“...”
Alice and Charlotte were trying their best to calm Claire, who was sitting with a scowling expression.
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“Sylvia doesn’t seem to be interested in men, so even if she’s just eating together with Leo, nothing major will happen.”
“You think that’s the case, huh? Of course, nothing major will happen with just a meal! One’s a baron and the other’s a princess!”
Claire finally exploded at Alice’s words.
“No, that’s not it! You said you’d help me keep Leo from getting together with Sylvia! So why on earth did you drag me out of there!? Charlotte, maybe I could understand, but you!”
“That’s not a good thought, Claire,” Charlotte countered, responding to Claire’s outburst.
“No matter how much you like your sister, you can’t control who she has feelings for,” Charlotte added softly, her hand resting gently on Claire’s shoulder.
Charlotte didn’t yet fully understand the relationship between Claire and Sylvia, but it was clear from the way Claire treated Sylvia that she genuinely saw her as an older sister. Even someone who didn’t know the details could see that Claire sincerely followed Sylvia as if she were family.
The relationship between nobles or royalty was often far more complicated than it appeared, and sometimes even the most distant families, like that of the Emperor and a baron, hid incredibly close bloodlines. Charlotte interpreted Claire and Sylvia’s relationship through this lens, thinking that it might have some similar complexity.
“No, I understand if Sylvia likes someone else. Of course, it would be better if he’s handsome, capable, and comes from a prestigious family that fully understands Sylvia, but if she likes him, what can I do? As long as he’s not some obnoxious guy, I’d have to accept it.”
“Well, at least it seems you’ve learned some basic etiquette as a noble...”
Charlotte sighed in relief, placing a hand on her chest. Claire immediately shot her a glare.
“No, I’ve been trying my best to learn!”
“But, Claire...”
Charlotte tried to calm her again, placing her hand gently on Claire’s shoulder.
“Nobility often requires you to make unwanted marriages, especially if you’re from a higher family, like a royal or imperial family. Sylvia, being royalty, might have to marry someone older than her, like a duke.”
Alice’s face took on a slightly confused expression at Charlotte’s words. Fortunately, Charlotte was standing behind Alice, so she didn’t see the look.
In reality, Sylvia didn’t care much about marriage or not marrying. She was far freer in matters of romance than a typical duke’s daughter.
Of course, if Sylvia decided to engage in a political marriage, there were plenty of families that would take her, but the Emperor wasn’t stupid enough to squander Sylvia’s position in such a manner.
“So, something like this, a light romance, should be forgivable, don’t you think? Besides, someone like Sylvia could easily find someone she loves even after marriage. There are concubines, after all.”
“...”
Claire narrowed her eyes and spoke in a cold voice to Charlotte.
“Charlotte, do you want to spend your wedding night with a man you don’t like, and then keep your real lover as a concubine for the rest of your life?”
“...”
Charlotte avoided Claire’s gaze in response to her harsh words.
“No, that’s not the point! If Leo really wants to marry Sylvia, I’m sure our father would be thrilled and rush out to support it! And our mother seems to like Sylvia too!”
Claire said, venting her frustration.
“But the class difference between Leo and Sylvia...”
“That doesn’t matter,” Alice interjected, cutting off Charlotte’s words.
“The only person who cares about marriage among the royals is me. I’m the one who will be the next Emperor, and Sylvia is someone who’ll support me. Who Sylvia marries doesn’t matter. Sylvia’s children won’t carry the royal name. In fact, I think Father would welcome Sylvia marrying a baron. At least he won’t try to manipulate her.”
Charlotte and Claire stared at Alice as she spoke.
“But you still left Sylvia and Leo alone together!” Claire suddenly exploded again, her frustration mounting.
“But Sylvia—”
“What’s the matter?”
Before Alice could explain, she froze at the voice coming from behind.
“...When did you hear all this?”
“I just arrived a moment ago. You were discussing it so loudly that I could hear it from outside the classroom. And, of course, the topic was about my love life.”
Sophia’s voice came from the doorway as she leaned against the wall. She looked like she was biting her tongue.
“Leo and Sylvia’s conversation?”
Charlotte, who would normally have no trouble responding, stumbled over her words.
“...”
Sophia stood silently by the door for a while, glaring at the three of them, before pushing herself off the wall.
*
Ah, seriously, I’m not like that!
Are nobles in this world supposed to not understand simple conversations? Or is it that ‘a woman’s rejection means strong consent’ here?
...
Come to think of it, maybe it’s true.
The women in front of me right now are incredibly open-minded by the standards of this world, but they’re still women who just passed the 19th century.
It’s still a time before women’s suffrage. In some ways, the women here are a collection of the worst traits for attracting men, aside from their appearances.
“I’ll make it clear right now. I don’t have romantic feelings for Leo.”
Since beating around the bush would only fuel misunderstandings, I decided to say it outright.
“The reason I invited him to dinner earlier was to make that clear. I’ve already told Leo, so there’s no way he’ll misunderstand.”
Charlotte wiped her face with a sigh.
“...What’s going on?”
“Well, of course, Leo won’t misunderstand.”
Charlotte spoke in a voice laced with frustration.
“Leo doesn’t even think you like him, so that’s why he won’t misunderstand.”
“...That’s exactly what I’ve been saying.”
“...”
When I heard Charlotte’s words, I nearly grabbed the back of my neck in frustration.
What? Is she asking for a duel?
It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this way about a woman.
It wasn’t the first time, but it’s been a while. And the first time was with Sophia from the original story. It made me angry, but I had no choice but to lose to her in the story.
Alice looked like she was about to burst out laughing.
“Are you serious, sis?”
Claire, who had been dragged out of the classroom earlier, peeked out from between Alice and Charlotte and asked.
“Of course. I have no intention of becoming your sister-in-law.”
“Really? Are you sure?”
What is so exciting about this?
I know Claire isn’t trying to attack me. But it’s hard not to interpret her words like that.
Claire already thinks of me as family. Not someone who shares the same parents or grew up in the same household, but a family bound by fate. That’s why, even though we didn’t spend much time together when we were young, she could confidently call me ‘sister’ the moment we met.
So, there’s no need for the process of “making me the wife of her little brother” to become part of the family. Thinking about it, it’s actually quite a refreshing mindset.
“Well... does this mean everything’s settled?”
After making a pinky promise with Claire, I looked at Charlotte and Alice.
Alice just shrugged, her expression still amused. I was a bit nervous because of her expression, but at least I’d made myself clear, so she wouldn’t keep teasing me about it.
The problem was Charlotte.
I wasn’t sure how my behavior looked to her, but it seemed that Claire’s attitude was what bothered Charlotte the most.
From the perspective of this world’s nobility, where marriage involves changing surnames and becoming family, asking me not to marry Leo would seem like an outright rejection of becoming part of their family.
For Claire, it was just the shock of possibly having her little brother marry her ‘sister,’ but...
“...”
It felt like no matter how many mountains I climbed, there would always be more ahead.
I thought to myself as I watched Charlotte quietly staring at me.