47. Beggar Siblings – Encounter

“No, that’s not it. You have to consider what happens after clashing with your opponent’s sword before you swing. So leave some leeway here… like this…”

The knight teaching Leo couldn’t hide his frustration and demonstrated once again.

Leo was learning swordsmanship from the knight assigned by the Marquis in the training grounds of the Marquis’ family.

This reliably looking elderly knight found Leo surprising at first, but after a day or two, his amazement turned into questioning, and then into disappointment.

Leo, determined to improve, adjusted his stance and swung the sword, asking, “Is this right?”

“…Yes.”

That’s wrong.

Seeing the knight’s reaction, Leo quietly lowered the sword. The knight seemed unwilling to demonstrate any further and didn’t say a word.

An awkward silence ensued, prompting Leo to make excuses.

“I couldn’t sleep at all last night, so I can’t keep up with the training today. I think we should stop here.”

“Yes. Understood.”

Although he forced a smile as he spoke, the knight replied gruffly and packed up his sword before leaving.

Left alone in the training ground, Leo irritably threw down his sword.

He had no talent for swordsmanship. The knight, who had likely taught many others, explained things quite understandably, but Leo’s sword skills hadn’t seen an ounce of improvement.

{Swordsmanship.2v} granted him an ordinary knight level of ability, and yet Leo perfectly understood it.

However, progressing to a higher level was an entirely different matter.

Especially at this point, the individuality of each sword style began to stand out. Noel Dexter hid stability behind a certain composure, while Katrina wielded assertive swordsmanship, mixing strength and weakness at will.

Lena, who was in an engagement, was similar.

Although she was eccentric, she displayed remarkable talent when it came to swordsmanship. That Lena had a good grasp of the essence of the sword techniques Noel taught her, and watching Katrina’s swordsmanship, she sought to merge the two styles to find her own unique flair.

But Leo could not do that. No matter how much he practiced, he felt like he was pushing his forehead against a wall, forcing himself to continue.

Whether the Leo of this beggar sibling scenario simply lacked talent in swordsmanship or whether he was hindered by the shadow of Minseo, he couldn’t tell.

However, considering he had only repeated training to grasp the swordsmanship obtained through scenario rewards while in Leo Dexter’s body, the problem did not lie with Leo…

“Damn it! Screw this.”

Leo spat out words he didn’t know who they were directed at and picked up the sword he had thrown, returning it to its original place.

Fretfully, he chewed on the chapped skin that had formed on his lips.

‘Surely the Marquis already knows, right?’

Recently, he had been troubled by more than just a few thoughts. The intensity of the smile on the Marquis’s face had been increasing.

Leo left the training ground and rinsed his sweat-drenched body. When a handmaiden approached him to help with his attire, he declined and changed clothes himself.

The handmaiden quietly disappeared.

The Marquis’s mansion was quiet. No, it was oddly devoid of presence. Hundreds of servants were stationed here and there, and when palms clapped lightly together, they would immediately rush over. Yet, until that point, it had been hard to find those who were holding their breath.

At first, he didn’t question this. He thought it was because the head of the mansion, Marquis Benard Tatian, wanted calm.

However, as he visited frequently, he realized it was not merely quiet. The servants maintained silence like decorations, trying to express as little emotion as possible. Even among colleagues, they exchanged only businesslike gestures, and words were nowhere to be found.

The entire mansion was cloaked in a sense of tension.

Leo stopped by the room temporarily assigned to him and grabbed a money pouch. When he opened the drawer placed in one corner of the room, it was filled with gold coins as if encouraging him to use them freely.

He anxiously sifted through the piles of gold with trembling hands. As he put silver coins into his money pouch, he thought,

‘Lena needs to marry the prince soon…’

The chill of the mansion spread to Leo as well.

He feared the Marquis’s smile.

Even if Leo showed some clumsiness, the Marquis didn’t mention it. He merely deepened his dimples, and every time he smiled warmly, Leo struggled not to stutter in fear.

He instinctively realized that the smile was not one of joy.

Marquis Benard Tatian, who was born as the third son of the Marquis family, killed his two brothers and claimed the prestigious position for himself, was as terrifying a person as his blood-soaked past.

The previous Marquis died under mysterious circumstances.

“Please enter carefully.”

After leaving the mansion, Leo took a carriage to the market. He thanked the coachman who greeted him politely and entered the flower shop near the entrance of the market.

It was a step for Lena. His younger sister was very fond of flowers. Although she had lost some interest when he brought her flowers for a while, Leo regularly changed the plants in her room.

– Dingle

The autumn flower buds peeked out and trembled. The shop assistant, having felt their presence, quickly got up from tending a pot to greet the customer.

“Welcome… Leo!”

Soirin smiled brightly as she seated him and heated a teapot.

Since Leo started coming here with his sister, she had offered him tea every time.

Leo reluctantly picked up the teacup.

“Thank you. I’ll enjoy it.”

“What? There are cookies here too.”

It was a hassle. He only needed to buy flowers for Lena, yet chatting over tea had become natural.

Lena kept asking what flowers were available at the shop, making Leo inevitably ask about various things.

Soirin sat in front of him as usual. With a bright smile, she started a trivial conversation.

“Guess what? Last time~.”

She was a young lady with strikingly beautiful jawlines and orange eyes. Always tied up neatly for her work in the flower shop, her freckles, scattered adorably over her face, were charming enough to make anyone want to chat with her.

However, Leo merely played along, not sharing anything about himself. His mind was elsewhere.

He wasn’t thinking about the Marquis.

He was mentally cornered due to life in the Marquis’ house, but something had been troubling him even more recently.

Lena was sick.

She had appeared weak for quite some time, and eventually, she became a hot mess, lying in bed ill.

Leo jumped up as if struck by lightning. In terror, he hurriedly called for the physician, who said,

“It’s just a mild infection. It’s common in this change of seasons. I’ll prescribe some medicine, but it will get better quickly with warmth. Make sure she drinks hot tea often.”

Relieved that it wasn’t a serious illness, Leo plopped down.

And last night, he had kept watch next to Lena as she slept soundly. In the darkness, he absentmindedly stroked her hair, reflecting on her words.

– So that’s why you took me. To show me to that uncle.

Lena’s murmured words still lingered in his mind.

He felt sorry for Lena. He blamed himself for using his younger sister’s appearance due to his own lack of ability.

But…

‘It was an unavoidable decision. If I hadn’t, there would have been no way to gain the Marquis’s power.’

[ Achievement: First Death – The speed at which the Player is integrated into Leo is reduced. ]

It was a choice he would never have made as the original Leo. He had spent his life trying to hide Lena’s appearance, but the spirit of Minseo that had cloaked him charged towards a clear goal.

Fortunately, Lena had agreed to enter as an adopted daughter.

However, she placed a condition.

“How long do I have to go? I want to go as late as possible. I like it here… Give me time to say goodbye to my family…”

Lena made a simple request seem difficult, and Leo, sensing he had done something wrong, took his sister’s hand, promising to fulfill her wish.

So he told the Marquis he would enter as the adopted son as slowly as possible.

The Marquis seemed to interpret it differently. Believing Leo would take the initiative after learning everything, he granted him a few more privileges.

At that time, he thought there was nothing wrong with it, but now, the promise with Lena felt to be a heavy burden.

The sooner he became an adopted son or daughter, the sooner Lena would become a princess…

Leo desperately wanted to see the ending. He found it hard to endure the Marquis’s smile.

Soirin said, “Oberg is nice, but it’s unfortunate there aren’t many places to see plays. I wonder if I mentioned that I like plays? This time at the Arille Theater…”

She chatted cheerfully, but no one was paying attention to her taste.

Leo nodded absentmindedly, continuing his thoughts.

The fact that Leo was entering as the Marquis’s adopted son was known to Joseph Rauno as well. He personally visited Leo and bowed his aged back. He stated that he no longer needed to work for the family and there was no trace left of the fatherly figure he used to resemble.

Leo was shocked by this sight but quickly forgot it. He had no concern for the family ties with the household.

But Lena could not do that.

She had become too close with her family.

This was the most challenging element in clearing this game.

Leo had to interfere in someone else’s life to achieve something, rather than accomplishing something for himself.

Each of the scenario’s Lenas strove to do what they liked.

They unwittingly moved further away from being a princess, and it was Leo’s job to hold them back.

[ Achievement: First Meeting with Lena – Lena has a high fondness for Leo. ]

Along with the achievement obtained at the beginning of the game, he had subtly guided Lena using their bonds as childhood friends, engaged partners, or siblings.

– So that’s why you took me. To show me to that uncle.

So this was something he was bound to hear eventually. During the process of guiding Lena… she felt betrayed.

For whatever reason, it was also true that he had used Lena’s appearance.

‘So what! It couldn’t be helped! This is about [Raising Lena]! It’s only natural to interfere in Lena’s life. And I’m her older brother! It’s only right for an older brother to want the best for his sister!’

He justified himself, believing that if Lena became a princess, she would be happy.

It was hard to endure without self-brainwashing. Later… he might have to break off the engagement.

Leo spent the night beside sick Lena, tormented by twisting pains in his stomach. Every time he recalled the enigmatic smile of the Marquis, he found himself doubting whether he had done something wrong.

At that moment, Soirin ultimately broke his reverie. She touched Leo’s clasped hands.

“How about it? Would you like to go together this weekend?”

She seemed to gain confidence from Leo’s absent nod and blushed as she asked him out on a date.

Her shy touch boldly brushed against his finger joints.

He was tired.

He had only come out to buy flowers because the pot in Lena’s room had become worryingly dry last night… and now this woman in front of him felt like a nuisance.

Leo feigned agreement and ended the conversation with Soirin. He emptied the teacup and stood up to select flowers.

Soirin recommended a flower called ‘Sworblia,’ which was a mixture of white and pink.

The bottom of the buds was white, gradually turning pink toward the tips of the petals—a beautiful flower.

As Leo appeared to like it, he examined it from different angles, and Soirin brightly smiled, posing questions and answers herself.

“Do you know what the flower language means? ‘As you wish.’ See? The ferns around it seem to be reaching out? So…”

“Oh, I see.”

Leo cut off her attempts to say more and stepped outside.

It seems like a good choice of flower.

‘It should suit Lena’s room well. It smells nice too.’

Feeling better as he took in the sweet floral scent, he hurried his steps to return to his sister when…

“Whoa?!”

Someone shouted. Upon hearing that voice and turning his head, Leo also exclaimed, “Ah!” and froze.

*

A few hours earlier.

“Ugh! Damn it!”

She threw down her sword in anger. She could no longer train like before.

For a moment she was huffing and puffing when she noticed her junior acting timidly, which only worsened her mood, leading her to speak.

“I can’t take it. Hey! I’m leaving first.”

“B-But, Senpai, the training time isn’t over yet…”

“It’s my time-off.”

Leaving the flustered junior behind, she exited the training ground, wanting to throw everything away, and changed her clothes.

Today, no, this day too, she thought she should just head home early.

But unlike her initial thought, she stopped by the market and picked out some groceries. It was because Ellen suddenly came to mind.

What should I make for him?

‘Should I just buy some meat since I’m in a bad mood?’

Yeah! Let’s do that.

When you’re earning money, you have to spend it lavishly.

She swung the sword hanging at her waist while ordering a lot of meat.

A knight swinging a sword while ordering meat. She thought her appearance was ridiculous and asked to chop the meat into smaller pieces.

While the meat was being prepared, she loitered in front of the butcher shop for a moment. As she carelessly scanned the bustling market, she exclaimed without realizing it.

“Whoa?!”

A man resembling ‘that soldier’ appeared holding flowers.

He was short. Had that soldier looked like this when he was young? He looked somewhat similar, but… this one was much more handsome.

“Ah!”

While she marveled at him and looked him up and down in surprise, Leo was also staring at her, frozen stiff.

With his red hair let loose, captivating red eyebrows and provocative gaze, and alluring lips with a long tail…

Though he was dressed in casual clothes, he was someone Leo could never forget.

Katrina stood before him.