🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter – 06
Relina’s faction harshly criticized Shairin, saying:
“Just look at her. How could someone like that possibly have the qualities of a crown princess?”
Meanwhile, the nobles of Shairin’s faction visited the palace almost daily, trying to persuade her.
Shairin shut her eyes and ears to all of it.
Of course, perhaps because her body had returned to her twenties, she felt embarrassed by how childish she was acting compared to before.
Still, it was better than forcing herself to do something she hated…!
Other than breakfast with her family, she spent her time fused with her bed, even locking her doors shut.
It was, admittedly, an extremely effective protest.
The king eventually became so exasperated by her state that he pleaded with her to at least attend the noble meetings, promising he wouldn’t force work onto her.
But her vigilance never disappeared.
‘Who knows when Father will stab me in the back over the crown prince issue again!’
That thought completely dominated Shairin’s mind.
“Father, no matter what you do, I’m going to win.”
And as they watched her shut herself away, her personal maids grew increasingly worried.
Until recently, the princess had studied obsessively while declaring she would absolutely become crown princess.
But now, she had suddenly abandoned everything as though she had reached enlightenment.
The way she acted as if she had lost all motivation for life frightened them.
She barely ate outside of breakfast, which only made them more anxious.
No matter what people in society said about her, to those beneath her, Shairin was a wonderful master.
Naturally, they wanted to devote themselves loyally to her.
After all—
A superior with a light workload, who treated servants respectfully rather than looking down on them, paid better wages than other palaces, and frequently granted paid leave?
The maids were ready to do absolutely anything for Shairin!
But as though she cared nothing for their concerns, Shairin once again returned from breakfast with her family and slept until the afternoon before finally waking.
‘Hmm. Maybe it’s better to make a move now instead.’
The acting regent position already brought enough unwanted attention, but the longer she delayed, the harder it would become to get closer to Relina.
If she waited too long for the “right timing,” she might end up remaining strangers with Relina despite regressing.
So perhaps it was best to act now.
“It’s time for us to become real sisters.”
A few exchanged glances and smiles at the dining table had barely raised their intimacy by even a drop.
Now it was time to break down decades of awkwardness and plant the idea of the throne into Relina’s mind.
“Right. Whether it turns into soup or bread, I’ll give it a try.”
Of course, Shairin didn’t want to force the throne onto someone unwilling.
But still… still.
She had already proven(?) that she couldn’t handle it, so shouldn’t the opportunity go to someone more capable?
There were no other relatives to inherit the burden.
One of the two sisters would have to carry this heavy responsibility.
‘It can’t be helped. This is for the kingdom, Relina!’
Shairin immediately rang the bell cord and ordered her maids to prepare her.
The moment they heard she was voluntarily going out, the maids exploded with excitement.
As a result, Shairin ended up far more elaborately dressed than usual.
‘This feels way too excessive…’
In the mirror, a woman with braided sky-blue hair stared back at her.
She wasn’t trying to compete with Relina, so wasn’t this too much?
Still, she couldn’t bring herself to crush the sparkling enthusiasm of her servants.
“Good work.”
“Yes, Princess!”
Leaving behind the cheerful voices of her maids, Shairin forced a smile onto her lips.
No matter how she looked at it, she resembled someone trying to seduce another person.
…Damn it. She had wanted to earn some goodwill, but instead this might make her seem even worse.
Muttering inwardly, Shairin quickly restored her usual expression.
A cold, impenetrable poker face settled over her features.
Compared to earlier, her impression became much harsher, but there was no helping it.
It wasn’t like she was trying to seduce and devour her younger sister.
After sighing internally, Shairin headed toward Relina’s palace with only a few personal maids accompanying her.
Since this wasn’t an official visit, she hadn’t sent any prior notice.
Perhaps because of that, Relina’s servants looked not just surprised but outright bewildered when she arrived.
They couldn’t understand why the princess at the center of recent political turmoil had suddenly come to visit her half-sister, second in line to succession.
“Is Relina inside?”
“Pardon?”
“Why do you look so shocked?”
“W-Well…”
“Is it strange for an older sister to visit her younger sister?”
Shairin clicked her tongue.
To display negative emotions this openly before someone of higher status—especially royalty.
Did they want to lose their heads?
She kindly offered them a warning.
Her voice was chilling.
“If you do not wish to disgrace Relina, I suggest you control your expressions first.”
“……!”
“I’ll overlook it this once. Now answer me quickly. Where is she?”
“Th-The princess is currently in class.”
As Relina’s servants anxiously left royalty standing outside the door, Shairin’s personal maids bristled with anger.
Wasn’t this outright disrespect toward their princess?
“What are you doing?! Why haven’t you escorted Princess Shairin to the reception room yet?!”
“W-We apologize!”
“We truly meant no disrespect!”
As the atmosphere worsened, Relina’s head maid bowed and apologized.
Shairin waved her hand dismissively.
“It’s fine.”
“We’ll guide you inside.”
Upon entering the reception room, Shairin slowly looked around with unfamiliar emotions.
The palace had been designed facing south, so warm sunlight poured in despite being on the lowest floor.
The scenery beyond the windows was cozy and pastoral.
It felt like stepping into a painting.
The room as a whole felt warm and comforting.
‘Come to think of it, I’ve never been here before.’
At first, she had no reason to visit.
Later, Relina’s very existence bothered her too much for her to even come near.
That was why this place felt so unfamiliar.
Shairin thought about her own reception room.
From the wallpaper onward, it was plain and gloomy—cold and rigid.
Before her regression, she had never been in a position to care about such things.
And now, she planned to leave eventually anyway, so she had never grown attached to her palace.
There was no point dwelling on it.
Right now, becoming closer to Relina mattered far more.
Meanwhile, time passed, and even the tea brought by Relina’s maid was nearly finished.
‘Maybe today just isn’t the day.’
Even after all this fuss, Relina still hadn’t appeared.
She must have been too buried in studying to notice anything else.
Since Shairin herself had shut herself away and rejected every court tutor recently, she had forgotten this reality.
Sighing inwardly, Shairin abruptly rose from her seat.
The maids behind her moved ahead to open the doors.
At that moment—
Voices came from outside.
Relina’s and her court tutor’s.
Relina’s lively, youthful voice and the tutor’s response reached Shairin’s ears clearly.
“My sister came here? Is something wrong?”
“I suspect she came to keep an eye on Your Highness.”
“And what would my sister gain from doing that so openly?”
“Hasn’t her acting regent position recently become unstable because of her incompetence? She’s probably here to warn Your Highness not to covet her position… though the idea itself is ridiculous.”
“……”
“And that nonsense about not wanting the throne must have been a lie as well! There’s no way a greedy princess like her would ever truly give up the crown. No matter what she says, you absolutely must not believe her, Princess!”
“Well…”
Even while listening to the tutor, Relina tilted her head uncertainly.
Because the sister she saw that day had seemed far too sincere.
Those eyes overflowing with longing, as if they had finally reunited after ages apart.
The regret and joy trembling through her sobs.
Those things were impossible to forget.
And then—
The tears that had soaked the entirety of Relina’s clothes.
The careful hands gently touching her face.
It had been the first time Shairin had ever treated her so delicately.
That version of her sister had definitely been different from the past, when she always seemed vaguely uncomfortable around her.
‘Her eyes looked like Mother and Father’s. Like I was so precious she didn’t know what to do with herself.’
Relina didn’t know what her sister was truly thinking.
But those emotions had not felt fake.
If they had been fake, then her sister should have become an actress instead of royalty.
And Shairin, having overheard the entire conversation, crossed her arms and sneered inwardly.
‘Well, looks like I’ve become everyone’s punching bag.’
She abruptly threw open the door.
Seeing Relina immediately made her happy, but she forced herself to ignore that feeling and looked directly at the tutor instead.
