“You mean you prepared something like that all by yourself, Your Highness?!”
The Imperial family had local doctors on standby in case the doctors in the capital refused treatment.
I was taken aback when I heard that fact from Nike.
"My older brother helped me."
“How? He's just going to listen to you out of the blue, suggesting we make preparations like that?”
“My older brother knows that I have returned to the past.”
“...?”
I was stunned for a moment.
“...You said you confessed to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince? When?”
"It's been quite a while. Three years ago."
"Yes?!!!"
That's ridiculous!
I recalled a conversation I had with Ryan sometime ago.
"Did the Third Prince perhaps tell anyone about his regression?"
“That’s ridiculous. Is he a wild boar? To charge headfirst like Dad.”
He was a wild boar!
“Back then, you were young, so I couldn’t get my older brother to understand why I wanted to get close to you. That’s why I said I had returned to the past.”
Nike isn't usually like this, but it seems like playing with Ryan had a bad influence on him...
"My memory is incomplete, but I vaguely recalled you, and I even told him that we were in a romantic relationship."
Ah.
It was only then that I realized why the Crown Prince had understood Nike and me so naturally in the past.
“He is of marriageable age, so I tried to find him a fiancée, but he asked me to wait three years. I wondered why on earth it had to be three years, but I heard he is waiting for your daughter, Ryan, to come of age.”
Back then, I liked it so much that I just let it slide, thinking, "Oh well, that's just how it is!"
But it was strange. Think about it.
No matter how much the Crown Prince was a fool for his younger sibling, would he have meekly listened to the crazy idea of waiting for the minor to grow up?
'So that's why he did it—because he knew both that Nike had returned and that I was his lover...'
The truth of that day has finally been revealed.
“Then, by any chance, does he know that I am a person with supernatural abilities and a time traveler...”
“I didn’t say that. I only said that Ryan’s daughter was in the memories from before the regression.”
"Oh!"
Thank god!
In that case, the Crown Prince believes that Nike's lover is the incapable 'Belzer' rather than the ability-possessed 'Wasenberg'...
"But now you're noticed."
Aaaaaaaah!
"Because my older brother is a sharp person."
That's right. Besides, there's the work we've done so far.
There is no way that the extraordinary Crown Prince could not have deduced it.
"But I thought it wouldn't be bad if he found out naturally. There's no reason not to trust him, and after all, we have to uncover Ryan's true identity in the end."
"That's pright."
It would be a good thing if Nike eased the Crown Prince's guard in the middle, and my identity was naturally revealed.
The Crown Prince is simply negative toward people with supernatural abilities. It is difficult to gain his trust.
However, the fact that I was the 'lover' of Nike, the younger brother trusted by the Crown Prince, must have been taken into consideration.
'Now I finally understand what's going on inside the Crown Prince's head.'
He must have thought that he needed me, the 'regressor'.
Helping Belzer grow, bestowing the title of Count upon Ryan... That must be the reason why things proceeded more easily and quickly than expected.
Because we interacted with Ryan during that process, we were also able to have time to prove ourselves to the Crown Prince.
Time for Ryan to prove he is harmless.
Even if he reveals that he is a <Instant Death> possessor, it is time for the Crown Prince to build enough trust so that he does not reject him but rather believes in him and puts a sword in his hand.
Therefore, looking only at the results, everything was perfect.
Except for just one thing.
"Is there a problem?"
Nike looked at my gloomy expression and asked worriedly.
After returning to the past, the moment I first met the Crown Prince comes to mind.
I met him at the academy where I went to enroll Alex, and to get his help, I... abandoned myself...
Pretending to be a child...
“Alex! Catch me if you can!”
“Sob. Sob. Waaah!”
The fact that on that day, the mind of an adult woman was trapped in the body of a thirteen-year-old child.
I hoped the Crown Prince would never know that fact...
"Ugh."
“Why, why are you crying again?”
“If there is someone with supernatural abilities who can treat even those so-called gods like ants, then do it?”
When asked what that meant, Ryan remained silent.
"Please think about it and let me know."
It was hard for Bane to calm down.
He couldn't miss the event, so he stood on one side of the ballroom, but his mind was filled with other complicated thoughts.
In the past, Bane was...
“Nike. Speaking of that child, Vania, could she possibly be someone with supernatural abilities?”
Because he coveted the existence of a returnee with intact memories, he once asked Nike, wanting to share his secrets and communicate freely.
"No."
However, the younger brother kept quiet, perhaps because he didn't trust his older brother.
Why?
He must know that he's asking with a certain degree of certainty.
Is it because of my younger sibling's rigid nature?
Are you trying to uphold your values of not carelessly revealing others' secrets, even if he is your older brother?
No.
'That wasn't it. He didn't say anything on purpose. To manipulate him.'
In the end, to win over the time traveler Vania, he began to approach Ryan, not through Nike.
He lifted him up, gained his trust to reveal Vania's secrets, and has come this far.
At the same time, Bane himself...
He gradually came to know what kind of person Ryan was and built trust in him.
That was exactly what Nike intended.
The Crown Prince personally spent a long time getting to know the person named Ryan and coming to trust him.
The focus was on Ryan from the beginning, not Vania.
“Your Highness! Did you see me?”
Ryan approaches.
Right, if only I had found out his 'identity' first, when I knew nothing about him...
Because he would never have trusted Ryan, lifted him up, or let him be by his side.
"What do you mean by 'I saw'?"
"I just danced with the Viscountess Clinton. I actually danced well this time without stepping on her feet."
"Yeah, you did well."
When praised, Ryan puffed out his chest.
"Yes, then please tell me now."
"...What?"
Ryan whispered with a serious expression as he looked around the ballroom.
"Shouldn't I also start to become a political comet soon? Please let me know which of the nobles gathered here I should befriend and which I should avoid."
“...”
...Bane, who had been nervous for no reason, felt all the strength drain away.
“There is no need to filter anyone out. All the nobles who came today are from families friendly to the Imperial Family.”
“Huh? Why?”
“Why do you think? Granting you a title is, in itself, a blatant provocation against Wassenberg, so do you think the nobles who support them would come here without any sense of tact?”
“Wow, that’s petty. That’s one thing, and this is another. When there’s something good to happen, shouldn’t we all celebrate together with one heart?”
“...”
Really, is this seemingly naive man truly such a powerful being? Bane couldn't believe it...
"But the more I think about it, the more certain it is. So much so that I wonder why I couldn't have suspected this until now."
Vania Belzer. A regressor who had the surname Wassenberg before the regression.
Ryan, the new fence she chose after abandoning her family and returning to the past.
Why did Vania choose Ryan?
Is it simply because he was the blood relative who would become the protector in the life after the regression?
'No.'
It was an 'intentional' choice with a clearer reason than that.
Bane gazed intently at Ryan's profile, who looked completely innocent.
What kind of life did he live before the regression?
What did he do?
Why did he leave Wasenberg with such an absurd ability in his hands?
"Count Belzer, it is a pleasure to meet you. It is my first time greeting you."
Just then, a lady of good looks and figure approached. Ryan smiled and greeted her back.
"Yes, nice to meet you."
"I am Clara Zeppelin."
However, at the lady's self-introduction, Ryan somehow froze stiff.
Bane immediately caught on to the suspicious reaction and became on edge.
“Haha. Just a moment.”
Ryan left the lady behind and returned, then pressed his lips against Bane's ear.
“Your Highness, ‘Clara’? I think that person is...!”
Bane traced his nervous lips.
“Yew. Tell me. Why are you like that?”
"I think it's my destiny."
“...?”
"What are you talking about?" Bane frowned at the completely unexpected remark.
He was about to ask more, but Ryan snorted, straightened his jacket, and headed back to the lady.
"For a moment!"
She looks at least ten years older than him, so what are you talking about regarding fate?
“Greetings, Count Belzer. I am later than my wife. I am Viscount Bruce Zeppelin.”
The husband made a perfect appearance!
'Right, she's a married woman!'
Ryan, who was about to reach out to Viscountess Zeppelin,
"Groan."
He naturally turned his body in that same position and faced Bane, who was standing behind him.
And he mouthed the words as if he had narrowly escaped death.
That was a close call!
“...”
Bane looked at the immature man in disbelief and thought again.
'The man... really?'
I really can't believe it...
The Imperial family had local doctors on standby in case the doctors in the capital refused treatment.
I was taken aback when I heard that fact from Nike.
"My older brother helped me."
“How? He's just going to listen to you out of the blue, suggesting we make preparations like that?”
“My older brother knows that I have returned to the past.”
“...?”
I was stunned for a moment.
“...You said you confessed to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince? When?”
"It's been quite a while. Three years ago."
"Yes?!!!"
That's ridiculous!
I recalled a conversation I had with Ryan sometime ago.
"Did the Third Prince perhaps tell anyone about his regression?"
“That’s ridiculous. Is he a wild boar? To charge headfirst like Dad.”
He was a wild boar!
“Back then, you were young, so I couldn’t get my older brother to understand why I wanted to get close to you. That’s why I said I had returned to the past.”
Nike isn't usually like this, but it seems like playing with Ryan had a bad influence on him...
"My memory is incomplete, but I vaguely recalled you, and I even told him that we were in a romantic relationship."
Ah.
It was only then that I realized why the Crown Prince had understood Nike and me so naturally in the past.
“He is of marriageable age, so I tried to find him a fiancée, but he asked me to wait three years. I wondered why on earth it had to be three years, but I heard he is waiting for your daughter, Ryan, to come of age.”
Back then, I liked it so much that I just let it slide, thinking, "Oh well, that's just how it is!"
But it was strange. Think about it.
No matter how much the Crown Prince was a fool for his younger sibling, would he have meekly listened to the crazy idea of waiting for the minor to grow up?
'So that's why he did it—because he knew both that Nike had returned and that I was his lover...'
The truth of that day has finally been revealed.
“Then, by any chance, does he know that I am a person with supernatural abilities and a time traveler...”
“I didn’t say that. I only said that Ryan’s daughter was in the memories from before the regression.”
"Oh!"
Thank god!
In that case, the Crown Prince believes that Nike's lover is the incapable 'Belzer' rather than the ability-possessed 'Wasenberg'...
"But now you're noticed."
Aaaaaaaah!
"Because my older brother is a sharp person."
That's right. Besides, there's the work we've done so far.
There is no way that the extraordinary Crown Prince could not have deduced it.
"But I thought it wouldn't be bad if he found out naturally. There's no reason not to trust him, and after all, we have to uncover Ryan's true identity in the end."
"That's pright."
It would be a good thing if Nike eased the Crown Prince's guard in the middle, and my identity was naturally revealed.
The Crown Prince is simply negative toward people with supernatural abilities. It is difficult to gain his trust.
However, the fact that I was the 'lover' of Nike, the younger brother trusted by the Crown Prince, must have been taken into consideration.
'Now I finally understand what's going on inside the Crown Prince's head.'
He must have thought that he needed me, the 'regressor'.
Helping Belzer grow, bestowing the title of Count upon Ryan... That must be the reason why things proceeded more easily and quickly than expected.
Because we interacted with Ryan during that process, we were also able to have time to prove ourselves to the Crown Prince.
Time for Ryan to prove he is harmless.
Even if he reveals that he is a <Instant Death> possessor, it is time for the Crown Prince to build enough trust so that he does not reject him but rather believes in him and puts a sword in his hand.
Therefore, looking only at the results, everything was perfect.
Except for just one thing.
"Is there a problem?"
Nike looked at my gloomy expression and asked worriedly.
After returning to the past, the moment I first met the Crown Prince comes to mind.
I met him at the academy where I went to enroll Alex, and to get his help, I... abandoned myself...
Pretending to be a child...
“Alex! Catch me if you can!”
“Sob. Sob. Waaah!”
The fact that on that day, the mind of an adult woman was trapped in the body of a thirteen-year-old child.
I hoped the Crown Prince would never know that fact...
"Ugh."
“Why, why are you crying again?”
***
“If there is someone with supernatural abilities who can treat even those so-called gods like ants, then do it?”
When asked what that meant, Ryan remained silent.
"Please think about it and let me know."
It was hard for Bane to calm down.
He couldn't miss the event, so he stood on one side of the ballroom, but his mind was filled with other complicated thoughts.
In the past, Bane was...
“Nike. Speaking of that child, Vania, could she possibly be someone with supernatural abilities?”
Because he coveted the existence of a returnee with intact memories, he once asked Nike, wanting to share his secrets and communicate freely.
"No."
However, the younger brother kept quiet, perhaps because he didn't trust his older brother.
Why?
He must know that he's asking with a certain degree of certainty.
Is it because of my younger sibling's rigid nature?
Are you trying to uphold your values of not carelessly revealing others' secrets, even if he is your older brother?
No.
'That wasn't it. He didn't say anything on purpose. To manipulate him.'
In the end, to win over the time traveler Vania, he began to approach Ryan, not through Nike.
He lifted him up, gained his trust to reveal Vania's secrets, and has come this far.
At the same time, Bane himself...
He gradually came to know what kind of person Ryan was and built trust in him.
That was exactly what Nike intended.
The Crown Prince personally spent a long time getting to know the person named Ryan and coming to trust him.
The focus was on Ryan from the beginning, not Vania.
“Your Highness! Did you see me?”
Ryan approaches.
Right, if only I had found out his 'identity' first, when I knew nothing about him...
Because he would never have trusted Ryan, lifted him up, or let him be by his side.
"What do you mean by 'I saw'?"
"I just danced with the Viscountess Clinton. I actually danced well this time without stepping on her feet."
"Yeah, you did well."
When praised, Ryan puffed out his chest.
"Yes, then please tell me now."
"...What?"
Ryan whispered with a serious expression as he looked around the ballroom.
"Shouldn't I also start to become a political comet soon? Please let me know which of the nobles gathered here I should befriend and which I should avoid."
“...”
...Bane, who had been nervous for no reason, felt all the strength drain away.
“There is no need to filter anyone out. All the nobles who came today are from families friendly to the Imperial Family.”
“Huh? Why?”
“Why do you think? Granting you a title is, in itself, a blatant provocation against Wassenberg, so do you think the nobles who support them would come here without any sense of tact?”
“Wow, that’s petty. That’s one thing, and this is another. When there’s something good to happen, shouldn’t we all celebrate together with one heart?”
“...”
Really, is this seemingly naive man truly such a powerful being? Bane couldn't believe it...
"But the more I think about it, the more certain it is. So much so that I wonder why I couldn't have suspected this until now."
Vania Belzer. A regressor who had the surname Wassenberg before the regression.
Ryan, the new fence she chose after abandoning her family and returning to the past.
Why did Vania choose Ryan?
Is it simply because he was the blood relative who would become the protector in the life after the regression?
'No.'
It was an 'intentional' choice with a clearer reason than that.
Bane gazed intently at Ryan's profile, who looked completely innocent.
What kind of life did he live before the regression?
What did he do?
Why did he leave Wasenberg with such an absurd ability in his hands?
"Count Belzer, it is a pleasure to meet you. It is my first time greeting you."
Just then, a lady of good looks and figure approached. Ryan smiled and greeted her back.
"Yes, nice to meet you."
"I am Clara Zeppelin."
However, at the lady's self-introduction, Ryan somehow froze stiff.
Bane immediately caught on to the suspicious reaction and became on edge.
“Haha. Just a moment.”
Ryan left the lady behind and returned, then pressed his lips against Bane's ear.
“Your Highness, ‘Clara’? I think that person is...!”
Bane traced his nervous lips.
“Yew. Tell me. Why are you like that?”
"I think it's my destiny."
“...?”
"What are you talking about?" Bane frowned at the completely unexpected remark.
He was about to ask more, but Ryan snorted, straightened his jacket, and headed back to the lady.
"For a moment!"
She looks at least ten years older than him, so what are you talking about regarding fate?
'No, wait—that woman!'
The husband made a perfect appearance!
'Right, she's a married woman!'
Ryan, who was about to reach out to Viscountess Zeppelin,
"Groan."
He naturally turned his body in that same position and faced Bane, who was standing behind him.
And he mouthed the words as if he had narrowly escaped death.
That was a close call!
“...”
Bane looked at the immature man in disbelief and thought again.
'The man... really?'
I really can't believe it...
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