Chapter 2

Meeting for the first time, yet the word "big brother" slipped from Iris's lips. Her heart throbbed with a strange sensation.

Then she was struck by a sudden, intense headache. Moments spent with a man she should not have known, faces of people she had never met, and days living in a castle she had never seen flashed through her mind.

These were the memories of Fiona, the young princess of Lemuria.

The symbol of Lemuria, a friendly nation to Rizel. A princess raised as a sword maiden. She was supposed to become queen after her grandfather, but was deposed by her cousin, Prince Alvin, and ultimately met a tragic end.

Or rather, she was supposed to have met a tragic end.

Comparing the memories Iris recalled with history, Fiona's downfall was still years away. Iris realized she might have been reincarnated into someone from the past. And the young man before her was the cousin who betrayed Fiona.

"Why are you here...?"

"I just happened to be here. More importantly, why did you call me brother?"

"S-Sorry, Prince Alvin."

"Hmm, so you know me?"

(Oh dear, I made a mistake. Let's calm down.)

Though called the Wise Maiden, Iris was struggling to accept the sudden return of her past life's memories and had not yet caught up with the judgment needed to deal with the traitor before her. Taking a deep breath, she straightened her back and looked up at Prince Alvin.

"With your blond hair that shines even in the dark and your blue eyes that hide a strong will, there is no other handsome young man who can captivate every young lady."

"Considering how you captivate every young lady, you seem quite calm, don't you?"

"Well, that's... "

Having seen him in her past life and knowing he betrayed and destroyed her, she could not possibly be captivated by his appearance. However, she could not say that and instead gave a gentle, charming smile. Incidentally, this was due to the influence of her past life's memories—Fiona. The Iris of the present rarely smiled charmingly.

"Hmm. So, why did you call me brother?"

At his words, Iris gripped the hem of her dress.

The Alvin she knew was excellent and highly curious. If she piqued his interest, she might be destroyed again, just as in her past life.

(I need to divert his interest—no, wait. If I really have been reincarnated into the past, what happened to my past self?)

Quickly considering several possibilities, she decided to probe for confirmation.

"...Because I heard that Prince Alvin has a lovely younger sister."

"Fiona? What does that have to do with anything?"

(So, my past self exists as a different person!)

Though shocking, it was a predicted outcome. Iris could not confirm it, but it was likely that in her past life as Fiona, another Iris existed in this country.

Whether the current Fiona was her past self or another Fiona, she couldn't tell. But as long as Fiona existed, the betrayal she suffered would be repeated. If things continued, the new Fiona would be destroyed by Prince Alvin.

The new Fiona was a stranger to her, and the years from exile to death were not entirely miserable. However, she knew the excruciating pain of being betrayed by a beloved cousin better than anyone.

(If possible, I want to save my past self.)

Only someone who knew the future could do this. If her past memories were accurate, a series of unfortunate events would soon occur for both countries. To prevent them, it would be more convenient to be in Lemuria.

So—

"Hey, are you listening?"

"Sorry."

"I'm asking for a reason."

"The reason I called you brother... "

Pausing for effect, she met the gaze of her former enemy. Having piqued his interest, Iris pressed her index finger to her lips—

"It's a secret."

She smiled provocatively and seductively.

Prince Alvin, who was tired of the many young ladies trying to win his favor, narrowed his eyes at her enchanting smile.

"Do you think you can get away with that?"

"I have no intention of getting away with it. I just... don't want to answer."

"Hmm. Even knowing my true nature, you speak so boldly."

A light killing intent enveloped her. While a typical young lady would have crumbled under such pressure, Iris maintained her composed smile.

The Alvin she knew was highly curious.

However, she didn't think calling him brother would draw so much attention. Many young ladies wanted to get close to him and used various methods to attract him. Other women had called him brother.

(But, this is the first time a young lady has deflected his killing intent. Fiona could deflect it, but he never directed such killing intent at her.)

Deliberately acting naive, she provoked Prince Alvin's killing intent. By deflecting it, she hoped to pique the interest of the sword master who had a sword maiden as a cousin.

Her goal was to get close to him and travel to Lemuria.

Fortunately, as a free woman after her engagement was broken, she could use the prince's foolish act of breaking off the engagement to the Wise Maiden as a shield to escape a scandal and travel to another country.

She had already planned to persuade her father to allow her to travel to Lemuria. Thus, the success of this plan hinged on whether she could pique the interest of her enemy—Prince Alvin.

He smiled, retracting his killing intent.

"I see, so you are the Wise Maiden."

"Oh, you know me?"

"Your hair, almost platinum blond, and your amethyst eyes, which captivate countless men. There are no other women like you in this country. Iris Icefield, the daughter of a prominent duke and the youngest to receive the blessing of the spirits, a rare Wise Maiden."

"Oh, I didn't expect the prince to say such flattery."

It was a rehash of the praise she had just given. Realizing he was mocking her, Iris deliberately treated it as a social nicety.

"Hmm, I heard the Wise Maiden doesn't smile, but you indeed don't seem very friendly. I thought your smile when you called me brother was genuinely beautiful... Do you have any intention of smiling again?"

"Of course, I'll smile if something makes me happy."

She looked at the prince with a challenging, determined gaze.

Prince Alvin, or rather, the Lemurian royal family, was generally straightforward. If she provoked his curiosity, he would likely challenge her. As expected, the prince from the neighboring country laughed—

"Then, would you like to dance with me?"

Seeing his outstretched right hand, Iris tilted her head, thinking it was different from what she had expected.