Thought It Was 'The End', Only to Return to a Changed Genre - Chapter 130
A few days passed.
Kaitlyn belatedly realized why Keith had tried so hard to hide his identity until the end.
Kaitlyn had been a frog in a well[1].
The Brubewein royal family and her foster parents had treated Kaitlyn almost like royalty. Even though Keith was treated with some degree of discrimination, he was still treated well.
That was because the twins were exceptionally valuable.
Even Princess Mia treated her with utmost respect, saying, “Unlike me, you are the treasure of the kingdom.” However, once she left the Brubewein Kingdom, reality became clear.
Elsewhere, Kaitlyn was nothing more than a lower noble from a small country. She was just another person that no one paid attention to or feared.
Even when she attended parties, no one would speak to her without the help of hypnosis. Kaitlyn spent the entire time standing against the wall while Princess Mia accepted a few dance invitations and took to the floor.
There was almost nothing she could do.
If she wanted to avoid losing what she had, she had no choice but to play it safe. There might be a small chance of success if she threw everything away and took a gamble, but doing so would lead to her being abandoned by the Brubewein Kingdom and her foster parents.
‘What’s the big deal about altering a few memories for a moment?’
To make matters worse, if her hypnosis of Princess Mia had been discovered, the royal household’s servants would severely retaliate.
When she controlled monsters to obtain byproducts, they treated her like a god, but the moment she did something that seemed even slightly harmful to them, they were quick to lash out and discipline her.
‘They’d starve without me!’
It was infuriating, but for now, she had to endure it.
Even though the Brubewein Kingdom’s backing was insignificant, without it, Kaitlyn would be immediately expelled from the imperial palace.
Keith had tried to protect the Brubewein Kingdom.
‘If Keith were here…’
He would have come up with a good solution in this situation. The absence of her deceased other half was unbearably painful.
When Keith was alive, Kaitlyn had secretly looked down on him. She had often scolded him for wasting time worrying about unnecessary things, saying it would be better to just sweep everything away. Keith would always respond that it was her role to do that, while this was his role.
‘What role…’
She had grumbled to herself at the time.
But now that he was gone, she painfully realized that they could only be whole together. She couldn’t think of a way to avenge him without losing everything she had.
“Would you like a drink?”
“Oh…”
“Am I interrupting?”
It was Patrick Bertrand.
The man who had been dancing with Princess Mia just moments before had spoken to her.
As Kaitlyn accepted the glass he handed her, she looked over his shoulder. Princess Mia was glaring at them with a sulky expression.
‘Of all people, it had to be a Bertrand.’
Handsome and the heir to a title, but Kaitlyn saw through him.
Despite his stern face, he was just a sister-obsessed fool.
“Princess Mia is quite charming.”
“Oh, yes… Then why don’t you continue your conversation with her…?”
“Innocent.”
“…Yes. She was raised with much love.”
“Completely clueless.”
Patrick grinned. Kaitlyn’s expression hardened.
“I’m just giving you a warning. As someone responsible for my own people, I can’t help but be concerned.”
“What exactly are you talking about…?”
“You seem particularly interested in my sister.”
“……”
“I don’t harbor any ill will yet, so it would be wise to stop before things escalate.”
“…I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
“If you don’t understand, then that’s fine. But remember that I’ve given you my warning.”
Patrick drained his glass in one go and wiped the moisture from his lips with his thumb. He then gave Kaitlyn, who was biting her lip, a smile before turning away.
Jeff had mentioned that Adeline was searching for a sorcerer.
The fact that the sorcerer, who had been clumsily asking questions and whose business involved the byproducts of monsters from Brubewein, just happened to be from that kingdom suggested a lot.
But Patrick couldn’t understand.
He knew that his sister wasn’t just tired—she was frightened. It was something only an older brother, responsible for protecting his sister, could recognize.
Yes, Adeline was terrified.
‘Why is Adeline so scared of that insignificant wretch?’
When that sorcerer is nothing more than small fry.
***
Until now, Kaitlyn had never left the Brubewein Kingdom since settling there.
And she didn’t plan to leave in the future, either.
Kaitlyn was responsible for important matters in the kingdom, while Keith had handled all the other trivial tasks.
Keith was always the one who stepped forward publicly.
Kaitlyn was bold, and Keith was meticulous.
He constantly emphasized that dark sorcery was most threatening when it remained hidden.
If there was a significant power difference between the opponent and oneself, he would take painstakingly long to conquer them.
While Keith stirred up the empire, which had seemed impossible to crack, Kaitlyn quietly built up her strength.
She was preparing to fully utilize the opportunities Keith provided.
The Brubewein royal family, seeing enough potential, venerated the twins and constantly sought an opportunity for revenge against the empire that tried to turn their kingdom into a vassal state.
But too many things went wrong in an instant.
Keith died meaninglessly.
Many of the attempts that should have caused a huge commotion turned to dust.
Kaitlyn now had almost nothing left.
‘Why only you?’
I lost Keith and was left alone here.
I’m struggling so hard to avenge my dead brother.
But then there’s this older brother who comes running over to issue warnings just because of a few words.
Like Princess Mia, a stupid girl who knows nothing and lives protected.
She probably thinks she’s special even though she can’t do anything on her own. She has no idea how fortunate she is.
Kaitlyn now despised Adeline as much as she hated the Saintess.
[1] Used to describe a situation or individual who cannot or refuses to see the big picture because of being sheltered and/or closed minded. (source: Urban Dictionary) ↩
