Sister-in-law of the Heroine of a Childcare Novel

Underneath the Labyrinth Gardens at the center of the Imperial Palace lived a beast.

Back in the days of the first Emperor, the palace was not a safe place, so it was kept as a guard dog to protect the royal family. Apparently, it posed no threat to the Imperial family, who could wield the power of light back then.

Of course, by now, it had become an uncontrollable threat. The only people who could safely hunt it were Duke Castraine’s people, and there was no way the Emperor would ask them to help by revealing such insider knowledge.

It didn’t appear in the main areas where people roam, only in the underground labyrinth, so as long as people didn’t wander around the area, there should be no problem.

In fact, the Imperial family, who hid the truth and buried the past after they began to lose their power, left the labyrinth garden as it was because no one would wander around the area unless they were extremely fearless.

I heard there was a certain way to get down, but I didn’t realize it was just a hole that suddenly opened up like that… 

Regardless, I followed Vivi’s lead and jumped into the hole. For a second, my vision went black, and when I came to, I was lying on the ground. I brushed off my dress, got up, and looked around.

“…I’m scared to death.”

The garden itself was actually a deceptively simple structure to call a ‘labyrinth’. The true labyrinth was hidden underground. The lanterns, which must have been installed hundreds of years ago, still glowed, and I could hear faint bells ringing in the distance.

The dank, damp air swirling through the corridors and open forks in the road looked like something out of a horror movie. The kind of place where a serial killer would grab his victims, leave them like this, and watch from afar as they tried to escape…

Ugh, the timing for those thoughts was no good. 

Good thought only, good thought only.

But what was Vivi doing here, all alone?

“Are you…?”

Whiiiiiiiish.

There was only the sound of the breeze instead of any kind of reply.

I took one small step at a time, relying on the dim light of the lamplight. I’d left my emoji sword behind so I didn’t have an excuse to tell anyone if I got caught… I shouldn’t have done that. Damn it.

Pushing my fear down, I could vaguely recognize the layout of the labyrinth.

You might go in circles, but ultimately, all the paths led…

“…to the center, no matter which way you go.”

Yep. There’s a door there. A door you can walk through. The problem is, there’s a beast there, the supposed master of this labyrinth.

Should I go?

Turn back?

My feet stumbled to a halt.

Reason whispered.

Why would you go looking for Vivi? Who do you think you are? What do you think you’re doing? You’re just trying to mend relations with House Castraine, so that you could run away from the imperial family and live a good life.

I need to save Vivi, so the world can be at peace, or else the Boundaries would be destroyed and the Empire would be plunged into the mire of ruin… was just another excuse.

At best, it would end in my death, wouldn’t it?

It’s been hundreds of years since the Imperial Palace’s beasts didn’t attack the imperial family… because of the Power of Light.

But how long had it been since we’ve been unable to control the beasts in the palace?

Was I going to die in vain again?

Even though no one will mourn my death this time?

“…She’s a child.”

I told myself, staring up at the flickering ceiling lights.

“No matter how regressed Vivi is. No matter that she has a mental age and capacity far beyond that of a child, and no matter that she is destined to love and be loved to overflowing by everyone in the future…”

She was only seven, wasn’t she?

No matter how you look at it, this is still the beginning of the story. Vivi had just regressed and was still struggling to survive. Titania tried to poison Vivi and was consequently destroyed at the very end of the original novel. At this point, she probably only knew me as ‘Princess Titania, who will be destroyed and ruined by Lord Raymon after she’s been so cruel to him.’

That’s right. Even in the time before Vivi’s regression, Titania does end up ruined. It’s like fate is whispering to me, ‘Hey, you two weren’t going to work out anyway, you know?’

I mean, it would have happened regardless if Vivi had become everyone’s treasure upon entering House Castraine. No matter how much the love had begun to heal her wounds.

“…I’m just starting to be able to be happy, through my own efforts, and it would be so miserable to end it here.”

I pushed through my fear and ran. Puff, puff, my under-exercised body quickly tired.

My mouth tasted sweet. I heard a loud noise in the distance.

Kee, grooh, graah, graah. The growl of a beast, and then a faint, terrified cry.

Then I saw it.

A terrified child at the end of the hallway was pushed to a dead end. And the beast looming over her, inching closer, step by step, as if to mock her before killing her. A beast with a wolf’s head and a cow’s body.

I gritted my teeth.

“…Hey, hey, hey, you ugly little bastard, look over here!”

I threw the book I had been clutching to my side with all my might.

Boom, thump, thud.

“…”

…and instead of touching it, the book landed on the floor near its front paws.

Damn. Embarrassing.

But it did succeed in distracting it. That had been my goal anyway.

It looked at me curiously, then scratched at the ground with its forepaws, as if it was uncomfortable with the sight of its uneaten prey. I knew instinctively. Something was different about his demeanor toward Vivi than its demeanor toward me. Different primary orders?

For Vivi, it was something like ‘annihilate’, ‘taunt’, and ‘slaughter’. For me, it was more ‘watch’, ‘guard’, and ‘expel’. Or something along those lines.

Vivi, who had been terrified, looked at me in surprise.

Haha, hey Vivi. I wish I could say hello.

By this point, I couldn’t possibly justify knowing Vivi. I started a snowball fight with the beast, just to buy some time. The beast looked at me with annoyance for a moment, then turned and walked over to Vivi. It opened its mouth wide, baring its teeth… 

“No!”

Shit, I jumped and grabbed Vivi’s hand, running out of the way. Its yellow eyes glowed as its prey disappeared in front of it.

-Cccrrrreeee!

Oh, it’s angry! I ran faster and faster. Vivi was running pretty well, considering how terrified she was. But both Vivi and I knew this was a very temporary escape.

There were no obstacles in the labyrinth, and the doors were behind the beast, with no means of opening them. The paths were all straight. It was clear that both of our stamina would be exhausted before it was.

-Ccrreee!

Our pace slowed for a moment, and then it leaped into the air and tried to attack Vivi. I panicked and pulled Vivi to me. The beast’s teeth grazed my arm.

“…!”

-Groaah!

The beast let out a howl of rage. If you look at… I didn’t know why I was interrupting, and I was annoyed as hell. He angrily kicked its front paws and struck at me. My body went limp for a moment from the blow.

“Ack!”

“ Eh, ah, sister!”

…I couldn’t do it. There was only one way. I couldn’t run anymore.

I gritted my teeth and grabbed Vivi before the beast, which was about to throw me off and claw at her.

Snap!

An eerie sound rang in my ears. I hugged Vivi with all my might as she flailed against my body. My back ached like it was burning.

“Uh, sis, what’s this…”

“Shhh. Sweetie, it’s okay…”

-Kwaaaaah!

“…I’m not too well, but I’ll be okay… Awww!”

The beast was absolutely furious.

Even if Vivi was seven years old, a child who couldn’t eat properly until she came to the dukedom, and smaller than someone my age I was still only fifteen, and I was not even that big. No matter how much I hugged her, I couldn’t wrap my arms around Vivi’s entire body.

The beast was still mad as hell, trying to find an opening, kicking and clawing at me. Blood was dripping down my back and limbs as he tried to tear me apart. Vivi’s face paled at the sight of the blood. Her tear-filled blue eyes fluttered at me as if she were about to cry.

“Don’t do that, sis, you’re going to get yourself killed!”

If I take you out of my arms right now, you’ll die. I smirked instead of saying the words.

“It’s okay, it’s okay… Soon… Don’t cry… People will be here soon…” 

I don’t know about me, but Duke Castraine knew Vivi was in the Imperial Palace and it shouldn’t take long to find her whereabouts. He would rescue Vivi even if he had to turn the entire Imperial Palace upside down.

As long as I remained here to protect her, she should be safe. So it was all right.