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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: A Suspiciously Kind Brother
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“Good night.”
In the awkward atmosphere, I quickly bid him farewell, choosing to escape into the land of dreams.
Perhaps sensing my embarrassment, Kirie spoke in an apologetic tone.
“Um, my lady. I fully understand the kindness you’ve shown me. But I’m not very good at discussing such things with others…”
Hearing that, I felt a wave of deflation.
Right. Who was I kidding, expecting a plot twist worthy of a heroine from one of those transmigration novels?
‘I gave up on that dream a long time ago.’
Specifically, when I realized that after being reincarnated, my life wasn’t a whirlwind of adventure, but six months spent idly in a corner of a room.
With a heart half-full of emptiness and half of relief, I replied to Kirie.
“It’s alright. We’ve only just met, and I suppose I overstepped my bounds.”
“N-Not at all! It was invaluable advice. In my situation, it was the absolute truth.”
“But things in this world don’t always go according to the truth.”
“…That’s right. I know it would be better to be honest now, but it’s not easy. I doubt a reputation, once built, can be changed so simply.”
He had a point. There’s a reason people say first impressions are important. Humans are creatures who stubbornly refuse to change their preconceived notions.
‘In the original novel, Aila’s efforts somehow managed to restore Kirie’s reputation.’
…What exactly did she do?
I carefully retraced my memories, but nothing came to mind, so I clutched my head in frustration.
Damn it! I’ve read too many novels; they’re all jumbled up!
Unless it was a part I was particularly interested in, I could only remember the general plot and a few specific scenes.
A moment later, after rummaging through my hazy memories a few more times, I finally surrendered.
‘I wouldn’t remember even if you beat it out of me!’
Come to think of it, I had a more pressing problem at hand. The comment curse.
I felt bad for Kirie, but I had my own skin to save, and my problems were more important to me.
“Kirie, there’s something I want to ask you.”
As I spoke up suddenly, Kirie flinched slightly in surprise before answering.
“Yes, please ask anything.”
“With this night, your curse will be completely broken, right?”
“There’s a high probability of that.”
His tone was quite serious and cautious.
“Curses are a rather difficult and esoteric form of magic. Among them, the one placed on me is likely an extremely complex, high-level curse.”
“Is it that serious?”
“Of course!”
As the topic of conversation shifted to magic, the timid Kirie from moments ago vanished, replaced by a confident mage who spoke his mind.
“It doesn’t just prevent sleep; it has the annoying condition of only allowing sleep with a specific person in a specific situation. No matter how I think about it, this is impossible with just a cursed potion. The spell must have been cast directly on me from close by.”
“I-I see.”
“Ah, I’m curious. What skilled mage could have invented such a curse? And when did they manage to cast it on me?”
“I wonder.”
“I was never careless with my defenses against such things. Yet, by what means did they cast such a curse on me without my even realizing it…”
Was it because of the weary look on my face? Kirie soon came to his senses and stopped talking.
“…I seem to have gotten carried away.”
“It’s fine. In any case, the conclusion is that after tonight, your curse will be broken, right?”
I cautiously voiced the worst-case scenario that I had buried deep in my heart and tried to ignore.
“There’s no chance you’ll have to keep sleeping in my bed from now on, is there…?”
“Unthinkable. Nine times out of ten, no, with a probability of over 99%, that will not happen.”
The Archmage’s prized disciple asserted with confidence.
“The very existence of such an elaborate and stealthy curse is a miracle in itself. And for that curse to have a lasting effect? That is truly the domain of the gods.”
“Is that so?”
“I assure you. The condition of sleeping in your bed is a kind of release clause. As you know, curses of this type are usually powerful, but they have a weakness.”
It was news to me, but I listened intently to Kirie’s explanation and nodded earnestly.
“The moment the release condition is met, the curse vanishes as if it were washed away. If you gain something, you must also give something up.”
“I think I understand.”
“Another way this curse differs from the ones we commonly know is that…”
Kirie chattered on excitedly. The initial awkwardness and wariness had vanished without a trace.
He was still perched precariously on the very edge of the bed, but his expression was more relaxed than before.
“Wow, magic is truly fascinating.”
I pretended to understand, throwing in appropriate interjections, though I couldn’t make sense of most of what Kirie was saying.
“…”
In the middle of his lecture, Kirie’s clear voice gradually faded and then stopped. I glanced to my side to see his sleeping face.
As expected, his fairy-like features were enough to warm the heart just by looking at them.
‘Silver-haired mages are the best.’
Reaffirming this immutable truth, I too slowly closed my heavy eyelids.
Perhaps because I had listened to the difficult magic lecture for so long, drowsiness quickly washed over me.
The next morning, I woke to the sound of a maid knocking on the door. There was no one beside me.
“He already left?”
I examined the neatly made bed before my gaze shifted. A single memo on the table caught my eye.
「You were sleeping so soundly that I could not bear to wake you. Thanks to you, my lady, I was able to sleep soundly for the first time in a very long time. Thank you so much for helping me break my curse.」
Following that, in neat handwriting, was a promise to visit me soon to express his gratitude.
I grinned, placed the memo in a drawer, and let the maids into the room.
A reward. A magical word that made my heart race with just its mention. What should I ask for?
‘Asking a mage for money is for amateurs.’
In a fantasy world, magic is an incredibly important existence.
No matter what daunting trials the protagonist faced, a single overpowered spell could often solve everything in a flash.
Besides, it seemed I could get plenty of money from the Crown Prince, Raynerd, so what I should get from Kirie had to be something related to magic.
‘Without a doubt, a magical artifact!’
A magical artifact was an item that allowed even non-mages to wield specific spells.
As an outstanding mage and the Archmage’s prized disciple, Kirie likely possessed useful and priceless magical artifacts.
For instance, maybe he had an artifact that granted the ability of teleportation or flight.
‘It’s best to have an escape route prepared, just in case I’m ever framed as the villainess and face ruin, like in the novels.’
It would be best if such a situation never arose, but one never knows what the future holds.
Though I was counting my chickens before they hatched, I spent a while happily contemplating which magical artifact to receive.
After a simple morning routine, I headed to the dining room with a light step.
“Charlotte, you’re late again. What do you do at night that makes you oversleep every day?”
“I’m sorry. I’ll be on time from now on~.”
Even Marchioness Lindsi’s tiresome nagging sounded pleasant. Of course, I was in a good mood now that the problem that had been plaguing me was finally resolved!
As of yesterday, I had broken the curses of all three sub-male leads: Raynerd, Yugen, and Kirie.
The fact that I had to part with their handsome faces was a little—no, quite—disappointing, but when it comes to sleeping, comfort is paramount.
‘Besides, I’ve gained something.’
Money from Raynerd, a magical artifact from Kirie, and from Yugen… well, Yugen is cute, so that’s enough.
All I had to do now was take these things, leave the empire, and decide where to live a prosperous life.
I would rather die than hang around the empire, run into Aila or Cedric again, and unwittingly build a reputation as a villainess.
‘Alright, it’s about time I ask Marquis Lindsi to send me to one of our villas abroad.’
It was then that I felt an inexplicable, intense gaze and snapped my head up.
Jayden, sitting diagonally across from me, met my eyes and greeted me with a soft smile.
“Did you sleep well last night, sister?”
“Huh? Uh… yes, I did.”
Wasn’t he just staring at me with a piercing gaze a moment ago? Moreover, what was with that gentle tone that didn’t suit him at all?
This sense of unease wasn’t just mine; not only my family but also the servants waiting on us had stiffened.
“When did you two become so close?”
Marquis Lindsi asked, his tone a mix of bewilderment and emotion.
“You attended the tea party as partners yesterday, and now it seems you’ve become quite devoted siblings.”
While I was wondering how to respond, Jayden spoke first.
“Actually, sister and I had a sincere heart-to-heart conversation not long ago.”
…We did?
“At that time, we resolved the misunderstandings we had held for so long and agreed to move forward together toward a more positive relationship.”
…When on earth?
“Oh, you did? I had no idea.”
The Marquis nodded with a dazed expression, which soon turned into a satisfied smile.
“If you two have reconciled, I could ask for nothing more. Charlotte has become very mature lately, too. Our family has nothing but good fortune.”
“Indeed, dear. I’m so pleased as well.”
As the Marchioness agreed, a warm atmosphere settled over the dining table.
The situation had become so amicable that I couldn’t deny Jayden’s lie and could only silently bring food to my mouth.
If I were to shout, ‘Don’t be fooled! He’s a liar!’ I would only make myself look like the strange one. It was as clear as day.
I glanced sideways at Jayden. He was slicing his meat with elegant hand movements, a fabricated smile on his face.
‘What on earth is he plotting?’
