Free Web NovelChapter 43: Spending time with sleeping princess
"Then what exactly do you want, Eren? You’ve just rewritten medical history. Surely you have a grand ambition?"
"I just want to go back to the academy," Eren replied casually, raising three fingers in a mock vow. "And I promise, I won’t spend my days stalking that Saintess girl anymore."
Alfric simply couldn’t reason with his son’s bizarre behavioral shift anymore. One day the boy was a public nuisance, the next he was a savior who preferred a school life over wealth. Still, it was a massive step up from his previous antics.
"Very well. If a quiet return to your studies is all you ask, I will make the necessary arrangements with the royal academy to revoke your suspension by the end of the week."
Eren’s inner mind instantly brimmed with happiness, he can finally see Seraphina, the legendary Villainess, and can save her from behind.
Eren cleared his throat, holding up a finger. "Actually, Father, I do have one more highly specific request regarding my school arrangements. I need you to pull a few strings to transfer a certain dropout student from the central academy over to the royal academy. And I need you to sponsor her."
The Duke’s pen was inmid-air as he looked up dumbfounded. "What? A dropout student? Who exactly is this girl, and why are you suddenly playing the role of a charitable patron?"
"I’ll send her full details over to you later. And trust me, Father. Once you review it, you’ll understand exactly why she’s worth the investment. She’ll be a great asset for our household."
Alfric rubbed his temples, but ultimately nodded. "Fine. Consider it done. I will await the details."
However, the Duke’s relaxed demeanor suddenly turned serious as he set his pen down. "But, Eren... I need to ask a favor of you this time."
"A favor from me? What is it, Father?"
"It’s Liora. Ever since she woke up and realized you were completely unresponsive for three days. Every time she wakes, the first thing she asks is whether you’re awake. She’s convinced that she was the reason her older brother ended up in a coma."
Alfric looked up at his eldest son with pleading eyes. "Eren. Please... spend some time with her."
After a moment, Eren closed the office door shut behind him, leaning his back against it as he let out a heavy sigh.
Sure, he was happy he got a little sister in this life, but he had zero idea on how to act like a decent older brother. In his previous life, sibling interaction was entirely a cruel bullying, or being treated like an invisible mistake due to his illegitimate status.
Even now, the Duke’s parental warmth was overwhelming.
"Oh, it’s you, idiot. Did you just come out from seeing His Grace?"
A sharp voice that was only softer towards him cut through his thoughts. He looked up to see Emma standing a few steps down the corridor. Her eyes were wide with genuine surprise, though a sudden flush instantly rushed to her tanned cheeks—clearly remembering how she spent the entire day cuddling him.
Eren forced a strained smile onto his face. "Good morning, Captain."
Emma immediately picked up on the sudden dip in his usual arrogant energy. She walked closer, her brows furrowing slightly as she scanned his face. "You look remarkably pale for a guy who just got his suspension revoked. Is something wrong?"
"Not exactly. It’s just that Duke actually asked me to go visit Liora."
"Well? Isn’t that a good thing? She’s awake, and she wants to see the brother who saved her life."
"Logically, yes," Eren muttered, his eyes looking toward the windows. "But I’m just wondering how she’s actually going to react when she looks at my face. After all, before she collapsed asleep, I was a terror to her."
Emma stared at him for a moment before she stepped forward and grabbed his wrist.
"Hey—wait, what are you doing?" Eren blurted out.
With a tug, the captain aggressively dragged him down the corridor towardLiora’s room. She was moving with such force that Eren’s boots literally slid across the floor a few times.
"Listen to me, you overthinking brat," Emma commanded, not even looking back at him as she kept her grip locked onto his wrist. "I hated you for years. I thought you were a useless, arrogant menace to society. Yet look at me now—I completely forgot every single rotten thing you ever did, entirely because of the man you chose to become when it mattered most."
She paused for a fraction of a second, her voice turned soft. "But the most important thing you’re forgetting is Liora. Even when you were at your absolute worst, treating everyone like garbage... that little girl never once hated you. Not even for a single second."
Eren stared at her, the doubt in his chest instantly dissolved, replaced by a genuinely touched smile. He allowed himself to be willingly dragged along by the tomboy until they reached the destination.
The two elite soldiers guarding outside blinked in unison bewilderment, their eyes darting between their fearsome Captain and the young master. They looked like they urgently needed to visit the doctor to get their vision checked after seeing the terrifying women drag the newly minted genius around like a misbehaved pet.
Inside the room, Liora sat in the center of the massive bed, quietly watching the birds flutter through the window.
She then heard the door click open. The little girl instantly turned her head with a radiantly bright, innocent smile as she spotted the pink-haired knight.
"Emma!" Liora called out cheerfully. "You’re early today. Papa said you’ll be busy ."
Emma’s tough expression softened into a gentle smile as she stepped into the room, tilting her body slightly to the side. "I had to wrap up my duties quickly, little princess. Because I brought a visitor along with me."
Liora’s eyes shifted past Emma, locking directly onto the tall young man standing right behind her.
It was a face she hadn’t seen in three years, a face associated with bitter memories and cold glares from a time before her world went dark. Yet, she recognised him immediately.
"B-Brother...?" Liora muttered, her jaw shaking.
A sudden wave of emotion completely overrode her survival instincts. Forgetting the fact that her legs hadn’t touched the floor in years, she desperately dragged her fragile body toward the edge of the mattress, trying to scramble out of bed to reach him.
The moment her balance entirely collapsed, Eren immediately wrapped his arms entirely around her small, trembling body, holding her tightly against his chest.
Liora immediately buried her face into his shirt, fingers holding the fabric with desperate, tearful strength as a series of heartbreaking sobs violently shook her shoulders.
"You really are reckless like me, aren’t you?" he murmured affectionately. "Your big brother spent two exhausting weeks just to watch you smile happily again, not to see you break a leg the exact second you woke up."
