Chapter 51: The Scheming Royal Sister Softens Her Heart

Seeing the two of them as soon as he opened the door was definitely not what Caine had expected.

Never mind them coming here; logically speaking, they shouldn’t have even known Caine was resting in this room.

It was highly likely that Vita had learned the room’s location from Altina and then brought Edwina along to wait outside his door.

Although it was unexpected, Caine quickly accepted the situation and exchanged pleasantries with them.

To be honest, if Vita had come alone, Caine would have had some concerns. However, with Edwina there, Caine felt much more at ease.

If Vita had come alone, it would imply she was there in her capacity as a sister and a woman. By bringing Edwina, she added the role of an ‘aunt’ to her identity.

Even if she wanted to pursue Caine, she would have to restrain herself with her niece present.

Perhaps Altina had told them Caine’s location precisely because she knew Edwina would be coming along.

Regardless, Caine invited them inside to the living room for a brief chat to understand the situation before the three of them headed out together.

If Caine had to choose, he really wouldn’t know where to take these two for fun.

Fortunately, he only had to follow along. No one was more familiar with the entertainment spots in the Royal Capital than Vita.

Before long, the three of them arrived at a large building that appeared to be hosting a cultural festival.

This place was originally a department store that ranked among the top three in the entire Royal Capital. In the original story, there were scenes where the protagonist came here to shop.

Because some kind of cultural festival was being held today, the atmosphere was quite lively.

“How is it, Sister? It’s very popular, right! By the way, the person who proposed this cultural festival was none other than me!”

Just as Caine was being swept up in the atmosphere of the place, Vita circled around to the front of him and showed off a bright, joyful smile, as if seeking praise.

Thinking about it, Vita really was a prominent figure in charge of the kingdom’s culture and arts. However, looking at her appearance—especially her current frumpy outfit—it was impossible to associate her with that role.

“…That’s amazing. As expected of you, Vita.”

Naturally, Caine smiled and praised her for her accomplishment.

Though it seemed like a natural thing to do, Corellia would never act this way.

Corellia might offer praise, but she certainly wouldn’t smile. It would feel like she was simply going through the motions, without any genuine feeling behind her words.

“Haha, right? I’m not just someone who idles her time away. Let’s go, Sister, Edwina. Let me show you around properly. I guarantee there’s new art here that you’ve never seen before.”

After receiving Caine’s praise, Vita accepted the compliment graciously. She then pointed toward a certain direction like a guide, signaling for Caine and Edwina to follow her.

Setting aside the department store on a normal day, Caine was certainly unfamiliar with this place as it was now. A quick glance at the entrance revealed several strange things that had never appeared in the original work.

It was only because Vita had brought him here that he had come at all.

Otherwise, he likely wouldn’t have visited unless there were magic-powered mechanical vehicles or fishing gear.

As for Edwina, it was the same for her. As a princess who rarely went out, she had no reason to visit such a place.

She was completely out of her element here and had no room to express herself. She could only follow obediently as Vita led her and Caine around.

…And this was exactly where Vita’s clever little scheme came into play.

Initially, Vita had wanted to find Caine alone, but she happened to run into Edwina, who was also looking for him. While she didn’t dislike Edwina, having her niece around would definitely distract Caine.

After her subtle attempts to convince Edwina to stay in the Royal Palace failed, Vita decided to give up on wandering the festival mall with Caine like a couple.

Instead, she walked ahead of Caine and Edwina like a guide.

While the physical distance between them seemed greater, Caine’s eyes were clearly fixed on her for longer than they were on Edwina.

Furthermore, this allowed her to showcase her talents and charm, making it the best choice possible given the presence of a third party.

She certainly knew more about these things than Edwina did.

In fact, that was exactly how it played out. Over the next hour, Edwina’s attention was also pulled away by the various external attractions.

But Vita was different. From the moment they entered the large building, her focus remained on Caine.

Even when Caine was looking at the mall like Edwina, Vita was secretly observing his reactions.

If things continued this way, it would undoubtedly be Vita’s victory, and Edwina would have no chance to shine.

After another thirty minutes or so, the three of them decided to take a temporary break in a rest area.

In truth, Vita and Caine had more than enough energy and stamina, but they had to rest for Edwina’s sake.

Unlike the noisy areas elsewhere, the rest area was relatively uncrowded and quiet.

The three of them sat together, drinking freshly squeezed juice they had just bought from a nearby shop.

“…I didn’t expect to see this guy even engraved on the side of the juice bottle. That’s quite surprising.”

Caine felt a bit nostalgic as he looked at the slightly strange-looking black cat on the glass bottle—a figure he had been seeing constantly lately.

He hadn’t expected this world to have such commercialized mascot characters.

“Of course! This is a mascot I designed myself. Since they want to use the royal family’s name, they naturally have to make concessions in this regard. This little one is a bit strange, but he’s cute, right?”

Hearing Caine’s comment, Vita, who was also holding a glass bottle, immediately responded with a smile.

She even went out of her way to hold her bottle up for Caine to see, a bright and slightly proud smile on her face.

“…It’s indeed very popular. People even come here specifically to collect them. It’s a huge success. I’m impressed you thought of designing a specific mascot character, Vita.”

“That’s just the extent of my talent! …Just kidding~”

After being praised by Caine, Vita playfully struck a somewhat arrogant pose before quickly breaking into a bashful smile.

Her deliberate antics brought a sense of warmth to Caine’s heart.

What a wonderful woman. She was a black-haired beauty, held no arrogance despite being the Princess Sister, was cheerful and outgoing, and was wealthy to boot.

Vita’s performance had indeed increased Caine’s favor toward her—though it was his intimacy level that rose, rather than his romantic affection.

The difference between intimacy and affection was that even if intimacy reached 100, it wouldn’t lead to a romantic route with Caine. She would simply remain an ‘excellent younger sister’.

“…”

While Caine was watching Vita, Edwina sat on Caine’s other side, silently cupping her glass bottle with both hands and taking small sips of the juice.

Even in such a lively place, the melancholy that served as her defining trait did not dissipate much.

Ultimately, due to her personality, Edwina was always very pessimistic.

Edwina was certainly happy to be out shopping and enjoying herself with Caine and her aunt, Vita.

However, Vita’s performance was far too brilliant in her eyes, making her feel powerless and incompetent once again.

As a princess, she seemed to have every advantage, but in the end, she was only the Queen’s adopted daughter.

Compared to Vita, the Queen’s biological sister, she was still far behind.

The most Edwina could do was buy Caine some handsome clothes; she had even failed when she tried to give him a magic sword.

But Vita could use her position and identity to bring Caine relaxation and joy.

She didn’t even know what to say to join the conversation between Caine and Vita, so she could only drink her juice in silence.

And this was exactly what Vita had wanted.

She didn’t want Edwina to have any chance to show off and steal Caine’s attention.

“…”

However, seeing her niece looking so lonely, even the twisted Vita couldn’t help but soften her heart.

From the beginning, the target of her revenge was her sister, Corellia—not everything related to Corellia.

Seeing her niece looking glamorous on the outside while lacking security on the inside—just as she once had—Vita saw a shadow of herself in Edwina and silently stood up.

When Caine and Edwina noticed her movement and turned to look at her, she simply said with a smile:

“Sorry, sorry~ I just remembered there’s something I forgot to tell the person in charge here. I’ll be gone for a bit, maybe twenty minutes. Sister, you and Edwina rest here for a while. I’ll be right back.”

“…Understood. Go ahead. We won’t leave before you get back.”

“Ahaha, that’s for the best. I’ll be going now~”

After receiving Caine’s response, Vita gave a spirited wave to Caine and Edwina and headed off in a certain direction.

The smile on her pretty face, which had been full of joy while facing Caine, vanished the moment she turned her back. After all, it was exhausting to keep up a silly grin all the time.

‘Fine… I’ll lend this man to you for twenty minutes. You’d better remember to thank me, Edwina.’

When Vita was halfway gone, she glanced back. Her melancholy niece had indeed started chatting with Caine.

Watching the scene, a hint of doting maternal instinct flickered in Vita’s eyes, which were usually clouded by hatred.

She certainly wouldn’t give up her revenge just to spare Edwina’s feelings.

But she didn’t want to become a cold and cruel woman like ‘that woman’, so she decided to step away for a while.

Although she could have watched them from the shadows, Vita ultimately decided to just wander around for twenty minutes.

Little did Vita know just how big of a mistake this decision would turn out to be.

After all, her niece Edwina was far more dangerous than she imagined.

***

Today I updated 6,000 words, still forty-seven to go.