The Villainous Noble Son Wants to Capture His Stepsister! - Chapter 31

SIDE: Primelia

“Look, look, princess! Pretty flowers!”

“Yes, they really are beautiful.”

A young girl, barely reaching my chest in height, excitedly pointed at the flowers blooming in the garden.

It seemed that “Primelia” was a bit too difficult for her to pronounce, so she started calling me “Princess” instead.

Just a few days ago, I had met a real princess, so the title feels far too grand for someone like me.

And yet—

Hearing the children say that I “look like a princess” makes me inexplicably happy.

When I was younger, my mother used to tell me stories about princes and princesses.

That childhood admiration never truly faded—it’s still here in my heart.

And if I were a princess…

Then my prince would be—

“U-um!”

“Y-yes!?”

A sudden voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

W-wait, what was I just thinking about…!?

No, this isn’t the time for that!

I need to focus on the person who called out to me!

The boy standing before me seemed to be around my age.

He opened his mouth, as if to say something—

But then, he quickly shut it again, shifting nervously in place.

“Did you need something?”

“Y-yeah! I had something to say!”

“Um… and what would that be?”

“It’s… um…”

“………”

Wait, didn’t he just say he needed something?

Why is he just standing there silently now?

In the end—

The boy turned away without saying a word and hurried off.

What… was that about?

“Hahaha, I knew he wouldn’t be able to do it~.”

“Right? I mean, look at her—she’s like an actual princess!”

“And on top of that, her older brother is Lord Kraut.
Nobody stands a chance against that.”

I turned toward the three girls who had approached me.

They were around my age, and we had quickly bonded after meeting today.

…They were my first real friends.

“What was that boy trying to say?”

“Aah… well…”

The three of them exchanged knowing looks before sighing in exasperation.

Wait—why are they giving me that look?

Is this what having friends is like?

They glanced at each other one more time, nodded in agreement, and smiled mischievously.

“Mmm, I think you should just forget about it~.”

“Yeah, even if you think about it, it probably won’t make sense anyway.”

“Honestly, it’d just turn into a huge deal if you did!”

“Huh…?”

I don’t really understand, but if they say I shouldn’t worry about it, then I won’t.

They even said it could turn into a huge deal, so it seems best to let it go.

I sat down on a bench with the three of them, and we chatted about all sorts of things.

Nothing particularly special, but it was so much fun.

Until…

“Still, this orphanage has really changed, hasn’t it?”

“Right?! The building, the clothes, even the food—we don’t have to go hungry anymore!”

“Yeah! And we even get to study now! It’s amazing!”

The moment they brought up that topic—

The warmth in my chest disappeared entirely.

I had heard about the orphanage’s past from Laps.

Up until a few years ago, it was falling apart, and the children barely had food to eat.

Just a short time ago, I was lamenting my own fate in the Viscount’s household.

But in comparison…

That was nothing.

I had a roof over my head, clothes to wear, and plenty of food.

Thinking back on it—

How spoiled I was to have complained at all.

I must have visibly tensed, because the three girls immediately reacted.

“Ah—wait! We didn’t mean to make you feel bad!”

“Yeah, it’s not like it was your fault or anything!”

“And look, we’re all really happy now!”

They hurriedly reassured me, their faces full of concern.

Even though they were the ones who had suffered, they were the ones comforting me.

It made my chest ache with guilt.

At the very least—

I was grateful that they were happy now.

And the person who made this happiness possible was—

“…Lord Kraut was the one who rebuilt this orphanage, wasn’t he?”

“Yeah, it was so surprising!”

“Right? We thought it was thanks to some guy named ‘Nard’—then we found out that was just an alias for Lord Kraut!”

“I know! And he got so handsome too!”

“Huh?”

“Ah.”

“Ahh.”

“Ahhh…”

Wait—did they just say that out loud?

So, does that mean…

That before, Lord Kraut was…

Not… handsome?

The three of them looked even more panicked than before.

It was as if I had made some massive misunderstanding.

Just as I was about to press further—

“S-so, anyway!”

One of them suddenly shouted, clearly desperate to change the topic.

Her reaction was so obvious, it was almost comical.

“Primelia, you always call him ‘Lord Kraut,’ but don’t you ever think about calling him ‘Big Brother’ or ‘Brother Kraut’?”

“EHH!?”

I was so taken aback, I completely forgot about the previous conversation.

“Oh! I was wondering about that too!”

“Yeah, calling him ‘Lord Kraut’ feels kinda distant.”

“Honestly, it’s no different from how we call him!”

“A-ahh…!”

Their relentless questioning left me flustered and unable to respond.

“Sooo?”

“Sooo?”

“Sooo?”

Their expectant gazes made my face heat up.

“I-it would be… too familiar, wouldn’t it?”

“Huh?”

“Huhh??”

“Huhhh???”

After all.

Lord Kraut was the heir of a duke’s family.

I was just a lowly illegitimate daughter from a viscount’s house.

It was already unbelievable that I had been adopted into the same family.

How could I possibly call him something so casual…?

But then, One of them leaned in, grinning mischievously.

“So… do you want to?”

My breath caught in my throat.

Do I…

Want to?

If I were allowed to think of Lord Kraut as my real brother.

Then…

“I… I’d like to try.”

“KYAAAAA!!”

Their squeals rang out like a celebratory fanfare.

And for the first time, I felt that maybe.

Just maybe, I could truly become his little sister.