Chapter 4: The Outcome of a Thrown Gauntlet

A few weeks after the fields had been so magnificently resurrected, we entered the height of summer. At long last, news of Mary and Prince Alan’s formal engagement reached the Claes manor as well.

Having invited Mary over to the manor today, I promptly decided to ask her the question myself. “I heard about your engagement announcement, Mary. Congratulations!”

“Yes, thank you very much. I have been formally engaged to the prince. Like you, Lady Katarina, I am very much pleased.”

While Mary did seem somewhat happy, I couldn’t help but notice that she was not exactly pleased at the engagement itself.

“Um. Ahem. Have you met with the prince yet, Mary?”

“Yes, I have indeed met him.”

“...Well? How was it?”

“How was... what, Lady Katarina?”

“Um... well, you know. What was he like? And all that.”

For the record, I was guilty at having unintentionally used one of the prince’s famous lines. Would Alan be able to adequately charm Mary without that line of his?

“He is a most handsome person. He praised my garden as well, Lady Katarina — much like how you had done.”

“O-Oh. And then...?”

Yes, this was all correct, scenario-wise. The second half of Mary’s response caught my attention, however.

“And then? What do you mean, Lady Katarina?”

“Umm. What happened after he showered praise on your garden?”

“Well, that was all there was to it...?” Mary replied, tilting her head slightly in apparent confusion.

WHAT?! That’s all there was to it? Well, well what about that famous line?! Did he not say it?

“Um. Ahem. Did he say anything about your green hands— um, thumb?”

“...Green thumb, ah! Have you heard about it, Lady Katarina?!”

“...I mean, he did say something like that, right? He did! Right?!”

Mary, who was now positively blushing, seemed to offer up a token resistance as I continued questioning her, before eventually giving in.

“My, how embarrassing... To think that you would hear of the affair yourself, Lady Katarina...”

“Hmm. Yes, as I expected, he did say tha— wait. What do you mean by “affair”...?”

“Ah. Well, it is as you may have heard, Lady Katarina. I told Prince Alan about how you had praised me, saying that I had a green thumb...”

“EH?! You said it to him?! And you told him I said it to you?!”

“Yes... Well. I was really happy that you would praise me — my hands — in such a way, Lady Katarina... So happy I was, that I had to tell Prince Alan about it too...” Mary said, her voice becoming gradually softer as the crimson hue on her face deepened.

So... how should I summarize this?

Before Alan could even claim that Mary was a special girl with a green thumb, I said it to her? Not only that, Mary went on to tell Alan that... “Ah, Lady Katarina mentioned that I had special hands... a green thumb, yes...”

Faced with such a spectacle, there was no way Alan could say his line. After all, I said it first... or at least, a variant of it.

Ah, Prince Alan. I am truly sorry.

After my continued interrogation, Mary claimed that she was fond of the prince — but it was plain to anyone present that she didn’t really feel that way.

Ah, Prince Alan. I am deeply sorry.

Well... in any case, they’re engaged to each other, so... I’m sure she’ll learn all about the prince’s charms from here on out!

...Work hard, Prince Alan, I thought, my eyes glazing over as I continued my internal monologue. Mary, apparently worried about my faraway gaze, even asked if I was hungry. You really are the very image of a noble lady, Mary.

Although it was unintentional, I had somehow gotten between the two of them! This would not do. If anything, the two should live happily ever after!

As much as I hoped it were possible, I didn’t think I had the capability to bring the two together. All I could do was cheer for them... from the depths of my heart.

The incident happened a few weeks after my conversation with Mary. Harvest season was also nearing its end — now was a good time for the vegetables to be harvested and eaten.

“Young Miss! The Prince is here, saying that he requires your presence!” Anne said, a notable tone of panic in her voice.

“What is it, Anne? Prince Jeord always marches in here on his own volition either way.”

While I had made an effort to formally receive Prince Jeord on his visits, the prince himself eventually claimed that he needed no formal welcome after the frequency of his visits increased.

Nowadays, the prince showed up every three days or so, and would often just walk into the gardens where I was working in my overalls. He was, of course, used to my overalls and gardening gear — and as such, there was no real reason for me to change into any finery. Basically, the prince visiting me was nothing out of the ordinary, and hardly a reason for panic.

“No, it isn’t that, Young Miss! Your visitor is not Prince Jeord!”

“...Hmm?”

What’s Anne going on about? Unless there’s a social party of sorts, the only prince that frequents the manor’s grounds is Jeord, I thought, giving one of the cucumbers I had cultivated a good pull.

“It isn’t Prince Jeord, Young Miss!! It’s Prince Alan, fourth in line to the throne!”

“...Eh?” I responded, stunned. The cucumber that I had held moments ago slid out of my gloved hands, falling onto the ground. “...Why?”

“I do not know the reason, Young Miss. In any case, you really should meet with him.”

For some reason, I feel like this is the beginning of yet another troublesome incident...

After dashing back into the manor at full speed, I promptly got dressed with Anne’s assistance, and soon headed off to the guest parlor. I hurried all the way to the parlor’s doors, then I threw them open. I found within a somewhat haughty youth, standing with his back to me.

“You’re late,” the prince said, turning his head to glance at me without offering any semblance of a greeting or introduction.

What an arrogant young man! Before I knew it, my cheeks started puffing out. First he suddenly marches into my house, and now this?

I had a good mind to lose my temper — but he was, after all, an eight-year-old boy. I, however, am an adult! Of seventeen or nineteen years of age. I reminded myself of that fact as I offered the prince a formal greeting.

“I offer my sincere apologies. I was caught up in some other affairs. I am Katarina Claes.”

“Alan Stuart,” the prince responded haughtily, in spite of my smile and formal manner of speech.

Alan Stuart... A potential love interest in Fortune Lover — but ah, he sure is one pretty prince.

He bore no resemblance to Jeord, his twin, however. While Jeord was much like a fairy-tale prince with his blonde hair and blue eyes, Alan had silver hair and eyes of glinting emerald — a more wild and dashing image, if you will.

Dashing though he might be, he was still impossibly arrogant, even for a prince. In fact, his behavior reminded me of Katarina Claes herself — at least, before I suddenly regained all of my previous life’s memories.

Even Jeord, who was a prince in his own right, did not behave in such a manner. While he was twisted in his own way and certainly had questionable thoughts of his own, he was at least calm and humble... on the surface. With those thoughts in mind, I continued observing Prince Alan.

“Katarina Claes. I am here because I have something to say to you today,” the haughty prince said, turning a steely gaze towards me.

“...Um. What is it?”

Honestly speaking, I had no connections whatsoever with Alan thus far. Well... I was engaged to Prince Jeord, and so that would make for some sort of connection. From what I recalled of Fortune Lover’s gameplay, however, Alan did his best to avoid his brother at all costs. As such, he should have no special reason to pay me a visit in person.

“You know Mary Hunt, right?”

“Eh...? Ah, yes.” Hmm? What about Mary?

“Mary said that you are... close to her.”

“...Yes? I suppose we are close friends.”

Alan’s gaze sharpened.

What is it with this prince? What is he trying to say?

“Did you know that Mary Hunt is now my fiancée?”

“Well, yes... I do know of that.”

“So you do know. Stop seducing her, then!”

“...S-Seduce?! What?!”

I could feel Alan’s gaze digging into me — I swallowed in spite of myself. Wait wait wait. What is he even saying? Is this prince right in the head?

Me, seduce Mary...? But we’re both girls to begin with! Well yes, Mary is gentle, cute, and I am very fond of her. I want to get along with her from here on out... but at no point in time have I thought of taking Mary as my bride! I... I don’t swing that way!

Alan, however, clenched his teeth at my stunned silence. “Don’t play the fool! Even if I ask her out, she declines! Going all, ‘Oh, today I have an appointment with Lady Katarina.’ In fact, YOU are all she talks about when she is with me! Mary may be pure of heart, but you are clearly at fault for seducing her! There’s no doubt about it!!”

“Wh-What is that supposed to mean?! I’ve had enough of these baseless accusations of yours!”

Alan, who had apparently wanted to pick a fight with me from the very start, had succeeded in riling me up. I started shouting, despite of my station.

“What baseless accusations? This is the truth! With that face of yours, you’ve corrupted my pure Mary!”

I see this full-of-himself prince here has quickly decided that I’m a villainess simply because of this face of mine. Ah, if there’s one thing he’s good at, it’s getting people mad.

“What is wrong with you?! There’s no such thing! In fact, it’s YOUR fault for asking Mary out when she already has plans to visit my manor! To begin with, if you really were charming, no girl would turn down your invitation! You’re CHARM-LESS! Mary keeps talking about me?! Well of course she would! It’s because you’re BORING!!” I shouted, filled with a righteous rage.

I soon regretted my outburst, however.

“...No charm... Boring...” Alan’s expression was now stony.

...This is bad. I’ve finally gone and done it... I’ve said something terrible to the prince.

Considering that this all started because I had accidentally used one of his lines... well. What was said could not be taken back.

I felt beads of cold sweat flow down my back.

“...Ha. Haha. This is the first time I’ve been ridiculed to my face...” Steam seemed to be coming out of Alan’s ears — he was positively livid.

“...Um. That just now was...”

Ah, this is what I get for giving in during the heat of the moment. Now I can’t take back what I said!

“Prepare yourself, Katarina Claes. I shall take your train of insults as a thrown gauntlet.”

Wait, wait. I have thrown no gauntlets whatsoever! I’m not going to challenge anyone to any duels! It was just a slip of the tongue...

“I challenge you! To a duel!” Alan said, his nose held high.

“...So. How did we end up like this, again...?” Anne said, with something between confusion and exasperation on her face.

We were now standing in the gardens of the Claes manor. To be specific, we were standing before two tall trees, conveniently located side by side.

“Well, Master Alan did so proudly proclaim that ‘I shall let you, the woman, decide on the contents of the challenge’... and so I did.”

“...Even so! You are the daughter of a duke, young miss! And he is one of the princes of the kingdom! The two of you... climbing trees? This is going too far...”

“Well, Anne. I couldn’t think of anything else I would do better in, so...”

“B-But young miss! Master Alan does not climb trees! Did you not see how he froze when he heard your suggestion, Young Miss?”

“...But he was the one who accepted the terms, you know...”

It was as Anne said — Alan had frozen up the very moment the words “tree climbing” had left my lips. In fact, his expression was akin to that of a gape, and there the prince stood, unmoving for approximately ten seconds.

Out of concern, I had asked after the prince. “Are you perhaps unable to climb trees, Prince Alan?” His response, however, was curt — “Nonsense! I accept your challenge!” And with that, he finally snapped out of his previously frozen pose.

This was how both Prince Alan and I had ended up standing before a pair of tall trees in the gardens of the Claes manor.

On another note, my ever-wise and gentle adoptive brother, Keith, was currently keeping mother busy — all so that she would not notice this spectacle.

The rules of the challenge were simple — the first to reach the top wins.

Although he had stood gaping at the tree for a good while, he eventually rolled up his sleeves, as if steeling his resolve. If anything, the prince’s entourage seemed to be in more of a panic.

The servants pleaded things like, “Oh, my prince, it is most dangerous!” and “Please, please stop this at once!”

I, on the other hand, had changed into an outfit with pants — in other words, I was fully prepared.

“Well then, Prince Alan. Are you ready?”

“...Yeah. Right. Anytime.”

“Well then. We shall begin on the count of three. Anne, my personal maid, shall do the honors.”

“Y-Yeah.”

And so it came to be that I managed to drag a reluctant Anne into my so-called challenge. With her count, the bout began — and then promptly ended... with my overwhelming victory.

To begin with, I climbed trees very often, and was already all the way at the top in a matter of minutes.

Alan, however... Come to think of it, has Alan ever climbed trees in his life?

While I had finished my ascent, he was still stuck on the lowest branch of the tree in question. With this, the challenge ended in my complete, utter victory.

“Prince Alan. We have a clear victor in this contest — could we draw this to a close?” I called down to him.

Hmph. Don’t think you can defeat me, the wild monkey of the back hills, little boy. Have you even climbed a tree before?

I turned to Alan with a victorious smile. Alan, however, stared at me once more, visibly unwilling to accept defeat. “One more time! I challenge you again! This is the first time I’ve climbed a tree — I was simply not used to it!”

Ah, there it is. So the prince himself admits that he has never climbed a tree before. Maybe you should have said so from the very beginning, you show-off.

“That is quite all right. But don’t think you can win so easily, prince.”

“Bring it on!”

Alan would go on to challenge me again and again — the result hardly changed, though. This was perhaps to be expected. Eventually...

“I’ll win next time! Just you watch!” Alan said, spouting lines typical of a defeated rival character. Threatening to show up for another challenge sometime in the future, Alan and his entourage finally left the grounds.

While I didn’t know it at the time, I would continue entertaining Alan’s challenges over and over again in the near future...

Prince Alan showed up again the very next day, shouting about yet another challenge. I, of course, defeated him easily. The prince would show up again from time to time, challenging me to yet another match. He would then be defeated, and for a while these silly days repeated themselves.

As the days passed, we ended up striking up an odd friendship of our own, and it became somewhat customary for Alan and me to have some tea after the inevitable challenges. As of late, the prince seemed a little happier despite his long history of losses. Perhaps I was just imagining things.

With this, I thought that the crisis between the prince and me was over... But then eventually, the day came.

“Jeord?! What are you doing here?!”

It was bound to happen over time — Jeord and Alan had run into each other on the grounds of the Claes manor. Jeord showed up every three days or so, sometimes a little more. Alan, on the other hand, visited once a week — with such timings, it was inevitable that they would eventually meet.

Mary, who visited twice a week, had already introduced herself to Jeord. Although I had told Jeord in passing about the contests between Alan and me, I did not mention to Alan that his twin visited every three days.

While my engagement to Prince Jeord was public knowledge, I also knew of the open hostility which Alan displayed whenever the conversation shifted to his brother. As such, I had hesitated to speak to him in detail about Jeord’s visits.

This was how the two twin brothers, who hardly ever spoke to one another, both met on the Claes manor’s grounds.

“You sound as if me being here is a most mysterious thing. This is the home of my fiancée — my presence here is hardly out of place,” Jeord said, regarding his twin brother with a smile.

Perhaps that’s true — even so, Jeord’s visits seem awfully frequent. Is everyone just this way in this world?

“...In any case, I’m here for a challenge with her today. Don’t get in the way.” For some reason, Alan seemed to have lost most of his edge. Whatever happened to his unbearably haughty attitude?

While Alan was acting somewhat stranger than usual, Jeord seemed to respond in kind. The ever-present smile on his face was a lot more suspicious, perhaps even a little malicious.

“About those challenges... I heard that you have failed to achieve victory, time and time again. Would it not be best to simply give up...?”

While I did have similar thoughts, I would never have said it to Alan in such a blunt way. I looked on somewhat fearfully, afraid that Alan might snap and respond with rage. This was not the case, however — his expression was hardly one of anger, but one of pain.

“...No! NO!! We still need to settle it! I can win this! I... I know I can...!” Alan shouted, desperation evident in his voice.

It seemed like Alan could only see Jeord. A strange atmosphere slowly filled the Claes manor. While I was pretty good at ignoring unpleasant developments of all sorts, this was on another level. This was... bad.

All right then, clearly the solution is to change the subject at hand. I had to — to clear away this miasma that hung in the air. I had just the thing for it... something that had been on my mind for quite some time.

“...Ah. Prince Alan. If you would accept, perhaps we could change the terms of the challenge itself? My mother will surely be greatly displeased if we keep climbing trees.”

To be honest, it was a bit of a miracle that Mother had not noticed up until now, but I didn’t intend to push my luck any further. Mother, of course, had long given up on me — if I climbed trees, then so be it. Inviting a prince to do the same, however... mother’s rage would surely be fearsome.

Due to the fact that Keith had kept my mother occupied on every single one of Alan’s visits, it was perhaps inevitable that she would become suspicious of what exactly I was up to. If I didn’t change the contents of the challenge, I might soon find myself in trouble... once again.

“...If you say so... then. What will the new challenge be?”

“...Hmm.”

At last, Alan was looking my way. The unpleasant atmosphere from just now, too, had slowly started to disperse. Good, good.

Even though I was the one who came up with the suggestion, I was not quite sure what to replace the venerable sport of tree-climbing with. Honestly speaking, both my magic and academic abilities were average at best, and hence not good candidates for a challenge.

There was, of course, the option of me allowing myself to lose to him — perhaps then would the prince be content. I would be left with a bad taste in my mouth, however.

As I continued scratching my head and pondering on a potential replacement, one of Alan’s entourage humbly presented a potential solution.

“Pardon me, Miss Claes, but would a board game not be safe? No one would be hurt that way.”

Alan’s servant was right — if we really did play a board game, no one would be physically injured, and any differences between the genders would not be relevant. I, however, was notoriously bad at these games. Chess, Othello — whatever it was, if it required thinking, I was bad at it.

In this world, chess was apparently the most popular board game, but of course I wasn’t a fan of it. While I could play it, I felt somewhat bitter if defeated. Upon seeing my expression of displeasure, Alan’s servant provided yet another suggestion.

“Ah. Well then, how about a musical contest? A contest of instruments, perhaps? The better performer would win, yes?”

Hmm. A refreshing change, if nothing else. In this world, being able to play an instrument was seen as a status symbol amongst nobility — as such, I was made to learn the piano and violin from a young age.

In my previous life, I had participated in concerts and the like with my recorder and piano. At the very least, I could still play the piano somewhat reasonably. As for the violin — I was unfortunately... not all that suited for it.

“I don’t mind playing the piano,” I responded, somewhat cheerfully. Alan readily agreed.

With this, the challenge between Alan and I was no longer that of tree-climbing, but a musical competition. It had suddenly taken on an aristocratic air when I wasn’t looking. At the very least, I was sure that mother wouldn’t be upset even if she witnessed us competing.

The servants were united in relief, with most of the prince’s entourage saying something along the lines of “Ah, what a relief that all this tree-climbing business is over and done with...” In fact, the servant who had suggested the musical idea was currently being fervently praised by their peers.

And so, all of us present headed towards a room with a piano in it, for the purposes of this safe and aristocratic musical bout.

The piano in the Claes manor was considerably large, befitting its status as the main piano of a duke’s family. It was certainly on a much grander scale than the smaller one I used to play in the school’s music room.

As it was a musical competition of sorts, the servants of both our families were to be the judges. Jeord, who was also present, was called on to rate our performances as well.

With this, the stage was set — I would be first to play, followed by Prince Alan.

I sat down on the bench and turned towards the piano. While I could only play “Der Flohwalzer” in my previous life, I was made to practice from a young age as Katarina. The score sheet was a practice song aimed at beginners and young children.

Although I made some minor mistakes here and there, I felt like I played reasonably well. In fact, Jeord was surprised at my performance — or more accurately, at the fact that I could even play the piano at all. ...Should I take that as a compliment?

Next up was Alan, who turned to the piano and promptly started playing. For the sake of fairness, we were both using the same score.

Although it was the same song, a definitively different sound flowed through the halls of the manor. Everyone present, me included, collectively held our breaths — Alan’s performance was truly splendid. I’d simply assumed that he was a spoiled prince who was full of himself — to think that he possessed such amazing talents!

At the end of his performance, all the servants present burst into applause — something that didn’t happen at the end of my session.

“Amazing! Prince Alan, that was really amazing!” I burst out. While I was pretty tone-deaf when it came to music, I could at least discern between a good performance and an average one.

Alan himself, however, didn’t seem too impressed — he had a hard expression on his face. “...It’s no big deal.”

“That’s not true! You have an amazing talent, Prince Alan!”

“...I don’t have anything that deserves to be called a talent.”

The more I praised him, the harder his features became. What’s wrong with him?

“As Katarina said, that was most impressive,” Jeord said, praising his twin’s performance.

“...But you don’t really think that, do you?” Alan muttered. His expression was one of pain — akin to the one I had seen earlier. Then he shouted, “What is this, pity? I don’t need any of this! I know you simply think of me as a failure who is good for nothing!”

Then, as if running away from one thing or another, he bolted straight out of the room.

While I had no idea what was going on, I felt that such a dramatic escape warranted an equally dramatic pursuit. Disregarding the stunned expressions of the gathered servants, I chased after Alan, much like the heroine in a Shoujo Manga.

It would seem that the adage of people running away to familiar places was indeed true. Alan was standing under those very same trees where we had held our contests. He looked up at me slightly as I approached, but the sight of me did not seem to be of any comfort — he soon hung his head once more.

“...Have you come to laugh at me, too?” Alan said, somewhat suddenly.

“Eh?” I had no idea what he meant. What am I to laugh about? Nothing about this was particularly enjoyable or pleasant!

“...You’re here to laugh, aren’t you? ‘Don’t think you’re all that just because you can play the piano’... something like that, right?”

“...Whatever do you mean, Prince Alan? Just because you can play it? That’s hardly a ‘just’! You have quite a remarkable talent, you know.”

Having witnessed such an amazing performance, I would have assumed that Alan would at least be a little proud of himself. Modesty is the last thing I expected!

Having been exposed to his magnificent playing, I could not help but realize that my own performance was greatly lacking. Compared to Alan’s captivating performance, my self-assessment had slipped from “acceptable” to “not very good at all.”

“I don’t need your pity, Katarina. I’m not good for anything, after all. I’m just what’s left behind after Jeord takes all the glory.”

While I had assumed Alan was haughty and full of himself, it seemed like he was actually a prince with quite the negative outlook.

“It’s not pity! Prince Alan... why is it that you have so little confidence in yourself?”

“Ha. I’ve been compared to Jeord ever since I entered this world, see. I’ve never won against him in any category. I bet Jeord took all the good stuff for himself when we were still in mother’s womb. So if you think about it... how can leftover dregs such as I have any kind of confidence?”

Hmm. Is that what it is? Come to think of it, Fortune Lover did have such a setting for Alan. Ever since the day he was born, Alan had been constantly compared to Jeord, and yet could never best his twin brother in anything. No matter how hard Alan worked, Jeord would accomplish whatever he sought to do before he did — all the while remaining cool and collected.

I suppose simply telling Alan, who has been in such a situation for all his life, to suddenly have confidence in himself and work hard would be somewhat callous. After all, Mary, Alan’s cute fiancée, was the one who healed his heart in the events of the game.

Alan was by no means unskilled, however. In the setting of Fortune Lover, Alan’s grades in the academy were top-class. The problem here was hardly Alan’s capabilities, but rather Jeord being too much of a savant at everything he did.

Even so, Alan’s previous performance was really something else; perhaps he had an innate talent for music. If I recalled correctly, Alan did play the violin for the protagonist on several occasions. Yes, if I had to guess, Prince Alan must fare better than Jeord in one field — music. At the very least, he had the talent for it.

In other words...

“...Personally, I think it is more that each of you have your own particular strengths. Your own... fortes.”

“...What do you mean?”

Uh-oh. I accidentally blurted it out! To make things worse, Alan’s looking right at me now!

“Umm... Well. I think that Prince Jeord has things that he’s suited to and good at, as well as things that he can’t really handle well. The same goes for you, Prince Alan — I do believe that you have skills you can be proud of, too. It is just a matter of... individual strengths and weaknesses.”

Quite a long winded explanation, but one that somehow managed to convey what I had wanted to say.

“Individual strengths... and weaknesses, you say? So are you claiming that even Jeord has something he isn’t good at? I’ve never heard of anything like it, from then till now.”

I suppose Alan had a point — Prince Jeord, who could seemingly do anything and everything without breaking a sweat, hardly seemed fazed by anything. He was fairly intelligent all around, and his skill at the sword was admirable... despite the fact that he spent much of his time visiting me at my manor. In fact, he had recently offered to help with the harvest, and was gathering crops at a much faster pace than I ever could.

Surely there was nothing he was bad at, or had difficulties with. Even I had thought the same way, until...

“Fufufufu. Well, Prince Alan, I suppose I should inform you that Prince Jeord does have a... weakness.”

“?!”

A bold smile lit up my face. After all, I wasn’t making it up. I had noticed it recently: the one thing that Jeord simply could not come to terms with.

More accurately, I would say it was a discovery of sorts. True to his image, I had originally thought of Jeord as a picture-book perfect prince through and through, with no faults or weaknesses.

However, as the days passed and Jeord continued helping me with my harvest (and being given a share), I could not help but notice it. Yes, much like the kind old lady in the neighborhood that most children knew, I had grown close to Jeord, and now I understood.

“Well... the thing that Prince Jeord absolutely cannot stand is...”

“Is...?” Alan continued staring at me, frozen in surprise and anticipation. On my face was a most malicious smile. Fitting, perhaps, of a villainess.

This had happened a few weeks ago. On that day, Jeord and Mary were visiting the manor, planning to take home some of the crops that I had cultivated.

Jeord, Mary, and Keith were kind enough to offer to help with the harvest — and that was when it appeared. It darted this way and that by my legs, and seemed headed for Mary. They could be most unpleasant — not wanting it to surprise her, I decided to catch it instead.

However... it promptly changed course, making a beeline for Jeord, who was watching warily nearby. For the very first time in my life, I saw the usually calm Jeord... cowed. Afraid. Disturbed, at the very least.

And then I knew — perhaps, just maybe... Jeord really did not like what he had just seen.

Recollecting the events with that malicious smile still on my face, I spotted Jeord himself — he had come searching for us, I suppose, on account of how long we were taking.

The perfect chance. Yes, this was the perfect chance to confirm my theory. Up until now, all we had were assumptions... Now was the time.

With those thoughts in mind, I reached into my pocket, grabbing onto the object that I had been carrying around with me, hidden, for the past few days. I pulled Alan behind some trees and shrubbery, and we hid as I waited for the perfect moment, observing Jeord the whole time. As Jeord approached our hiding place, I yanked it out of my pocket, tossing it right before his feet.

“Uwaargh?!” A strangled cry rose from Jeord’s throat at the sight of the sudden object. Gone was the calm and collected expression he usually had — in its place was surprise, confusion, hesitation.

“Ah, yes. There’s no mistaking it now!” I giggled, still hidden in the bushes.

“Hey, hold up... so what exactly was the thing that Jeord isn’t good with? What did you toss at him?” Alan asked, apparently not entirely convinced.

I decided to quickly remedy that, filling Alan in with the sordid details. “It was a SNAKE!”

“A snake?!”

“...Well, more accurately, it’s an imitation of one. I can’t exactly keep a real snake in my pocket now, can I?”

“...I don’t think most people put snakes of any kind in their pockets, anyway. Well? Why did you toss it at him then?”

“As I said, Prince Alan, I’m showing you what Prince Jeord has difficulties with...”

“Difficulties... you don’t mean?! Is it SNAKES?!”

“Yes indeed! It was but a suspicion at first, but looking at how he just reacted, I can now say so with certainty! Prince Jeord is afraid of snakes!” I declared, impossibly proud of what I had discovered and achieved.

Ah, truly, this is an amazing discovery. At long last, we have discovered the singular weakness of the picture-perfect prince.

On another note, the “snake” that I had thrown was a toy, handmade by yours truly with rolled and balled up paper — a tool I had made in my efforts to discover Jeord’s true weakness. Of course, it looked nothing like the real thing, but judging from Jeord’s reaction alone, it had quite the notable effect.

“Difficulty... with snakes. Snakes, huh? He does look cowed, I’ll say... but that wasn’t what I was talking about. But snakes. Ah, he REALLY does look intimidated by the thing...”

Alan, who had been muttering to himself all this time, seemed oblivious to the fact that I was doing a little victory dance next to him. I was exuberant! Elated! I had discovered Jeord’s one true weakness! With this, even if I were confronted by a Catastrophic Bad End, I would have one last trump card! I continued my celebratory dance, unaware of the fact that a deep, dark presence had slowly approached me from behind.

“Katarina... It would seem like you are in a most delightful mood. I wonder what has brought about this... joy?”

“?!”

Turning around, I came face to face with Jeord, who was standing with quite the radiant smile on his face. In his hand was none other than the toy snake I had just tossed at him moments ago.

Ah, yes. He’s smiling so brightly... but for some reason, this smile strikes fear into my heart. Slowly but surely, I became aware of a dark aura rising from his being.

“P-Prince Jeord...”

“To think that I was worried about you both, since you had gone off chasing after Alan and did not return... what then, may I ask, is this?” Jeord said, holding up the toy snake before my eyes.

“Ah... Um. That... That is... Uh...” I could only stare on helplessly, unable to say a single word in the face of Jeord’s tremendously intimidating aura.

This is bad! I’d thought to just test out my theory with a little prank, but Jeord is angry! No, he’s definitely, positively livid!

Actually, I’m sure that he didn’t see a thing... how is he so sure that I was the one who threw the toy snake, then?!

“Katarina... did you not turn nine just this very last month?”

“...Yes.”

“Nine years of age, Katarina Claes. The oldest daughter of a Duke, and my very own fiancée... one would think that she would hardly throw a toy like this, yes...?”

“...Ugh.”

Jeord’s already brilliant smile rapidly intensified.

This... Ah, this is true fear. What if... I were exiled from the kingdom for the crime of “Assault by Projectile Snake on His Highness the Third Crown Prince?”

Ah... How could this be? A Catastrophic Bad End? In a place like this?!

“Come to think of it, Katarina. I have not met with Madam Claes today. Perhaps you would know of her whereabouts?”

“...Ah, yes. Mother is having tea with Keith at the moment.” Caught unawares by the sudden change of subject, I bluntly and honestly answered Jeord’s question.

Jeord’s smile hardly faltered as he processed my response. “I see. Well then, Katarina. I really should greet her myself. After all, I have much to say to her — on certain peculiar incidents, such as your tree climbing competitions with Alan, and the fact that you threw this... toy. At me.”

“?!” What?! Is Jeord going to sell me out to Mother, simply because I sent a projectile toy snake in his general direction?! As expected of the black-hearted prince. Jeord, an embodiment of true primal fear.

As much as I begged and pleaded with Jeord, who was currently now marching straight towards Mother, all he did was smile. A radiant, brilliant smile... with an obvious sprinkling of intense distaste. I have angered the black-hearted prince — the one person I should not have crossed!

Still wallowing in despair, I barely noticed a faint voice from behind me as I haplessly chased after the still-fuming Jeord. Turning around in curiosity, I saw that the source was none other than Alan, who had been forgotten all this time — and he was laughing. He was laughing his heart out, as if a great dam had burst within his being. To be more accurate, he was hugging his stomach and laughing in a positively explosive manner.

Damn you, Alan! How could you laugh at the misfortune of others?! Though I will concede that this incident is entirely my own doing...

For now, however, I could hardly bother with Alan — I needed to chase Jeord down! And so I ran. But it perhaps goes without saying that someone like me could not possibly contain Jeord’s rage...

And so it came to be that mother found out about my tree climbing contests with Alan, and my projectile snake tossed at Jeord. I sat through a great many insufferable hours of lectures that day.

In retrospect, this incident was more than just a disaster — I also made tremendous gains towards my goals. For starters, I had discovered Jeord’s one true weakness! In the event of a Catastrophic Bad End where he threatens to cut me down with his sword, all I had to do was give a projectile snake a good toss and escape while he was in a panicked state.

Truly a perfect, flawless plan. Ah, Katarina Claes. You are such a remarkable strategist. All I had to do was improve on my projectile snakes in the time between this day and my enrollment into the academy. I would make them more lifelike, more convincing — and then make sure to hide one in my pocket at all times!

With this, I had come up with a superbly ingenious method of avoiding a Catastrophic Bad End.

On another note, Alan no longer challenged me to any more contests or competitions. Even so, he continued visiting the Claes manor, and I was surprised to find him speaking normally with Jeord after some time had passed — though I didn’t even know when that started happening.

Hmm. Why did things change like this? While I was indeed curious, now was not the time for such considerations!

I had to prepare myself adequately for the days ahead. Katarina Claes must take bold steps towards the creation of a realistic projectile snake. All in the name of defeating Prince Jeord, should the need ever arise!

★★★★★★★★★

I was born as the fourth crown prince in line to the throne, receiving the name of Alan Stuart. My older twin brother, Jeord, is in turn the third crown prince.

My constitution was weak for the first few years of my life. In fact, I spent most of my time bedridden. As a result, I feel that my mother, the nursemaids, and my caretakers did a good job of spoiling me — at least, they raised me well.

As my body slowly gained strength, I eventually reached a point where I could seriously begin my physical and academic training. From then on, I worked hard to claw back the distance between my brother and I. My hard work earned the praise of all my tutors — and perhaps I got a little ahead of myself.

It was when I first attended academic tutoring sessions with my older twin brother, Jeord, that I noticed the differences between us. While I was racking my brains for an answer to a question, Jeord merely had a cool and calm expression on his face, soon solving the problem I was struggling with.

Even our lessons at swordplay went the same way. While I rushed at Jeord with all my might, he simply deflected my blows as he would a child’s, easily defeating me without breaking a sweat.

I was inferior to Jeord... and the distance between us was vast. I had finally realized that. Of course, both my physical and academic tutors told me that Jeord was “special,” and that it was somewhat natural for me to lose to him. They were comforting me, perhaps, but I soon refused to take any more lessons together with Jeord. I would then distance myself from my brother... I could not stand being compared to him, nor could I even endure being by his side.

One day, I overheard a certain conversation.

“Master Alan is always somewhat lacking in the things he does, no?”

“I don’t think he chose to be this way — didn’t he live the first few years of his life bedridden?”

“Ah, yes, and having that Jeord as a twin brother... the poor thing.”

“Maybe all the good bits were taken by Master Jeord when they were still in their mother’s womb!”

“Haha, so you’re saying he only got the dregs and leftovers?”

“Hey, now, that’s a little too much, isn’t it?”

The servants spoke with one another, laughing as they strolled through the royal castle’s hallways. It was like as if my field of vision slowly turned dark. I could not even muster up any rage at the transgressions that had just taken place before me...

The words pierced my heart. In particular, the statement of “Maybe all the good bits were taken by Master Jeord!” Like an immovable thorn it remained, resolutely resisting all my attempts to remove it. Once I had heard that statement, it was as if those same words were whispered by everyone around me — my tutors for swordplay, academic studies, and even the servants seemed to repeat this phrase endlessly.

It didn’t matter how hard or how much I tried, Jeord would simply tower over me with that cool and collected face of his. I don’t remember when exactly it started, but eventually I was filled with nothing but a sense of being inferior to my brother.

However, no matter my attempts to best him, and no matter how conscious of his achievements I was, Jeord was simply not interested. To be precise, I was not even reflected in his eyes. This made me suffer, and made me harbor a deep resentment towards him... And yet, the more distance I put between myself and my brother, the more I resented him, and the more it hurt inside.

It was in the Spring of my eighth birthday that I heard of Jeord’s engagement plans. The castle was filled with gossip of it. He had apparently decided to take the oldest daughter of a powerful duke as his future bride. A few months after that, my engagement plans were finalized as well — unlike Jeord, I had not asked for her hand in person.

Given that I was the last prince in line to the throne without a fiancée, all the other nobles jumped at the opportunity, parading their daughters before me. In the end, it was decided that I should be engaged to the youngest daughter of the Hunt family, Mary Hunt, for political reasons.

Fortunately, she was quite the lovable girl. Her large, round eyes were a deep hue of burnt sienna, and her long eyelashes only served to compliment them. She was almost like a precious doll. With her somewhat soft voice, she greeted me with great effort — she really was adorable. As I was the youngest in my family, it almost felt like I had suddenly gained a cute little sister of my own. I was glad.

Eventually, our conversation shifted to that of a small garden she had been taking care of in her manor’s central courtyard. It really was beautiful. When I praised her, saying that it was a wonderful and splendid little garden, Mary smiled, ever so slightly.

Her smile reminded me of a book I had read the day before called The Girl with the Green Thumb. The protagonist in the story was a girl with special hands — she had quite the talent at raising plants and caring for them. A green thumb, so to speak. Surely, Mary had these very same special hands too. And so I decided to mention this to her, but...

“In truth, I was told a few days ago that I had a green thumb. Special hands, too...”

“...”

It was as if my mind had been read — someone else had said this to Mary before me. I lost my train of thought, and was now speechless.

“Lady Katarina, who has been most kind to me, mentioned that to me just the day before.” A change seemed to have come over Mary as she recollected the scene. Staring into space and talking about the encounter, her expression was very much reminiscent of a maiden in love.

I, of course, was left in the dust, and could only respond with a pallid “Ah... is that so.”

Mary seemed strangely prompted by my mere formality of a response, however, and started passionately talking about this “Lady Katarina.” From that day on, all Mary would talk about on my visits was Lady Katarina. When I tried to invite her over for tea, she promptly refused, stating that she had a “prior appointment with Lady Katarina.”

Who... Who even is this, “Lady Katarina”?! I felt a sense of resentment rise up within me — but soon enough, this question was answered.

Katarina Claes. A member of the Claes family, and the eldest daughter of Duke Claes himself... and she was Jeord’s fiancée too.

Jeord... takes everything away from me. All the while making that smug expression of his.

And now this? His fiancée, this Katarina Claes, is going to take Mary away from me?

I could feel my vision darkening once more. Before I knew it, I was already on a horse carriage to the Claes manor.

I was made to wait in the guest parlor. This Katarina Claes was late, but eventually she showed up and introduced herself. A girl with azure eyes and brown hair... apparently the same age as me, too. Although I would not call her ugly by any means, her blue eyes slanted upwards somewhat, giving off an impression of a somewhat strict and harsh person.

This was Jeord’s fiancée? The beautiful lady that Mary often praised? I could not believe my eyes. This was truly unexpected. In any case, I raised my concerns to this Katarina almost immediately.

“Did you know that Mary Hunt is now my fiancée?”

“Well, yes... I do know of that.”

I was incensed by the fact that she could say that with a straight face — and so readily, too.

“So you do know. Stop seducing her, then!”

“...S-Seduce?! What?!” Katarina’s azure eyes opened wide at the accusation. It was almost like she was pretending to know nothing about the affair — I became even more enraged.

“Don’t play the fool! Even if I ask her out, she declines! Going all, ‘Oh, today I have an appointment with Lady Katarina.’ In fact, YOU are all she talks about when she is with me! Mary may be pure of heart, but you are clearly at fault for seducing her! There’s no doubt about it!!”

“Wh-What is that supposed to mean?! I’ve had enough of these baseless accusations of yours!” With that, Katarina’s already steeply slanting eyes seemed to slant upwards even more. How was this even possible?

“What baseless accusations? This is the truth! With that face of yours, you’ve corrupted my pure Mary!”

“What is wrong with you?! There’s no such thing! In fact, it’s YOUR fault for asking Mary out when she already has plans to visit my manor! To begin with, if you really were charming, no girl would turn down your invitation! You’re CHARM-LESS! Mary keeps talking about me?! Well of course she would! It’s because you’re BORING!!”

“...No charm... Boring...”

Before I even knew it, I was at a loss for words. While I had been treated as the leftovers in Jeord’s wake all this time... this was the first time in my life I had met anyone who would say such a thing to my face. It was all too much for me — I started laughing in spite of myself.

“...Ha. Haha. This is the first time I’ve been ridiculed to my face...”

“...Um. That just now was...”

“Prepare yourself, Katarina Claes. I shall take your train of insults as a thrown gauntlet,” I said, somewhat haughtily, challenging Katarina on the spot. “I challenge you! To a duel!”

How did it turn out this way? I wondered, as I stood before this... tree.

Yes, I did challenge Katarina Claes to a duel. This matter would be settled by the sword amongst men... but Katarina was a woman. As such, I had allowed her to choose a more appropriate contest for the challenge at hand. While I had assumed she would simply suggest a match of chess or some other board game...

“Well, let us settle for tree climbing, then,” Katarina said without batting an eye.

For some reason, the words she had just uttered were... unfamiliar... to me. Tree climbing? What was that? Of course I knew what a tree was, and what climbing meant... but what exactly was this?

I had never done anything like it in the last eight years of my life. Maybe the children of commoners did it, but the children of nobles climbing trees? Unheard of.

Katarina, as if finding my reaction amusing, asked, “Are you perhaps unable to climb trees, Prince Alan?”

This was now a question of my pride as a man! I answered her without any hesitation. “Nonsense! I accept your challenge!”

And this was why we were now standing before the two tallest trees in the gardens of the Claes manor... all lined up for our challenge. The rules of the challenge were simple — the first to reach the top of their respective tree wins.

Yes, with this it would be easy to discern a victor. However... I had never climbed a tree in my life before. Actually, I didn’t even know how to climb trees...

However, I had accepted Katarina’s challenge — and so I had to do it regardless. I steeled myself, rolling up my sleeves.

“Well then, Prince Alan. Are you ready?”

“...Yeah. Right. Anytime.”

“Well then. We shall begin on the count of three. Anne, my personal maid, shall do the honors.”

“Y-Yeah.”

The challenge started under the watchful gaze of our servants... and then promptly ended. I lost... terribly. All I could do was climb to the very first branch of the thing — I didn’t know how to climb in the first place! I had no idea how to progress from that point.

Katarina, however, was zipping up her tree like... some sort of monkey. She was perched all the way at the very top.

Why exactly is it that the eldest daughter of the Claes family is so good at climbing trees? In fact, isn’t she the oldest daughter? Of a noble? A duke? Do the daughters of dukes usually climb trees...? I could not understand this. My thoughts were tangled into an incoherent, jumbled mess.

“Prince Alan. We have a clear victor in this contest — could we draw this to a close?” Katarina said, turning to me with a smug expression. She seemed so full of herself! Before I knew it, the words had already left my lips.

“One more time! I challenge you again! This is the first time I’ve climbed a tree — I was simply not used to it!”

“That is quite all right. But don’t think you can win so easily, prince.”

“Bring it on!”

However, no matter how hard I tried and how many times I challenged her, Katarina always won, her speed rivaling even that of a monkey. As a result, I decided to postpone the challenge — I’d come back a few days later to settle it.

A few weeks passed since I started challenging Katarina Claes. After a few more tree climbing bouts, I couldn’t help but notice something: Katarina was always serious. She didn’t hold back or give me any slack just because I was a prince. She also looked straight at me... into me.

Up until now, no one had challenged me in such a fashion — earnestly, with their heart and soul. No matter how hard I tried, my twin brother, Jeord, never even looked at me. I was not reflected in his eyes.

Katarina’s unwavering gaze and sincere attitude caused the aching in my heart to slowly subside. I looked forward to my visits to the Claes manor. Visiting Katarina was... fun.

However... that only lasted until a certain day.

“Jeord?! What are you doing here?!” I exclaimed, unable to contain myself at the sudden sight of my brother at the Claes manor.

“You sound as if me being here is a most mysterious thing. This is the home of my fiancée — my presence here is hardly out of place,” Jeord replied, a confident smirk plastered across his face.

It was as he said. I could not find a suitable retort. When... how? How could I forget that Katarina is my brother’s fiancée? I was surprised at myself.

“...In any case, I’m here for a challenge with her today. Don’t get in the way.”

“About those challenges... I heard that you have failed to achieve victory, time and time again. Would it not be best to simply give up...?” Jeord said, his eyes cold.

I could hear it. I heard it again... That talk about Jeord taking everything away from me, leaving me with only the dregs.

“...No! NO!! We still need to settle it! I can win this! I... I know I can...!”

Don’t look down on me! Don’t make a fool of me!

My vision clouded. I could feel my surroundings fading, sinking into darkness.

I had all but forgotten about it — this heavy, throbbing pain in my chest... on account of how light and warm it had felt, as of late.

No... This is bad. I don’t feel good at all...

“...Ah. Prince Alan. If you would accept, perhaps we could change the terms of the challenge itself? My mother will surely be greatly displeased if we keep climbing trees.”

Katarina, who had suddenly called out to me, had a strange expression on her face — she seemed oddly cheerful, but her smile was twitching slightly.

The heavy pain in my heart ebbed slightly at the sight of her face. At Katarina’s suggestion, our tree climbing challenge was called off, and was instead replaced with a musical bout — with the piano, to be precise.

After moving to the piano room, we began our contest. Katarina was up first, playing a practice song meant for children and other younger learners of the instrument. Although she made some small mistakes here and there, she kept playing until the end.

Next was my turn. When I was done, everyone in the room was clapping. Katarina, in fact, seemed the most excited of them all. She was jumping, clapping, and even cheering.

“Amazing! Prince Alan, that was really amazing!”

Katarina praised me, just like how my tutors back in the royal castle did. Surely she was just... pitying me.

“...It’s no big deal.”

“That’s not true! You have an amazing talent, Prince Alan!”

“...I don’t have anything that deserves to be called a talent.”

Katarina did have a point — I found musical instruments more intuitive than academic studies or swordplay, but...

A talent? Me? No. There’s no way I could have anything like that.

I was the leftovers — the dregs, after Jeord had taken away all the good bits for himself. No matter what I did, I could not possibly hope to best my brother.

“As Katarina said, that was most impressive,” Jeord said, with that fake smile of his that he always had on his smug face.

My brother could do anything. Surely he was ridiculing me again — I just knew it!

My vision started fading again. The pain that had ebbed was now back in full force, stabbing itself deep into my being.

“...But you don’t really think that, do you? What is this, pity? I don’t need any of this! I know you simply think of me as a failure who is good for nothing!”

I couldn’t stand it any longer! I couldn’t stand to be in the same place as Jeord! I felt like everyone was just... laughing. At me.

I ran out of the room as fast as my legs could carry me. I ran, sprinting into the darkness. I wanted to just disappear or vanish, but instead found myself standing before the trees Katarina and I used to climb.

I stood there for a while. Soon enough, I felt someone else’s presence — and I raised my head. I had thought a servant or member of my royal entourage had come to check up on me, but... no. It was Katarina.

I blurted out the words carelessly. “...Have you come to laugh at me, too?”

“Eh?”

“...You’re here to laugh, aren’t you? ‘Don’t think you’re all that just because you can play the piano’... something like that, right?”

“...Whatever do you mean, Prince Alan? Just because you can play it? That’s hardly a ‘just’! You have quite the remarkable talent, I’ll have you know.”

“I don’t need your pity, Katarina. I’m not good for anything, after all. I’m just what’s left behind after Jeord takes all the glory.”

I’d thought that Katarina was different from all those people in the castle. But in the end... she was the as them, with their pointless pity and encouragement. I knew. I knew that they were laughing at me from the shadows.

After all, I myself knew how useless and unremarkable I was. That was how it had always been, and what they had always said.

“It’s not pity! Prince Alan... why is it that you have so little confidence in yourself?”

“Ha. I’ve been compared to Jeord ever since I entered this world, see. I’ve never won against him in any category. I bet Jeord took all the good stuff for himself when we were still in mother’s womb. So if you think about it... how can leftover dregs such as I have any kind of confidence?” I said in a bout of self-depreciation. Now, even Katarina would just stand still and look at me with quiet apathy. Just like everyone else.

“...Personally, I think it is more that each of you have your own particular strengths. Your own... fortes.” Katarina, however, did not stand still and remain silent.

“...What do you mean?” I muttered, glaring straight at Katarina.

“Umm... Well. I think that Prince Jeord has things that he’s suited to and good at, as well as things that he can’t really handle well. The same goes for you, Prince Alan — I do believe that you have skills you can be proud of, too. It is just a matter of... individual strengths and weaknesses.”

“Individual strengths... and weaknesses, you say? So are you claiming that even Jeord has something he isn’t good at? I’ve never heard of anything like it, from then till now.”

Look at his smug face, his confident, cool expression. Jeord could do anything!

It even extends to his tastes in food! Ever since I was born, I’ve never heard complaints that Jeord was picky with his meals.

That’s how perfect he is. Prince Jeord, good at anything and everything... unlike me.

However.

“Fufufufu. Well, Prince Alan, I suppose I should inform you that Prince Jeord does have a... weakness.”

“?!”

A confident smile flitted across Katarina’s face. “Well... the thing that Prince Jeord absolutely cannot stand is...”

“Is...?” I swallowed hard. I could only watch on in absolute silence.

Ah, there he is. Jeord had wandered close by, searching for the two of us. Katarina, upon visually confirming her target, suddenly pulled something out from her pocket and tossed it at my brother.

“Uwaargh?!”

That mystery object landed in front of him, and a strange cry arose from the depths of Jeord’s throat. In fact... I’ve never seen him like this. He’s... panicked? Nervous?

“Hey, hold up... so what exactly was the thing that Jeord isn’t good with? What did you toss at him?”

Jeord was positively panicking. What was it? I had to know!

Katarina answered my question with a somewhat smug expression of her own.

“It was a SNAKE!”

“A snake?!” I couldn’t help but be surprised at this unexpected answer.

“...Well, more accurately, it’s an imitation of one. I can’t exactly keep a real snake in my pocket now, can I?”

“...I don’t think most people put snakes of any kind in their pockets, anyway. Well? Why did you toss it at him then?”

“As I said, Prince Alan, I’m showing you what Prince Jeord has difficulties with...”

“Difficulties... you don’t mean?! Is it SNAKES?!”

“Yes indeed! It was but a suspicion at first, but looking at how he just reacted, I can now say so with certainty! Prince Jeord is afraid of snakes!” Katarina declared somewhat triumphantly. For some reason, she seemed really proud of what she had just said.

But... Really? Jeord is... afraid of snakes? Unthinkable! I could never have guessed it.

Actually... that’s not what I wanted to know! I wanted to know what I could best Jeord in. I thought perhaps he was secretly lacking in the ways of the sword, or academic knowledge? But... of all things, snakes...

Even so... he REALLY does look intimidated by the thing... look at him!

This was truly unexpected. Prince Jeord, a capable and respected prince of a great kingdom... startled? By a toy snake thrown by Katarina Claes?

I should take back what I said. Katarina Claes; she was definitely different than the people at the royal castle.

Different from most noble children... “Ha. Haha...” She’s really something else! What a strange girl!

Lost in my thoughts, I continued pondering upon what I had just seen. Katarina, however, had been caught in the act by Jeord.

Jeord was angry, all right. You could see it in his eyes — and in how Katarina was slowly retreating. But... hmm. It didn’t really feel like he was angry, but instead simply acting the part to mess with Katarina.

The Jeord I knew always seemed bored, and always had that fake smile on his face. He was uninterested in the world, and in anything else, really. That was how I saw him.

Even so... Jeord had genuinely panicked at the sight of Katarina’s projectile toy snake. And now, he was angry at the fact that he panicked...? Is this really Jeord...?

I could only stare on blankly as Jeord openly announced his intent — he would tell Madam Claes about all the naughty things she had done this entire time. Katarina, who had been so confident and triumphant just moments ago, now seemed pale and genuinely shaken.

Why was she so proud of the discovery to begin with? Snakes...? I don’t understand.

Look at her! She’s now desperately apologizing to Jeord, and looks like she could cry at any moment. While I did empathize with the sorry sight... I could not help but laugh. This is ridiculous! Katarina, Jeord... they all look so silly!

I couldn’t hold it in any longer. I doubled over, hugging my stomach, and...

I laughed. Tears flowed from my eyes, but I laughed, and kept laughing. It was the first time in my life I had laughed like this. I was laughing, crying — which, I was no longer sure. The tears that had been locked away in my heart intermingled with my newfound tears of laughter and joy — after a while I no longer knew which was which. My vision soon cleared, and my heart felt at ease.

After a while, Katarina was forcibly escorted away by Madam Claes, and in the light of this, Jeord and I returned to the royal castle.

Upon our return, I called out to Jeord. “Ha! Even you have something you can’t deal with, huh?”

Before I knew it, I was speaking with Jeord casually — come to think of it, it has been a long time since I had spoken to him in this fashion. At my words, Jeord’s constantly smug smile faltered, replaced with a slight, momentary scowl. It was the first time I had ever seen him make another expression.

“I would not say that I cannot deal with it. It is more of... something I do not like very much.”

For some reason, Jeord couldn’t seem to maintain his usual smile at the mention, or perhaps suggestion of snakes. Something he doesn’t like? So he’s bad with snakes? How unexpected and silly! To think that my brother has such a side.

“I’d thought that you were fine with everything, and that you could do anything.”

Maybe that was all but an assumption on my part, in the end. Jeord was not the one that had entrapped me and made me feel inferior. All these emotions... they had welled up from inside me.

All this time, I had not been seeing Jeord for who he really was. After all, even Jeord had something he couldn’t handle... and I was the same. I learned that, on this day... all thanks to that strange and crazy eldest daughter of Duke Claes.

“Of course there are things I am bad with, and things I cannot do.”

“Oh, really? Do tell.” Encouraged by the faltering, half-scowl smile that Jeord still had on his face, I casually continued the conversation.

“Ah, yes... well. For example, predicting the actions of a certain Katarina Claes, I would say?”

“...Yeah. That... That is true,” I replied, an awkward smile on my own face.

Climbing trees out of nowhere with the speed of a monkey, and then suddenly hurling toy snakes at people? Even the great Jeord would be hard pressed to predict the actions of someone like that. Katarina’s triumphant face resurfaced in my mind — that face she made after she had startled Jeord with the toy snake...

My cheeks felt warm. I wanted to recall that face for a while, and remember how absurd it all was.

“On another note... did you not have yet another challenge with Katarina today? Are you going to challenge her again soon?”

“Hmm... Yeah. About that... I think we’re good.”

While I did think about it, I now felt that I was done with these challenges. All this time, I had been obsessed with winning and losing. Now, however, that all seemed like a distant lie — and a strange peace washed over my heart.

“Well then, in that case, we would never meet at the Claes Manor again.”

“Eh? What? Why?” I said, suddenly jolted back to my senses. I didn’t understand what he meant by that.

“Why? But of course, now that you are done with your challenges, there is no further need to visit, no?”

“Well... yes, there’s that I guess...”

Come to think of it, I had only been visiting the Claes manor to compete with Katarina. Now that a contest was no longer necessary, I supposed I no longer had a reason to visit...

I could see Katarina’s azure eyes staring straight at me. Even if she was my brother’s fiancée, not visiting the Claes manor anymore meant that I would not see Katarina again. At least, not often.

...I did not like that thought.

As I stood, lost in thought, Jeord suddenly looked straight at me, his eyes determined and serious. It was the first time I had seen such an expression on his face.

“She is my fiancée, Alan.”

“??” What is he going on about? I know that already! Confused, I asked Jeord for a clarification.

“Ah, so you do not notice it yourself. Even so, brother... I will never let you have her,” Jeord said, once more with that smug smile. With a quick turn, he was gone, swiftly walking in the general direction of his room.

I didn’t quite understand his point — all I could do was watch as Jeord disappeared down the hallway. Up until now, such a sight would have filled my heart with pain and sorrow, but for some reason I felt fine now. While I did not exactly like him all of a sudden, that black aura that haunted my vision seemed gone, along with the emotions that it brought about.

I walked back to my room as well. On my way back, I looked out of a window — and there in the garden were two tall trees, standing side by side. Again, I recalled a certain strange daughter of a duke, who was ridiculously good at climbing trees.

Was she sad after being reprimanded by Madam Claes? I was the one who had challenged her in the first place... so I felt somewhat responsible for her predicament.

Well, I suppose I could just visit and apologize the next time — and maybe bring some of those candies and snacks that the silly girl loved so much. She would stuff her face full of them, just like some sort of tree squirrel.

Ah, the mere thought of it... hilarious. I feel better already.