Raising the Princess to Overcome Death-Chapter 7: The Beggar Siblings - Appearance
Lena’s face, now clean, turned towards Leo.
Lena was pretty.
No, she was beautiful.
Her neatly grown eyebrows adorned her round forehead like embroidery, and between her raspberry-like lips, her even teeth peeked out, gleaming white. Despite her cheeks being gaunt, they retained their dignity, and her dainty ears signaled the beginning of her delicate jawline, balanced perfectly with her elegant, curving nose.
And those eyes! Her golden eyes, shimmering like they were filled with gold coins, illuminated her entire face from beneath her soft eyelashes.
This Lena had a resemblance to the previous two Lenas he had known. However, in terms of appearance, the Lena from Demos Village was a pretty girl from a small village, while Lena Ainar from Avril Castle was a warrior with striking looks.
In contrast, this Lena, despite being thin and young, was indisputably beautiful. Once she gained some weight, put on makeup, and grew a few years older, even the heroes of myths might lose their resolve before her.
At that moment, he understood why this Leo had left dirt on his sister’s face. It was deliberate.
He also realized why they hadn’t joined a group of beggars. Leo was hiding Lena.
It also explained why Lena didn’t know where the water was.
She must have fetched water from a distance with that small cup outside…
As Leo stared at Lena for a moment, he noticed a question forming in her wide eyes.
"Brother, what's wrong?"
"...Nothing. Let's go to sleep now."
"Okay."
The narrow floor was covered with small pieces of cloth.
He laid his sister against the wall and lay down beside her, making his arm her pillow. Lena, exhausted, quickly fell asleep in his embrace.
Leo couldn't sleep.
Looking at Lena's face filled him with worry.
‘I thought it would be enough if we just escaped being beggars...’
This scenario, while harsh at the start, seemed free of the rigid contradictions of previous ones and had many advantages.
First, they were siblings.
Their relationship didn't affect Lena's marriage prospects; instead, it allowed him to help actively.
And Lena was younger. She seemed a year or two younger than the other Lenas, which was a big advantage. It meant they had more time to prepare.
But Lena looked like this.
Her excessive beauty became a significant problem.
While it might make it easier for her to become a princess later, for now, it forced them to hide in fear of being discovered.
Currently, she was a girl barely of middle school age, so she didn’t draw much attention. But as she grew older and began attracting men's gazes, simply covering her face wouldn't suffice.
Then there was the white pendant around her neck. From his extensive gaming experience, he recognized it immediately: it was an item deeply tied to lineage. Though he didn’t know the exact details yet, such items always brought disaster.
‘This scenario is completely backloaded.’
Scenarios like this were tough at the beginning.
A secret of birth and an excessive beauty. It was hard to gain strength without drawing attention, and somewhere there was a powerful enemy clearly intending to be a threat.
However, if they could somehow endure the initial hardships, this scenario could yield the greatest results.
A noble status and qualifications, yet the siblings were driven to the streets. It wasn't hard for Leo to predict the end of this scenario.
But...
‘If only I were stronger.’
For a moment, a very bad thought crossed his mind. It was likely because he hadn’t been Leo for long and had been repeating scenarios for a while.
He was ashamed to admit it, but the thought was: if he honed his swordsmanship a bit more and restarted in the ‘next’ attempt, it might be easier to succeed. It was a despicable thought.
It was a thought that disregarded the current Lena, an inhumane thought he should never have.
The strong familial bond he felt for the sleeping Lena washed over him. She was a beloved sister who must be protected.
The frivolous reason that he could repeat scenarios didn’t diminish her value in the slightest.
As he felt the soft breaths of his sister against his neck and his conscience, he fell asleep with a sense of guilt.
Luckily, it was a warm summer, which was a small blessing for them.
*
The next day, Lena woke up early. Alarmed by a bad premonition, she quickly turned her head to find her brother, but he was still asleep beside her.
‘Why did I wake up so early?’
Her brother always woke up before her, fetching a glass of water from somewhere and waking her up. But today, for some reason, he was still asleep.
‘Is he very tired?’
Lena felt a surge of guilt towards her brother. She thought she did almost nothing. Her brother found most of the food, and she just followed him around, eating what he gave her.
I’m just a burden.
Afraid that fidgeting might wake her brother, Lena carefully crawled outside.
The cup outside had collected water. She realized it had rained yesterday, filling the cup with rainwater. Her brother must have left it because there was already water.
For once, she had something to do. Lena took a sip of water and left most of it.
This is for brother.
Lena sat down on the ground to wait for her brother and soak up the morning sun. The bright sunlight reminded her of a pleasant dream she had.
+ + +
A wide, brightly colored room.
She was playing hide and seek. The room was so vast that there were countless places to hide. After much deliberation, she hid behind a crimson curtain, peeking out to watch her brother search frantically, asking everyone if they had seen his sister.
She stifled her giggles, trying not to laugh out loud. But the more she tried to hold it in, the funnier it became, and she eventually let out a sound, leading her brother to find her.
"There you are! My princess!"
Leo had half-lifted me into his arms, spinning me around. Even as the room spun, I could see his face clearly...
Then, someone’s voice broke through.
+ + +
“You woke up early.”
“Yeah! I woke up first today.”
Leo carefully crawled out of the makeshift shelter, being mindful not to collapse it.
Seeing Lena sitting against the wall, basking in the sunlight, was both beautiful and heartbreaking.
“Did you drink the water?”
“Yes. I drank mine. That one’s for you.”
Despite only drinking a few sips, the cup was still more than half full. Leo handed the remaining water to his sister, who initially refused, insisting it was all for him, but he made her take it.
Leo stretched his short, thin limbs. The dampness from the ground had seeped into his body overnight, leaving him tired, but hunger had returned unfailingly.
Early in the morning, there would be plenty of food near the market. Yesterday, as they cleaned up the shops, they likely threw away leftover food ingredients, which they had to grab before the trash bins were taken away.
He disguised Lena with soot and hurried towards the market.
The market was bustling with merchants unloading their goods.
The siblings rummaged through the trash bins. There were quite a few vegetables like lettuce, which spoiled easily. Leo sorted out the dirty ones and handed the clean ones to his sister.
She ate them without complaint, crunching them down.
Then Lena found a potato.
“Can I eat this?”
It had sprouts.
Leo snatched it from her before she could bite into it, explaining that sprouted potatoes were inedible.
As they were busy scavenging, Leo noticed a group approaching from a distance. They were dressed in rags and rummaging through the trash—other beggars.
“Lena, let’s go.”
There was nothing good to come from encountering them, so Leo took what they had and quickly left. Some of the beggars noticed them but didn’t follow.
Having eaten the vegetables, they were no longer thirsty, and their hunger was somewhat sated.
Leo used the brief respite to familiarize himself with the surroundings. As they wandered, he chatted with Lena.
His sister particularly enjoyed talking about building a house. She pointed out spots, saying, “Let’s build a house here next time,” or “That place looks good too.”
Seeing his sister smile brightly brought him both joy and a sense of responsibility.
‘But what should I do?’
Leo pondered as he memorized the complex alleyways. Just surviving day-to-day wasn’t going to improve their situation.
After wandering for a while, he realized where they were.
This was the capital city of the Bellita Kingdom, Orville.
The same country that went to war with the Kingdom of Astin in the last scenario, it was a powerful kingdom occupying the central continent.
In ancient times, when various races dominated the continent, the first human kingdom, Arcaea, emerged. This kingdom was born here in the center of the continent and eventually became an empire, encompassing the entire continent.
After fierce wars, the empire drove out all non-human races from the continent and declared the ‘Age of Humans.’ The empire eventually split into the seven current kingdoms, with Bellita being the one that most clearly inherited the legacy of the Arcaea Empire.
Bellita Kingdom did not have a coastline, but it maintained wealth and power through its fertile land and central location.
However, Bellita Kingdom was notorious for its harshness.
The abundance of middlemen traders had fostered a culture of taking cuts (margins) wherever possible.
People in this country often viewed those who offered kindness without expecting something in return as foolish, and this was even more prevalent in the bustling capital.
If the beggar siblings had been in the kind-hearted Demos Village, they would have already received help from the villagers. But in a place like this, they had to survive on their own.
Leo needed help urgently.
‘The most urgent thing is to find someone trustworthy to take care of Lena...’
If he were alone, he could manage somehow, but it was difficult to do anything while taking care of his sister.
There weren’t many jobs a boy could do alone in the city. Leo, despite being of age, looked like a boy due to his short stature. Pickpocketing or stealing were feasible options, but he couldn’t drag Lena into such misdeeds.
He wanted to work somewhere honestly, but their beggar appearance made that difficult. They needed to be clean and presentable, but that would expose Lena’s appearance.
It might seem trivial to expose her, but this was a world where slavery was sanctioned.
Lena’s beauty would attract slave traders, and it would be easy for them to snatch a powerless beggar sibling, regardless of how good the city’s security was. He had to keep his sister hidden at all costs.
Protecting Lena, who was excessively beautiful, was not an easy task.
At the very least, they needed a stable place to live and establish connections with the people around them. That way, there would be many eyes to ensure a minimum level of safety. To protect her firmly, they needed considerable power as well.
Leo wandered, contemplating their future, but noticed Lena’s expression darkening.
*
I followed my brother around today too, taking the food he handed me and staring at him.
I wanted to help my brother.
But all I could do was listen to him and try not to complain.
Today, my brother seemed intent on surveying the area, examining every street and alleyway.
My legs started to ache.
‘I’ll hold out until he says we can rest.’
When my brother talked about building a house later, it made me happy. I also pointed out some sunny spots, asking if those would be good.
Just imagining it was nice.
One day, I want to live in a nice, warm house with my brother forever!
As we wandered, I started to feel strange.
‘Huh...? Why does my head hurt?’
My head hurt more than my legs, and despite walking for so long, I felt cold instead of hot.
My body shivered, and I became stiff, making it hard to walk. My brother was busy scouting the surroundings ahead.
‘I can’t worry him. But my stomach hurts... is it because I’m hungry? No, I ate a bit earlier...’
Cold sweat dripped from my head, but I endured, silently following my brother.
Taking deep breaths to calm myself was futile.
The dizziness worsened.
The world began to spin slowly.
*
“Lena?”
Leo was lost in thought, memorizing the paths when he suddenly noticed the absence of footsteps behind him.
Turning around, he saw Lena collapsed a few steps away.
Chapter 7: The Beggar Siblings - Appearance
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