Goodbye, Overtime! This Reincarnated Villainess Is Living for Her New Big Brother Volume 3 (eBook)

Chidori Hama (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2025 | 1. Auflage
250 Seiten
J-Novel Heart (Verlag)
978-1-7183-0654-7 (ISBN)

Infos

After her quest for the perfect gift for Alexei's birthday led her to purchase a glass workshop, Ekaterina must now learn how to manage a company. She has no intention of letting her new business weigh on the duchy's finances and is keen on turning a profit by making the glass pens from her past life sell like hotcakes among the rich and powerful! Since summer vacation is coming soon, that should provide her with all the free time she needs...or will it? When Alexei and Ekaterina return to their main residence in the Yulnova Duchy for the holiday, their trip home may prove more eventful than they expected!

Textauszug

“I’ve never met anyone stronger than I am,” he answered confidently.

Amazing. Shouldn’t you be the protagonist?

“Then, you must return safely without injuries too...!”

“Understood, my lady. I, too, shall come back without a single injury,” he said, his tone cheerful.

I hadn’t known that Ivan was the type to lie without batting an eye. He was so quick to promise not to get injured that I knew he didn’t mean it. Rather, to protect Alexei, I believed he would let his own body be destroyed. Still, considering his confidence, I suspected he was in possession of a monstrous amount of strength.

“Thank you, Ivan.”

“It’s nothing, my lady.”

I finally stopped crying and smiled at Alexei.

He smiled back and seemed relieved as he wiped away the tears on my cheeks.

“I should have been more considerate. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize, brother. I shouldn’t have lost my composure, especially not on your birthday. How embarrassing... Please forgive me.”

I looked up at him, feeling ashamed, and Alexei stared at me with confusion.

“What is there to forgive? You were simply worried about me. If anything, I should be the one to seek your forgiveness for being so insensitive. I swear to not leave you alone. Thank you for shedding tears for an unrefined boor like myself who did not even understand the meaning of birthday celebrations. The glass pens were a wonderful present, but there is no gift as precious as your pure, precious tears, my beloved Ekaterina.”

He’s so kind. As expected of him. I’m sorry for being such a bratty little sister. I’d once again let my obsession for Alexei get the better of me and upset him. I’m locking in now! I’ll do my best not to repeat this mistake!

Before my brother started working on prism circles for real, I had to get my glass pen business running. Then, I could leverage that experience to help him!

“As long as you’re by my side, nothing scares me, brother. I can hardly wait for the day when the two of us carry out grandfather’s legacy together. In the meantime, please take care of yourself.”

“Your wish is my command.”

My brother was the noblest and proudest man I knew. Yet, what he was trying to accomplish could very well sound the death knell of the nobility. How ironic.

Perhaps if a ducal house like ours was to lead the transition, we could avoid the bloodbath that the French Revolution had been. It was presumptuous to think we could achieve that, but I certainly would do everything in my power to that end.

After all, with my brother by my side, an endless supply of energy surged within me! I could achieve anything I put my mind to!

Roughly half a month had passed since Alexei’s birthday when he received a summon for a ducal meeting—the first in several months. The three Grand Dukes, the heads of Yulnova, Yulsein, and Yulmagna, were to gather in front of the emperor.

Alexei seized his chance and informed the emperor that he wished to present him with a gift, requesting a short audience before the ducal meeting. Konstantin readily agreed, making time in his tight schedule for him.

“Your Imperial Majesty,” Alexei said, rising from his seat in the sumptuous room where the ducal meeting would later be held when Konstantin walked in. He bowed respectfully. “I am deeply grateful for the honor of your valuable time.”

“Come now, be at ease. The fussy ones have yet to arrive. I’m sure you’re very busy balancing your schoolwork and your ducal duties. For you to go out of your way to request an audience, the gift you’ve brought me must be extraordinary.”

Konstantin’s tone was warm and friendly. He’d taught Alexei and Vladimir many things, including swordplay, alongside his own son. He had not changed the way he spoke with them in private since that time.

Alexei smiled. “Indeed. I believe it will suit your fancy.”

“Oh?” Konstantin returned Alexei’s smile, wondering when the last time he’d seen such a soft expression on the young duke’s face was.

Every time he saw Alexei, Konstantin couldn’t help but compare him to his father, Aleksandr. With each passing year, Alexei’s appearance resembled Aleksandr’s more and his personality less. The father and son were polar opposites on the inside.

Just like Mikhail and Alexei, Konstantin and Aleksandr had been playmates when they were young. The same went for the head of the House of Yulmagna, Georgi. However, Konstantin had never gotten along well with Georgi. He was far closer to Aleksandr—the radiant youth loved by everyone. Konstantin had considered him a close friend as a child.

After entering the Magic Academy, however, the two had grown apart. Konstantin hadn’t been able to tolerate Aleksandr’s behavior with the ladies, but that hadn’t been the only reason. He’d slowly realized that Aleksandr’s flawless facade as an accomplished swordsman and intellectual masked nothing but emptiness.

The emperor shook away his thoughts of the past and accepted the purple velvet box from Alexei’s hands. He opened it before tilting his head to the side in confusion.

The three long, thin glass objects Alexei had given him were beautiful. The tip of each of them was made of clear glass and crafted into a spiral, but the main body was different on all three cylinders. The main part of the first was made of purple glass decorated with gold leaf and enamel paint depicting the emblems of the God of Thunder, a snake and wings. Purple was the color of the emperor, while the emblems of the God of Thunder were considered auspicious. The imperial family was especially fond of the God of Thunder because Pyotr the Great had wielded lightning mana.

The second cylinder was also purple. On the tail end, the glass was sculpted into a lion’s head: the very embodiment of a monarch. The lion’s head was rather small and only made up the tip of the glass cylinder, but the work was neat and precise. Even the emperor, accustomed as he was to pieces of fine art, was impressed by the delicate touch of the artist.

The third and final cylinder was far simpler than the other two; it was just two filaments twisted around one another. The first was blue like the summer sky, and the second was teal like the waters of the southern sea. They clearly represented the hair colors of himself and the empress, and Konstantin couldn’t help but let his mind wander. He pictured her beautiful hair, almost always styled in an updo, loosened and flowing while he carded her teal locks with his fingers.

A strained smile took over his features. That was a sight only he got to see in the privacy of their bedroom. He had no business thinking of it in a meeting room, especially not in front of a child barely older than his own son.

“They’re beautiful,” he said. “But what are they?”

“They are glass pens, Your Imperial Majesty. And their refined appearance is not their greatest asset. With these, one can write far more fluidly, and for far longer with one dip of ink, than with a quill. I’m honored to present such a revolutionary writing implement to you.”

Konstantin could hear the pride in Alexei’s tone. Mulling over Alexei’s explanation, he picked up one of the glass pens. He dipped it in a nearby inkwell and tried it, letting out a hum of admiration as soon as he started writing. Just as Alexei had said, the feel of the nib on the page was smooth, and he managed to write several lines before running out of ink.

“This suits my fancy indeed, Alexei. What a great invention,” Konstantin declared with a smile. This innovative writing tool combined beauty and practicality to perfection. She was sure to like it too. “Where did you find such a thing? Was it made in the empire or bought from abroad? I haven’t heard of the Yulnova Duchy starting to dabble in the glass business.”

Alexei hesitated for a second before replying, “My sister, Ekaterina, had them made at the workshop she owns.”

“Oh, did she, now?”

“My sister has never shown an ounce of greed, so I was surprised when she asked for a glass workshop. I bought it for her, then received such glass pens as a birthday present,” he explained. Alexei took out the blue velvet box he kept in his pocket and showed his light-blue and indigo pen to the emperor. “The artisan in her employ made her dream a reality, but Ekaterina was the one who thought of the initial idea. She’s now enthusiastic about marketing her glass pens so as to pay wages to her workshop’s employees herself.”

Konstantin smiled as he listened to Alexei do his best to sound as unconcerned as possible. It was hard to believe that a young lady who’d lived in seclusion until recently could’ve devised such a groundbreaking idea, but at the same time, it made no sense for Alexei to lie to him about something that he could easily verify. If anything, Alexei looked as though he would’ve rather concealed the fact that his dear sister was behind this invention.

Alexei did not wish for the emperor’s opinion of Ekaterina to become too good. As far as Konstantin could surmise, Alexei really didn’t want her to become the next empress, so he’d been reluctant to answer. However, he was wise and knew not to lie to his emperor.

...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 24.2.2025
• Reihe/Serie: Goodbye, Overtime! This Reincarnated Villainess Is Living for Her New Big Brother
• Illustrationen: Chidori Hama
• Übersetzer: Chidori Hama
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Fantasy / Science Fiction ► Fantasy
• Schlagworte: female protagonist • Isekai • Light Novel • Magic Academy • Nobility • Otome Game • Shojo
• ISBN-10: 1-7183-0654-7 / 1718306547
• ISBN-13: 978-1-7183-0654-7 / 9781718306547