Chapter 90

Olgard Libertas. Fifth year studying abroad.

The eldest son, called the pillar of the family, who, even while enduring poverty before the family’s downfall, had his parents cover all his expenses.

The bastard who didn’t even show his face when our parents died while he was studying abroad.

To me, the eldest brother I had never even seen had this image.

‘Traitor.’

He had four younger siblings yet didn’t return and said he was studying and couldn’t be contacted. He didn’t even send living expenses. Still, Marcella and the younger siblings didn’t resent Olgard; they only worried he must be having a hard time living abroad and couldn’t come.

‘I didn’t even know he was in Yuno.’

I thought he was in the Mokoko Kingdom, but he’d gone to Yuno on his own.

After the surprise faded, my insides boiled. But this was an official occasion, so I had to be careful.

‘And on top of that, he has no idea I’m not Cornelia.’

I have no memories of that Olgard guy. So I briefly said I lost my past memories after a severe fever. He looked at me suspiciously, then slowly nodded.

“Heh heh, it seems the lost siblings have been reunited here!”

The King of Yuno praised this good omen, praising me and the eldest brother. The crowd, swept up by the mood, applauded us. The deputy cleric was also sending a pleased smile.

“I heard there were siblings you left in the Empire, but I didn’t expect such a splendid talent. She seems to resemble Olgard Zanel.”

“You’re flattering me.”

The bastard took it in stride with a hypocritical smile.

‘What resemblance? I’m not Cornelia, you idiot.’

Only my simmering anger multiplied inside.

“If it’s not rude, may I have a moment to speak with my sister?”

The king readily agreed.

“Of course! Yes, it would be fitting for the two of you to open tonight’s festivities. After the first dance, you may step away for a while.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

‘What, a dance?’

And I have to dance the opening dance with that suspicious eldest-brother bastard.

Even so, I busied myself recalling the steps from the previous ball. Fortunately, the dances of Yuno and the Empire weren’t that different.

“Shall we go, Coco?”

I was led by the eldest brother’s hand and suddenly began the opening dance. True to being the family’s all-in, he led the dance skillfully.

“I didn’t expect we’d meet like this.”

Gone was the person who had once leapt at me like a puppy; there was nothing but an elegant noble. I decided not to bother trying to look like Cornelia in front of him.

‘Besides, I don’t even know what Cornelia used to do, so I can’t really imitate her.’

Besides, I’d already told Marcella and the younger siblings that I was someone else.

Only I was wary that calling myself a cleric might make them think I’m possessed by a demon or something.

“Me too. I had no idea you’d become a scribe.”

He said it as if feeling slighted.

“I want you to speak casually. You said you’d lost your memory, and it seems to be true.”

I didn’t decline. Considering past memories, he’s probably younger than me anyway.

“Oh. So this is the first time I’m seeing you too. Still, judging by your eye color, it seems right.”

“You’ve gotten quite cynical in the time we haven’t seen each other, my sister.”

His affectionate tone irritated me. Under the approving gazes from others, I wished this dance would end quickly.

“I have a lot of questions.”

“Me too.”

Just then the music ended, and he and I, receiving thunderous applause, moved to the reception room guided by servants. As soon as we arrived I got straight to the point.

“What have you been doing here without contacting us even once?”

“Calm down, Coco.”

His face was perfectly calm. He’d become a cleric—did he reach nirvana or something? His glossy hair gave a hypocritically gentle and pure impression. That look only made me angrier.

“Answer me, will you?”

“While studying in Mokoko I accidentally discovered I had holy power. The Yuno vice secretary discovered it and brought me here. As you can see, I continued training and have reached the entry level of the deputy cleric. Even among that role there are differences by experience, so I’m still a novice.”

He slightly lifted the badge on his scribe robe. It seemed to be proof that he was a deputy cleric.

“So?”

I didn’t think that was a valid reason not to contact family.

“I understand why you’re angry. But it wasn’t easy for me either to heed the call of the gods and train. I worked to complete this process quickly to return to you. Before becoming a deputy cleric, one’s movements aren’t free. So I couldn’t go.”

“You could at least have contacted us. You didn’t come when our parents died either.”

His eyes were tinged with sadness.

“But if I returned, I felt I might not be able to come back here. One of the reasons I chose to become a cleric was to treat Rio.”

“…!”

“….”

Those words made me swallow the torrent of retorts I wanted to fire. Our gazes clashed like a standoff.

“Then… can you treat Rio now?”

“Perhaps.”

Hearing him say that made me feel more distrustful than glad. Could it be solved this easily? No, I was suspicious of everything.

At that moment a servant knocked and entered the reception room.

“The deputy cleric requests you.”

“I must be going now, Coco.”

The eldest brother slowly turned. He was leaving even though nothing seemed properly resolved. I hastily grabbed him.

“Our conversation isn’t over yet.”

He approached me again and whispered as if to reassure me.

“Come to the Yuno temple.”

Fortunately, it seemed he wouldn’t avoid it this time. I swallowed the words I had swallowed inside, promised to settle it later, and left the reception room with him. The banquet was also drawing to a close.

“Coco, dance the last one with me!”

Aidan, free in speech but polite in action, extended his hand and requested. The eldest brother beside me scanned him with cold, flat eyes.

“What is your relationship with the next Magic Tower Master?”

I smiled faintly and took Aidan’s hand.

“None of your business.”

Holding Aidan’s hand as he hummed, I leisurely headed for the dance floor.

The next day, before the talks, we toured Yuno Palace and were introduced to key officials.

“Compared to the Seraphina Empire it’s smaller in scale, but it’s a place where the world’s rare flowers gather—something the kingdom is proud of.”

It was a beautiful glass greenhouse. The foreign minister of Yuno Palace personally guided the Empire’s delegation. Given that the Empire is a great power, you could tell they were being very attentive.

Yuno Palace’s white buildings topped with blue roofs gave off a refreshing air. Overall, with a climate different from Resera, there was plenty to see.

“This is Yuno’s central ministries.”

Unlike the Empire’s sprawling buildings, it resembled a vertically long tower. Since their territory is smaller than the Empire’s, the central ministries seemed relatively compact.

‘Ugh, the top floor. Rest in peace.’

I’m sure the departments with many newcomers are placed on the top floor. We went up floor by floor, viewing and greeting departments like the Chancellery, the Ministry of Finance, and the Foreign Ministry. Unlike the Empire, where each department’s interior concept differed sharply, here everything was coolly decorated in the palace’s same white-and-blue concept. Reyra, the finance officer, inspected Yuno’s Ministry of Finance with a hawk’s eye.

“Enough, Finance Officer. People are noticing.”

“We must carefully check if they have anything better than us. The Empire cannot be outdone by a kingdom like Yuno. If I find something, I’ll suggest it to the Minister of Finance as soon as we return.”

I was really glad they spoke so quietly into my ear. Finance Officer Abel’s eyes nearly popped out, then regained their composure. While listening and touring the Ministry of Finance, I glanced at the documents on the desk.

‘New harbor development construction budget.’

Since the sea is a major resource, they seemed to be planning a new harbor development. It was neatly organized, so it looked like a document about to be submitted in a report.

‘Huh? The calculations are wrong.’

At the final total budget calculation, perhaps distracted, a completely different number had been written. I took the pen beside me and jotted down the amount I had mentally calculated. Then I noticed wrong calculations across other pages, so I corrected those as well. I usually wouldn’t meddle, but if they reported and proceeded like this, it could lead to serious trouble.

‘It’s rare for Ministry of Finance officials to make so many calculation errors. Strange.’

They wouldn’t have written it wrong on purpose as a prank, would they? I put the pen down and followed the others out.

“You must be tired from the tour. We’ve prepared a luncheon in the garden, so please enjoy your meal.”

Outside, a lavish meal had been laid out.

“Lovely weather and delicious food too. Thank you for taking such care.”

After our foreign minister expressed gratitude, the meal began in earnest.

At our table sat members of the Chancellery, Aidan, and Finance Officer Reyra. I was about to call Finance Officer Abel to my side, but an unexpected person I wanted to avoid beat me to it.

“May I sit here?”

Finance Officer Reyra answered quickly.

“Who says seats are fixed? Abel can’t always trail right behind me. Please sit, Supreme Justice.”

“As you say.”

The Duke took the adjacent seat with elegant movement. When my eyes met his as he turned his head, I involuntarily bowed. My relaxed nerves instantly tightened.