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“Good for them.”

EEK?!

At the sudden voice, my heart nearly leapt out of my mouth. Before I knew it, Mikhail was standing right beside me.

Ahh, Your Highness, I’m so sorry! I completely forgot you existed!
He must never know I thought that, though!

Just as I thought that—Mikhail’s eyes gleamed.
Not angrily, but with quiet amusement… and yet, somehow, I knew he’d realized I’d forgotten him.

“When word spreads that House Jurnova has officially taken Lady Czerny under its protection, her school life should be secure. You won’t have to keep watching over her constantly anymore.”

Prince… you knew that Flora-chan was being bullied? You’re surprisingly sharp, for a royal. Come to think of it, the last time he spoke to me, I also thought he was perceptive.

Then I noticed—His Highness’ uniform was smeared with dirt.

Ah… that must be from the earthen wall earlier! I tried to protect my brother and the prince from the monster, but I lost control and it crumbled…

“Your Highness, I’m terribly sorry.”

Panicking, Ekaterina began patting the dust off Mikhail’s uniform.

Now that I think about it calmly, that dirt wall wasn’t even necessary, was it…?
My brother and the prince could’ve handled the situation much better themselves.
Worse yet, it became a springboard for the monster, and when it collapsed over them, I prevented both from using their magic…
I only made things worse! Total failure!

“Your Highness, I am deeply humbled that someone of your station would come to our aid. And yet, I—so clumsy as I am—brought you such trouble…”

I muttered miserably. Mikhail smiled.

“Well, you did give me something delicious the other day. A young lady’s cooking is a rare treat.”

…The power of feeding someone is terrifying.
Well, it’s probably just game logic. In the game, the prince always comes to rescue the heroine after that event.

“Besides, both Aleksei and I have been trained in magical combat. We’ve even experienced monster hunts. You haven’t been trained for that, have you? Then it’s only natural you’d reach your limit back there.”

Ugh… I can’t tell if that’s meant to comfort me or criticize me…
Wait, hang on—monster hunts!? You’re fifteen and first in line to the throne! What are they making you do!?

“Well, unlike Aleksei, my monster hunts were just ceremonial—the soldiers had everything prepared beforehand. Sorry for sounding smug. But Jurnova territory has a high rate of dangerous monster activity, so Aleksei has probably led several real purges himself.”

Mikhail laughed as he confessed.
I see… but wait, by ceremonial, you mean you had soldiers pin down a magical beast for you to kill on your own? That means you’d still have to face one of those terrifying things. Besides, how could you calmly direct a water spear at that monster if your hunting experience is so little? If anything, that’s impressive.
And Onii-sama is even more impressive! Running a duchy, a trading empire, and commanding monster purges all at the same time? The man’s a one-man army!

“But you should brace yourself. Knowing Aleksei, he’ll lecture you once things calm down. He’s a man of logic, so his lecture hits where it hurts them most. We’ve been playmates since childhood, but honestly, getting scolded by him hurts more than by any adult. When I was bad, my mother would summon Aleksei to set me straight. Good luck.”

Ugh… I-If anything, it’s the adults in your lives that need to be questioned!? Still, I can imagine my brother doing that…
B-but Onii-sama is a siscon! He wouldn’t scold me! Probably!
Actually, does the prince look so amused…? Is he actually sadistic? Maybe he’s doing this because I’m the villainess?

“So, before he says his piece, let me say this.”

Mikhail smiled brightly.
Waaah—what now!?
You can’t intimidate me, kid! I’m a woman in her thirties mentally!

“You were very brave.”

…Huh?

“I saw you were crying out of fear, but you still stood your ground. Of all the people here—including the faculty—I think the four of us have the strongest magic in the academy. Because you held your ground, the four of us were able to come together, combine our power, and finish this without a single casualty. It was reckless trying to face it alone, yes—but I think what you did was truly admirable.”

…………………………

Uh… well.
It’s really not something worth praising.
I only acted because I had knowledge from the game and knew things would turn out badly if I didn’t.
Still, somehow… It makes me happy.

Maybe it’s because I remembered my old job. That time they told me if I didn’t fix the system crash in three hours, we’d face millions in penalties.
I found the cause in fifteen minutes and had everything restored within half an hour.
And when I reported that, what did they say?
“Submit a report summarizing the cause and prevention measures before the client’s work day begins.”
The cause? That impossible spec change you forced on us, you idiot!
…But I didn’t say that. I just quietly wrote the report—all night long. That’s the life of a software engineer.

This time, I did my best and someone praised me for it.
It’s such a small thing, but here I am, almost reduced into a teary mess.
I guess I really had gotten used to not being appreciated in my past life, but it still hurt.

Thank you, Your Highness.
To think a fifteen-year-old prince could make a woman in her thirties cry—what a terrifying prodigy.
One day, he’ll surely be a leader loved and feared by many.

Just as I thought that, Mikhail took both of Ekaterina’s hands in his.

“Did I say something that made you sad? I’m sorry.”
“N-no, that’s not the case at all.”
“Thank goodness. Say, if it’s all right… could you start calling me Mikhail instead of Your Highness from now on?”
“Yes… eh!?”

The unladylike shriek that escaped her mouth was because she recognized those words—from the otome game in her previous life.
After fighting a monster together, the prince’s affection for the heroine increases, and he says to her: *‘Please, call me Mikhail.’*
To *the heroine*! Go say that to the heroine!
Not to the villainess!

“Th-that would be far too presumptuous of me.”
“Even Aleksei didn’t call me Your Highness before inheriting his title. It’s only after he became duke, he started talking about social order and hierarchy. You’re a relative, and not a duke. There’s no problem.”

No problem? There absolutely is a problem! I can’t say what kind, but there definitely is!
Wh-what do I do? From a ‘doom-flag avoidance’ perspective, what’s the correct move here!?

“Your Highness.”

Suddenly, chill took over—not the temperature, but the spine of those who heard it.

The voice, of course, belonged to Aleksei.
His tall frame looked even more imposing than usual. For some reason, he seemed to tower over them, and his gaze was absolutely freezing.

“Ah, sorry.”

Mikhail hastily released Ekaterina’s hands.
Wait—this is the reason?
As expected of Onii-sama—he’ll prioritize his sister over social order any day. Truly an unwavering siscon.

Aleksei stepped closer to Ekaterina, took her hand, and glared down at Mikhail.

“Your Highness, please refrain from behavior that might tarnish my sister’s reputation.”
“My apologies. I was simply deeply moved by her courage. Your sister is truly brave and admirable.”

Just holding my hand could damage my reputation? Well, I suppose that’s how it worked in Victorian England’s aristocracy. I should be careful…

But wait—Your Highness, are you trying to exploit my brother’s siscon tendencies by showering me with compliments?
At your age, to be both wise *and* cunning—impressive. This Onee-san can’t wait to see what you grow into.

“Lady Czerny, I’d also like you to call me by name. Your magic in defeating that beast was remarkable. I’d be happy if we could be friends.”

Ohh!
Good going, Your Highness. You’re properly approaching the heroine now!
All right, I’ll play along!

“It would be my honor. Lady Flora, I too would be delighted if you called me simply Ekaterina, without the formality of titles. Would that be all right with you, Lady Flora?”
“Y-yes. If that’s what you wish, Lady Ekaterina.”

Flora, who had walked over to stand beside Ekaterina opposite Aleksei, widened her eyes for a moment before smiling brightly.
Then, she took Ekaterina’s arm—and linked hers around it.

Ahh, so cute. The power of that smile close-up…
And she came to link arms on her own initiative!
Now that she’s calling me just “Ekaterina” instead of “Lady Jurnova,” it really feels like our distance just closed all at once.

Actually, isn’t this quite an amazing situation? On one side, my dear Onii-sama. On the other, the heroine. “Flowers in both hands,” or rather, “luxury in both hands.”
And in front of me—the Imperial Prince.

…Though, I can’t shake the feeling that something about our positioning here is a little off.
Shouldn’t Flora-chan be a bit friendlier toward the prince? Then why does her gaze toward him seem oddly accusatory?

Well, it’s probably fine. Making the first move is actually the wrong choice when it comes to capturing the prince, after all.
Despite how sweet he looks, the prince is the type who starts chasing when his target steps back—a hunter kind of guy. The more obstacles and rivals there are, the more fired up he gets. A carnivore through and through.
I’m worried if she’s actually going down Onii-sama’s route right now, but either way, you have my support, Flora-chan!