I Want to Fall in Love After Getting Reincarnated as the Heroine on the Verge of a Bad Ending, but My OP Older Brother Won’t Leave Me Alone!? - Chapter 163

Translated by: ShinigamiTori

Chapter 163 ? Sweet Sixteen 4

After that, we chatted together while enjoying an incredibly delicious lunch prepared by the palace’s chefs, and I received gifts from each of them.

“It’s a matching bag with mine. I’d be delighted if you would use it.”

“Of course, I’ll cherish and use it forever! I’m so happy to have something matching with you, Therese! Thank you!”

“Fufu, I should be the one thanking you!”

“It’s the complete set of the Casey Adventure series you said you were interested in before, and a part 2 of the ‘I’ll Do Anything’ coupon.'”

“Wow, I’m so happy with both! The coupon really helped me out last time… Thank you!”

“I thought every day from morning till night for a few months about something that would suit you, Rene-chan, and so I ordered a custom-made keychain with a defensive magic effect. I’d be happy if you wore it.”

“From morning till night…? And it’s so cute! Thank you so much, I’ll attach it to my school bag that I use every day!”

“I don’t really understand what women like, so if you don’t like it, feel free to throw it away.”

“Eh… Yoshida gave me a ribbon…?! Wow, I really like it! Thank you, I’ll wear it often!”

“….”

“A pillow the same as the royal family’s!? T-To think I could sleep so soundly…I’ll start using it tonight! Thank you so much.”

“Here, Rene-chan. This is a candle that’s popular among girls right now. They say the scent changes when you infuse it with magic, so try changing it to whatever you like.”

“H-How fashionable… Thank you! I feel like it will enhance my feminine charm, I’ll take good care of it!”

It was clear that each of them put a lot of effort into choosing something special for me, and I vowed to treasure them for the rest of my life. I plan to have them placed in my grave after I pass away.

I was overwhelmed with joy and love for everyone, and I cried so much that my eyes and nose ached. With every heartfelt ‘thank you’ I expressed, they all smiled, and that made me even happier.

“But I never expected a party at the palace, so I was really surprised. It’s really amazing!”

“We were worried that Rene would find out about the preparations if it were at the Wainwright mansion… and then Theodore-sama kindly proposed this idea.”

“Eh, Theodore-sama…!?”

Surprised, I glance at the prince, and he gives a faint nod. I held the prince’s hand and looked into his emerald eyes.

“Thank you so much, I’m truly happy!”

“… Hm.”

He squeezes my hand back gently, and a smile spreads across my face. Remembering the time when I first met the prince—when I was constantly ignored and referred to as ‘the greeting fool’—my heart warmed at how close we had become.

We continued to have a great time, and laughed as we watched Willy get scolded for mixing something into Yoshida’s drink, when Julius called out to me. 

“Hey, do you want to go outside for a little while, just the two of us?”

“Sure! Of course.”

Julius had been quietly watching over me, and we hadn’t had much chance to talk. I quickly nodded, and we headed to the balcony together.

“Uwah, it’s snowing!”

As we stepped outside, the sun had already set, and a golden moon was floating in the sky. Snowflakes fell gently, making the scene feel so magical.

The view from the palace was beautiful, and with Julius by my side, dressed like a prince, I felt as if I were a princess myself. 

“Are you okay? Not too cold?”

“Just a little bit. Can you please come closer?”

When I expressed concern for Julius, who was sensitive to the cold, he then hugged me tightly from behind. It felt warm and ticklish, making my heart race yet feel calm at the same time—a curious feeling.

“You know, I truly felt happy today. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Seeing you so happy you cried made me really happy too.”

??It turns out that Julius had been organizing today’s event for quite a while, and he had reached out to everyone to prepare for it.

Although I was always by Julius’ side, I was completely unaware of the surprise.

“It’d be nice if I could spend time with Julius and everyone… Oh, but forget I said anything.”

I’m sure Julius remembered those casual words I’d said before and made them come true.

It’s been over half a year since I came to this world, and after spending so much time together, I’ve learned many things about Julius, including that he isn’t the type to plan surprises like this.

If anything, I thought he’d be the type to find such things bothersome or call them trivial.

Yet, the thought that he did something so uncharacteristic for my sake makes my heart swell with emotion.

“… Mm, you’re adorable. I really do understand you well, Rene.”

“Eh?”

Julius smiled with satisfaction, his gaze shifting to my neck.

Curious about what he was looking at, I followed his line of sight and found a shiny necklace that hadn’t been there moments ago.

It has a simple yet sophisticated single-diamond design, and even though I know nothing about jewelry, I could tell that its brilliance was far from ordinary.

“T-This is…”

“A birthday present from me.”

I can’t believe that after receiving so many things and being celebrated all morning, there was still such a wonderful gift left.

As I softly caress the necklace with my fingertips, a sense of euphoria spread throughout my entire body.

“It’s absolutely gorgeous! I’ll definitely wear it every day.”

“As long as you like it, that’s all that matters. They say a necklace can symbolize a desire to bind someone, among other things.”

“That’s intense.”

“Haha, well, the other meaning is the main one for me.”

Curious about what other meanings it might have, I decided to look it up later and turned back to him. I found myself facing Julius and hugged him tightly.

“Thank you so much, Julius.”

“You’re very welcome.”

When I finally hug Julius, I feel the urge to cry, even though I’m not sad, and my chest tightens almost painfully. However, there was a strange comfort in it; I had already known the name of this emotion for a long time.

This feeling had grown too big for me to ignore, and it was now a solid presence inside me.

As I became aware of my first love, I gazed up at Julius intently.

“What’s wrong? You’re staring at my face.”

“Julius, I love you.”

Upon hearing this, Julius smiled and, just like always, said “Thank you” and hugged me even more tightly.

Although my current, “I love you,” was directed at Julius as a man, I had told him that I loved him many times before that it was now interpreted as familial love.

“… Hehe.”

“What is it?”

 “Nothing! It’s getting cold, so let’s go back inside.”

“Okay.”

I felt like it was a bit like me to have failed in my sudden confession, but maybe it was for the best today.

As we were about to return to the hall, Julius suddenly stopped and leaned in close to my ear, whispering, “By the way.”

“I love you way more.”

“…!”

“Let’s spend next year’s birthday together too.”

Honestly, Julius is so sly. Nevertheless, I grasped the hand that had intertwined with mine without realizing it. It’s all these little things that make me love Julius.

My first birthday, celebrated with my dearest people, became a day I would cherish forever.

???

After the winter break, I dedicated myself to studying while also having fun with my friends at school, and in no time at all, time slipped away??

I had welcomed my second spring in this world.

“Good morning, Julius. It’s finally the start of a new term!”

“Good morning. Are you nervous about the class reshuffling?”

“Yeah, I’m so nervous that my stomach feels twisted.”

That’s right, when you advance to the second year, the class reshuffles, and the same classes are fixed for the third year as well, so this is quite important.

As I rode to the academy with Julius, hoping to be in the same class as my close friends, I glanced out the window.

“Ah, spring really makes you feel sleepy, doesn’t it?”

“I understand what you mean. But with the rank exam coming up soon, we need to be careful not to let our guard down.”

Starting with the next test, I have to make sure to increase my rank steadily, one level at a time.

And once I successfully achieved a C-rank in the spring ranking exam of my second year, I planned to confess to Julius again.

I know it sounds a bit boastful, but at this stage, the success rate of my confession is one hundred percent. This means there’s a possibility I might become Julius’s girlfriend.

If that happens, I’m sure I’ll get so carried away that I won’t be able to focus on my studies. That’s why I decided to tell him after the rank exam was over.

“Rene, you’re truly a hard worker, I’m proud of you. If there’s anything I can do to help, just let me know anytime.”

“Yes, thank you!”

As he gently pats my head, my mouth softens into a smile. Ever since I realized that I liked him, my feelings for him only grew stronger.

??I wonder what kind of expression Julius will have when I properly confess to him. With these thoughts in mind, I directed my gaze again to the window, which was full of spring hues.

“… Heh~, so this is the Heartful Academy where my sister goes.”

Already lost in excitement, I had no way of knowing the trouble waiting ahead, disguised as a new encounter.

Hi, I’m Tori, the translator of this novel! If you like the novel and would like to support me, feel free to click the button below to go to my ko-fi! (??`?) Please also consider sending some love by leaving a rating/review for this series on Novel Updates! Thank you ??