Why Won’t You Let Me Dote on You?! – The Arrogant Supporting Prince Falls for the Reincarnated Villainess and Loses His Mind - Chapter 1.5

“O-ho-ho-ho! This is your punishment game, Clow-sama!”

“Quit that laugh. You’re terrible at it.”

The next morning, I was in the castle’s courtyard, having been summoned by Eliza.

As usual, she was still trying to imitate her former self—the version of her before her personality shift—and had apparently been practicing that haughty laugh non-stop since yesterday.
At this point, it was way too late to admit she had never actually laughed like that in the first place.

“In the end, Clow-sama, you never figured out why I cried, did you?”

“Of course not! You never told me, no matter how many times I asked!”

“Excuses are for bad children. Besides, if you don’t figure it out on your own, it’s meaningless.”

By now, you’ve probably guessed why we’re here.
I never figured out why Eliza cried in front of the Knight King’s portrait.
Which meant… the penalty game she proposed was about to be carried out.

“The penalty game is that I have to play a board game with my brother, right? This is ridiculous.”

“Oh my, why is it ridiculous?”

“I already told you. My brother—the next king—is busy, unlike me. He’s got lessons all morning and sword training in the afternoon.”

“That doesn’t matter. We’re going to see him now.”

“Where do you even get that kind of energy?”

I sighed at her innocent boldness.
Sure, we’re twins, and maybe our parents love us equally…
But since only one of us can take the throne, there’s always been a clear hierarchy between us.

“He must have some break time, doesn’t he? And if his little brother asks, I’m sure he’d make time to talk to you.”

“I doubt it. I’m not even sure he still thinks of me as his brother.”

Eliza’s persistence made me let slip the truth.
We used to get along well—just like normal siblings.
At first, we figured the adults were the ones obsessed with status and rank, and it had nothing to do with us.
But over time, as we spent less and less time together, our hearts naturally drifted apart too.

“Clow-sama… do you really believe Leon-sama hates you?”

“If I were him, I’d definitely hate a brother like me.”

“You’ll be fine. Leon-sama is much kinder than you are.”

“Why you—! Stop mocking me!”

“Kyah~!”

I raised my fist in mock threat, and Eliza squealed playfully and took off running.
We chased each other around the rose hedges, but she was fast—hard to catch.
We’re about the same size, so the weight of her dress should slow her down… but no luck catching her.

“If you’re that determined, isn’t there another way to meet Leon-sama?”
“Well… if his fiancée asked, I’m sure he and the adults would make time.”
“Fiancée?”
“Yeah. You’re going to marry him when you turn sixteen, right?”
“Ah!”

Eliza suddenly froze, and I crashed into her back.
But the surprise on her face was way beyond mine.
She looked as if she’d just remembered something very important she had completely forgotten.

“That’s right… In the main story… Elisabeth is ruined…”

Her face grew pale and stiff.

She muttered something under her breath, but her voice was too low to make out—and I couldn’t understand a word anyway.
Her sudden shift unsettled me.

“What’s wrong? Don’t tell me—you’re gonna cry again?!”

“N-No, it’s not that. …By the way, is there any way I could cancel my engagement to Leon-sama?”

“Huh?! No way—that’s impossible!”

I practically jumped at her question.
It was so outlandish, so unrealistic, that I couldn’t believe my ears.
Even though the engagement wasn’t official yet, it had been agreed upon by the ministers.
Unless something drastic happened, it couldn’t be canceled—not even delayed.
Especially not from the duchy’s side. The idea of the duke breaking off an engagement with the royal family? Unthinkable.

“Why are you asking this all of a sudden? Just a while ago, you were saying you’d sit on the throne yourself, in place of the king!”

“T-That’s awful… Wait, and Leon-sama didn’t say anything when I said that?!”

“He and Father laughed their heads off! Honestly, you’re lucky they only laughed!”

Hearing this, Eliza buried her head in her hands.
Was she regretting her past behavior?
Honestly, if I were my brother, I’d have written her off immediately.
Still, if that’s her goal—to get the royal family to break the engagement—it’s going to be a tall order.

“Anyway, let’s get back on topic. Whether we’re doing the penalty game or talking about your engagement, nothing can happen unless we meet with my brother first. So, the real issue is—how do we do that?”

“Y-Yes, you’re right. I’m sorry for losing my composure earlier.”

Even though I asked, Eliza still wouldn’t tell me why she was so desperate to break off her engagement with my brother.
If she wasn’t going to explain, then talking about it was a waste of time.
I didn’t want to get involved in any messy drama, either. It was best to let them talk it out directly.
With a sigh, I shifted the focus back to the penalty game.

“My brother should be in the library now. But he’s surrounded by tutors, so getting to him won’t be easy.”

“What if we kidnapped him while he’s in transit?”

“Did you forget the chaos you caused when you disappeared? This would be ten times worse.”

If the heir to the throne went missing, the royal guards would be mobilized in full force.
This wasn’t the same as a duke’s daughter sneaking out.
Even during transit, he’s always accompanied by attendants.
There’s no way two kids like us could pull off a kidnapping.

“Then… how about we consult a reasonable adult? Assuming such a person exists.”

“That’s probably our only option. Let’s see… Who’s teaching today?”

I crossed my arms and groaned.
All the tutors who come to the castle are strict to a fault.
If we told them we wanted to ditch studies for a board game, they’d turn bright red with anger and throw us out.
No, what we needed was someone laid-back, flexible—and not normal.

“That’s it! Professor Hawkeye might help us out!”

“Professor Hawkeye?”

“You know—the scruffy scholar who came to get you when you escaped from the annex!”

“Oh!”

Just saying his name brought a smile to my face.
Professor Hawkeye was one of the kingdom’s top historians, but he didn’t care a bit about status or formalities.
That’s why, even though I’m low in the succession order, he treats me like any other kid—no special treatment, but also no overprotection.

“If it’s Professor Hawkeye, he won’t complain about us slacking off a little. In fact, that’ll probably be our only chance.”

“You’re right—he might actually make this work. And to think, he’s one of the royal tutors… ufufu.”

“Alright, this is the plan. Get ready, Eliza!”

Eliza and I hurried back to grab the board game, then made our way straight to the library.