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298. Siblings Ep – Rise to Fame

The exhibition of Ellen at the Arille Theater had more visitors today than yesterday.

It was the day of Ellen’s breakout work showcase.

Lean had come out for the second day of their date with Ksenia, admiring the paintings, and just like any exhibition, the paintings were grouped and displayed based on a specific theme.

For instance, there were collections centered on the holiness of the Cross Church, works depicting the glory of the great Acaian Empire, and landscapes of Oberg’s streets that could be classified as folk art.

However, among these various themes, there was one section that particularly caught people’s attention.

The place that was the most crowded was where the works of Ellen, acquired by Count Forte, were displayed.

The organizers had certainly put considerable effort into showcasing these pieces prominently.

Not wanting to be in a crowded area, Lean and Ksenia chose to explore other sections first.

They sat on benches installed at intervals around the exhibition hall, engaging in light conversations.

Lean had things he wanted to say to her, but he postponed them, not wanting to break the atmosphere.

“Lean, do you save the best for last when it comes to food?”

Ksenia frequently asked such trivial questions.

Although they had received permission to court and their relationship had deepened, they hadn’t known each other long enough.

Lean smiled brightly.

“Hmm~ I’m curious about what you do. How about we do this? On the count of three, we’ll shake hands.”

“Shake hands?”

“If you save tasty food for later, give me your right hand. If not, your left… I’ll do the same.”

“Haha! That sounds fun. Alright, then one.”

“Two.”

“Three! Oh my.”

Ksenia extended her right hand. Lean extended his left, prompting Ksenia to pout.

“Oh dear, looks like we can’t shake hands. I’m worried that if I save it, you’ll just snatch it all away.”

“Haha. While we can’t shake hands, we can do this.”

Lean turned his left hand over and took Ksenia’s right hand, intertwining their fingers and rising from their seats as he spoke.

“Shall we go? The crowd has thinned out.”

“……Yes.”

Ksenia, held by Lean’s hand, stood up, a faint blush creeping onto her face as she followed him.

*

The exhibition hall, noticeably quieter than before, saw Lean and Ksenia stepping into Count Forte’s section.

“Whoa—” Lean exclaimed in awe.

Canvases soaring well above the height of an adult, displaying Ellen’s works as a painter were lined up.

While holding hands, Lean and Ksenia admired these masterpieces, discussing various things as they did. Ksenia leaned closer, sharing lesser-known anecdotes.

“It all started when Gilbert Forte impulsively bought Ellen’s paintings. Isn’t that ironic? Do you think that notorious troublemaker would choose to buy these?”

At Ksenia’s question, Lean nodded silently.

There was a common theme to the paintings that Gilbert Forte purchased.

A young boy and his mother.

These were the paintings where Ellen had silently displayed his desire for a son, having already had a daughter.

Instead of his red-haired daughter resembling Katrina, he illustrated a black-haired boy who looked like him alongside Katrina, which stirred the heart of the troublemaker, Gilbert Forte.

His mother, Iina de Isadora, had divorced Count Hermann Forte.

Could he have found nostalgic memories of his childhood with his mother in those paintings?

Gilbert Forte swept up all the paintings featuring a boy and his mother from Ellen, leading to Ellen’s rise to fame.

Gilbert Forte’s notorious womanizing might stem from his parents’ divorce.

Having dealt with Gilbert in various ways every chapter, Lean felt a strange sensation but didn’t dwell on it. He simply noted it down.

In fact, Lean had been paying attention to almost everything visible this chapter.

As they say, even a dog can learn a thing or two in three years; every little detail might have its use later on.

While scanning the surroundings, Lean’s eye caught a couple entering.

‘It’s Deros and Soirin.’

The orange-haired flower shop girl, Soirin, was on a date with Deros, a junior of Katrina.

That explained Soirin’s disinterest in him. She must have been dating Deros. Lean made a mental note of this change, although he had no idea why it occurred.

And one more thing…

‘That person is here again today.’

Sir Hamlet, Knight Commander of the Royal Guard of the House of Tatalia.

When he bumped into Ksenia yesterday, he wondered, “Why is this person here?” Now, he saw him wandering the exhibition hall alone again. Lean didn’t know what that meant and mentally noted it down.

It was all so headache-inducing.

Aside from Deros and Soirin, and Sir Hamlet, there were countless others he had glimpsed passing by. The Beggar Siblings chapter was already the seventh.

At this rate, he felt he had met almost everyone at least once, making it nearly impossible to remember every single one.

Yet, Lean meticulously stored each and every one of them in his mind.

If it were Lev or Ray, he wouldn’t have even dared to think about it.

Minseo, who could barely recall messages popping up every few years, had decent memory, but with his past memories returned, Lean was on a completely different level. He was scanning around while conversing naturally with Ksenia.

Eventually, Lean answered Ksenia’s question.

“I think I get it, but it wouldn’t be polite to say it out loud to Prince Gilbert Forte. We commoners should be careful with our words.”

“…You still remember that? I can’t believe it. Forget it.”

“Haha. It’s not easy to just say it… I’ll think about it.”

Lean tapped his cheek with his index finger. Ksenia blushed and gave him a peck on the cheek.

Lean suddenly thought about how he needed to grow taller soon in order to share the words he wanted to say.

“Ksenia.”

“Yes, go ahead.”

After calling her, Lean opened his mouth again as they passed two paintings.

He called her again.

“Ksenia.”

“Yeees—”

…That wasn’t it.

Ksenia seemed to think Lean was just joking. Since it was supposed to be a serious conversation, Lean steeled his expression and spoke again.

“Ksenia. I want to discuss something with you.”

“What is it?”

What could he possibly want to say that required calling her three times?

Still in a cheerful mood, Ksenia maintained her bright expression, but soon her face stiffened.

“I want to meet your father. Rather than maintaining this awkward relationship, wouldn’t it be better to have him acknowledge us sooner so we can be at ease?”

“…”

“What do you think?”

Ksenia’s steps abruptly halted. She said with a troubled expression.

“…My father will never acknowledge it.”

“Even if I try very hard?”

“Yes. My father… is obsessed with bloodlines. This isn’t something that can be resolved with effort. It’s different from my mother.”

“I see.”

Lean was silent for a moment.

Only after giving her time to reflect on the pressing issue between them did he continue speaking.

“But it’s something we’ll have to confront eventually. You’re not meeting your father right now, are you? Then the issue will only worsen, not resolve.”

“…I know. I just… need time to think.”

“Ksenia.”

Lean raised their intertwined hands and placed them over his heart.

“You know this is a one-way street. I know you’re hesitant because you’re worried about me, but time will only pass doing nothing. I want to marry you. You can’t imagine how desperately I want to marry you.”

The pounding of his heart.

This wasn’t about preparing for the Marquis Benard Tatian’s unknown proposition.

It would be a lie to say there was no such reason, but that only played a role in expediting events.

Furthermore, he had an inkling of Marquis Tatian’s true intentions.

He wasn’t going to be dragged along without understanding; the Marquis was surprisingly accommodating.

He enjoyed negotiating.

The issue, though…

Once he judged that there was no value in bargaining, he would show no mercy.

The ninth chapter, where he had been oblivious in the Beggar Siblings storyline, had ended that way.

At that time, when Reriana was the subject of the deal instead of Ksenia, Marquis Tatian had watched him for quite a long time.

Having allowed him to prattle on as a foster son without ability for months, that must have been Marquis Benard Tatian’s last shred of decency.

It might also mean that Ksenia held a higher value.

Regardless, Lean needed to make himself someone worthy of negotiating with the Marquis.

Not being able to use the Oblivion Blade right now, the most effective way was to marry Ksenia. The Marquis would approach him because he was dating Ksenia.

After kissing Princess Chloe de Tatalia in a previous chapter, Lean had turned away, which implied that his relationship with Ksenia mattered to the Marquis. In other words, that was his bargaining chip.

As Lean considered this, he decided he needed to marry Ksenia as soon as possible.

At a glance, it seemed like he was using her, but Lean chuckled at himself instead.

‘Look at me finding every possible excuse to hurry and marry Ksenia, Lean de Yeriel.’

Marriage. That was the problem.

So far, they had only been married to Lena. Whether it was his childhood friend Leah or his engagement with Reriana.

But the moment they wed, the ending would appear, causing Lev and Ray to be sad rather than joyful. At the moment of swearing to spend a lifetime together, they had internally prepared for separation. But he was different from them.

His marriage had nothing to do with the ending. Thankfully. Until Reriana’s true ending appeared, he could enjoy his honeymoon.

No one would understand how deeply this desire had been pent-up. Only his racing heart knew, and Ksenia, whose hand grazed Lean’s chest, indirectly sensed it.

She hesitated slightly before saying,

“…Alright. But I really need time. I also need to talk to my mother… I’ll go ahead first. If I rush in, it won’t end well.”

“Yes, that’s enough. Thank you.”

Lean nodded.

If he told her “Actually, I’m the runaway prince of the Yeriel royal family,” the issue would be easily resolved.

But the reason things were progressing this complicatedly was because—

– “Then why did you confess to me, Prince? Maybe… No, why did you confess? Did you need me?”

To avoid unnecessary misunderstandings and because this time, he intended to completely abandon {bloodline}. His {bloodline} was enough to marry Ksenia.

The same went for the blood of his sister.

Lean and Ksenia watched the rest of the exhibition, letting out their complicated feelings. After a simple meal, they parted ways. Three days later, a splendid outfit arrived for Lean. He expressed his gratitude to Katrina, who had delivered the clothes.

“Thank you. Now, I’ll need you for escorting too.”

“…Just hurry up and jump on.”

Katrina grumbled.

To her, he must have looked like a scoundrel trying to charm Ksenia for a sudden leap to fame.

However, no one in the world knew that the truth was the opposite.

Lean de Yeriel straightened his outfit, preparing for his final actions as a prince.

Soon, he would become ‘Lean Peter.’ Lean de Yeriel, the well-mannered future son-in-law, finally crossed the threshold into the House of Count Peter.

Perhaps word had already spread, as he overheard maidens whispering, “That person is said to be a commoner brought by the Lady.” Amidst the snide remarks, Lean held his head high.

Fortunately, only one person recognized him.

His prospective father-in-law, Count Gustave Peter, was bracing to lose his temper with a displeased expression.

He was so surprised that he froze while still holding his teacup, and Lean nodded in greeting.

“It’s Lean.”

– “Long time no see.”

His mouth formed the words silently, just as the Count had done so long ago.