Chapter 𝟛

After we completed the vow, everything was smooth sailing. Franz departed Kratie Academy without issue, and I took his place.

Even though Franz had left the grounds without permission, there’d been no complaint from the academy. Franz used the excuse that he was ill, and I, his older sister, would be enrolling instead. The academy wished him a complete recovery in their letter, while also welcoming me as a new student.

Is it because he doesn’t have to go anymore?

“Franz, you seem a lot happier,” I said.

“Hehe. It must be all the good sleep I’ve been getting these days.”

Franz smiled sheepishly, and his dimples showed on his plump cheeks.

As soon as he’d finalized his withdrawal from the academy, the gloom that’d filled his face had been replaced with contentment. He’d seemed to recover his appetite as well—his thin frame had quickly begun to fill out.

“You’ve gained weight too,” I remarked.

“Y-yeah? I did notice that my old pants don’t fit anymore, so I bought some new ones. But have you lost weight, Kyla? Your cheeks seem hollow, and you have dark circles under your eyes. It makes you look a little ugly—”

“Shut it.”

I only recovered my composure after a slap to the back of Franz’s head. Franz still smiled happily.

“It’s so nice I don’t have to go there anymore.”

In contrast to his healthy visage, I was growing more and more haggard. I had lived as a good-for-nothing nobleman’s daughter for three years, and now I was suddenly going to be attending an academy. I would have to get up early every morning for classes, do homework, and share rooms with cadets that I didn’t even know.

In other words, a clockwork life would be forced upon me, and I was already missing the days when I had nothing at all to do.

I don’t want to go. I know I volunteered for it, but I just don’t want to!

Lying on the couch, I tore at my hair in misery.

I hate it! I hate it! An academy? I can’t believe it!

Franz glanced out the window and shouted, “Kyla, the mailman is here! I think your Kratie uniform arrived!”

My tactless brother went out to get the package for me. The wrapped box contained the Kratie Academy uniform in several different versions to accommodate the various seasons.

It filled me with frustration to see my brother fattening up already and generally happy. I was suffering because of him!

“The female uniforms are pretty. Look, Kyla!”

“Goddamn it, they look like algae latte.”

“Algae... what?”

“Nothing.”

“Haha, sometimes you say the strangest things.”

No matter what Franz said, a green uniform simply wasn’t pretty in my eyes. It looked terrible. Kratie Academy provided uniforms to all its students, and the female version featured an ankle-length skirt. What was more, the color reminded me of chlorella, which I hated.

I pushed the uniforms into a corner and glanced at yet another letter Franz was holding.

“What’s that?” I asked, pointing to it.

Franz finally checked the sender’s name.

“This? It’s from Ritaus.” He grinned cheerfully at the envelope.

“What?” I shot to my feet.

I’d completely forgotten about Ritaus Izar.

That dangerous bastard!

“He only just heard that I dropped out. He wants to visit the mansion next weekend.”

I shook my head automatically.

No. Not on your life!

“Never!” I insisted. “Don’t let him come. Don’t invite him!”

I hated the idea so much that I even stamped my foot for emphasis. I probably looked a little like I’d lost it.

Franz seemed to find my powerful repugnance strange.

“Kyla...?”

Yes, I know. I look like I’ve lost my sh*t. But...

“Ritaus, he’s...”

Ritaus Izar XIX was the eldest son of Count Izar. He’d attended the Kratie Academy and had just been knighted. He was Franz’s senior and had been his roommate.

Also... he had been selected as my fiancé by the adults.

“You’re betrothed to him,” said Franz. “Kyla, he’s a good person. I probably wouldn’t have lasted as long as I did there without him.”

Oh, one more thing. He’s secretly in love with my brother.

“That’s because he has a crush on—”

Franz tilted his head in confusion.

“What?”

I couldn’t bring myself to say the rest. My fingertips were going cold.

How am I supposed to tell you that every man in this world wants you in their bed?

My brother wasn’t aware of it, but the world we lived in was actually the world of a gay comic titled The Mirage of Magic, and Franz was destined to be ravaged by multiple men.

What Makes Him Dangerous

I worked at a company that required me to show up on weekends. My schedule prevented me from taking proper care of my one and only brother.

“Sis...”

Even that day, I was sitting in front of a computer making a presentation. I was completely oblivious to the fact that my brother had been forced to eat dinner by himself.

He approached me cautiously and told me in a quiet voice that he needed money.

“What is it? Ran out of pocket money again?” I asked. “I gave you some yesterday.”

He said nothing.

“These days, you spend the money I give you too quickly. What do you even buy?”

He fidgeted with his hands, his head hanging. He didn’t seem able to speak. It irritated me every time he did that. And he looked terrible, too.

“Why aren’t you wearing the clothes I bought you last time?”

My brother was very thin, and I could glimpse dark spots on the backs of his hands. I pretended not to notice.

You really need to shower more often.

He seemed to notice my gaze, since he quickly pulled his sleeves down and hid his wrists.

“You go around looking so shabby. That’s why people say you’re an orphan. You know how hard I work to make sure nobody calls you that.”

He said nothing. I sighed.

I couldn’t be wasting my time like this. I needed to finish a proposal by tomorrow and present it in front of the boss.

Turning my chair around, I focused on the screen again, but my brother refused to leave my room.

“Sis... I have an idea,” he said, hesitant and slightly tearful. “Can’t I quit school and just take a qualification exam?”

What the hell are you saying? You’re only in your third year of middle school!

With a surge of rage, I turned to glare at him. “Are you trying to avoid school again? Just wait another six months, and you’ll graduate!”

What was with that look on his face?

He hung his head, avoiding eye contact, so I couldn’t tell. But in truth, I didn’t really try to look at him.

“Do you know why it’s important for kids your age to go to school? It’s not just about studying. It’s where you learn to be a part of society!” I shouted at him.

Droplets of something hit the floor. Water soon filled the room, rising slowly and drenching me entirely.

“Huh?!”

The thudding of my heart shocked me awake. I saw a canopy of lace over my bed.

The tears that flowed down my cheeks had dampened my pillow, and my pajamas were drenched with cold sweat.

I had been sobbing.

Strange. I just wiped those tears away. Why won’t they stop?

I kept sobbing too, and my chest hurt like it was about to explode.

***

I had no appetite.

I’d been sure that I couldn’t eat a proper breakfast, so I’d asked the chef for some stewed peaches, cooled. Even soft fruit was hard to swallow today.

Is it because of the fitful sleep I had early this morning?

“Are you feeling unwell again?” Franz asked, his chubby cheeks moving as he cut some venison.

He knew that I ate stewed peaches in lieu of other foods whenever I felt ill. My brother was a sharp boy.

“I feel a bit nauseous. I can’t eat anything else.”

What I really wanted was some canned peaches. This world had magic, so food preservation methods like canning hadn’t been invented. People could simply use magic to stop food from decomposing for a time.

The kitchens of nobles and the rich had food storage spaces that functioned like refrigerators. Commoners apparently used bottles to do something similar to canning, but the result didn’t have the taste I craved. I wasn’t sure how to describe the cheap flavor specific to canned food.

“Kyla, did something happen with Lord Ritaus?” asked Franz.

For some time, I’d been stirring my food with my fork to avoid eating.

My mother in my current life, Marchioness Vesta, seemed worried.

“Yes. I heard that he wanted to visit, but you turned him down.”

I glanced at Franz, and he quickly stared down at the table.

So it was you who talked.