Cinderella's Brother

The prince I know, or rather the future emperor of the country of Lunnar, Castidio, was famous for being so cool and ruthless that it seemed like not a single drop of blood would come out even if you stabbed him. I heard that he has been arrogant since he was young, and had a bad relationship with my father.

 

However, the young crown prince in front of me now was nothing more than an innocent boy full of admiration for his master, or so it seemed to me. No matter how little I knew, I could see that fact clearly….

 

I know, because I used to look at my brother with those exact same eyes.

 

“May the glory of the god be with you, Your Highness.”

 

 As soon as my brother set me down, I quickly bowed to him. I was still in shock, and I couldn’t seem to calm down.

 

Lunnar stares at me for a moment, scratching his head, but then he smiles as if he knows what I was thinking.

 

“Not the new one, but the old one. You’re the one….”

 

“Your Majesty, I hope you don’t mind if my sister attends your class today.”

 

“Oh, I don’t mind, Master, if that’s what you want.”

 

The new sister and the old sister. Something’s not quite right about that. By the way, that cat-like crown prince was definitely Master’s fool. What did he do to him to make him look like that? 

 

Perhaps it was better to just stay in my brother’s office and laze around, but I was deeply curious about the relationship between that crown prince and my brother. I was going to find out what happened to make him so unruly afterward! Not for the sake of our family, but for my own peace of mind!

 

The crown prince’s classroom was unexpectedly simple; it was quite large, but instead of the fancy interior I had imagined, there were only some unknown flower vases on the windowsill, giving off an overall businesslike and dry feeling.

 

While my brother and Lunnar sat at a spacious desk and conducted their lesson, I sat on the sofa at the tea table a short distance away from them, sipping tea with a history book open on my lap.

 

<The Founding Myths of the Aeternus Empire and Their Impact on Later Generations>, a book I’ve read before, I had studied quite a bit, if not as much as my brother. 

 

“Have you finished your homework?”

 

“What? …Oh, yeah. Of course.”

 

That guy, he must not have done it right, judging by the awkwardness in his voice, 

 

“Good, then let’s get started with the test.”

 

“As you wish, yes.”

 

I peeked my head out of the corner of my eye, pretending to read a book, and saw my brother flipping through papers like an ice cube, and Lunnar with an expressionless face. Tsk tsk. I feel sorry for him, but it’s so funny. It reminds me of the white noise of a fellow knight who claimed that other people’s misfortune was my pleasure. Puh-ha-ha-ha-ha!

 

“What was the name of the first emperor’s capital city?”

 

“Icarus.”

 

“In what year was the Temple of Irund completed?”

 

“Ah, the… 27th year of the Empire.”

 

“What was the maiden name of the fifth emperor who ordered the construction of the Temple of Pros?”

 

“…..”

 

“Your Majesty?”

 

There was silence. Hmm, I was embarrassing myself, the answer was Lucrezia Olastida! In the name of the Goddess Pros, she ordered the construction of shelters and refuges for unfortunate women with nowhere else to go across the country, though they have become quite corrupted in modern times.

 

After about ten seconds of icy silence, my brother, who had been silently staring at Lunnar, who was fidgeting in his seat, flipped through the paper again and moved on to the next question.

 

“What was the name of the first order of knights chosen by the first emperor?”

 

“Oh, wait, that’s…”

 

…What did you do yesterday, Prince Charming? Didn’t you study? Did you go hunting instead of studying? I understand, but what about your studies? Alas, pity, pity.

 

As if sensing my pitying gaze, Lunnar, who had been scratching his head in despair, suddenly rolled his eyes and looked at me. Quietly, I slowly moved the shape of my mouth and shouted, “Le.o.p.a.d!

 

His eyes stared at my mouth for a moment, and then slowly the colour returned to his face. “Huh, thanks, huh? Thank you.

 

“Leopard! It’s …”

 

It was then that my brother, who had been quietly watching Lunnar’s every move, snapped his head around and looked at me. I gasped and quickly covered my face with my book… but in the end, I couldn’t help myself and just grinned. Hehehe, you’re not going to hit me, are you? You’re not going to hit me, are you?

 

Luckily, my brother didn’t say anything and shifted his attention back to the file in his hand. But why does the corner of his mouth seem to be subtly twitching? It’s hard to believe that the fearsome human is desperately suppressing a smile.

 

“What year was the Temple of Proth completed?”

 

“Uh…”

 

Of course, even a prince can skip some homework because he’s a human, but even a prince should do his homework while looking at his opponent. tsk tsk tsk.

 

“Tell me what caused the disintegration of the Leopard Knights and the year it happened.”

 

“……”

 

We’re screwed. We’re screwed, not the…uh…uh…uh…uh…uh…uh…uh…uh…uh…uh…our crown prince. Either he didn’t do his homework or he just forgot!

 

Speaking for myself, as a former soldier in the regular army, I naturally knew the answer to that question. The collapse of the Leopard Knights, the oldest order of the Imperial Guard, was caused by the collapse of the regiment and the corruption of its leaders due to too much shit flagging. The year of their disfellow shipping was 1010 Imperium, and by what number?

 

“Your grace?”

 

“…I’m sorry. I forgot. Actually, I fell asleep early last night, lol.”

 

I glance over, and Lunnar looks like he was about to cry back at any moment, while my fearsome brother stares at him with an empty expression. He didn’t scowl or raise his voice, but the murderous chill in the air was enough to send shivers down my spine.

 

“Are you saying that now?”…

 

…Brother, I think about it all the time, but you’re extraordinary in so many ways.

 

But why do I feel sorry for Lunnar? Maybe it’s a feeling based on past memories. Sigh. Don’t look so sullen, prince, you’re ruining your noble face. Why don’t you just look at your opponent and make a joke out of it? Your teacher is not a great man to look down on, even if the opponent was an emperor instead of a prince.

 

“I’m sorry, I mean, I’m sorry.”

 

“Whoa…”

 

Facing the apologising crown prince who looked more like a cat than a puppy, my brother lowered his eyes and pressed his temples with his hands. Even if it was me, it would be a headache. Apparently, this isn’t the first time he’s done this, either.

 

“Do you understand, brother, if you keep doing this, I’ll be in trouble.”

 

“Yes. I apologize.”

 

“I won’t report it to His Majesty.”

 

What? That prince, why is he blushing right now?

 

“Thank you, Master.”

 

“No need to thank me, I’ll double your homework today.”

 

“… I see.”

 

Suddenly, I understood a little bit about why the future crown prince was following my brother so closely.

 

My brother was a human being who was far, far away from being overtly sympathetic or kind, but sometimes, in the strangest places, he would show unexpected caring. I don’t know what words to use to describe it, but looking back on my childhood, it’s clear that my brother wasn’t as cold and business-like as he seemed.

 

…It’s just that he doesn’t know how to give or receive kindness from others, and that’s kind of sad.

 

So for everyone’s sake, I was going to have to change him somehow. But…. How do I change him?

 

If not for the sake of our family, then for my own sake, and for the sake of our relationship.

 

I’m not exactly hopeless, was I?

 

Opposite to my expectations, not a word was said in the house anymore about my mother’s belongings. I don’t know how my brother did it, but somehow my father never said a word about it anymore. Maybe he was just too busy to remember me,

 

Shouldn’t I be happy about this? No, it just makes me feel more insecure. Sigh.

 

“Sister!”

 

…Who does this bitch keep calling her sister?

 

It’s just a pity that I have to stay in the mansion alone with her since early in the morning after my father and brother have left for work. It’s a sneaky way to get ahead, and I hate her for it, but she’s not shy about it.

 

There wasn’t much to occupy my time in the body of a thirteen-year-old girl who had yet to make her social debut. there was Levina, and my tutor who visits me from time to time to teach me manners and etiquette, but if I do say so myself, it’s not easy to find things to do that don’t involve reading or embroidery, which was horrifying to say the least.

 

Being a girl, my activities were much more limited. I couldn’t even go out on my own without an adult or a man to accompany me, ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

 

“Sis, what are you doing?”

 

You can’t tell. I was reading in the sun! Are you done with class already? Ew, your tutor must be a bit of a lazy. Swallowing back the sigh of frustration, I set the book down on my lap and smiled warmly at the love of my life.

 

“Hey, I was just reading. How was class today?”

 

“Just, uh, okay.”

 

Pouting adorably, Levina scampered over to the balcony where I was sitting, her sea-green eyes narrowing as she wondered what the hell I was up to now.

 

“Sis, don’t you want to go outside?”

 

Of course I wanted to go out, but what was this sense of urgency that washed over me like a wave?

 

“Sis, why don’t we go out to the street market together? That’s where the market is today. It’ll be fun.”

 

Foohahahahaha, yes, that’s right, I’ve been waiting for you to say that for a while now! This request, this bitter memory of the past, starts to howl, the first and last time in my life that I was beaten by my brother, thanks to you!

 

I picked up the closed book again and spoke in a broken, desperate tone.

 

“Levina. Your tutor must not have told you yet, but the two of us can’t go outside.”

 

“I know.”

 

Levina said, a strange irritation shooting through her voice. But when I looked up, wide-eyed, she was smiling again, as she always did. Tsk tsk. It’s a tough act to follow, I know, and I feel your pain, my dear.

 

The funny thing was, the Levina of today definitely has a different way of approaching me than she did in the past. Where as in the past, she would only flirt with me in front of my father or brother, now she would approach me when it was just the two of us.

 

Don’t ask me why. I don’t know. If I had to guess, I’d say that being a girl like her had something to do with it. Did I mention relativity?

 

“We can sneak away for a little while, can’t we? I mean, I’ve always wanted to do that, just the two of us, when I have a sister.”

 

Your cuteness doesn’t work on me. I started to feel very uncomfortable, but I didn’t let it show. Instead, I gently put the book back down and blurted out in a slightly flirtatious tone.

 

“Well, that’s not so bad, but… we’ll get in trouble if we get caught.”

 

“It’s okay! If we get caught, I’ll just say I was sleepy and couldn’t help it, and I’ll tell my dad that.”

 

It was a bit of a show-off. Is that how you do it, little one? Come on, I’ll pass.

 

There was a common saying among knights: flesh and bone. It means to give your flesh and take your bones. I think I was going to have to blow up something big to get a true picture of the current state of my family’s relationships.

 

It should be terrifying, of course, but even if my father were to tear my leg off, I’d have to endure that much pain as a boy, wouldn’t I?

 

Mother, bend over your poor second son. Ouch. Please give me the courage to put on the act I have been honing for so long without cowering in front of that fearsome older brother. ….What? You want me to do my own thing?!

 

“Really? I’ve never been out in a place like that before, so…”

 

“That’s okay, don’t you think it’s weird to be stuck at home all the time? I know those places, don’t worry!”

 

Levina must have thought she had me completely trapped, because she began to hold my hand tightly and even began to brush it, and a few minutes later we were sneaking out of the house, dressed in our simplest clothes and with our capes pulled tightly over our heads, and hitching a ride in a carriage and speeding down the Royal Road.

 

“Levina! Levina?”

 

The same lively market street as before, and the same Levina who had mysteriously disappeared while I wasn’t paying attention to. I don’t know why things were going exactly as I expected. Of course, it’s natural since I’ve been through a past life(?), but I was still proud of myself. I feel like a prophet… A lot.

 

After wandering around for a while, pretending to look for Levina, I turned and walked away. To the spot where the carriages were waiting for me! Hahahaha!

 

I glanced at the front of the carriage, which was standing in the warm sunshine, and saw the old coachman dozing off in the passenger seat. Tsk-tsk-tsk. “I’m sorry, Mr Stranger. I’ll pay you for the horse later if things go well.

 

I approached the horses, moving gently so as not to wake the coachman, who was enjoying a leisurely nap. Luckily, they were well trained and didn’t whiny when I patted them on the head. Good boy, good boy!

 

After a while of fooling around with these innocent horses, I made up my mind and unmoved the yoke of one of the main two horses in the wagon.

 

I leaped onto the horse’s back and spurred it on. This was me, the former commander! It’s like riding a horse without a saddle!

 

Woo-hoo-hoo! That’s great! Come on, my horse, let’s see what’s over the horizon!

 

 

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Translator Note: