Claire had already given up on being called “sister” years ago.
From the very first moment Leo and Claire met, they fought over who got to call the other “sister” and “brother.” Honestly, Claire couldn’t even remember who started it. They had been at it for so long, even in the oldest of memories.
But even longer ago than those fuzzy memories, Claire was calling Sylvia “sister.”
That memory was so vivid that it couldn’t be completely erased by the passage of time.
After all, she was the first “good person” Claire had ever met.
Of course, now that time had passed, her image had changed a bit.
The “sister” who once looked like an angel was actually not that perfect. She made mistakes like any human and had clear likes and dislikes. Claire thought she did everything perfectly, but in reality, she was someone who tried over and over until she succeeded.
Even if it meant sacrificing her own body.
But even after seeing that side of her, Claire still wanted to call Sylvia “sister.”
There was no way she could give up. She couldn’t help but call someone who had done so much for her “sister.”
“What are you thinking so hard about?”
…However.
“You called her ‘sister,’ didn’t you?”
“Not that again.”
Leo furrowed his brow at Claire’s words.
To be honest, Claire didn’t mind this expression. He looked pretty laid-back on the outside and didn’t seem to care about the details, but in reality, Leo often revealed his feelings like this in front of close friends.
Well, to be fair, he was the type to express his feelings freely anyway, but it felt like there was a difference in degrees.
Just because she didn’t mind didn’t mean it wasn’t annoying, though.
“I told you, Sylvia… she’s someone worthy of being called ‘sister.’ Wouldn’t it be for the same reason you’re using the term ‘sister’?”
“No, that wasn’t what I was getting at this time.”
Of course, there was a bit of frustration. Calling it jealousy concerning Sylvia was a bit ambiguous, but there was a slight annoyance like, “Why can’t I hear that?”
Well, honestly, she could just think of it as a childish brother’s pettiness and move on.
“Are you going to keep using that title?”
“….”
At that, Leo closed his mouth.
In his previous memories, Leo was a sibling with Sylvia.
Surely, over those few years, they had shared memories together. It seemed Leo didn’t harbor romantic feelings for Sylvia because of that, but he accepted her as family quite naturally nonetheless.
“Can I not use it?”
“….”
There was a brief silence before Leo opened his mouth, and this time, Claire fell silent.
Can she not use it?
No, that’s not it.
If you put it that way, it meant Claire had been using the title “sister” for Sylvia since they met again, which was also something one shouldn’t do. Very few people knew that Claire had imperial blood mixed in, and from the perspective of others who didn’t know that story, Claire was merely the daughter of the Baron.
In close relationships, it’s common to use terms like “sister” and “brother.” Especially among nobles, it’s quite frequent. Even if they come from different families, there are those who are connected by blood and grew up like real sisters due to interactions since childhood.
However, royalty and nobility are different. From the perspective of commoners, all noble statuses are exalted, but in reality, there are clear distinctions. It’s not that a noble can never become royalty or vice versa, but the two should not be considered in the same context at all.
Of course, such distinctions become meaningless in the face of money or gains. But for now, it is right to act that way on the surface.
“Well, it’s not strange to think that way after being with your sister for so long.”
Claire said that while raising her nose for no particular reason.
“Fine, I’ll allow it. After all, you’re the youngest.”
“Why do you get to grant permission? And the youngest is you.”
As Leo grumbled, Claire shrugged her shoulders.
*
The carriage entered the Imperial Palace without any restrictions.
A month had passed since the decisive battle in the Papal State. November was now well into its second half, but there were no signs of the academy classes starting up again.
That was understandable. Most of the teachers who taught students at the academy had outstanding achievements in their fields.
Not only were they remarkable in their achievements, but they were also nobility from positions that were hard to overlook. Just like the Grace family was a well-known family while being a barony, the families of the academy’s teachers were similar. Even if they weren’t from prestigious dukedoms like Winterfield or Northwood, there wouldn’t be a family that would let the heir just sit by idly amidst such a massive political shift.
And it wasn’t just the teachers; the same applied to the students.
There were many students who had to drop out before completing their four years at the academy. Most of the reasons for dropping out were due to family circumstances. In many cases, it was to receive direct heir training, and sometimes they would get married and start a family.
In such a situation, it was only natural for nobles to take their children back after the emperor’s position suddenly changed.
Of course, that didn’t mean the academy itself would be closing down.
Rather, local nobles saw having their children in the system as an opportunity. Moreover, Headmaster Winterfield had stated that he would soon normalize the academy.
“It doesn’t seem as chaotic as I expected.”
“Well, isn’t it just a facade?”
In response to Claire’s murmuring, Leo replied.
“It’s a bit ambiguous to say this, but Alice’s image isn’t the one that existed with His Majesty the Emperor originally…”
Claire didn’t feel the need to respond to that.
But she couldn’t deny it. While Alice had a straightforward personality, her image was quite different from that of the emperor, who was ruthless towards others.
Plus, she was still young, and technically, she hadn’t “ascended” to the emperor’s position yet. Alice had said she would take the throne after graduating from the academy, so officially, the emperor’s position was still vacant. Although it was essentially Alice’s seat, the title was still empty.
This was part of the reason Claire could think the academy would be normalized again someday.
Of course, whether the noble students could attend classes normally at the academy, where the “de facto emperor” roamed, was another matter.
“Still, it’s a relief that sister isn’t becoming the emperor.”
“Isn’t it usually something to regret?”
While Leo teased, he didn’t deny Claire’s words.
She had ridden the gryphon, thwarted the emperor’s schemes, and even blocked the goddess’s plans, just like the Fanggriffon had.
In fact, the last part was confidential, but with just the first two, Sylvia was already being revered.
“Well, Alice has a point too. If Sylvia were to take the throne, the emperor’s faction would strongly oppose it.”
They had just entered under the emperor, yet now their leader would be imprisoned.
In such a situation, having Sylvia rise to the emperor’s position would be a huge risk. While Sylvia was someone who garnered resentment from the noble faction, she was not one who received massive support from the emperor’s faction either. Given that Sylvia played the largest role in thwarting the emperor, if she were to take the throne—
—Well, knowing Sylvia, she’d find a way to navigate through it.
While Alice had also played a part in thwarting the emperor, she still had that justification of being the emperor’s biological daughter. In fact, Alice’s lack of overt political inclination seemed to have helped mitigate the backlash.
“Please wait here for a moment.”
The knight guiding Leo and Claire stopped and said that.
The two quietly listened to his words.
In fact, Claire’s expression hardened slightly. The idea of having to go through such a hassle to see her sister, whom she could usually meet without any issue, was somewhat displeasing to her.
The knight seemed not to recognize them.
Well, even if he did, what could he do? He likely already heard from Sylvia to “treat them well.”
…Now that she thought about it, being in the center of imperial power was quite troublesome. It seemed that matchmaking talks were slowly coming in, and she only hoped this wouldn’t fast-track those discussions.
“You are permitted to enter.”
After receiving word from the knight stationed at the audience room, another knight approached Leo and Claire to relay that message.
The two nodded slightly while still a little tense and moved forward following the knight’s guidance.
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