How to Survive as a Princess in a Reverse Harem Game - Chapter 17
“Already?”
“I can’t seem to focus today. I want to head back.”
“You made a good decision. I’ll check out the book for you.”
Huh? There’s no need for that!
Before I could stop him, Reno swiftly took the book and headed towards the librarian. He seemed more than pleased with the idea of leaving the library. Just by looking at his back, I could tell how happy he was.
‘Isn’t he a little too excited?’
His overly honest reaction was amusing, and I couldn’t help but chuckle softly.
* * *
As we made our way back to the royal palace, Reno once again walked beside me, voluntarily acting as my guide.
He tried his best to match my pace, but with his towering height and long legs, he gradually pulled ahead of me.
Thanks to him, I could subtly grasp the direction he was leading us in and get a sense of the path.
‘He really must dislike the library.’
I thought as I glanced at Reno’s face.
Earlier, while heading to the library, his displeasure was clear as day, but now he was all smiles.
The contrast was oddly cute, and before I realized it, I found myself sneaking glances at his face.
“Wait a moment, Your Highness.”
“……?”
Suddenly, Reno grabbed my arm, pulling me back.
I was about to ask why when he pressed a finger to his lips, signaling me to be quiet, and led me forward.
‘What’s going on?’
But it seemed he had no intention of answering my unspoken question.
He pulled me behind a large tree, and with one swift motion, trapped me in place with his arm.
“What are you……?”
“Lower your voice. We’ll get caught.”
Get caught? By whom?
Curiosity bubbled up, but Reno held me so tightly I couldn’t move an inch.
‘It’s starting to hurt, though.’
At first, I could bear it, but the pressure steadily increased. Eventually, I couldn’t hold back any longer and spoke up.
“Hey, could you—”
“Yes?”
“It hurts.”
“Are you alright? It’s not broken, is it?”
When I muttered softly, Reno jumped in surprise and immediately released my arm. Then, he started fussing over me, anxiously checking to see if I was okay.
As if my arm could break just from being held a little too tightly.
Does he think I’m some kind of soft tofu doll?
“My arm wouldn’t break over something like this.”
It did throb a little, though.
“I’m glad to hear that, but still…….”
Just as Reno was about to relax, he let out a soft groan, a troubled look crossing his face.
“I apologize, Your Highness.”
“Hm? You don’t need to apologize. My arm’s fine.”
“It’s not because of that.”
Then what?
I was still puzzled when a woman’s unfamiliar voice came from behind us.
“……I thought it might be.”
I turned around to see a young woman holding a fan, flanked by two men in sharp uniforms.
Though I’d never seen any of them before, the woman’s attitude toward me suggested otherwise.
“It really is you, sister.”
Sister? Did she just call me that? If so, that means this woman is Nepheli’s younger sibling…….
‘Nepheli had a younger sister?’
The thought surprised me for a moment, but I quickly regained my composure. On second thought, it made perfect sense. There’s no way a royal family would have just one child.
I studied the woman carefully.
‘Is she really her sister?’
She didn’t resemble Nepheli at all in terms of appearance.
While Nepheli had a petite frame, this woman was tall with a well-defined, athletic build that added to her striking beauty.
Her sandy golden curls and sharp, upward-tilted eyes gave her a fierce look—completely opposite to Nepheli’s delicate charm.
The only feature they seemed to share was their eye color…….
‘Still, she called me sister, so they must be related.’
However, the woman’s face was filled with inexplicable hostility and disgust, as if she were staring at something filthy.
‘They must not get along.’
I was taken aback by her reaction, especially since the only sibling I knew, Jiyu, had always greeted me with warmth.
“Now you don’t even care about the place, huh? Truly, how sisterly of you.”
Not care about the place? What on earth is she talking about?
As I tilted my head in confusion, the woman let out a dry laugh.
“Playing innocent, acting like you’re above it all. If you’d at least pretended to hide it, I might have humored the charade.”
She openly glanced between Reno and me, and with that, her insinuation became crystal clear.
A man and a woman, standing close together with a tree as their backdrop—it must have looked like we were about to kiss.
“This is a misunderstanding, Princess! Her Highness Nepheli was only……!”
Slap!
The woman struck Reno across the face with her fan. The sharp sound was so fierce that it made my heart drop.
