310. Siblings Ep – Silver Ring

“What kind of chaos is this?”

Oberg grumbled. He frowned at the guests packed into the Rauno Family’s reception room, trying to process the absurdity of the situation.

Lean was a prince. Reriana, that little girl, was a princess.

Somehow, that made sense.

From the moment I first saw his behavior, I realized he was a bit special. So it made sense.

But that aside, honestly, this is a big deal. When I heard he was dating some noble lady, I thought, “Wow, impressive,” and brushed it off…

But a prince? Numerous nobles sent messages. Rarely did the nobles themselves come to visit, so Oberg, being the highest-ranking member of the Rauno Family, had to greet them.

Of course, there was no way to send them away.

Whether they were barons or counts, to commoners, they were all lofty figures. Having come to meet the prince, what other choice was there than to let them in?

And what I didn’t understand was, wasn’t it just supposed to be about passing along messages? The errand boys, acting all high and mighty, claimed they were doing the noble’s bidding.

They insisted on delivering it directly to the prince. Argh, come on. Oberg was struggling to suppress his rising irritation.

In any case, this meant that the Rauno Family was busy. The errand boys who flooded the mansion were kept waiting in one area, while the nobles who arrived were ushered into the reception room for refreshments. Joseph Rauno, the elderly boss of the Rauno Family, was also bustling about greeting guests.

At that moment, a noble who was waiting beside Oberg spoke up.

“This isn’t how you should be receiving guests. This is quite the basic error.”

The man had an oddly excessive number of fine wrinkles. Though a noble, I knew him as part of the same industry.

Oberg replied somewhat brusquely.

“Next is Lord Brian. No more grumbling.”

It was Brian Zauer, who owned numerous brothels in Orville. He was the illegitimate son of the Zauer family, and as long as formalities were kept, he wasn’t too difficult to talk to.

“I’m giving you a piece of advice: It’s best to guide nobles directly to the prince instead of taking in guests in order. I waited because I know you lot… you might risk losing favor. The order should vary depending on who sent the errand boy.”

He made a valid point, but Oberg retorted.

“Do we really need to worry about that? We aren’t doing this out of joy, so if you have complaints, take it up with the prince.”

“Already doing that, I suppose? I heard the Rauno Family isn’t closely related to the prince, so you should be even more careful. Truth be told, the prince isn’t in a great position either.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

“Why? He’s a prince.”

“That’s something for you to find out yourself.”

“How stingy. Oh, I misspoke.”

“…”

“Looks like it’s my turn. Let’s go.”

It was Brian’s turn now. Oberg was slightly annoyed as he guided him to the prince. Lean sat in the reception room, appearing somewhat fatigued.

“Lord Brian. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Oberg, I would appreciate it if you could tidy the table before bringing in guests in the future.”

“Y-you know me?”

“I saw you at Marquis Tatian’s. Pardon me for a moment. Please, take a seat.”

After Oberg exited, Lean approached the makeshift desk he had set up and organized the letters he’d received earlier. It had only been yesterday that things began to stir, yet people had come pouring in since morning.

It wasn’t anything particularly urgent.

After all, he was a prince.

Who knows if he’d be kicked out, but for now, the nobles were playing their games of making connections.

Countless letters extended welcome to visit anytime, and there were over ten invitations to feasts. It was all just a ploy to test the waters.

Lean concealed his fatigue and returned to Brian, who wasted no time.

“You must have waited a long time. I’m sorry for the inconvenience; I wasn’t prepared to greet guests. Is your business prosperous?”

“Yes. Thanks to your concern… It is an immense honor to be granted an audience with you, Your Highness. As you may know, allow me to formally introduce myself. I am Brian Zauer.”

“I am Lean de Yeriel.”

After a brief exchange, Lean received tea from Soirin, the orange-haired lady who quickly exited the room, and Brian began to chat.

He started by asking when Lean had come to Orville, then rambled on about how he had tried to settle down when he was young… attempting to foster camaraderie by striking a chord.

This guy had no particular agenda either; he was merely here on a whim, hoping for some hidden favor from the royal background. If it worked out, it would be a jackpot.

Though it was clear what he aimed for, Lean thought it was quite timely, so he allowed himself to entertain the conversation. He had been curious about why Brian and Brestin Zauer had swapped places.

He opened the topic centered around Marquis Tatian.

“Um, it seems you have received significant help from Marquis Tatian. He’s quite an impressive figure.”

“…Yes, he truly is.”

“Actually, we discussed you a little. He seems very interested in the Zauer Barony…”

“Uh, excuse me for interrupting, but what did the marquis say about me?”

“…He introduced you as someone running a worthwhile business. It seems you have his great trust.”

Brian’s complexion turned noticeably pale.

There was a reason he had taken the time to seek out the prince, amidst running a brothel. Keeping an eye on the young lord Gilbert Forte, who had frequently visited the establishment, had been Brian’s last remaining task.

But Gilbert was now gone.

Currently under house arrest, rumor had it that he would soon be sent to the Monastery Church, which was a real blow to Brian. He replied bleakly.

“Ah… I suppose I’ve received excessive praise.”

“Yes. He expressed great disappointment. Anyway, since the marquis has taken an interest in the barony, I was wondering… how did Brestin inherit the title? He is the illegitimate child of a concubine; it should rightfully be you, Brian, as the legitimate heir. It’s infuriating.”

Lean raised his voice, truly seeming upset. To Brian, it didn’t seem like an act.

This prince was also someone who had felt the sting of losing a position to a child of a concubine. He found himself resonating with the sentiment.

“That’s right! It’s all because of Arista de Klaus, that tyrant from the Barbarian Kingdom.”

Brian’s lament continued for quite a while. His story went like this:

His mother was the noble daughter of the Brina family in the Asran Kingdom.

Though from a different country, she married into the Zauer family of the Belita Kingdom, which bordered the Brina Barony, and the problem began because she wasn’t able to conceive early.

Needing an heir, his father took a concubine not long after, and that woman, typical of a lowly commoner, got pregnant right away and bore a son.

That was Brestin Zauer.

Brian was born later. Of course, even if he was born somewhat later, being the lawful child meant it was his rightful place as heir. However…

“An accident happened. Both my father and that concubine perished in an accident. Tragically. Anyway, my mother tried making me the heir. But at that time, Prince Arista de Klaus intervened, and it all turned to dust.”

“How did that happen? No matter how close Zauer Barony is to the Asran Kingdom, it’s still a part of the Belita Kingdom, isn’t it?”

“That’s the unfortunate part. You’ve probably heard the rumors of Prince Arista de Klaus being eager to strengthen royal authority. He had harbored that ill intent since he was a child.”

The subsequent story was that the Brina family, which was Brian’s maternal family, had been pummeled by Prince Arista.

He claimed that Arista pressured them, suggesting that the Brina family intended to merge with the Zauer family through their daughter, and unfairly snatched the barony away for that lowly concubine’s child. Lean gasped in shock.

“That’s truly outrageous! A king should protect the nobles who ‘serve’ the people… Arista de Klaus, I see you in a new light.”

In a positive manner. Lean thought of the Brina family and how they sought to fill their own bellies.

Brian nodded.

“Indeed. So I tried everything to reclaim my position, but it wasn’t easy. Hence, I sought Marquis Tatian.”

What followed was just a worthless complaint. Chasing after riches by opening brothels and colluding with Marquis Tatian. Though Lean felt disgust, he listened attentively until he found an excuse about someone waiting and wrapped up the tale.

Brian Zauer exited the reception room with a lighter step. Perhaps feeling satisfied thinking he had forged some connection to the prince, but Lean was lost in other thoughts.

The piggishly greedy Diego Brina. Lean sensed a similar foul smell from the skinny and wrinkled Brian.

Well, they were relatives, so maybe that explained the shared traits. Having roughly understood the gist of things, Lean sighed.

“Ha—”

He exhaled a breath thick with fatigue. Even a scoundrel like him felt worth having around in this situation.

Whether the feedback reached her or not, Soirin came in to tidy the messy table and fluff the squashed sofa. Lean sat down at the desk and read through the numerous letters, replying to each one diligently.

This was the only path for a powerless prince to survive. Moreover, since his younger sister wished for a long life with her older brother, he couldn’t leave any trouble for her.

Yet, no matter how he thought about it, this plan alone seemed insufficient…

‘No good. I need to bring Ray along.’

He didn’t want to meddle with the engagement scenario too much. After all, he had already gone through a lot in the last round.

He wanted Ray and Lera to live happily, but… he couldn’t afford to drag his own nose into it. The difficulty level of the beggar siblings’ scenario was hell, and even with his memories restored, he found it overwhelming to tackle alone.

Reb had his own tasks.

‘Zauer Barony… I had promised to help with that job for Marquis Tatian, so I should head that way.’

I need to bring Ray and the Swordmaster along. Lera Ainar posed a challenge, but somehow, it would be fine.

Thus, the prince sought a destination to leave.

At that moment, a knock echoed, announcing yet another visitor. Lean let out a deep sigh.

He needed to see Ksenia soon… It had already been a day since their engagement had dissolved.

Though he stubbornly clung to the hope of restoring their relationship, inside, his stomach churned.

What if he couldn’t turn things back? Would he merely live only for his sister?

Reriana’s dream was to live her ‘entire life’ in a wonderful house with her brother.

His sister’s ‘True Ending’ hinged not on the moment the ending appeared but on the condition that she must be happy for a lifetime.

In the last beggar siblings scenario, the sister, who had become a princess, believed she would claim the palace as her home and live together with her brother when the ending occurred, so it had been cleared. Yet, afterward, she ended up marrying far away. This time, it couldn’t be allowed to happen.

As such, it was a naive dream worthy of a fairy tale, yet there was that unrealistic and murderous difficulty.

Lean had no confidence that he could pull off this daunting task alone throughout his life. Just like it was for Katrina, who chose for her child… it was a resolve that only a mother could truly possess.

He wanted to see Ksenia.

He needed her. – Just as Lean thought that,

Creeeak—

She opened the door and entered.

“…… Huh?”

“…Don’t get the wrong idea. I’m not here because I like you, Prince.”

“Ksenia!!”

Lean wrapped his arms around her. Hahaha!! Laughing while embracing her waist, Ksenia let her cascading black hair down as she said,

“I’m here because I love you, Lean. I’m still angry about it, Your Highness.”

On her hand was the silver engagement ring still in place.