Raising the Princess to Overcome Death Chapter 44

44. Sibling Beggars - Gamble

Leo was bewildered and tugged at the door several times, but it didn't budge.

‘They said the door would be unlocked, though?’

It was an unexpected situation.

Although the marquis had assured him the door would be open, it was rare for a noble to lock the carriage door themselves. However, this carriage was securely locked from the inside.

Usually, only young ladies or overly cautious nobles locked their doors, as it was considered an act of cowardice. Most male nobles didn’t bother with such precautions, claiming it was too cumbersome and bothersome.

“What are you doing!” the coachman shouted in surprise.

Leo hesitated. The plan was falling apart.

‘Should I give up? Or…’

He couldn’t turn back now.

No matter the reason, he was sure Toton Tatian was inside the carriage.

- Thump!

Leo put his weight behind the sword and struck down vertically, piercing through the door deeply.

He heard screams through the door and felt a soft resistance at the tip of the sword. Leo felt a chilling sensation from the hilt.

He didn’t know who he had hit, but he had definitely stabbed someone.

He felt no remorse. What bothered him was not the life at risk but the inadequacy of his tool. He wished he had brought a longer sword.

Leo immediately abandoned the sword and fled.

He didn’t have time to leisurely pull the sword out. The longer it stayed embedded, the more the poison on the blade would work its way into the victim’s system.

He slipped back into the shop and disappeared through the back alley, which the shopkeeper had opened for him.

The attacked carriage rushed towards the church.

---

The contract had failed. Instead of a hearse, a regular carriage emerged from the church.

Moreover, the attempt on a noble's life in Orville alerted the city’s guards, who swarmed the streets like bees from a disturbed hive.

But the investigation was short-lived. The coachman, who could have identified the assailant, kept silent, and the marquis’s family refused to disclose the carriage or the embedded sword, leading the investigation to a different conclusion.

Everyone knew, though unspoken, that Marquis Benar Tatian was sending a political message.

“I’ve come to see the marquis.”

A few days later, Leo visited the marquis.

Marquis Tatian sat behind his grand desk as usual, flanked by two knights. He dismissed the apologetic female knight with a nod before addressing Leo.

“I apologize. I didn’t know she had feelings for my son. It’s my fault for not managing my people well.”

His words were an indifferent excuse, barely a notification, making Leo narrow his eyes.

‘I can’t believe it.’

The marquis had deceived him.

Leo doubted whether the female knight had acted of her own accord to protect Toton Tatian. Perhaps the marquis had instructed her to lock the door, or somehow induced her to do so.

Even if she had disobeyed the marquis out of affection for Toton, the marquis couldn’t have been unaware. He must have intentionally placed her with his son that day.

Leo asked calmly, “How is your son?”

“He survived. He’s recuperating now,” the marquis said with a seemingly regretful expression.

Leo seethed inside. He had been used as a tool to send a final warning to the marquis's son.

Suppressing his anger, he said, “Understood. I’ll await the next opportunity. Please inform me when it arises.”

Leo maintained his courtesy as if it were no trouble at all.

The Rauno family could be crushed overnight if the marquis sent a few knights. Leo had to bow his head while playing along with the marquis.

For all he knew, the Rauno family might already be in danger of being wiped out in the aftermath.

Leo left the mansion, glancing back with a mix of fear and rage. The marquis’s grand estate seemed to mock him.

It was daunting.

The marquis, a grand noble who commanded hundreds of servants, collected taxes from several cities, and controlled vast lands with thousands of tenants.

The fact that Marquis Tatian entertained him was only out of curiosity.

It must be fascinating—a noble-like figure among the thugs.

Leo’s throat felt dry.

‘I need to gain that power…!’

Should he just give up and live a thug’s life, find a suitable match for Lena, and be content?

Lena was close to Santian Rauno, the boss’s grandson. The boy was decent, still a child but cautious and polite, resembling his grandfather. He wouldn’t be a bad husband for her.

But that wouldn’t clear the scenario.

Leo felt immense disappointment at how everything had unraveled.

In no mood to ride, Leo walked sullenly. The carriage fare, once paid proudly, now felt burdensome.

[ Achievement: First Death - The speed at which the player synchronizes with Leo slows down. ]

Though it had been over seven months since the scenario started, Leo had not fully become one with his character. Perhaps that was why he felt more frustrated.

‘Damn this game!’

He cursed and stomped in the middle of the street, filled with fury.

Honestly, it’s hard enough to fend for myself!

Even now, he had to work every day for the family. If he hadn’t earned rewards by repeating the scenario several times, this Leo would have lived and died as a beggar.

And then there was his sister.

Leo couldn’t bear to see his sister starve, leading him to steal from shops and get beaten to death, while Lena would have died drinking dirty water on the streets.

Why did his sister have to be so beautiful?

In this brutal world, the future of a beautiful girl was almost predetermined from birth. Leo had to struggle to alter his sister’s tragic fate.

And there were no convenient {events}.

In a typical game, if a beautiful heroine wandered the streets, a prince or noble would appear to take her in, protect her, and fall in love with her.

Filled with rage, Leo bit his tongue.

It hurt. Vividly.

The pain brought him back to reality.

‘…Honestly, it doesn’t make sense.’

This wasn’t a game; it was reality.

Would the nobles be staring at the street because they have nothing else to do? We should be grateful if the carriage doesn't run over Lena.

As Leo entered the alley, the thugs laughing there started to pick a fight with him but ran away upon seeing his tattoo.

'I have to somehow borrow the power of the Marquis. Chasing out the prince of the Conrad Kingdom is unreasonable no matter how you look at it. There's no hope on that side.'

In the meantime, Leo had gathered information about the Conrad Kingdom.

Lena and Leo were officially reported dead. And Eric de Yeriel, the illegitimate child born to a concubine, had driven out the Queen's children and established himself as the sole heir to the throne.

Behind him was his maternal grandfather, Duke Rupert Tertan. The prince borrowed the power of his maternal relatives to drive out his half-siblings who were ahead of him in the line of succession.

There was no backlash. Duke Rupert Tertan was the real power holder who had the political world of the Conrad Kingdom in his grasp, and there were no factions divided there like in the Kingdom of Bellita.

The King of Conrad had been bedridden for over ten years, suffering from an incurable illness that even the priests' divine power couldn't heal.

In such a situation, power naturally concentrated on the sole heir, and Eric de Yeriel's accession to the throne was considered a matter of time.

When Leo obtained this information, he gave up on lineage.

There wasn't even a gap to stick a needle through.

He was even in a position where he had to curry favor with the Marquess Tatian, who seemed inferior compared to Eric de Yeriel or Duke Tertan. Yet, he could not gain more than interest from the Marquis.

He arrived at the family mansion. Leo barely acknowledged his family's greetings and sought out Lena's room, but hesitated and paced in front of the door without knocking.

His body felt heavy with a sense of defeat.

'Lena, what should I do...'

He wanted to cry.

He was tired and lonely.

Should he tell his sister everything? She would probably think he was crazy, but eventually, Lena would believe him.

Leo shook his head, covering his face with his hands.

'No, I can't tell Lena that.'

It was like saying he wasn't her real brother.

He was Leo and yet not Leo. He was the only one who could understand this subtle gap. His sister would be shocked and unable to understand.

If only Chaeha were here!

'...No, I'm trying to rely on Chaeha again.'

He felt pathetic. It hadn't been long since he resolved to be determined, but he habitually sought her out.

Leo closed his eyes tightly and thought of his childhood friend Lena. She comforted him even after being expelled from the church.

He thought of Lena Ainar, who tried to stand up on her own despite losing an arm.

And his sister...

"Brother!"

Leo was startled and looked up. Lena was running towards him from the end of the hallway.

"Huff, huff, brother! You came early?"

His sister was sweating profusely.

Seeing that, Leo was suddenly reminded of Lena lying sick and felt his heart sink.

"Lena! Why are you sweating so much?"

"I was exercising with Tian in the yard. I'm going to wash up now."

At her nonchalant reply, he sighed in relief.

"You scared me. But what kind of exercise were you doing?"

"I'm not telling you!"

Lena went into her room. The door he hesitated to knock on was open.

Leo stood there staring at the closed door. His sister had gone inside, but her fresh face lingered in his mind.

My lovely sister.

The sense of helpless defeat faded, and a solid sense of responsibility emerged.

Leo tightened his legs. For his sister's sake... he couldn't give up.

'That's right. It's not over yet.'

Anyway, in this scenario, he had made a connection with the Marquis and obtained an entry pass to meet him.

This was a huge achievement.

Just one more step, one more step forward.

Leo thought of a way to fill the gap and left the mansion again.

A month later, Leo put Lena in a carriage.

Marquis Benar Tatian did not urge for the assignment.

The Swordmaster faction pressured the Marquis with an uncomfortable gaze, but he sent a minimum message - He had attempted to assassinate his disobedient son and injured him. Using convalescence as an excuse, he was preventing his son from meeting the princess. - That was the state of things.

Other measures would be needed once the wounds healed, but for now, that was enough.

However, Leo was dissatisfied with the development and scraped together money. He borrowed from his family and advanced his salary.

And with that money, he bought a beautiful dress. The most splendid one.

Splendor suited Lena.

No matter how splendid it was, it would only be a background to her appearance.

He borrowed accessories from a lady named Soirin, who he had recently become close to.

When Leo winked and asked her to keep it a secret, she blushed and agreed.

The gamble began. Leo adorned his sister as beautifully as possible to raise the stakes to the maximum and headed to the Marquis's residence with Lena.

"Aw... I was supposed to play with Tian."

"......"

Lena grumbled, but Leo firmly cleared her schedule. The time had come for her appearance to be necessary.

'With my current ability, attracting the Marquis's curiosity is the limit. But if I show Lena...'

This was the way he thought to take the final step. If the Marquis saw Lena... he would surely want to adopt them as his own children.

He wasn't worried about the worst-case scenario.

Marquis Venar Tatian was a great noble. He wasn't a scoundrel who would lust after or exploit Lena's appearance. Leo had a different concern.

Lena, who had been whining, forgot her complaints and was busy admiring the passing scenery.

Lena kept urging Leo to look at this and that, but he was too focused on his nervous, dry mouth.

Soon the carriage arrived at the Marquis's mansion.

Leo, who had gotten out of the carriage, repeatedly clenched and unclenched his fist. Once they entered here, there was no turning back.

After hesitating for a moment, he offered his hand to Lena to escort her, and the siblings stood together at the grand mansion's main gate.

It was probably just his imagination, but the dense iron bars looked like the teeth of a decrepit beast.

Leo handed the entry pass to the butler. The butler knew he had the pass and usually didn't ask for it. It was cumbersome to return it when he left.

So Leo offering the pass was an implicit request for a formal meeting. Even if it meant not getting the pass back, it was a final plea to make time.

But the butler, more interested in something else than Leo's bold gamble, didn't even look at the pass and greeted them.

"Welcome... si."

He couldn't take his eyes off the dazzlingly beautiful Lena. After a moment, realizing he was staring at a lady, he cleared his throat and took the pass.

Leo wasn't at all displeased.

It was a natural reaction. Even in ragged clothes with a bare face, her appearance was breathtaking, and now she was beautifully made up and dressed in a lovely dress.

The princess of the Bellita Kingdom, Chloe de Tatalia, would be no match for Lena.

Although he had never seen her, Leo was confident.

In this kingdom, no, on the entire continent, my sister is the most beautiful.

The siblings were guided to the Marquis's office. It seemed the office changed occasionally as the room they were led to differed each time Leo visited.

The Marquis seemed to be busy with paperwork and greeted them with a slightly annoyed expression, then trailed off.

"Welcome. What brings you here all of a sudden..."

The Marquis's eyes fixed on Lena.

- Gulp

Leo swallowed hard. The die was cast, but the time it took for it to roll felt like an eternity.

The Marquis... lightly bowed his waist.

It's done! This cunning man might act differently, but with such courtesy, he wouldn't harm Lena.

Marquis Tatian spoke, following the etiquette he used for noble ladies.

"You must be the sister. It is an honor to meet you. I am Venar Tatian."

Lena also lightly pinched her skirt and returned the greeting.

"I'm Lena. Nice to meet you."

Her polite greeting caused a puzzled look on the Marquis's face.

Lena didn't know the noble etiquette.

Leo wanted to teach her, but the etiquette for noble ladies was far more complex and subtle than that for men.

Even a slight gesture could change the meaning entirely, so it was better not to teach her poorly.

The Arcaea Empire's military salute he had taught Lena Ainar before was simple and used by both men and women, making it easy to teach, but this was impossible.

Leo shrugged at the Marquis's puzzled expression, and the Marquis, dispelling his confusion, gave Lena a soft smile.

"It's just about lunchtime. Would you like to join me for a meal if you have time?"

Though the offer was not directed at him, Leo's body trembled slightly with joy.

The gamble succeeded. The Marquis clearly showed interest in Lena and suggested a meal together.

The worst scenario, where Lena was taken away and Leo was left behind, did not happen.

Only then did the tension ease, and Leo let out a sigh of relief inside.

Finally, a bit of reassurance...

"Of course. Brother already told me we would be having lunch."

Lena's bold statement left both the Marquis and Leo startled.