Chapter : 07
The so-called “sparring matches” that were actually beatings under the guise of mental training were probably meant to show off his authority and put people back in their place.
As if I’d suddenly warm up to him just because he’s acting nice.
If anything, I’d be lucky if he didn’t keep grilling me until he uncovered whatever scheme I was supposedly hiding.
“I didn’t expect much, but it looks like you’ve completely thrown away whatever dignity a royal should have.”
“What’s wrong with that? We’re family. It’s not like we’re strangers.”
“……Judging by how you talk, it seems you’re doing well enough. Then again, you’ve always been good at recovering. No matter how much you were trampled on, you always bounced back like a weed.”
Even as he spoke with clear disgust, the way he slowly licked his lips made it obvious—at this very moment, Robelius looked full of thoughts about crushing me underfoot.
Yeah, this relationship is beyond saving.
After briefly flipping back and forth between the original story and the princess’s memories, I decided to think about it more simply.
Getting along was already impossible.
Rather than that, I’d rather die than act cute toward someone who only ever wanted to beat the living daylights out of me. At least I had enough self-awareness to know my tolerance was smaller than a soy sauce dish.
It was better than trying to suck up to him and starting another fight.
Just because we’re blood-related doesn’t mean anything.
“Hmmm.”
I sprawled out completely on the sofa and openly observed Robelius.
I tossed aside all pretense of etiquette and practically buried myself between the cushions, but Robelius merely twitched an eyebrow. This clearly wasn’t the first time something like this had happened.
I know the people involved would hate to hear it, but… they really do look alike.
The honey-colored golden hair and cool, sharp features were almost identical—as if the princess were staring into a mirror.
Still, if the princess felt like a finely honed blade, then the crown prince was closer to a marble statue in a museum. Perhaps because of his subtly softer features, he seemed more human than Ayrencia did.
If you examine each feature individually, they’re similar. But the overall vibe is completely different.
Seeing him in person, I finally understood why the nobles in the novel were so devoted to supporting the crown prince.
The current emperor was a tyrant, and the nobles wanted a gentler successor who would govern with moderation.
That was precisely why Advisor Brown pushed strategies emphasizing the crown prince’s “human” qualities.
But the Robelius I remembered from the novel…
He’s not human—he’s just pathetic.
To think they crowned someone emperor for ripping open his sister’s birthday present and giving it to the girl he liked.
I briefly doubted the nobles’ judgment—then suddenly realized.
Well… it’s not like they had a choice.
Compared to handing a sword to a madman, a loser was definitely the better option.
As I stared at his face with cold, unimpressed eyes, an important fact suddenly occurred to me.
“By the way, did you come empty-handed? Where’s the get-well gift?”
“That’s…”
Whether he’d been dragged here unwillingly or just hadn’t prepared, an awkward expression crossed Robelius’s face.
“Is there something you want?”
Judging by how obsessively proper he usually was, he looked ready to provide just about anything to avoid criticism.
While rummaging through a mental list of things worth extracting from him, my true thoughts slipped out.
“Pork kimchi stew?”
“Pork kim— honestly, that nonsense again. Aren’t you tired of it?”
“Your old-man way of talking is way more tiring.”
“I wondered why you were suddenly being polite—turns out you just dropped it again.”
Apparently casual speech didn’t faze him much; his dark brown eyes showed no anger, just indifference.
I lazily swung the leg that had slipped off the sofa.
“Didn’t you come to visit a patient? You look like you’re dying to leave.”
And indeed, Robelius was tapping his teacup silently, radiating boredom with his entire being.
“Did you hit your head when you collapsed? You’re strangely perceptive today.”
He stared at me with genuine surprise.
Based on Ayrencia’s memories, that expression was nothing more than bait—trying to find an excuse to beat me senseless.
And every single time, Ayrencia had taken it.
Instead of snapping, I swallowed my words and soothed those memories.
Even if we were both ten years old, getting into a brawl with a kid like this was exhausting. A strange sense of emptiness and fatigue washed over me, and I sighed without meaning to.
“……Why are you shaking your head at me?”
“It’s nothing.”
I waved one hand as if shooing away a fly.
“Aren’t you tired too? If you’re done here, can you leave?”
“Sure.”
The moment he was dismissed, Robelius jumped to his feet.
He moved so fast it was almost impressive.
Wow, he looks thrilled.
I’d been praying that this prematurely aged kid would disappear like a snuffed-out candle. For a moment, I even wondered if I’d done him a favor.
“……”
Just as he headed straight for the door, he paused.
Robelius glanced at me once, then at the table, then at the door—
“Haa.”
Childishly, as if getting revenge for earlier, he let out a deep sigh in my direction.
“What now. What is it.”
If he tried provoking me again, I was ready to call Gote immediately.
But what came out of his mouth was unexpected.
“…No one involved was punished. More precisely, no one received serious punishment.”
What?
For a moment, I tried to decipher what this prematurely aged brat was getting at.
Then it hit me—he was talking about the incident when Ayrencia collapsed, before I possessed her.
I sharply raised my eyes.
“Are you kidding me? What kind of law is that?!”
When I raised my voice, Robelius’s ambiguous gaze settled on me.
“…You don’t seem that angry.”
“It’s because I’m speechless. How could no one be punished? That was a huge incident.”
The kid was annoyingly sharp when it came to reading people.
Grumbling, I sank my upper body back into the sofa.
I’d asked Gote about what happened, but he’d refused to answer—probably afraid I’d be shocked.
Since the novel never covered a side villain’s childhood, my curiosity had only grown.
Well, this works out.
“Didn’t Sir Heiler explain the punishment?”
“He probably thought you’d collapse again if your blood pressure spiked. But seriously, why did it happen? What if it happens again? I’m worried sick.”
As I complained with furrowed brows, Robelius let out a small snort.
“That’s an interesting thing to say. Did your brain shrink to the size of a bean as a side effect?”
“What’s interesting abou—”
I was about to snap back again when—
“Aello.”
He cut me off completely and spoke a familiar name into the air.
A name that had confused countless readers in the novel—neither fully villain nor ally, straddling the line between second male lead and side character.
I instinctively glanced toward the door, then remembered he was a mage and followed Robelius’s gaze into empty space.
Aello appeared silently in midair.
Right behind Robelius.
Realizing he’d been toyed with, Robelius’s face crumpled.
“…What is that supposed to be?”
Somehow, Aello wasn’t human—but a fox. A fluffy baby fox with pale brown fur, almost ivory-colored.
“I saw a fox in the backyard a while ago. What do you think? Cute, right?”
I didn’t know about the inside, but the outside was undeniably cute—soft and fluffy, like it’d be warm and gentle to hold.
The only one immune to the fox’s charm, Robelius snapped coldly.
“This is ridiculous. It’s uncomfortable—change back.”
“You heartless person!”
The fox did a somersault in midair and vanished instantly. In its place stood a slender boy with a gentle appearance.
“Hello, Princess! It’s been a while!”
Aello’s bright smile suggested he and Ayrencia already knew each other.
“Yeah. Hi.”
The moment I saw his face, the warmth in my chest cooled rapidly. I replied neutrally, which only made him burst into laughter.
“Ahahaha! That expression is hilarious! Wow—seeing you like this, you two are totally identical! Like you were stamped from the same mold!”
Robelius frowned deeply, as if he’d heard something horrific, and jerked his chin toward the table.
“Enough. Just check it already.”
With a shrug, Aello reached out.
Suddenly, a glass of milk appeared in his hand—the very one I’d drained in a single gulp earlier.
And then—
Wooooong—
Magic?
Before I could even process the fantastical sight, a soft glow flowed from Aello’s hand.
I put down my fork.
“Your Highness… does the food not suit your taste?”
Gote asked anxiously, but I had no desire to pick it back up.
How am I supposed to eat after hearing something like that?
Now I couldn’t even eat in peace anymore!
Tears welled up as I stared at the dazzling chicken-leg steak before me.
When I listed the suspicious parties—blood relatives, a (former) teacher, a (former) caretaker—it was nothing short of a complete mess.
“Sii…”
Seeing Gote’s face grow increasingly serious, I shoved the half-formed curse back down my throat.
Long live the fantasy world. Truly. Long live it.
