"That concludes the contents of the report," I said, holding the thick stack of papers detailing Primeria's upbringing and history. The investigation, entrusted to Sebastian, my dependable butler, had uncovered everything from her mother's time as a maid in a lower-ranking noble household to the moment she was adopted into the Duke's family. It was a mountain of information gathered in mere days—a testament to Sebastian's absurdly efficient skills.
Leaving that aside, Primeria's life before becoming my stepsister had been quite wretched. In the original game, her mother was never mentioned, and even the detailed setting materials hadn’t shed light on these specifics. Game-Primeria was introverted and wary of men, which I’d always assumed was my game-self's fault. Now, it seemed there was a deeper foundation for her trauma.
...Hmm.
"Master? Where are you going with that weapon?" Heliotrope asked.
I had stood up, a sword gripped firmly in one hand. I looked at her with a blank expression. "I'm just going to Primeria's old home to [censor] everyone there," I said casually.
"Master!"
"Young Master!"
Both Heliotrope and Sebastian intervened with desperate shouts, forcing me to abandon the idea. That Viscount's family had no idea how close they had come to a very messy end!
Laps reported that Primeria seemed to quite like the room prepared for her. I felt a surge of pride; I had poured every ounce of knowledge from the official website and setting books into that room, redesigning it hundreds of times over three long years. It was my masterpiece.
In contrast, my own room was bare. It held a bed, a desk, a table, a few chairs, and a closet. A man's room didn’t need anything else. I had already melted down and sold off all those gaudy gold statues my predecessor had collected.
Still, a nagging thought bothered me. Primeria spoke quite normally with Laps. When I tried to talk to her, whether guiding her through the mansion or during the welcoming feast, all I got was a quiet, "...Yes."
Was Laps just that good at talking, or was my favorability rating simply in the gutter? I desperately hoped it was the former.
Perhaps her history with her father and brothers made her distrust men. It was natural for her to feel safer with another woman. In times like these, one should usually keep their distance... but we weren’t even close yet! If we moved any further apart, we would be total strangers.
"Right. Fortune favors the bold!" I thought. I had to show her I was harmless through active communication. It was the only way forward. I remembered an errand for the following day. It was the perfect chance to invite her out. Operation: Close the Gap with Stepsister was officially underway!
The Wents Merchant Guild was currently the sole handler of the charity business I managed. In the capital of the Duke's territory, a bustling commercial city, many guilds vied for business. When the heir to the Dukedom started a project, every merchant in town raised their hand. I had chosen this guild for a very specific reason.
The answer was simple—this guild appeared in the game. In any major town, you could find a branch of the Wents Merchant Guild to buy potions or weapons. They were the unsung heroes of the protagonist's journey. Surely, a guild that helped the hero couldn’t be corrupt.
Well, there was also the fact that they were the only ones who didn’t try to bribe me. It was a charity business, after all; sending bribes was just bad form. So, I arrived at the guild with Primeria in tow, along with Heliotrope and Laps.
"So, this is my preferred Wents Merchant Guild," I said.
Using the lady-first manners Sebastian had drilled into me, I assisted the three ladies as they stepped down from the carriage. I suddenly wondered how I looked to outsiders, escorting three beautiful women at once. I probably looked like a philanderer, even if the reality was nothing of the sort. The thought made me feel a bit gloomy.
As I brooded, a tall young man walked out from the shop. He looked to be in his late twenties, with hair set perfectly in place and thin glasses that gave him a very serious air.
"Lord Kraut, thank you for visiting our guild today. And it is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Primeria. I am Wents, the representative of this guild. I hope we shall be well acquainted," Wents said, bowing deeply.
"Your information is fast," I remarked.
"For a merchant, information is life," Wents replied coolly.
He said it as if it were nothing, but the adoption had only happened a few days ago. To know her name already... his information network was terrifying. I turned to my sister.
"Primeria, he is an excellent merchant. You can find almost anything here, so feel free to ask him for whatever you need. Just consult me if you want to buy something especially expensive," I said.
"Ah, u-um... thank you," Primeria said softly.
She had said more than just "Yes"! It was a small step for most, but a giant leap for me. The Earth was blue... no, Primeria's ears were red. She was incredibly cute. But then I noticed the two maids whispering behind us.
"...As I thought, Lady Primeria is..." Laps whispered.
"...Yes, there's no mistake," Heliotrope replied.
Whatever. Listening to their secrets only ever gave me a stomachache anyway. I turned back to the merchant.
"Wents, could you show the girls around the shop? We can have our meeting while they look," I suggested.
"Yes, of course. Lady Primeria, please look around as you like," Wents said.
"Yes, thank you," Primeria replied.
Wait a minute. She had stumbled over her words with me, but she spoke perfectly fine to Wents? The theory that my favorability was at rock bottom was starting to feel very real. With slumped shoulders, I followed them into the shop. I felt a gaze and turned back to see the two beautiful maids wearing very bright smiles. What was that about?
Summary:
Kraut receives a detailed report on Primeria's tragic past and briefly considers a violent 'revenge' before being stopped. He notices that Primeria is more comfortable talking to the maids than to him. To bridge the gap, he takes her on a business trip to the Wents Merchant Guild. However, his insecurity grows when she speaks more easily to the merchant Wents than to her own brother. The chapter ends with the maids observing something about Primeria that Kraut misses.
Character Insight:
Kraut's internal conflict is reaching a peak; he is desperately trying to be a 'good brother' using meta-knowledge from the game, yet he feels increasingly alienated by Primeria's shy reactions. His over-the-top reaction to her tragic past shows his protective nature, even if played for comedy. Meanwhile, Primeria's red ears suggest her 'fear' might actually be intense shyness or something else entirely, which the maids seem to have noticed already.
Behind the Scene:
This chapter highlights the 'Favorability' mechanic often found in Otome or Galge games, where the protagonist is hyper-aware of his standing with the heroine. The 'Earth was blue' line is a reference to Yuri Gagarin, repurposed here for Kraut's hyperbolic internal monologue.
T/L:
1 ↩ The high-ranking noble household of the Weltheim family, holding the title of Duke.
2 ↩ A lower-ranking noble house, in this case where Primeria's mother worked as a maid.
3 ↩ A prominent organization of traders that Kraut recognizes from the original game world.
4 ↩ Welfare-oriented business activities Kraut is performing to improve the image of his family and help the poor.
Notes:
• Kraut - The eldest son of a Duke's family (9 years old). He has blue eyes, a straight nose, and short silver hair. Handsome and now he is slender.
• Primeria - A main heroine of 'Sword, Magic, and the Cadenas'. Currently the illegitimate child of a Viscount family with high magical power and beauty. Tprotagonist's new stepsister, an eleven-year-old girl described as incredibly beautiful and fragile. She has shoulder-length, soft pink hair and porcelain-white skin.
• Sebastian - An elderly butler serving the Weltheim household.
• Heliotrope - Kraut's exclusive maid, fifteen years old (six years older than Kraut). She has long black hair reaching her waist and a cool, beautiful face. She is a 'slave battle maid' who was formerly a noble lady from a fallen northern country. She wears a Victorian-style long-dress maid outfit.
• Laps - A petite maid serving the Duke's house and an alumna of the orphanage Kraut is sponsoring. She has a cute, protective charm with short brown bob hair.
• Wents - A tall young man in his late twenties with neatly set hair and thin-framed glasses. He is the representative of the Wents Merchant Guild and is highly competent in information gathering.