Chapter 22
The moment I woke up, I lifted the blanket to check my body.
My hands and feet seemed slightly smaller than yesterday—or maybe not.
Either way, I had… traveled back again.
“Eh?”
It was way too bright outside the window for that to have happened already.
“Anna, what time is it?”
“It’s two o’clock! You’ve slept for over sixteen hours! You have no idea how worried I’ve been!”
Anna, her eyes brimming with tears, hugged me tightly.
What on earth happened?
I wanted to ask, but Anna spoke first.
“Ah! This isn’t the time for that! Someone has been waiting for you to wake up!”
“Huh? Who?”
“Hehe. Just wait a moment! I’ll bring them right away!”
Anna left the room, her face glowing with excitement.
She usually never ran, claiming it was undignified, yet now she was practically trotting.
Watching her enthusiastic back, I couldn’t help but wonder who this guest, waiting just for me to wake, could be.
Soon, someone knocked at my door.
“Harry! My beloved little kitten! May I come in for a moment?”
The strange term of endearment made me guess it was Count Rurupel.
“Please, come in.”
But wait… the voice sounded different. Softer somehow…
I allowed Count Rurupel in without much thought, though I was slightly puzzled.
But the person who entered wasn’t Count Rurupel at all.
“Harry! I’ve been waiting for you to wake! How’s your body feeling?”
“…Who are you?”
Really… who are you?
I leaned back slightly and took in the guest from head to toe.
He was a very cute boy.
Cotton candy–pink curly hair, and soft green eyes like fresh leaves gave him an innocent appearance.
The empire’s future is certainly bright… wait, isn’t this boy Haryella’s older brother? They look identical.
“That’s enough, Harry. Are you still angry at your brother?”
It seemed I was correct.
The boy glared at me with a pout.
“Uh… please, sit.”
“Harry! Are you going to speak formally to me now? I’m of course glad to see you growing, but on the other hand, it makes me a little sad too.”
“…Sit.”
“Thanks.”
The boy pulled a chair over naturally and sat down, clearly used to such things.
It was my first time meeting Haryella’s brother.
Count Rurupel and his wife practically kept him locked in the Imperial Central Academy.
They said it was for his studies, but I suspected it was just their pointless pride.
The heir of a nearby Rurupel territory also attended the academy.
Count Rurupel wanted to prove that his son was superior to that heir.
Haryella’s brother had to focus on studies relentlessly, with no vacations.
Thus, I’d never met him until now.
‘What was his name again… Taki? Tako? Ta… something…’
If I’d known we’d meet like this, I should have remembered at least that.
“So, what brings you here, and… when… I mean… um…”
“Take your time. Let me guess what our princess is curious about.”
Is it possible he’s not a real brother?
Haryella’s brother was acting… strange enough to make me think that.
By nature, real siblings were supposed to be awkward and awkwardly resistant with each other.
My real brother—or anyone from the same parents—would call me things like “Hey” or “that thing.”
“I met the Duke of Caledonia at the academy.”
I looked him over suspiciously, and he suddenly brought up an unrelated topic.
“Huh? Who?”
“Hmm… sadly, our Harry doesn’t seem interested in what I’m saying.”
“…No, keep talking!”
Kids could be obsessed with using informal speech, but I had never heard anyone insist on it.
I switched my speech to casual, and he smiled satisfied, continuing.
“When I met the Duke of Caledonia at the academy, I was really surprised. I never dreamed he would enroll.”
“Oh… I see…”
“I thought it was truly a divine opportunity. So, I followed him diligently. He’s the third boy our Harry likes, and I thought I’d try to earn some points with him.”
“…Third?”
Why third? Wasn’t the Duke of Caledonia Haryella’s first love?
I tilted my head in confusion.
His expression turned embarrassed.
“…First is me, second is Father, and the third is the Duke of Caledonia… wasn’t it?”
This boy must be a little off his rocker.
Who has a younger sibling that likes them?
“Harry? You need to answer.”
The boy smiled awkwardly, urging me to respond.
I didn’t speak. He frowned, arms crossed, puzzled.
“…Really strange. Whenever I say this, our Harry would always act spoiled… But you’re nothing like her.”
This was bad.
Apparently, the version of Haryella in this boy’s memories and I were very different.
The suspicion on his face was clear.
I was flustered.
In my fourth life, I had never been doubted like this.
Anna, Haryella’s closest aide, always accepted things without fuss.
Sir Peter, the guard, was naturally oblivious.
The other servants didn’t even make eye contact.
The only ones I had to be careful around were Count Rurupel and his wife.
But deceiving the Rurupels wasn’t that hard—they didn’t know much about Haryella personally.
So far, no one had realized I wasn’t Haryella.
‘What should I do? How do I act like Haryella?’
I didn’t really know Haryella’s personality before I possessed her body.
I didn’t bother to find out.
Sometimes, living as her gave me some information, but only just enough.
So I had no idea how to act in a situation like this.
“Ah… my… head… hurts.”
Unable to think of a proper excuse, I decided to pretend to be sick.
I collapsed onto the bed, holding my head.
“Harry! Your head hurts? Shall I call a healer? How bad is it?”
Haryella’s brother rushed to me.
I croaked out an answer in a dying voice.
“…A… little?”
“A little? Feeling this bad and just a little?”
“…A lot of a little? Uh… a lot!”
“This is serious! I’ll call a healer for sure!”
“N…No need for a healer…”
I’d get better as soon as he left the room.
I couldn’t explain that, so I pressed my lips together.
The boy’s voice softened, but his words were far from gentle.
“Don’t worry. I’ll bring another healer, not that quack who said you weren’t hurt. Of course, I’ll cut off that quack’s hands and tongue and banish him from the territory.”
I was shocked internally.
Was he insane?
Why cut off an innocent healer’s hands and tongue? What did the healer do to deserve exile?
The sweet-looking boy’s words were surprisingly ruthless.
Clearly, the current Rurupel line had villainous blood.
Or maybe the land itself was cursed or had some weird energy?
Either way, I couldn’t let an innocent person get hurt just for my sake.
I grabbed the boy’s arm desperately.
“O… brother!”
“…Brother?”
Not right?
“O… Oraboni?”
“…Oraboni?”
Still not right.
What did Haryella call her brother?
“…Our Harry doesn’t call me a madman!”
Luckily, the boy gave me the answer himself.
Haryella had surprisingly good judgment for a child.
Yeah. Even to my eyes, the boy seemed unhinged.
At first, I was faking, but now my head really hurt.
I held my forehead and called the boy to a halt.
“Hey.”
“Hm?”
“Leave.”
“Alright. But I’ll still call the healer.”
“No! Just leave! I feel like I’ll get better as soon as you’re gone.”
It seemed Haryella always disliked her brother.
The identical appearance confirmed they were indeed siblings.
I decided to speak my mind.
The boy smiled satisfied.
“Now that’s the Hary I know. But can you say ‘get lost’ instead of ‘leave’ next time?”
“…Alright. Can you please just get lost?”
“Drop the ‘please’.”
“…Get lost!”
“Good. See you tonight.”
The boy seemed very pleased that he had finally made me speak harshly.
