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Chapter 10
“Who is it?”
I quickly turned around, but there was no noticeable face. Only a group of noble children were glancing in this direction. I tried to observe them, but soon lost interest. It was because Callisto was tugging at my clothes, holding them tightly. I hurriedly bent down toward him.
“Yeah? What is it?”
I tried to recover as best I could, but I was still worried he might be hurt. Even in the original story, nobles didn’t warmly welcome the orphan sponsored by the count’s family. Instead, there were only mocking whispers—saying that with such an adorable and beautiful illegitimate child, his unknown mother must have been a breathtaking beauty, and that she must have caught the count’s eye with her looks and changed her fate. Those rumors followed Callisto throughout the banquet. In the end, Callisto was deeply hurt and became very withdrawn after this event.
I grew worried and asked again.
“Are those people bothering you? Want me to scold them more?”
But unexpectedly, Callisto shook his head.
“It’s not that.”
“Then what is it?”
Callisto looked up at me quietly. His chubby cheeks were flushed red.
Is he angry? I felt sorry for him and gently stroked his round cheeks.
Then Callisto lowered his eyes quietly. A small muttering voice came out.
“…Thank you.”
“…Huh.”
That reaction was unexpected. After saying it, Callisto’s cheeks turned even redder than before. I stared at him, slightly dazed.
Before being possessed into this world, I had no family in reality. No siblings, and since I wasn’t married, of course I had no children either. So raising a child like Callisto—especially a “detestable seven-year-old” who already seemed to dislike me—felt overwhelming. Maybe that’s why I felt both flustered and happy whenever Callisto said things like this. It felt different from simply trying to avoid a death flag and appease him just to survive.
It felt like Callisto could become my real family—my younger brother. If he could someday see me as a real older brother, I thought I would be genuinely happy.
“…It’s nothing you need to thank me for. Did you eat something weird? That doesn’t suit you.”
“If I thank you, you complain too.”
Callisto soon returned to his usual self and grumbled. I smiled and walked with him toward the group of noble children.
By now, the voices criticizing Callisto had significantly decreased. The instigator, Viscount Camois, had also shut his mouth, and the nobles seemed to assume that since I stayed by Callisto’s side despite hearing he was the count’s illegitimate child, I had already accepted him knowingly. Because of that, the nobles’ gaze toward Callisto changed. Callisto looked relieved, and the atmosphere of the banquet improved.
So far, so good—but an unexpected problem arose. I frowned as I looked at the noble children watching us.
‘This is good and all, but this changes the original plot.’
Because I hadn’t scolded Callisto or abandoned him to step away, the bullying incident that should have happened didn’t occur. Normally, that would be a good thing. However, this event was one of the most important turning points in Callisto’s life, so it was necessary.
‘What do I do? I can’t just provoke the kids into bullying him.’
In the original, after being humiliated by Etienne in anger, Callisto is left alone and then mocked by noble children. At that time, a small boy stepped in and drove them away while comforting Callisto. That boy was Lawrence Armanac, the duke’s son and the main male lead of The Sword of the Crown Prince.
Callisto, who was first offered a hand by Lawrence, develops an immediate fondness for him. They were still children, so it wasn’t romantic love yet—it would grow later in adulthood. But Lawrence became a guiding light in Callisto’s dark life, becoming someone very meaningful to him. Unfortunately, because of Callisto’s broken personality, the story turns into a dark and tragic one…
‘At this rate, the kid’s development will get messed up.’
I clicked my tongue internally.
Only someone who has been loved can learn how to love. The reason the original story became so dark was because Callisto, after losing his nanny, was only ever abused and never truly loved. Even after meeting Lawrence, he didn’t know how to properly accept love.
But the original flow had already changed. Since Callisto was starting to open up to me, his relationship with Lawrence would also change. The Sword of the Crown Prince might no longer be a dark tragedy. If things went well, it might even become a romance-comedy. Though considering Callisto’s personality, that might be too much wishful thinking…
‘No matter what, if I avoid the tragedy route, I’ll be safe.’
That was my ultimate goal: changing the genre of the original story entirely to improve my survival chances. Even if my relationship with Callisto improved, as long as the story remained a tragedy, danger to my life would always exist. But if the genre changed, I would be safe. After all, people rarely die in romance or rom-coms.
For that, I first needed Callisto’s fateful first meeting with Lawrence… but where had that kid gone?
While I was looking around, I noticed a neatly dressed boy smiling faintly and watching us. Neatly combed brown hair and light brown eyes. A calm, mature, gentle-looking boy.
It was exactly Lawrence Armanac as described in the original.
‘He was nearby after all. Good.’
Lawrence smiled brightly at me. Even though he was young, it was a smile that made anyone trust him instantly. I finally remembered his keywords: “gentle male lead,” “handsome male lead.” I awkwardly smiled back.
But the peaceful moment didn’t last.
Callisto, who had been quiet, suddenly snapped irritably.
“What are you doing? Who are you smiling at? Why are you doing that all of a sudden?”
“Huh? I can’t even smile now? Why are you picking a fight?”
I panicked internally because things weren’t going as planned. Lawrence was supposed to help Callisto when he was being bullied, but with Callisto acting hostile like this, Lawrence—the gentle and kind child—wouldn’t take an interest in him.
‘Why is he suddenly like this? What do I do?’
As I was worrying, Callisto suddenly grabbed my wrist. When I looked down, he was glaring at someone else, not me. I followed his gaze.
And I froze.
The person Callisto was glaring at was none other than Lawrence.
Callisto shouted at him.
“Why are you looking at Etienne like that? Stop it!”
This first meeting between Callisto and Lawrence was one of the most important scenes in the original. I had read it so many times I could recite it. And I could say with certainty—
This confrontation between Callisto and Lawrence did NOT happen in the original.
I panicked completely.
I never thought the story would deviate this much just because an event failed to occur. Callisto didn’t look like someone meeting his destined counterpart at all. Fear crept in.
‘Don’t tell me this is going to turn into a tragedy route right away?’
With the chance for love gone, I worried it might turn into a story with no romance at all. As I was trying to figure out how to fix the situation—
“I… I am Lawrence Armanac. I am the son of Duke Armanac. It’s nice to meet you.”
Lawrence greeted politely.
Hearing his voice, I flinched slightly. It sounded similar to the laugh I had heard earlier behind my back when dealing with Viscount Camois. I stared at him.
When our eyes met, the boy tilted his head slightly and smiled warmly again.
‘There’s no way Lawrence would have mocked the viscount.’
It must have been just a brief sound. I decided I must have misheard. Reassured by Lawrence’s unchanged gentle demeanor, I finally relaxed.
As expected, Lawrence was the “gentle male lead.”
I nudged Callisto’s shoulder. The boy frowned and looked up at me. I sighed.
“Callisto. What are you doing? The Armanac young lord is greeting you.”
At my words, Callisto’s brows furrowed even more. His cheeks puffed up adorably as he glared at me. He looked like a squished steamed bun, but this wasn’t the time.
If I wanted to avoid a tragic ending, I needed to properly connect Lawrence and Callisto’s first meeting.
I forced an awkward smile toward Lawrence.
“He’s still young and shy around strangers. Callisto de… Wi, Winyeits.”
I almost said the imperial surname “de Vish” but barely corrected myself. That was close.
Lawrence then smiled and said,
“What about you, Lord Winyeits?”
“Pardon?”
I hadn’t expected him to ask for my name. Everyone here already knew my face. Lawrence shouldn’t be an exception.
‘Did he think I was being rude?’
Cold sweat broke out.
