Chapter 7

Today, I checked and found that the bookmark count had surpassed 4,000 and I had reached number one on the daily other-world romance ranking.

I am very happy that so many people have read it...

Thank you to everyone who left comments and pointed out typos.

This story is from Toppac's perspective, so I hope you enjoy it.

"Master Toppac, what are you looking at?"

At the voice that came from her chest, Toppac hastily lowered his gaze.

From his sister Cordelia to his younger sister Priscilla.

His frail fiancée was looking up at him with a dissatisfied expression.

"Really, Master Toppac, don't look away. It was because of that that we got separated just now, you know?"

"I was scared," she said.

Priscilla puffed out her cheeks and turned away.

Toppac smiled, his eyes softening at the sight of his fiancée, who looked like a young squirrel with its cheeks full.

His fiancée, even when pouting, was a beautiful girl like a fairy.

(Priscilla is so charming that she's almost too good for me... ...but, why... ...)

Why did his gaze keep drifting to where it just did?

(Cordelia... ...)

—Was it not his sister, but his older sister?

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

Toppac is the fifth son of the Totorude family.

Of his four older brothers, three were born to the same mother as Toppac.

The eldest is the heir, the second is a backup in case something happens to the eldest, and the third is a backup to the backup.

And Toppac is the backup to the backup to the backup.

His presence or absence made no difference, and that was the extent of his treatment.

In the Kingdom of Riolbern, the eldest son of the main wife, or a wife in a similar position, is the one who inherits the family.

The second and third sons usually become heirs if they excel in intellect, swordsmanship, or magic.

Toppac had no outstanding features other than his good looks, and he had no ambition to succeed the family over his brothers.

With his good looks and the status of being the son of a baron,

he had been living a relatively happy life without much trouble when the proposal to marry the daughter of the Guenberg family, Cordelia, came up.

Although he had some reservations about Cordelia, who had experienced three broken engagements, Toppac accepted the proposal.

For a noble, a marriage proposal is a duty and part of the job.

The biggest reason was that, since Toppac had no prospects of inheriting his family, marrying into the Guenberg family was not a bad choice.

Thus, Cordelia, who was introduced to him, was a flawless baron's daughter.

Despite being younger, she had a solid education and demeanor, and in conversation, she subtly supported and cared for Toppac.

Although there was no romantic feeling between them, she was an excellent life partner.

That's why he decided to proceed with the engagement formally.

"Master Toppac?"

Toppac still remembered the day he first met Priscilla.

Her clear gaze looking up at him, her slender neck that seemed ready to break.

Her lips were moist with a fresh smile, and her pale cheeks were tinged with a delicate blush.

To be honest, before meeting Priscilla, Toppac had not had a good impression of her.

Priscilla, who had stolen her sister's fiancé three times.

He had heard she was beautiful, but that's why he was wary of her.

He thought she was a woman with a hidden ugliness and an overwhelming charm.

But the Priscilla he actually met was completely different from what he had expected.

"Master Toppac, look, aren't these flowers beautiful?"

Priscilla, who smiled and said this, was many times more beautiful than the flowers, in Toppac's eyes.

Priscilla was a straightforward and cheerful girl.

Her words were honest, and she directed her sincere feelings towards him.

He realized that the rumors about her being a villain were just rumors.

Whenever he visited the house to see Cordelia, Priscilla always welcomed him warmly.

Toppac's heart was drawn to the endearing Priscilla who looked up to him.

The adjective "adorable" suited Priscilla perfectly.

Every time her body touched his and she called his name with joy, his heart fluttered.

Toppac now understood why Cordelia's three former fiancés had chosen Priscilla.

... ...That's why Toppac was curious.

Why did Priscilla, who had stolen Cordelia's fiancé three times, always end up breaking up without getting married?

"......Do you think it's my fault, Master Toppac...?"

Tears fell from Priscilla's eyes, one by one.

Seeing her like a withered flower, Toppac felt his chest crushed by guilt.

"Priscilla, don't cry. I'm not blaming you......"

"Hic, hic, don't lie. You think it's my fault, that it's my fault for being Cordelia's sister, don't you?"

With her hurt eyes, Priscilla began to tell the story of her past breakups, even as she cried.

"It's always the same. Cordelia's fiancés were all gentlemanly and wonderful, and I fell in love with them, and I couldn't lie about my feelings, and they felt the same way, so we ended up getting engaged......"

But, Priscilla closed her eyes tightly.

"But it was different. After a while, they stopped seeing me, and I was sad and lonely, so I asked them why......"

"What did they say?"

"Because I'm Cordelia's sister."

"What do you mean?"

"If I married you, I would become related to Cordelia. I think they felt guilty about having to be around Cordelia, whom they had left behind, and couldn't bear it."

"They were all kind people," Priscilla said, laughing through her tears.

She didn't speak ill of her former fiancés, and Toppac couldn't take his eyes off her brave smile.

"It's all my fault. Because I'm her sister. It's all my fault because I'm Cordelia's sister......"

Because I'm Cordelia's sister.

The repeated words shook Toppac to his core.

Priscilla was the same.

He had always been treated as the younger brother of the family's heir candidates.

Just "the fifth son of the Totorude family" and "Cordelia's sister, Priscilla."

Priscilla, who shared the same pain as him, yet never spoke ill of others, and smiled endearingly.

When he wiped away her tears and stroked her head, her soft hand gripped his fingers.

"Sniff, I'm sorry, Master Toppac. I'm sorry for making you listen to my story......"

"Priscilla......"

"I can only talk like this to you, Master Toppac. I feel very safe with you...... So please, will you promise to stay with me from now on?"

Toppac firmly held Priscilla's hand in his.

Priscilla looked at him, needing him.

Not "the fifth son of the Totorude family" but "Toppac," she wanted him.

He wanted to support Priscilla, who shared the same pain, and couldn't let her go.

He felt guilty towards Cordelia, but at the same time, Toppac was certain.

—Cordelia will be fine without me.

She was an ideal baron's daughter, but that was all.

There was no romantic feeling between them, and breaking the engagement wouldn't deeply hurt her.

He decided to love Priscilla, who wanted him as himself, rather than the sister who sought a marriage as a noble.

But—

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

—Why is Cordelia on his mind so much now?

Cordelia, unlike her sister Priscilla, was not particularly striking in appearance.

Yet today, Cordelia looked very radiant.

She protected her sister, stood up to the duchess's daughter Katharina without flinching.

She was completely different from Toppac, who had retreated into the crowd out of fear of Katharina and failed to protect Priscilla.

Her interaction with Leonhardt was also impressive, and the more he compared himself to her, the more miserable he felt.

To hide his embarrassment, he stroked Priscilla's head.

The smooth sensation was pleasant, but the unease in his heart didn't dissipate.

Thinking back, the commotion tonight started after Priscilla left Toppac.

Toppac had escorted Priscilla to the ball.

They were greeting acquaintances together, but Priscilla, who got bored, left him and went off on her own.

—In other words, everything was caused by Priscilla's selfishness.

(......What am I thinking... ...)

Blaming others is the lowest.

It was true that she had a selfish side.

But that capriciousness and freedom were also part of her charm, and above all, she was his beloved fiancée.

To confirm his love for her, Toppac took a deep breath.

The sweet lilac scent that filled his nostrils and melted his reason was the perfume he had given Priscilla.

His frail fiancée, adorned in the dress he had given her, wearing the perfume, and leaning on him.

His beloved, beloved Priscilla.

She must love him deeply too—...

(Really, is that true?)

A cold shard of ice blew into the corner of Toppac's heart.

The sweet, moist eyes Priscilla directed at Leonhardt wouldn't leave his mind.

Priscilla, wearing the perfume he had given her, looking at another man.

It was a mistake, a delusion, a visual error.

He should believe that.

—Priscilla, who had stolen her sister's fiancé four times and was now laughing beside him.

—Cordelia, who protected her sister and stood up to princes and nobles.

Sister and sister.

He couldn't tell which one he should have been engaged to, and Toppac turned his eyes away from Priscilla.

Thank you for reading.

That was the story of Toppac's fated love.

The classic theme of people who feel lonely because they are only seen for their status and position being drawn to each other has been around for a long time.

... ...Except in this story, the woman has a history of stealing her real sister's fiancé four times...

By the way, in the story, Priscilla says she was dumped by her fiancés because she was Cordelia's sister, but that's not entirely true.

When breaking up with a partner, people don't always give the real reason.

Especially with a self-centered and narcissistic person like Priscilla, her former fiancés probably couldn't be honest about the reasons for the breakups.

It's more like an excuse.

I think you can understand why her former fiancés left her by looking at Priscilla's past actions.

From the next chapter, the story will return to Cordelia's perspective, so I hope you enjoy it.