The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady

 

Sponsored Content

Episode 26: The Royal Siblings

–Correction made by the Author on 11/16/2019

/////

“…You really just have to get in the way, don't you…?”

Al-kun stares at me, his red eyes distorted, full of spite.
He doesn't bother hiding the utter hatred oozing out of him.

I almost took a sigh before catching Al-kun's gaze.
Ah, I can't afford to ruin my breathing pattern, I need to keep my cool.

Instead, someone else reacted much more than I did.
It was Euphie.

“Algarde-sama!”

“…You too, Euphilia.
Truly abominable, all of you.”

Euphie glares at Al-kun with a grim expression.
He returns her gaze, his eyes filled with the same hatred directed at me.

I try to calmly analyze the situation.
The color of Al-kun's iris is different from before, and he has a demon stone embedded in his chest.

(…I see.)

Keeping my guard up from Al-kun, I rush towards Ilya.
When I knelt down and peeked at Ryeini, who was in Ilya's arms, her chest held a deep gash, and her condition was terrible.

Ryeini still breathed, however shallowly, but her eyes gazed into space, unfocused.

“Sorry…
I couldn't…
Princess.”

Ilya apologizes while biting back a cry, and she hangs her head.

I don't know the details, but I was more than convinced that Ryeini's demon stone was stolen.

Ilya is not weak by any means, but she faced the wrong opponent.
After all, Al-kun is royalty.
If you're caught off guard by such an opponent, it's inevitable that they'll strike first.
In fact, that's why Ryeini's demon stone was stolen.

“…Ryeini, can you hear me?”

“…Ani…? …fia…
Princess…?”

In response to my voice, Ryeini gazes up.
Tears spill from her eyes, dotting her cheeks.

Her expression distorts in agony, yet her throat trembles as she desperately tries to speak.

“…I'm sorry…
There's…
a reason…
and then…”

“I don't need your apology.
There's only one thing: If this situation continues, you're going to die.”

Ryeini has no time left.
Rather than an apology, there's something important I need to ask.

“Do you still want to live?”

Ryeini remained silent in response to my question, but she didn't avert her gaze.

“I'll help you.
If you want to live, say 'help me'.”

Please say it.
I won't let you die.
I promise.

The only reason Ryeini is alive currently is because she awakened her demon stone.
Vampire magic is a “death defying” magic, so if Ryeini refuses to give up, a path to survival opens.
She knows this.

Ryeini's lips tremble at my question.
I felt her eyes close tightly and her body tense up.

“…I…
still want…
to go on…
but…
I…”

Ryeini barely spits out these words, coughing up blood.
Ilya raises Ryeini to a slightly more comfortable position, as her body was shaking.

It was enough to hear those words.
But, I'll add another reason for her to live.
I'll give you as many as I can.

“Then, Ryeini.
I command you.
Live, even if you lose your humanity.
I will accept you.”

“…Anis…
ofia…
Princess…”

“Never give up until the very end.
You wanted to live.
So, I order you to live.
You are not allowed to disobey me.”

In response to my words, Ryeini blinks a few times before smiling, as if troubled.
She then draws her lips together and closes her eyes.
I stand up, watching Ryeini's breathing become labored.

Euphie held up Arc en Ciel as if to warn Al-kun.
He didn't react, just quietly staring at us.

“Euphie, heal Ryeini.
Ilya, watch them both this time.”

Sponsored Content

“…Princess…
I understand.”

Ilya's eyes widened as if to catch her breath, but she immediately stopped crying and wiped away her tears.
Then, her face hardened with resolve.

On the other hand, Euphie seemed puzzled by my orders.

“Anise-sama, this injury…”

“I know, you just need to buy some time.
If we can help Ryeini become a full vampire, there's a chance she could survive.”

“But, the demon stone is…!”

“If the demon stone originated from Ryeini, her body can create it again.
If not, we'll just get it back from Al-kun.
Either way, we need time.
I said I would help.
Can you help me with that, Euphie?”

“…Understood.”

Euphie nods to me and immediately kneels beside Ryeini, praying to the spirits for her magic.
The spirits shine in response to her prayer and gather around Euphie.

If we weren't in such a situation, it would've been a wonderous sight to behold.
I glance towards Euphie before turning my gaze towards Al-kun.

He didn't move an inch from his spot.
His dark eyes merely gazed at me.

“I wonder, did you have something to do with this? The exhibition? Moritz?”

“I don't know.
Shouldn't my wise sister have figured it out by now?”

“I'm neither a spirit nor a god.
I wouldn't know what I haven't seen.”

The situation is too full of coincidences and Al-kun isn't even trying to hide it.
Moritz held the exhibition to lure me away from Ryeini.

No matter how much we tried to silence them, rumors will emerge.
Al-kun knew I protected Ryeini, and then he made this plan.
I don't know who told him or what he heard, but the fact is he knew.

“…So this is a demon stone, huh? That woman was just a hostage.”

Al-kun looks at Ilya, as if pointing with his chin.
Ilya clenches her teeth in frustration, before pulling out the mana blade and readying herself.

…That's right.
He must've taken out Ilya first to subdue Ryeini.
She couldn't fight back without risking Ilya's injury, but it's over now. *(E/N: The second sentence was unclear, so I just ad-libbed the second sentence.)

His methods are despicable, but there's no point in worrying about it now. *(E/N: This was also unclear, so adlibbing it is.)

“Weren't you mesmerized by Ryeini?”

“I was.
I wanted to keep her close.
Though, I had to change my plans because of you.”

“Did you know she was a vampire?”

“From Moritz.”

That guy again.
I guess it wouldn't have been hard to gather the information as the son of the Head of the Ministry of Magic.
Is that how Al-kun learned Ryeini's identity?

 

Well, I supposed it's not that important.
What matters now is that Al-kun is attempting to use Ryeini to become a vampire, or rather, to acquire vampiric powers.

I'm surprised the Head of the Ministry of Magic agreed to this plan.
I don't know how far Al-kun and his conspirers have planned things out.
All I can say is that they're completely hostile at this point.

“…So? Was all this just to become a vampire?”

“I was planning on it only after I secured Ryeini.
Rather, if I could've avoided it, I would've, but now that you've recovered Euphilia and Ryeini, I had no other choice.”

“You're being irrational…
If you wanted Ryeini so badly, why didn't you just take her as a concubine?”

“Ryeini's hypnotism didn't affect Euphilia.
That's why she was a hinderance.
I was going to get rid of Euphilia and gain power by officially welcoming Ryeini.
I calculated that both Mother and Father would fall under Ryeini's charm.”

“That's a big plan.
Were you planning on taking over the country?”

“It was going to be mine eventually.
I'm just expediting the process.”

I let out a loud sigh before continuing the conversation.
A pit was forming in the bottom of my stomach.

“You ruined everything.
Ryeini was supposed to be mine, but you managed to steal both Euphilia and Ryeini.”

“Don't make it sound like I stole her.
I 'protected' her.”

“It doesn't matter.
The only thing that matters is that you're in my way.”

“…I'm going to…
Hm? You're looking a bit pale? Al-kun, you're not very comfortable with your vampiric powers, are you?”

Al-kun's eyebrows jumped a bit from my question.
It assumed the reason he was talking so much was to familiarize himself with his demon stone, but it seems I was off.

Sponsored Content

It's only natural.
Embedding a demon stone is like taking someone else's organ.
Ryeini was born with it, so her body naturally accommodated it, but with Al-kun, it isn't that easy, even if a vampire's demon stone was made for humans.

“Did you take the demon stone from Ryeini because she resisted?”

“Do you really need me to tell you? Haven't you already figured it out? Even if weren't here, you can make an educated guess, right?”

“What are people to you, Al…?”

“She's not a person.
She's a monster.”

My lips trembled at his answer, said with no hesitation.
I tried to speak, but nothing came out.
A cold feeling washed over me.

“You're being very clear…”

“I needed to surpass you.
In order to do that, I needed power.
I needed something to raise me above my sister's achievements.
But, I didn't have anything.
Magic, politics, academics…
These were all “normal things!”

Al-kun clenched his fist till blood oozed out.
My face must've been terribly cold in his bloodshot eyes.
The temperature difference between Al-kun who was screaming, and I who was sighing was vast.

Yet, we are siblings who share blood.
Oh, what can I say…

“So, you're trying to do something even I can't do? Even if you have to kill someone to do so?”

“It's for the country.
I need the country.
It's going to be mine, not yours.
If I'm the crown prince, I need to be befitting of it.
I will be the next king, standing at the top of the country.
This is the power that I need!”

 

“…Ruling the country? To say that is your right?”

…Oh really.

“You're such a bore, Algarde.”

I spat the words from my mouth, my expression slipping away.

My thoughts grew sharper, my emotions colder.
But, I hadn't lost my fire.
It was locked up.
Deep.
Far in my heart.
With that small flame, my mind grew clearer.

“…That plan, so boring.
Did I ruin it? It's your fault for having such easily derailed plans.” *(E/N: Yeah, the phrasing on this one could be better.)

From the bottom of my heart, I tell him.
His plans are boring; I honestly can't laugh at them.

“Why exactly do you think I've played the fool for so long? Well, Algarde? It was so people would distance themselves from me.
Could you not even understand that much? Algarde?”

The only thing left in my heart was disbelief.
All my anger and sadness have faded away.

“All those things? Things that common people can do? Isn't it natural? It's humans that try their very hardest, doing their very best.
What is it? Because I'm a monster you had to become one too? Who told you that and when? Oh no. Did you decide that on your own? Well…
It must've been tough.
You must've suffered.
But, Algarde? Why didn't you think about this basic fact?”

Lower your body.
Lean your center of gravity forward so you can run.

The mana blade in my hand quivers, emitting magical light and forming a blade.
It's a blade of serenity, clear as the blue sky.
It was as if the serene blade reflected my heart.

“You can't beat me in the same ring.”

I said this casually, as if I were talking about today's weather.
Al-kun's expression violently distorted at my words.

“Sister…!”

Al's face contorted ever more violently, but I soon cut him off.

“You should've just been a good king.
You could've been one.
A good king, a human, worrying a lot, talking a lot, and helping others towards their goals.
What on earth did you have a fiancé for? Your entourage? What were the nobility, royalty, and your parents for? We gather, we inherit, we carry on.
That is our treasure.”

“…It might've been precious and noble to you, but…!”

“The eyes of a king are not those that have been clouded from these simple truths.”

I crushed Al-kun's counterargument with a single breath.

“Don't get me wrong, Algarde.
I am a monster, even if others compare me to you.
All you had to do was let me be that monster.
Why did you put us in the same ring? Did you want to compete with me that badly? How foolish.”

I just shook my head in disappointment.
I know my abnormalities better than anyone else.

That's why I stepped aside.
I didn't want to derail this country from the proper course.
All I had to do was quietly chase my dream.

“Is it so important for a 'monster' to be ruling the country? If a 'monster' rules, it will be the people that suffer.
Can't you understand that, Algarde?”

I shot a strong glare at Al-kun.
Tension filled my jaw, my teeth grating, the sound clearly resounding.

“Ruling the country with the power of vampires.
Do you understand what power by domination means? What would other countries think if they knew?”

“That's exactly why this power is needed! To swallow everything, to rule it all! That's why I need to be a strong king! I must be able to rule them all!”

Sponsored Content

 

“That's a very biased ideology.
Did your instructors fail their jobs? Or did you suffer from brainwashing? By the way, you said Ryeini's hypnosis didn't affect you.
Was this idea of your own creation? Or were you already mesmerized?”

“…STOP IT! Don't look at me with those eyes! Don't you dare try to persuade me!”

“You're probably fearful because your ideas are full of holes, and you know it.
I had hoped you would at least become king and reign in the monster that is me…
I was asking for too much, wasn't I?” *(E/N: Yeah, not sure about this bit of dialogue.
I'll include the original machine text down below.)

I snickered at the prospect.

“I'm sure Father and Mother must be very disappointed.
All of their children; they all turned out to be so problematic.
I really do worry for this kingdom's future.”

“…Why?”

“Yes?”

Suddenly, Al-kun's tone shifted, questioning me.

“If the better man should be king, they should claim to be better from the start! I wish you had been king all along!”

“I am the crown prince.
I must be the crown prince.
But, what is a king? What is a king that no one acknowledges? What is an unwanted king for!? All I was, was a stand-in for Euphilia! She was the one people recognized to lead the country!”

Al-kun's cry was dark.
It was ugly, as if he were spitting blood, burning with fire.

“I got nothing! There was nothing! All I was, was the crown prince! That wasn't me! Just the crown prince, just the king! Just me, a nobody!”

“…That's what parental love is.”

“Love? Love!? You call this, love!? No, this can't be love! It's just a sham, a placeholder, a wedge to be king.”

Al-kun barks with bloodshot eyes, biting his lips so hard they bleed.

“If this is love, then what are you!? You aren't getting love, are you? If that's the case, then why can you laugh so much, why are you so free? You are you, sister.
You are my only sister.
Always, forever, and ever…!”

“…Algarde…”

“Are you going to give me love too? You say you wish I were king too! If all love is, is the kingship…
Then I don't need love! I will forge my own path.
If I want it, I will take it, and I will hold it.
If I have to swallow everything, then being human isn't worth a damn thing!”

…I wonder what face I have, hearing Al-kun's cry…

Despite it all, my thoughts remain crystal clear, my emotions pushed to the recesses of my mind.
There is no heat.
My head just keeps spinning, round and round and round.
Only one thought makes it through.

This is just so sad, and they can't be helped.
The words he spins are plain and simple.

“…I see.
I don't blame you.
If your 'royal path' is like so, then I must speak with my 'royal path' too.
The king is the foundation of the people, a wedge for the nation; there is no need for an individual.
He maintains peace and quiet, keeping the fabric of the country stable and together.
Yes, I won't deny that the king, you, are a sacrifice.”

“Yes! You, Mother, Father! Everything this country has forced on me! That's all I am!”

“If you didn't know, you would've been happy.
And if you didn't know, you wouldn't be king.
A king cannot be happy.
From the moment you desired individuality, you were forever cursed.
A king can be only happy as a sacrifice.”2

 

I…
probably had a troubled laugh.
Al-kun's words hit me so hard that a crack could form in my chest.

It must've hurt.
It's so painful that I wanted to cry.
But, it's still not allowed.
Because we're royalty.

“I don't think you'll ever get the happiness that you truly desire.
Still, we're all together here.”

“Sister…! No, Anne-Sophia! Princess Anne-Sophia Winn Palette!”

“If you cannot become a corner stone of the nation, if you cannot surpass me, then give up now and be sorry for yourself, cursed by the illusion that you can't do it.
We were unhappy from the beginning.
If you still can't accept it, can't keep living, then—end it here.
That's my mercy, a monster's mercy, Algarde Bona Palette.” *(E/N: “Give up now” originally “step on the corpse”)

I take a step forward.
At the same time, Al-kun shoots off magic.

The battle with my brother begins.
Both of us possess the power and will of monsters.

/////

–I remember the warmth of his hands.

Even if I failed, there was no reprimanding.

He just laughed.
He told me to be careful next time.

If I suceeeded, his voice echoed with joy.

His eyes lit up, and he praised me.

Sponsored Content

“Al-kun!”

These days spun around in circles.

Every day was dizzying, an ever-changing cycle.

I was an ignorant child.
That's why I felt happy to know.

What I didn't know, what he didn't know…

Although the days repeated themselves, I moved forward, even if I wasn't aware of it.

I remember that dazzling light with all my being.

“Let's go, Al-kun! This new invention is amazing!”

There is no such thing a perfect being.
It did not exist.

There was no such concept of eternity.
That's why it had to end.

It began with escape.
With obedience.
I was helpless.

“…Sorry, Al-kun.”

The distance between us widened.
Everyone desired the world they couldn't have.

Still, we must protect this one.
We were born that way.

It couldn't be helped.
I can't help it.

–Suddenly, I looked up at the sky.

There, in the vast and majestic place were people were free—that person was there.

The things that crawl on the ground never reach the sky.
But that person got it.

I am reminding that I, who cannot go anywhere, am powerless.

It's dark, and I'm buried under forever.
Names have become mere symbols.

Without substance, without desire, without attention.

“—I'm your big sister, Algarde! I'll call you Al-kun!”

I remember the warmth of that hand.

He said it was for me.
I remember the heat that was honest and clear, that spoke to me so.

I desperately wanted power, the power to reach the sky.

–That is why Algarde Bona Palette will never be happy.

The happiness of flying freely in the sky cannot be obtained by those without wings.

–That is why Anne-Sophia Winn Palette cannot be happy forever.

Even if she has wings, she will lose her freedom, bound by the fate of her blood and obligation to her country.

If there is a difference…
For those who soar in the sky, they held the choice of planting their feet firmly on the ground.

Those without wings…
They are not even qualified to soar.

That's all there is to it.

/////

A/N:

Google: “I think it's because I'm going to buy it cheaply.
I was hoping that I would become a king and tie a collar to a monster, but …
I was too eager for it.”

DeepL: “I think it's because they're trying to get a cheap deal.” I had hoped you would at least make me king and put a collar on my monster.
……
I was asking too much of you, wasn't I?”

Mine: “You're probably fearful because your ideas are full of holes, and you know it.
I had hoped you would at least become king and reign in the monster that is me…
I was asking for too much, wasn't I?”

Hey, sorry I skipped last week.
Had term papers due for English and History.1

This chapter was a roller coaster.
Emotions were running so high.

Well, I hope y'all enjoyed.
Feel free to point out any mistakes.
Y'all stay safe!