Ch.1The Villain Twins

I’ve been living as an orphan for 25 years.

As an adult, my life hasn’t had many ups and downs.

Maybe it’s because I’ve worked hard to get by?

I don’t have stress at work.

Living alone means I have a decent amount of money.

Not enough to buy a car or a house, but enough that I don’t have complaints.

Still, life was a bit boring.

There weren’t many interesting things happening.

My only pleasure was coming home after work, ordering delicious food, drinking three or four cans of beer, and reading web novels.

But even that wasn’t enjoyable today—just frustrating.

The novel I was reading was a typical academy story.

The author kept things frustrating throughout the beginning.

The protagonist’s name was strange too.

Still, I persevered.

That’s how loose my life had become.

“…Hah. But this is…”

Now my frustration was building up.

If there was one reason I kept devouring this novel, it was the characters.

Whether they were heroines around the protagonist or his allies, the characters were three-dimensional and interesting enough to keep me engaged.

To be honest, I’d been reading this novel solely for one character.

But these villains, who had absolutely no charm, kept destroying those characters.

“…Ah… this is so annoying…”

The villains were twin sisters.

The older one was the family head, Asena Praester.

The younger one was Kirsy Praester.

For the reason that they “crossed” the ducal Praester Family, the twins mercilessly crushed the characters around the protagonist.

As if implementing their family motto “No one shall touch us,” they thoroughly destroyed anyone who fell out of favor.

They showed no mercy.

They seemed like people born without emotions.

Why would the author take the story in this direction?

There was no explanation of the twins’ circumstances.

Without any plausible reason, when Asena or Kirsy attacked, that character was finished.

It felt like the author lacked skill and used these twins to eliminate characters that needed to be removed for plot progression.

They were like plot devices? They seemed to be used as executioners.

Today, after my favorite character, “Daisy Hexter,” was mercilessly crushed by the Praester twins and disappeared from the story…

I finally took action.

‘Daisy is so cute!’

‘Daisy fans unite!’

‘I really love Daisy!’

…I tearfully deleted such supportive comments.

I downed my beer in one shot and placed my hands on the keyboard.

‘Author, I can’t understand these villains. Honestly, I think they lack charm. This is where I stop.’

I hit enter.

And just like that, I was possessed.

****

Of all the characters in the novel, I think the one I possessed is the most absurd.

Of course, that’s by my very subjective standard.

I possessed a child named Caden who was growing up in the “Hexter Orphanage.”

Honestly, I didn’t even know who he was.

If it weren’t for this “Hexter” orphanage—sponsored by my favorite character “Daisy Hexter’s” family—I wouldn’t have even known I was possessed into the novel “Frontier Noble Academy.”

That’s how few of the novel’s characters appeared around me. And it didn’t seem like they would.

The academy that served as the novel’s setting was a distant place for me.

In this world with a strict class system, it wasn’t a place that a commoner orphan like me could be involved with.

That academy was only for nobles.

No matter how I looked at it, I was someone unrelated to the novel.

That’s why it was so absurd.

If this was going to happen, I wondered why I was possessed at all.

But that didn’t mean I was discouraged or lost.

As time passed, I naturally accepted this life.

There wasn’t much else I could do anyway.

So for two years, I took care of the orphanage children.

It wasn’t difficult for me with an adult’s mind.

I gradually began to find fulfillment in it.

My principle is that young children should always be treated carefully and preciously.

That’s how they grow well.

It could be said that it’s an adult’s duty.

So I poured my affection into the orphanage’s younger siblings—loving them, scolding them, and playing pranks with them.

Honestly, I grew to love these younger siblings a lot.

Pure-hearted Ewin, Nox who dreams of becoming a chef, Kiella who loves flowers, and many others…

They returned my love in equal measure.

The nuns looked fondly upon this.

They always praised me for being so mature,

saying I was like an adult.

…Well, being an actual adult, it wasn’t much of a compliment.

And then that day came.

One day, a nun called for me and took me to the interview room.

For some reason, the nuns were trembling.

It was a side of them I’d never seen before.

Soon we arrived at a small room.

Inside was an elderly woman.

‘Hello, Caden.’

She said.

‘My name is Riana Praester.’

****

The former Duchess of Praester, Riana Praester, had developed a concern.

Her son, the head of the family, had passed away.

Along with his wife.

She had shed countless tears.

But not wanting others to see, she locked herself in her room to cry in secret.

For the mighty Praester could not show tears.

She missed her departed husband, and envied him too.

No parent should experience burying their child.

Such pain was too great a trial to bear without her husband.

After writhing in pain in secret for a while.

The Praester Family could not weaken.

The family that her husband and son had protected could not fall here.

With other families eyeing them greedily, Riana Praester took control with her wrinkled hands.

‘No one shall touch us.’ She repeated the family motto to herself.

Thanks to what her husband and son had left behind, the Praester Family was able to regain its balance more smoothly.

She quickly extinguished the fires that had risen due to her son’s absence, strengthened alliances, and bought time.

Only then did she notice certain things.

Things she had been too busy to see.

It was three months after her son’s passing.

Her granddaughters…

The legacy of her son and daughter-in-law.

Only now did she check on Asena and Kirsy.

Too busy protecting the family, she had neglected to care for her family.

They still couldn’t accept that their parents were gone.

They grew thinner with each passing day.

Their emotions diminished.

She could see the life fading from their eyes.

Riana Praester tried to approach them, but it wasn’t easy.

They had never been particularly close to begin with.

Riana Praester loved her granddaughters, but she never expressed it in front of them.

That was the role of her son and daughter-in-law.

While those two showed love, she had chosen to display the dignity of the family.

Such a relationship couldn’t change suddenly.

If she had known this would happen, she should have expressed more love… but such regrets came too late.

She didn’t know what to do for the children or how to do it.

Riana felt this was even more difficult than politics.

After a month of effort, she realized:

Riana couldn’t be their support.

The established relationship was too rigid.

The children didn’t rely on her;

they only became more wary.

The twins maintained stiff faces in front of her.

They seemed uncomfortable with the rigid Riana visiting them.

That’s when the butler, Tein, suggested:

Since they weren’t succeeding, perhaps they should find someone new.

Someone who could be both a servant and a friend.

Perhaps having peers nearby would help them stand again.

Riana could only nod.

The plan’s success was uncertain, but she couldn’t just do nothing.

She sent many family servants out.

They searched orphanages and villages for diligent, good-natured children.

After a few weeks, she received a list of promising candidates.

Meanwhile, her once flower-like granddaughters withered further.

Recently, they seemed too weak to even sit, staying in bed all the time.

Riana took action.

Rather than waste time, it seemed faster to go and see for herself.

The results were disappointing.

No one impressed Riana.

Perhaps commoners couldn’t help their lack of education.

Many children acted on instinct, like wild animals.

Yet Riana was compromising in her mind.

She would have to take someone back.

Though it was hard to rank them, she was selecting candidates.

Then she arrived at the final orphanage.

She came to the orphanage sponsored by the Hexter Family.

As soon as she arrived, she heard the bright laughter of children.

Laughter and beaming smiles.

The innocent expressions of children, rarely seen in any orphanage.

The very expressions she wanted to see on her granddaughters.

Riana was captivated.

At the center was a child named Caden.

She had intended to observe briefly, but watched him from afar.

The more she watched, the more she liked him.

Considerate, thoughtful, and mature.

Hours passed like this.

She began to think he was too valuable to be just a servant or friend to her granddaughters.

He had the potential to be a guide for her granddaughters.

If he could grow up like this without parents, she knew he would shine even more with the family’s support.

Though a commoner, he was a child who could help the family.

After erasing all the candidates she had painstakingly listed in her mind,

Now she only wanted this child named Caden.

She approached the nuns of the orphanage to talk.

Once she revealed her family name, it wasn’t difficult.

The nuns bowed and shared everything.

Caden was an even greater gem than she thought.

She heard numerous incidents and stories that had impressed the nuns.

So Riana decided.

To make Caden an older brother to her granddaughters.

Although he was of common birth… and there would be much controversy, Caden was that exceptional, and her granddaughters were that precarious.

She adopted the child named Caden.

It was regrettable, but she adopted him first.

Only afterward did she meet him.

She was confident she could make him follow her, no matter what she said.

She was willing to grant any request.

But part of her thought… he might like it too.

The Praester family was wealthy.

He wouldn’t have to wear rags for clothes or eat slop for food.

It was an opportunity he would never have again.

The wise Caden would know that.

‘Hello, Caden. I’ve decided to adopt you.’

So Riana revealed her name.

‘My name is Riana Praester.’

She revealed her family and asked if he would become part of it.

After telling him about her twin granddaughters, she asked if he could look after them like his younger siblings at the orphanage.

His expression turned to shock.

…Riana was a bit puzzled.

For some reason, he seemed most surprised at the mention of “Praester.”

Of course, she didn’t pay much attention to such a minor detail.

More important was changing Caden’s mind.

Caden had refused her offer.

He said he was worried about the younger siblings he would leave behind at the orphanage. He seemed to be hiding another reason…

But his concern for his siblings didn’t seem to be a lie.

Moreover, it was an answer that made Riana smile. To turn down a comfortable life for the sake of his siblings.

How reassuring it would be if this child became an older brother to her granddaughters.

This wasn’t a difficult negotiation for Riana. If he cared about the orphanage children, she could support them.

‘Caden, if you come with me, I will take care of your siblings at the orphanage.’

She promised not to spare any support so that Caden’s siblings wouldn’t starve even during bad harvests. She had seen the condition of his siblings on her way in. They were all skinny.

For Caden’s sake, providing food for them wasn’t difficult for her.

There was no deception in Caden’s gaze as he looked at his orphanage siblings.

And if that feeling was genuine, there was no reason for Caden to make any other choice now.

‘…I’ll go.’

And Riana’s thoughts proved correct.

She smiled and said to her new grandson:

‘From now on, your name is Caden Praester.’