Chapter 117 The Spare Heir And Little Prince - Side Robert -
Among the 3 Grandchester brothers, I have a pretty ordinary existence.
Ed, the heir, was special from birth, and I'm just a 'spare' in case something happens. Well, it's normal for the second son of a noble family to be like that, and it's the same in other families where the eldest son is special.
But when I was 4 years old, my younger brother Arthur was born. He was a beautiful boy who looked just like our mother, and our father and the servants adored him. Of course, I also thought my brother was cute, and I liked him more than Ed, who didn't really get along with me.
As for looks, I wasn't bad either, since I resembled my mother. I was even somewhat popular at kids' tea parties. But when Arthur started attending those parties, all the girls fell head over heels for him.
Well, I wasn't interested in those shallow girls, and I thought it was a bit annoying, but my fondness for Arthur was stronger, so it didn't bother me.
...That was until I met Revi.
After giving birth to Arthur, Mother's health started to decline. She had to take it easy and decided to stay at the Grandchester estate, and I and Arthur went with her.
One day, Orson Viscount's wife, a friend of Mother's, came to visit the Grandchester castle with her second daughter, Revi. The two women had been close friends since childhood, and the Orson Viscount family was a neighboring noble family that held land adjacent to Grandchester.
At that time, the Orson Viscount family was busy with their eldest son's academy entrance and their eldest daughter's debut in high society, and they didn't have the time to take care of Revi. When Mother heard about this, she suggested taking Revi in at the Grandchester castle.
At first, Revi was dressed up and had a refined atmosphere, but when I opened the lid, she was an incredibly tomboyish girl. She was the same age as Arthur, 6 years old, but she didn't show any interest in playing with dolls like other girls, and instead ran around the castle's forest with my brothers and me.
She hated dresses because they got in the way of playing, so she wore my old clothes. She rode horses like the wind, went fishing in the river, and even participated in sword training with us. The only thing she wasn't allowed to do was sword training, which our mother strictly forbade, but it seemed she was secretly learning from Jeff.
Revi often played with the children of the castle's servants, and everyone called her "Little Prince" because of her tomboyish behavior. By the way, Revi was also the best at climbing trees among us.
Our carefree childhood ended when Revi and Arthur were 9 years old, and I was 12.
That day, the 3 of us went on a distant ride to the western forest. However, a fox suddenly jumped out from the side of the road, and Arthur fell off his horse in shock.
I quickly got off my horse and rushed to Arthur's side, calling out to him, but he didn't respond because he had lost consciousness. He was still breathing shallowly and rapidly, so I was relieved that he wasn't dead.
When he fell, he must have hit his head, because blood was flowing from it. When I looked closer, I saw a big wound on his arm too. I tried to shake him awake, but Revi stopped me, saying "You can't shake him when he's hit his head."
Revi calmly instructed me, "Rob, go get an adult," and then knelt down beside Arthur. I quickly returned to the castle, called for an adult, and came back to the scene with a horse-drawn carriage.
The scene I saw there is still unforgettable to this day.
Revi was surrounded by light. Many small orbs of light were circling around her, and a bright, white flame-like light was emanating from her hand, pouring down onto Arthur. Arthur's wounds on his forehead and arm were quickly healing, and his breathing was returning to normal.
The surreal scene left not only me but also the adults around us in a state of wonder.
After a while, the surge of light subsided. Then, Revi turned to the butler who had rushed over and said,
"The lost blood won't come back, so rest is necessary, but Arthur is already fine."
She left only those words and smiled at me, still looking sweet, before losing consciousness.
The moment I saw that smile, I realized my romantic feelings for Revi. I think I've probably liked her for a long time. But the scorching pain in my chest and the unbearable longing I felt were new to me at that moment.
Revi, who had demonstrated her light attribute healing magic, was destined to become a woman desired by many from now on. As a member of the Viscount family, considering her rarity, she would be sought after as a partner by upper-class nobles or wealthy families. I, a mere spare, couldn't possibly stand by her side.
In other words, the moment I realized my love, I knew I couldn't have her.
When I turned 13, I started attending the Academy with Arthur. It's not surprising, since you can enroll from the age of 10, but you need to pass an exam to advance, so it's normal to start around my age.
In short, Arthur wasn't ordinary; he was a genius. According to him, "I got smarter after I fell off a horse and hit my head." That's his standard joke.
Revi remained Revi, but as those around her changed their attitude, she gradually became more ladylike. Seeing her attend tea parties in dresses, doing embroidery, and other such activities, she was indeed a refined Viscount lady.
Still, in front of us, she didn't hide her true self as Little Prince Revi, and she lamented not being able to attend the Academy. Arthur and I pitied Revi, so we prepared a separate set of Academy textbooks and notes, and sent them to her.
Arthur's grades were always high, not just because he was smart, but because he reviewed the lessons to teach Revi. Of course, I sent them too, but for some reason, they often came back with corrections... I don't get it.
Of course, we received a lot of questions from Revi. We divided the tasks among ourselves and asked the professors for answers to Revi's questions or searched for them in the Academy's library. Thanks to that, the professors thought we were enthusiastic students.
During the long break, we returned to Grandchester Castle. Although my mother had passed away while I was in school, and Orson Viscount's wife no longer visited the castle, Revi still came to play at Grandchester Castle by herself. Well, her real intention was to study with Arthur in the self-study room, though.
I always gazed at Revi as if she was something dazzling. Every time we returned to Grandchester Castle during the break, Revi became more and more beautiful. Even in the royal capital during the season, Revi's beauty was often talked about, and all the young noble sons were infatuated with her. Come to think of it, I once asked Arthur if he liked Revi, but he said, "Little Prince Revi only looks like a same gender friend to me." He must be blind from studying too much.
And then, the moment I feared the most arrived. Revi got engaged to the wealthy Viscount family's heir. Arthur and I had already graduated from the Academy, but we knew the guy's name and face as our junior. He seemed to be quite excellent. His face... I think I might be a little better-looking, though.
By the way, when Revi got engaged, Arthur came to comfort me. I didn't tell anyone, but how did he know?
If Revi was happy, I was willing to celebrate her marriage with joy. I might have kept an eye on her husband to make sure he didn't cheat, but that's normal for a friend, right?
But Revi was too beautiful to become an ordinary Viscount lady. It was widely known that she could maintain her beautiful appearance for a long time thanks to the blessings of the spirits, and she had also demonstrated rare light attribute healing magic, which increased her mystique and rarity.
Rumors about Revi spread not only within Avalon but also to foreign countries. The lecherous prince of a neighboring country wouldn't let her go. Compared to the powerful Roisen, our Avalon was too weak. His Majesty the King firmly refused the strong-willed Prince Adolf's demands, but Revi's surroundings were gradually worn down by his pressure.
I wanted to help Revi. I really wanted her to be happy. I'm just a spare, so I couldn't borrow my family's power, but I'd do anything I could. Arthur said he'd help, but he was too busy with Adelia, so I knew I had to do it alone.
When I heard that Revi's engagement to Prince Adolf was decided, I gathered as much money as I could, created a fake identity as a commoner, and bought land and a house near the border with Roisen. I also registered with the Adventurer's Guild under a false identity.
After preparing to some extent, I visited Revi at the Orson estate. There was only one week left until the engagement.
"Revi, let's leave the house together. Let's become adventurers together."
I conveyed my heartfelt feelings to Revi. I was willing to dedicate my entire life to making her happy. But she smiled at me with a beauty I'd never seen before and said,
"Thank you, Rob. But I can't."
At that moment, I realized that my entire life wasn't enough to match Revi's resolve. I understood that she had already given up. With nothing to offer, I couldn't even shake her determination.
I returned to Grandchester Castle, feeling that I couldn't even be by Revi's side as a friend anymore.
And I shut myself in my room. If I had to describe my state at that time in one word, it would be "emptiness". It wasn't sadness, loneliness, grief, or despair--those kinds of easy-to-understand emotions. It was a genuine, complete emptiness. I didn't cry, I didn't get angry. I just locked myself in my room, didn't eat, and I don't even remember if I slept or not.
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