14 - How to Escape the Reverse Harem Cliché
Chapter 14
“Laila? What’s wrong?”
“No. Keep talking. You and that Guide don’t have a good matching rate?”
“Yeah. For one, he’s a man, so we’re both hesitant to make contact. You know this too, Laila, right? Guides can provide Guiding in two ways: contact Guiding and non-contact Guiding.”
“Mm, I know. We learned it together, from our tutor.”
Given the world’s circumstances, people in this world had to receive basic Esper-Guide education from a young age.
The reason I could clearly remember the settings, even from a book I’d only skimmed, was thanks to the education I’d received since the moment I was possessed. I was grateful to the Count and Countess for that.
According to the Guide education book, Guides could provide Guiding in two ways.
Non-contact Guiding. Also known as radiant Guiding, it was a method of Guiding that dispersed through the air without physical contact.
This was usually how Espers would keenly notice young Guides who couldn’t control their Guiding right after Manifestation, and then escort them to academies or the field.
Just like in the original work, when Laila attended a festival in the capital and unknowingly scattered her Guiding, Valerian sensed it like a ghost and dragged her away.
The second was contact Guiding, which, as the name suggests, was Guiding that occurred through physical contact. It was deeper and more potent than non-contact Guiding, and the efficiency of Guiding increased with the area and intensity of the skinship.
It’s really perverted, this setting…
“Anyway, he absolutely refuses contact Guiding. Still, because he was high-grade, just being in the same space filled me with Guiding. But someone reported him. He was living in secret, hiding that he was a Guide, just like me. But someone reported him to the royal family for money.”
“So, he was taken away?”
“Yeah. The royal family wouldn’t let a high-grade Guide go.”
I offered my condolences to the unknown high-grade Guide.
Guides were usually adopted into noble families for money or power, or they voluntarily registered with royal institutions to protect themselves. The fact that he was high-grade yet had lived in hiding most likely meant he wanted to live freely rather than be bound.
But to have his freedom shackled by someone’s report. How unwilling must he have been to go? My heart pounded fiercely, as if it were my own situation.
“Laila. What’s wrong? You’ve looked unwell since earlier.”
“It’s just… I’m a little scared.”
“It’s okay, Laila. Is it because of what I told you last time? That because we’re siblings, you might Manifest too?”
Aiden, thinking I didn’t know about my adoption, seemed to be contemplating how to phrase things carefully.
“I asked Prince Astolphe about it? But he said it was a lie. It’s extremely rare for siblings to Manifest similarly, and it’s hard to attribute it to shared blood, right? It’s just a coincidence. So, that was just me talking nonsense. Nonsense I spoke because I wanted to go with you, Laila.”
One way or another, Aiden didn’t mention my adoption at all. He seemed to have decided to be considerate of my feelings until the very end.
At this point, I decided to ease his worries by nodding.
“Yeah. I understand. Thank you, I feel much better now.”
“…I’m sorry. Because I brought Prince Astolphe, you had to go to the capital for an examination, which you didn’t want. Why did I do that? Knowing you hate Espers, why did I only think about taking you to the academy with me?”
As if he couldn’t understand his own actions, Aiden ran his hands through his hair, distressed.
Seeing him like that, I reached out first and took Aiden’s hand. A static shock jolted us both, but Aiden held my hand tightly, preventing me from pulling away, and pulled me closer.
It felt a bit awkward to pull my hand back, so I just let him hold it and soothed Aiden.
“We agreed not to say sorry. Prince Astolphe is right. It was a year for examinations, so we had to go to the capital anyway.”
“Yeah. When we get to the capital, I’ll buy you lots of presents.”
“Okay, okay. I’ll look forward to it.”
Even though I nodded with an expression that held no anticipation, Aiden just grinned.
Before I knew it, I was in Aiden’s embrace. He used to be smaller than me, but thanks to my diligent training, he’d grown quite sturdy and now felt reliable. Come to think of it, his shoulders seemed broader, and he’d grown much taller.
…I’m envious. Should I have trained with him instead of just pushing him? Despite training alongside him, I still felt lacking compared to Aiden. It was while staring intently at Aiden with that thought.
Knock, knock. The sudden knock startled me, and I instinctively pulled away from Aiden.
What, what is it? I don’t know why my heart is pounding so hard when I haven’t done anything wrong.
The door hadn’t been closed, so the person who knocked leaned against the wide-open door and looked at us askance.
“Your sibling affection is more profound than I imagined.”
“Prince Astolphe. This is beyond rude?”
Aiden irritably brushed his bangs back and stood up.
Meanwhile, I was struggling to calm my racing heart. No, did I do something wrong? I couldn’t understand why my heart was acting up like this.
“To call it rude, the door was open too wide, the time for the Spiritual Body to personally request a spar with me has already passed, and you two seem to be nothing more than affectionate siblings.”
“……”
“Among these, is there any fault of mine?”
Pressing down my heart, which had finally calmed, I stared intently at Valerian.
I knew he was an arrogant and self-confident character, but in the original work, he was endlessly cold and taciturn, so I hadn’t expected him to be like this at such a young age.
In the original, he was just a rude brat, but now he seemed like an ordinary noble child his age.
Perhaps Valerian’s personality changed as the responsibility entrusted to him as an Esper grew heavier, and he became accustomed to killing enemies to survive.
Reaching that conclusion, I thought perhaps this world wasn’t solely harsh on Guides.
“Laila. See you at dinner tonight. I’ll go teach that guy a lesson.”
“Don’t get taught a lesson yourself, and have a careful spar.”
“Okay.”
Aiden, who had been smiling brightly at me, then met Valerian’s intense gaze with a serious expression and left the room first.
Valerian, about to follow, stopped and turned back to look at me.
“If you are so affectionate, do you dislike entering the same academy?”
“Yes.”
“…What a shame. I understand.”
I didn’t know what was a shame, but Valerian left behind a puzzling remark and disappeared.
\ \ *
Actually, there was one thing I’d been curious about since seeing Valerian.
Orion Restro.
He, who had entered the academy earlier than scheduled due to me altering the original story.
Orion, who used to send me letters periodically, had stopped writing at some point.
I could have found out what was happening, but I didn’t because I was afraid of getting too deeply involved with Orion.
After indirectly hearing from the Count that the Restro Spiritual Body seemed to be doing well at the academy, I completely lost interest in him. I figured he was the male protagonist, so he’d be fine on his own.
“Laila.”
“Yes?”
It was the day before we were to leave for the capital.
I was walking down the hallway carrying a book from my father’s study when I spotted Valerian approaching from the other end.
I intended to turn and walk in the opposite direction to avoid him before he recognized me, but he called my name out of the blue, and I couldn’t help but answer.
Not Lady Pascianne, but Laila. So surprised, I forgot I should pretend not to know him and turned back to ask.
“Did you just call my name….”
“Do you know Orion Restro, the Spiritual Body?”
“How does the Prince know the Restro Spiritual Body….”
“I am in the same class as the Spiritual Body.”
He seemed to be talking about the academy.
Of course, they’d be in the same class. Both their ranks far exceeded their age group.
But that wasn’t what was important to me.
“Why did you suddenly call my name, and why are you abruptly asking about the Restro Spiritual Body?”
“The Restro Spiritual Body often sought the name Laila, so I was curious who it was. Then I thought, perhaps it was Lady Pascianne’s name, so I asked.”
He hadn’t just asked; he’d asked with near certainty.
Aiden would inevitably reunite with Orion once he entered that academy. If Valerian found out then that they knew each other, any lie I told now would be exposed.
“I am aware. Our families had some interaction.”
“Ah. I see.”
“…If you have nothing else to say, I will take my leave.”
“Have you truly never experienced Manifestation Pain?”
He’s persistent. Even though they’ll find out everything at the examination in the capital anyway.
In the original work, after enduring all sorts of hardships, his personality was that of a complete jerk. But now, he was excessively interested in others. More than could be considered mere suspicion.
If I’m deemed ordinary after the examination in the capital, I’ll never cross paths with Valerian again. I’ll run away from this mansion, and I’ll never go to the capital where Espers are active.
So, thinking it’s better to be on good terms, I forced a smile and nodded.
“Yes, I haven’t. I haven’t even had a common fever.”
