Chapter 04
“Shuri!”
Lotte, who had returned, hugged me. For some reason, she looked even happier than usual.
Huh? Wait… her grip on me is getting stronger?
“…Who is this?”
Lotte said, looking at Evina. The bright smile that had been on her face disappeared. Naturally, her “doting sibling” brother Kiel’s expression also gradually faded.
A blond boy, presumably his friend, was giving an awkward smile. He didn’t seem inclined to open his mouth even once. In other words, I was the only person who could change the mood.
Why is everyone treating me like this?!
“This is my cousin, Evina. We just met, so we were chatting for a bit.”
I introduced Evina to Lotte. And it didn’t take long for me to realize that had been a terrible idea.
They glared at each other so intensely it was as if sparks of electricity were flying between them.
Suddenly, Evina moved to stand on the opposite side of Lotte—my left side—and tightly wrapped one of my arms around her.
A sense of unease washed over me.
“Shuri! Do you like me? Or her?”
“Shuri! You like me more, right? Why is she sticking to you like that?”
As Lotte asked, Evina immediately countered.
What am I supposed to do in this situation?
I was in a bind, and Kiel looked at me as if urging me to answer. He had that look—like he was ready to see which one I’d choose.
If I don’t choose Lotte here… do I die at fifteen?
“Okay, okay, let go of me first, okay? Ow, my arm hurts.”
I feigned injury and pulled myself free.
Finally feeling a bit of relief, I grabbed Kiel’s hand. He looked startled by the sudden contact.
This is it!
“I like Kiel the most! When I grow up, I’m going to marry him!”
I smiled as widely as I could.
As soon as I finished speaking, both kids immediately scowled in frustration. Lotte’s eyes, staring at Kiel, were full of resentment.
Even though this wasn’t exactly the best way to look good in front of Kiel, honestly… it felt kind of satisfying.
I’ll leave the consequences to future me! Sorry, past me!
“Let go.”
Kiel quickly returned his expression to normal and pulled his hand away from mine. He seemed like someone who could survive and thrive alone on a deserted island. His adaptability—he left no openings.
Give me a little slack, you fortress of a boy!
“Shuri, I’ll be cooler than him when I grow up, so marry me!”
Huh? I froze at Evina’s words.
Even though she’s just a kid, doesn’t she know same-sex marriage isn’t allowed in this empire? Even if I wanted to, we’d have to leave to make it happen… No, first of all, she’s my cousin! Everything about this is a problem, Evina…!
“No! Shuri won’t get married, she’ll live with me forever! Marriage is for men and women! It’s even in the fairy tales! Don’t you know that? And Shuri will sleep at our house tonight! We’re this close!”
The two kids’ gazes became sharp.
Wait… what about my opinion?
Suddenly, I found myself at the center of this conflict. I didn’t want the spotlight, but here it was, and it was dizzying rather than thrilling. I pressed my palm to my forehead.
Lotte’s eyes sparkled, as if she had been eagerly waiting for me to agree to sleep over at her house.
Ugh… fine. Our heroine wants this. Let’s do it.
“…Okay, sure.”
I glanced at Evina and nodded. I felt truly sorry for her, but when comparing her and Lotte, my instinct naturally leaned toward Lotte.
After all, I was the one who had written down Lotte’s story. That explained it—this was the difference between an extra and the protagonist that the novel never mentions.
Evina’s expression darkened, and her eyes began to glisten.
My instincts told me I had to get out of here immediately.
I really did feel sorry for her, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t leave! Just understand me this once… I don’t want any more attention!
I ran as fast as I could to escape this ticking time bomb of a situation. The things I noticed were that my outfit was ridiculously long and flowing, and Kiel was far more of a doting sibling than I had realized.
Kiel caught me, and I looked at him with a helpless expression.
He held me in a princess-style hug and walked toward the duchess. Strangely, his hold felt surprisingly stable—not something you do just once or twice.
“W-wait!”
It wasn’t the main issue, but I was embarrassed! I have feet, I can walk! This is not okay!
I struggled with all my might, but he didn’t budge.
I had been trying not to attract attention, but now it was like I had run straight into the worst-case scenario.
I may have the body of a child, but I have lived three lives! Respect my dignity!
“You’re heavy. Stay still.”
That single line ended the argument.
If I moved and fell, it would’ve been even more humiliating. And heavy? I’ve eaten a lot of cake recently, but I’m not that fat…
Overwhelmed by embarrassment, I closed my eyes to avoid their gazes. Should I just quit life like this…? A few tears escaped.
“Mother.”
“Oh? Kiel, why did you bring Shuri?”
“She fell asleep. How about letting her stay at our house tonight? Lotte wanted her to. Of course, Shuri herself agreed.”
The lie was obvious, but I tried my best to look asleep. I didn’t have the energy to argue—I just wanted to get out of here.
The duchess’s bright voice rang out.
“Alright then. Let’s inform the count’s family and leave. Oh, I’ll get up first. It was fun.”
I heard the chair scrape back. My hearing was more sensitive with my eyes closed, and I could hear even more clearly than before.
Comments like, “Earlier she seemed so smart and grown-up, now she looks like a baby again,” and “How cute!”
My face flushed in real time from embarrassment. I felt like dying and silently prayed:
I ate cake yesterday without Mom knowing! I burned a document in Dad’s office! I’ll never do it again! Please, let me escape…!
I don’t even know if that was a prayer or a confession.
“I’ll take Lotte, so head to the carriage first.”
“Yes.”
I heard the sound of footsteps, then the door opening with a jingle.
Once I confirmed they were gone, I slowly opened my eyes. The first thing I noticed was Kiel.
Even from below, his appearance was flawless…
His deep blue-black hair fluttered in the wind, and his eyes, like a deep lake, met mine.
“Close your eyes. We’ll leave soon.”
His expression was as indifferent as always, his tone blunt. Being held was still humiliating. I closed my eyes and tried to organize my thoughts.
The novel’s title, “I Can’t Give My Sibling Away Even If I Die”, now made sense.
The duke and duchess had an accident caused by the greedy emperor.
Kiel was only fifteen, far too young to understand or accept reality. He struggled silently, unable to confide in anyone, slowly festering.
Later, Lotte was kidnapped, and he became even more obsessed with her. From a serious “sibling-doting” boy, he earned the title of obsessive sibling.
Eventually, Kiel planned a rebellion with the first prince, Lucain. Lucain smoothly manipulated the emperor, became crown prince, and enacted their plan at twenty-two.
Lucain ascended to the throne, and Kiel succeeded in his revenge.
Many suitors tried to court Lotte, and many girls were jealous. In the end, he protected her and arranged her marriage to Lucain.
That was the simplified version… though many incidents happened in between, I think.
“Ah!”
Kiel set me down on the carriage seat with a thud. I snapped out of my thoughts.
Ah, the cookies!
I remembered the cookies, apple jelly, and candy I had packed nicely yesterday and dug into my bag. Then I handed Kiel his bag.
“It’s a gift! I made the cookies myself, and the rest are things you like! Hehe.”
Kiel took the bag without a word. Strange… or fortunate? Normally, he would have said, “I don’t want it” or “I won’t eat it,” and I’d have to coax him. Did he open up a little?
My mood instantly improved. Without verifying anything, I celebrated in my head.
“I don’t like you.”
That single sentence erased all my imaginary celebrations.
He took the bag silently, then suddenly added a heavy blow with words.
I felt tears welling up. But then he spoke.
“Not that I dislike you either.”
I was baffled, and the tears vanished.
If that’s the case, why say you dislike me first?! Why leave me hanging and create more misunderstanding?!
I glared at him with a sulky face.
“Shuri!”
At that moment, Lotte entered with a radiant smile, accompanied by the blond boy I had seen earlier.
I greeted her with a smile and set aside my thoughts about Kiel.
If he doesn’t dislike me, I can just try harder to make him like me, right? Life’s all about positivity after all.
“Miss, may I ask your name if it’s not rude?”
I turned to answer the polite question and met the blond boy’s gaze. Right, we hadn’t even introduced ourselves yet.
Keeping my gaze on him, I rummaged through my bag to hand a bag to Lotte.
“I’m Shuruer Klambeck. You can just call me Shur or Shuri. Whatever’s comfortable.”
Ah, found it!
I handed Lotte the bag, complete with a cute ribbon. She hugged it happily, clearly delighted just to receive it.
“These cookies are mine.”
Lotte looked as if she had just won the world. My mood soared too—Lotte was my most cherished child, and hearing her say that felt amazing.
“This was originally mine, but I’ll give it to you.”
I didn’t want the blond boy to feel left out. He smiled warmly as he took the bag of cookies, apple jelly, and candy.
“Thank you, Shuri.”
Just looking at his bright smile made me happy. Of course I couldn’t leave him as an extra.
“Thank you. My name is Lucain Perolos.”
“Lucain? Perolos? Prince?”
I blurted it out in shock. Lucain laughed brightly at my clumsy reaction.
Oh my goodness! That halo behind him… Sorry, main character! I forgot he’s blond!
A person resembling Kiel exists… shocking. I should have expected the main character’s rival to look like this. The character design was excellent.
But… he meets Lotte so quickly? Strange.
I tried to think deeply but gave up—my memory won’t help anyway.
“Yes, that’s right.”
Lucain confirmed, his face tinged with a shy blush.
“But even though I’m a prince, I hope Shuri doesn’t feel awkward or formal around me. Can we be friends?”
…Why are all these ten-year-olds in front of me such geniuses?
I quickly nodded. Luckily, having seen Lotte and Kiel often, I was somewhat accustomed to these extraordinary faces.
“But I’m still Shuri’s closest friend!”
Lotte hugged me tightly and glared at Lucain. These were supposed to be my love interests, yet a rivalry had formed—with me in the middle.
I don’t want my stock to crash before it even rises…
Trying to ignore the strange tension, I caught Kiel watching us.
“Kiel! Just one candy! Ah—”
I smiled brightly, opening my mouth. He looked at me like an alien before placing the candy in my hand.
“…Tch. I’ll put it in your mouth.”
He muttered grumpily, loud enough for everyone in the carriage to hear.
Will he do it again next time?
I glanced at Kiel. He had already averted his eyes.
Giving up on sticking to him today, I unwrapped the candy and popped it in my mouth. The sweet flavor spread.
Yeah… he gave me candy! There’s hope… Let’s go, me!
“Shuri! Me too, me too!”
Just then, Lotte unwrapped a candy and put it in my mouth.
So cute…!
It wasn’t just me who thought so—the mood visibly softened.
“Then I’ll do it too.”
Huh?
Lucain also placed a candy in my mouth. My mouth was instantly full of sweets.
Hopefully, I won’t get cavities…
There’s a dentist here, though. They use magic instead of electricity. Still, it’s a dentist.
Ugh… just thinking about it is unpleasant.
I shivered as the carriage door opened. It was the duchess. After everyone got in, we continued chatting and arrived at the duke’s house smoothly.
Wait… is Lucain coming in too?
Lotte seemed to wonder the same thing and asked the duchess.
“Mom, mom. Is this boy coming to our house too?”
“Yes, he’ll be staying over today.”
The duchess answered kindly. I went to Lotte’s room with her, while Lucain and Kiel went to his room.
“Shuri, Shuri! Let’s play dolls!”
Lotte pulled out two dolls and a toy tea set. About twenty minutes into playing, pitter-patter—the rain started.
No wonder the sky looked dark when we got off the carriage.
A flash of lightning, then a loud rumble. I recognized it as thunder, but saw Lotte trembling under the blanket.
“Lotte, are you scared?”
Worried, I got under the blanket and asked her.
“Y-yes, I’m scared. H-hic.”
I hugged her, comforted her, and told fun stories. Gradually, the rain seemed to calm, and Lotte appeared better.
“Shuri, can you stay with me on rainy days? I’m too scared…”
She sniffled a bit. I grabbed a tissue from the bedside drawer.
“Here, blow your nose.”
Lotte followed my instructions.
“I’ll stay with you. But now it’s time to sleep.”
I laid Lotte down and gently patted her chest, just as my grandmother did for me in a past life.
Exhausted from crying, she fell asleep immediately. I also dozed off, with the clock ticking and her steady breathing as background.
Four minutes later, I woke again—kicked by Lotte.
“…What do I do?”
After ten minutes of observation on the bed with the pillow, I discovered Lotte’s three sleep habits.
In ten minutes, she moved seventeen times: seven kicks, six hand taps, and four shifts in position.
Sleep was clearly over for today.
“Hnngh, Shuri… I love you…”
She was even talking in her sleep now.
Cute, but… how am I supposed to sleep?
After serious consideration, I buried my face in a pillow on the floor and tried to sleep. There was no other option.
“Bright…”
I’m a late riser, so when I woke, I was on the bed. Lotte was nowhere to be seen.
Where did Lotte go? And why am I here?
As I stood, the door opened. It was Lotte.
“Shuri! You’re awake? You promised to stay with me on rainy days yesterday! So I asked Mom if we could move next door to you, and she agreed! Isn’t that great?”
…What? What did you just say?
Lotte just dropped a nuclear bomb on me.
