Raising the Princess to Overcome Death Chapter 47

47. Beggar Sibling - The Encounter

“No, it’s not like that. You need to consider what comes after your sword clashes with your opponent’s. So you should leave some room on this side... like this.”

The knight who was teaching Leo couldn’t hide his frustration as he demonstrated again.

Leo was learning swordsmanship from a knight assigned by the Marquis in the training yard of the Marquis’ house.

Initially, the knight, who appeared reliable and elderly, was impressed by Leo, but after a day or two, his surprise turned into doubt, and doubt into disappointment.

Leo, resolute, adjusted his stance and swung his sword again, asking, “Is this correct?”

“...Yes.”

I got it wrong.

Leo, sensing the knight’s displeasure, sheepishly lowered his sword. The knight, seemingly unwilling to demonstrate further, remained silent.

“I couldn’t sleep at all last night, so I can’t continue the lesson today. Let’s stop here.”

“Yes, understood.”

Although he forced a smile, the knight answered curtly and gathered his things, disappearing shortly after.

Left alone in the training yard, Leo threw his sword in frustration.

He had no talent for swordsmanship. The knight, who seemed experienced in teaching others, explained in an easily understandable manner, but Leo’s skills didn’t improve in the slightest.

His swordsmanship skill, [Swordsmanship 2v], gave him the abilities of an average knight, and he fully understood it.

However, progressing to a higher level was an entirely different matter.

Especially since this was the point where the characteristics of each swordsmanship style became prominent. Noel Dexter, for example, hid a reserve in his strikes for stability, while Katrina mixed strength and weakness freely for an aggressive style.

His fiancée, Lena, was the same.

Though she was eccentric, Lena had an exceptional talent for swordsmanship. She grasped the essence of Noel’s teachings well and, after observing Katrina’s techniques, fused the two styles to create her own.

But Leo couldn’t do that. No matter how much he practiced, it felt like banging his head against a wall.

Whether it was because this Leo in the sibling beggars’ scenario had no talent for swordsmanship or because his growth was stunted by Minseo’s overlay, he couldn’t tell.

In Leo Dexter’s body, he had only repeated training to master the swordsmanship skills he received as scenario rewards, indicating that the issue lay not with Leo but...

“Damn it! Screw this.”

Leo muttered to no one in particular, picked up the thrown sword, and placed it back in its original spot.

He nervously bit the chapped skin on his lips.

‘The Marquis must already know, right?’

Recently, he had been extremely troubled. The Marquis’ smile had been growing increasingly intense.

Leo left the training yard and washed his sweat-soaked body. He declined the maid’s offer to help dress him and changed clothes by himself.

The maid quietly left.

The Marquis’ mansion was silent. No, it was eerily devoid of human presence. Hundreds of servants were stationed everywhere, ready to come running at a light clap, but until then, they were almost invisible.

Initially, he didn’t question this. He thought it was because the mansion’s owner, Marquis Benar Tatian, preferred quiet.

But as he frequented the mansion, he realized it wasn’t just about quietness. The servants remained silent as if they were part of the decor and avoided showing any expressions. They exchanged only necessary gestures with their colleagues, and no words could be heard anywhere.

The entire mansion was enveloped in a peculiar tension.

Leo visited the temporary room assigned to him and grabbed his money pouChapter Opening a drawer in the corner of the room, he found it filled with gold coins, as if inviting him to use them freely.

With trembling hands, he sifted through the gold coins, putting some silver coins into his money pouch.

‘Lena needs to marry the prince quickly...’

The mansion’s cold atmosphere had seeped into Leo as well.

He feared the Marquis’ smile.

The Marquis never mentioned Leo’s clumsy mistakes. He just deepened his dimples, and every time he smiled, Leo tried desperately not to stutter out of fear.

He instinctively knew that the smile wasn’t genuine.

Marquis Benar Tatian, who had been born as the third son of the Marquis, killed his two older brothers, and seized the glorious position, was a terrifying man with a blood-soaked past.

The previous Marquis had died under mysterious circumstances.

“Take care.”

Leo, leaving the mansion, moved to the market by carriage. He thanked the coachman, who had greeted him politely, and entered a flower shop near the market entrance.

This was a visit for Lena. His sister loved it when he brought her flowers. Although she had become indifferent to the flowers he brought recently, Leo continued to change the flowers in her room regularly.

- Tinkle

The autumn buds peeked and swayed as he entered. The florist, who was potting plants, stood up quickly to greet the customer.

“Welcome... Leo!”

Soirin smiled brightly and seated him, heating a kettle.

Since Leo had visited this place with his sister, she offered him tea every time.

Reluctantly, Leo took the offered cup.

“Thank you. I’ll enjoy it.”

“You’re welcome. There are cookies too.”

This is troublesome. He just needed to buy flowers for Lena, but chatting over tea had become routine.

Because Lena kept asking what other flowers were in the shop, Leo had no choice but to inquire about various things, leading to this situation.

Soirin, as usual, sat across from him, smiling brightly and starting a small conversation.

“You know, last time~.”

She was a girl with a graceful chin and striking orange eyes. She always tied her voluminous orange hair tightly because of her work in the flower shop, and her scattered freckles were so charming that anyone would want to chat with her.

But Leo only responded appropriately and never talked about himself. His thoughts were elsewhere.

It wasn’t about the Marquis.

He was mentally cornered because of his life at the Marquis’ house, but recently, something else had been troubling him more.

Lena was sick.

She had been listless for some time and finally became a burning fever, confined to bed.

Leo was as startled as if he had been hit by a wildfire. In a panic, he called for a doctor, who said,

“It’s just a minor cold. Common during seasonal changes. I’ll prescribe some medicine, but keeping her warm and giving her hot tea frequently should help her recover quickly.”

Leo, relieved that it wasn’t a serious illness, sat down heavily.

Last night, he kept vigil by Lena’s side as she slept peacefully. In the darkness, he stroked her hair all night, pondering over her words.

- So that’s why you took me there. To show me to that man.

Lena’s murmured words still echoed in his head.

He felt guilty towards Lena. He blamed himself for exploiting her appearance due to his lack of ability.

But...

‘It was an unavoidable decision. Without doing that, there was no way to gain the Marquis’ power.’

[ Achievement: First Death - The player’s synchronization with Leo is slow. ]

The original Leo would never have made such a choice. He had spent his life trying to hide Lena’s appearance, but Minseo’s mind, superimposed on Leo’s, was driven by a clear goal.

Fortunately, Lena agreed to become an adopted daughter.

However, she set a condition.

“How long do I have before I have to go? I want to stay here as long as possible. I like it here... Give me time to say goodbye to my family...”

Lena made what seemed like an easy request with difficulty, and Leo, holding her hand apologetically, promised her that he would comply.

Therefore, he asked the Marquis to delay their entry into the household as much as possible.

The Marquis interpreted this differently. He seemed to think Leo wanted to take full control only after thoroughly learning everything, so he gave Leo even more authority.

At the time, it didn’t seem like a bad thing, but now, the promise to Lena felt burdensome.

They needed to become adopted children quickly for Lena to become a princess soon...

Leo desperately wanted to see the ending. He could hardly bear the Marquis’ smile.

Soirin said, “Orville is great, but there aren’t many places to see plays. Did I mention that I love plays? This time at the Arille Theatre...”

She chattered on happily, but no one was really listening to her preferences.

Leo nodded absently, continuing his thoughts.

Joseph Rauno also knew about Leo becoming the Marquis’ adopted son. He personally came to Leo, bending his old back. He respectfully told him that he no longer needed to work for the family, and the fatherly figure Leo once knew was nowhere to be found.

Although Leo was initially shocked by this, he quickly forgot about it. He wasn’t attached to his relationship with the Family members.

But Lena was different.

She had grown too close to the family.

This was the most challenging aspect of clearing this game.

Leo had to achieve something not for ‘himself,’ but by interfering in ‘someone else’s’ life.

In each scenario, the Lenas wanted to do what they liked.

They ran wild, moving further away from becoming a princess, and it was Leo’s job to keep them on track.

[Achievement: First Meeting with Lena - Lena holds a high regard for Leo.]

With this achievement obtained at the start of the game, Leo used his relationship as a childhood friend, fiancé, or sibling to gently guide Lena.

- So that’s why you took me there. To show me to that man.

This was something he would inevitably hear someday. During the process of guiding Lena... she felt betrayed.

Whatever the reason, it was true that he used Lena’s appearance.

‘What else could I do? It’s not like I had a choice! This is [Raising Lena]! It’s natural to interfere in her life. And I’m her brother! Everything I do is for her good!’

He justified himself, believing that Lena would be happy once she became a princess.

Without self-justification, it was unbearable. Later... he might even have to break the engagement.

Leo spent the night by sick Lena’s side, suffering from a twisting stomaChapter Each time the Marquis’ meaningful smile came to mind, he wondered if he was doing something wrong.

Then, Soirin finally broke his reverie by touching his clasped hands.

“How about it? Would you like to go this weekend?”

Emboldened by Leo’s absent nodding, she blushed and invited him on a date.

Her shy touch brushing his fingers felt bold.

He was tired.

He had come out to buy flowers because he was worried about the dried-up pot in Lena’s room last night... The girl in front of him was a nuisance.

Leo half-heartedly agreed and ended the conversation with Soirin. He finished his tea, stood up, and chose flowers.

Soyrin recommended a flower called ‘Sworbria,’ which was a mix of white and pink.

The lower part of the bud was white, and the petals darkened to pink towards the tips, a beautiful flower.

As Leo examined the flowers, showing interest, Soirin smiled brightly and explained.

“Do you know what the flower language of these is? ‘As you lead.’ Look at this. The fern-like leaves seem to be reaching out, right? So...”

“I see.”

Leo cut her off and walked out.

He seemed to have chosen well.

‘It’ll look good in Lena’s room. The fragrance is nice too.’

Smelling the sweet scent of the flowers lifted his mood a bit. He hurried back to his sister.

“Oh!”

Someone exclaimed. Leo turned his head at the sound, also exclaiming, “Ah!” as he froze.

A few hours earlier.

“Damn it!”

She threw down her sword in frustration. She couldn’t train like she used to.

Feeling worse seeing her junior’s nervous look, she snapped.

“I can’t do this. I’m leaving.”

“Se-senior, but the training time isn’t...”

“Menstrual leave.”

Leaving her flustered junior behind, she left the training yard, thinking of quitting everything as she changed clothes.

Today, or rather, today as well, she thought she’d just go home early.

But contrary to her initial thought, she stopped by the market to buy groceries. She suddenly thought of Ellen.

What should I cook?

‘I’m in a bad mood; maybe I should buy some meat?’

Yes! Let’s do that.

Spend freely while you can.

Swinging her sword at her waist, she ordered a lot of meat.

A knight skipping training with her sword on her belt. She thought her appearance was amusing and asked to have the meat cut into small pieces.

While waiting for the meat, she wandered in front of the butcher’s shop, idly scanning the bustling market, when she suddenly exclaimed.

“Oh!”

A man holding flowers appeared, looking like ‘that soldier.’

He’s short. Is this what that soldier looked like as a child? He looks similar... but this one’s much better-looking.

“Ah!”

While she scanned him up and down in surprise, Leo, too, stared at her, frozen.

Flowing red hair, captivating red eyebrows, and provocative eyes, alluring lips with a long tail...

She was in casual clothes, but Leo could never forget her.

Katrina stood before him.