When I saw Sylvia’s hand trying to grab her shoulder, I couldn’t stay still any longer.

“Please stop.”

I grabbed Sylvia’s hand and muttered softly, and only then did Leonhardt’s red, bloodshot eyes turn to me.

“Get your hands off her, you worthless thing.”

Let’s be patient.

There was nothing to gain from fighting Leonhardt.

Thinking like that, I tried to talk rationally to Leonhardt, but I couldn’t help but let out a long breath as he continued.

“I’m telling you to get out of my sight, along with your stupid friend.”

Third.

Have the bare minimum of courtesy.

There was no reason left to endure any longer.

“Fuck you, white dwarf*.”

“…What?”

Silence fell.

I knew my voice was loud. I gazed at Leonhardt with a chilly stare and opened my mouth.

“Your Highness.”

“…..”.

Even Leonhardt, with his selfish and fiery personality, was dumbfounded and unable to respond to my call.
I squeezed Leonhardt’s hand and looked into his eyes.

“I told you to behave properly.”

I ground my teeth and growled softly.

As pain shot through his gripped hand, Leonhardt finally came to his senses, frowned, and looked back at me.

Consciously ignoring Sylvia and Helena, fidgeting beside me, I took a big step towards him. Our heights were similar, and he took a step back.

“You… crazy bastard…!”

Leonhardt gritted his teeth and glared at me, seemingly dissatisfied with having retreated unknowingly.

Looking into those blue eyes, I slowly opened my mouth.

“Leonhardt Philippe Hamel Urlas. What makes you so sure you’ll become the Crown Prince?”

How ridiculous.

His arrogance and self-conceit were so laughable that I could hardly stand it. At my question, one of Leonhardt’s eyebrows twitched.

“What’s so great about Your Highness that you’re so confident?”

I did not say this because I knew the future—I said it because I knew the contents of the original work.

It was something one could figure out with just a little thought.

If he really wanted to become the Crown Prince, he shouldn’t have been trailing after women, his mind consumed by them.

In a situation where he should have been working hard to gather his supporters and win the trust of nobles loyal to him, he was just an object of fear in this small academy.

And yet he believed unquestioningly that he would become the Crown Prince.

Leonhardt not only belittled and looked down on commoners but even the young nobles and scions of noble families.

“Do you know why the academy is called a small society?”

“……”.

“It’s because everyone here will one day make up society. They will be the people who support the Empire.”

For Leonhardt to belittle and despise such people, could he become the Crown Prince?

It was certain that the Empire would walk the path to ruin if ever. He could never become the Crown Prince.

“…What do you know.”

“I know much more than Your Highness.”

I knew Leonhardt’s mentality all too well.

He was a fool who thought the first Princess and the second Prince left him alone because he was too great.

That was Leonhardt.

In reality, it was closer to him not being worth dirtying their hands since he could never reach the top in the competition for the throne.

“Come to your senses. That way, you might at least preserve your life.”

“You’ve truly gone mad. To dare speak to me like that?”

Leonhardt’s mental age was lower than that of a young child. Thus, he could only get angry even at advice based on facts.

At such a sight, I let out a long breath. Looking down at him, slightly shorter than me, I shook my head slowly.

I could brush off his insults to me. After all, there was no need to get scratched by the childish tantrums of an immature kid who thought the world revolved around himself.

However, Leonhardt insulted Helena. He tried to vent his anger by insulting someone who hadn’t done anything to him. That was why I could no longer just watch.

“Your Highness.”

“Don’t call me that! I will surely deal with you for insulting the Imperial family!!”

Insulting the Imperial family.

Even the foolish Leonhardt seemed able to think of that much. There was indeed such a system in the Empire.

Even if a Prince made a mistake, insulting him could be punished as a crime of insulting the Imperial family.

Leonhardt seemed to have just blurted it out, but since he thought he was right, he tried to smile and look at me. At that sight, I narrowed my eyes even more coldly and answered.

“Try it.”

“…What?”

“Try me with that crime, you fucking bastard.”

Insulting the Imperial family was a serious crime that could lead to the death penalty. Still, I was not afraid.

I spat curses and threw his hand away as if tossing it aside.

It wasn’t as if I hadn’t prepared myself. I didn’t spit out the curse in a momentary burst of emotion. I had anticipated that Leonhardt would react this way.

Glaring at his blue eyes even harder, I growled in a low voice.

“If you can, go ahead. By all means.”

“…This, this…!!”

“A punk like you daring to call yourself an Imperial is enough to make me want to die.”

Yandere male lead.

Yes, he’s a popular trope in romance fantasy novels. I understand that the term “yandere male lead” ranks high on some websites, showing the high demand.

But this is the real world. No matter if it’s the world of a novel, it was ridiculous for such a fool to flaunt his supposedly noble bloodline.

Hah.

Having said all I wanted to say, I let out another breath and opened my mouth.

“You–”

“That’s enough.”

And then, someone stepped out before me.

“…You!!”

“I told you to be quiet, didn’t I?”

Even Leonhardt seemed to have just noticed her, gritting his teeth and raising his voice, but he couldn’t help but shut his mouth at her chilly, low voice.

He was overwhelmed by the aura emanating from her body.

Pure white hair and strange red eyes.

Her every action exuded nobility, and she smiled faintly as if amused while looking at me.

I simultaneously realized her identity and greeted her respectfully.

“I behold the most brilliant light, Her Imperial Highness the Crown Princess of the Empire.”

The First Princess.

And the one who ascends to become the Crown Princess in the original novel… who was soon to ascend to Crown Princess in reality as well.

As I said, there was no future where Leonhardt became the Crown Prince.

His personality and actions only pushed him further away from the position of Crown Prince.

In the original novel, Leonhardt fails to ascend to the Crown Prince position. And the one who takes that place is Ashillya Philipe Hamen Urlas before my eyes.

Her dazzlingly shining silver hair and eerily glowing red eyes, combined with skin so translucent that her blood vessels seemed to show through, made one think of a legendary vampire.

However, she flaunted a beauty that overwhelmed all of that, to the point where rumors spread that she was the child of an actual ‘vampire.’

However, by utilizing her wit and talents, she eventually ascended to the position of Crown Princess.

When Ashillya became Crown Princess, Sylvia supported the dejected Leonhardt. Thanks to her, he regained his senses and reformed himself.

His outrageous personality didn’t change, but in the end, he stopped looking down on others and curbed his violent tendencies, devoting himself to Sylvia and truly becoming the male lead.

“Hmm, who might you be?”

“…I am Felix von Astria, the second son of the Astria family.”

“Oho, so you are the second son of the Astria family.”

As I mentioned, Felix did not appear in the original novel; he was an extra character. Of course, Ashillya was not covered in great detail, either.

There was only a brief mention that Sylvia, who disliked Leonhardt, became friends with Ashillya and kept Leonhardt at bay.

The character “Felix” does not appear in the original novel, with “Astria” being mentioned in passing. Although it seems Ashillya has heard of me.

“So, is the Earl in good health? I should see his face before I ascend to Crown Princess.”

The Astria family was one of the few that supported Ashillya from the beginning.

So, in other words, they were one of the families that would benefit the most once Ashillya ascended to the Crown Princess position.

With my head bowed, I respectfully replied.

“The Earl remains in good health, Your Highness. I shall convey your words to him directly. He will surely be delighted.”

“Hohoho, I am indebted to your family after all. It is because of you that I exist.”

“You flatter me, Your Highness. It is merely your brilliant light that illuminates us.”

I bowed my head deeper as I spoke, and Ashillya chuckled as if pleased. She then slowly shifted her gaze.

Leonhardt, meeting her gaze, unknowingly flinched and shrank back. He could only roll his eyes, unable to comprehend my conversation with Ashillya.

“You are still acting this way, I see.”

“Khhh…!!”

“I have words for this child.”

Ashillya’s red eyes shone even more chillingly as I lifted my head.

The cold voice and overwhelming aura. Without resorting to insults or raising her voice, she could dominate through the sheer confidence that she could overwhelm others–the true demeanor of a sovereign.

“Leave at once.”

At Ashillya’s cold voice, Leonhardt was utterly defeated.

Ignoring the defeated Leonhardt, I began walking, following the back of Ashillya.

As much as I wanted to break an arm or two…

That would have been going too far, so I simply walked on silently.

I did not forget to give a small wave to Helena and Sylvia as well.

Translator’s Corner

*Not the actual line from the author. It should be young brat, but I thought to have some fun. Leonhardt was mentioned as being shorter than Felix, and he is the “sun” of the Empire, so at the end of a star’s lifespan, we have the white dwarves. It’s also a line that represents how he will fade into nothingness shortly. I thought it was a good replacement, so that’s what I went with.

First, sorry for being so late. Things came up, but I stayed awake to translate this. It’s weekend anyways, so I’ll live.

Second, I made a big big mistake with last chapter. I translated the wrong text in the ending, so while it made sense, I was so confused how it connected. I put it in this chapter at the start and deleted the wrong part is the previous.

Third, I noticed I changed Reinhardt to Leonhardt after one chapter and didn’t mention it.

Those are all the mistakes I noticed. Sorry again. Please mention if you see anything wrong as I get busy sometimes and can’t proofread many times over.

Also, I’m sending the compiled character art so far on discord and the next chapter.

-Ruminas