Thus, I dreamt.
“If only that were true…”
It was the night of the Spirit Festival. The atmosphere of the festival still lingered heavily around, but Lena had already retreated to the orphanage and secluded herself in the attic room.
There was no desk, no chair. Not even a bed in that space. She simply held a candlestick in one hand and stared at the night sky through the cut-out window.
On that day, heralding the beginning of a new season, the sky remained clear even at night, with stars twinkling here and there.
From outside, she could hear the cheerful singing of people who had enjoyed themselves with wine and dancing.
Lena listened absentmindedly, reflecting on the events of the day.
The handsome prince had embraced her, and “Leonora von Harkenberg” had appeared.
The crowd, utterly captivated by her beauty and innocence, had cheered deafeningly in her honor.
In the end, that big, utterly foolish, dreadfully dense, flag-generating miser had clasped his hands meaningfully, leading to rumors of her being a saint spreading widely.
Yes, at that time, she and that fool had met eyes for a moment. No, she had glared at him so fiercely that he had cowered and started praying to the spirits.
In any case, she remembered thinking, “Drop dead, you absolute idiot.” The memory was vague beyond that.
She didn’t even clearly recall how she had returned to the orphanage. Vaguely, she thought of the children’s unusual excitement and Bruno gathering them and bringing them back together, but she had no certainty.
Before she knew it, she was sitting dazed in the attic room.
Lena knew that deep despair and anger could rob a person of their sense of time. It wasn’t something she wanted to know, nor was it a discovery that brought any joy.
“Knock.”
At that moment, someone knocked on the door and entered. She knew without turning around.
The way they knocked and their silent footsteps indicated it was Bruno.
“Lena, you’re still up?”
When speaking with Lena alone, Bruno often used his native language, Elrandic. Lena, equally proficient in both Weitzian and Elrandic, unconsciously responded in Elrandic.
“Of course, I am. It’s not even that late.”
“It’s actually past midnight.”
With the noisy drunks outside, it was hard to tell, but it seemed to have become quite late. Lena furrowed her brows bitterly, realizing her mind was truly numb.
“Whatever, it doesn’t matter. What do you want?”
She was too irritated to consider that Bruno might be concerned about her. She had no need to display social niceties in front of this man.
Lena asked in a prickly tone, but Bruno merely lifted his thin lips slightly.
“A letter.”
He handed her a thick stack of paper.
“A letter?”
“Yes. It came by fast horse. To this orphanage, at such a late hour. You can guess who sent it.”
“Give it here.”
Lena quickly stood up, snatching the letter from Bruno. She held it up to the candlelight, examining the sender.
Leonora von Harkenberg. It was from that big, utterly foolish, dreadfully dense, flag-generating miser.
Lena silently sat back down, swiftly breaking the seal and scanning the contents. She didn’t mind Bruno sitting beside her and looking over her shoulder.
The fine parchment was filled with small, densely packed text. The first two pages were nothing but apologies to Lena.
Considering the miser usually wrote his letters in a stingy, concise manner on a single page, this extensive apology was unprecedented. Lena hated herself for understanding this.
After the grand apology, the letter explained that from now on, any correspondence between Leo and Lena would not be subject to censorship.
Apparently, Leo had convinced his attendants that “Leo of the Hanna Orphanage” was a brilliant orphan with deep knowledge of magic, whose ideas had inspired the water summoning array. To protect the array’s confidentiality, their exchanges would be kept secret.
It was true that Kai had acknowledged Lena’s exceptional intelligence, so he was easily deceived, but still, it was absurd.
However, it did resolve one troublesome issue, so Lena refrained from pointing out the absurdity. Though, she did think that such “considerate efforts” should be directed elsewhere.
The letter then moved on to explain the recent events.
Leo had attended a tea party arranged by his grandparents, the Marquis and Marchioness, as a final act of filial piety. The prince, whose magic had been sealed, had appeared at the event.
The emperor hinted at revoking the prince’s succession rights and suggested the empress “take responsibility and fall to the status of a commoner.”
So far, that was understandable. It couldn’t be said to be entirely Leo’s fault.
The problem was that Leo had thought, “If I become a commoner, I can disappear freely,” and “I might as well make the prince my junior and use him as labor at the orphanage.”
He had boldly declared, “Even if we fall to commoners, we’ll be together!” and reassured the prince, “So don’t worry!”
“What an idiot…!”
Holding her head, Lena read the contents of the letter. But the earnest tone continued.
Admittedly, I got carried away. I couldn’t help but feel a bit of schadenfreude towards the prince who had always wanted to imprison or execute me. Feeling liberated, I even considered calling him “Al.”
But that was a mistake. The prince, enraged by my attitude, unleashed his magic, breaking the legendary seal that had even troubled the Founder. I was genuinely terrified.
The furious prince restrained my arm, declared he would never let me go, and proclaimed he would take over the empire. He then dragged me to the balcony, despite my resistance, to show my face to the public and make escape difficult.
I resisted with all my might, but it was futile. The rest is as you saw, Lena.
I am truly sorry. My thoughtless actions have caused this disaster…
The letter continued with more apologies, but Lena ignored them.
“No, that’s not it at all!”
With trembling hands, Lena crushed the letter.
Prince Albert was not angered by Leonora’s declaration that they would be together even as commoners. He was overjoyed. Though the details were unclear, it was evident that Leo’s unnecessary “reassurance” had further fueled the prince’s resolve.
The phrase “calling him Al” likely transformed into a teary “Al…,” which gave the prince even more courage, causing his magic to erupt.
“Never letting go” was, of course, a proposal. The takeover declaration was an announcement of ascension, and the balcony scene was an introduction of his beloved.
Even without being there, Lena could easily imagine the scene. How could Leo completely misunderstand it?
“What is this? Is he an idiot? A fool? Is he missing ten screws in his head?”
“Don’t say that. It’s his nature. He’s incredibly oblivious to affection and love.”
Bruno added nonchalantly. Lena fell silent for a moment.
The children at the orphanage were all cheerful, bright, and carefree, but moments like this occasionally revealed shadows.
“…Even so, this level of misunderstanding is absurd.”
After murmuring, Lena pursed her lips. She also had some responsibility for not reverting Leo to his original form when he returned to the orphanage. She had given in to unnecessary sentimentality.
Emotions only ever cause trouble.
If she had properly explained that the prince was showing affection, perhaps—
(Wait, hold on.)
Lena thought. Given how Leo was blessed by the spirit of misunderstanding, who knew what kind of situation might have unfolded?
For example, let’s simulate. If Leo realized the prince’s feelings were affectionate rather than hostile—
(First, he’d be surprised. Then, being the fool he is, he’d straightforwardly ask the prince, “You don’t really love me, do you?” No, he’d probably stammer, “Prince, you don’t… really love me… do you?” or something like that.)
Lena shivered. What a misunderstanding machine. With his endearing appearance, asking such a thing with an upward glance would surely be seen as a sign of doubt or harassment.
(Then the prince would be like, “Why would you think that…!” and Leo would reply, “I can’t believe it,” or “I can’t possibly be loved by the prince,” and the prince would respond, “How can I make you believe me, Leonora…! Maybe…!”)
Lena cut off the thought. She wasn’t a fan of romance novels, but knowing how a man’s mind filled with lust and the pretentious nature of nobles worked, such a scenario seemed inevitable.
(But he’s only twelve; such a deep development… No, it’s still a valid age for marriage among old nobles! But it’s Leo; surely not… No, it’s precisely because it’s him that anything unexpected could happen!)
Optimistic thoughts were immediately crushed by horrifying possibilities.
Oh, if only she had undone the magic that sealed his abusive speech. But even that could lead to unpredictable consequences. The more he could speak, the larger the scale of misunderstandings could become.
Leo’s quality was to turn every input into a terrifying misunderstanding.
(What should I do…)
Lost in thought, Lena glanced back at the letter.
The earnest tone continued, now suggesting future measures.
Reflecting on this disaster, I believe the source of the prince’s anger is that I became his fiancée. To remedy this situation, I think the first step should be to annul the engagement and calm the prince.
The quickest way would be to ask the prince directly to annul the engagement—
“Stop it! No, definitely don’t do that! That’s exactly the same pattern!”
Lena screamed. A girl with no fault requesting to annul an engagement would surely be interpreted as “lacking
confidence in love.”
“That’s not it at all! It’s a trap! A cunning, disgusting trap!”
As Lena tore the letter in half, she turned back to Bruno, looking up at him.
“Write a response for me. Even if it takes the entire night.”
Bruno’s eyes widened momentarily, then he smiled wryly and nodded.
“Alright, I’ll bring the ink and parchment. Let’s write it in Elandian to avoid potential prying eyes.”
“Yes, thank you, Bruno. I’ll dictate. You write.”
The candlelight flickered, casting long shadows on the attic walls. In the dim light, Lena began to dictate her urgent response, hoping to avert further misunderstandings and disasters.
But to be honest, I don’t have the courage to directly approach the prince about breaking off the engagement. He might get angry again and behead me on the spot. I’m sorry for being such a coward. If possible, I’d like to take an indirect approach.
“Indirect approach…?”
Lena, somewhat relieved, furrowed her brows. In essence, the plan was to behave in a manner unbecoming of a fiancé so that the prince would break off the engagement himself.
Lena, understanding the gist of the plan, continued reading.
I’m not keen on committing a crime, but in this case, doing something one shouldn’t as a person might be the best course of action. The crimes that come to mind are robbery and embezzlement. Nothing else fits better.
Therefore, though I’m reluctant, I think it would be good to break into the prince’s room and steal some of his jewelry. If I target something he wears often, it will be discovered quickly, and the engagement will be annulled sooner. Alternatively, embezzling the money set aside for the engagement might work as well.
Incidentally, if I secretly divert that money to the orphanage, everyone there will be happy. Lena, you should take some as compensation too (this is my utmost apology).
Lena, who had been seriously considering the proposal up to this point, suddenly realized the terrible flaw hidden within it.
“That’s not going to work!”
She buried her head in her hands again.
“What’s wrong? It seems like a fairly reasonable plan from Leo.”
“It’s not reasonable at all!”
Lena snapped at Bruno, who had been peeking at the letter from the side.
“Firstly, as the fiancé, I have free access to the prince’s room. ‘Breaking in’ is not a valid concept. Besides, taking something he often wears will only look like a cute plea for a memento from a beloved fiancé!”
“Is that so…?”
“Yes, it is! That’s the kind of terrible misunderstanding he’s prone to!”
Glaring at the letter, Lena continued.
“As for the latter, it will be interpreted as a ‘kind-hearted girl who donates her engagement money to the orphanage’. He would secretly donate it too. But somehow, if it fails and is discovered, it might even be seen as a virtue. That’s how things turn out around him. Absolutely.”
Bruno tilted his head, murmuring, “Isn’t that overthinking…?” but Lena did not back down. Without such misunderstandings and circumstances, the current abominable image of a ‘saint’ could never have been established. And, unbeknownst to anyone, her reading was terrifyingly accurate. Feeling overwhelmed, Lena shouted and stomped on the letter lying on the floor.
“The biggest crimes he can think of are robbery and embezzlement? Usually, when you think of crimes, it’s plotting to assassinate the prince or conspiring with a neighboring country to overthrow the state!”
“…That’s a matter of defining normality.”
Bruno, calmly interjecting, found his shirt collar grabbed by Lena.
“Bruno! How can you be so calm when your best friend is about to be forced into marriage with a man!? You were so distraught before, so why are you so composed now?”
“Well, you see,” Bruno replied, unperturbed by the shaking.
“When someone is executed, they die. But when someone gets married, they don’t die. Also, last time Leo was just caught up in it, but this time he’s at fault too.”
“…”
“I’m not his guardian,” Bruno added coolly. Lena, letting go of his shirt, felt an odd mixture of heat and coldness. Their friendship, whether intense or detached, was incomprehensible.
Bruno, fixing his clothes, glanced out the window. Raising his face to the night breeze, he murmured, “Besides, I don’t think it’s the right time.”
“Not the right time…?”
Something in his tone made it hard to argue, and Lena reflexively repeated his words. His obsidian eyes on his dark skin, unusual in the Weitz Empire, gave off an odd intensity when he looked serious, more like facing a holy seer than a warrior.
Bruno, gazing at the stars outside, continued calmly.
“The flow of nature is unshakable and grand. The hand of fate is enormous, and no one can escape it. Those who swim against the current will suffer unnecessary wounds and drown.”
“What…?”
Sensing an inexplicable unease, Lena murmured. Bruno, returning to his usual expressionless self, continued.
“Even if we struggle now, we’ll be summoned again. As long as he’s twelve, nothing we do will matter. And I hate wasting effort. When he turns thirteen, we can kidnap him, and it will be over in one go.”
“Is that all?”
Basically, it’s a hassle. His grandiose way of speaking made her brace for something more, and Lena felt a mix of relief and irritation as she gathered up the scattered letter.
“Even so, he’s a fool who’s worsened the situation in just two weeks. We need to take steps to prevent it from getting any worse.”
Muttering complaints, Lena felt a bit lighter. Yes, she had been obsessing over fixing things immediately, but for the next ten months, no matter what she did, she would be summoned back to the academy. On the flip side, this meant she had that time to figure things out. Instead of solving everything now, she needed to focus on preventing further deterioration.
This newfound calm allowed Lena to regain her usual clear thinking and determination. Just moments ago, she had been staring blankly at the night sky, but now her eyes were sharp and calculating once more.
“First, I need to ensure the security around him doesn’t tighten further. And more importantly, I must prevent him from making any unnecessary moves. All plans should be made here, and he should do nothing but breathe.”
Bruno watched her with interest as she thought intensely, hand to her lips.
“Lena.”
“What is it? I’m busy right now.”
“No, it’s just… even though this is Leo’s mess, you’re still helping clean it up. You’re kind.”
“What…”
Lena glared at him, stopping her thoughts.
“Don’t give me that warm, fuzzy nonsense! I’m not doing this out of kindness. I just know things will get worse if I leave it to that idiot. So I have to… reluctantly…”
“Reluctantly take on all the responsibility and clean up the mess yourself.”
“No!”
Bruno, uncharacteristically amused, made Lena Purse her lips.
No.
Absolutely not.
She wasn’t doing this for Leo. She was just cleaning up the mess she had caused, which had been worsened by Leo. It was like a boss covering for an incompetent subordinate.
It was a responsibility, and since the subordinate couldn’t handle it, she had to.
As she struggled to find the right words to argue, Bruno spoke again, faster than she could respond.
“Lena.”
“…What?”
“Do you know why Emilio and the others don’t call you ‘big brother’?”
“Because they can’t see me as a ‘big brother.’ They hate me and see me as a stranger.”
“Half right, half wrong.”
Bruno, chuckling, picked up the candlestick from the floor and headed for the door. Before leaving, he turned back.
“They don’t know whether to call you ‘big brother’ or ‘big sister.'”
“…!”
Lena was speechless. As Bruno took the only light in the room, he added,
“Anyway, the current you, frantically taking on all the responsibility, is a fine ‘big brother,’ at least in the orphanage’s terms.”
He blew out the candle, saying it was a waste of wax, and left the dark room, leaving only the noise from outside filtering in.
“What the…”
Lena, blushing, murmured. Her as a ‘big brother’?
The one who ruined Leo’s life and couldn’t control the situation?
(That’s ridiculous. It’s Leo’s fault.)
She frowned, blaming Leo. Because he was naive and trusting, his younger brothers were also naive. Friendship and camaraderie were overrated, destructive emotions. They corrode rational thinking, making one’s mind weak.
“My mind will rot too…”
Her voice, surprisingly pitiful, made her realize how pathetic she sounded. Lena crouched down, burying her face in her knees, scratching the wooden floor. She didn’t even know what she was trying to erase.
The Hanna Orphanage was a terrifying place. It taught valuable lessons at the cost of corrupting rationality and reshaping minds in a dreadful way.
(I have to return to my old self…)
Otherwise, her values would be irreparably contaminated, making her never want to relinquish this position.
Lena raised her head and glared at the twinkling stars outside the window.
“I’ll help you, so you’d better help me… stupid Leo.”
The stars, grand and unyielding, returned only their cold, clear light.