This chapter is one I'm quite confident about (/・ω・)/
"Is she such an energetic child? I'd like to meet her."
"Yes, I think Mother will like her too."
As he said this, Leo took a sip of his tea. The next day, Leo visited Mitsuba to inform her that he would be heading to the south soon. Despite her son's hurried state, Mitsuba did not say anything special. She knew that if she told him to do his best, he would try even harder, and if she told him not to try so hard, he would still give it his all.
So, Mitsuba avoided mentioning the mission and instead asked about other things, which led to the topic of Rita.
"I hope Rita can become friends with Krista."
Leo had no thought of opposition. Normally, he would be asked about their family background, but such questions were irrelevant to Mitsuba. She believed that one should associate with good people regardless of their status, and avoid bad people. Mitsuba was consistent in this belief.
"Krista doesn't seem to have many friends, probably because she's a girl. Her noble friends are just surface-level acquaintances, and it's reassuring to have close friends of the same age."
"Yes, that's true. If there's an opportunity, I'll bring her along."
"Oh my, for you to say that. You must really like her."
"I do. Krista is quiet, and I think she and Rita will get along well."
"Really? Are you going to propose marriage in a few years?"
Leo chuckled at the teasing remark. He had no intention of looking at the still-childish Rita in that way. However, he did think that if he were to choose a wife, he would prefer someone as energetic as Rita. But he knew that if he said that, he might get a lecture, so he gave a generic response.
"In this situation, I can't think about a wife. When things calm down, if Rita has become a wonderful woman, I'll consider it."
"You're such a boring child. If you keep this up, Al will take her."
"Haha, indeed, my brother has a knack for good women."
"This isn't a laughing matter. Listen, Leo. Good women don't fall for perfect men. It's better to be a bit flawed."
"Then I'm safe. I have plenty of flaws."
"True, but from the world's perspective, you're different. You should expose your flaws more. You need to be more assertive. Everyone needs a bit of edge."
"I'll keep that in mind."
With that, Leo finished his tea and stood up before the conversation could drag on. He didn't want to risk a lecture on how to win a good woman.
"Then, I'll take my leave."
"Be careful, dear."
"Yes, Mother."
With that, Leo left Mitsuba's presence.
■■■
On his way back, Leo suddenly headed towards the castle square. The Imperial Sword Castle, as its name suggests, was shaped like a sword, with the guard extending to the sides. This area served as a square where the training of knight candidates took place. Originally, the training at the castle was not for official knight candidates. Official candidates trained at a proper school, while the current trainees were gathered from the poor who lacked the means to attend the knight school. The Crown Prince proposed this annual event to give those with the potential to become knights, regardless of their background, a chance.
While no one from these trainees had become a royal guard, some had become knights for local nobles, adventurers, or joined the military. Each found their own path.
By the time Leo arrived, the training had already ended. The square was empty, and Leo felt a bit disappointed.
"Kuu-chan!!"
The noisy child's voice immediately lifted his spirits. Leo couldn't help but smile, but he quickly hid behind a pillar when he saw who it was.
"Ri, Rita... her voice is so loud..."
Rita was waving and running towards Kuu, who turned out to be Krista. As usual, Krista was holding a rabbit plushie and seemed a bit nervous as she spoke to Rita. It was a scene Leo had never seen before, and he was moved.
"So, they're already friends... I was being meddlesome, wasn't I?"
"What do you mean by meddlesome?"
"!!?"
Leo was silenced by a finger to his lips.
"Don't shout."
It was Erna who had spoken. She peeked from behind the pillar where Leo was hiding and then said,
"Blood is thicker than water, isn't it?"
"Yeah. Krista is our sister in some way. She's found a good friend."
"That's not what I meant. Are you or Prince Traugott the target? If you're staring at Princess Krista from behind a pillar like this, you're on par with Prince Traugott. If it's the other girl, I'll have to keep my distance as an old friend."
"…Huh?"
"Both…?"
"No, no, that's not it! It's not like that…!"
Seeing Erna's serious expression, Leo realized there was a serious misunderstanding and tried to explain, but his voice caught the attention of the curious Rita, who peeked over.
"Ah! Brother Leo!"
Rita happily hugged Leo, and Erna's expression turned serious.
"This is bad," Leo thought, trying to say something, but…
"It's not like that! It's not what you think, it's not that kind of relationship, um, um…"
His flustered and incoherent explanation only made the situation worse. Krista arrived just then.
"Brother Leo? Erna…?"
"It's been a while, Your Highness."
"It's been a while… Rita knows Brother Leo…?"
"Yep! He took me to his room!!"
Leo and Erna were momentarily speechless. Krista seemed to accept this, but Erna was clearly flustered by the unexpected revelation.
"Y-You really…?"
"No, that's not it! Erna, it's not like that…"
Rita's well-timed comment left Leo at a loss for words. Meanwhile, Rita clung to Leo's waist and hung from his hand, doing as she pleased. But the worst was yet to come. Sensing someone's presence, Leo looked towards the entrance of the square. There, Fine was standing with her hands over her mouth.
Before Leo could explain, Fine panicked.
"Al! Leo has developed a taste for young girls! What should I do!? How can I avoid hurting him!?"
Leo couldn't say that he was already hurt and slumped in defeat. Resigned to being teased by Al, he braced himself, but Al appeared with a curious expression.
"What are you talking about?"
"Al! Leo has fallen into the same trap as Prince Traugott!"
"What should we do!?"
"Like Traugott. His perversion is on a level that Leo can't match. Don't worry, he hasn't fallen yet."
"What kind of explanation is that!? It's not comforting at all! Clear up the misunderstanding!"
"Haha, I know, don't worry."
Al approached Rita, who was hanging from Leo's hand. Rita, noticing Al, opened her mouth in shock.
"What! Two of the same face!?"
"This is no mistake. The girl Guy was talking about is you."
"W-Why do you know Mr. Guy's name!? You must be a super powerful magician in disguise! Give me back Leo's face!!"
Rita lunged at Al, but Al, using his reach, held her down by the head.
"Hey! That's cheating!"
"True to Guy's student. You're quite the fool. Listen carefully. I'm Alnoth, Leo's twin brother."
"Twin…?"
"Yes… Brother Al… both of you are Krista's brother."
After a moment of processing, Rita seemed to understand and clapped her hands.
"Brother Al! Your feature is the messy hair!"
Then she pointed at Leo.
"Brother Leo! Your feature is the handsome face!"
"What kind of way to remember? We look the same, don't we?"
"Tsk tsk tsk! Don't underestimate me! Brother Al! When you're as good as Rita, you can tell who's more handsome! Right, Brother Leo?"
"That's my brother."
Rita, who had been clinging to Leo, looked up at the voice. There stood a man with neatly combed hair and clothes.
Turning around, she saw another man with the same face but neatly combed hair and clothes.
"Wh-What!? Leo has split into two!? Oh, twins are amazing!"
"Brother Al… don't tease Rita…"
"Haha, sorry."
Al ruffled his hair, unbuttoned his shirt, and messed up his clothes again. He then ruffled Rita's hair and turned to leave.
"See you. I have things to do, so play with the three of you."
"Things to do?"
"I'll do your work for you. You're heading to the south soon, right? Play with Krista and the girl. Krista wants to play with Leo, right?"
"Yep…"
"Me too, I want to play!"
"Take care of my brother and sister."
"Wh-What!? Brother!?"
"Don't take her to your room."
"Hey! That's not it! You're misunderstanding! It's not like that!"
Waving at the fussing Leo, Al left with Fine and Erna.
"Why does he seem so cheerful?"
"Yeah, Al does seem in a good mood."
"Really? Maybe. It's been a while since I've seen Leo so relaxed. He's always so serious. It's nice to see him let his guard down. I should thank Rita."
Al straightened his hair and clothes, and for once, seemed motivated.
"Well, I'll do Leo's work for him."
"You always get motivated when it comes to Leo."
"He's my brother."
"Such a wonderful brotherly love!"
With that, the three of them climbed the stairs. Meanwhile, Leo, left in the square, was at the mercy of the two children, playing with them until the sun set, a fact Al was unaware of.
"Damn… Brother planned this…"
Hopefully, the main story will start moving from here. I hope it does. (笑)
Oh, my PC is fixed. Thank you for your concern. <m(__)m>