Raising the Princess to Overcome Death Chapter 79

79. Beggar Siblings - Great Affection

The pouring rain gradually subsided.

Lena, who was leaning against a building to avoid the rain, couldn't suppress her hunger and whined.

"Brother, I'm hungry..."

"Lena!"

Her brother suddenly hugged her tightly.

Just moments ago, he had been full of worry, saying, "Just hold on a bit longer. Once the rain stops, we can find something to eat."

Why is he acting like this all of a sudden?

"Uh, brother, what's going on? I'm so weak."

Lena wriggled as if telling him to let go, but Leo didn't release her.

She was the sister he had searched so desperately for.

A child who had always met tragic ends.

[Achievement: '12th' Leo - The player's synchronization with Leo slightly increases.]

The dirt smeared all over his sister's face transferred to his cheeks, but he didn't mind.

The number [12/20] was imprinted on his retina, but nothing mattered except Lena.

My lovely sister.

My one and only sister!

Even the spirit of Minseo mixed within him allowed Leo's intense emotions to go unchecked due to the guilt from the previous engagement scenario where he had been mean to Lena.

Lena, after briefly whining, "Ugh! Let go!" gave up and stayed still.

She looked at her brother with wide, pretty eyes.

"Why are you acting like this all of a sudden? Is it because you couldn't get water this morning? Did something happen? Huh?"

Lena looked him up and down, wondering if something bad had happened to him, and noticed something strange.

"Brother. What's that?"

"Lena..."

"Oh come on! Brother! What's this?"

"Huh?"

Leo looked down at what Lena was poking. A sword was hanging from his waist.

[Achievement: Bound Item 0/3]

[Sword - Indestructible.]

"What's this? It wasn't there just a moment ago, was it?"

"Uh, uh? This, this is... Ah! I picked it up this morning. Look... ta-da!"

"Wow!"

Leo, making excuses, drew the sword to show her.

"This is a sword. It's dangerous here, so you can't touch it. You can only look at it, okay?"

"Okay! Okay!"

He helped his sister fiddle with the scabbard and hilt. She pleaded to touch the blade, and he warned her repeatedly to be careful.

Lena tapped the blade with her finger and said, "It's cool, but it's scary," and lost interest.

While his sister admired the sword, Leo calmed his overwhelming emotions.

The fourth sibling beggar scenario had begun.

"Lena, let's go eat."

Not only did he have the sword, a bound item, but also {initial funds} clinking in his pocket. First, he had to feed Lena.

Lena, who had been fascinated by the sword for a moment, stood up with a weary expression, her hunger returning.

"Are you tired? Should I carry you?"

"...No. Brother, what's wrong with you today? Did something happen while I was sleeping?"

"No, nothing happened. Sorry, I just..."

Leo led his sister to the chicken shop they always visited.

As usual, the chicken shop owner blocked their way with a bat.

"Hey. Move along... oh, customers. Do you want your chicken packed...? Eating here? Eating here is a bit more... Why do you keep interrupting? Well, since there are no other customers now. Come in."

The shopkeeper let them in, despite cutting off his sentences, understanding what they were going to say.

He tolerated them because they were customers.

He glanced at their dirty clothes, worrying that his shop might get dirty.

"What would you like?"

"Half seasoned chicken and half roasted chicken, please."

"Hey. Do you know how much work that is...? What? You'll pay? Do you even have the money...? ...Fine."

He tolerated them because they had money.

The shopkeeper saw the silver coin Leo handed over and went back without a word.

Lena asked with wide eyes.

"Brother, where did you get that?"

"I picked it up. I've been saving it for emergencies."

"Is that money? Is it the thing you said could buy anything before?"

"Yes."

While waiting for the chicken, Lena asked the same question she had before.

"Can it buy us a house?"

"A house needs a lot of these, so it's still impossible. But Lena, you should never worry about money. Never. I'll always find a way to make money. Got it?"

"What does 'making money' mean? Does it mean picking it up?"

"..."

Leo forgot that Lena, at the start of the scenario, knew almost nothing.

He carefully explained what making money meant: earning it by 'sweating' and working, or by 'making' something.

"Anyway, if you want to make money, you have to tell me first. Okay? Promise?"

"Okay, got it."

Lena, who was obedient, wouldn't secretly try to make money on her own after being told this.

Soon, the seasoned chicken and roasted chicken were served together.

"Brother, you're really lucky. You found a sword and money... I've never seen such things..." Lena said with curiosity, but soon forgot her wonder. She was too focused on the delicious food, devouring the chicken greedily.

"Eat slowly."

"...Nom nom, chew chew..."

She probably couldn't hear him.

Leo, while peeling chicken meat for his sister, fell into deep thought.

'We need to go to the Conrad Kingdom...'

It wasn't a Worry about "What to Do and How to Do It."

Unlike other scenarios, the beggar sibling scenario had a clear path laid out.

The {Bloodline} event.

In other scenarios, the concern was how to turn the commoner Lena into a princess, but not here.

In the beggar sibling scenario, Lena and Leo's real names were 'Lena de Yeriel' and 'Leo de Yeriel,' rightful heirs of the Yeriel royal family of the Conrad Kingdom.

They had merely been expelled by 'Eric de Yeriel,' the current prince of the Conrad Kingdom, so they just needed to expel him and reclaim their status.

It wasn't an easy task. The prince was recognized as the kingdom's sole heir and was under the protection of their grandfather, Duke Lappert Tertan.

Duke Lappert Tertan.

He was the biggest obstacle. The duke had completely taken control of the Conrad Kingdom's government while the king had been bedridden for over ten years.

That was why Leo had given up on the {Bloodline} event, thinking, "There's no way to pierce this ironclad defense."

Until he met "that knight" in the last childhood friend scenario.

"The problem is money. Money..."

Leo silently sighed as he watched his sister happily devouring the chicken.

Money was always an issue in the beggar sibling scenario.

Except for the {initial funds}, they didn't have a single coin.

Moreover, unlike the childhood friend scenario, they couldn't easily find food here.

This was a city.

Prices were high, and Leo had no special skills, so he had to bear all the living expenses to feed and clothe his sister.

And on top of that, traveling to another country...

"...Should I go to Cassia?"

Thinking of Cassia complicated his feelings. He still didn't know how to deal with her.

She was a mix of gratitude and resentment.

A woman with a flat tone, who casually reached out to touch people, with charming straight hair, who had once sold his sister to a brothel, and often stared blankly at the wall with unfocused eyes.

She had sacrificed her life for him in the end, after he had pushed her away. The vivid memory of the purple fountain of blood spurting from her severed neck still haunted him.

It's complicated.

"Let's just go. We'll see and think about it later."

Would seeking her out again be just using her again?

Last time, he had approached Cassia to use her. He wanted to get close to Ober to join the Rauno family.

Leo shook his head.

"No, not this time. This time, I really need help. There's no other intention."

He needed a place to hide Lena and rest immediately.

But asking for Cassia's help again... it felt shameless.

"Should I ask for help from Katrina?" ─ He thought, but quickly dismissed the idea.

Despite everything, Leo wanted to see Cassia. This feeling was too strong to ignore.

Leo cleaned his sister's sauce-stained mouth and headed toward the leather street.

He hesitated for a long time in front of the alley where Cassia's shoe store was, but he couldn't keep Lena waiting any longer.

"Alright. Let's go. Whether to repay or whatever..."

He resolved himself and stepped into the alley.

Cassia was at her store as usual...

[Achievement: The Man Cassia Sacrificed Her Life to Protect - Cassia has great affection for you.]

The moment she saw Leo, she shuddered as if struck by lightning.

Cassia, who had always spoken informally except to Ober, stood up abruptly, clasping and unclasping her hands, her voice trembling and her words disjointed.

"Hello?"

Leo entered the store.

"Ah... Hi... Hello?"

Cassia was almost out of her mind. It was an ordinary day, just like any other. She woke up, stared blankly at the wall, and then a young man suddenly appeared.

She felt suffocated.

She couldn't stop her body from twisting.

This man...

For reasons unknown, she felt she could do anything he asked. If he told her to undress, she would. If he told her to lie down, she would. She didn't even question why she felt this way.

Cassia clutched her chest, trying to cool her burning cheeks, but it was futile.

Leo, in front of the fidgeting Cassia, didn't know what to do.

He expected her reaction to change.

She was the woman who had thrown away her life over a small affection.

Now that affection had turned into great affection...

He couldn't help but feel pity for Cassia.

How could an achievement sway someone's heart like this?

"I've done similar things..."

He reflected on the past scenarios while thinking about Lena Ainar.

"Uh... Would you like to sit here? Let me take off your... No, no, sorry, I misspoke..."

Cassia, with utmost politeness, tried to offer her seat.

Flustered, Leo made the same request he always did when visiting Cassia.

"No, it's okay. Sorry, we don't have a place to stay. Can we stay here for a few days? We have money."

"Of course. Absolutely. There's a room inside."

Cassia hastily showed them the room, not even looking at the money Leo offered.

Lena, confused by the situation, pulled on her brother's clothes, looking back and forth between Leo and Cassia.

Leo shrugged, gesturing that he didn't know either, and led Lena into the room.

"Rest for a bit."

"What's going on? Why is she like that? What happened?"

"I don't know. I'll talk to her. Just rest for now."

"I want to listen too."

"...Alright."

The three of them sat back in the shop. Lena and Leo sat on chairs, while Cassia perched on her cot, her head hung low, unable to speak.

"Excuse me."

"Yes! Yes, please, go ahead."

"...What's your name?"

"I'm Cassia. But you can call me anything if you don't like it."

No. What is wrong with this woman... Is this great affection that powerful?

It took a long time for Cassia to calm down.

After drinking tea, showing Lena's face, making small talk, and explaining the need for help, her stuttering finally stopped.

"So... you're going to the Conrad Kingdom?"

Though she still avoided eye contact and spoke formally.

"Yes. We have relatives in the Conrad Kingdom."

"What? Brother, is that true?"

"Uh, yeah."

It wasn't a lie. The Yeriel royal family was there.

"We just need a place to stay until we gather travel expenses."

"You can stay as long as you need..."

Cassia couldn't hide her disappointment at the mention of leaving, but she continued, thinking she could help.

Clasping her hands tightly, she even offered.

"Can I earn money for you? I don't have any right now, but I can earn it quickly. Give me two weeks, no, just one week..."

She knew that if she told Brian Sauer, the brothel manager, that she urgently needed money, he would find a solution.

She might end up doing 'all sorts of things' she had never done, but she didn't care.

She wanted to do anything for him.

Even if it meant hastening the time when this man would leave.

[Achievement: Pimp - The income from prostitutes increases.]

The achievement Leo obtained from Lena, it was now itching for an opportunity to be used.