OBWESB 13

Chapter 13

Still a Long Way From My Brother’s Level

(Beatrix’s Perspective)

The chiming of the bell signaled the end of class. As the teacher departed, a wave of whispering spread across the room like ripples on water.

I was putting away my pen and closing my notebook when a graceful voice called out to me.

“Lady Beatrix, did you happen to understand the application of that formula from earlier?”

Approaching me with her own notebook in hand was Lady Katrina.

“Please, Lady Katrina. Take my seat. I am going to visit a friend, so feel free to use it if you like.”

The voice came suddenly from right beside me. Pulling back his chair to offer it to Lady Katrina was Lord Safia, who sat at the neighboring desk. As Lady Katrina offered her thanks, Lord Safia gave a pleasant smile as if it were nothing at all and left the classroom.

“He is as much of a gentleman as always, isn’t he?”

“And he is so incredibly brilliant. Whenever I am confused about something, I can ask him right away. He is so dependable.”

“Now then, regarding this problem here…”

“Ah, this one is…”

Peering at the spot indicated by her delicate finger, I began to explain. Perhaps because they shared the same anxieties, several other young ladies gathered around us. Answering their intermittent questions, I finished going through the explanation.

It was just an ordinary day at the academy. While I looked forward to it now, I was actually filled with immense anxiety at the very beginning.

My life had basically been spent entirely within the mansion, always together with my brothers. Though there were occasional tea parties, I rarely had the chance to mingle with friends my own age. Until now, my world had consisted solely of my precious family, the mansion staff, and my childhood friend, Lord Dia.

But I have successfully adjusted to the academy and even made friends.

My closest friend is Lady Katrina. Like me, she is the daughter of a Duke. She is a young lady with soft, pale blonde hair and deep green eyes that tend to droop slightly. Despite her gentle, thoroughly feminine personality and quiet appearance, I must admit I am a little envious of her quite prominently soft bust.

I wonder if Lord Dia prefers feminine girls like that…

Thinking about such things causes me to feel downcast at times, but she remains a dear friend whom I love very much.

Lord Safia, who sits next to me, is the eldest son of a Marquis house. As the heir, both his grades and his conduct are absolutely exemplary. Even his appearance is breathtaking; with his long, translucent light-blue hair and delicate features, his beauty easily rivals that of any woman.

Perhaps I should ask him about his hair care routine sometime. But would it be rude to ask a man such a thing?

Because of his incredibly calm personality, some people think his sapphire-blue eyes look cold, but he is actually a very kind and gentlemanly person.

With Lady Diana, Lady Maria, and so many other friends, my everyday life is truly delightful.

“As expected of Lady Beatrix. I simply cannot grasp mathematics no matter what…”

“I completely understand, me too. I am much better at literature or embroidery.”

“Oh, I am the one who envies you for that. Embarrassing as it is to admit, I am not very skilled at embroidery at all… And truth be told, I wasn’t very good at mathematics either, but my older brother taught me.”

A chorus of excited voices erupted at my words.

“My word, how envious!”

“Truly, I am so jealous. To think you have such wonderful older brothers.”

“And two of them at that! You are being greedy, Lady Beatrix. I would gladly exchange one of them for my own brother.”

“Hey, that is cheating! If you get to do that, then so do I!”

Hearing their boisterous, playful chatter made me feel a bit bashful, but at the same time, it made me incredibly happy.

I have two older brothers.

One is Garnest. He is a year ahead of me and serves as the student council president, so anyone attending this academy knows who he is. He even has a massive fan club. Every time he visits my classroom to see me, high-pitched cheers erupt from the girls. Well, I suppose part of that is because Lord Dia is usually with him.

I will admit that his features are masculine and well-proportioned, and that he excels in both literary and military arts. However, if you ask me, I wish he would act a bit more like a gentleman! The public may not know this, but he teases me constantly, and we even get into arguments from time to time.

I recognize that he is dependable… but at the same time, he is my hated rival.

He is my rival for our older brother’s affection, and it also displeases me that he is closer to Lord Dia than I am. I used to call him “Onii-sama,” but it became rather embarrassing… so now I just call him by his name.

And then, there is my other brother.

My beloved Brother Kaiser. Always kind and wonderful, he cherished and doted on us deeply, despite us only being half-siblings. He acted as an older brother, and at times, like a parent.

It is no exaggeration to say that we were raised by Brother Kaiser. Of course, I am well aware that the maids and the mansion staff took care of us as well… but in noble households, it is quite common for mothers raised as sheltered ladies to have little interest in child-rearing. Furthermore, our father passed away when we were very young. Yet, Brother Kaiser showered us with more than enough love to compensate for all of it.

He possesses sleek, jet-black hair and a face so flawlessly sculpted it looks like a work of art. Framed by long eyelashes, his eyes are as beautiful as a full moon shining in the night sky.

He is kind, intelligent, and a true gentleman. The grace and nobility exuding from his every movement, along with the gentle smile he always maintains without ever losing his composure, can only be described as the epitome of elegance.

Being pampered like that by someone with a face like his, it is only natural that Garnest and I grew up to be utterly obsessed with our brother!

Absolutely, positively!! I will never exchange him with anyone!!

…And since even someone like him is still my brother, Garnest is off-limits too, mind you!

“Garnest-sama is certainly wonderful, but Kaiser-sama is ‘incompetent,’ is he not?”

While I was lost in thoughts of my brothers, a voice spoke up from behind, and I felt my eyes instantly narrow. Turning around, I saw a small group of young ladies standing there.

“His appearance is lovely, though.”

“I hear Garnest-sama will be the one inheriting the Ducal House.”

As the young ladies let out nasty, snickering giggles, the surrounding air grew sharp and tense.

“Hold on, you girls—”

Lady Diana’s eyes flared with anger, and she began to march toward them, but I hastily reached out to stop her. I decided it was best not to ask what she intended to do with that tightly clenched fist of hers. As far as feelings went, I was entirely sympathetic, though.

“Do you have some sort of complaint regarding my brother?”

I asked, tilting my head slightly.

Though I felt a surge of irritation, it was precisely at times like these that I needed to respond calmly. After all, I am the little sister of the great Brother Kaiser.

While I strove to emulate his signature elegance, I could not entirely prevent my voice from dropping to a slightly lower register. It seems I still have a long way to go in my training.

“No, it’s not a complaint or anything…”

The ladies faltered, their words growing vague, likely intimidated by my cool response. And naturally so. After all, my social standing is overwhelmingly superior to theirs. To insult the eldest son of a Ducal House is an action that, under normal circumstances, would be entirely unforgivable.

“We were simply stating a fact.”

“Is that so? For a moment, I mistakenly thought you harbored the intention to insult my Ducal House. My apologies. …However, if you ever have something you wish to say, I am more than willing to listen at any time.”

I offered them a brilliant, perfectly beautiful smile—the absolute best one I could muster.

“We couldn’t possibly… We just…”

“Furthermore,”

I cut them off, locking my eyes straight onto the panicking ladies as I wove my final words.

“Brother Kaiser has absolutely no need for something like an ‘ability.’ After all… even without such a thing, my brother is perfect.”

That was the absolute truth. It wasn’t a bluff or a show of bravado; my brother truly is perfect.

Leaving the whispering ladies to slink away in defeat, it couldn’t be helped that the high-spirited Lady Diana and I exchanged a thoroughly triumphant smirk.