The Villainous Noble Son Wants to Capture His Stepsister! - Chapter 30

“It’s Lord Kraut!”

“It really is! Lord Kraut!”

“Lord Kraut!!!”

“Wait, hold on! I may be built like an average teenager, but I’m not some muscle-bound warrior! If you all charge at me at once—AAAAHHH!”

And so—

I was utterly crushed beneath a stampede of excited orphanage children.

Squish.

“L-Lord Kraut, are you alright!?”

“P-Please, everyone, get off of him! Lord Kraut! Lord Kraut!?”

I could hear Primelia and Kizalis, the orphanage’s caretaker, calling out to me in concern.

Ah, at least that meant Primelia still cares about her dear older brother—good to know.

But being a human carpet was rough.

Children have surprisingly high body temperatures, and now I felt overheated.

So this is what it must feel like to be a hornet trapped inside a beehive, slowly steamed to death.

Ah… I can see it now—

A reunion with my late grandfather in the afterlife—

◇

Today, I had come to the orphanage for a visit—or rather, an inspection.

Laps had suggested it the other day, and besides, it had been a while since my last visit.

Primelia came along as well, invited by Laps.

Apparently, she had been looking forward to it—at least, according to Laps.

And just moments ago, the four of us had arrived by carriage, only for me to be ambushed the second I stepped inside.

Me.

Only me.

“I sincerely apologize!”

“No, really, it’s fine. Please stop bowing.”

“But you are the benefactor of this orphanage…”

“It’s really fine.”

Now resurrected, I found myself facing a very apologetic Kizalis.

When we first met, she was just as apologetic, too.

Maybe it’s her fate to be stuck apologizing whenever she interacts with me.

“If they were afraid of me or disliked me, they wouldn’t act like this, right? If they’re this comfortable around me, I’m honored. There’s no reason to be angry.”

“Lord Kraut…”

Tears welled up in Kizalis’s eyes as she looked at me emotionally.

Oh no.

No, stop that.

The people here, starting with Laps, tend to overreact emotionally.

…Wait.

She hasn’t been brainwashed by Laps too, right?

Just as I had that suspicious thought, I heard a wave of cheers from across the room.

Sounds like something fun is happening over there.

“Wow, a real princess!”

“She’s so pretty!”

“Her dress is beautiful!”

“Is she Lord Kraut’s wife?”

“Fweh!? N-no, I-I mean, um, that’s not—ahhh…!”

It seemed Primelia was now the center of attention, surrounded by a crowd of excited children.

Well, of course.

Primelia is the very definition of a fairytale princess.

But…

Did they just call Primelia my wife?

How troublesome—Hahaha.

“Master, your face looks like a swamp.”

“That’s… quite the description, Heliotrope.”

What does that even mean?

Am I Beldum now?

Or a Blob Monster?

I shot Heliotrope a disapproving look, but she was completely unfazed.

Tch, she’s too strong.

To heal my wounded heart, I turned back to Primelia and the children.

Now that I looked closer, the ones surrounding her were mostly younger girls or small boys.

The older boys, on the other hand, were standing a bit further away, clearly too shy to approach.

Ah—so that’s it.

Come to think of it, some of the older kids aren’t much younger than us.

Seeing a stunningly beautiful girl their own age must have thrown them off completely.

They were too nervous to talk to her, yet they kept fidgeting and adjusting their hair, hoping to make a good impression.

How adorable.

“Primelia.”

“Ah, Lord Kraut… um…”

When I approached and called her name, she immediately turned bright red and looked down, hiding her face.

Absolutely adorable.

Even the older boys were mesmerized by how cute she was.

Hahaha—behold my little sister! She’s precious!

“Primelia is my younger sister. She’s very kind and a wonderful person, so please take care of her.”

“”Yes!!””

The children enthusiastically responded in unison.

Nice.

Primelia might be the cutest, but these kids are adorable too.

I couldn’t help myself and patted the head of a little girl standing in front.

She squinted like a pleased kitten—too cute.

And then—

“No fair!”

“Me too!”

“Lord Kraut!”

“Pat my head too!”

“Wait—AGAIN!? Alright, alright! I’ll pat you all, just form a line—AAAAHHH!”

And thus—

For the second time today, I was buried alive by excited children.

Squish.

◇

“Thank you so much for everything, Lord Kraut.”

“Ah… it’s no big deal.”

“Fufu. The children always get extra excited whenever you visit.”

“Ah… well, I suppose it’s good that they have so much energy.”

After two separate human carpet incidents, I was completely exhausted and taking a break while chatting with the orphanage director.

She was an elderly woman with a warm demeanor, and had been running this orphanage long before Laps or Kizalis were here.

“Fufu. But Lord Kraut, you’re not much older than them, are you?”

“……”

“And yet, you talk like someone far beyond your years.”

“……Well, I do have a job already.”

She said it with such a gentle smile, yet it felt like a stab to the chest.

For a second, I couldn’t even react.

I doubt the director meant anything by it, but damn—that was a heart attack waiting to happen.

She gazed out the window, and naturally, I followed her gaze.

…Oh.

Just an angel.

Wait, never mind—

It’s just Primelia playing with the children.

“Lady Primelia is just like you, Lord Kraut—a truly kind-hearted soul. I was worried about this orphanage’s future for a while, but now, I feel reassured.”

“Stop that. It’s not pure goodwill or anything. Her kindness is on an entirely different level from mine.”

Seriously, what’s with the adults here?

Do they all want me to be some kind of saint?

Primelia endured years of mistreatment in her viscount household just so she could build a grave for her mother.

My kindness?

It’s self-serving.

Hers?

It’s for others.

That’s why I said it—

But the director didn’t lose her gentle smile as she replied.

“Those don’t sound like the words of someone who just said, ‘It’s good that the children are so lively.’”

“Guh…!”

“…Lord Kraut, would you mind indulging this old woman’s ramblings for a moment?”

She still looked calm, but there was a seriousness in her gaze that made my spine straighten instinctively.

I gestured for her to continue, and she began speaking in a tone of quiet wisdom.

“To me, it seems like you’re constantly putting up a front.”

“………”

“Not just with us or the children, but even with Lady Primelia and Miss Heliotrope.”

“…Has it been that obvious?”

“Not particularly. But the people who spend the most time with you are more likely to notice. As for me? It’s just the wisdom of age.”

She added that last part lightheartedly, making me smile a little despite myself.

Yeah, I guess that’s wisdom for you.

She’s right, of course.

I am putting up a front.

I’m not the Kraut from the game.

I’m not the person I used to be before I reincarnated, either.

I built myself into someone entirely new—

All for the sake of meeting my favorite character, Primelia.

I crafted an ideal version of myself—

So that when she saw me, she would think well of me.

So that I would appear as someone worthy of standing beside her.

People want to be their best selves in front of those they care about.

And I?

I took that desire to the extreme.

Hahaha—

I really have no right to laugh at those teenage boys from earlier.

They were fixing their bangs to impress a girl.

Meanwhile, I rebuilt my entire identity just to be a better version of myself.

“Fufu. At the very least, you should allow yourself to relax around those closest to you.”

“Relax, huh…?”

I mean, sure—

I can do that around Heliotrope and the others.

But suddenly dropping my guard around Primelia?

Yeah, that’s a lot harder.

And honestly—

How much of a ‘gap’ am I even supposed to show?

Because let’s be real—

The old Kraut and my past life self had only two modes:

Fat or Otaku.

Neither of which I can afford to reveal.