I Was Reincarnated As The Older Brother Of A Villainess Destined to Die, So I Want To Change The Future By Raising My Younger Sister With My Own Hands. I Am The Strongest In The World, But My Little Sister Must Be The Cutest In The World - Volume 3 Chapter 5.2
The Nine Rite Ceremony of Caron proceeded smoothly, as long as you overlook the fact that Gray seemed displeased throughout. It might not have reached the level of the Duke’s party I experienced before, but I believe we provided the best hospitality possible in Foranada.
Of course, the most impactful moment was the announcement of Caron and Gray’s engagement. The attention towards the union between the royal family and the “Sunlight Saintess” was quite high, and many nobles flocked to them after the announcement. Naturally, my subordinates calmly managed the situation.
Currently, we are in the latter part of the ceremony, the time for casual conversation. With a first-class musical ensemble playing in the background, everyone is enjoying mingling freely. While there are a few individuals focused on the food since it’s a standing reception, they are in the minority.
Due to Minerva being a duke’s daughter and my partner, some nobles approached us. Or rather, the majority of them were interested in her. It’s not common for people to show interest without any ulterior motives.
Well, it’s well-known that Caron and I have a good relationship, so we are not treated rudely. As long as we aren’t blatantly disregarded, it’s considered good enough.
However, Minerva didn’t seem too pleased with my responses. When people indirectly made snide remarks, I would smile and let them slide, but Minerva would occasionally retaliate behind their backs. From her occasional snide comebacks, it was clear that she was getting angry on my behalf. She’s a good kid.
As the interactions with the nobles settled down, Minerva starts nagging about something.
“I understand that you may not want to deal with those kinds of people directly, but when the opportunity arises, make sure to respond properly. You don’t want to be taken lightly in critical situations. As the next head of the family, remember to maintain that level of composure,” Minerva nagged.
Hmm, she’s actually thinking about it quite seriously. She truly is a duke’s daughter.
I had thought it was fine to just let things slide, but I have to admit that she has a point. Engaging in direct hostility would be foolish, but allowing others to criticize without any response could also become a hindrance.
While inwardly impressed, I express my gratitude.
“Thank you for your concern.”
“I-It’s not like it’s for your sake! I’m going to marry into your family, after all. I can’t allow the reputation of my future home to be tarnished. Yes, this is a critique for my own sake!”
Minerva averts her gaze with a pout, seemingly embarrassed by her straightforward gratitude. It’s quite the tsundere move.
I’ve noticed this before, but as a duke’s daughter, she’s not accustomed to positive words such as praise and gratitude.
… Ah, no, that’s not it. It’s precisely because of her position. Perhaps all the words around her sound like flattery.
In that case, it seems like she genuinely accepts my words. I’m not sure why that is, but it’s something that makes me very happy.
“…What is it?”
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
Minerva pouted and questioned me when she noticed my smiling face.
I’m glad she trusts me despite everything. If I were to say something like that, this girl would most likely get angry. I had no hobby of stepping on visible landmines.
As we continued the Nine Rites Ceremony in this manner, I suddenly received a telepathic message from Shion. It was a communication addressed to all members of the Forlanada camp.
“I will now escort Lady Caroline outside for a makeup and touch-ups. Please reconfirm your positions. Also, I kindly request enhanced security from the knights outside the venue.”
Caroline is taking a break for a moment. It’s according to the schedule.
I’ve been using my detection abilities to keep track of Caroline and Shion’s movements. Escort knights are stationed at the entrance, ready to accompany them, so there shouldn’t be any problems with this arrangement.
However, in a different location from Caroline, I noticed some suspicious activity. It was only because I had spread my detection abilities throughout the entire venue that I was able to discern it.
“The second prince has started moving outside the venue.”
A report was made by one of the surveillance team members, confirming what I had already observed.
Tension ran through the entire Forlanada camp, including myself.
Why would the second prince be moving at the same time Caroline left the venue? What could be the intention behind his actions?
“Orca.”
I telepathically requested assistance from my brother-in-law, taking care to convey my urgency. As siblings, it was a sufficient reason for him to stand by her side.
However, my plan fell through.
“I’m sorry. I’m surrounded by other nobles, and I can’t move right away.”
What?
I managed to hold back the urge to let out a voice of frustration.
While focused on Caron, I hadn’t noticed it before, but Orca was indeed surrounded by a dozen nobles. Moreover, they were all members of the royal faction.
It was too blatant. Although I lacked concrete evidence to assert it, it was sufficient to consider it as an orchestrated situation.
With Orca’s abilities, forcibly breaking through would be easy, but…
Considering every possibility, I made a deliberate and calm judgment.
“Security team, urgently head to Caron. Orca, make your way out of the crowd without hurting anyone. You can do it because you’re petite.”
Caron could be a decoy, and the purpose could be to create an attack opportunity against Forlanada. If that were the case, rough handling should be avoided. Orca’s assistance would be delayed, but there was no other choice.
“Minerva-san, I need to step away for a moment.”
“Huh? Wait!”
I also started moving. I felt sorry for Minerva, but Caron took priority now.
Due to the reasons mentioned earlier, I couldn’t sprint through the crowd at full speed. I had to skillfully maneuver my way through, which would slow down my movement speed compared to usual.
Frustrated and anxious, I hurried forward, and finally, Caron and Gray came into contact. As expected, his target was Caron.
Fortunately, my subordinates had finished deploying around them, so I didn’t think it would lead to the worst outcome.
However, one thing bothered me. Gray was alone. He didn’t have any attendants with him. What was he planning to do?
While moving, I pondered over this question. In the next moment, I was left dumbfounded.
Simultaneously, a loud explosion echoed through the venue. It was a blast that shook the entire room, causing the nobles to show signs of panic.
However, the one most thrown into chaos in this situation was undoubtedly me. Because the cause of this explosion was Gray, and Caron and her companions were the ones caught in it.
Just now, Gray had unleashed a fire magic attack against them. And it was a considerably powerful strike.
Images of the incident with Curtis resurfaced in my mind. I envisioned a sobbing Caron and a critically injured Shion.
An impulse to use magic surged within me. But I restrained myself with the last remnants of my rationality.
Right before the explosion, competent subordinates were standing by my side. They should be handling the situation properly. Currently, the problem was me openly displaying magic to those around me.
I combined it with my mental magic, using [Calm] to suppress the welling emotions as best I could.
However, I didn’t stop my legs from running. I pushed through the crowd of nobles, eager to reach Caron and her group as quickly as possible.
Soul
This prince and the royal faction deserve to be wiped out, seriously. The otome route with the saintess heroine is too flower headed, while the hero route is a revenge and resistance against nobles.
Minerva is right though, he needs to say something back to those nobles publicly at least instead of being passive about it since those are weak.