Nearly eight years have passed since I orchestrated Stella's successful rescue. Thankfully, everything turned out well for everyone after the event.
After getting married, Everett and Liara were awarded a medal of honor from the king as well as a large sum of money.
Liara stopped working as a castle maid and moved to begin teaching swordsmanship at Knightford Academy.
Everett, on the other hand, opted to continue teaching at the castle until my geas ceremony. However, recently, he had been given the opportunity to work as a magic instructor at Knightford academy, which he accepted gratefully.
Due to Stella's attempted assassination, there was an intense mistrust of the Azure kingdom, leading to what could be described as a cold war between our kingdoms.
Being involved in the assassination attempt, House Leonhart's family's reputation among the nobility was significantly damaged, and their status had significantly dropped.
Aaron will still be looked down on the same way he was, so perhaps that was simply fate, though, this is merely a slap on the wrist compared to what transpired in the novels. They did still have one servant, so I guess that's a plus for them.
I, on the other hand, had developed into a very handsome young man. I posed for the mirror wearing my carefully made aristocratic attire.
Nothing remarkable, just a white suit jacket, a black turtleneck, and a pair of crisp white pants. I wore my mana-inhibiting gloves and a pair of black high-top sneakers that I created with magic and my knowledge from my previous life.
As I push my bangs back and straighten my jacket in the mirror, two people burst through my room's door.
"Raine! Are you ready for the ceremony? You look good!" Casey is the first to speak.
A few months ago, Casey and Cassie both turned fourteen. In relation to that, they have both grown up nicely.
Due to all of Sophie's teaching, Casey had grown to be taller than me and sported a lean, muscular build. Casey is dressed in black slacks and a white long sleeve shirt. He is also sporting a pair of black sneakers that he said he had to have when I showed them off. Apparently, he couldn't help but want a pair.
"Yeah, Raine. You look very nice." Cassie speaks up next.
Cassie had also grown quite a bit.
Standing roughly a foot beneath Casey, she is undoubtedly the shorter sibling. Her chest had significantly developed in size, and her body was slim and muscular as well. In addition, her deep brown hair had grown past her shoulders.
She is dressed in a special training suit I had made for her, a thin white turtleneck that improved one's stealth and movement speed. Moreover, she also wears a pair of black sneakers and pants.
They both developed so much during the past six years as a result of their hard work, looking at the results, I can't keep a smile from forming, "Thanks, guys."
A tall, gray-skinned woman with purple-colored hair entered my chamber behind the twins. She hadn't aged a day since the incident six years ago, and I didn't mind at all.
She turns to face me and smirks slightly, "My, you've grown quite a bit, Raine. Are you ready for the ceremony?"
"Yes, Aunt Stella." I nodded and all four of us walked out together.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After some time, we reach the entrance to the auditorium, where a great number of young nobles are arriving with their parents, servants, or siblings.
I count nearly a hundred nobles around my age as I scan the place. I notice Stella leaving as I turn around. She explains that she has urgent business with the king and that's all she could say to us, so we nod and wave her off.
I am now stuck in the care of the twins.
"Hey, did you hear, Cassie? I heard that this year, the Leonhart child will be joining us."
"Oh? The child of the house that presumably planned our Auntie's assassination? How awful."
I turn to face the two as they talk.
They were obviously uncomfortable that Aaron Leonhart would be joining us, who wouldn't, but I needed to swiftly remove their skepticism. I wasn't going to allow my siblings to get killed by that emo bastard Aaron, not on my watch.
"You shouldn't speak like that about him."
The two flash me a confused look.
The first to speak up is Cassie: "Raine, this child is a member of the same family that attempted to kill Aunt Stella! Why can't we feel so uncomfortable about this?
I give her a sharp look in response. She purses her lips as I do that, which causes me to sigh and say, "While it's normal to have a bit of distaste for him, don't let this prejudice against him influence you too much."
They both look at each other, and then back at me, "What is that supposed to mean?"
Before going into further detail, I take a moment to take a deep breath. "The assassination attempt was carried out by the head of house Leonhart alone, and had nothing to do with his child," I said.
"Since he was only four years old, he was likely unable to comprehend what his father was doing. Please try not to provoke him since doing so now will simply lead to internal resentment building up."
The two were paying attention to me speaking and nodded as if they had just learned something important from a teacher.
After that, the twins separated to look for various things. Cassie went in search of any young geniuses with whom she could exchange information while Casey wanted to locate the food bar. This left me alone.
I was pacing the hallway aimlessly when my eyes caught sight of a pair of blondes walking side by side, one about a foot taller than the other.
They had to be who I think they are.
A nudge on my left leg forced me to look down as I turned on my "Eye of Absolute Certainty" to get a better look.
A young girl with long, silvery hair and dazzling blue eyes was standing below me. She hugs my waist as she looks up at me. I flash a warm smile and give her a head pat.
"Hello, Alice. Does head maid Sophie know you're here?"
Alice shakes her tiny head before taking one hand from around me and putting it to her lips.
I nod with a smile and we begin to circle around the hall.
I had spent a lot of time bonding with every member of the royal family during the past eight years, including the pure and adorable Alice after her birth.
I wish to preserve my cute little sister's purity forever! But sadly, when she reaches my age, she goes full tsun tsun. Knowing that made me depressed, but when I looked at the current Alice, I'm glad that I could be with her while she's like this.
We walked around for a little while before finally running into Aaron and his butler. I can't lie, this is a lucky coincidence meeting them here, I had absolutely no idea this would happen. I observed the two.
Aaron has icy blue eyes and a face that is constantly expressionless. He is wearing a pair of mana-inhibiting gloves and a black suit.
On the other hand, his butler has his face hidden by a blank, black mask. He has a small frame, with golden blonde hair that reaches his shoulders. I would have assumed he was a female if I hadn't been briefed on the Leonhart family beforehand.
Aaron grimaces as he stares at me, perhaps he thinks that I wouldn't welcome his presence. Just as he starts to turn around, I grab his hand stopping him in his tracks.
"Raine Knightford, Knightford Kingdom's fifth and youngest prince. It's a pleasure to meet you." I remained expressionless.
Over the years, I had gotten better at letting my true emotions show around those I considered close; this includes Everett and Liara. As for Aaron, I merely shook his hand firmly to show him respect.
Somewhat taken aback by my gesture, Aaron casts a suspicious glance. He probably didn't expect this result. His mouth briefly widened before closing again.
I turned to look at his butler, who was gazing aside in embarrassment.
Despite his best efforts, Aaron is ultimately only able to utter one word.
"Sorry." With that, he quickly hurries off, his butler soon following suit.
When I turn back, I see Alice with a slightly reddened face. Her lips were parted slightly and I could see a faint sliver of interest in her eye.
NOOOOOOO!
She couldn't have possibly fallen for Aaron that quickly, right? He was just here for around ten seconds. How? Before shaking her head, she gave me another look. She asked me a question as her complexion returned to normal.
"Big brother, who was that just now?"
I take in a gulp. I mean, who am I to meddle with fate?
Before answering, I take a long and deep breath. "That, my lovely Alice, is Aaron Leonhart. Please try your hardest to not like him, okay?"
"Aaron…" With her cheeks glowing red, she nodded firmly.
Why does it seem like she didn't even hear what I said?
Is my younger sister old enough to have a crush already? How should I react to this? I suppose I'll have to kill Aaron if he breaks her heart. I'm sure I could do it, but it would be difficult. If Aaron dared to hurt my sister, I wonder what horrible crimes I would commit.
"Raine! Let's go! I'm hungry!" Alice begins excitedly running through the crowd over to the serving table. She wasn't wearing a dress, so running was easy for her to do.
What a cute little sister I have.
I decide to mess with her a bit.
As Alice makes it to the food bar, she looks around in concern, "Raine?"
She searches the area for me, but she can't find me anywhere. I teleported behind her and made myself visible. I tap her shoulder and she squeaks in surprise when she turns around and sees me
"Raine! Don't do that to me!" She yelled while hitting my side.
"Sorry, I thought it would be funny."
She averts her eyes and pouts.
I let out a small chuckle as I pick out a variety of delicacies from the table, including slices of bread, cheeses, and rare monster meat. Roasted horned rabbit meat was Alice's favorite. I also selected some bread and yellow cheese.
"Here you go," I said while handing the plate to the small Alice.
"Thank you!"
She starts nibbling on the rabbit. If I remember properly, the twins were much smarter and more mature at this age than she is.
I shrug, "Oh well, I don't really mind this."
After a brief glance upward, I notice a group of people gathered around a green-haired noble boy with dark skin.
He exudes a sense of annoyance and anger, and he wore a scowl on his face. Nathan Kingsley, is that you?
I use my "Eye of Absolute Certainty" to peek through the crowd since it appears that he is conversing with someone. In the midst of Nathan and four other aristocrats, I noticed a boy with golden hair standing by himself.
Oh my God no!
"Alice, stay here."
Alice gives me a cute nod as she looks up at me. I clean the remnants of rabbit meat off her cheek before I leave her.
I quickly make my way over to where Nathan and his friends were and I am able to overhear their conversation.
"The son of a traitor shouldn't be talking like that to my sister! Take your broke ass back to that crumbling shack you call a mansion!"
Damn! I myself would never let that kind of disrespect slide.
Nathan, who had green hair, approaches Aaron and grabs him by the collar.
"Nate! Please stop!" Nathan was hesitantly called out by a shy girl with long green hair, green eyes, and dark skin.
"No, Nerah. I'm not just gonna let his ass talk to you anyway he wants!" Nathan seems genuinely upset, which makes me a bit curious as to what Aaron did.
Aaron turns his head away from the conflict as I look at him. His downward gaze suggests that he is aware of his mistake.
I let out a sigh as I approach the group.
"What seems to be the problem here, guys." I let out a bit of pressure as I walk towards them, and they all freeze up except Nathan.
Nathan turns to me without any struggle and replies, "Prince Raine! This traitor just insulted my sister."
The timid girl, Nerah, speaks up, "It's not like that, Nate! I just mentioned his family by accident, and he got a bit mad."
He still looks furious after her explanation, "I don't give a fuck! I'm not just gonna allow him to say those things!"
I sigh.
Aaron, for crying out loud. Maybe I should teach him how to interact with people?
"Nathan, please," I ask Nathan to release him again, this time a bit more forceful with my tone.
At first, he hesitates, however, he agrees and lets go of Aaron's collar. With a furious expression, he steps back and begins to leave.
"C'mon guys, let's go." He and his crew begin to walk away from Aaron and I, but I stop them.
"Wait!" I call out.
Nerah and Nathan look back in confusion. Aaron, who had been averting his eyes the entire time, is stunned as well.
I look at Nerah, who I recognized from the novel, Rebirth. In the novel's conclusion, she was one of the three heroines still alive.
Through thick and thin, she stuck by Aaron.
I switch my focus to Nathan, who is standing next to her.
In the novel, Aaron and Nathan experience a friendship that began as animosity. He eventually develops into one of the most powerful characters in the book, rising to the position of first-rank. They also engage in this exact same argument in the novel. However, I'm going to change a few things.
I turn to my side and speak to Aaron, "Apologize."
"What?" All three of them spoke at the same time.
"If you have done something wrong, then you should apologize and forgive each other. Right?"
Aaron turns to Nathan and Nerah. He then looks back at me for a second, I nod and he turns back, "I'm sorry if I may have caused you discomfort. It was a sensitive topic, so I lashed out."
I give myself a silent nod as he bows in apology. It seems to be much simpler to change his perspective early on in his second life, before anything terrible happens. I turned to face the two again.
"Now, Nerah was it?" I look at Nerah with a piercing gaze and she nods vigorously, "You should apologize as well."
Nathan looks like he was about to say something, but he catches himself before he does. He's a good elder brother in standing up for his sister all the way to the end even though he understands, just as I do, that both parties were at fault in this situation.
I turn back to see Alice is still chowing down on her rabbit by the table.
"I-I'm sorry if I brought up a sensitive topic. Please forgive me!" She bows in front of Aaron.
He looks away, flustered, and reluctantly accepts her apology.
This is good, now they won't have any hard feelings going into the start of their relationship.
"There," I put my hands behind my back and turned away from them. "it would do you three good to get to know each other better before simply assuming the other is in the wrong."
I begin walking back toward where Alice was. She smiles as she sees me and raises her hand and waves while holding her food.
"Raine! What were you doing with those guys? Did you do what you wanted?"
I pat her head with a small grin, "Yeah, I saw what I needed."
I had hoped to have a thorough look at their stats in addition to connecting those three more quickly. And I was not let down by the fact that Aaron is unquestionably a total monster. I thought back to the stats that I had seen and wondered if I could really stand against him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Aaron Leonhart]
Age: 12
Gender: Male
Race: Human
Title: Traitor's Son
Class:
Fire Mage- Rank 1
Wind Mage- Rank 1
Water Mage- Rank 1
Earth Mage- Rank 2
Light Mage- Rank 3
Dark Mage- Rank 3
Universe Mage- Rank 4
Swordsman (sword)- Rank A-
Stats:
Strength- 10
Perception- 9
Endurance- 10
Charisma- 2
Intelligence- 6
Agility- 8
Luck- 9
Mana Capacity- ∞ mp
Skills
"Growth System"
"Plot Armor"
"Magic Nullification"
"Resistance"
"Infinite Mana"
"Instant Learn"
"Goddess' Blessings"
"Harem Protagonist"
"Blue Flame"
"Sonic Shock"
"Golem"
"Ability Copy"
"Weapon Mastery"
"Quad Aura"
"Merge Magic"
Description: Reincarnated into this world as the son of a noble while keeping all of his memories. He is horrible at understanding people and hates nearly everyone. Favored by few.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~