IBYSRHML | Chapter 16

#.16

Regina knew exactly what kind of person her sister Alice was.

While Alice was endlessly kind to Liliana, like a mother, she had always been logical and quick-witted, making her an unbeatable figure to Regina, who had grown up alongside her.

This didn’t change even after they entered society.

Alice was always at the top of her class in school and rose through the ranks in her career based on her abilities, not her family background.

That’s why, when Regina first learned of Alice’s marriage through the newspaper, her heart sank.

“Unnie, be honest. This is a political marriage, isn’t it? What kind of deal did you make?”

When Regina and Emilia bombarded her with loud, pressing questions, Alice responded in a calm tone.

“This is the best choice for my career.”

Knowing how ambitious their sister was, Regina and Emilia immediately realized she was lying.

Alice worked in the Coast Guard.
Becoming the empress of the empire wouldn’t help her career there.

“Forget about work. Do you think you’ll even be able to adapt to life in the empire?”

Regina got straight to the point.

Trovancha, their small island nation, had no class system, while the empire was a hierarchical society with royalty, nobility, and commoners.

The two countries were fundamentally different, with extreme cultural differences in societal systems, norms, and ways of thinking.

Moreover, the man Alice wanted to marry was the emperor.

Even though the emperor wielded absolute power, there was no doubt that there would be talk both inside and outside the empire about a woman from a small island nation with no social standing becoming empress.

“I’ll manage.”

Alice subtly turned her head to check Liliana’s room at the end of the hallway.

Regina’s gaze grew sharper.

“I’ll manage. So don’t worry too much.”

Though the conversation ended there, Regina’s concerns began from that moment.

Could her sister truly manage alone in the empire? Could she take care of Liliana by herself? And could Regina herself continue living in Trovancha after letting them go?

‘There’s definitely some kind of deal with the emperor. But it seems like she’d rather die than tell us what it is…’

The thought of her sister alone in a distant country, looking after their ailing youngest sibling, made her even more anxious.

‘I can’t let them go alone. I can’t bear to see my sister struggling alone in the empire, and I can’t stand the idea of being separated from Liliana either.’

Thus, Regina decided to follow Alice and live in the empire.

She wanted to find out how to adapt there, but the only person she knew from the empire was Leopold.

Since he happened to be visiting to go on a date with her, she decided to call him aside.

“I’ve decided to follow my sister and live in the empire. Do you think there’s a job I could have while staying there?”

Leopold’s green eyes shook violently. Regina found his reaction slightly puzzling.

“I can see that you’re startled by what I said. I understand. I’d be surprised too if I were you. Me, deciding to move to the empire… But still.”

“Wait, wait a moment, Regina. Let’s… relocate for now.”

Leopold, sensing that Liliana was eavesdropping on their conversation, suggested moving. However, Regina didn’t realize this.

Given the chaotic situation that had ensued from her meeting with Marius, the child would only be more confused if she overheard their conversation.

“Ah… Sure. Shall we go to my room?”

Regina led him to her room.

Her room was neatly organized and entirely white, reflecting her taste.

In this space, full of Regina’s preferences, Leopold didn’t know where to look and instead lowered his gaze to the floor.

Her sudden request left him stunned.

Why is Regina acting like this all of a sudden?

Of course, he would welcome her to the empire.

Ever since realizing he wouldn’t see her again after returning there, he had been struggling over it for days.

“If you don’t mind me asking, is this because of Alice?”

“Yes. I can’t leave my sister alone in the empire. I may not be as capable as Alice or Emilia, but there must be something I can do.”

“You don’t have to work. You’re the sister of the future empress—you’re welcome to stay in the empire anytime.”

“If I accompany her as family and stay long-term, it will undoubtedly become a burden for my sister, who has no real footing in the empire. Besides, I need to support myself.”

“…”

Leopold mulled over her words, unsure where to start.

The noblewomen he’d encountered in his life had never worked.

Their virtues lay in using the income from their estate for charity and taking care of the people, not in labor.

However, she was a Trovanchaian.

In Trovancha, labor was highly valued, and it was natural for everyone to have a job, even if they were wealthy.

Because of this, even the sisters of the Berchio family, a prominent political household with immense inherited wealth, all held jobs.

When Leopold hesitated to respond, Regina, thinking she had made a mistake, quickly apologized.

“I’m sorry. I must have said something burdensome. I think it’s better if I research this matter further. Please forget what I said today.”

“No, it’s fine. … I think it would be better for you to spend about a year adapting after you arrive in the Empire before deciding anything. As you know, the two countries are very different. Wouldn’t it be okay to take your time to decide? What do you think?”

“That makes sense too. Thank you for taking the time, Leo.”

It was only then that Leopold, for the first time since entering Regina’s room, lifted his head to look at her directly.

It was Regina who made him realize one could fall in love at first sight.

He still didn’t understand why his heart raced when he saw her knitting, but he vividly remembered every detail of that moment.

The warm spring breeze, her honey-blonde hair swaying gently, her long eyelashes, and her face deeply focused on knitting—it was all etched in his memory.

And as he spoke with her, his feelings only deepened.

Though he had thought his feelings were temporary and would fade with time, hearing her decision changed everything.

Leopold was thrilled at the mere thought of seeing Regina in the Empire, even though the situation didn’t call for it.

An electrifying heat spread through his body.

Smiling faintly, he looked at the troubled Regina, lost in thought.

“Hic! Hic!”

The hiccups wouldn’t stop; she was so startled.

Even pressing her cheeks against Cookie’s soft, fluffy body and burying her face in its stuffed belly couldn’t calm her pounding heart.

“So, my second unnie is going to the Empire too? Does that mean she might date Leopold and even marry him there?”

Although the thought of her second unnie being with Leopold was a good thing, it wasn’t entirely a joyous situation, as her eldest unnie was engaged to Marius.

If her second unnie married in the Empire, she might never return to Trovancha.

Once someone settled there, moving back would be nearly impossible.

“What about my youngest unnie? Does that mean she’ll be left all alone?”

Her six-year-old mind couldn’t grasp the full complexity of the situation, but she clearly understood one thing: she might be separated from her youngest unnie.

“No… I don’t want us to be apart…”

She wished her sisters wouldn’t marry and that they could all continue living together happily like before.

She didn’t want to be separated from her family anymore.

One sibling leaving, like Andrea, was more than enough.

If they went to the Empire, there’d be no climbing olive or lemon trees, no playing with her friends. And worse…

“If they go to the Empire, I’ll never see my brother again. That’s not fair.”

Tears welled up in her eyes, and she sniffled, about to start crying, when—

“Hey, youngest! You should’ve told me before you left!”

The loud commotion and the angry voice of her youngest sister outside made her tears vanish in an instant.

“Eep!”

She clung to Cookie tightly, trembling.

“Cookie, please save me. She’s definitely going to spank me.”

For a brief moment, the idea of going to the Empire with her eldest unnie didn’t seem so bad compared to getting scolded by her youngest unnie.

Marius glanced at his long-time friend.

In the Empire, Leopold was known for being stoic and reserved.

Yet, for several days now, Leopold had been acting like a fool, smiling to himself.

He didn’t just smile—he radiated the vibe of someone who had experienced something wonderful, even humming a tune.

Marius’s chief aide, Max, had been utterly shocked by Leopold’s transformation.

“You’re really that happy about Regina coming with you?”

They hadn’t even had a proper date, yet Leopold seemed completely smitten.

Marius clicked his tongue at his friend, who had become a fool for love.

Marius didn’t believe in the concept of love.

The reason he was marrying Alice had nothing to do with love.

The world they lived in wasn’t kind enough to allow for love or romance in marriage.

Of course, Alice Berchio was a beautiful and impressive woman, but she was also the eldest daughter of the Berchio family.

What mattered most to Marius was the benefits their arranged marriage would bring.

“Make it work with Regina Berchio. If you two get married, you’ll become the only noble in Trovancha with influence, and we’ll be connected by blood again.”

And the bloodline of the superhumans unique to Trovancha would mix with the lineage of the Baltrahein ducal house. If lucky, their children might even be born with superhuman abilities.

But Marius didn’t voice that last thought.

It might sound offensive to someone blinded by love.

“Then again, you’ve always been the type to see nothing else when you’re in love.”

At Marius’s muttering, Leopold shot him a puzzled look.

“Leopold, you and I made a soul-bound vow. If war breaks out between the Empire and Trovancha, the Empire will lose both its emperor and its commander-in-chief at the same time.”

They wouldn’t publicly announce their soul-bound vow to the Empire.

It would become a weakness that their political enemies could exploit.

Instead, they signed a public peace treaty between the Empire and Trovancia to maintain appearances.

“If we both die, and war breaks out, the Empire will suffer a fatal blow. Trovancha may be small, but it’s a strong nation.”

With one in three Trovanchians being superhuman, the Empire, despite its strengths in magic and divine power, couldn’t bridge the gap in national strength.

A hint of bitterness flashed in Marius’s eyes.

It wasn’t because of his impending arranged marriage.

The discomfort he felt stemmed from a distant past.

‘That’s why I hope things work out with Regina.’

I support your love.

Marius whispered the last part quietly enough for only himself to hear.

He patted Leopold on the shoulder before leaving to deliver the engagement ring to Alice Berchio’s home.