The Two Babies Changing the Original Story – Chapter 13

Author: Asternkm

The Berndt ducal house does not teach, “Be a good person.”

They teach, “Have strong power you can actually use.”

A good person?

It was something she had never heard of, and would never normally hear.

“Yeah, someone who shows you the way without asking you for anything—that’s a good person.”

But Ellie, despite Cleus’s shock, confidently emphasized “a good person.”

Her brother had said it.

If a day ever came when her brother wasn’t by her side, she should keep someone like that close.

She just wanted to be friends because they were the same age, and then she found out he had emotional wounds that needed mending, so she called him again—and he even turned out to be a good person.

Of course she couldn’t help but want him.

“I wish the Duke of Berndt could be a good person by my side….”

Ellie quietly let her desire show.

“I cannot be a good person to you, Princess.”

But Cleus wiped away the faint smile he’d had and cut off the warm air between them with coldness.

“I still resent the royal family.”

“I get that. It makes sense!”

“So I won’t be a good person to you, Princess.”

He had seen them as enemies until now; there was no way that resentment would disappear overnight.

“What about after you stop resenting us?”

“I won’t stop resenting you.”

“Hmmm….”

Cleus was quite stubborn.

But that didn’t mean she could just say, “Okay, fine!” and let him go.

“Then how about this? I’ll be a good person to you, Duke Berndt! Whether you let go of your resentment or not—that can wait!”

“Your Highness… to me?”

The one who wants something is supposed to give first.

Besides, since he lost his parents because of the royal family, paying him back with something like parental care was only fair.

“Yeah! I’ll take responsibility for you, Duke Berndt!”

Ellie declared her resolve with confidence.

Cleus felt his heart skip—just a little.

He had suddenly become Duke Berndt, and settling into the role still wasn’t easy.

A duke was responsible for many people—household members and territory citizens.

Weighed down by the heavy responsibility, he was slowly shaping himself into a proper duke.

Even if it was brief, Cleus felt a lightness, as if the burden on his shoulders had lifted, from the words of a princess one year younger than him who didn’t fully understand what she was saying.

“How will you take responsibility?”

He didn’t actually plan to rely on her, but he was a bit curious.

“Oh? Uh… so!”

Ellie’s eyes sparkled as she clenched her two little fists tightly.

“I’ll make sure you don’t skip meals, nag you so you don’t get picky and eat a balanced diet, find you a teacher so you won’t skip studying, um… and if you want to learn swordsmanship or magic, I’ll find a teacher for that too!”

These were the rewards she’d carefully thought out before Cleus came.

Did she miss anything?

Ellie counted the things she’d listed on her fingers to check again.

Yep, she’d said everything she’d planned.

“How’s that!”

This was about the same level of care her brother had given her.

Wasn’t this enough responsibility for a caretaker?

“Um… all of that?”

“Yeah! Of course!”

Ellie was fully prepared to do all that for Cleus.

Cleus coughed, half moved, half charmed.

“But… magic too?”

“Magic too!”

“Even though people without talent can study it their whole lives and still never learn it—you can arrange that too?”

“!”

She hadn’t known that.

Her brother used magic as naturally as breathing, and since Ellie grew up watching that, she got used to seeing magic.

So Ellie had thought magic was something anyone could learn, like jumping rope or doing a triple hop.

But apparently not… It must have sounded like she was bragging for no reason.

“Th-that just means I’m really serious.”

“Yes, Your Highness. I understand your feelings well.”

Cleus brushed it off like it was nothing.

“Phew.”

She’d been worried he wouldn’t believe a single thing she had said so far.

“Then… is it okay if I help you?”

“No. I don’t need it. At the ducal house, there are already people who prepare my meals and teach me.”

“Oh… I see….”

She had only thought about doing something in place of his parents, but she hadn’t imagined he had already found people to do that.

It was her mistake.

The things she had worked so hard to think of were now useless. Her shoulders drooped.

“Okay! Then I’ll think of something else!”

But Ellie recovered quickly.

“Again… you mean?”

“Of course! If it’s for Duke Berndt, I’ll do anything!”

If she had said something like, “So forgive me right now,” Cleus would have coldly stood up and left.

But he couldn’t move at all when Ellie looked at him with such passionate eyes.

“Haa….”

Strength drained out of Cleus’s body.

Princess Ellia was the child of people who were practically his enemies… but it wasn’t like Princess Ellia herself had done anything cruel to his parents… and she had even apologized in place of the late king and queen… but even so, he still resented them… he had decided to hate them forever….

He was confused.

“I… also need some time to think.”

“Mm-hmm! Of course! Today we just have to eat something yummy and take a walk!”

“…Understood.”

At Ellie’s gesture, maids and servants entered in a line carrying dishes.

“Last night I woke up while sleeping and ate something, and it was so delicious. So I wanted to eat it together with everyone, and everyone asked me to invite them! Then I saw your name first, Cleus, so I invited you first!”

Ellie proudly told her story as she looked at the fully set table.

“…I see.”

Cleus gave short replies as he listened to Ellie chatter on.

The food was just as grand and delicious-looking as she bragged.

But it was food served by someone he resented. Even if he put it in his mouth, it hardly tasted like anything.

Still, Cleus quietly chewed.

You must not neglect eating. You must eat well to grow well.

“…Wait. You ate at night?”

Cleus repeated Ellie’s words in his head and suddenly realized something.

“Yeah! I guess I was tired yesterday. I drank some tea and fell asleep, then woke up in the night! I was hungry so I ate!”

“That must not be good for your health…”

Cleus muttered with a frown.

“Huh? What did you say?”

“…Nothing.”

It didn’t matter if someone ruined their health by eating late at night….

“…Still, don’t eat too much at night. It’s bad for your health.”

He wanted to brush it off as none of his business, but he was too bothered. In the end, Cleus blurted out his advice.

Ellie’s eyes widened again.

“You were worried about me? Cleus, you’re so sweet!”

“I wasn’t!”

“You weren’t? Then if it’s not worry, what is it?”

“T-that’s…”

Cleus stuttered, struggling to find a reason he could say out loud.

“As someone who trains his body, I just couldn’t ignore it!”

“Oh! I see!”

Ellie accepted his excuse without thinking too deeply.

Cleus let out a quiet sigh she couldn’t hear.

And at the same time, he was confused.

He really had been worried—so why had he denied it?

“Because she’s someone I don’t want to worry about! I’m supposed to hate her!”

Cleus quickly steeled his heart.

“But what does training your body mean?”

“The Berndt family has been famous for martial arts for generations. Have you never heard of the most outstanding Berndt Knight Order in history?”

“I haven’t….”

Well, it wasn’t something Princess Ellia would have been interested in.

“…….”

Cleus scowled, his pride crumpled.

“Even if you don’t know the Berndt ducal house, you should at least know the Berndt Knight Order! They were a great order that never hesitated to fight whenever the nation was in danger! Even when the royal family held them back! Even when the battles were deadly, the Berndt Knights never ran away!”

“I-I’m sorry I didn’t know! I just can’t remember!”

“…Ah.”

Cleus calmed down.

“…I’m sorry for raising my voice.”

“No… it’s okay. I think anyone would feel that way if something important to them was ignored.”

Her brother was the same—if someone belittled his research or magic, he would never let it slide.

Even if little Ellie didn’t know any better, that didn’t matter.

Everyone had something precious that must never be touched. For Cleus, that was the knight order.

“From now on, I’ll remember it clearly! The Berndt Knight Order!”

Ellie nodded hard, pressing her fingers on her head like she was fixing the memory in place.

“Then Cleus, are you going to become one of those knights?”

“The Duke of Berndt has always been the leader of the Berndt Knights. So of course, I’m training to fight with them.”