---

294. Siblings Ep – Katrina’s Burden

“The corridor and entrance only need to be cleaned once a month. If something needs to be tidied up, the passersby can pick it up and toss it away, so it’s fine. The guest room is the same.”

There was no welcoming ceremony.

Previously, when I joined the Rauno Family, a feast had been prepared for Lena and Leo, but Lean and Reriana were simply introduced to the ladies out of Oberg’s personal kindness, taking over some of their tasks.

Laundry was handled by each person, and the cleaning jobs, which weren’t too difficult, were handed down.

But “Honestly, you know we don’t really need this.” — Contrary to what some executive said, there was actually a lot to do.

Since we had servants now, the tasks that the Rauno Family members had shared became the siblings’ responsibility.

For instance, cleaning the common entrance, dining hall, kitchen, corridor, storeroom, bathroom, children’s playroom and study, elderly lounge, guest room and reception room, and the meeting room for the Rauno Family executives.

There was so much to clean that in the end, the dining area, kitchen, and bathroom were taken care of by the ladies on a rotating basis, just like before.

Swish, swish.

Lean started the cleaning while bringing along his younger sibling, handing her a feather duster while he grabbed a broom.

It was a trivial task.

However, Lean thought he could live like this for a while.

Until Reriana had someone she could call family, until his younger sibling, who had lived without parents, settled into this life, he would live here.

Flapping, as Reriana dusted the display cabinet in the corridor on tiptoe, she said, “Brother, I can’t reach over there.”

“Let me do it.”

“No~ I want to do it. And you can’t reach either.”

“…”

“Let’s grab the ladder from our room. That should work.”

“…Sister, you could’ve just said to bring a ladder from the start.”

“Heh. But I don’t know the way. Let’s go together.”

“Wait. I’ll get it.”

It felt like they had moved quite a distance while cleaning, but the room wasn’t so far that he needed to take her along.

It was a shortcut; if he went out to the terrace in the study on the second floor and took the stairs down, he would be there in no time.

“How did you know there’s a terrace and stairs here?” — Lean hurried his steps, fearing he might get asked a silly question.

Just before entering the study, he looked back to see Reriana trying to sweep the floor with a broom that was as tall as she was.

Effortfully, it was unclear whether Reriana was using the broom or if the broom was using her.

Lean thought his younger sibling was rather adorable like that.

But he wasn’t aware that he was also short, making him not particularly different from others. And soon, Lean returned with the ladder…

“Santian~ what are you doing not coming over?”

A boy among the Rauno Family children who had gathered in the distance suddenly stopped in his tracks, staring blankly at Reriana.

It was Santian Rauno.

Lean leaned against the doorframe of the study for a moment, watching to see what would happen.

“What are you doing? If you’re late, we’ll get in trouble. Huh? Who’s that?”

“Wow. She’s pretty.”

The kids whispered among themselves as they looked at Reriana. They then soon entered the study.

They would get scolded by the teacher if they were late. Despite that, Santian stood frozen as if he had nails stuck in his legs. Of course, his legs were perfectly fine.

Should he say something?

Would he follow Reriana around like always?

But Santian hesitated, unable to approach her. When Reriana lifted her head, their eyes met.

“?”

His face turned as red as a sunset.

His younger sibling tilted her head, and Lean stepped out with the ladder, giving Santian, the commoner who fell for the precious princess, the chance to retreat.

“Brother, you’re here?” — Reriana’s gaze shifted, and after a while, Santian disappeared with a shocked “Eeek!” from the teacher.

The hallway, flooded with sunlight, was left with only the siblings.

“Yes. I brought it. Go on up. But be careful not to hurt your leg. You might scrape it.”

“Don’t worry. I’m not an idiot.”

Climbing the ladder, Reriana skillfully dusted off the display cabinet. She wasn’t a fool; no, she had no interest in Santian.

*

For several days, Lean diligently worked and became acquainted with the members of the Rauno Family. Among them was a young lady named Soirin, who ran a flower shop, but unlike before, she didn’t react when she saw Lean.

He didn’t know why, but it didn’t matter. Lean contemplated how he could increase his younger sibling’s free time.

He wished he could work while his sister played…

After much thought, Lean decided to let his sister sleep (Reriana would fall asleep at any time if he laid out a blanket for her) and loitered around the mansion’s entrance.

He was waiting for Oberg to finish work and come back. Oberg had a similar schedule, whether he was in charge of leatherwork or the theater.

So he waited for Oberg to return from work, and surprisingly, he came back riding a carriage.

“Is the prince coming? Should we prepare anything?”

“We don’t have to prepare anything. But if someone finds out early, it might be beneficial for them. It’s spreading among the nobles, so the sooner you sell, the better.”

A gruff voice.

As Oberg approached the entrance after passing through the mansion’s front gate, a low voice flowed from the carriage.

Soon after, the person who got off the carriage with Oberg was none other than Joseph Rauno, the head of the Rauno Family, known for managing commerce, information gathering, and assassination as his main pursuits.

This was perfect.

Lean bowed as Joseph Rauno looked down at him for a moment and asked, “Who’s this boy?”

“Ah, this… is Lean. Sorry I forgot to mention. I saw he was in a tough spot, so I gave him a room. He and his younger sister started cleaning the mansion yesterday.”

…Now that he thought about it, he recalled mentioning some kids becoming servants. Joseph Rauno nodded silently.

Oberg, who had been being cautious, let out a sigh of relief. Fortunately, it seemed he had given his consent… Suddenly, Lean spoke up.

“I came to ask for a favor.”

“Huh? W-what do you want?”

This was troubling. He didn’t know what this audacious little kid might say next. He couldn’t just muffle his mouth in front of the boss, and as expected, his ominous prediction was coming true.

“Please let my sister study. I saw that a teacher comes to teach kids.”

“…Why not just ask for playtime too? Can you only study?”

Oberg became truly angry.

I can only do so much for you!

Just providing food is already excessive kindness, and this little kid who doesn’t know anything should understand just how grateful he should be for this.

Oberg subtly grabbed Lean’s arm.

He intended to scold him while saying to the boss, “Ha-ha… This kid is just ignorant of the world. I’ll discuss it with him for a moment.”

“Mr. Oberg. I’m not asking you. I’m talking to that old man.”

The audacious little kid had caused an incident.

Oberg grit his teeth and whispered, “Shut your mouth. You haven’t even been here three days.”

But the arrow had already been shot.

Oberg glared, warning him to be cautious, while Joseph Rauno smiled gently and asked. He had laugh lines around his eyes, but his thick lips always looked cruelly closed.

“You want me to let your sister into the study?”

“Yes.”

“Then, what can you do for our family? You need to give something to receive something.”

“Just like you. I need to give something to get something.”

“…”

“Just give me a month. I’ll do all the cleaning. You absolutely… won’t regret it.”

As his golden eyes sparkled, Lean spoke firmly. He had some confidence too.

[ Achievement: First Meeting with the Family Boss – The thugs have a faint trust in you. ]

If there had been an achievement called ‘Long Live the Rauno Family,’ it would have been easier, but this was already enough.

He knew that for Joseph, who valued trust, who came first didn’t matter much.

He was known for sending gifts to small business owners first to build relationships. Getting his sister into the study was nothing.

As he always did, Joseph took a moment, blinking, before finally speaking softly.

“A month is too short. I’ll give you half a year to wait. I understand your intentions, but I value promises. Please don’t let me down. Oberg.”

“Yes.”

“Let this child’s sister into the study. Arrange a timetable for her with the other children.”

“……Understood.”

Joseph left without looking back.

Oberg exhaled deeply, and when Lean looked up, Oberg avoided meeting his eyes and said, “What on earth were you thinking? You could have just waited a few months and gauged the situation before saying something… Now I have no idea what to do.”

“Mr. Oberg.”

“Why?”

“Thank you. For everything.”

“….”

“I’ll just step out for a moment.”

“…Do as you wish.”

Oberg didn’t look at Lean. It was as if he wanted to avoid getting too attached.

It might be that in six months, he would find himself strangling this boy’s neck with his own hands.

Lean thought positively about Oberg’s actions and left the mansion.

In fact, in a month he’d be strong enough to wipe out the Rauno Family completely on his own.

But six months?

Haha, how grateful.

Now that his sister could study and he had some free time, Lean walked leisurely following {Tracking Skill}.

He was on his way to find Ksenia, and {Tracking Skill} pointed northeast.

While he couldn’t guess the distance, he figured it wouldn’t take him out of Orville.

However, since the direction she should be in was different than before, Lean decided to stop by the sixth alley on South Gate Street. This was where the Orange Theater should have been…

“Hey, kid. This isn’t a place for children.”

The Orange Theater had reopened. Countless red lanterns were hanging, and a sour smell he couldn’t identify wafted through the air. Lean thought of Kasia, but {Tracking Skill} couldn’t pick her up.

‘…Maybe I should have asked Oberg about Kasia first?’

He should have figured out when Oberg was on leather street, not at the theater. Lean clicked his tongue and turned his steps around.

Right now, meeting Ksenia was urgent. Since Katrina wasn’t being tracked by {Tracking Skill} right now, she was the only one Lean could reach out to.

Ksenia was farther than he thought.

As the sunset began to set, he passed through the upscale shopping district where shops were starting to close and crossed Elarin Boulevard lined with noble mansions. After walking for a while more, Lean realized he had been on this path before.

It was the way to the Arille Theater. The same way he had walked back with Soirin before.

Having an idea of where Ksenia was, he soon reached the historic and traditional theater.

The theater, after the play had concluded, was bleak with pamphlets tossed about carelessly.

Ksenia was still inside the theater. It felt awkward to go in, so Lean wandered around, stepping on the pamphlets while waiting.

Then, slowly, {Tracking Skill} turned, and Ksenia came outside. She wasn’t alone and was with several actors, but thankfully, Katrina wasn’t there.

“Huh?”

Ksenia recognized Lean at first glance.

He was the beggar boy who had dumped a bucket of water on him the other morning. Right after that, the boy had uttered something utterly absurd.

– “I think I’m in love with you. So please help me.”

– “Who are you? Stop blabbering and move! Do you even know who this person is?”

Katrina had blocked him, but her eyes were sincere.

– “What a crazy guy. Don’t mind Lady.”

But how could he not care?

The beggar boy, who had tumbled over from Katrina’s kick, looked back at Lean with watering eyes.

“I’ll go ahead.”

Ksenia, having stepped away from her fellow actors, approached the beggar boy.

Though she was wearing clean clothes from who knows where, Ksenia’s heart raced. And the boy didn’t disappoint her expectations.

“I came to hear your answer.”

Thump. Ksenia clasped her hands and asked politely.

“What answer?”

“The promise to help me and love me.”

This man was serious.

Ksenia couldn’t hold back her laughter and let out a peal of joy.

Gasping, she barely managed to say, “Come on… let’s go to my house and talk.”

With that, she turned to leave.

Where she led Lean was a small mansion with a yard.

There, she found Katrina, who was looking at her clever young lady in disbelief. Katrina looked at Lean, who had followed her in, with bewilderment…

It was bewildering to Lean as well.

Not because of Ksenia’s reaction, but because of the sight of Katrina he was seeing for the first time.

Katrina was wrapped in a swaddle. On her back was a child who seemed to be around twenty months old, and in front of her, a newborn was being rocked to sleep.

This was the appearance of Katrina, who had broken free from her “burden.” Lean was rendered speechless in shock.

He understood how Katrina had freed herself from the burden.

The last time she asked to teach her swordsmanship during the beggar siblings’ chapter… she showed interest in Noel’s ‘one strike advantage’ concealed swordsmanship and learned it. Then, a year later, the message that she had been freed appeared.

Katrina had given birth to a child.

That was her wish, fierce red hair and eyebrows notwithstanding.

Like the portrait of a mother drawn by Ellen, Katrina wanted to be a caring mother.