The Villainous Noble Son Wants to Capture His Stepsister! - Chapter 24

Ever since we visited the Ventz Trading Company together the other day, I feel like I’ve gotten just a little bit closer to Primelia.

She’s still reserved, and she still won’t quite meet my eyes, but compared to when the only response I ever got was “…Yes,” we can now have actual conversations. That alone makes me happy.

I’m not exactly sure what triggered this change, but she must have had some kind of shift in her mindset.

Maybe Heliotrope’s advice worked? As expected of my personal maid—she and Sebastian deserve my undying gratitude. I might as well start sleeping standing up in their honor.

Then, one day, while I was basking in that small triumph, an envelope arrived for me.

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“From the royal family of Blumenkranz?”

“Yes, young master. I was asked to deliver it to you personally.”

That morning, as I was busy handling government affairs in the study, Sebastian brought me a letter.

He still refuses to stop calling me “young master,” I see.

And the sender was none other than the most powerful entity in this kingdom—the Blumenkranz royal family, whom every noble in the land bows to.

…Why?

Feeling puzzled, I took the envelope and checked it. Sure enough, my name was written on it, and the royal seal was firmly pressed into the wax.

Carefully slicing it open with a paper knife, I pulled out the contents.

“An invitation to the Second Princess’s birthday party?”

“Hah!?”

“Young master!?”

A rather unrefined exclamation slipped from my mouth, but this was no time for propriety.

You’ve got to be kidding me. I just barely got used to Primelia being my stepsister, and now another major event is being thrown at me?

And besides—the Second Princess is the heroine of the game, isn’t she!?

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Lilliane von Blumenkranz—one of the main heroines of Swords, Magic, and Flower Crowns, and the Second Princess of our great kingdom of Blumenkranz.

In other words, one of the most powerful individuals in the country. Even the Wertheim ducal house is completely beneath her. Bow your heads.

…Well, not that that ever stopped my family from causing trouble with the royal family.

Like that whole high-and-mighty marriage proposal fiasco during our first meeting.

Thanks to that, my father has never been appointed to an important government position. Zero trust!

That said, since our family governs a major commercial city, the royal family can’t push us around too much. Our tax contributions are through the roof.

Throwing money at our problems has always been the Wertheim way. Utterly shameless.

But setting that aside, if I had to describe Lilliane in a single phrase, it would be “the perfect human being.”

She is beautiful, intelligent, skilled in combat, and unwavering in justice—the complete package.

Only a dashing protagonist could possibly match her.

Kraut kept trying to court her every chance he got, but honestly, all he had was his title. A pig with a pearl necklace, as they say.

Most importantly, she firmly believes that “royalty and nobility exist to protect the people.”

That ideology makes her fundamentally incompatible with villainous heirs like me.

At least, that’s how it should be…

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“Getting invited to the Second Princess’s birthday party… why? Why!?”

To be fair, I do receive an invitation every year.

However—

“Shouldn’t this have been sent to the estate in the capital? Why is it addressed to me personally?”

For royal birthday parties, invitations are always sent to families.

Since they already invited House Wertheim, it would normally be addressed to my father, the current head of the family.

Besides, I haven’t attended in two years because I was ‘too busy.’

I’m guessing one of my half-brothers went in my place.

“It seems the Second Princess has taken an interest in you after hearing recent rumors, sir.”

“Ah… yeah.”

Well, considering all the flashy things I’ve been up to over the past two years, I suppose it makes sense she’d get curious.

Still—if I show up and run into my parents and brothers, it’s going to be unbearably awkward.

As I was brooding over this, Sebastian added another detail.

“I hear this year’s party is a small gathering, reserved only for those close to the Second Princess.”

“I see… I see?”

Wait—I’m invited to a party like that?

I’m not close to Lilliane. If anything, I’m confident she hates me.

Considering I once declared her my ‘future wife’ without permission and received an official complaint from the royal family, that makes perfect sense.

Would a hard smack to the head erase those memories?

I’m not particularly eager to go, but refusing after being directly invited wouldn’t leave a good impression.

Besides, I had planned to return to high society soon anyway—this might actually be a good opportunity.

“If it’s a small gathering, it could be a good chance for Primelia to make her debut in noble society as well.”

Small gathering or not, this is still a royal party.

But as a duke’s family, we can’t avoid interacting with the royal family forever.

Getting on good terms with Lilliane now might not be a bad idea.

…Not that I have much credibility in that department, considering I haven’t interacted with the royal family in three years.

By the way—

“So, I’ve been invited to the Second Princess’s birthday party. Let’s go together.”

“…………”

At dinner, when I casually mentioned the party, the goddess Primelia retreated into her sacred shrine—her bedroom—and locked herself inside.

It took two maids hours of negotiations to finally bring her back out.

I am powerless…