Raising the Princess to Overcome Death Chapter 88

88. Beggar Siblings - Rutina

Leo was startled by Cassia's request to "hug her." Was she planning to leave after having a relationship, shaking everything off?

'But still, that's a bit...'

No matter how much Cassia needed a reason to shake off her feelings, this request was difficult to accept.

How could he hug a woman he didn't love, a woman he felt brotherly affection for?

Moreover, Cassia's affection stemmed from achievements, not natural emotions. Also, Leo had a certain ability called "방중술" (bedroom arts).

An ability he gained from the "ending" his younger sister Lena faced... An ability he vowed never to use.

Though it had been used subconsciously, Leo really didn't want to treat Cassia this way.

However, it didn't take long to realize that "hug me" didn't mean what he thought it did.

Leo was dumbfounded by her gesture. He realized how much prejudice he had against Cassia.

She... was simply asking for a hug.

Leo's breath caught.

Until now, Cassia had only reached out to him twice.

The first time was when he earned the "Man Who Melted Cassia's Heart" achievement and gained a faint affection from her. Cassia reached out her hand like this.

When she was pushed away in a dark alley, she reached out her hand like this right before being pushed.

Hug me.

It wasn't a gesture of seduction. Thinking about it, the places she reached out were not suitable for requesting a relationship. The first time she reached out, Lena was in the back room of the shoe store, and snow was falling in the alley.

Cassia simply wanted to be embraced. From the old days. She wanted the hug of a man she loved.

Leo's heart ached.

Without knowing that, he had concluded she was a promiscuous woman. He assumed she was asking for a relationship indiscriminately because she liked him a bit, thinking she was a prostitute and not finding it strange.

Seeing no reaction to her request for a hug, Cassia's hand withdrew. It was clear she regretted her unreasonable request.

At that moment, Leo saw the Cassia before him overlapping with the Cassia who was pushed away in the dark alley.

Back then, she withdrew her hand like this. She didn't get angry or show tears right away, just feeling hurt and not knowing what to do. And I... cruelly turned away, thinking she was an annoying and dirty woman.

"I'm sor... Ah!"

As Cassia began to apologize, blaming herself for being greedy, Leo hugged her tightly.

It wasn't love, but he hugged her with affection, enveloping her in his regret and guilt.

Cassia hiccuped, unable to control her overflowing emotions. This warm hug was truly the first.

She had been hugged by countless men, but all she felt each time was their lust. To them, she was just a flesh-made doll to release their desires.

Some pretended to understand her situation with plausible words, but the end was always the same. They all panted on top of her.

Leo was different. His hug contained no lust or ulterior motive, only warmth and sympathy.

Cassia buried her face in his now much broader chest and rubbed her cheek, feeling happy for a moment before she started sobbing.

Her parents, who died miserably.

If they were to come back to life, if that happened, would they hug me with this regret and affection?

Cassia clung to Leo's shoulder and cried like a child.

Her cold, hardened grief melted into tears, and Leo hugged her with all his heart until she no longer wanted it.

How long had they been hugging?

By the time the wind blowing across the meadow had died down, Cassia broke away from the hug and stood on her own feet.

At that moment, a message appeared.

[Achievement: 'Cassia's Life' Quest Complete - Cassia is freed from her shackles.]

['Cassia's Life' Quest has disappeared.]

"Thank you. Really..."

"..."

Cassia looked up at Leo with clear eyes. She gently touched his wet front and showed a calm and serene smile.

It was a smile that seemed to say she had no more desires.

"Cassia..."

"You can call me sister now, prince. I feel relieved. Somehow... I feel free."

Cassia looked around the field and bent over with a big laugh. It was a bigger laugh than when she ended her relationship at the brothel.

The liberated air burst everywhere like an explosion.

It was like a gust of wind, but Cassia, seemingly unaware, spun around with her arms outstretched.

It was a movement a slave freed from shackles might make.

Cassia, freed from her shackles, was watched by Leo with complicated eyes.

Later, Leo found out that the numbers engraved under his eyes had slightly changed.

[ 12/21 ]

And even later, he discovered that the death limit had increased.

[ You have died. 2/4 ]

By the time he realized this, it had become 3/4, but that was much later. For now, Cassia's cheerful laughter was the only thing shaking the meadow.

It would have been beautiful if Cassia had just left like that, but farewells are rarely so neat and dramatic.

Leo held onto Cassia.

When he pressed her on how she intended to travel such a long distance alone, Cassia smiled and said, "Indeed, Prince, why did I think that?"

However, she didn't retract her decision to leave.

Cassia wanted to return to her father's shoe store. Despite Leo's persistent persuasion, her resolve didn't waver.

In the end, Leo instructed the knights to find a way for Cassia to return to Orville safely, and one knight easily came up with a solution.

"I know of a trading company. They trade with the Kingdom of Bellita, are quite large, and have a good reputation. If we request to accompany them, she can return safely."

There was a minor issue.

The trading company was based in the capital of Conrad Kingdom, Lutetia, so they had to go there to send Cassia off.

The next day, Lena, Leo, Cassia, and the knights left Noyar Harbor and headed to Lutetia. Though it wasn't solely for sending her off, Leo would have escorted her regardless, even if it wasn't the capital.

When they arrived in the capital, it was autumn, and more than a year had passed since the Beggar Siblings scenario began.

Upon arriving in Lutetia, Cassia promptly joined the caravan heading to Orville.

"I wish for your great success, Prince."

"...Be happy. Sister."

"Of course. I will be happy. Happier than anyone else in the world."

Cassia gave a graceful bow and climbed into the carriage, leaving a gift in Leo's hands.

It was a pair of shoes, made from 'Erakt' leather, smooth and meticulously finished.

The inside was lined with soft Erakt fur, wrapping around the foot, and the outside, polished like a mirror, showed the craftsmanship that had gone into it. The shoes were adorned with air holes and decorative leather patches, creating an elegant look.

It was undoubtedly a gift Cassia had been working on for over half a year.

There was also a letter. Cassia had learned to write alongside Lena. The letters were crooked and pressed hard, but they contained her heart.

Leo hid the letter in his bosom and showed it to no one.

Thus, Cassia left.

Leaving behind Lena, who was sniffling under her hood.

- Slash!

Blood splattered in an alley in Lutetia. Leo, who had set sharp stones in various places along the alley, walked carefully to avoid the blood on the ground.

Bart commented in admiration.

"Prince, you are truly knowledgeable."

He held a container with sticky animal blood in his hands. Bart poured the remaining blood onto the ground.

After sending Cassia away, Leo had to find a hideout for the royal guards. The challenge was finding a place where burly men could come and go without arousing suspicion.

Initially, they considered setting up far on the outskirts of Lutetia, but Leo boldly decided to establish their base within the castle.

The information from {Rules of the Back Alley} came in handy after a long time.

Scattering blood on the ground and setting up sharp stones was a way to subtly announce the establishment of a new family house here.

Leo decided to play the role of a thug. He would utilize his experience from living with the family.

If they didn't act out of line, the local families wouldn't particularly monitor them, and civilians wouldn't loiter around.

If the guards caused trouble, a bribe would suffice. Just as most families did.

Money was not an issue. Bart and his comrades had brought quite a sum from raiding the Duke of Tertan's estate, and they willingly offered that money to their lord.

Although it might be a small amount considering the prince's dignity maintenance costs, it was enough to set up a family house.

Also, Leo was not one to spend lavishly. Having lived as a beggar all his life and with the spirit of a commoner named Min-seo mixed in him, he had no inclination for luxury. But the knights couldn't help but admire the prince's frugality.

"Since it's all done, let's go in."

Leo led Bart into the newly renovated desolate building and gathered the knights.

The upper floor of the building was designated as the living space. They set up rooms for the knights, paying special attention to Lena's room.

There were still quite a few rooms without furniture, but Lena's room was already filled with necessary furnishings.

Everything was chosen for warmth and elegance.

Soon, the knights gathered in the lobby and lined up. Leo accepted their salutes familiarly and had them sit.

Now, how do we drive out Prince Eric de Yeriel and reclaim the {Bloodline}...

Since meeting at Noyar Harbor, Leo and the knights had been brainstorming.

A prince with legitimacy and powerful knights following him. There were endless possibilities to consider.

The easiest idea was a rebellion. Announce the return of the legitimate prince, gather an army using Noyar Harbor as a base, and overthrow the current regime.

But the option of rebellion was quickly dismissed.

They were too outnumbered. Most of the Conrad Kingdom's nobles supported Duke Rupert Tertan.

Of course, saying "most" referred to the nobles staying in the capital; looking at the kingdom's nobles as a whole, it was different, but that wasn't much of a distinction.

The nobles in the capital were the most influential, and those who stayed in their territories were usually the ones who had lost political battles.

Anyway, as long as Duke Tertan supported the prince, a power struggle like rebellion or civil war seemed hopeless.

Maybe if they managed to rally all the nobles scattered across their lands, there might be some hope, but there were few who would join a losing fight based solely on legitimacy.

Based on this reasoning, Bart and the knights were wary of initiating a rebellion.

Leo also had his own reasons for hesitating about rebellion.

Perhaps if they had announced the return of the rightful prince and built up power from Noyar Harbor, the scenario might have cleared immediately.

Even now, hiding in the capital, declaring, "I am the prince, and Lena is the princess!" might bring about the ending without the need to expel Prince Eric.

But Leo abandoned that possibility. Even if they reached the ending that way, life after the ending would be miserable.

Most likely, they would be crushed and executed by Prince Eric's army.

Also, the conditions for the "ending" were troubling. They might be destroyed before even meeting the conditions for the ending.

Leo reflected on the endings he had experienced so far and fell into deep thought.