“…….”
Claire was sitting with a boiling expression, and Alice and Charlotte were desperately trying to soothe her.
“Since Sylvia doesn’t seem to be that interested in men, I’m sure nothing major will happen even if they have a meal together.”
“What do you think of your sister? Of course, a meal alone won’t lead to anything big! One is a Baron, and the other is a Crown Princess!”
At Alice’s words, Claire finally exploded.
“No, more importantly, didn’t you say you’d help prevent my sister from getting involved with Leo?! Why did you drag me out of there like that? You might as well do it with Charlotte!”
“Claire, that’s not a good way of thinking.”
Charlotte countered Claire’s words.
“No matter how much you love your sister, you have no right to interfere with her feelings for someone else.”
Charlotte still wasn’t entirely sure about the relationship between Claire and Sylvia. But anyone could see from Claire’s attitude toward Sylvia that she truly thought of her as a sister and followed her.
The relationships among nobles, royals, and aristocrats are incredibly complicated. Even if it appears that they are as far apart as the Emperor and the Baron, they often hide incredibly close ties. Charlotte instinctively interpreted the relationship between Claire and Sylvia in such a way.
“No, if my sister loves another man, I’d understand. Of course, if he’s handsome and capable, and comes from a good family that can fully understand her, that’d be even better! But if my sister loves him, what can I do? I guess I’d have to hold my nose and let it go as long as he’s not too much of a jerk.”
“Well, at least you’ve learned some basic decorum as a noble….”
Charlotte sighed in relief, placing her hand on her chest, but Claire shot her a glare of indignation.
“No, I’ve worked hard to learn too, you know?!”
“But Claire….”
In an effort to calm the angry Claire, Charlotte gently placed her hand on Claire’s shoulder and spoke.
“There will inevitably come a time when a noble must enter into an unwanted marriage. Particularly in higher circles, like royals and aristocrats. Since Sylvia is of royal blood, she might have to marry a Duke several years older than her.”
At this, Alice’s expression turned a bit vague. Luckily, Alice was behind Charlotte, so she didn’t see the expression.
Sylvia was… actually in a position where it didn’t matter much whether she married or not. In fact, she was much freer with matters of romance than the daughter of a Duke.
Of course, if Sylvia actively sought a “political marriage,” she would have many families willing to accept her… but the Emperor wasn’t foolish enough to squander Sylvia’s position on a political marriage.
“So, isn’t it fine if she can at least have a light romance? And if it’s someone like Sylvia, she could find someone she loves even after marriage. After all, there’s always the concubine thing.”
“…….”
Claire narrowed her eyes and spoke in a cold voice directed at Charlotte.
“Charlotte, would you want to spend your wedding night with a man you hate and then live the rest of your life with the man you love as a concubine?”
“…….”
Claire’s words made even Charlotte look away.
“No, more importantly, that’s not the point! I’m sure our father would be thrilled if Leo says he wants to marry my sister! Our mother also seems to quietly like my sister!”
Claire said with exasperation.
“But the class difference between Leo and Claire is….”
“That doesn’t matter.”
Alice cut off Charlotte’s words.
“Right now, the only one among the royals who thinks marriage is important is me. I’m meant to be the next Emperor, and Sylvia is someone who would support me. Naturally, who Sylvia marries doesn’t matter. Her child won’t carry the imperial name. In fact, my father would welcome her marrying the Baron family, wouldn’t he? At least there wouldn’t be any moves to sway Sylvia around!”
Charlotte and Claire stared blankly at Alice saying all of this.
“Then why did you pair my sister with Leo?!”
And Claire exploded once again with renewed vigor.
“But Sylvia—”
“What do you mean, what’s it to you?”
“…….”
Somehow, Alice, who had been about to say something, froze at the voice coming from behind.
“……Since when have you been listening?”
“I just arrived a minute ago. You were debating so loudly it could be heard outside the classroom. And the contents of that debate were about my love life.”
Sylvia said this while leaning against the door, her voice seemingly gritting her teeth.
“Wh-what about the conversation with Leo?”
Usually, even Charlotte wouldn’t stammer in front of Sylvia, regardless of her demeanor.
“…….”
Sylvia, leaning against the classroom door, glared at the three for a while, before pulling away from the wall.
*
“Aah, it’s not like that!”
Is the inability to understand people’s words a noble etiquette in this world?
Or is this world truly one where sayings like “A woman’s rejection is a strong affirmation” are genuinely accepted?
…….
Come to think of it, it might actually be the case.
All the women in front of me are incredibly open-minded by the standards of this world, but at the same time, they’re also just young girls who just passed through the 19th century.
It’s still a time without women’s suffrage. In many ways, the girls here may have all the worst traits to attract men aside from their looks.
“I’ll make it clear, I have no romantic feelings for Leo.”
I decided to be straightforward so I wouldn’t create any more misunderstandings by beating around the bush.
“The meal request I made just now was to make that clear. I told Leo the same thing, so he shouldn’t get any wrong ideas.”
Hearing this, Charlotte wiped her face.
“……What is this?”
“Of course, there’s no way Leo would misunderstand.”
Charlotte said with a sigh mixed in her voice.
“From the start, Leo probably doesn’t even think you like him.”
“……That’s exactly what I’ve been trying to say.”
“…….”
Seeing Charlotte look at me with pity made me almost grab the back of my neck.
What’s with this? Are you asking me to duel or something?
It’s been a while since I felt such emotions from a woman.
It’s surprising that it’s been a while, not that it’s my first time feeling this way. Just to clarify, the first time was with Sophia from the original work. It was quite frustrating since she was a character I could only lose to plot-wise.
Alice looked like she was about to burst out laughing again.
“Sis, is it true?”
The Claire who had been dragged away with Alice and Charlotte peeked her head between the two.
“Of course. I have no intention of becoming your sister-in-law.”
“Really? Is that true?”
No, is this even something to be so happy about?
I know Claire isn’t trying to wallop me with a slap. The issue is that if I make dialogue, it might be taken that way.
Claire already thinks of me as family. It’s not someone who has shared parents or grew up in the same household; it’s family tied together by connections. So, even with the short time we spent together in childhood, she confidently calls me sister from the moment she sees me.
So, it’s unnecessary to go through the process of “Making me a husband or a brother-in-law to become family.” When you think about it, it’s a refreshingly straightforward way of thinking.
“So… is this settled then?”
After making a pinky promise with Claire, I turned to Charlotte and Alice.
Alice just shrugged. She still had an amused expression, so I felt a little uneasy, but as I had said it this clearly, there shouldn’t be any issues causing her to continue bothering me about it.
The problem was with Charlotte.
I figured Charlotte’s feelings wouldn’t go well, not because of my attitude but because of Claire’s attitude that might have made Charlotte feel uncomfortable.
From the perspective of this world, where you change your surname upon marriage and form a family, asking me not to marry when I might become part of her family would likely be seen as a strong rejection of “becoming family.”
In reality, Claire was just shocked at the idea that her brother might marry her sister.
“…….”
Somehow, it feels like I keep climbing mountains only to find another mountain ahead.
As I looked at Charlotte quietly observing me, I thought that.
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