I suddenly gripped the edges of the note tightly. The more I thought about it, the more dangerous my present situation seemed. Not only did I have to protect myself, but I had to look out for Maria and everyone around her. That would certainly not be easy.
In particular, I wonder if a villainess like me—someone who was supposed to be their enemy and get defeated in the end—can really help them... An indescribable feeling of helplessness and anxiety spread inside my chest.
I closed my eyes and heard the words, Don’t worry. You can do this. For some reason, a really old memory had surfaced in my mind. I sighed. Why am I remembering that face and those words right now? I bet it’s because I dreamed about him yesterday.
By “him,” I meant the younger of the two older brothers I had in my previous life. Because we were closer in age, we often played together, often fought and bickered, but in the end he was always a reliable older brother. Though he might complain about it, he always rescued me.
I’d forgotten the details, there was a time in my past life when I was frustrated by being unable to do something, no matter how hard I tried, and started to cry. My brother tried his hardest to encourage me.
“Don’t worry. You can do this. You’re my little sister, after all.”
I think he finished by firmly calling me by my name—the name I had in that life—and slapping me on the shoulder. That hurt a bit, didn’t it?
When I remembered this, for some reason I couldn’t help but chuckle to myself. In this life, I was surrounded by many people who were dear to me, and had some very dependable friends, but I still thought that there had been something special about that older brother of mine.
Okay. After remembering what my big brother told me, suddenly I feel like I can do this. The duration of the game’s story is fixed. I just need to survive six more months—no, actually a bit less, since some time has already passed. If I can make it to the end of that period, I’m sure that an even more wonderful life will be waiting for me!
I clenched my fists tightly. I was going to be all right. I could do this.
When I woke up the next morning, it wasn’t long before Keith came to my room. Apparently I’d fallen fast asleep soon after coming home the previous night, so he’d been waiting for me to wake up.
“So, big sister. What happened yesterday?” asked Keith with a look of distinct displeasure.
I told him about how we had enjoyed going to the bookstore and the eatery, before visiting a farm and the orphanage for the sake of Cezar’s studies. I told him that it had been a very fulfilling day.
After hearing my account, Keith still had the same angry look in his eyes.
“So the Prince of Ethenell didn’t say anything, or do anything to you?” he asked me.
I wonder what’s making him so tense. Maybe he’s worried that I was rude while serving as Cezar’s guide. Yeah, that’s got to be it.
“Prince Cezar said that Sorcié is a wonderful country. He was very pleased, and said he would take note of everything I showed him. I swear I didn’t do anything rude as his guide,” I answered with my head held high.
Keith then furrowed his brow in exasperation.
“No, that wasn’t what I was worried about. But from what you’ve said, it at least sounds like you’re all right.”
“Eh? That wasn’t it? Then what were you worried about?”
“I feel like if I tell you, it’ll be the only thing on your mind, and that can only make things worse...”
“Huh?”
“No, forget about it. I’m glad that the Prince of Ethenell was satisfied with your services as a tour guide. But if you were ever rude to a foreign royal, you could find yourself in a lot of trouble, so it would be better if you didn’t deal with any from now on. And if you have no choice but to deal with them, make sure you tell me first.”
“You’re right. There would indeed be trouble if I ever offended a foreign royal. All right. If this happens again, I’ll be sure to report it to you, Keith.”
As there was still the matter of the otome game’s story, I wasn’t really thinking of continuing my acquaintance with Cezar anyway. But after seeing how sad he’d looked when we’d met that baby the previous day, I was concerned about him. If we did run into each other again, it would be all right as long as I discussed it with Keith.