Reincarnated as the Heroine's Brother

Chapter 31

"Father!" Elroy cries as he looks away from the grotesque scene, deeply wishing Allan was there to calm him down but also relieved that his... friend... isn't here because why do they have to torture an enemy general? Is it really...

His father glances at him then waves at the lastest battlefield, where so many of their and the damn Ignis' soldiers lay. The worst part is that Elroy recognizes some of the bodies and had talked with them just a few hours ago!

Still, "Is it really neccessary?"

"No," is the surprising start. "But it is very good for raising morale."

That answer makes his stomach drop.

"But...! He's also a person and..." other than that, Elroy didn't exactly have many reasons, did he? A commander loyal to Ignis, the country that demanded war and made so many soldiers lose their lives, he did not have many things to be alive for in Aqua other than information gathering and even then...

One of the soldiers ran up to and saluted him before reporting, "The prisoner is willing to confess everything he knows, sir!"

"Good, write everything down and give it to me!" Father motions for him to follow along and Elroy decides to obediently do as told. In any case, he believes that his father would never harm him needlessly.

...the report is doing something.

Elroy can almost physically feel it but there is no dark magic practitioner anywhere near here. But the crumbling of hope didn't need any dark magic to make happen.

So this is where Lily has been.

Understandable.

What isn't understandable is how easily she would harm her own family. Prince Christian and Leo may not have liked her and the entire school loathed her but—uh. He... didn't have an excuse exactly...

Right! Didn't the previous king favor her—probably more for her looks if Allan's ramblings are anything to go on—for her magic? How could she so easily turn back on him...

But considering just how self-centered she is, maybe she expected everyone to bow to her.

Even royalty.

Honestly he has never seen anyone as self-centered as that girl. Allan has mentioned that Astara is close to that girl's brother... meaning that that girl's family isn't anything like her. Astara would never deign to talk to someone she doesn't like anymore than neccessary and she is usually a good judge of character. Usually.

Ok. Always, she is always a good judge of character.

(Elroy isn't an idiot, the shadows have been agitated for a while now and he is desensitized enough to know what that means and how easily they can read every twitch of his expression.

If he doesn't change that opinion then Astara will pettily tell him to get approval again.)

His father sends a bird with a report of the battle and the outcome to the palace where either the queen—who is regent until they do the coronation and Prince Christian is declared king—or Prince Christian will read it.

The next battle is way too near one of the routes merchants usually use. His father tells him to join the battle and Elroy thinks, as his sword digs into yet another opponent's chest, that fighting has never felt so wrong.

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"How have you been?" Chris asks, a smile on his face. "I heard some things from Allan and Lady Astara."

Rey smiles back, a frail thing. Chris wonders just what that damn Lily did to make him like this because her defecting to another kingdom was not enough. "Did something happen?"

He doesn't dare ask if the report One had given back to him was right.

The poison, so easily made with common things. The cure is just as easy to make and One had been prepared to administer it just in case, even if it would reveal his presence.

Chris wanted to wrap Rey up in a blanket and put him in a room filled with soft fluffy things and only soft fluffy things so he never gets hurt.

Would Rey like that though?

"I..." Rey hesitates, "I haven't even told my parents but uh..."

He takes a deep breath. Chris offers a hug and Rey slumps into it, luckily Rey's parents are willing to let them stay in a room together. Even though they probably know that something is happening between them... Or maybe they were waiting for some kind of commotion and barge in or something.

That was definitely something Leo would do.

"Take your time," Chris says and means it. It isn't like he doesn't know the gist of it, he just needs to somehow get Lily in trouble for doing so. Is he coddling Rey too much? Probably not.

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Standing on clouds and wearing an elaborate if lacey red dress is a red-haired woman and though they look human, there is something inhuman about them. They smile down at the general "below", finding amusement in how they react whenever they take a pair of scissors and just... snips.

The consequences of each little cut never come out immediately, humans always deluding themselves.

Tch. Humans.

They will never understand why those three gods like them so much, going so far as to seal most or even all of their memories to become humans themselves. Mortals are only good for playthings, toys and should never be something to get attached to.

A-ha? Isn't that his highness' thread? It's about to enter the wavering stage...

Meaning that it's the perfect time to snip it and watch him soffer through the heartbreak. When he comes back up, he'll even thank them, probably.

Love and hate are on the same coin, it takes only several mistakes for it to flip.

Humans. Fickle, disgusting, horrible humans who swear oaths but never abide to them. His highness has no need to see the mortal die while still in love.

Watching the mortal he hates die would be a far better treat.

His highness should thank them. The woman's smile becomes wider as she thinks this, but her hands hesitate.

...forget it.

Maybe this will finally be a lesson that sticks in his highness' mind. Mortals are not to be trusted and he should just obediently stay up here and learn about how to rule.

But... their majesty only has one heir.

His highness will need to be forced up here within the century.

The thread, as if able to hear their thoughts, becomes stronger. How nice, they don't need to make a decision now.

"God of bonds!" They turn around and smile a gentle smile, far more sincere than the one used to look down below.

"I told you to call me love god didn't I?!"

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Thank you for reading! Also, sorry for the wait, I lost inspiration midway and just had no idea what to do.

Words: 1145