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371. Lena Ep – Fairy Tale Book

“I wish for the Princess to become the queen of this country.”

I didn’t accept the Marquis’s proposal. I told him I would think about it, but I quickly made my escape.

However, I soon found myself at a standstill, unable to decide what to do next.

Does my brother really intend to abandon me in this country?

After hearing my absurd dream, has he concocted a scheme to deal with the younger sister that would be an obstacle to his succession?

Wendy and Neil, who had followed closely behind, felt like a looming shadow.

“Princess?”

“…”

If my brother is indeed thinking along those lines, I might already be in an irreversible situation.

With the royal knights around, escaping was no easy task, and even Marquis Benard Tatian had gotten involved.

Fortunately, it seemed he wished for me to become the queen of this country. At least he appeared to want to lend me strength, but the fact that I had to marry Prince Klian didn’t change the outcome.

Of course, that is, if my brother had such intentions.

“I want to be alone. Wendy can stay outside. Don’t start moving.”

“Yes.”

So what should I do? After getting on the carriage, I contemplated for a moment before coming to a decision.

I needed to meet my brother and confirm it.

I set the carriage in motion and soon arrived at the place where my brother was. It was a lively tavern, even in broad daylight.

What Marquis Tatian told me was indeed correct.

I put my hood down as I entered, and my brother was chatting away with some commoners.

I stood nearby, trying to listen in on their conversation. But, surprise! My brother suddenly turned his head.

“My sister has arrived! My pretty sister.”

“Eep! W-who is this…?”

My brother seemed a bit drunk. He jumped up and rushed over, reaching under my hood to touch my face.

Thank goodness I wasn’t wearing makeup today; this was incredibly rude!

I yelped, “Get your hands off me!”

“Aww, Reriana used to look better back in the day. What happened to my sweet little sister who used to obey Big Brother?”

“Hmph! I’m a grown woman now. It’s weird for an adult lady’s face to be touched like that!”

“…Alright, alright. For now… sit here. It’s a bit shabby.”

He dragged over a chair, which was small, hard, and lacked a backrest.

What on earth was my brother doing in a place like this? I carefully perched upon the rough surface of the chair to avoid ruining my dress and glanced around.

Then I spotted a familiar face.

“Hey? You’re the knight who escorted Brother Eric.”

“It’s been a while.”

Amidst the market-like chaos, the peculiar young man who often appeared in my dreams winked at me. He too looked quite tipsy, holding a beer mug.

Come to think of it, everyone around here was completely wasted.

Among the five men and women, two of the women were chattering away among themselves.

“And then what? What happened there?”

“What can we do? The Holy Woman called for us, so we have to go. Hee hee. To Kalil Toluca, who could only wander seeking monsters, cheers!”

“Cheers… So, the monsters were just caught by you two? The Hero and Ray, together.”

“Exactly! Caught with ease. It was a ‘Zerg’ or something, and when we took off its pincers and grilled them, it was the best taste ever.”

“Wow. That’s amazing. Incredible.”

“But priest, we agreed to stop using honorifics, didn’t we? Why are you still being so formal?”

“Just. It’s more comfortable this way.”

One of the women appeared completely wasted. She looked rather innocent but was practically shouting, while the other woman matched her volume. It was barbaric.

The second woman seemed to be a true barbarian.

Her light yellow short hair flowed like a mane and her demeanor was rough as well, clearly indicating she was a warrior from the north. At that moment…

“It’s the first time seeing in person.”

“Hey, hey. Shh.”

The large young man next to the barbarian woman spoke up.

Seeing him holding her waist, he too seemed to be from the north, and he looked at me with an oddly familiar gaze.

As if he knew me.

No, it wasn’t just a familiar feeling; it bore an odd sense of intimacy that was even more peculiar given the attitudes of my brother and the knight named Reb.

The three men exchanged glances and shared some unspoken connection. It was so ridiculous that I turned back to my brother.

“Brother. We need to talk.”

“What about?”

It was so loud around us that there was no need to move. So I asked point-blank.

“I just met with Marquis Tatian. What’s his scheme?”

I tossed the question out there, hoping to gauge my brother’s reaction.

I lamented that I had to act this way. But no matter how much he’s my beloved brother, I can’t discern the inner thoughts of others.

My brother stared at me blankly, then smirked and raised his hand, tousling my hair.

“What misunderstanding is our little princess having now?”

Misunderstanding?

Is it really a misunderstanding?

He’s not trying to abandon me in this country, right? Right?

But I held back my whining. I squinted, trying to read my brother’s true feelings. Perhaps it came off as a bit rebellious.

“Hey, why are you all fighting?”

“Fighting? We’re not fighting. But I really need to stop drinking now. The toast has gotten out of hand. Leah! Leah!”

“Why are you calling me…?”

“Ah!”

In the chaotic drinking party, my brother and I simply stared at each other quietly.

What would he say to cover it up?

He would surely express his innocence through gestures.

I planned to scrutinize his every move to uncover what tricks he had up his sleeve…

– Peck

My brother placed a kiss on my forehead.

He gently stroked my forehead with his thumb, murmuring.

“You’ve grown beautifully, whoever’s sister you are. Already a grown woman.”

“…”

“Just go back now. Everything will end tomorrow. And just in case, don’t even think about coming to the royal palace. If anything happens, go to Count Peter. He’ll take you to Cardinal Berg.”

“What do you mean by that?”

My brother, who had been prattling nonsense, smiled brightly.

“Nothing to worry about. My brothers absolutely won’t fail this time. Sir Barin!”

“Sir Barin isn’t here, it’s me.”

“Take Reriana with you. Reriana, see you tomorrow.”

My brother stood up, striding out to the place where the drunken commoners had taken a woman. I sat there in disbelief.

*

When we returned to the Rauno family mansion, Sir Barin greeted us.

I mentioned how unsure I was about what could happen while I was at Marquis Tatian’s place, so I’d stay, but in his duty as a guard, he was painfully meticulous.

Now he felt comforting, yet it was still disconcerting.

“Call Santian.”

“Yes. I know where he is. I’ll bring him back in no time.”

As promised, Santian appeared almost immediately. I noticed Tian sighing and offered some advice.

“Are you worried because Wendy is nearby? Don’t. Guard knights never disclose what they see while on duty.”

“…Yes.”

“You don’t seem convinced, but think about it: here in the Rauno family, it’s even worse. Our houses are so entangled that we can see what’s happening next door, and there could be someone sitting outside the window eavesdropping. There’s no privacy in this mansion, is there?”

“That’s true.”

“So what’s the problem?”

“I never said there was a problem.”

Santian stubbornly retorted. Then he pulled out a fairy tale book.

“Let’s read this and play today.”

Santian Rauno was one of the rare commoners who could read and write.

Considering he was two years younger than me, it indicated he had received quality education from a young age, but what did that matter? It didn’t pique my interest.

With my accumulated boredom and disappointment, I said, “I hope this isn’t another boring story. Today is your last chance to impress me.”

If he didn’t realize why I kept asking a common boy like him to play with me, that would be a serious issue.

What would a grown princess of royalty lack to amuse herself enough to engage in such antics?

It was no different than shouting in his face that I liked him, yet all Santian did was maintain his shyness.

At least until now.

“It won’t be boring. This fairy tale book is fun.”

I wasn’t expecting much.

As I suspected, I found myself even less entertained by the book. After flipping through almost all the pages filled with childish sentences…

At the end of the fairy tale, a crumpled piece of paper was stuck. Thinking it was a bookmark, I pulled it out to find it was a neatly folded letter. I looked over at the boy sitting across from me.

He was also turning the last page of the fairy tale.

“And so, Princess Leisia drew out the confession from Banun Raono and accepted it. The two married and lived happily ever after. I like the ending of this book much better than what I saw in the play. What do you think, Princess?”

Santian Rauno blinked rapidly. Realizing what was happening, I discreetly hid the letter he had delivered to me under my sleeve. Then I responded.

“Interesting.”

Of course, that didn’t mean I found the fairy tale itself entertaining. True to form, it was incredibly absurd.

But I agreed that the ending was better than the one from the play.

In the famed play, [Leisia Code], Leisia and Banun Raono end up not together.

It was because the first noble, Banun, failed to confess his feelings for her, leading to his sister Baneka Raono stepping in and ultimately bringing the tale to a tragic conclusion.

The sorceress Baneka created a love potion and presented it to Leisia, who secretly hoped for Banun to confess his feelings.

However, Banun ultimately rejected the potion, thinking it was sacrilegious. He smashed the vial, causing Leisia, who drank it alone, to lose her feelings of love.

She became a cold-hearted ruler, and Banun spent the rest of his life regretting his mistakes by her side, marking the end of the play.

This explains why there’s no mercy in the ‘Leisia Code.’ That law, which laid the foundation of the Achaia Kingdom, ended up being unnecessarily cruel.

‘Am I Leisia while he is Banun Raono?’

After Santian left, I couldn’t help but chuckle.

In both the fairy tale and the play, Banun is portrayed as someone easily embarrassed. It’s because, as a servant to Leonel, he felt ashamed for harboring feelings for Leisia, who is his lord’s sister.

On the other hand, Leisia is depicted as someone who has a crush on Banun, always waiting for him to confess. This made it seem like Santian was indeed criticizing me.

So perhaps he brought the fairy tale where Leisia acted more proactively.

Hmph. How audacious.

Sorry, but I’ve been acting like the Leisia from the beginning.

I even set up a silly game of cat’s cradle to draw out your confession, and no matter how the world changes, if a woman puts this much effort in, it should be the man’s role to gather courage and confess for the next step, right?

A flower prepares its nectar, but it doesn’t chase away the bees. I just hope you didn’t come here solely looking for nectar.

I sneaked into bed and read the letter under the moonlight, careful not to wake up Wendy next to me. The letter contained a request to meet alone in a place no one would find us, asking me to steer Wendy away.

I had a feeling I knew where he wanted to have his confession. It wasn’t exactly a romantic locale.