always prioritize my own benefit.”

“So you won't apologize because it doesn't benefit you?”

“That's right. I know it makes me sound awful. But if I didn't live that way, I couldn't survive in that house—within the ducal family.”

Duke A**l's son said this while looking straight into Victoria's eyes.

Hmm?

“Going by that logic, did you fall in love with Nee-san because it benefited you too?”

“No. That's different.”

“Huh?”

“…Did you know? Your family, the Medicus Viscountcy, was originally a prestigious ducal house.”

Ah, yeah. I know that.

Arist, the head of the Forbidden Magic Research Club at the magic academy, mentioned it.

Something about immortality and ageless magic.

“I think it was the House of Lepios, right?”

“Correct. Then do you know that it was the schemes of our House Aarnal that caused House Lepios to fall and be reduced to a viscountcy?”

“Wait, really?”

“…Well, it wouldn't be strange if you weren't told, since you aren't the next head of the house. Fran-sama knew.”

I see.

“Fran-sama healed my arm after it was cut off by bandits. That was the first time.”

“Well, getting your arm cut off isn't exactly a common experience.”

“That's not what I mean!! Just listen!! …It was the first time I'd seen someone like that. Someone who would save a person even when there was nothing to gain—who would heal an enemy without hesitation.”

That does sound like my sister.

She's the type who'd say, “Ancestral grudges? Is that a new disease?” and not care at all.

“So… I fell for her. Admiring someone who can do what you yourself cannot is only natural, isn't it?”

“Mm. I can understand that.”

“Even I'm surprised. I've felt this strange, unfamiliar sensation—like I'm no longer myself—for the first time in my life.”

“…I see.”

My sister really is something else.

“But Nee-san is absolutely the type to keep her husband firmly under her heel, so unless you're a hardcore m*******t, you might want to reconsider—”

“Mm. Someone like the second prince, who seems masochistic, might actually manage.”

“What do you two think of Fran-sama, exactly?”

“Sadist.”

“Sadist.”

“I-is that so.”

Still…

For Duke A**l's son, Nee-san isn't just a love interest—she's someone he admires.

The second prince and Duke A**l's son.

…A perverted man or a twisted boy.

Either way, having either of them as my brother-in-law sounds awful.