The Villainous Noble Son Wants to Capture His Stepsister! - Chapter 29

There was once a singer who said:

“Three steps forward, two steps back.”

In my case with Primelia, it’s more like—

Two steps forward, three steps back.

Which means…

“Did we just go back to square one!?”

“Yes, we did.”

Tears welled in my eyes as I furiously signed documents, crying out in despair.

Heliotrope’s calm response only made me feel even worse.

It had been a few days since Lilliane’s birthday party, and just like that—

Primelia had regressed to answering me with a single, timid ‘…Yes’.

It was so accurate that it felt like someone had turned back time.

Maybe if I shouted, “Let’s rewind time!”, we could actually go back?

Preferably before that birthday party disaster.

She’s definitely mad, isn’t she?

Yeah, definitely.

I thought bringing her along would be a great opportunity for her social debut—but instead, she was thrown into an exclusive royal gathering.

No wonder she’s traumatized.

“Aaaaahhh, I shouldn’t have taken her! She doesn’t need to go to any social events! She can just live here forever!”

“Please don’t say such terrifying things.”

…I know.

I know, okay?

As a noble, she has obligations that require her to participate in social events.

And I won’t always be there for her.

For example, if she attends the magic academy, we’d be in different grades, so our classes wouldn’t even be the same.

Unless… I intentionally flunked a year?

No… no, that’s too much.

“You’re not actually thinking that staying by her side all the time would solve everything, are you?”

“O-Of course not.”

Heliotrope saw right through me.

Scary.

Too scary.

I mean, I know it’s not realistic—

But I can’t help it!

I’m a teenager, after all!

(…Even if, mentally, I’ve been past my teenage years for a long time.)

“Sigh… Anyway, first things first—we need to fix my relationship with Primelia.”

“…Are you two planning to repeat this cycle forever?”

“Huh?”

“Oh, nothing.”

Wait—repeat the same cycle?

Oh…

Now that I think about it, all I ever do is buy her gifts every time we drift apart.

I’ve become a walking ATM.

Even I can see it—this is pathetic.

Trying to win her over with gifts?

That’s just sad.

…But let me defend myself for a second.

I’ve said this many times before, but—

In both this life and my past life, my relationship experience is still sitting at zero.

I have no idea how to raise a woman’s affection.

Sure, Sebastian has taught me proper etiquette, but that’s just basic manners.

I could ask him how to flirt, but…

Learning romantic strategies from my butler just feels wrong.

Also—

In the original game, “Swords, Magic, and Flower Crowns”, giving gifts was a surefire way to raise affection points.

Back then, I used to laugh and say,

“What kind of heroine has their affection maxed just from receiving gifts? So easy, lol.”

And yet—

Here I am, shamelessly trying the exact same method.

The result?

“It’s not very effective…”

At this point, desperate times call for desperate measures.

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.

A lady’s heart can only be understood by another lady.

“Heliotrope.”

“Yes?”

“Please… have mercy on this pathetic, unpopular fool and give me some advice.”

“You’re shockingly self-deprecating right now.”

Say whatever you want.

Fixing my relationship with Primelia is priority number one.

Everything else—political affairs, personal pride—can go straight into the trash.

“Advice, you say…? Hmm. To be honest, I don’t have much to say.”

“Wait—does that mean I’m beyond saving!?”

Is this… unsalvageable?

So… I should just accept that it’s over?

The game hasn’t even started, and the mid-boss (me) is already irrelevant!?

“No, that’s not what I meant. I just think… this will resolve itself with time. It’s not like she dislikes you.”

“…Really?”

“Without a doubt.”

Hmm…

I don’t doubt Heliotrope, but just waiting feels too passive.

Alright.

Let’s consult the other personal maid.

◇

“…And that’s the situation.”

“I see. So that’s what’s going on.”

After Dinner, I Decided to Consult Laps.

Since she’s Primelia’s personal maid and spends the most time with her, I figured she might have some useful advice.

“Rest assured, Lord Kraut. There is no one who dislikes you. And if, by some chance, such a person did exist, I would personally continue to enlighten them until they fully understand your greatness.”

“………”

That… sounds an awful lot like brainwashing.

Wait.

She hasn’t been brainwashing Primelia, too… right?

Suddenly alarmed, I decided to casually probe for answers.

“You needn’t worry. Lady Primelia recognized Lord Kraut’s greatness from the very beginning.”

“No, no, no. That’s not what I meant—at all.”

The way she phrased that made it sound like she’d be totally willing to brainwash her if necessary.

Ever since the orphanage incident, Laps’s devotion has been a little too intense.

I really don’t want a situation where a duke’s daughter gets indoctrinated by her maid.

…It’s worrying, but for now, I’ll set that aside.

The main issue is fixing my relationship with Primelia.

Even Laps, despite her questionable statements, had the same stance as Heliotrope—

There’s nothing to worry about.

“But I want to get closer to Primelia. She still calls me ‘Lord Kraut’ all the time.”

Considering her upbringing and personality, I can’t blame her for being overly formal.

She’s still adjusting to her new life in House Wertheim, after all.

But—

We’re siblings now.

And yet, she still uses honorifics when addressing me.

That’s kind of depressing.

I don’t expect her to call me ‘Big Brother Kraut ’ or anything, but I’d at least like her to use a more natural, familial name.

At some point, I’d love to start calling her ‘Melia’—like the protagonist did in her route of the original game.

“It’s true that Lady Primelia still feels somewhat distant from you.”

“Yeah. It still doesn’t quite feel like we’re really family yet.”

“…Family, huh?”

Laps fell silent for a moment, as if deep in thought, before she smiled gently and spoke.

“Lord Kraut.”

“What is it?”

“Why don’t you visit the orphanage again sometime soon?”

…Huh?

Why would I do that?