Reincarnated User Manual

Chapter 52: A Request

When the sun had passed overhead, inside Eldrina’s residence.

“Mother, Mother!”

After training and having taken a quick shower, Siriel immediately went to see Eldrina.

“Hmm? Why has my dear come to see me? You should be meeting your manners teacher after training.”

Eldrina smiled at Siriel, who had hastily come to her.

Siriel’s hair was still damp, showing how hastily she had come. Normally, she would have been tended to by the maids, but due to a scheduled lesson with a home tutor after training, she was in a hurry.

“… There’s still some time, so it’s okay!”

Siriel glanced at the wall clock and spoke. She still had 30 minutes, plenty of time to speak her mind.

“Alright. Let’s dry your hair first. Come sit here.”

Eldrina pointed to a chair. Then, she muttered a soft incantation, creating a warm and gentle breeze. Siriel relaxed under the warm embrace.

However, remembering the reason she came to see Eldrina, Siriel’s eyes sharpened, and she clenched her fist.

“Mother, I have a request.”

“…What is it?”

Eldrina, with her warm smile, asked this of her daughter. Normally, reports would go through the house steward before reaching Eldrina, but it had been years since Siriel directly made a request, piquing Eldrina’s curiosity.

Upon receiving permission, Siriel faced her mother and said forcefully,

“I want the servants to stop speaking ill of Brother Shiron.”

“……?”

Eldrina paused for a moment. Her daughter’s unexpected request almost disrupted her smile.

‘Did Siriel rush here to ask this?’

“Ahem.”

Clearing her throat to regain her composure, Eldrina firmly responded,

“I cannot do that.”

“…… Why?”

Instead of being upset by Eldrina’s refusal, Siriel sought an explanation. That unique reaction almost melted Eldrina’s heart, but she managed to maintain her resolve.

The ideal wife and mother, Eldrina, gently stroked her daughter’s hair and kindly asked,

“Do you know how many servants we have in this mansion?”

“… I’m not sure of the exact number, but I know there are many.”

“334 people. If you include the escort knights, there are even more. From what I heard from Philip, many of them were warned after speaking ill of Shiron. I received all these reports.”

“…”

Siriel’s eyes widened, realizing her mother was already aware of everything.

“Think about it. Why am I allowing this to happen?”

In situations like this, Eldrina often gave Siriel time to reflect.

For solving any given situation, deep contemplation is required. Eldrina wanted Siriel to develop the habit of finding her own path when there was no obvious answer.

With her arms crossed and her head tilted, Siriel finally spoke up.

“Do you dislike Shiron, mother?”

“…… Oh dear. Do I seem like someone who would dislike anyone?”

“I’m sorry. But I can’t think of any other reason…”

Seeing the dejected Siriel, Eldrina sighed softly.

“It’s possible to silence them, but…”

“But?”

“Whether it’s for money or loyalty, they are people we recruited through public announcements. They are not slaves who obey unconditionally; they have their own thoughts and emotions. Silencing them might create other conflicts. Even if we dismiss them, the situation won’t change if the cause remains.”

Eldrina spoke calmly. Slowly lifting her head, Siriel looked intently at Eldrina.

“So, you believe there’s a problem with my brother?”

“Yes. Do you know why the servants speak ill of Shiron?”

“… I heard rumors that Shiron treats them poorly.”

“You’re well-informed.”

“So… is it true that Shiron mistreats the servants?”

Siriel’s eyes widened as she stared at Eldrina. Eldrina slowly nodded.

“The mansion’s servants, even by the standards of the capital, are well-educated. They have no reason to badmouth someone for no reason. If they are treated poorly, of course, they’ll speak of it.”

“Then… why does Shiron treat the servants so poorly? Shiron isn’t like that…”

Holding the hem of her dress tightly, Siriel lowered her head.

She couldn’t understand.

For her, Shiron had always been a kind older brother who always gave her delicious candies. Why would such a brother act maliciously towards others?

“Huh…”

Eldrina snorted as if she had seen something interesting.

“Why do you think he wouldn’t act like that?”

“…Because my brother is a kind person who doesn’t know how to get jealous.”

“Jealousy?”

“Yes.”

Siriel nodded once. She answered without any hesitation as if stating an undeniable fact.

‘My brother is kind and gentle.’

Recently, Siriel had learned a self-defense technique and had been eager to show it off to him first.

At that time, Shiron praised Siriel, saying she was fantastic. He gave her candies and cookies and even patted her head. Something sweeter than the sense of accomplishment from training filled her heart.

However,

Only that night did Siriel realize her mistake. At the moment of receiving the praise, she didn’t realize that she was boasting about her abilities that Shiron lacked.

Realizing her mistake belatedly, Siriel could only apologize to Shiron the next day. Shiron assured her it was okay by placing candy in her mouth.

‘Brother told me not to worry and instead comforted me.’josei

Surprisingly, from then on, Shiron asked her to share any achievement. He mentioned he felt reassured as she became stronger…

‘Brother might have lied to avoid making me feel embarrassed…’

Sometimes, Siriel felt envious and inferior to Lucia. Despite eating less and starting training late compared to her, Siriel never managed to beat Lucia, which made her feel disturbed.

Was she jealous?

As Siriel expressed her frustrations, Johan told her that it was destiny. She just had to work harder. Like Hugo, her father.

It seemed Shiron never felt such common emotions. He genuinely looked happy for her, glowing in his sincerity.

“So, let’s do this.”

Eldrina, with a twinkle in her eye, smiled brightly at Siriel.

“How about confronting Shiron directly? You can ask him why he acted that way. Moreover, you can even help him with his problems.”

“Me?”

“Yes.”

Eldrina nodded.

Still a child not even ten years old, Eldrina noticed a familiar emotion flashing in Siriel’s eyes. An emotion she had seen in many women.

‘She’s head over heels for him.’

Eldrina chuckled.

She wasn’t bothered by the fact that her daughter had fallen for a boy.

Wasn’t Shiron the legitimate heir of the Prient family that her husband had brought back? This situation wasn’t too bad then.

She found no issues when meeting him personally.

‘He’s physically strong and knows how to think.’

Eldrina smirked, hearing the rumors around the mansion.

‘Yet, he hasn’t grown out of his childish ways. Pretending to be selectively kind won’t fool me.’

Suddenly, Eldrina thought,

What if she paired Siriel and Shiron? Just like she and Hugo, Siriel and Shiron seemed like a good match.

The benefits of this pairing were clear. Siriel could become a direct line of the Prient family, her husband’s lineage. Their grandchildren would naturally inherit that lineage, too.

It was not a bad idea.

In fact, it was good.

Siriel hadn’t realized love yet, but that didn’t matter. Even if they didn’t get together but became closer, there was no loss. Eldrina decided to support Siriel.

“Um, me helping my brother…”

Siriel fidgeted with her fingers and bit her lip, clearly excited at the idea of helping her beloved brother. Her heart raced.

However, the anxiety returned to Siriel’s face.

“…But, will he want my help? What if he refuses?”

It was understandable for her to doubt. Siriel never had the opportunity to help or favor Shiron. Plus, hadn’t she recently made another mistake? Siriel was unsure of her persuasive abilities.

“… I’m scared that a slip of the tongue might harm our relationship.”

Watching her daughter’s changing expressions, Eldrina felt a tickling sensation in her heart.

“If that happens, come back to me. If he’s as good-hearted and devoid of jealousy as you believe, he won’t hold onto a child’s minor mistake for life.”

“…Come to think of it, you’re right.”

Siriel recalled a significant mistake she made in front of Shiron. Even after the succession ceremony and her blunder in the carriage, Shiron forgave her with just one apology.

After a moment of contemplation, Siriel smiled brightly.

“I’ll give it a try!”

Siriel then glanced at the clock and was startled.

4:05 pm.

She was late for her etiquette lesson.

Siriel hurriedly ran out of the room.