"Ugh, I want to fall in love too..."
"Ha. What is so special about that love that you're losing your strength like this!"
Nike got angry. He seemed upset by the sight of Ryan having shrunk.
Ryan, who was being held in Nike's arms like a pitiful Princess, pouted and spoke.
"What is love that you would even sell out your country for...?"
"..."
Nike was speechless at the surprise attack.
“Ugh.”
Ryan sighed, trudged over to his bed, and flopped down.
It’s not necessarily just because of love. It’s just that the situation unfolded exactly as I had feared.
“A situation you were worried about?”
I sat down next to Ryan and asked.
"Yeah. I knew that a lot would change once my superpower was exposed to everyone."
He started speaking in a slightly depressed voice.
"You know my uncle? The one who had the instant kill ability."
“Ah, yes.”
"He's always been an outsider. Outside the family, and within it."
"...I see."
"From an ordinary person's perspective, people with supernatural abilities are all scary, but my uncle... how should I put it? He was even worse. It was to the point where even the families of other people with supernatural abilities avoided him."
When I heard it, it was obvious.
Is it any wonder that <Instant Death> was classified as the only top-tier superpower?
A superpower above superpowers, an extraordinary power that even other superpowered individuals find difficult to handle.
In fact, all the superpowered individuals were subdued by the holder of the instant death technique and ended up on the path to extinction.
"Since that ability first manifested in my uncle, it wasn't a power he was familiar with, and because he couldn't build proper relationships, he was probably very lonely."
"..."
"He told me several times that his ability wasn't very cool, and now I understand what he meant."
I think I know too.
People who know Ryan well treat him casually and have no trouble socializing with him, but it would be difficult to build a relationship with him for the first time without knowing him.
Just the fact that you are in the same space makes you break out in a cold sweat, and you act while constantly watching his reaction for fear of making a slip of the tongue...
It is sad, but it is something Ryan will inevitably have to go through whenever he forms a new relationship from now on.
"It must have been easier to build relationships when everyone thought of you as incompetent."
Ryan nodded at Nike's words as he listened.
"Yes. So I suppose you could say it's a relief. Because while I've been living pretending to be incompetent, I've made a lot of good friends who see me without prejudice."
Ryan, who had been talking, pointed at me and suddenly stood up.
"So I was really fascinated by you! How could you come find me on your own accord knowing my true identity?"
"..."
"I suppose it was because I was even more of a monster."
Ryan, having answered his own question, lay down again. I also flopped down next to him in the exact same pose.
"Still, Dad, you already have plenty of good people by your side. That's a relief, isn't it?"
"Yes."
Nike came closer. Then, looking down at us lying down just like him, he chuckled and said.
"And what if I can't get married? I have such a pretty younger sister right by my side."
"..."
Ryan turned to look at me. I blinked my eyes and made the prettiest face I could.
Haha, touching timing...
Ryan, who smirked at me.
"Why..."
He frowned, turned sharply at Nike, and burst out in anger.
"Are you cursing me for never being able to get married?! You're saying I'll fall in love someday too~~?!!!"
***
That afternoon.
The boisterous dinner time at Count Belzer's mansion.
"Well then! We have a special guest today, so I decided to show off my skills!"
Our always-kind nanny, Emma Hughes, carried a delicious-smelling gratin to the table.
The precious guest she is talking about is...
"Aren't you going home?"
Ryan asked Nike, who was sitting in the seat of honor.
Yes, the guest is my husband.
"Aren't you reporting to work for the Knights tomorrow?"
"Vania said she's not going home, so I'm going to sleep here and go straight to work."
"Ha"
Ryan looked at me across from him.
“Bunny, eat your meal and go sleep at your own house! How many days has a married woman been staying out overnight, leaving her husband behind?!”
“Hey~~”
"What do you mean, 'Hey'! You always try to gloss over things so carelessly!"
"No, if you go to Bunny's house!"
Just then, Christa next to me stopped holding her fork and shouted, butting in.
"Emma said she’d bake Stollen today. We’ve already made plans to play poker all night long while eating it."
"What?"
At those words, Richard flinched.
Ryan sighed and spoke to him, who was sitting next to Christa.
"You're teaching your younger siblings something really good."
"It's not gambling; we just play it like a card game."
"Aren't card games gradually turning into gambling?"
"Hahahaha! That's right, Father!"
Alex, who was next to Ryan, pointed at me and spoke like a chatterbox.
"Yesterday, my sister said it wasn't fun just playing cards, so she suggested we bet money."
“What?”
“Oh, Alex, you!”
Wow, what am I going to do with that traitor!
"Guys, please excuse me today."
Prince Merchen, who was sitting at the seat of honor on the opposite side of the table, spoke with dark circles under his eyes, reaching down to his chin.
"It wouldn't be so bad if they just played games quietly, but Vania and Christa talk non-stop, so my ears are bleeding."
"Haha, why not, let's do it together. Both of your voices are like nightingales and sound nice."
Merhen frowned at Richard's words.
"Are there really such aggressive nightingales? No way. I really want to catch up on my sleep tonight."
"Then let's include Revan!"
I pointed at Revan, who was helping Emma carry food plates.
Revan shook his head immediately.
"I'm busy. By the way, where is Kali? Why hasn't she come back yet?"
Everyone's eyes were on me.
Because Kali is my bodyguard.
"Um... I thought she might need a break, so I told her to go have some fun. She's probably at a pub drinking her fill with her
colleagues for the first time in a while."
That isn't wrong, but to be a little more precise, it's not 'colleagues' but one colleague.
That's right, Max.
Max, a man of 20 years with a pure heart, has finally entered straightforward courtship mode against the impenetrable Kali...
"She went out with that Max guy, right?"
Sharp-eyed Ryan immediately noticed and asked.
Well, everyone in my family knows that Max has feelings for Kali.
But right now, in front of Ryan, a bit!
"Everyone's making a fuss except me. The world is all pink, isn't it?"
Ryan glared at me as I cowered, then subtly signaled to Nike as well.
Since we were the only ones with partners here, we had to bear the full brunt of the lone lion's wrath.
"Stop being mean to Vania and go outside and find a good person yourself. If you don't do anything, you won't meet anyone."
Ryan pouted at Nike's words.
"Then, could you give me some dating tips, senior?"
"Ask them to have a meal together."
“And?”
"Say, ' Let's go see the flowers."
"Aso?"
"Give her a gift, too. And take her home."
"Wow!"
Alex, who had been listening to Nike's words, had a glint in his eyes.
"Is that all? Did Your Highness really seduce my sister like that? It wasn't that difficult."
“No, Alex.”
Christa shook her head.
Then, he mimicked sweeping his hand over his face up and down.
"You have to be good-looking. These are actions that only work if you have the basic prerequisites. You shouldn't be under the delusion that doing that guarantees success."
"Aha?"
"If the Prince were ugly, Bunny would never have gone to see flowers with him."
"...? Me, What am I...!"
"But! Our cutie is objectively so pretty and handsome, so don't worry and feel free to make a girlfriend according to that rule~~."
“Haha! Really?”
As Christa acted silly, Alex blushed shyly.
Crack!
"I am..?"
Ryan slammed his hand on the table a couple of times, drawing everyone's attention.
"Can I use a tip that only works on good-looking people? Aren't I handsome enough to be called a heartthrob?"
"That's right. You're handsome, too."
Christa readily admitted it, tore off a piece of bread, and dipped it into the soup, adding
"But you have a big problem, brother. That people are afraid of you. So, if I were to give you some advice, try finding a woman like Bunny. That's all you need to do."
“Hmph.”
What are you talking about?
Everyone saw Christa.
She put the bread in her mouth and said nonchalantly.
"Bunny takes all other factors into account as long as you're handsome."
"...?!?"
I was shocked.
"What are you talking about! I'm not that kind of person!"
"Ever since you were little, you’ve been singing about how you’re going to meet a handsome person."
"I...!"
...Me, saying such things.
"I'm going to meet the most handsome person in the world. Someone with a face I never get tired of seeing every day, someone so handsome that even if we fight, just looking at their face makes my anger melt away."
Yes, it's the same thing I did.
When I was eight?
Ever since I didn't know anything...
“Oh, right.”
Richard let out a gasp.
"Christa, do you remember Fred? I still remember that kid's name."
"I can't forget it. He's the page at Windsor Castle that Bunny always looked after."
Wow, this is a big problem.
My past began to surface. Cold sweat immediately broke out at the mention of Fred. I rolled my eyes to the side, and my gaze met Nike's.
"Fred was a bit of a mean man. He was always pinching Bunny and Christa, pulling their hair, and lifting their skirts."
"Oh, brother! Stop! Let's stop right there!"
"No, keep talking!"
I hurriedly tried to stop Richard, but Ryan, who was already interested, glared at him and egged him on.
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