How to Live as a Tyrant’s Bastard Brother

“Which stairs did I come down?”

“Quickly, you should flee too.”

“The smoke is too thick!”

“Help me!”

The flames spread over the carpet, igniting the wooden walls and ornate curtains.

The sons and daughters of noble families ran around the hall, coughing.

Valenciaunos waved his hand to disperse the thick smoke.

With a graceful stride, he navigated through the chaos, chasing after the woman in the red mask.

Amidst the smoke and shadows, he caught sight of a purple mask and the hem of a dress.

“Madame Laviecia.”

Valenciaunos’s golden eyes widened.

The woman in the red mask and Madame Laviecia were heading towards an exit completely opposite to the crowd.

Valenciaunos hesitated for a moment, thinking it might be an alternate exit or a secret passage of the organization.

It was because he had left his sword at the counter.

Glancing back and forth between the two women moving away and the counter, Valenciaunos clicked his tongue and began to follow them.

He had no time.

The woman in the red mask abruptly stopped in front of a wall.

“Hurry. The fire is spreading! That insane prince started the fire!”

Madame Laviecia urged the woman in the red mask.

The woman in the red mask pulled a bundle of keys from her bosom and inserted one into a small hole in the wall.

The key wouldn’t turn.

“It must not be this key. Please wait a moment.”

“Open it quickly!”

At that moment, the sound of footsteps reached Madame Laviecia’s ears.

“Surely not, no!”

A white-haired royal stepped out from the thick gray smoke.

His splendid uniform, embroidered with gold and silver threads, fluttered in the wind from the ventilation.

He inherited the thick blood of the imperial family, standing tall, and his golden eyes gleamed even through the mask.

“Valenciaunos.”

The woman addressed as madame called for her half-brother.

“Where are you rushing off to?”

* * *

I asked, looking at her distorted face.

“What have you done with someone else’s money?”

Because of you, Rudi’s salary was nearly delayed. My maintenance expense nearly got halved.

“How, how.”

Laviecia’s lips, revealed beneath the mask, trembled.

“How did you know?”

You wouldn’t believe it even if I told you, right?

“That’s not what matters.”

I approached without hesitation.

“Let’s go back. Go and beg. If you’re lucky, you might get permission to take your own life. If you’re really lucky, you might live.”

“You, you!”

I carelessly spat at the grand embezzler.

“Then why did you do it? You have plenty of money. You should have played within your means.”

“Shut your mouth. What do you know?”

Madame Laviecia trembled.

“Do you know how it feels to suddenly become useless? I’ve worked in the imperial palace since before that girl was even born! I had to respect my half-siblings, being the child of a concubine, yet I never complained once.”

And yet, she clenched her fists.

“I commanded the maids of the secondary palace. I beautified the gardens and changed the furniture. I worked hard to maintain the dignity of the imperial palace and used the budget efficiently.”

This was a story I hadn’t known before the return.

“That was my pride. While doing that job, I felt alive. But that girl drove me away. Why is she wary of me, who has no inheritance rights?”

I squeezed my eyes shut, then opened them.

I was trying to stop the feeling of wanting to understand her.

I, too, had felt that way.

I couldn’t accept that there was nothing I could do.

I couldn’t acknowledge that I had to breathe just to survive my whole life.

“Right. Those of us who cannot learn magic or swordsmanship must live doing such things.”

I lifted my head, gathering my emotions.

This was also a task that had to be done for the stability of the capital.

Laviecia lowered her head.

The woman in the red mask drew a dagger from her bosom.

Her posture was unusual.

“Behind me.”

The woman in the red mask stood in front of Madame Laviecia.

Her stance seemed to suggest she had learned enough.

I couldn’t win with bare hands.

Thinking that, I shook my head and spoke to the woman in the red mask.

“You didn’t realize, did you? Were you really trying to die together?”

“Ignorance doesn’t grant absolution.”

I replied to her, who stepped closer.

“Flames rising up.”

My heart raced, and the mana coursing through me caused phenomena to occur.

The flames that had been consuming the carpet and walls danced and gathered in front of me.

The woman in the red mask gaped.

“A mage?”

“Put down the dagger. You can’t defeat me.”

“Then, you’re going to solve these flames all with magic…?”

If I completed the spell on this flame spreading throughout the underground in one go, I was indeed a mage who couldn’t possibly be dealt with using a dagger.

I didn’t feel the need to reveal the truth.

Instead, draping the gathered flames like a cloak, I said,

“Turn yourself in quietly. Otherwise, I’ll drag you out after burning you.”

Madame Laviecia gritted her teeth.

“You’ve learned magic. Then you must be a traitor as well. You’re going to die with me. Fine. Let me go, and I’ll keep your being a mage a secret…”

“No. I’m different.”

I interrupted the madame’s words with an absurdly confident tone.

Laviecia tilted her head in confusion.

I was ready to prove my harmlessness and capability in another way.

“While ignorance doesn’t provide absolution, perhaps it might serve as extenuating circumstances?”

“…”

“That person prefers those who know their place.”

I blurted out as if nailing a point home.

It was not directed at Laviecia.

The woman in the red mask turned the tip of her dagger towards Madame Laviecia.

“How can our Hope Casino assist in proving anything?”

I scattered the flames I had gathered and replied.

“You’ve thought well. First, submit the ledger of the funds received from the madame to the soldiers. And.”

“And?”

“Quickly cash in the chips I won. Do it well.”

“I’ll waive the fees.”

The woman in the red mask spoke quickly.

Madame Laviecia slumped her shoulders.

“Your Grace Duke Valencia! What on earth is this? Have you perhaps passed away? Did you sustain any severe burns? Are your limbs not dust?”

The voice of the coachman could be heard from outside.

“Ah. You’re safe.”

It seems morning has come.

“Regrettable, rather a fad, no, it’s fortunate.”

You ought to curse it.

* * *

A few days later.

The emperor summoned me to the luxurious main palace reception room.

She, wearing a red dress that revealed her shoulders, cast me an indifferent glance like the remnants of ashes.

“I heard you caused a ruckus at the casino.”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Why did you do such a thing?”

“It seems that I won too much.”

“What do you mean by you won too much?”

She tilted her head.

Her resplendent white hair swayed like waves with that movement.

I opened my mouth, carefully selecting my words.

“Your Majesty may not know as you have never set foot in such a sordid place as a casino, but there are unspoken rules there.”

The guards and attendants standing beside the emperor exchanged dubious glances.

They seemed to think, “What is she going to babble about next?”

“Continue.”

Jeilliris leaned slightly forward.

It appeared that my phrase “you may not know” had struck a nerve with her pride.

“When you win a lot of chips, it’s customary to give a few to those you played with, and when someone goes all-in, even if I have more chips, it is proper to accept their bet.”

“What do you mean by all-in?”

“It means to wager all the chips one has. Under normal circumstances, my chips and the opponents’ chips must match to determine the result.”

“Are you saying that if the opponent goes all-in, even if you have more chips, it’s proper to accept?”

“That’s correct.”

The emperor smirked and nodded.

“So, you’re saying you didn’t do that? You won a significant amount, and thus a fight broke out?”

“That is correct.”

She sighed, sinking into the velvet-clad chair.

“Do you know? If you cause a ruckus and incur damages to the common folk, even a royal family member will face severe penalties.”

I bit my lip and opened my mouth.

“It is true that a ruckus occurred, but I cannot accept the word ‘unjustified.’ I competed under the same rules with my opponent, relying on both luck and skill.”

I balanced my words carefully between lightheartedness and seriousness.

“It is true that I did not adhere to etiquette, but I believe that drawing the casino staff to attack me, a royal, was clearly the opponent’s fault.”

“I thought you were always drunk, but it seems you can speak rightly. Yes, I, the fair one, believe so.”

…Perhaps she’s just sitting there saying fair things.

“This incident was Madame Laviecia’s fault. How sad it is that kin drew their swords over a mere sum of money.”

With a voice as arrogant as a dragon, the emperor continued.

His golden eyes, darker than mine, gleamed chillingly.

“She used past affections to misuse the budget of the secondary palace, so her crime is also grave.”

The emperor values results.

I was fortunate to find out before a significant loss occurred.

“Your judgment is as wise as ever.”

“But it would be unreasonable to impose severe penalties upon kin when there isn’t any significant damage. I imposed a fine upon Madame and confined her to a monastery outside the capital.”

Except for treason, she was lenient towards her kin like other sovereigns.

She raised her hands adorned with vividly colored jewels and rings.

“A fine was levied against the illegal usury casino that triggered this incident. I intended to sweep it away if they tried to deny it, but seeing them first submitting their ledgers and apologizing was delightful.”

The amount of the fine was enormous.

I briefly recalled the woman in the red mask.

She probably won’t be able to send me the cash she promised.

But I’ve survived.

Congratulations.

“Upon receiving such a report, I made that decision. However, there was a small query that remained unsolved, hence I summoned you.”

The emperor frowned at the hangnails on his golden-painted fingertips.

“How did you come out unharmed?”

The two guards placed their hands on their sword hilts.

“I have not received any reports of your expertise in magic or swordsmanship. How then did you stir up trouble against the casino guards? They must be experts in subduing foes.”

I felt cold sweat trickling down my nape.

“I was lucky.”

“Lucky?”

“My slight skills honed while preparing for a duel with Sir Bonnel, along with the heirship you personally guaranteed, created a good synergy.”

“Do you know who I am? Surely someone else must have said that.”

She seemed to understand and smiled.

“Since I haven’t committed any wrongdoing, the guards didn’t come at me too harshly. Also, due to someone’s mistake during the chaos, a fire broke out, and everyone was busy fleeing.”

“Was the actual commotion not particularly grand?”

“Honestly, I didn’t come out entirely unscathed. Though it has improved a lot now, I was quite bruised that day.”

I jested.

Jeilliris, who had frowned, laughed.

“Of course, I remember you shouting while burning the place down as you bullied and kicked!”

She tapped the armrest.

“Running about such places must lead to many scuffles, right?”

“Yes, that’s true.”

“It is unacceptable for my kin to be beaten outside the palace. Do you have any desire to learn swordsmanship?”

Are you actually asking me first?

I was grateful.

“Well…”

Wait, no.

“What would I do with swordsmanship? I don’t want to sweat profusely during this hot summer. Please just let me have fun.”

Jeilliris shook her head.

Her laughing eyes momentarily narrowed like a snake before returning to their cheerful demeanor.

That was close.

“I don’t want to see someone like you, blessed by blood, lollygagging around the room.”

She was testing me one last time.

“Someone like you, a bandit, should sweat and cure their rotten disposition.”

“Your Majesty!”

“From the last week of June, you are to appear at the training ground. You’ll practice swordsmanship with the 1st Guard Corps.”

Your Majesty. Thank you.

“Your Majesty! That won’t do!”

“Do not think to set foot in a casino again.”

Her eyes sparkled with a mix of mischief and intensity.

* * *

“So now you can learn swordsmanship?”

“I’ve arrived at the point where I must.”

Back in my room, I recounted my conversation with the emperor to the waiting Rudi.

We were already in the same boat.

There was no need to build any more secrets; they would only breed distrust.

It was better to share as much as possible and foster trust.

Besides, if I couldn’t even trust Rudi, living in this world would become unbearably difficult.

I could be openly criticized by the whole world, but everyone wants to be comforted at home.

“I just glossed over it by saying it was luck.”

“Luck?”

“Yeah. Luck.”

“Is Lord Valencia really that lucky?”

“Somehow.”

It seemed I had received even the luck I had prior to my return in this lifetime.

“Did you disguise yourself as a bandit to keep your cover?”

“Exactly.”

“Still, you can’t just keep going to the gambling house, right?”

Rudi said with a wistful voice.

His upturned eyes trembled with unease.

I screamed inwardly.

I had to go one more time.

“I won a lot. Please allow me.”

I tried to brush it off with a smile.

“Then let’s play rock-paper-scissors, and if you win three times in a row, I’ll allow it.”

“Three times?”

“You’re lucky, aren’t you?”

“Sure.”

What had I won in gold coins, I wondered?

I had that thought as I played rock-paper-scissors.

And I lost thirty rounds in a row.

“Don’t even think about going again!”

Rudi shouted.

I could only nod my head.

This was strange.

I was supposed to be incredibly lucky.

“Wanna go together?”

“Lord Valencia!”

Was it a trick of fate?

Had I exhausted all my luck in this life?

How troublesome.

I still needed a lot of luck.

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