Chapter 226: Her True Nature
The title of prince, which I had borne since birth, was heavier than I had imagined.
However, that didn’t mean that I planned on abandoning it.
Instead, I longed to become stronger.
I wanted to become strong enough so that my other siblings wouldn’t be able to push me around.
One fine day, a purple door appeared in my room.
There was nothing written on the unfamiliar door, but for some reason, I felt drawn to it the moment I saw it.
And when I stepped inside, I met someone.
“Welcome to Clair’s General Store.”
A being whose gender, age, or identity I was unable to discern.
The moment I completed the deal with him and stepped outside, bizarre changes began to take place in the Jerman Kingdom.I was certain…
This wasn’t what I had wished for.
* * *Not only was the carriage provided by the Royal Family for the journey to the Jerman Kingdom fast, but it also absorbed external shocks quite well.
Almost none of the usual rattling could be felt, making it much more comfortable for long-distance travel.
“Ah, I’m so tired.”
Deia, sitting opposite me, yawned and shifted her body a bit.
Even though it should have been easier to sleep in due to the lack of shaking, she still looked uncomfortable.
She was originally supposed to return to Norseweden along with Darius, but she insisted on coming to the Jerman Kingdom, saying that she wanted to see it at least once.
It wasn’t a pleasure trip, but I allowed it since she didn’t intend to accompany me just for fun.
There was a carriage with gifts for the Jerman Kingdom following us, and Aria also decided to tag along.
I would have not allowed her to accompany us under normal circumstances, but she joined us under the pretext of helping her friend, Eleanor.
I wasn’t sure if she really had such a benevolent intention, but I had a feeling Eleanor would be happy to see her anyway.
“I can’t fall asleep in the carriage.”
Deia kept shifting her posture while grumbling, but she still looked dissatisfied.
Then she glanced at me and slyly moved into the seat next to me.
“Lend me your lap.”
“…What?”
And before I could say anything, Deia naturally rested her head on my lap.
Pushing aside the book I was reading, I looked down at her, and saw that she had already crossed her arms and closed her eyes.
“What are you staring at?”
She asked me calmly as if she had expected me to be watching her.
I always had a feeling that we had grown quite close. Thinking of it as the bond between two siblings, it didn’t seem like a big deal.
But could siblings really be this intimate?
“Deia.”
Even though I called out to her quietly, she didn’t reply. Since she couldn’t have fallen asleep already, she was deliberately ignoring me.
“Deia.”
“Ugh, what?”
Seeing that I wasn’t going to give up, she finally opened her eyes and responded indignantly.
“There is a line that even siblings should never cross.”
I didn’t have any brothers or sisters in my past life, so I wasn’t sure, but there were boundaries that even family members had to respect.
“It is not very appropriate for a fully grown younger sister to lie on her brother’s lap.”
Deia snorted in disbelief, as if offended by my words.
“But everyone does this. And what’s wrong with lending a lap to family?”
“…”
“Also, aren’t you the one overreacting because you’re thinking of me in a romantic way?”
Since the concept of family was pretty strange to me, I was unable to come up with a response.
Was I perhaps feeling uncomfortable because I unconsciously saw her as a woman instead of a sister?
If that was the case, maybe I needed to get a grip on myself.
“But still.”
However, wasn’t her way of speaking typical gaslighting?
“Would you be able to lie on Darius’ lap like this?”
When I asked bluntly, Deia paused for a moment before sitting up straight.
“I’m not sleepy.”
“…”
“Really! I just don’t feel sleepy anymore, so I sat up.”
I sighed and tried to turn my focus back to my book again. I also had trouble sleeping in the carriage, so I preferred reading instead.
“Ugh, I feel like throwing up.”
I thought I would be able to concentrate on my book, but she started grumbling again.
I wondered what it could be this time, but Deia’s complexion had really gotten worse.
“Are you experiencing motion sickness?”
I didn’t think any problems would arise since the royal carriage didn’t shake as much, and Deia was used to riding in carriages.
I deliberated over giving her motion sickness medicine, but she just covered her mouth and mumbled through her hand.
“It’s because you made me imagine lying on Darius’ lap.”
“…”
“Ugh!”
It seemed like she really hated it.
Seeing Deia turn pale with nausea, I sighed and spoke.
“Lean against my shoulder.”
“…”
“You should feel a bit better if you lean and rest for a while.”
She slowly moved closer and rested her head on my shoulder. Seeing her expression relax, it seemed that she was feeling a bit better.
And not long after.
I could hear her regular, soft breathing through her disheveled hair.
“Is she asleep?”
I took a quick glance and saw her sleeping peacefully.
I briefly recalled how she had been complaining about not being able to sleep in the carriage.
“This much should be acceptable between siblings.”
I carefully closed my book, so as to not disturb her, and turned my gaze to the window.
* * *“Don’t worry.”
Rahul Jerman, the first prince of the Jerman Kingdom, smiled as he reassured Eleanor.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
“I’m not really worried.”
Eleanor, who truly had no concerns, responded nonchalantly, but Rahul laughed, seemingly finding even that endearing.
“Ha ha, as expected of Princess Eleanor. You’re truly different from other women.”
Ah, damn…
Eleanor barely held back a curse rising in her throat and swallowed hard.
She was aware that the Royal Family of the Jerman Kingdom had always been womanizers, especially Rahul, who was known to keep many women.
However, she never thought that he’d make such blatant advances toward her, the princess of the Griffin Kingdom.
How will he take responsibility down the line?
When his father, the current king, abdicated, he, as the eldest son, was first in line for the throne.
However, if he were to start a serious relationship with Eleanor, she would naturally become the Queen of the Jerman Kingdom.
And that was certainly a direction the Jerman Kingdom would want to avoid.
Even if she were to marry into the kingdom, they would prefer it to be with one of the other brothers, not the eldest.
After Rahul Jerman left, the other brothers began to show up one by one.
Especially the second and third brothers, who were participating in today’s giant demonic monster hunt, made overly obvious romantic advances.
“Ha ha, so my brother came by earlier? Don’t take him seriously.”
The second brother, Rehul, spoke gently and considerately, but who knew what his true thoughts were.
“Get a grip! You are the princess of Griffin.”
A cold voice.
It was the third brother, Serhul, who rarely displayed affection and found meeting people to be bothersome.
And both of them were currently competing with each other, trying to take control of the conversation with Eleanor.
Why are they behaving like this?
However, Eleanor simply observed the situation coolly. It wasn’t just one or two; all the princes began courting her out of the blue.
She couldn’t help but have a suspicion that the Jerman Kingdom was up to something.
Although she was wary…
Is this really not a joke?
From their actions alone, it seemed that the princes were genuinely in love with Eleanor.
And being someone who prided herself in her ability to read people, this made it all the more confusing.
The princes were courting her earnestly and fervently as if under a spell.
After the second and third brothers left, she wondered if the other would come as well.
For reference, the youngest of the six brothers was only eight years old.
A full ten years younger than the still-young Princess Eleanor.
And when he said he loved her, it truly felt like she was doing something wrong.
I hope he doesn’t come.
Although she wanted to lock the door, doing so in the Jerman Kingdom Palace might raise suspicions.
Finally, Eleanor sighed and looked out the window.
The desert that stretched out behind the city.
Beyond the horizon lay the Griffin Kingdom, and there…
Deussssss…
For the first time since the start of her vacation, she was missing the man she thought to be her destiny. She wanted to return as quickly as possible.
The vacation would be ending soon, and she would have to go back to the academy.
Eleanor sincerely hoped the princes would somehow succeed in hunting down the demonic monster.
At that moment…
Creak.
The door opened, and a man stepped in.
Assuming it to be another one of the six princes, she put on a mask-like smile.
“How are you finding life in the palace so far?”
A well-trimmed beard.
Wrinkled skin.
Yet, still a robust and cooper-skinned appearance.
The elderly man to whom the throne of the Jerman Kingdom belonged, Ramahul Jerman, had come to visit her personally.
“Yes, thank you for your hospitality.”
Eleanor responded with a smile.
Although she hadn’t shared many conversations with Ramahul Jerman, seeing him up close sent a strange tingle down the back of her neck.
How could she even start to describe her impression of him?
It felt like there was a scorpion’s stinger lurking behind the smiling, kind old man.
It wasn’t a very pleasant feeling.
The old man didn’t try to hide his greed as he approached her.
“I heard that my sons have been quite rude.”
“No, they were not, Your Majesty. They are just teasing me. I laugh and take it in stride.”
“Ho ho, is that so?”
The desire in Ramahul’s eyes. No wonder this man was still in charge of an entire kingdom; his greed was vast and selfish.
Is he insane?
Confronted with the revolting desire boiling in his eyes, Eleanor maintained her smile without changing her expression and let it pass naturally.
“Speaking of which, the other princes should be paying me a visit soon. They come to my room once a day.”
“Ahem, it seems that my sons are being quite impolite.”
Seemingly displeased, Ramahul took a step back. He stroked his beard and left with a smile that hinted at future plans.
“…Wow.”
Eleanor let out a sigh of disbelief, loosening her stiff neck with a massage.
What the hell was happening?
From the eight-year-old prince to the old man with six sons and five daughters…
Having witnessed and felt the chaotic yet passionate lust of the Jerman Kingdom Royal Family up close, Eleanor began to feel her frustration rising to the top of her head.
Moreover, King Ramahul wasn’t genuinely interested in her.
He probably had some twisted desire to snatch the woman his sons liked.
“Right.”
Krrrrk.
She bit her lip and swept back her hair from her forehead.
Ever since Deus Verdi had saved her, she had been spending her day innocently at the academy.
“So that’s how they’re playing?”
However, just like Findenai, Eleanor Luden Griffin was also a boss character in a chapter of the game ‘Retry’.
In the original story, she was a fallen princess.
A rebel who stayed up all night.
A girl who was called a dignified leader.
She judged that Orpheus, who was either mentally destroyed or possessed by the Griffin’s Evil Ghost, was unfit to be king.
She was the mastermind who incited countless students, led the knights, and made the cold, calculated judgment that the time was right to overthrow the country.
"Let's see how this goes."
Eleanor gritted her teeth and began to unveil her hidden schemes and unleash her true nature.