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“Three days.”

Mina held up three fingers crisply.

“At least three days of rest and quiet. If you don’t obey, His Grace has ordered me to have you temporarily withdrawn and sent back to the ducal estate.”
“Nooo…”

Ekaterina, lying in bed, let out a tearful whine, but Mina’s expression didn’t change one bit. Then again, she was always expressionless.

“It can’t be helped. You were so full of energy this morning, and then you suddenly collapsed. I heard you were chatting perfectly fine with His Grace just moments before. Of course no one’s going to believe you’re fine now.”
“But I really am fine…”
“Stay in your room for three days. Otherwise, *I’ll* be the one His Grace executes.”
“You can’t be serious…”
“His swordsmanship is quite good. He can take a head clean off.”

*Cleanly,* huh.

Drained of strength, Ekaterina closed her eyes.

Honestly, my head is still spinning. The moment I saw the heroine—who should’ve been “myself” in the game world—acting independently as another person, my mind and body disconnected. Why is this happening now of all times?

(*Through the game, I experienced this world as Flora in my previous life.*)

The heroine’s name was Flora Czerny. A commoner by birth, she was taken in as the adopted daughter of Baron Czerny and his wife after her mother—her only family—passed away. Later, a magical aptitude test revealed that she possessed strong magic power, earning her admission to the Magic Academy… That was the setup.

I thought I’d fully merged the “corporate slave” and “villainess” halves of my soul, but come to think of it, I’d spent all my time buried in study at the ducal mansion. Maybe my mind is still unstable now that the environment has changed.

(*Perhaps I should follow Onii-sama’s advice and take some time to adjust to my surroundings.*)

I must have really worried Aleksei.

(*Ah—no! It’s on my mind now!!*)

Apparently, he’d noticed the instant I collapsed and rushed to my side.
Then, without hesitation, he picked me up and tried to carry me straight to the infirmary.
When I regained consciousness—

(*Onii-sama was! Carrying me! In a bridal hold!*)

For a moment I couldn’t process the situation, but when I looked up, Aleksei’s handsome face was right there, close enough to touch.

*“Onii-sama…?”*
*“Ekaterina! You’re awake—!”*

At that moment, Aleksei looked so pained it seemed he might cry.
Then he pressed his cheek to my forehead and held me tightly.

(*Aaaaahhh just remembering it makes my nose bleed! His arms—his chest—his shoulders—so warm!*)

Ekaterina flailed, covering her face with both hands.

*“Onii-sama, I can walk. Please, put me down.”*
*“No.”*

I’d always dreamed of being carried like that, but in reality, I’m far too self-conscious about my weight. Yet my plea was immediately denied.

*“If anything happened to you, I couldn’t live on. You are my very life itself…”*

*(*I’m dead! Onii-sama, your words have slain your sister!*)*

Overwhelmed, I couldn’t say another word as he carried me all the way to the infirmary.
And to think he managed that without even staggering—well, of course he did. In the Empire, noblemen were trained by the same standards as knights: they had to be able to don armor and ride into battle.
That sort of muscle-brained detail had never come up in the otome game, but I’d learned it after reincarnation.

When I lay in the infirmary bed and asked Aleksei to return to his class, he looked slightly forlorn and said:

*“You won’t ask me to hold your hand today?”*

Instantly, the image of a large, handsome dog with its ears drooping flashed through my mind.
Where was the same man who had just terrified the entire student body with a single glare?

(*Unngh!! How come you hit bullseye after bullseye?!*)

I nearly blurted out, *“Don’t limit it to my hands, please, hold whatever you want!”*—but just then, Mina arrived.
Now that my personal maid took over, Aleksei reluctantly returned to his own class.

Thank goodness. If he hadn’t, he would have insisted I take a leave of absence and recuperate at the ducal estate. I’d sensed that from his every word, and so I had Mina escort me back to my dorm room instead.
Naturally, my room was in the girls’ dormitory—strictly off-limits to men. The ducal authority had no power there; it was an absolute rule. Aleksei couldn’t forcibly barge in to take me back to the estate.

Moreover, I had tried to walk back by myself, but to my surprise, Mina had picked me up—bridal style—and carried me all the way. A maid effortlessly carrying her noble lady like a feather… terrifyingly strong. Our beautiful maid is way too strong.

“I’m sorry, Mina. Was my brother angry at you?”
“At first, yes. But I told him, ‘The young lady’s been crying nonstop because she’s sad to leave the Academy,’ just as you instructed. Then His Grace got so depressed he forgot to be angry.”
“I… see…”

I’m sorry, Onii-sama. I exploited your siscon tendencies.
But while taking a leave might help avoid the “fallen-to-commoner” doom flag, I can’t risk triggering the Empire’s destruction flag by leaving the Academy.
For your sake, Onii-sama—Ekaterina will break the flag of the Empire’s downfall!

.

And so, having taken three full days off right after enrollment, Ekaterina finally attended her first class on the fourth day.

The moment she entered the classroom, her classmates all drew a sharp breath and turned their gazes toward her in unison. No doubt it was because Aleksei was escorting her. Everyone surely remembered how he had intimidated the entire student body during the entrance ceremony. On top of that, Mina was following behind, carrying her bag. Most students had servants waiting on them back home, but only those with special rooms in the dormitories were permitted to bring their maids onto campus.

“Where is Ekaterina Jurnova’s seat?”

Aleksei asked a nearby student, and after some hesitation, the student nervously pointed toward a seat. Aleksei led Ekaterina there and had her sit down.

“Well then, I’ll return to my own class… But if you feel even slightly unwell, tell the teacher at once. You are fragile—try to be more aware of that, and take care of your health.”
“Yes, Onii-sama. I shall do exactly as you say.”

When she replied demurely, Aleksei still looked worried. He gently stroked his sister’s hair, then swept a sharp gaze across the classroom—as if to say, *If anyone dares lay a finger on her, they won’t live to regret it.*
Ekaterina could feel her smile stiffening.

“I shall await your return, my lady.”

Mina handed me my bag. Still looking reluctant, Aleksei finally left the classroom, taking Mina with him.

…All right.
Subtly, I glanced around the classroom.

Yup.

They are totally freaked out!

Well, of course they were. Who’d want to approach someone who looked like *that much trouble*?
I’m flaunting my “special” status loud and clear.
And if I suddenly fainted again, anyone nearby would be dragged into the mess—no one wanted that kind of responsibility.
By now, three days in, the girls probably already had their cliques forming too.
Oh dear me… quite the pickle this is. Ha ha ha.
*sigh*

At the very least, I should greet my seatmate—thinking so, I turned to the person sitting beside me.

“Um… hello, the one next to me. My name is Ekaterina Jurnova. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

The girl beside her blinked in mild surprise, then bowed politely.

“Thank you for your greeting. My name is Flora Czerny.”

Yeah…
In the game, Ekaterina’s seat had been right next to the heroine’s too. And when she greeted her—she’d been met with instant rage.