Raising the Princess to Overcome Death-Chapter 39: The Beggar Siblings - Cassia

Raising the Princess to Overcome Death-Chapter 39: The Beggar Siblings - Cassia

39. The Beggar Siblings - Cassia
The third scenario of the beggar siblings began with a video showing them heading towards the capital, Orville.
The surreal buoyancy that had been tormenting Minseo disappeared, replaced by a desperate hunger and thirst that engulfed Leo. Beside him, a dirty young Lena sat against the wall.
Seeing his sister, previous memories flooded back. The image of his fallen sister came to mind, her eyes in the photo still seductively looking out, causing him torment.
“Brother, I'm hungry...”
“Lena!”
Leo hugged his sister tightly, struggling to hold back tears.
Had Minseo's mind been less clear than before, he might have wept.
[ Achievement: First Death - The player's assimilation with Leo slows down. ]
“Ugh, brother, what's wrong? I'm weak.”
As Lena squirmed, trying to push him away, Leo finally came to his senses and released her.
Lena was still filthy, with her lips dry and her neck so thin it looked like she could barely endure it. Her dress, which looked like a rag, remained unchanged.
“Lena, let's go eat.”
Leo checked the coins in his pocket and hastily led her away.
Eight silver coins and five copper coins were given as {initial funds}. In the beggar siblings scenario, this money was extremely precious. It was a tearful gratitude compared to the engagement scenario, where it didn’t matter if they had it or not.
This damn game seemed to have a shred of conscience.
At the restaurant they returned to, Leo bought his sister seasoned chicken.
Previously, he had saved money by buying unseasoned chicken, but this time, he didn't hold back.
Lena quickly became covered in seasoning as she devoured the chicken. Leo restrained her to prevent her from choking and occasionally wiped her mouth, but she continued to tear into the chicken ravenously.
His heart ached.
Despite Minseo's clear mind, the pain in his chest made him grimace.
‘I’ll make sure you're happy this time. I will never leave you alone.’
He organized his thoughts while helping Lena eat.
‘Last time, I left Lena with Cassia for too long. This time, I need to keep her with me as much as possible.’
But the circumstances were difficult. They had nowhere to go.
They had made a shelter next to a building, but the landlord would come with his servants to destroy it tomorrow morning.
With no home or shelter, the situation was dire. He had to decide on their whereabouts while they were still seated in this restaurant.
‘What should we do next? Where should we go?’
He couldn’t do anything while staying with Lena in her current state. He couldn’t take her around looking like this, and her pretty face being exposed could cause trouble.
Finding a job that provided lodging was also tough. Lena's appearance was problematic, and this Leo lacked the skills to secure a job easily.
This Leo had only his good looks and a few skills from scenario rewards... {Swordsmanship.2v}, {Hunting}, {Initial Funds}, {Backstreet Rules}, {Negotiation}, {Bedroom Skills}, and {Noble Society}.
There were also several achievements, but they weren't directly helpful.
Then something crossed his mind.
‘If I use {Bedroom Skills} and {Noble Society} along with my good looks...’
Information from {Noble Society} brought up numerous lewd and erotic methods.
It was a life of seducing nobles and taking what he wanted.
‘Disgusting.’
Leo grimaced, dismissing that option, and reconsidered using his swordsmanship and hunting skills to make money.
But hunting was quickly ruled out. There were no mountains near Orville.
‘Should I just run away with Lena? Build a small house in the mountains and live there?’
The beggar siblings' scenario promised a tough life. He had to feed and educate his sister properly.
Meanwhile, he had to make her a princess.
The thought of running away crossed his mind, but Leo quickly dismissed it.
His sister Lena was too beautiful. They couldn't hide in the mountains forever; they would have to come out someday, and by then, Lena would have grown even more beautiful.
Leo couldn't protect such stunning beauty by himself. He had to lay the groundwork for her future before she grew up.
As he ruled out options one by one, only swordsmanship remained.
There were many things he could do with swordsmanship... but he decided to avoid becoming a guard in Orville.
A guard was essentially a soldier, and they might be drafted into the war next spring. No, this damn game would definitely send him to the battlefield.
Becoming a mercenary was another option, but that required traveling with a trading company, meaning he couldn't stay close to Lena. He also couldn't become a house guard in Orville without revealing his identity.
A knight? That was tempting.
If he became a knight, Lena would be safe. Few would dare to mess with the sister of a knight.
It might be annoying if she caught the eye of a noble, but they wouldn't use illegal means.
Currently, the Swordmaster faction controlled the politics of the Bellita Kingdom, and Count Herman Forte led the knights. If a noble tried to pressure a knight over his pretty sister, they'd be crushed.
Leo gulped down a glass of water in regret. He couldn't meet the requirements to become a knight.
He had received {Swordsmanship.2v} as a reward from the last scenario.
He felt he was slightly better than Deros, the knight who had been with Katrina, but the problem was his body.
The minimum requirement to become a knight was being an 'expert', where mana was sufficiently infused in the body, and swordsmanship reached a certain level.
Sometimes, swordsmanship alone was enough to become a knight, but the physical condition couldn't be ignored if the skills were average.
Leo Dexter from the engagement scenario would have been enough with his superior physique. But this Leo, small and emaciated, was far from it.
A sip of water was enough to quell his regret. Like soldiers, knights would also have to join the war next year.
In the end, the remaining option was.
‘A gangster again.’
It felt like the choice was being forced upon him, but joining a family and asking them to protect Lena seemed the most realistic. With his skills, joining a family wasn't difficult, and they never abandoned their own.
‘Last time, it ended before I could ask them to protect Lena.’
He had forcibly joined the Corolla family before. He had willingly stained his hands with blood and flaunted it.
It was to quickly become a gangster, but it took a long time to earn the family's trust because of it.
Determined, Leo counted on his fingers, searching for a place to go.
In Orville, there were three major families. The Corolla family, whose main businesses were drug trafficking and slave trading, the Berza family, which mainly sold illegal weapons and was eyeing the slave trade, and the Rauno family, which managed businesses and earned money through contract killings.
Leo extended the finger he had folded back. The Berza family was not an option.
[ Achievement: Long Live the Corolla Family - Gains slight favor with Corolla family gangsters. Gains slight hostility from families the Corolla family is in conflict with. ]
Having become an executive of the Corolla family before, the achievement erased one choice.
The Corolla family would view him favorably, but the Berza family would be hostile towards him.
As his fingers under the table dwindled to one, Lena finished her meal. She drank water and alternately looked at the empty plate and Leo, asking,
“Brother, why didn't you eat?”
“Huh? No, I ate a lot too.”
Lena, thinking she had eaten too much, looked at her brother guiltily. Leo patted her head and said,
“Let's go. We have somewhere to be.”
“Home?”
“No. Somewhere else.”
Leo led her to a shoe store in a secluded alley. Inside, Cassia was sitting idly, just as she had been before.
Although he had no choice but to come, seeing Cassia made Leo's emotions churn, causing him to hesitate.
She had been the one who showed kindness to the homeless siblings collapsed in front of the pharmacy, offering them a place to stay and even hiding Lena.
Back then, Leo liked her. There was a time when he found her slightly unhinged nature charming, but now his feelings were mixed with hatred.
Now, he hated her.
When Leo stood hesitantly in front of the store, Cassia motioned from inside.
"Come in. Don’t loiter around out there."
Unlike Lena, who hesitated, Leo walked in decisively.
Although his behavior was rude for a beggar, Cassia didn't mind and stared at him intently.
"Have we met before?"
"No."
Despite the beggar’s curt reply, she couldn't take her eyes off him. She gazed at him with her mouth slightly open, a dreamy expression on her face, and muttered to herself in a low voice.
"Somehow, it feels nostalgic... What brings you here?"
[Achievement: The Man Who Melted Cassia’s Heart - Gained Cassia's mild affection.]
'Is it because of the achievement? Her reaction is different.'
In the previous scenario, Cassia had developed a liking for Leo because of his devotion to his sister, and that affection had been preserved as an achievement.
Thinking this would make things easier, Leo asked with less urgency than before.
"Can we stay here for a few days? I can pay you."
Regardless of his feelings, Leo needed Cassia.
She was acquainted with Ober, a gangster from the Launo family, who were known for their contract killings and also acted as information brokers.
Leo was desperate for information.
He knew the beggar siblings were actually the rightful heirs of the Southern Kingdom of Conrad, the royal family of Yeriel.
If he could succeed in overthrowing Prince Eric de Yeriel, who had exiled the siblings, Lena would instantly become a princess.
Thus, he planned to join the Launo family to gather information about the Conrad Kingdom and Prince Yeriel.
Cassia was a good stepping stone.
By approaching Ober through her, the Launo family wouldn't suspect him, and once he gained their trust, he would request protection for Lena.
Not entrusting her to Cassia.
Leo took out all his remaining {initial funds} and placed them on the table. It was a substantial amount that made a clinking sound as he put it down, but Cassia, unlike before, didn’t fiddle with the silver coins. Without hesitation, she agreed.
"Alright. There's an empty bed in the room anyway. But I’ll take one of these."
She picked up a silver coin and easily agreed, then introduced herself.
"I'm Cassia. What's your name?"
"I'm Leo, and this is Lena."
"Nice to meet you. But she needs to wash up. There's a water bucket in there, so go in and wash."
Seeing Lena's state, Cassia briefly introduced the house and personally brought the water bucket to the room.
Leo closed the door, amazed by the power of the achievement.
While Cassia was a rare person who helped the beggar siblings, her willingness to allow them to stay so readily was undoubtedly due to the achievement.
'Even so, her reaction is peculiar. The generals weren’t like this.'
There were other achievements where Leo had gained 'mild' affection, including from princes and nobles, but their reactions had been merely attentive.
Cassia's response was distinctly different.
'She is indeed a strange person...'
As Leo thought about Cassia, Lena once again stripped off her clothes. Leo, mixing emotions, advised his sister, "You shouldn't undress in front of strangers!" and then stepped out.
Lena looked puzzled.
Leo couldn’t stay long in the shoe store either.
Feeling uncomfortable under Cassia’s watchful eyes, he ignored her and went out to look for a clothing store.
'Wait, while I’m out, I should fetch the teacher.'
Last time, it had taken so long to find Cassia that it was late, but now the sun was still high.
Since Lena needed a teacher quickly, Leo went to find the one who had taught his sister before. He stopped by a clothing store first to change and buy clothes for Lena, then found the teacher at the same place teaching children.
This old man was quite trustworthy.
He had never revealed Lena’s identity and once again promised to keep it a secret after seeing her.
'I've done everything I need to do for now... and there’s still time left. Should I catch some thugs? I’m out of money after spending the {initial funds}, so I feel uneasy.'
While Lena was talking to the teacher in the room, Leo wandered around the shoe store, tempted by a small urge.
It was the perfect time to catch thugs, with dusk slowly settling in.
Getting a weapon would make him feel secure...
As Leo contemplated killing for a living, Cassia’s eyes followed him as he moved back and forth.
'Why am I feeling like this?'
He was much younger than her.
Even though he was at least ten years younger, watching this young man made Cassia's heart flutter uncontrollably.
It wasn’t because he was handsome. It was a yearning feeling, like something was pulling her heart down to her chest.
Cassia had never been in love.
Her mother had been beaten to death by a thug over some loose change, and her father had committed suicide, unable to overcome his illness.
What remained for young Cassia was a shattered heart, an unattended shoe store, and a contract that still had years left.
She had seen her father hanging, his heart stopped, with blood pooling below, causing his genitals to bulge.
Since then, she had lived a meaningless life, staring idly at the wall in front of the store, not even contemplating the future.
She thought she would live like this until she died.
But today, the young man who suddenly appeared stirred her heart. This man, who made her heart tremble just by looking at him, was devoted to his sister. He provided a place for her to sleep, brought her clothes, and even found her a teacher.
How could such a frail-looking person be so devoted to his sister?
Cassia had seen a body as frail as his. It was her father’s. But he had ultimately chosen death, abandoning her.
A weak father.
Cassia felt intense ambivalence towards him.
At that moment, the young man who had stirred her heart disappeared. He saw the teacher out and hurried back into the room.
She felt disappointed by the closed door.
'Huh? What? Why?'
Cassia didn’t understand why she felt this way and looked at the familiar alley blocked by the wall. Seeing the alley calmed her excitement, but she could never be the same as before.
It was already getting dark. Unable to resist, she glanced at the closed door and saw the siblings chatting inside.
Unaware that Leo was warning his sister not to get too close to Cassia or talk to her if possible, Cassia felt a rare moment of bewilderment in her solitary shoe store.
It seemed warm inside.
Here... Her father, who had hanged himself, was now swaying behind her back. The chill of abandonment enveloped her.
Cassia bit her lip, turned away from her father, and went outside.
It was time to go to work.

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Chapter 39: The Beggar Siblings - Cassia