Chapter 61: – Hesitation and Recklessness

“You spineless fool of a brother! That’s exactly why those rotten glasses-wearing schemer and that sister-obsessed maniac always beat you to the punch!”

Smack!

With a magnificent crack, Jibril slapped Mikaelis across the face.

Mikaelis, who had been working when his sister suddenly appeared and struck him, naturally looked displeased.

He wasn’t the type to lose his temper immediately.

Rather than gentle, he was simply calm by nature.

Still, being slapped out of nowhere was hardly pleasant.

Jibril stood proudly with her modest chest puffed out.

Despite having just struck her brother, she showed not the slightest hint of remorse.

“…So that’s the first thing you say when you see me. It can’t be helped.”

“It! Can! Not! Be! Helped?! What exactly can’t be helped?!”

Jibril shouted each syllable separately.

With every word, her sharp heels stabbed into the floor.

The stomping echoed loudly enough to make one worry about the wooden boards.

It was hardly ladylike.

More like a child’s tantrum.

“Our house is only a count’s family.”

“Even with the ‘von’ title, we’re still just counts.”

“The Domitrias family has only recently risen in prominence.”

“Do you really think someone like me can casually meet Albertina while she’s under royal protection?”

“Well, at least you’re aware of that much.”

“If you’d tried pretending not to understand, I would’ve concluded you lacked even the determination to pursue Sister.”

“As sharp-tongued as ever.”

“But this situation really can’t be helped.”

“If you won’t go, then I will.”

“Yes, I absolutely will!”

At her brother’s pathetic excuse, Jibril’s eyebrows shot upward.

Jibril had always adored Albertina.

She deeply admired the beautiful ducal daughter who was one year older than her and showered her with unconditional affection.

But this situation couldn’t simply be ignored.

The royal family and all Four Great Ducal Houses were involved.

One careless move and it would be their own family that got crushed.

Truthfully, Mikaelis never wanted to be the one to bring up the Crown Princess issue to Albertina.

If possible, he would have preferred accompanying Kishtaria instead.

However, Mikaelis was both a count and a knight commander candidate.

When both the king and Duke Fortuna, commander of the Royal Knights, requested something of him, refusing was impossible.

Being trusted sounded flattering.

In reality, it merely meant he was trapped by obligations and forced to act within narrow boundaries.

He hated himself for that.

And as though she could see right through him, Jibril would occasionally act on pure emotion and do something outrageous.

“H-Hey. Wait, Jibril. Are you serious?”

“Completely serious!”

“Good day to you, cowardly brother!”

The moment she finished speaking, she spun around and stormed out.

Her skirt flared dramatically behind her.

Why was his sister so absurdly active?

He vaguely remembered her being much quieter as a child.

Now she swung a rapier around and beat ordinary men senseless.

Young noblemen who treated swordsmanship as a refined hobby stood no chance against her.

Mikaelis had tried to stop her.

He didn’t want his beloved sister doing dangerous things.

He didn’t want calluses forming on her delicate hands.

Yet Jibril had brushed aside all his objections.

Somehow she found a master and improved at an astonishing rate.

Of course, women were physically weaker than men.

But once one mastered magical body reinforcement, that disadvantage became almost irrelevant.

Sometimes Mikaelis genuinely had no idea what direction his sister was heading.

Of course, as a lady, she was impeccable.

A graceful smile.

The latest fashions.

The finest jewels.

A young noblewoman who strode confidently through high society.

With her blazing crimson eyes and hair, she was often called the Rose Lady.

Elegant.

Magnificent.

And occasionally willing to punch someone directly in the face if they annoyed her.

If not for that one bad habit, she would have been a flawless sister.

Beautiful though she was, she came with plenty of thorns.

Even so, suitors never stopped appearing.

Partly because she was one of the most celebrated count’s daughters in the kingdom.

Partly because she stood at the center of high society.

And partly because of her close connection to House Latitche.

Albertina, the only daughter of the Latitche family, adored Jibril like a real younger sister.

Perhaps because of that, even Duke Latitche himself was somewhat gentler toward her.

Kishtaria, on the other hand, remained cold.

Probably because he could see the hidden motives behind every suitor.

Mikaelis stared at the door Jibril had left wide open.

She was right.

He was always one step behind.

Afraid of being hated.

Afraid that taking a single step forward would cause all his restraints to break.

Always hiding behind excuses.

What if Albertina truly becomes Crown Princess?

Then their paths would never cross again.

He would remain nothing more than a childhood friend.

Albertina would take an appropriate spouse.

She would join the royal family.

Perhaps even become queen.

And he would spend the rest of his life looking up at her from a distance he could never cross.

As head of the Domitrias family, Mikaelis would eventually need a wife.

He would produce heirs.

Continue the family bloodline.

And enter a marriage devoid of love.

He had already delayed choosing a fiancée far too long.

Normally, one would spend years building a bond with a future spouse.

He never did.

He knew he was stubborn.

Inflexible.

His first love had been too overwhelming.

Too vivid.

Even now, it remained lodged firmly in the center of his heart.

Rather than fading with time, those feelings only seemed to grow heavier.

With a deep sigh, Mikaelis locked away his documents and put away the key.

…Albertina.

I want to see you.

A barrier supposedly surrounded the palace where she lived.

The barrier was apparently a result of her magic running wild.

A manifestation of her fear and rejection.

Neither maids nor knights could enter.

Only a handful of people close to Albertina had been confirmed capable of passing through.

When Duke Fortuna had forcibly brought her here, she had been too panicked even to create the barrier.

Something must have triggered it afterward.

Something that pushed her fear beyond its limits.

If only it had activated a little sooner—

No.

There was no point thinking that way.

Albertina was neither a knight nor a mercenary.

She was a sheltered noble lady.

Expecting her to handle everything perfectly was unreasonable.

Mikaelis removed the amulet attached to his mithril sword hanging on the wall.

He fastened it to his belt and left the room.

I am actually facing a rather serious problem.

What problem, you ask?

Well…

The barrier I’m currently maintaining is completely outside my control.

I can clearly sense that the magic power belongs to me.

But I can’t adjust its strength.

I can’t change its range.

I can’t do anything.

Is it really a good idea to have a barrier this enormous covering part of the royal palace?

And can my magic power even sustain something like this?

Until Father returns, I’d really prefer to reduce the area and increase the density.

Efficiency and quality both matter, after all.

Thankfully, Kishtaria and Julius were able to visit.

They can enter.

Anna can too, of course.

To begin with, this is the first time I’ve ever created a barrier this large.

I’ve already been here several days.

And somehow it never disappears.

Not even at night.

It’s operating twenty-four hours a day.

Someone call the labor standards bureau.

This fragile ducal daughter is apparently working full-time in magical terms.

If my barrier magic was capable of this, couldn’t it have awakened earlier?

Honestly.

Typical useless me.

If it had, maybe I wouldn’t have been hauled off to this place by that muscle-bound bear.

I refuse to accept that man as my grandfather.

My parents were practically made of beautiful-people genes.

There isn’t even a trace of that bear’s appearance in them.

Apparently he’s my maternal grandfather.

But Mother Christina was a delicate, graceful noblewoman.

The only thing they share is black hair.

That’s it.

“Don’t you agree, Chappy?”

“Pigi?”

“I hate him. That man!”

“My family is Father, Mother Latine, and Kishtaria!”

“Giiii!”

“Exactly!”

As I passionately explained my position, Chappy enthusiastically agreed.

Who cares about House Fortuna?

I belong to the mighty House Latitche!

Hmph!

So surely…

If Father were here…

“…Everything will be fine.”

Will it really?

I haven’t followed the game’s scenario at all.

I’m close with Kishtaria.

I get along well with Mikaelis despite us never interacting in the original story.

Renalia, the heroine who was supposed to trigger my downfall, completely failed her route.

In some routes she became Crown Princess and returned triumphantly as the kingdom’s Cinderella.

Now she’s a wanted criminal.

She can’t even marry a commoner anymore.

Honestly, her life is hanging by a thread.

Lucas, who was supposed to be my fiancé, barely interacted with me.

The only thing he ever did was falsely accuse me and nearly condemn me.

I barely spoke to the other capture targets.

That entire incident had driven Father into a purge-fueled rage.

Father is incredibly sweet to me.

To everyone else, he’s basically frozen death sauce.

Surrounded by handsome men straight out of an otome game, I somehow became a complete daddy’s girl instead.

The original Albertina ruled as a beautiful villainess.

A flower of evil.

A queen of wickedness.

The real me?

A certified disaster daughter.

I’ve managed to keep Albertina’s peerless beauty.

But I’m also an extreme shut-in with severe social anxiety.

I’ve basically been labeled a toddler requiring constant supervision.

And somehow I feel like I’m getting more incompetent every year.

Everyone is just so nice.

Seriously.

They’re unbelievably nice.

How am I not supposed to become spoiled?

And thus, this hopeless disaster of a noble lady was born.

A decorative mascot daughter.

A noble whose only merits are her bloodline and appearance.

Socializing?

What’s that?

Can you eat it?

A professional-grade shut-in, thank you very much.

Now then.

Do you think I have any allies in the royal palace?

The answer is no!

I!

Have!

No friends!

…Realizing that all over again is surprisingly depressing.

There’s nobody I can rely on.

I don’t even know who I should rely on.

The only blood relatives outside House Latitche are the Fortunas.

And I absolutely refuse to ask them for help.

Who knows what they’d demand in return?

That mustached old— ahem.

That gentleman.

And that bearded mountain of muscles.

Both rank at the absolute bottom of my personal impression list.

Terrifying.

Walking disasters.

I’ve heard they don’t get along with Father either.

Definitely dangerous people.

I need information.

Without relying on them.

And so…

I came up with a plan.

Barriers are actually an incredibly advanced and specialized form of magic.

Spatial perception.

Magical material construction.

I mostly use them as shields or stepping stools.

But they’re supposed to be amazing magic.

Ahem.

…Though in my case, I mostly just use them through vague instinct.

Apparently I’m what’s called a sensory-type mage.

The opposite is a theory-type mage.

Sensory types are essentially genius types.

They use magic through intuition.

Flexible and creative.

But once they hit a slump, their magic can collapse completely or spiral into catastrophic runaway situations.

They create a framework through imagination and then flesh it out with magic power.

Father and Mikaelis are that type.

Julius is definitely a theory type.

The sort who follows rules precisely and uses magic through careful calculation.

Highly stable.

Less flexible.

Like following a baking recipe perfectly down to the temperature and measurements.

Apparently House Latitche produces many sensory-type mages.

Though now that I think about it…

I’ve never met Father’s parents or siblings.

Father never talks about anyone except Mother Christina.

Kishtaria seems capable of using both approaches.

The magic he once showed me was beautiful.

Water spheres transformed into shimmering fish and birds.

Clay dolls emerged from the earth and effortlessly lifted me into the air.

From the rooftop, I could see the entire academy.

It was wonderful.

I wonder if he’d show me again if I asked.

I wonder if I’ll ever see it again…

Shaking away the sinking feeling, I gathered my magic power.

First, I needed to gain control of this barrier.

If I could freely manipulate it in an emergency, I’d be much safer.

Hmm…

Wait.

Isn’t this huge?

Way bigger than I thought?

Did I really create something this massive?

Seriously?

That talent couldn’t have shown up sooner?

Trying to investigate, I extended my magic through the barrier.

And then—

Information exploded into my mind.

Countless scenes flooded my consciousness.

An overwhelming torrent.

Too fast.

Too much.

No, no, no!

Stop!

My head is spinning!

I’m going to black out!

…

……

………

Ugh.

My head hurts terribly.

Like a hangover.

Magic sickness?

Information overload?

Whatever it is, this is bad.

I always thought I was pretty talented with magic.

That confidence vanished instantly.

Ugh…

I need more training.

Thankfully, I still have time.

Probably.

I need to master this barrier as soon as possible.

Groaning on the sofa, my consciousness slowly faded away.