The Birth Of A Sister

World Era 1900.

Before he knew it, Ian was already ten years old. Three years had already passed since he entered school. In the midst of becoming a third-grader, an unexpected reality had also arrived. His mother had become pregnant.

Was it last year? Because of Father’s sudden visit, he had to stay in his room, and in that situation, perhaps a night was spent, and suddenly he learned that Mother was pregnant. The thought of having a younger sibling felt strange.

He had never once thought about having affection for blood relatives. There were other siblings, but they were only half-siblings. Since she was to be born from the same womb as his mother, he couldn’t help but think of her as a close younger sister.

Moments before the expected date, he could tell that Mother’s labor pains had begun. Accordingly, the older maids from the main palace came to their palace, and preparations to deliver the baby were immediately underway.

Swaaaaaa-

Outside the window, he could see it raining. Seeing that, he couldn’t help but think, why did it have to rain today? While thinking it was an ominous sign, his mind was entirely focused on his mother’s room.

Aaaaaaah-!

From the loud scream, he could tell that Mother was struggling to give birth to his sibling. Perhaps he looked anxious about this, as Leni, the maid who was with me, held his hand tightly and told me not to worry.

“Please don’t worry too much. The Royal Concubine will get through this well. She is a strong person, after all.”

“Yeah, I think so too. Mother will get through this.”

“She definitely will.”

Hearing Leni’s words filled with faith, Ian inwardly felt displeased that there was nothing he could do to help with his own power. What good was having a superpower? There was no way for him to help his mother, who was screaming in pain.

‘I wish I had a power that would allow me to feel the pain instead.’

Unfortunately, he knew that his superpower didn’t include the ability to feel pain on someone else’s behalf. While feeling regret about that fact, time flowed endlessly. And finally, he could hear the baby’s cry.

Uwaaah-!

“Ah! It seems she’s finally given birth!”

“Really? Is Mother alright?”

“I’ll go and check quickly.”

Leni, who was next to him, quickly approached the door of the birthing room, carefully opened it, and went inside. As he was blankly watching her, Leni came out again, and her face was noticeably bright. Seeing that, he felt a sense of relief.

“Prince Ian! It’s a princess!”

“A younger sister? Then Mother is alright?”

“The Royal Concubine is fine, except for being a little weak.”

“Phew, that’s a relief.”

“Yes, it really is a relief.”

Before he knew it, tears were welling up in Leni’s eyes. It seemed she had been worried. Ian wanted to go into the room where his mother was as soon as possible. At that moment, the door opened, and he could see the main palace maids carrying out blood-stained cloths and large tubs that had contained hot water.

The maids, who all seemed to be over forty, briefly bowed their heads towards Ian and then looked at Leni, speaking as if urging her.

“Don’t let her move around for a while, and let her rest.”

“Arrangements must be made for the newborn princess to be breastfed regularly.”

“Don’t worry. I know everything.”

Leni had already had experience taking care of Prince Ian. Seeing her confident demeanor, the maids seemed to have nothing more to say and simply walked away. Their mechanical movements gave the impression that they had only done their duty.

‘So, this is our place, huh.’

He felt a bit annoyed and a sense of anger at being ignored, but Ian was already mentally mature enough not to make a fuss about it. Moreover, what was important now was seeing his mother and his newborn younger sister.

The moment Ian, followed by Leni, stepped into the room, he saw his mother lying weakly on the bed and a baby wrapped in a cloth lying next to her. As he approached, his mother looked at him with loving eyes and said.

“Our Ian has come?”

“Yes, I’m here. Was it very difficult?”

“No, this mother is alright. More importantly, this is your younger sister. What do you think?”

“Wow, she’s beautiful.”

“She looks just like you.”

Unlike himself, who had bright red hair, she had green hair like their mother. Thinking that she was a younger sister born from the same mother made him feel strangely emotional. He felt that it was definitely different from his other half-siblings.

“Ian. You must take good care of your younger sister from now on.”

“Yes, don’t worry. I will take good care of her by your side.”

“Hearing you say that makes my heart feel truly reassured. Hohoho.”

“If anyone bullies her, I’ll punish them.”

“Hearing you say that is reassuring.”

Emily felt proud of her son for looking after his younger sister. At the same time, she couldn’t help but worry about what her daughter, born as a princess, would face in the future. In a way, being a princess might look glamorous to others, but in reality, they were merely tools for political marriages.

‘Will this child be happy later?’

Looking at her daughter lying still as if asleep, she couldn’t help but feel worried. She didn’t have much to worry about her son, Ian. He was a prince, and when the time came for him to leave the royal palace, his maternal family, the Tarshos County, would be able to provide some assistance.

She had even entrusted a reliable person to invest money she had separately saved for her son in a fund. She was hoping that it would grow and become a considerable fortune for him later.

What she simply wished for was that both her son and the daughter born today would live peaceful lives. At that moment, hearing her son’s words, a smile naturally appeared on her face.

“Mama, to commemorate today, let’s make a cake and eat it together.”

“Shall we?”

“I’ll go and prepare quickly.”

Seeing Leni, the maid, roll up her sleeves as if eager to help, they created a celebration for the day. Unlike the day her son Ian was born in the past, the king did not visit today when his younger sister was born. In the first place, the king’s visit on the day Ian was born was for a different reason, so there was no reason for him to come.

Even now, it was raining heavily outside. But at this moment, inside the small inner palace where Ian lived, it was filled with a warm atmosphere. Together with Leni, they made a cake themselves, lit the candles, blew them out, and created a celebration for the day.

And so, on this day when the spring rain poured down, Ian got a younger sister.

The day was a sweltering summer one. Perhaps it was because it was an island nation in the south, but it was definitely more humid. On such a hot day, Ian was at the beach, endlessly gazing at the ocean before him. In the distance, the faint sight of merchant ships moving along, emitting black smoke with the sound of their horns, could be seen.

For reference, the capital of the Polia Kingdom was situated almost right on the northeastern coast of the island. The founding king, who first established the capital here, had done so hundreds of years ago, and it remained unchanged to this day.

Perhaps because of this, with the capital adjacent to the sea, all sorts of defensive fortifications were densely situated. Small islands could be seen near the distant coastline, and it was said that these had been completely fortified to prevent any invasion.

Rumor had it that not only an enormous amount of rebar and cement had been poured in, but the installed cannons were also of considerably large caliber. Furthermore, with approximately two thousand troops stationed there at all times, they had created absolute defensive facilities that no one could breach.

In any case, Ian’s expression as he looked at this seascape was varied. It furrowed deeply, then smoothed out, then he closed his eyes, displaying a range of emotions. At that moment, the sound of someone approaching Ian could be heard.

“Prince Ian.”

“……”

“Um, Prince. Can’t you hear me?”

At the sound of the boy’s voice calling him from the side, Ian, who had been silent for a moment, finally turned his head to look at someone. It was a boy with dark blue hair who was a head shorter than him. It was Armin, a classmate in the same grade at the same school.

“Why did you call me?”

“Well, you were just staring blankly at the sea without saying anything.”

“So what? I can just look at the sea.”

“Still, staring at it for a whole hour is too strange.”

“Strange or not, I can do it. So don’t bother me.”

The actions he was taking were absolutely necessary, enough so that he didn’t care if they seemed strange. Why else would he come to the beach and endlessly stare at the sea after school? Just to space out? No. It was to train his superpower.

‘There’s nowhere else to train.’

The only place where he could reliably exert great power that was invisible to the eye was this ocean. How? Literally by trying to move the seawater within the ocean. The more seawater he moved through telekinesis, the faster he would reach his limit, and thus he could use power beyond that limit.

‘In a way, there doesn’t seem to be a better training subject than seawater.’

More than that, this guy Armin had been sticking to him ever since he had helped him out in their first year. When he kept asking why he was following him, Armin said it was because he felt comfortable and liked it. This rather dangerous statement made by the boy might have been a way for him to create a refuge from other children through Ian.

To be honest, it was annoying but also convenient at the same time. Perhaps because the kid was quick-witted, he often brought exactly what Ian needed. In a way, he had gotten used to him now, and he wondered if he had become someone he would miss if he wasn’t around.

“More importantly, doesn’t your family say anything about you hanging out with me?”

“Prince Ian, you say such strange things again? Why would my family say anything about me being with the Prince?”

“I’m the ninth prince. There’s nothing to gain from sticking to me, is there?”

“I’m not hanging out with you to gain anything, Prince. It makes me a little sad if you think that way. I just feel comfortable around you. And you’re also my benefactor.”

“I just stopped them from bullying you. Are you saying you’re following me around because of that?”

“That was a great kindness to me. I was so scared when I first went to school. But you were the one who reached out to me then, Prince. That’s why I like you so much.”

“Crazy bastard.”

“Ah, Prince, you shouldn’t use such language! You must maintain your dignity!”

Seeing him nagging from the side, Ian inwardly wondered if the kid was really just a ten-year-old. He was a good talker and quite thoughtful. In fact, although he was only ten, his school report cards showed that he was quite intelligent.

He consistently ranked within the top ten of their grade, but there were times when it felt like he was deliberately avoiding being first. Perhaps he disliked the attention that came with being first, and in this aspect, Ian couldn’t help but feel that they were kindred spirits.

‘That’s also why I keep him around.’

He didn’t particularly intend to build school ties or connections, but Armin seemed like someone he wouldn’t mind keeping a relationship with even after becoming an adult and leaving the royal palace. He wondered if the kid would amount to something big someday. Anyway, feeling a bit uncomfortable about being interrupted from his training, he spoke.

“From now on, when I’m looking at the sea, don’t talk to me or touch me. It disrupts my thoughts.”

“Yes, I will. But why do you like looking at the sea so much?”

“Just because.”

“You don’t want to talk about it, do you? But if you could just tell me a little… Wow! Look at that!”

As Armin, who was talking, pointed at one spot and exclaimed, Ian’s gaze naturally turned in that direction. A majestic warship was seen moving across the sea. It boasted a considerable size and appeared to be a type of battleship.

“It’s a Monglia-class battleship!”

“Is that so?”

“It’s also a battleship that has greatly helped our kingdom make its name as a maritime power. It’s hard to see clearly from here, but it definitely has four 250mm twin-barreled main guns and eight 100mm secondary guns. Can you even imagine the power of the artillery fire that can be unleashed from those?”

“Hmm? I guess it would be very loud?”

“Of course! If you don’t protect your ears properly, your eardrums will burst. Anyway, our kingdom has as many as nine of those battleships.”

“Nine ships, is that a lot?”

“Of course! It’s rare for countries other than empires to even have battleships; they are difficult to build and cost a lot of money. The deterrent force that comes from possessing as many as nine such battleships is considerable.”

“Really? You know about such things, you know a lot? You must be very interested?
“
“Interested? I just learned a bit.”

Seeing him scratch the back of his head as he spoke, Ian could tell that he had studied quite diligently. With this realization, he turned his gaze back towards the warship and said.

“The empires must have even more of those battleships, right?”

“They probably do, right? They must have well over twenty at least. What else would make an empire an empire?”

“That’s a lot.”

“Still, that’s also why they can’t carelessly mess with our kingdom. Depending on which empire we side with, the maritime map could change in an instant.”

Hearing Armin’s words, Ian roughly understood one thing for sure. Building nine such battleships must have cost an enormous amount of money. He still thought this country was going to ruin itself with excessive military spending.