Something’s Strange? (3)

In conclusion, I managed to fall asleep successfully. Somehow, Father came looking a bit shaken, gave me some kind of medicine, and after I took it, I was able to sleep at my usual time.

Well, from what I briefly heard, it’s a medicine without any particular side effects. At worst, I might feel a bit less sleepy the next day? That’s something I can easily tolerate.

Thanks to that, I was able to wake up a little later than usual and even eat lunch. Now it feels like I’m back to my normal routine…

“Young Miss! His Highness the Crown Prince has come to visit!”

“What did you say?”

Why are you doing this to me?

Something’s strange. Has Reinhardt ever come two days in a row before? I don’t think it’s ever happened?

“Since you woke up, His Highness has visited less than 5 times.”

“No, that’s not the point…”

It’s not good for him to visit two days in a row, no matter what. It’s evidence that Reinhardt is interested in me, in whatever sense. I think it’s appropriate for Reinhardt and me to maintain just an engagement relationship, with that level of distance. That way, later on, Reinhardt can meet the original protagonist, continue from there, and cleanly break off the engagement.

Hmm, but until then, maybe it’s not bad to get along relatively well? Is that okay?

‘If it’s certain that Reinhardt and the protagonist will fall for each other, then it should be fine.’

In some novels, there’s something called “forced progression” that forces events to align with the original plot, no matter what. It’s a term originally from another work, but people generally understand what it means when you say “forced progression,” so it’s pretty much half-established… Anyway, the important thing is that even if my relationship with Reinhardt is a bit different from the original, things might still flow back to the original course in the end.

‘This is quite a positive way of thinking, isn’t it?’

Whirr, whirr… I think it’s not a bad circuit. After all, novels have predetermined routes, right? It’s right for Reinhardt to end up with the protagonist. This is something that not only I but all readers of the Arsian Chronicles would agree with.

“Alright!”

“What’s alright?”

As I clenched my fist and made a resolution, suddenly Reinhardt’s voice was heard. It’s surprising, but I’m used to it now. Although we haven’t known each other for long, Reinhardt has also gotten somewhat used to this behavior of mine, and told me to do as I please.

Is there any problem with following the words of His Highness the Crown Prince? No problem at all!

But… today seems a bit different. There’s someone else with Reinhardt. At first, I thought it might be Muriel, but she’s just a maid and would never stand side by side with Reinhardt. And when I checked the face…

‘Gasp!’

I inhaled sharply without realizing it.

“Hello!”

A blonde girl waving her hand with a lively smile. I knew very well who she was. Just like Ariel, there was an illustration, so I could recognize her immediately.

Claudia, the Empire’s only Imperial Princess. Reinhardt’s younger sister and a character who appears as the protagonist’s helper in the original work.

The protagonist is a commoner without any background. Although her talent is tremendous, she faces numerous trials before that talent can bloom. Of course, there were many things she couldn’t do alone, so there were helpers in each faction, and Claudia is considered the helper from the Imperial family.

She’s 15 years old, 2 years younger than Reinhardt. Because of this, she doesn’t enter the Academy at the same time, but she occasionally calls the protagonist for conversations and sometimes enters the Academy under the pretext of preliminary inspections.

Needless to say, in the original work, Claudia had no good feelings towards Ariel at all. For her, Ariel was nothing more than a parasite trying to cling to her brother Reinhardt. This was largely because Ariel had shown many behaviors that disgusted Claudia.

Moreover, Claudia can instinctively understand a person’s essence. It’s an ability close to mind-reading, where she can catch whether a person is evil or good-natured as soon as she meets them. The description in the novel was:

[I don’t like this person, they’re dirty.]

I still remember her first line when she saw Ariel. The protagonist? No need to even mention.

That’s why she naturally starts to like the protagonist, whom Reinhardt treats favorably, and despite being royalty and a commoner, she starts calling her “sister” and following her like a real younger sister. She also helps with things Reinhardt can’t help with, and sincerely congratulates the protagonist when she becomes a saint.

As such, she can be said to be an uncomfortable existence for me, for Ariel, in many ways. If I get on her bad side, it won’t end nicely. But there’s a high chance she’s already heard about yesterday’s events from Reinhardt, and on top of that, she just saw me muttering to myself. It’s safe to say I’ve already royally messed up the first impression.

Wait a minute! This is not the time for this! First, I should at least greet her since I’ve met a member of the royal family! Reinhardt told me in advance that I don’t need to do this every time with him, but Claudia is different!

Coming to my senses, I quickly composed myself and gave a polite greeting.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Your Highness.”

A desperate attempt to salvage my image, even now! I need to save my life at least!

“Huh? Oh, you don’t need to do that. It’s not like we’re strangers.”

Huh? Do I sense a strange atmosphere, or is it just my imagination? Oh? Come to think of it, she’s not saying I’m dirty?

“If you’re my brother’s fiancée, you’ll be family, so why bother with such things? It’s better to be comfortable.”

Her bright smile makes me feel… how should I put it… reassured yet uneasy. It’s certainly good that she’s being friendly to me right now, but I wonder if this is right… What is it, something feels off?

“Hey.”

“Yes.”

“Can I call you sister?”

“Pardon?”

Wait a minute. Isn’t this an event that happens with the protagonist? There’s a scene where Claudia, after meeting the protagonist for the first time and recognizing her character, immediately wants to become close and calls her sister. Could this be…?

“Y-Your Highness…”

“Don’t use such stiff titles, call me by my name.”

What? What is this? We’ve barely met for 5 minutes, why is she trying to progress things so suddenly? Am I the strange one here?

Unable to hide my confusion, I turned to look at Reinhardt, but he was already used to this, calmly drinking tea received from Muriel. Hey, don’t ignore me!

“Don’t you want to?”

Hurriedly turning back, I see Claudia with a somewhat ominous expression. This is dangerous. It’s dangerous either way. I had no choice in this matter.

“N-No, that’s not it…”

“Hm?”

Am I imagining things? Somehow the room temperature seems to have dropped a bit. Maybe we don’t need air conditioning. Hahaha…

“…Claudia.”

“Yes!”

Her bright nod and smile would be very cute if you didn’t know the situation, but thinking that my head could fly off at any moment, I can’t see it that way. For me, she’s essentially like a grim reaper. She might be similar to Reinhardt in the sense that if I say something wrong, my head could fly off.

“May I ask why you’ve come today?”

“I was curious about the sister my brother keeps talking about, so I came to see!”

Excuse me? What did I just hear?

“My brother often talks about you at the Imperial Palace. So I got curious!”

“I see…”

How kind of you to tell me twice. I wonder what kind of stories he’s been telling for her to say such things? Creak, I turned my head to glare at Reinhardt, but he was calmly sipping his tea as if he wasn’t bothered at all. I should just… No. What am I thinking?

“Sister, sister.”

“Yes.”

“Even though my brother looks like that, he’s a good person in his own way. You need to take good care of him, okay? I’m counting on you.”

How many people could resist that look, with her hands clasped and one eye slightly closed? A little sister thinking about her brother. It’s truly a heartwarming and pleasant sight.

If only the target was the protagonist and not me, it would have been perfect. It’s really an unsettling sight.

“I will do my best with all my heart and soul.”

I can’t bring myself to say I’ll assist him. That’s not my job, is it? After all, my goal is to hand Reinhardt over to the protagonist as soon as she appears, play the villainess role moderately, and then step back. Thinking about that, it’s important to create some room for escape.

“Yes! I’m counting on you!”

Her bright smile is truly dazzling.

‘This is fun.’

Claudia thought with a gentle smile. Reinhardt’s fiancée whom he occasionally mentioned. She wondered what kind of person she was for him to care so much… but meeting her in person, she’s even more interesting than expected.

At first glance, the way she rolls her eyes in front of royalty might seem suspicious, but seeing it directly, it’s not that kind of thing; rather, it reminds one of a small animal confused and not knowing what to do.

Actually talking to her strengthened this image even more. The Walpurgis family is quite prestigious, and Ariel was said to be a strong-willed lady rumored to be tyrannical until recently, but meeting her in person, she only gives off the impression of a harmless small animal.

Perhaps because of this, despite it being their first meeting and not much time having passed, Claudia suddenly sorted out their way of addressing each other. She might end up kicking her blankets in frustration later, but Claudia didn’t regret it.

Claudia could instinctively tell whether a person was good, evil, or hypocritical when she saw them. Although she might appear to be a bright and pure girl at first glance, she was still a proper member of the Imperial family. With her innate intuition and the social skills cultivated as an Imperial Princess, she was able to firmly maintain her position in the Imperial Palace.

To Claudia, Ariel’s image was…

‘Such a cute sister, I can’t stand it!’

Even now, seeing Ariel’s eyes shaking as if she doesn’t know where to look, a mischievous smile appeared on Claudia’s lips. How should she put it… the way she shows such vivid reactions to even small movements, she couldn’t help but be an interesting lady, just as Reinhardt had said.