The Reincarnated Villainess Whose Romantic Trauma From Her Past Life Is Too Strong Is Sweetly and Painfully Doted On by the Prince of the Neighboring Country - Chapter 37

The boy, who had initially been cautious and watchful, seemed to settle quite well into his new life as the months passed.

Gradually, he began helping with the housework and started informing us about school events; bit by bit, we formed the shape of a real family.

Whether it was going with my grandmother to cheer him on at his elementary school sports day or attending parent-teacher observations, for me, it felt as though I had gained a cute, much younger brother.

Ryuto was an incredibly well-behaved child while at the Makita house, perhaps because he felt his past mistreatment was somehow his own fault. On top of that, he apparently excelled at school.

Of all the time I had spent living as Chieri, that period might have been the happiest.

The sound of that happiness crumbling away came during the summer vacation of my third year of high school.

My father’s company, which had been struggling to stay afloat despite being in the red, finally went bankrupt, leaving behind a mountain of debt.

◇◆◇

“Chieri, are you sure you don’t want to go to college?”

“Yeah. It’s not like there’s anything specific I want to do at a university anyway.”

After my father’s company collapsed and our house was seized, we moved into a cheap, old 2DK apartment. My grandmother, Ryuto, and I began a cramped life together.

—My father vanished.

He simply evaporated, leaving me and my grandmother behind.

He had always been a kind-hearted man, but a weak-willed one. I couldn’t bring myself to chase after him or try to force him to take responsibility.

—I just hope that, wherever he is, he’s alive and well.

Fortunately, and I feel terrible saying this considering the employees and affiliates who suffered because he filed for bankruptcy, the debt was wiped. He hadn’t borrowed from loan sharks either, so the only thing left to pay was 5 million yen in various back taxes that had piled up.

It wasn’t that I didn’t feel resentment about having the responsibility pushed onto us. It wasn’t that I didn’t fall into despair, wondering why me?

But I couldn’t leave my grandmother, who had aged rapidly and was heartbroken by the situation, nor could I abandon the boy who watched our circumstances with such anxiety just to go searching for my father. I knew that if I broke down, this household would truly be finished. I wasn’t even allowed the luxury of falling apart.

Therefore, I gave up on higher education and decided to find a job to support my grandmother and Ryuto, and to pay back the money we owed.

On weekdays, I did office work at a factory.

On weekends, I worked part-time at a bento shop.

It wasn’t that it wasn’t painful, but perhaps it helped that I already had the sort of somber face that made me look like someone used to hardship.

My natural lack of sociability was reinterpreted as “she must be going through a lot” by sympathetic eyes, and my poor interpersonal skills were covered for by the kindness of others: “You’re supporting your family at such a young age, aren’t you? Don’t push yourself if you’re tired.”

Despite my struggles, Ryuto successfully entered middle school at the same time I started working. Before I knew it, he had grown into such a beautiful boy that he came home on Valentine’s Day with a mountain of chocolates.

“—Here.”

Thud.

After my grandmother had fallen asleep, Ryuto placed a paper bag stuffed with chocolates in front of me while I was balancing the checkbook at the low dining table.

“That’s a huge amount.”

“…You can have them.”

“But Ryuto-kun, these are from girls who gave them to you. It wouldn’t be right.”

Because of our poor financial situation, I couldn’t even afford to buy him proper snacks usually. At a time like this, he should enjoy them to his heart’s content. Besides, I felt bad eating something the girls had prepared specifically for him.

I tried to turn him down gently, but Ryuto wouldn’t back down.

“There’s no way I can eat all of this by myself,” he insisted.

“In that case, let’s share them as dessert after meals with Grandma. But you have to eat at least one piece from every box, okay?”

Otherwise, the girls who went through the trouble for him would be heartbroken, that was the compromise we reached.

(Ryuto-kun really is popular.)

He had the looks, the brains, and the kindness. With those conditions, it was only natural for him to be popular. His height, which used to only reach my shoulder not long ago, was already on the verge of overtaking mine.

Feeling the speed of a boy’s growth, I looked at Ryuto and noticed that the sweatshirt he wore as pajamas was tattered, and his wrists were sticking out completely.

“…Ryuto-kun, on my next day off, shall we go buy some new clothes?”

At this rate, it wasn’t just his pajamas; his everyday clothes were likely the same. I suggested a shopping trip, but—

“…It’s fine.”

“…Which ‘fine’ is that?”

“I don’t need any.”

When I pressed him on which meaning of “fine” he meant, he cut me off bluntly.

(…He’s holding back, isn’t he?)

I didn’t have to ask why. I knew.

I knew Ryuto was constantly worried that his presence was straining the Makita household finances.

If it weren’t for me, Chieri might not have had to give up on college.

If it weren’t for me, we might be living a slightly better life.

From my perspective, his presence made only a marginal difference, but for Ryuto, who was merely being “supported,” the feeling of helplessness must have been strong.

“…Even if I say I want to go on a date with a handsome young man for a change of pace?”

“………… If that’s the case, we don’t need to go shopping. A park nearby would be fine.”

I tried to win him over, but I failed miserably. Eventually, I gave up on forcing the issue and ended the conversation with an “I see.”

A few days later, I went out and bought some clothes in secret, then slipped them into Ryuto’s dresser. When he saw them, he asked:

“…Where did these come from?”

“Someone at work said they bought them for their son, but he didn’t like the pattern and wouldn’t wear them. They asked if I wanted them. You can wear them if you want, Ryuto-kun.”

I lied.

Thinking it was a pretty good excuse, I waited for his reaction. Ryuto looked unconvinced, his face saying “…I see,” but he thanked me and accepted them.

(…I really wanted to go shopping together and buy him the clothes that suited him best.)

But since I could easily imagine him stubbornly refusing to let me pay if we were together, I decided to be satisfied with the fact that he at least accepted them.