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 4 Chapter 4.1
The week began, and school life resumed.
Since the attack on Yudai and the others, there had been no further movements from the kidnappers. Even though he had been overconfident, the fact that they were forced to retreat must have weighed heavily on their minds. Dealing with enemies who had good situational judgment was indeed troublesome.
As a precaution, the security level of the spies was raised. After reevaluating the previous issues, they should be able to coordinate much more quickly this time.
Now, let’s switch focus. While at the school, I want to act like a regular student.
During the time before the morning homeroom, I was chatting with Caron and the others.
“Hey, everybodyyyy!”
The loud voice of a man echoed as the door was forcefully swung open, causing many to instinctively cover their ears.
The same went for us. Orca and Nina even held their heads and crouched slightly. Both of them had better hearing than humans.
We knew someone was approaching the classroom, but we were surprised by this outrageous behavior. Who’s this idiot?
Feeling exasperated, I looked towards the source of the voice.
“Gah!”
I let out a small gasp. The person behind the voice was someone I knew.
He had auburn hair and eyes, and while not extremely tall, he had a well-built and muscular body. His expression screamed “reckless and aggressive personality!”
There was no mistaking it. He was Eric Endelil Yu San Ksipos, one of the capture targets of the Saintess.
The Ksipos family was a count’s family with a long line of knights and known for being loyal supporters of the royal family. His father was currently a close aide to the reigning king and a former captain of the Royal Guards.
Eric was childhood friends with the second prince, Gray, and I heard they still maintain their friendship. I wonder if he came here for something related to that?
It seemed like I was mistaken about his purpose. Although he briefly greeted Gray, his attention was directed elsewhere.
What could his purpose be?
“Oh, without a doubt, it’s the real deal! I’ve been wanting to see you, Lady Nina!”
To my surprise, it was Nina.
He stood in front of her, full of excitement.
Wait, Nina and Eric know each other?
Neither my knowledge of the game nor the intelligence gathered by Foranada’s spies had any information about their connection.
But Eric’s expression of joy felt as though he had reunited with a long-lost brother. He couldn’t possibly be a complete stranger to Nina.
“…Who are you?”
However, Nina remained composed. She just tilted her head with a blank expression.
Seems like Nina doesn’t know Eric. Their reactions were polar opposites.
Just to be sure, I asked through telepathy, “Do you know him?”
“I don’t know him at all.”
Her answer was concise, and I could sense that she had absolutely no interest.
While Eric was getting all excited by himself, there was no sign of the conversation progressing. On the other hand, Nina was not very talkative either. Though I had a feeling this could lead to trouble, I decided to intervene.
“Sorry to interrupt your enthusiasm, but could I have a moment?”
“Huh?”
As I spoke, Eric’s mood instantly turned sour. He shot a look at me as if I were his mortal enemy.
“I don’t have time for Foranada. Get lost and keep quiet.”
Wow, what an intense animosity.
Well, it’s not surprising. Eric is Gray’s best friend. From his perspective, Foranada is the enemy who humiliated and abandoned his best friend.
He’s a straightforward guy, and I suppose that’s better than someone who changes sides so easily.
Still, I couldn’t just stay silent and follow him.
“That’s impossible. Nina is like family to me. I can’t overlook her being in trouble,” I firmly replied.
In response, Eric wore an expression of ‘I seriously don’t understand.’ Then, he dropped a bombshell.
“Huh? Why would Lady Nina be in trouble? She and I are engaged, you know.”
“Whaaat? Engaged!?”
Both Caron and I were left wide-eyed and stunned. As I looked around, it seemed our classmates who were eavesdropping were equally surprised.
Wait, wait, wait. This relationship is way beyond unexpected. I meticulously reviewed the information about Nina when she was still a viscountess, but there was no mention of such a connection!?
Wait a minute, isn’t Eric one of the capture targets of the Saintess? Why does he have a fiancée…? Now that I think about it, in the original game, Eric’s fiancée died, right? And Nina is also deceased in the original game.
The pieces seem to fall into place. Could it be true that they were actually engaged?
Wait, wait, wait. Calm down, me. If they were engaged, it would be unnatural for Nina to know nothing about Eric. Plus, there are other inconsistencies.
Firstly, Nina’s noble status was before the Nine Orders Ceremony. It’s too early to decide on an engagement.
Moreover, Nina was mistreated in the Harneus family. It’s hard to believe they would arrange an engagement for her.
The more I think about it, the more the theory of Eric and Nina being engaged falls apart. The shock of his statement almost made me lose my composure.
Wait a second, even Nina herself seems astonished by Eric’s declaration.
“News to me.”
See, she has no recollection whatsoever.
Since a while ago, there have been discrepancies in perception between Eric and us. What on earth is going on?
“Lady Nina?”
Finally, Eric seems to notice Nina’s bewilderment. He tilts his head with a puzzled expression, gazing at her.
And then, he starts to get flustered in an amusing way.
“U-um, could it be that you don’t remember me…?”
“Yeah.”
“A-and we once had a conversation when I accidentally entered your private room…”
“Mmm… I don’t remember.”
“Guh!”
Nina showed no mercy. She heartlessly cut him off without any hesitation. As expected from a master of the sword, she was decisive.
Eric crumbled on the spot. He knelt on the ground, both hands and knees pressed against the floor, and hung his head dejectedly.
“I fell for you back then and asked my parents to ‘make Lady Nina my fiancée.’ But I never thought Lady Nina wouldn’t remember…”
“That was when I was how old?”
“…I was two.”
“Well, of course, I wouldn’t remember.”
I was dumbfounded.
Even if you were a reincarnated person, it’s impossible for an ordinary human to remember events from when they were two years old. Moreover, Nina had mentioned that her memories of her noble days were hazy, so it’s no surprise she wouldn’t remember.
Moreover, if Eric’s words are correct, then the two of them are not officially engaged. He only asked his parents. In other words, he’s self-proclaimed fiancé.
“Well… there can be good things in life if you’re alive!”
“Love isn’t limited to just one person, yeah.”
“Oh… stop moping around and get yourself together!”
Perhaps feeling pity for him, Kalon and the others offered words of comfort to Eric. Well, whether it was truly comforting or not remains unclear.
Their encouragement—or lack thereof—seemed to have an effect, as Eric stood up on his own. He looked determined as he gazed directly at Nina.
Could it be…
“If you don’t remember, then I’ll propose to you again right here. Please be my wife!”
He confessed again, just as I thought.
Well, that’s only natural. After more than ten years of believing she was dead, it’s not easy to just let go of those feelings.
Now, what will Nina say? Her expression doesn’t seem to have changed at all, so it’s not hard to imagine.
“I’m sorry.”
As expected, she calmly declined. Her voice showed no hesitation.
Eric was shot down once again. I can’t help but feel sorry for him.
An indescribable atmosphere filled the air. Sympathetic gazes were directed at Eric.
After a while, he silently stood up.
Then, he pointed at Nina firmly and declared, “I’ll definitely make you fall for me!”
With that grand declaration, he left the classroom.
We watched him leave in astonishment.
“It’s going to get noisy.”
Nina muttered quietly. Truly, she was right.
The situation was bound to become more chaotic.