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332. Siblings Ep – Playing Soldier

“I can’t wait any longer.”

Brestin was holed up in his room, refusing to meet anyone, and Ray’s body was heating up.

Lera expressed her grievances, saying, “You’re suspicious! And when are you coming back?” Ray had momentarily placated her by letting her train with a knight from the Zauer family.

Lera was pleased. However, knowing it wouldn’t last long, Ray stormed to Lean first thing in the morning to express his frustration.

“I’ll grab that noble by the collar if I have to. We need to finish this quickly.”

And then he really lunged at someone. Not Zauer’s collar, but Dialo Brina’s.

Despite being a Swordmaster, he had to hide it from Lera, but there was nothing that could stand in his way.

“Ray! Wait! I’ve contacted Lord Brian Zauer, just give it one day… ugh.”

Lean shouted, but Ray was already sprinting off in the distance.

Lean ran after him, but his ‘Monster Hunt’ achievement counter was at 0, he had no mana, and being smaller in stature made it impossible for him to catch up to Ray.

Ray was like the wind, even carrying a person on his back.

Huff, huff. Damn it. Have I been too lazy with exercise?

Oriax had probably handed things off to Reb, and Astroth needed time, so there was no reason for him to get involved this time.

With nothing but deduction, political maneuvering, and scheming to occupy his time, he quickly became out of breath. The prince’s dignity was on the line.

But finally, he had a lead!

He reached out to his half-brother Brian in Orville to find out why Brestin was so overreactive.

Though the church’s communication was swift, a letter had to be written at the Orville church and sent to Brian, which meant at least a day for a reply. Since he sent it yesterday, it might arrive today at the earliest…

Lean ran, hoping Ray wouldn’t mess up the situation. That guy just didn’t listen like Reb did.

“Oh my! What’s going on here? Wait, is that the prince too?”

Lean gasped as he climbed the stairs.

In the middle of the stairs was the Head Handmaiden, Nella, who had been pushed aside by Ray, her eyes wide open. She was still in casual clothes, probably just starting her shift.

Not caring about that, Lean pushed her aside and barreled onward.

He raced up the steep stairs, reaching the Count’s room.

Thinking it would be in complete disarray, he was surprised to find it oddly quiet, and upon entering, he was even more shocked to see an unexpected figure inside.

Reriana was there.

“What is going on here?”

Ray looked just as startled. He was standing there, awkwardly holding Dialo Brina. The Leos, except for Lean, were notoriously weak against their younger sister, Lena.

“My apologies. This friend seems to have misunderstood… Ray! Come out! But… Reriana, why are you here?”

Lean blocked Ray’s path and asked. It was a relief that nothing catastrophic had happened, but the fact that his sister was there at this hour was a big deal nonetheless.

What is going on here?

The Count was half-leaning against the bed, and Reriana was sitting in a chair beside it.

Lean’s eyes narrowed. Reriana urged him in a gentle voice.

“This is perfect. Just say everything. It’s not good to deceive yourself and hide problems when you know they exist.”

“…”

Brestin had a look of contemplation at Reriana’s words.

As he hesitated, Reriana held his hand, encouraging him.

“I pity your life, Count. But just as you said, you must open the door and move forward. Even if it’s late. Only then can you escape from the nightmare.”

Reriana’s eyes glimmered with a golden light. Lean thought he had barely restrained his sister, and seeing that made his heart drop, but Brestin Zauer found courage.

Brestin stood up.

“Prince. May I take a moment of your time? Dialo Brina, there’s something I wish to say to you.”

“Gack… Huh. Please, go ahead, my uncle.”

Ray dropped Dialo, whom he had been hoisting by the collar. Dialo thought, “Oh my, I almost died,” and straightened his posture.

Though they were of similar ages, it was clear he should behave like a subordinate. However, Brestin Zauer disagreed.

“I am not your uncle. We don’t share a drop of blood between us.”

“Oh, of course. Your uncle has a separate birth mother, after all. But the one who is my great-aunt is the legitimate wife of the Zauer family, so we end up as relatives. True, there was a conflict over the heir position, and the relationship between the two of them has become strained, but that is an undeniable fact…”

“No. I cannot acknowledge her as a legitimate wife.”

Brestin stated firmly. It was a humiliating and even miserable confession.

“She committed adultery. I saw it with my own eyes. And of all things…”

“No! How can you say such a cruel thing? No matter how poor your relationship might be, there are things that can and cannot be said!”

“Especially with her own brother. I witnessed her committing adultery with your grandfather, the former Count Brina.”

Dialo Brina’s face turned bright red. It seemed he felt insulted.

“Count! On what grounds do you speak such nonsense? Though I might be the second son without a inheritance, I am still a member of the Brina family! Do not conjure up baseless accusations!”

“Evidence? If you want evidence, you’ll be the obvious proof.”

“Me? Why?”

At that moment, Lean had a revelation.

He understood why Brestin was so reactive. And why Dialo Brina and Brian Zauer looked so similar.

This was why Lean was surprised when Ray brought Dialo with him.

It wasn’t that Dialo had become thin compared to before the historical change; it was that he was so thin that he looked exactly like Brian Zauer. Brian, whom Lean had met in Orville, was now, as before, strikingly wrinkled.

He had sent communications asking about this to Brian… and Brestin continued.

“You might have seen my younger brother. He, too, was thin, and did you not feel he looked like you quite a lot?”

“…Well, I was a bit bigger back then…”

“Brian was the same. He was perfectly content with his appearance until he visited the Brina family, and suddenly he started losing weight. Can you guess why?”

“……No way…”

“That unlikely guess is indeed true. Brian is the child born of your grandfather and great-aunt. To you, he’s not a distant uncle but rather a direct younger brother.”

Brestin sighed.

“I saw it. When Count Brina visited our territory, I witnessed the two of them in a secretive meeting. I should have raised the issue back then… but I was young and foolish, not understanding what it meant.”

His legitimate wife, who couldn’t bear children…

Ultimately, she did give birth, and Brestin’s father also had a child with a concubine, meaning both of them had no issues with their reproductive abilities.

But why hadn’t she had a child for several years? The answer was obvious.

Brestin’s father, the previous Count Zauer, did not love her.

Whether it was an arranged marriage or something else, he had been forced to marry for some reason but shared a bond with someone else and ultimately never slept with her. Eventually, he took in the woman he loved as a concubine.

That woman was Brestin’s mother. But the legitimate wife’s rage brought about catastrophe.

After much contemplation, she called her brother, the then-Count Brina. She took him as a lover, bearing a child, and aimed to position her own child as the head of the Zauer family, who was essentially the blood of the Count Brina.

The obstacle of her husband and concubine would be eliminated on the day the child was born.

Thus, Brian Zauer was born. Brestin’s half-brother… a brother born without a drop of blood shared between them.

From then on, Brestin simply lived to survive. Born a bastard from a concubine, he became diligent with everything and kept the place tidy even without tools.

The legitimate wife also spared him her wrath, since she had a true heir on her side.

However, her unsightly scheme was disrupted by Arista de Klaus, a prince of the Asran Kingdom. When the newborn was very small, the prince received the first blessing from the newly born holy woman.

The prince recognized Count Brina’s true intentions and kept him at bay from political affairs, ensuring he could not enter the circles of power.

This led Count Brina to pass on his title to his son (Diego Brina) earlier than expected. However, the prince continued to investigate, uncaring of Count Brina’s actions, and history shifted at this point.

A certain woman serving Malhas ended up killing the king. Young Arista de Klaus, who ascended the throne, passed too soon, just as this had supposedly been the history.

However, with history altered, Arista de Klaus neither lost his father nor ascended the throne suddenly.

As a prince, he freely managed the kingdom’s affairs and discovered that the Zauer family was becoming excessively close with the neighboring Brina family. The prince immediately dispatched an investigative team.

(This was typical of the Brina clan) It was around this time that the plump boy known as Brian Zauer started losing weight rapidly. Not knowing how far Arista’s furious investigation would go, it was a ruse, yet he finally received an ultimatum.

– I, Arista, will not allow the two families to get closer.

There was no way to know how much Arista had discovered. Diego Brina, who had inherited the title and become the head, sought his father for the situation and came to a decision.

Being his cousin, he should refer to him as ‘second cousin,’ but in reality he demanded that the cousin born from another womb (異腹) give up the title.

So, it was Brestin Zauer, not Brian Zauer, who ascended to the title of Count.

Yet Brestin lived in despair.

With age came the realization of what he had seen, and his mother, falsely reported to have died from an accident, had been murdered outright.

In bed.

Brestin couldn’t sleep when there was no one beside him for some time now.

If he felt no presence, he would have nightmares, preventing him from getting married. He rotated through handmaidens daily, pulling them into bed, shuttering himself in the room. Whether the family fell or thrived… that had been his life.

Brestin exhaled deeply through his nose. Saying it out loud had been quite liberating.

I have no connection with you. After spitting it out at a brother who resembles Brian, who is nothing but a stranger, he felt freed from the bonds that had bound him.

Had Brian himself been here, he wouldn’t have spoken like this… Brestin felt a surge of courage.

“How does it feel, liberating, right? Now we can move forward.”

“It seems that way.”

On this momentum, he decided to visit the Brina family as well.

Though it was late, with the involved parties still alive, he aimed to bring forth the issue and resolve it.

Brestin expressed his gratitude to the lovely princess.

“Thank you, kind princess. Because of you, I’ve found my path.”

“No, it was only listening. You knew your path all along. And… thanks to that, I feel like I’ve found my path too.”

Reriana smiled brightly. Brestin returned the smile and turned to say,

“Prince. I know what you wanted when you came to see me. I also understand why you brought this person. While I cannot permit any smuggling, I can assist in establishing a legitimate trade route. Dialo Brina, you and I should have a brief chat.”

“Oh? Count, what on earth is going on here?”

Just then, Nella, now dressed in her maid’s attire, walked in with her eyes wide open, confused by the sudden gathering of people since morning.

Brestin beamed at the maid who had stayed by his side all this time.

“Nothing much. Thank you for opening the door on my behalf. And… congratulations on your wedding, albeit late.”

“Eh?”

“Let’s go.”

Brestin strode out with Dialo in tow. Lean felt the atmosphere shift with his stride.

But Lean had a more pressing issue at hand.

“Reriana, what do you mean by saying you’ve found your path? And why are you even here?”

“Brother.”

“Why?”

“I want to quit acting.”

Reriana spun around shyly, as if she was embarrassed or maybe just apologetic, confessing while wrapped in the thick curtain.

“I’m a princess. I can’t just keep pretending to be a silly younger sister forever, you know? Just like when we used to play hide and seek.”

“…”

“I have to walk my own path. It seems like you want to live quietly with Ksenia, but I don’t want that. I want to secure a place where I can live on my own terms. And… I wish to live together with you, brother.”

“…”

– “What’s wrong with your sister?”

“Just be quiet.”

Ray whispered. Lean nudged Ray with his elbow, scrutinizing his younger sister.

If she was just caught up in her past memories and was about to run wild again, he was prepared to give her a scolding, but Reriana met his gaze with determination.

Her golden eyes shone brightly. The cute face of his younger sister bore a dignified air rather than mere childishness.

Lean let out a puff of frustration.

“Fine. Do as you wish. But what exactly do you plan on doing? I won’t be helping you. Also, I cannot allow anyone from the Belita Kingdom near you, especially the dangerous Marquis Benard Tatian.”

Reriana seemed to be pondering hard.

That’s quite a sneaky approach. Then…

At that moment, while wrapped up in the curtain and deep in thought, Reriana discovered something and broke into a wide smile. She flung the curtain open and shouted.

“Alright! I’ll handle it myself. But promise me this: as long as they aren’t people from the Belita Kingdom, it will be fine, right? Then you won’t interfere with what I do with those people.”

“Those people?”

Reriana pointed outside.

As he turned to look, Lean gasped, and Ray, who saw it later, asked in confusion.

“That’s Sir Hazen. Why is he here?”

Damn it. My older brother has thrown me another headache.

Sir Hazen was approaching with a dozen men across the garden.

They clearly displayed the emblem of the Second Knight Order from the Konrad Kingdom on their chests, dressed in formal attire that indicated they were here to escort someone of high status.

It looked like they were sent to assassinate me and Reriana, but Sir Hazen, who pretended to maintain political neutrality, was actually someone who supported us more than anyone.

Casting a glance to the side, Lean noted that Reriana was rubbing her palms together as if salivating. She seemed quite pleased with the arrival.

Lean felt dizzy.

If his sister got a hold of a knife, he couldn’t imagine how big the mess would grow; he couldn’t predict the scale of her little game of soldiers. Lean inwardly apologized.

‘Reb, I’m sorry.’