Raising the Princess to Overcome Death Chapter 43

43. Sibling Beggars - Expectations

After pushing Cassia away and returning to the mansion, Leo reported his conversation with the marquis to the boss and went to Lena's room.

He knocked on the door in the hallway, which was filled with a subtle woody scent and warmth.

"Lena, it's me, your brother~."

"Brother!"

Lena, who was reading a book in her room, quickly opened the door. As soon as the door opened, Leo habitually pinched his sister's cheek, and Lena shook her face, saying, "Ouch! Let go of me!"

"Lena, my beautiful Lena. I brought you some candy."

Lena smelled alcohol on her brother. He had a constant gentle smile on his face.

"Thanks, I'll enjoy it. But why are you so happy?"

Saying this, Leo sat on the bed.

Lena dragged a chair next to him, and they continued their usual sibling chit-chat.

But Lena couldn't figure out why her brother was in such a good mood. It seemed related to his work, which he never talked about.

'Pfft, as if I don't already know.'

She knew that her brother managed the market. She had heard that he drove away thugs who harassed small business owners, but she didn't understand why he kept it a secret.

Although slightly disappointed, Lena did not press further and changed the subject.

"Brother, I played with Tian today. You know~."

"Tian? Who's Tian?"

"Santian."

"Oh, you call Santian 'Tian'? You must be close."

Santian Rauno was the grandson of Joseph Rauno, a boy a year younger than Lena.

"Yeah, I played with Tian today, and I think he..."

Lena whispered softly.

There was no one else to overhear.

"I think he likes me."

After saying this, Lena covered her face and giggled.

Tian is cute.

Even though he's young, he tries hard to act manly around me.

'Oh my, I told my brother.'

She stealthily peeked at her brother through her fingers. He had a peculiar expression.

What’s with that face?

"What do you think?"

"......"

"...Why aren't you saying anything?"

"Well, I don't know what to say."

"Why? Is it because he's the boss's grandson?"

"No, it's not that... it's just that talking about this kind of thing might be a bit early."

Lena was taken aback by his serious tone and expression.

"Who said I was dating him? I just think he likes me and wanted to know what you think."

"Oh, well... of course, it's natural. Who wouldn't like you?"

"Hehe, you're flattering me."

Lena chuckled.

In her view, her brother tended to overthink things.

That's why he still doesn't have a girlfriend. So many girls like him, yet he's always too busy with something.

Leo would eat breakfast with his sister every morning and then leave, returning late at night. He was so busy that he often ate on the go, but Lena, unaware of this, just saw her brother as unnecessarily busy.

'He's so disconnected from family. I should step in!'

Lena clicked her tongue inwardly.

"Brother, you know Soirin, right?"

"Soirin? Yeah, I know her."

"Are you close with her?"

"Close? Not really... we haven't talked much."

"She works at a flower shop. Let's visit together sometime."

"Why? Do you need flowers?"

Leo looked around the room.

"Oh, right. There aren't any potted plants here. I didn't think of that. Should I get you one?"

Hearing this, Lena narrowed her eyes in exasperation.

As expected, her brother was clueless and a bit dense. He knew a lot but was too rigid.

'But it's nice that he wants to get me a plant.'

Such a kind brother deserves a good woman.

Coincidentally, Soirin seemed perfect even from Lena's perspective.

It seemed like Soirin liked her brother too... Probably right. Soirin often waited to have breakfast with him, all dressed up early in the morning, which must mean waking up at dawn.

Yet, Leo, focused on watching his sister eat, paid no attention to the girl fidgeting beside him...

"No, I'll choose it myself. Take me there."

"Alright, let's go together tomorrow."

The siblings' chatter continued for a while longer.

Eventually, Leo said it was late and urged Lena to sleep, tucking her in, patting her head, and turning off the lights before leaving.

Lena wriggled in the warm bed.

'I'm happy.'

With a caring brother, fun friends, kind family, and warm food and bed she never imagined before.

It had been half a year since she arrived here, and she had experienced nothing but happy days.

With peace of mind, Lena could finally think about the future.

'Brother will get married someday, right?'

Strangely, the first future she thought of wasn't pleasing.

She felt bitter.

She hoped her brother would meet a good person but not move far away.

'I guess I'll get married too... eventually?'

Suddenly, Tian came to mind.

*Funny! Why does he keep coming to mind? A little kid. I like someone sturdy even if they're not tall, like my brother.*

Lena brushed aside the image of Santian Rauno's smiling face and continued her pondering.

‘I want to live with my brother forever…’

Even though they were living together in this mansion, Lena still didn’t quite consider it “their” home.

The family members were all kind to Lena, but that was because Leo was a member of this family. She felt she was still just tagging along with her brother.

‘If both my brother and I get married within this family, could we continue living together?’

It seemed possible. If her brother married someone from the family and she did too, they could stay together in this mansion.

In that case, Lena would finally feel like this place was their home.

‘But would my brother like Soirin?’

To her, Soirin was the only one in the family who matched well with her brother.

But no matter how much Lena dreamed of living with her brother, his feelings were more important than her desires. If her brother didn’t like Soirin, there was nothing she could do.

Lena shook her head.

‘No, I think Soirin is pretty and kind. He’ll probably like her.’

She decided to arrange more meetings between them and see what happened.

‘And as for my marriage…’

As Lena started to consider her own marriage, the thought of Tian popped back into her mind, interrupting her.

Why does he keep intruding? Can’t he see I'm thinking about my future?

Despite her restless thoughts, she was softly smiling.

---

*War had erupted.*

The Kingdom of Astin had declared war and mobilized its army.

In response, the capital of the Kingdom of Bellita, Orville, sent out its troops.

The thousands of soldiers that the Bellita royal family had recruited and trained over the winter marched proudly through Orville, with the citizens turning out in droves to cheer them on.

"Come back safely!"

"Teach those arrogant barbarians a lesson!"

Straw rained down over the marching soldiers, thrown by the citizens. With winter just ending, there were no flowers to toss, so they used straw instead.

"Wow! It's the Knights!"

Among the procession was the Third Order of Knights. They paraded in their gleaming armor on horseback, and the citizens' cheers reached a fever pitch.

But despite the seemingly leisurely departure ceremony, the situation at the front was not so relaxed.

The Astin Kingdom's army, with many barbarian warriors, had minimized "new recruit training" and was swiftly advancing south.

The soldiers departing now wouldn’t reach the front lines until summer, leaving the "Northern Border Duke" to gather troops from various fronts to engage the Astin army in skirmishes.

With a dire need to reinforce the front, the Third Order of Knights, currently marching in a grand display, would rush ahead as soon as the ceremony concluded, leaving the slower-moving soldiers to catch up.

Yet, neither the First nor Second Orders of Knights had deployed. They remained in the capital under the orders of Count Herman Forte, awaiting his command.

Even the Swordmaster himself did not depart, raising many questions. However, Count Forte firmly stated, "I will dispatch our forces after observing the movements of other kingdoms." No one dared to object.

The march ended.

As the soldiers and knights disappeared and the citizens returned to their daily lives, the deserted streets were left with only the scattered straw rolling about.

From his hidden position in a small shop, Leo watched carefully.

The carriage would arrive soon.

While waiting, he recalled the meeting with the marquis a few days ago.

---

*“Carry out the contract.”

Marquis Benar Tatian had summoned Leo to finalize the contract.

Since Toton Tatian had refused to join the war, his father coldly decided his son's fate.

“He’s been visiting the royal palace every day lately, so it shouldn’t be difficult.”

“Yes, sir.”

The marquis insisted that the assassination occur outside the mansion.

If he had wanted to kill him inside, he wouldn’t have hired a thug.

The mansion was like the marquis’s own stomach.

Leo, bowing deeply, paused, and the marquis scrutinized him.

An unusual young man.

Well-versed in imperial etiquette, very handsome, a thug.

None of these traits matched. And his eyes were golden.

Though he called himself an illegitimate child, the marquis didn’t believe him. If he were the father of such a striking young man, he wouldn’t have treated him poorly, even as an illegitimate son.

‘A fallen noble. Or exiled.’

Marquis Tatian easily saw through Leo’s lie. As the marquis assessed the bowing young man, Leo finished his deliberations and spoke.

“I will execute it on the day the soldiers depart.”

Leo believed that day to be optimal.

The chaos of the departure ceremony would make it easier to carry out the assassination, and politically, it would send a strong message.

That he killed his son for refusing to join the war.

The marquis nodded, satisfied.

---

Now, Leo was hiding in a small shop, scanning the street.

In his hand was a short sword, convenient for assassination, its blade glistening with poison.

“Hoo... ha... huff...”

Leo glanced at the shopkeeper.

The nervous man, sweating profusely, had previously received help from the Rauno family and readily agreed to assist when they requested it.

Despite his cooperation, he couldn’t hide his anxiety, repeatedly rubbing his thighs.

Just as Leo considered giving him some advice, he spotted a splendid carriage approaching from a distance.

Toton Tatian's carriage.

Leo tapped the back of the old woman beside him, who was a disguised member of his organization, prompting her to cross the street.

- Crack!

The coachman snapped his whip, creating a sharp crack in the air.

"Get out of the way now!"

Despite the angry shout, the old woman maintained her slow pace, pretending not to hear.

"Damn, is the old hag trying to get herself killed... tsk!"

The coachman clicked his tongue and stopped the carriage.

Crushing an old woman wouldn’t be a problem, but he also had elderly parents and didn’t want to risk injuring the horse and getting scolded by the butler.

Moreover, Toton Tatian wasn’t the kind of noble to get angry over stopping the carriage for an old woman, so the coachman made the best choice he could. He didn't realize this would seal his gentle master's fate.

‘Now!’

As the carriage halted, Leo lunged forward.

He knew where Toton was seated, and the door was supposed to be unlocked.

His plan was simple: burst through the door, stab Toton, and escape through the back door of the shop.

Though a knight accompanied Toton, he was under the marquis's orders and wouldn’t protect Toton.

With lethal intent, Leo grabbed the door handle and yanked it hard.

But,

- Clunk.

The door was locked.