Cinderella's Brother

She was a middle-aged woman with a stern look who had been summoned at random times. The head maid looked a little surprised, perhaps because she had heard the whole story from her assistant, but she did not look embarrassed. The solemn maid, like a veteran who had managed all the big and small disturbances in the palace for decades, immediately politely bowed to her brother.

 

“Did you call me, Prime Minister? I heard you need a crescent moon. Are you that lady?”

 

That…? Now wait a minute, ma’am, what are you saying?! Was this the reason her older brother suddenly visited the maid?! At the sight of her maid, holding a whip, walking in behind her maid, I caught her mouth wide open, and Levy, who was still sobbing and spouting out her own resentment, now turned blue instead of white. She seemed to hesitate for a moment, and then, as if she was thinking of running away, she jumped up and ran towards her door, but she was soon pinned down by the stern-looking maids who blocked her path.

 

“This is ridiculous! Brother, I feel so wronged! You can’t let go of this?! Do you think my father would leave you alone if he found out?!”

 

The chief maid fired an extremely harsh tone at Levina, who was struggling and yelling at her.

 

“We are not the duchy’s maids, but the maids who serve Her Majesty the Empress. With the permission of the Prime Minister, we will begin arresting the princess for charges of damaging imperial documents, damaging property, and deceiving the imperial family.”

 

Hey, I’m almost amazed. Did they say that even a minor children’s prank could be considered high treason in the imperial palace? There is no gap to fit even a needle. Moreover, the person who gave the order was none other than Levina’s heavenly brother and the Chancellor of the Imperial Palace. In this situation, even if my father came, there would be nothing I could do. Because this is not our house, but the imperial palace. Kyakyakya!

 

“W-What is that..! Wow! Let go of this!”

 

“If you don’t obey, it will get worse.”

 

The aide tried to take me out as I was shivering, but I refused to go out and looked at my brother. My brother, who was looking at the maid with a blunt face, narrowed his eyebrows slightly, and then he gestured to me. Whether you’re telling me to leave or come, okay, I’ll interpret it however I want! So, I ran like a moon and clung to my heavenly brother’s waist and hugged him. Wow, it’s really amazing that I’m clinging to this scary human being. Anyway, I don’t know how to explain the look in my brother’s eyes that is staring at me right now. Guilt, pity…? And a promise..?

 

“Kenneth. Do not let anyone in here.”

 

“Yep, I understand!”

 

Levina, struggling with all her might, was pinned to her chair by her maids, her arms held tightly, and a hand holding a long whip that gave her goosebumps just by looking at her. The maid in the room, Jang, calmly opened her mouth.

 

“Pick up your skirt, princess.”

 

…The tone is extremely polite, as if saying, ‘Please eat, princess’. Even without any effort, my body naturally vibrates. Why am I like this? Why does my heart feel like it’s flying but my body is shaking so much? Is it because it reminds me of a time when I was beaten? Huh. Damn dad. My older brother, who had been standing like an ice sculpture with bleak eyes and watching the situation, suddenly bent down and picked me up with one arm as I shivered. I wrapped my arms around my brother’s neck, closed his eyes tightly, and buried my face in his broad shoulder. Hehehe, I too am a simple cell who feels relieved to be embraced by this bloody human being. Still, I don’t hate the soft hand patting my back. It was a strange thing. I don’t know why the reality of my situation hit me at this moment. It finally hit me again that I had become a real girl, and that the only strong wall I could lean on to survive was my older brother and my heavenly brother. If Levina had been a boy, she would not have gone home and been beaten by the royal palace servants and dragged away by her servants. Look, it wasn’t Levina over there, it was me! Huh. It’s terrible. When she was a boy, she would run away from home, but now that she is a girl, she has no one to rely on unless she has an older brother. Everything the priest at the Temple of Pros said was right. Living as a girl in this world is so difficult and harsh! So, I have to work even harder to seduce my brother! Sniff. For a while, the only sound that rang out in the cool silence of the office was the sound of rustling. Levy I couldn’t stand the beating she gave me for the first time in my life. She began to cry, admitting her mistakes one after another, but her beatings showed no signs of stopping. I was so amazed that it was scary. The solemn head maid swung the cane without the slightest hesitation, regardless of whether Levina was crying or swearing, and the faithful maids were holding Levina in place without any signs of difficulty, and we, who ordered this whole situation, The fierce Prime Minister was watching without even raising an eyebrow. After an unbearably long time had passed, when my pale calf was swollen and on the verge of bleeding, my older brother ordered me to stop, and the head maid faithfully obeyed his command. It took less than half a day for this incident, in which the maid to beat the duke’s illegitimate son under the prime minister’s observation, spread throughout the imperial palace.

 

“Are you planning to throw your family’s prestige into the mud?!”

 

“It’s exactly the opposite.”

 

My father and brother were fighting. In a way, it was a natural result. It was natural that my father was on the verge of collapsing, clutching the back of his neck as the imperial palace was excitedly beating him up about today’s incident. My beloved daughter has suffered indescribable pain and humiliation. Her stomach is boiling, and she must be crying thousands of dollars. Fuhahaha! In contrast to my father, who was shouting loudly, my older brother was responding in a calm and desolate manner. It was as if he was asking why he was so excited about something that wasn’t a big deal.

 

“If your sister has committed an act of disrespect in the imperial palace, isn’t it an example you should set as a brother to give her the punishment she deserves? No one thinks that our family has lost its prestige. It would be the opposite.”

 

“Anyway, how could you punish your sister so harshly?”

 

“I told a lie to the Crown Prince’s face. At this point, he should be treated leniently.”

 

…For some reason, I feel like I can see steam rising from above my father’s head.

 

“Didn’t he say no! He said he didn’t do it…”

 

“Did you say that to your father? He clearly admitted his mistake and asked for forgiveness. Where is he now?”

 

That’s right, good job, my scary brother! Kyakyakya! 

 

As I lay flat on the landing and listened, I had a hard time suppressing the occasional burst of laughter. Contrary to my expectations, this fight ended surprisingly easily, probably because it happened in the imperial palace and my father was in a situation where he could do nothing more. With even the Crown Prince and the High Priest of Irund Temple serving as witnesses, what can anyone say? All the father could say was a request to resolve all children’s problems at home from now on. Umhahahaha! Anyway, Levina will have a hard time for a few days. I know very well, because I’ve experienced it countless times, that after whipping her to the point of breaking her leg, she’ll be in pain for a few days… Mmmmm. There will also be a rumor that he will follow him to the imperial palace for a while. So why do you keep touching me? Shortly after the rather bland(?) argument ended, I heard my brother coming upstairs. I quickly got up, holding the canvas he was holding under one arm, and ran up to my brother’s living quarters. Then I crouched down in front of the door and waited for a while.

 

“Ray…?”

 

My brother, who was walking with a tired face, stopped and raised his eyebrows when he saw me. I gently folded the corners of my eyes and smiled shyly.

 

“Brother.”

 

“What are you doing when you’re not sleeping?”

 

“This is what I drew, so I wanted to give it to you…”

 

My brother, who hesitantly took the canvas handed to me, tilted his head for a moment and looked at the painting. Hmm, for some reason I feel like my heart is pounding. I have a knack for drawing…!

 

“Is this… a drawing of me?”

 

Then I drew you. Could it be that I drew your father? You bastard! I nodded my head shyly, suppressing the urge to shout…

 

“Yeah… I wanted to see you.”

 

There was silence for a moment. I’m really at a loss as to how to interpret the blank expression on my brother’s face as he stares at me. It looks like it’s a bit surprised, embarrassed, or angry. It’s a strange expression. I’m sure you’re not upset that your face doesn’t look as good-looking as you do in real life, right? I guess so? Huh. Such a scary bastard…

 

“…thanks.”

 

Wow, what are you doing with something like this? You know how to say thank you, my brother has grown up a lot, right? Umhahaha! Smiling proudly, I quickly got up and hugged my brother, clinging to his waist. And then he chanted in a voice that was truly magical and worthy of a new nation.

 

“I love you so much, brother.”

 

The rough hand that was gently placed on my head seemed to flinch for a moment.

 

“It’s the best in the world.”

 

According to the sacred priest, there are two essential elements that must be possessed in order to perform healing arts or inflict divine punishment using the formidable life force of previous Secretariat. One is deep faith and the other is a desperate desire to protect someone.

 

…These are all elements that are very far from me, so can’t I just not do Secretariat? Ugh, just thinking about survival strategies is giving me a headache! Still, it’s good to be able to take classes alone with the priest without Levina anymore. Kyakyakya, I can’t believe I can feel so at ease just by not having anyone make fun of me…

 

“Oh shit, it’s so hot I’m dying. Why is summer so long this year?”

 

…Correction. Did you say it’s the law of conservation of mass? Of course, Ryun is a hundred times better than Levina, but why on earth does this guy barge into other people’s classes and mess around! Are you not willing to do his homework on your own?!

 

Someone said that. You shouldn’t do something you’re good at for free. I don’t know who said it, but it’s absolutely correct! How can I get rid of this stubborn prince who, after helping me once, keeps asking for help? Huh. Dirty world. Regardless of how I felt, Ryun’s sentiment was correct. Surely by this time, we should be slowly entering the vague transition between late summer and early fall, but it feels like the summer is especially long this year? Was it like this originally? I don’t think it was from what I remember.

 

“Isn’t there a separate oracle for things like the seasonal cycle or the weather?”

 

When I asked out of genuine curiosity, the priest, who was sipping coffee with ice served by an attendant, smiled gracefully.

 

“A trust is not something you can receive if you want to receive it. Furthermore, not all oracles are perfect.”

 

“No? Aren’t oracles literally like revelations from God? That’s not perfect?”

 

“Yes, Your Highness. Even if it was given by God, it is always interpreted by imperfect humans.”

 

Hmm, that sounds plausible. But wouldn’t that mean you could end up making a big mistake? If it were an oracle from the Temple of Irund, not another temple, no one would doubt it and would have blind faith in it.

 

“Have you ever experienced a situation like that, priest?”

 

“Of course. I too am just a human being. It was a long time ago, but… I once made a huge misjudgment.”

 

As the priest answered quietly, a bitter energy suddenly seemed to dwell in his eyes. Ryun and I just exchanged confused looks. I want to ask what’s going on, but I don’t think you’ll answer even if I ask. What should I do?

 

“Re~y~!”

 

It was at that time that I heard a completely unexpected and honest voice. The person who caught our eyes as we simultaneously turned our heads side by side was,

 

“His Royal Highness, and priest, is the glory of God Irund with you?! Hello, Ray? It’s so nice to meet you here!”

 

Why is this guy everywhere I go?! ok?! At this point, I’m starting to seriously doubt that he’s following me on purpose?! A young man of no size, with his golden hair fluttering brilliantly in the warm summer sunlight. It was our foolish bastard Ian. But that wasn’t the only thing that surprised me. It was because of the unfamiliar uniform Ian was currently wearing, a black uniform lined with golden epaulettes and colorful badges.

 

“Hello, Vineyard young lord.”

 

If the priest had shown such a normal reaction instead of me, who had my eyes wide open in shock, Ryun was showing a relatively realistic reaction. That is, he said:

 

“What, aren’t you our teacher’s stalker? The seven penny who always loses miserably and tries to compete with our teacher in everything?”

 

Oh, you must be the crown prince, so your insight is quite extraordinary.

 

“Well, Your Highness! How can you make such a crude criticism…! Conviction is not about losing, it’s about losing on purpose!”

 

“It’s terrible.”

 

“Ugh…!”

 

Ian, who was staggering and holding his chest with a face that said he was deeply hurt, soon came to his senses and his green eyes sparkled. That is, he looked at me.

 

“How do you feel, Ray? What does this guy look like in uniform?”

 

“Ahaha… you look good on me. But why are you wearing that?”

 

At those words, which I uttered in an extremely noble manner while swallowing my harsh swear words, Ian stumbled as if he had been hit on the head with a hammer, and the priest and Ryun started laughing. What are these reactions?

 

“R… Ray, didn’t you know?”

 

“What?”

 

“Omg! You really didn’t know?! Eugene didn’t tell me… Oh, there’s no way that jealous bastard would have told you. Hahaha! This brother’s true identity is the captain of the imperial guard!”

 

…to? What are you saying? Are my ears wrong? That bastard is the captain of the imperial guard?! Instead of me, who couldn’t help but be surprised, Ryun responded with a grumpy tone.

 

“Don’t cheat just because you’re the unit commander.”

 

“Well, Your Highness…! You are heartless!”

 

“What can you do if it’s true, you fraudster?”

 

…Then that’s right. That damn bastard is selling drugs from somewhere. Well, as soon as you open your eyes, you can see that the idiot called Vermilion is at least the commander of the imperial guard. The priest, who must have felt sorry for Ian, who was staggering around with his hand on his chest, looked at us in turns with strangely happy eyes, and suddenly changed the subject.

 

“The National Foundation Day Festival will be held soon. I think this year’s National Foundation Day celebration will be even more special.”

 

Ah, is that so? I also remember the National Foundation Day celebration around this time of the year. Sheesh. It’s not a memory I really want to recall. But what makes it so special?

 

“It is a festival attended by Secretariat, who has appeared for the first time in 300 years. Pilgrims will flock from temples all over the country.”

 

…Can’t you just tell everyone to turn it off?

 

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