Chapter 4

For a while now, Dia has been hearing Ada's inner voice in her head.

-- Terrible! Just terrible!

Unable to suppress her emotions, anger is clearly visible on Ada's face.

-- Despite the young lady's courage, for the Duke and Baile to treat her so coldly! The young lady is so pitiful!

(That's how it looks, isn't it...)

Dia herself had thought that the two of them thoroughly disliked her until she heard their inner voices. When she and Ada returned to her room, Dia thanked Ada and told her to step back. Alone, Dia let out a light sigh.

(Somehow, it feels anticlimactic...)

She doesn't know how to react to the fact that her father and brother, whom she had feared so much, doted on her.

(If that's the case, did Father and Brother mourn my death after that wedding...?)

She had thought that no one would mourn her death, so it felt strange. If her family, whom she thought disliked her, is like this, maybe it won't be that hard to take revenge on Arnold.

(Still, I need to meet Arnold once...)

She doesn't think Arnold has any good feelings for her, but Dia, who now has memories from her previous life, wants to see how she feels about Arnold.

(There's Brother's birthday party coming up soon. I think I heard that the princes from the royal family are coming to celebrate.)

If things go well, she might be able to meet the third prince, Arnold. No matter how much he will become a bloodthirsty mad king in the future, he is only 14 years old now. He probably won't attack her right away.

(Come to think of it, the 15-16-year-old Arnold I know was just a womanizer, not particularly cruel...)

Rather, he was a handsome prince who captivated women with his elegant demeanor and gentle smile.

There's still some time before Brother's birthday party, so Dia decided to try her best to get along with her father and brother.

From that day on, Dia always smiled and made an effort to be cheerful and bright. She also made a point of looking people in the eye to see if she could hear their inner voices. Just doing that, the number of people whose inner voices she could hear gradually increased.

Dia was sitting on a bench in the well-kept garden, absentmindedly looking at the blooming flowers. Ada was standing behind her.

-- Our young lady looks beautiful no matter where she is or what she's doing. She's truly a lady.

Dia smiled a little at Ada's proud inner voice. Since she started being cheerful and looking Ada in the eye, Ada's love for the young lady has only grown.

(If you know the trick, it's surprisingly easy to be liked by people.)

Come to think of it, this morning, during breakfast with Father, she heard the inner voice, "Dia is starting to look like Claire."

(Claire Mother was always smiling and warm, and everyone loved her.)

When Mother was around, the Duke's household didn't feel so cold.

(Brother's birthday party is coming up soon. I wonder if I'll be able to meet Arnold?)

Then Dia suddenly realized something.

(I haven't been allowed to attend Brother's birthday party!)

Since around the age of 14, Dia hasn't been allowed to attend formal events. During the birthday party, Baile glared at her and said, "You're not coming," and locked her in her room. Dia cried alone, listening to the cheerful music and the murmur of people from outside the window.

(This is a problem!)

She quickly stood up and told Ada, "I'm going to see Brother." Ada replied, "Yes," but worried in her heart, "I hope the young lady doesn't get hurt again."

(At this time, he should still be at the training ground.)

As Dia expected, Baile was at the training ground. Recently, she has been showing up occasionally, so a few knights immediately noticed her and bowed.

-- It's Lady Claudia.

-- Wow, what a beautiful girl!

-- What a great day.

A few inner voices reached her. Baile noticed her and approached with long strides.

"What do you want?"

He glared sharply, but Dia didn't look away. Baile's inner voice, as usual, was repeating "cute," so she wasn't scared at all.

"Brother, I'm sorry to interrupt your training."

"I told you not to come here, didn't I?"

His eyes were filled with anger.

-- I don't want you to show your face to my subordinates! Your cuteness isn't something to be shown to just anyone!

Dia thought, "What is he talking about?" but gently touched her brother's hand with both of her hands. Instantly, Baile's inner voice stopped. He must have gone blank.

"I want to attend Brother's birthday party."

There was no response, and she couldn't hear his inner voice.

"Brother?"

Tilting her head, Dia saw Baile snap back to reality and glare at her, saying, "Absolutely not."

-- If Dia goes to the party, it will be like throwing a lamb to a pack of hungry wolves!?

(What does he think the party is!?)

-- In that case, I'll lock her in her room so she can't get out! Yes, I have no choice but to lock Dia up!

(He's trying to imprison his sister right away!)

With no other choice, Dia took Baile's hand in both of hers and nuzzled her cheek against his palm.

"Brother, please."

Baile's heart became calm. She pressed further.

"I want to celebrate Brother's birthday too. ...Is that not allowed?"

She looked up at Baile with wide eyes.

"Brother, please. I'm begging you."

Baile nodded stiffly like a broken doll.

(Yes!)

-- Huh!? What did I just do!?

Dia smiled at Baile, who had come to his senses. "Thank you, Brother. It's a promise, okay?"