episode_0171

“How was it?”

When I asked Elsie, who had been guided to where I was, that question, she tilted her head.

“What?”

“Did you have a good conversation with the Crown Prince inside?”

“Ah, that.”

Elsie’s face crumpled mercilessly. Of course, because the original was so beautiful, it wasn’t ruined too much. Or maybe it was just because I was blind to Elsie.

“The crown prince… … I heard you were told to get engaged to me.”

Elsie said that as if she was very displeased. It is natural. The conversation between the Crown Prince and Elsie was one in which the Crown Prince would appear extremely negative in Elsie’s eyes.

I was a little relieved.

As a person, your impressions may change over time, but thankfully, the crown prince seemed to have retained the same pointless, naivety he had back then.

“On the crown prince’s side?”

“… … They say a woman who splits a thick table with her head is not her type.”

“… … Should I say I’m fortunate?”

Do you still remember what happened back then?

Who do you think was the reason Elsie split the table with her head?

I got up from the chair and went next to Elsie. We walked side by side and left the guest room. The driver who was waiting outside immediately came near us.

It may be for the purpose of escorting, but it may also be for surveillance. The story we two share may be passed on to the king.

“Oh, that’s right.”

“Huh?”

When I spoke while clapping my hands lightly, Elsie responded.

“Ted is planning to visit the mansion in a while.”

“Yes?”

Elsie blinked.

“Ted… … No, Master Ted?”

The last time I received an invitation, I roughly anticipated what the conversation would be like, so I sent a letter to the estate and invited Ted.

Ted was the child who would succeed the Grand Duke, so of course he would go back some time later, but there was still a reason to know about the royal capital.

“You’ve told me this before, right?”

I spoke with a slight pause on purpose.

“My taste is people with black hair and blue eyes.”

“Yes!?Oh, hey, that’s.”

Elsie was very embarrassed by my words.

Of course, I know now that the person Elsie was talking about back then was not my younger brother.

But that doesn’t make it any better.

“I thought it was time to miss you once in a while. I want to expand my knowledge of my younger brother.”

“No, but… … .”

The whole time she was walking out of the castle, Elsie seemed to be thinking hard about an excuse, but she couldn’t come up with a proper excuse.

I could just confess my love.

Then the two of us would just run away.

Well, there’s still time, so it won’t matter if you wait a little longer.

If it doesn’t work out, I’ll do it first…

*

About a week after that.

My younger brother, whom I called, has arrived in the royal capital.

In the meantime, the crown prince never called Elsie separately. Judging from this, it seems that the crown prince is clearly not interested in Elsie. In fact, when I think about his attitude at the welcoming ceremony, I felt like he wanted to live without attention at all, but that’s not possible.

“Sister Amelia. And Lady Delkisi.”

Ted came into the mansion and said that proudly—

Elsie and I looked up blankly.

“… … Uh, maybe I did something wrong—”

“No, wait a minute.”

I said, touching my forehead.

“Since when are you calling me ‘sister’?”

“… … .”

Ted’s smiling face froze at my words.

My eyes quickly scanned the surroundings. It was as if I was checking to see if anyone understood what I was saying.

“Ha, haha. Sister, what are you saying? Just half a year ago—”

“… … .”

When I opened my eyes and looked up, Ted quickly closed his mouth.

“… … For now, just follow me.”

When I said that, Ted followed me without saying a word.

And as soon as I entered the guest room,

“Ah, sister, please.”

Ted immediately whined.

… … That’s right. Ted definitely called me “sister” and Elsie “Lady Delkysh” when he was young. He had been calling both of us that for quite some time, but he had loosened up a lot in the past few years.

I think the reason is probably Elsie.

Yeah, if I think about it again, I think it started after Elsie split the table in half with her forehead during breakfast.

From then on, Ted treated Elsie without any hesitation, and he often called her ‘Elsie’s sister’. Of course, my title of ‘sister’ naturally became ‘sister’ as well.

Well, in an official capacity, I was still the older sister and Elsie was the Delki City Lady.

“But didn’t you use the title ‘sister’ in personal settings? The same goes for Elsie.”

Of course, there was a line. We all treated each other with respect. After all, nobles are nobles.

However, it was not for such noble reasons that I called Ted.

“When you’re with us, it’s okay to call us whatever you feel comfortable calling us. Elsie will definitely understand. Even before we came here, we used family-like titles, right?”

“That’s right, Ted. It’ll be easier for both of you.”

After Elsie helped him next to him, Ted spoke a little hesitantly.

“Can I really do that, sister?”

“That’s what the family is for, right?’

When I said that, Ted looked a little sad.

When I was young, I was extremely gentle with Ted. In the original, Ted was one of the male protagonists, and I thought that if things got along badly, he might do something bad to me.

I haven’t had that kind of worry since Elsie started staying at the estate, but still, my attitude hasn’t changed much.

After all, they’re family. There’s nothing wrong with getting along well.

… … Thanks to this, Ted seems to have grown up to be a bit of a spoiled child, but I still think it is a change within the acceptable range.

“Oh, that’s right!”

Elsie clapped her hands and shouted as if something suddenly occurred to her.

Of course, Elsie wasn’t that good at acting, so it was obvious.

Probably because I want to get away from here.

Since I said I would introduce Ted to Elsie, it would be extremely uncomfortable, especially if the person she likes said that.

“Well, I suddenly remembered something I have to do! I think I need to leave for a while! I hope you two are having a good time!”

Before I could ask her what she had forgotten, Elsie ran away.

thud.

Ted saw the door closing and tilted his head slightly to the side.

“… … Why is Elsie like that?”

“There is a reason.”

“What is the reason?”

“Ted. What do you think of Elsie?”

“Elsie’s sister? That’s why she’s like family to me. We’ve been together since we were very young, and we often play together.”

Yes.

Elsie has often played with Ted since she was young. Elsie herself has a very tough personality, so her way of playing was also quite tough. She would hold Ted’s waist and lift him up, or ride him on the back of a wolf. If Ted had a bit of a tough side, If there is, it’s probably because of Elsie.

“Do you only think of me as your older sister?”

“… … What do you want to say?”

Ted said, looking at me very suspiciously.

“So, both Ted and Elsie are now at the age where they start recognizing the opposite sex.”

“… … .”

Ted looked at me blankly for a moment,

“Sister, wait a minute.”

I raised my hand and touched my forehead.

And after thinking for a while with my brows furrowed,

“Are you really recommending Sister Elsie as my companion?”

I asked that with a somewhat shocked expression.

“How do you feel?”

“… … .”

Ted was silent for a moment, then

“Uh… … Well, I feel really sorry for Elsie, but a woman who breaks a brick with just her hands is a bit… … .”

I answered that way.

hmm.

Actually, I thought that I had never considered him as a romantic partner. That’s why I called him.

However, when I came here not long ago, I thought there was potential to the extent that I came up with the idea of making Elsie Ted’s companion so that she could at least see her face for the rest of her life.

Maybe that was me being too optimistic about the situation. Now that’s actually a good thing.

At least Ted won’t have anything against Elsie while he’s here, right?

“And, keuhmm.”

But it seemed like Ted wasn’t finished talking yet.

“I’m already in my hometown… … Because there is a woman I have feelings for, um.”

Oh my.

“Is that so?That’s good.Who is it?”

“That’s a little… … .”

Maybe you don’t want to say it out loud yet? I nodded.

Still, I was able to make a list in my head. There were only a few girls of similar age who talked to Ted. And Ted was also an aristocrat. If he was an unlikely partner in the first place, he wouldn’t have even had feelings for her. At least she would be an aristocrat.

Well, Ted’s love story is good, because my love story is important right now.

“Then it turned out better.”

“Yes?”

Ted tilted his head again when I, who had been speaking as if I were talking to Gil Elsie just a moment ago, smiled brightly.

“That’s right, actually, there was a proposal that Elsie received recently… … .”

I slowly brought out the story.

Yeah, if you really think Elsie is family—

“Crown prince? With that damn top?”

—Of course there will be this kind of reaction.

I internally clenched my fists.