The Villainous Noble Son Wants to Capture His Stepsister! - Chapter 42

A lot has happened since then.

First, every noble involved in corruption was swiftly and unceremoniously executed—literally.

Turns out they had been involved in far worse crimes behind the scenes.

With all the evidence stacked against them, the royal family had no reason to show mercy.

Then there was my dear little brother.

Thanks to the pleas for leniency from my father and his concubine (his biological mother), he narrowly avoided the death penalty.

Instead, he was forced to take vows and live out his days in a monastery.

My father, taking responsibility, stepped down as head of the family and was exiled to the countryside along with his immediate family.

…Of course, he had the audacity to say, “Keep sending us money like before,” so Heliotrope knocked him flat.

Yeah. Get a job.

With this, the transition happened sooner than expected, but I was now officially the Duke of Wertheim.

Well, technically I’d only be fully instated after the formal appointment ceremony, so for now, I was the acting duke.

By the way, during all of this, I had been confined to bed rest in a room assigned to me in the royal castle.

Why?

Because for five whole days, I was too weak to even get out of bed due to the aftereffects of the duel.

Of all things, this had to go exactly as predicted.

And now…

“A Taste of Heaven”

“Onii-sama, here you go.”

“Ah—…mm.”

“How is it?”

“It’s delicious.”

Right now, I was living my best life.

To be precise, Primelia was feeding me.

She was feeding me.

From my ultimate favorite character’s very own hands!

Do you know how rare this moment is in history!?

How many people have ever managed to fulfill a dream like this!?

I refuse to die just yet.

No—I refuse to let go of this bliss for at least another eighty years.

As I basked in my euphoria, I noticed Primelia fidgeting, her cheeks tinged pink.

Huh?

“…Umm, Onii-sama.”

“What is it?”

“After the duel… we had a conversation, didn’t we?”

“Oh, yeah. We did.”

“About my response to that, um…”

“…Response?”

Did she need to give me a response about something?

I told her I was grateful she became my little sister.

And she said she was happy to be my little sister, too.

Oh, wait—didn’t she say something else after that…?

“N-never mind! Forget it!”

Just as I was about to recall it, Primelia interrupted me with a flustered voice.

It didn’t seem like something trivial, but… should I push her on it?

Before I could decide, a rhythmic knock came at the door.

Heliotrope or Laps, maybe?

Thinking it was one of them, I called for them to enter—

And in walked Sebastian.

Clad in his usual impeccable butler attire, he met our gazes and bowed.

“My apologies for not visiting sooner. How are you feeling?”

“As expected of the royal family’s healers. There isn’t a single wound left. I’m still low on bl00d, though.”

After the duel, my body had been a disaster.

I was covered in so many cuts that there were barely any spots without injuries.

If it weren’t for healing magic, I might’ve had to start calling myself ‘Immortal Kraut.’

As I mused over that ridiculous thought, Sebastian suddenly bowed deeply, his expression solemn.

“Young Master. Lady Primelia. My sincerest apologies.”

“…”

I had already figured this out, but hearing it from his own mouth still hit differently.

Sebastian continued, his voice tinged with remorse.

“My role has always been to infiltrate noble houses that could pose a threat to the royal family—to gather intelligence and report my findings. The House of Wertheim was one such target.”

“…”

“In short, I was a spy selling information on your family to the crown. …I will accept any punishment you see fit.”

Sebastian bowed again, deeper this time.

He was prepared to obey no matter what punishment I decreed.

“…Fine. I’ll give you your punishment.”

“Onii-sama!?”

“…”

Primelia let out a surprised gasp, but I had something I needed to say to Sebastian.

“Sebastian, stop calling me ‘Young Master.’ That’s your punishment.”

“!?”

“Onii-sama!”

Sebastian’s stunned expression and Primelia’s delighted face were such a mismatch that I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“I’m about to become the head of a noble house, aren’t I? I can’t go around being called ‘Young Master’ forever—it wouldn’t be fitting.”

“B-but…”

“You might have been the royal family’s ‘ears,’ but more than that, you were my greatest supporter. There’s no way I’d let you go now.”

Sebastian was one of the people who had helped me the most since I reincarnated here.

He taught me many things and covered for my shortcomings countless times.

I literally couldn’t sleep without thinking about how much I owed him.

I even rearranged my bed so I wouldn’t point my feet in his direction.

“Young M—No, Kraut-sama. This Sebastian hereby swears his unwavering loyalty to you once again.”

Sebastian bowed deeply in an elegant display of devotion.

Damn, a dignified silver-haired butler making a vow like that really does look cool.

But there was still one thing I needed to ask.

“Hey, Sebastian… why were you so stubborn about calling me ‘Young Master’ in the first place?”

I had asked him to stop so many times, yet he always refused.

Was there some deep sentimental reason behind it?

“Ah, well… I simply became so accustomed to saying it that it was hard to stop… and honestly, I just didn’t want to.”

…Seriously!?

Before I could react, a commotion erupted outside the room.

What now?

Just as I tensed in anticipation, the door slammed open with a loud bang.

Oi, at least knock first!

“Hey, Kraut-sama! How are you feeling? It’s about time you started moving again before your body gets rusty!”

“Lady Enzi! Barging in without knocking is terribly rude! Oh—ah, Kraut-sama, I’m so relieved to see you well.”

“Princess Lilie, do not trouble yourself. Master is not the type to get upset over something so trivial.”

“Lady Heliotrope… I do wonder if that’s really the issue here…”

One after another, our chaotic band of misfits poured into the room.

This was a decently large chamber, but with seven people squeezing in, it was starting to feel a bit cramped.

“Oh my, what a sight! Surrounded by such lovely young ladies—what a magnificent view.”

“Dear, are you implying I am not young?”

“N-no! That’s not what I meant at all—ouch! Ow, stop that!”

…Why are the king and queen here too!?

And why are they bickering like an old married couple!?

“A Moment of Warmth”

“Onii-sama, things got lively all of a sudden,” Primelia said softly.

Her expression was filled with delight.

Just seeing that look on her face made me happy.

After her mother passed away, she had been alone for so long.

So now—surrounded by kind and caring people—she must have felt overwhelming joy.

She told me she was happy.

But this is only the beginning.

My ultimate favorite character deserves happiness beyond imagination.

This world, this life as the villainous noble’s son—

I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Because I get to see Primelia’s happiest smiles from the closest seat in the world.