NOVEL NEXT Ch. 3
I dusted off my hands and looked at the maids.
“Tell the butler to fix this.”
“Yes, yes! Understood.”
Several maids scurried off, and I walked towards my room.
The reason my mother pitied Meldor was simple. He became the heir to the family instead of me, who was born a daughter.
My younger brother, who inherited our parents’ looks, had black hair and blue eyes.
In the original story, he was the tsundere
Meldor was more talented in magic than swordsmanship, and this was why my mother felt sorry for him.
‘The Alton duchy has always protected the northern part of the empire and revered the sword.’
The current duke, my father, Theodore Alton, was a genius swordsman who appeared maybe once in a century.
In the original story, the eldest son, who resembled his father not only in looks but also in talent, was the heir, so there were no issues.
‘But now, that eldest son is me.’
Naturally, this made Meldor the heir, and he had to learn swordsmanship instead of magic.
The burden of being the heir.
Swordsmanship that didn’t suit him.
These two things were a great source of stress for young Meldor. My mother always considered him her most precious child because of this.
Even my stern father sometimes showed concern for his young son. All the vassals of the Alton duchy paid attention only to Meldor.
‘I’m caught in the middle.’
I always felt like the odd one out, feeling a deep sense of isolation among my family. It was inevitable that I spent my childhood walking on eggshells, just like in my past life.
‘Even when Meldor took his frustrations out on me, claiming I lived comfortably, I couldn’t refute.’
I had already given up on trying to be noticed, given how everyone was focused on Meldor. I lived a life of barely existing, suppressing my natural disposition.
There were two things that changed when I reincarnated into this world.
My gender, and my sense of self.
I still possessed the same genius swordsmanship and inherent physical abilities that the original eldest son had.
In the past, I saw my talent as a burden. Meldor struggled with swordsmanship as the heir, so I thought I shouldn’t outshine him.
So, I deliberately avoided the sword and lived strictly as the daughter my parents wanted.
‘Back then, I naively complied… but now it feels unfair?’
Why should I feel guilty towards Meldor?
Why did I risk my life for my parents’ praise?
Moreover, in the original story, Meldor idolized his older brother. He admired him even more than our father, so why did he take it out on me?
‘Is it because I’m his sister? Because I’m not the heir?’
Whatever the reason, now that I remembered my past life, I couldn’t let that annoying brat be. First, I planned to address how he referred to me.
It had always bothered me, but now more than ever that Meldor called me
‘The problem is Father…’
Mother might have passed away, but Father was still here.
He was Meldor’s strong supporter. With Father’s affection, Meldor could strut around the mansion like he owned it.
‘I can’t stand watching Meldor take everything that should have been mine…’
“To deal with Father… I have to deal with Father first.”
The two maids opening the door for me flinched at my muttering. I walked past them into the room.
‘What should I do next?’
The best course of action given the current situation was to use the original story’s events to my advantage.
I sat down and started organizing the future events on paper.
‘To get Father out of this mansion…’
I separated the useful information from the useless, planning the most efficient strategy. Like drawing large sketches on a white canvas, the work progressed smoothly.
How much time had passed?
By the time I finished my plans and came to my senses, a new day had dawned.
I welcomed the dawn’s light streaming through the window, slowly opening and closing my eyes.
‘I need to win him over.’
The timing was perfect. There was a hunting competition organized by the emperor in a few days.
That person would definitely attend.
‘I need to go there.’
He would be the first steppingstone for my rise.
I waited with anticipation, curling one corner of my mouth, for the time to come.
***
In the original story, there was someone who pledged absolute loyalty to the eldest son.
His name was Zeppelin Vincent. As the eldest son’s closest knight, he seemed like just a minor character who adored Nesia.
However, behind the scenes, he was deeply intertwined with the Alton duchy.
‘He was the manager of a secret organization that acted as the duke’s hands and feet.’
This organization collected information inside and outside the Alton duchy, watched over the staff, and rooted out traitors, performing various secret tasks. In the original story, they were called the
Zeppelin was one of these watchers and served as their leader.
‘This crucial fact was revealed only in the later part of the novel.’
If I hadn’t remembered my past life, I wouldn’t have paid attention to him either. That was how good Zeppelin was at hiding his identity.
But I wasn’t too worried. I knew exactly why he became the eldest son’s closest aide.
‘He was impressed by the eldest son’s skills.’
He also trained the watchers, so he coveted talented individuals.
Not just coveted, he desired them immensely.
Originally, only the head of the household, my father, was supposed to know about the watchers and control them. But Zeppelin, recognizing the eldest son’s talent, wanted to follow him as soon as possible.
‘He wanted to nurture him, to be precise.’
Zeppelin, who was extremely ambitious, couldn’t wait until he became an adult. He persistently pleaded with his father until he was prematurely made his closest aide.
Initially, his father trusted his eldest son, the heir, so there was no issue.
But now?
I was neither a son nor an heir. Thus, I had no connection with Zeppelin whatsoever.
‘No, even before that…’
I hadn’t received a proper higher education. Automatically, the events from four years ago came to mind.
At that time, I was twelve, and Meldor was eight. Originally, we took the heir classes together.
The only reason I could attend those classes was that my father believed it would be beneficial for me, as a member of the duchy, to have a deep education.
However, I was excluded from the classes because of a single comment from Meldor.
– It’s hard to concentrate when I take classes with others.
When I was abruptly barred from the heir classes, I felt like I was losing my mind out of frustration.
That day, for the first time in my life, I rebelled against my parents’ decision.
– It’s not fair for Meldor to attend the classes alone! I’ll be quiet and act like I’m not even there, so please let me attend!
My father seemed to be contemplating my plea.
Then, my mother intervened.
– Meldor is still young and easily distracted. We need to create an environment where he can concentrate as much as possible. Belladi, you’re his older sister, so you can yield to him, right?
My mother gently stroked my hair as she spoke soothingly.
– Later, I’ll arrange separate lessons just for you, Belladi. Okay? Help mom out just a little, my dear.
With my mother saying this, I had no choice but to give up the heir classes.
Thus, Meldor monopolized learning.
‘Despite that, he constantly mocked me for playing around every day.’
Incidentally, the separate lessons my mother promised never materialized. When Meldor’s swordsmanship classes began, his demands increased.
‘Ah, it’s a really suffocating past.’
In the end, I had no choice but to study on my own.
When I recalled the time I struggled through various theoretical books alone, a twisted smile naturally formed on my face. Such self-study naturally had its limitations.
‘I must make Zeppelin my subordinate no matter what.’
That way, I could absorb the knowledge and skills he possessed and utilize the observers he managed.
The combination was perfect, wasn’t it?
‘Zeppelin loves to teach, and I need education.’
Thinking about this, I quickened my pace. I was heading to the shooting range located outside the mansion.
Bang-!
Even before I entered, I could hear someone firing a gun.
As I got closer, I saw several servants waiting outside the shooting range. Some of them looked familiar.
‘As expected, he’s here.’
I gestured to the maids following me to stop.
“You all wait here.”
“Yes, Lady Belladi.”
Hearing their response, I entered the shooting range alone. This place, where the family’s shotguns were stored, was thoroughly protected by security magic.
Inside, I heard the sound of gunfire again.
Bang-!
“Damn it!”
This was followed by a young voice. The owner of the voice was Meldor, holding a gun in a slightly awkward stance.
He threw the gun to the ground and shouted in frustration.
“This must be defective! Why can’t I aim properly?!”
“Oh, Meldor.”
I picked up the gun Meldor had thrown and inspected its condition. Fortunately, the barrel was undamaged.
Incidentally, there was no need to worry about accidental discharge due to impact. Every gun in the empire was imbued with advanced safety magic.
‘Because of the well-developed hunting culture, their safety is superior to modern guns.’
I stroked the small amethysts embedded in the barrel and spoke.
“You shouldn’t treat the family’s precious assets so roughly.”
At my appearance, Meldor’s voice grew sharper.
“What are you? Why are you here?”
Ignoring his question, I stood beside him.
The distant target board was riddled with holes, likely from Meldor’s shots.
‘Not a single hit.’
“What, what are you looking at?!”
Noticing my gaze, Meldor’s face turned red. I assumed the proper stance and aimed at the target.
Then I fired.
Bang-!
Despite the gun’s recoil, my body remained stable. The bullet smoothly pierced the center of the target board.
I smiled as I observed this.
“Fortunately, it’s not defective.”
At my words, Meldor’s face turned even redder.