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Chapter : 5
Life is Originally Exhausting (1)
After that, Nanari Dryan and I became letter friends.
Nanari Dryan’s letters were always cheerful, but whenever I suggested meeting in person, she always refused. She said she was shy and bad with strangers or something like that.
Well, as the Goldwarde heiress, I was just as busy, so the idea of meeting naturally fell through. But our correspondence continued regardless.
Nanari Dryan was not a character in the original novel. Perhaps because of that, I found myself writing far too honestly about my own life without realizing it.
<Today I had tea with my fiancé, His Highness Crown Prince Adolf.
The Crown Prince is a complete idiot—no, no, that’s not right, he’s just pure-minded, he really doesn’t know anything. The reason I took time out of my busy schedule to meet him was to secretly hear about the revised tax law, but he didn’t even understand the basics of taxation.>
From my increasingly unsteady relationship with my fiancé…
<Ben misses our mother a lot. I try to fill that void, but it’s still difficult.>
To my personal concerns as well.
Nanari always replied to my letters in a playful yet sincere manner.
How much time had passed like that?
And then, that fateful day arrived.
“This child is Georgiana. She will be your younger sister, Bibi, and your older sister, Ben. Be kind to her.”
The girl my father brought home was incredibly beautiful. Long golden hair flowing in soft waves down her back, slender shoulders that made one want to protect her.
It was the heroine who would destroy my world.
“Father, I need to talk to you.”
Before my father could say anything stranger about Georgiana, I cut him off.
Even though the heroine had appeared, I was still strangely optimistic, convinced that things would not go wrong as in the original story. Unlike the original Viviana, I was actively involved in Goldwarde affairs, and thus had considerable influence within the family.
Left alone with my father, I spoke firmly.
“Bibi, I would like to listen to you as much as I can, but this time it will be difficult,” he said with a sigh.
“So I’m glad you already understand. Adoption is impossible.”
“Bibi.”
In the original story, there was only one reason the empire was destroyed: Georgiana chose Crown Prince Adolf instead of Cal Dryan.
Then wouldn’t it be fine if Georgiana chose Cal Dryan instead?
Then there would be no destruction, and Cal Dryan would be freed from his suffering.
The Dryan family was not as wealthy as Goldwarde, but it was highly prestigious. I tried to persuade my father firmly.
“Bringing in a girl who grew up as a commoner and making her a Goldwarde heiress—no one would accept that. Absolutely not, Father.”
“That child possesses immense holy power. That is proof she carries Goldwarde blood.”
“Are you saying you had an affair, Father?”
“Viviana.”
My father, who had deeply loved my mother, immediately hardened his expression at my words. I lifted my chin.
“That kind of rumor will follow you for the rest of your life. Do you plan to silence everyone like this forever?”
“…Even so, it cannot be.”
“If you adopt Georgiana, I will bite my tongue and die. Even then?”
“Even then.”
My father said, closing his eyes tightly,
“Even if you and Ben are disappointed in me, I cannot yield this time.”
His answer shocked me.
What? That far?!
From the original novel, I knew Georgiana was not actually my father’s daughter. She was the daughter of my father’s elder brother, who had been expelled from the Goldwarde family before I was born. In other words, she was my cousin.
Because of guilt over letting his older brother die on the streets, the Duke of Goldwarde cherished Georgiana even more than his own daughters.
But in the original story, Viviana and her father did not get along! Now I was the obedient, reliable eldest daughter who knew everything about the family and consulted him in advance!
I understand guilt, but abandoning your own children because of it—what sense does that make?
Would he also regret it later if Ben or I died somewhere he didn’t know about and cry that he had been wrong?
It was completely illogical and incomprehensible, but my father was firm. The opposition from the retainers was even stronger than mine. Yet he ignored all of it and formally adopted Georgiana as a Goldwarde heiress.
Is this the “law of story correction”? That’s the only thing that makes sense.
In the end, I had no choice but to rely on the Dryan family. I wrote to Nanari.
<The girl recently adopted into our family, Georgiana, possesses strong holy power.>
I deliberately included the fact of “holy power,” which had not yet been publicly revealed. The Dryan family would already know that holy power could ease Cal Dryan’s suffering.
If they learn she has holy power, they will rush here and propose immediately. If Father refuses, they might even resort to kidnapping.
In the original story, Cal Dryan had even attempted kidnapping at the end. It was only a plot device to create tension and strengthen the romance between the leads.
It won’t even need to go that far. Father won’t refuse a marriage proposal from the Dryan family. They are the best of the best. And surely no one would imagine Georgiana becoming Crown Princess.
Georgiana had not yet met Crown Prince Adolf, and the Crown Prince had not yet fallen in love with her.
It would be better for the empire to avoid destruction, even if the male lead changed.
No matter how I thought about it, it was the perfect solution.
But reality did not go as planned.
Nanari Dryan’s reply was far from what I expected.
<Congratulations.>
…?
What?
<Did you even read my letter properly? I said holy power! Holy power!>
<Yes, congratulations.>
The Dryan family, which I expected to immediately pursue marriage negotiations, was completely calm.
Don’t tell me Cal Dryan isn’t suffering like in the novel?
That couldn’t be.
Grabbing my hair in frustration, I sent another more direct letter.
<Should I arrange a marriage with Sir Cal Dryan?>
Think carefully. Once Georgiana’s holy power becomes known, other families will rush to marry her. I’m offering you the first chance.
But the reply was just as simple.
<Rejected.>
“Hahaha…”
Right. If life were easy, it wouldn’t be life.
But how could this be? Frustrated, I flipped Nanari’s letter over and over, wondering if there was some hidden code in it I didn’t understand.
Then—
Knock, knock.
My adorable younger brother Benjamin peeked in with his usual expressionless face.
“Elder sister.”
“Ben.”
He came closer, sat down on the floor, and rested his head on my lap, frowning.
“That woman is strange. She keeps saying she feels hurt that you don’t call her ‘sister,’ even though you only have me as your sister.”
I stroked Benjamin’s soft, cotton-like hair. Everything else had changed, but Benjamin had changed too.
In the original story, Benjamin was a devoted follower of Georgiana. After losing his mother at a young age and growing up neglected by Viviana, he becomes completely devoted to Georgiana’s warmth and kindness.
And later, he is the first to die after charging at the rampaging Cal Dryan.
Seeing how indifferent he is toward Georgiana, his future must have changed.
Yes. The future can be changed.
I had tried to change it on a grand scale, but if that failed, maybe escaping myself was enough.
The thought came impulsively, but the more I considered it, the better it sounded.
“Ben, what would you do if I said I was leaving this house?”
At my words, Benjamin suddenly pulled out a dagger from his chest.
“Is it because of that woman? I will eliminate her immediately.”
“No, no! That’s not what I meant. I just feel tired…”
I almost ended up cutting the heroine’s throat. The ending would certainly change dramatically if she disappeared, but I didn’t want to diverge from the original that drastically.
There were still people who depended on her existence in the story.
Fortunately, Benjamin quickly calmed down again at my restraint.
“You do have a lot of responsibilities, sister.”
“Yes… and it’s uncomfortable facing Georgiana, and my engagement to the Crown Prince will probably break soon anyway. Then people will laugh at me, and just staying in the capital feels exhausting.”
