My older sister is a villainous rich girl

Upon hearing the word "magic," the unfamiliar maids nearby exchanged glances, their expressions changing.

After a while, one of the maids quietly withdrew, and Wayne knew she had probably gone to inform Ashville.

Ugh……

He couldn't help but sigh inwardly again. Just how unreliable was Elliott Winch? He hadn't even told his family that he knew magic.

In the original work, this incident only came to light because Chris kept pestering him to use a more advanced magic spell, which led to the loss of control over their magic and injuries to both of them.

Wayne hesitated for a moment, then said, "It's not right to bother the teacher during break time, is it?"

Working during the week is already tough enough; if he were to be conscripted on his day off, Wayne knew he definitely wouldn't give that uninvited guest a friendly look.

Just like how I used to wish I could turn off my phone and lose all contact during holidays, only working people understand the pain of being a wage earner.

“Hmm, that makes sense. The teacher is always on duty in the palace, available whenever needed. He must also need some time to spend with his family in private,” the prince said in a low voice.

It seemed to be the first time he had thought about things from this perspective, and for the first time ever, he felt a slight pity for the teachers.

The proposal was rejected, but His Highness remained very talkative, pulling Wayne aside to chat about this and that.

Wayne understood that if Richard truly wanted a marriage alliance, his real intentions were probably with the Duke.

Otherwise, why would the timing be so coincidental? Lord Elliott had just returned to the capital yesterday, and today he was visiting the Duke's mansion under the pretext of visiting a new friend.

However, Chris didn't want Richard and her father to meet, and it was unclear whether she had done anything else. Wayne believed that Elliott Winchester must know that the prince was in the manor at the moment, but for some reason he hadn't shown himself.

He chatted with Richard in a very cooperative manner, occasionally making insightful remarks.

Prince Richard was initially just making small talk, but after a while, he became genuinely interested.

"What you're talking about—combining magic with daily life—is indeed something that some people are working towards. The most representative figure is Professor Conley of Seiki Academy, who has created some items that can store magic in advance and can be activated with just a small amount of magic. It is said that his next research direction is to invent tools that will allow ordinary people to use magic."

He paused for a moment at this point.

"I don't know if it's good to say this... Although he himself doesn't care, he has been attacked by many nobles because of this idea."

"why?"

The moment the question slipped out, Wayne already had the answer in his mind.

Richard smiled wryly: "Because they think that magic is the privilege of the nobility."

really.

"Does Your Highness think so too?" he asked.

“I believe that any truly talented person, regardless of their background, should be discovered and put to use by the kingdom,” Richard said earnestly.

And so, the two talked from morning until noon.

It wasn't until Wayne was forced to invite the prince to stay for dinner that the maid Karen suddenly appeared and told them some bad news.

"During this rare moment of leisure, Lord Elliott took his wife and Miss Chris to the outskirts of the city for a stroll. Before leaving, he told His Highness not to worry and to simply tell Young Master Wayne if he needed anything."

Chris, well done!

Yes, it would be even more beautiful if you could take me with you.

In the end, Richard still didn't get to see Duke Elliott.

Chapter 20 Chris's image cannot be changed

"How was it? What was Richard's expression when he left?"

When Chris returned that evening, she asked the prince about his reaction with a delighted expression.

"No expression at all," Wayne said irritably.

Wayne felt increasingly resentful that his friend had gone out for a walk without taking him along.

Of course, he didn't want to go out with the girl! He just wanted to experience the local customs and culture of the capital.

It's pitiful that I've been here for so long, and all I do is study at school or at home. It's truly despairing.

Chris recounted her experience of exploring the area outside the city that day.

"The avenue leading from the market to the countryside was covered with fallen leaves. Many families were out on picnics together, and the shores of Cheonggye Lake outside the capital were full of people having picnics. It was really interesting."

"Really? I can't imagine it," Wayne said sourly.

"I get the feeling some people are starting to feel secretly envious and jealous?" Chris blinked and grinned mischievously. "Want to go out with me next time?"

It feels like I'm digging a hole for myself.

Wayne thought for a moment and said, "What would happen if I said I didn't want to?"

"I'm not taking you with me."

“I’ll think about it then,” Wayne immediately changed his mind.

"Oh, is that so..." she said with feigned seriousness, "Let me tell you a principle—'He who does not work, does not eat.'"

"Since you're asking for my help, you'd better show your appreciation with actions and meet my expectations. You'd better behave from now on!"

Good grief, you think you can get away with this?

You, a member of the aristocracy, are quite presumptuous to talk about distribution according to work.

After joking, Chris's gaze softened as she looked at Wayne. She sighed softly, "Actually, I specifically wanted to help Father and Mother reconcile today. If His Highness hadn't suddenly interfered, I would have definitely brought you along."

“Wayne, Mom wasn’t very close to you before. I don’t know if you’re resentful, but it’s definitely not because she dislikes you…” She looked troubled as she pondered how to explain the complicated relationship to the clueless elementary school student.

“I know, Mother has misunderstood Father, hasn’t she?” Wayne continued her sentence.

Seeing that Wayne understood her meaning, Chris breathed a sigh of relief. "Yes, my mother even cried in the middle of the night before, saying that she wanted to get a divorce and take me back to my grandfather's house."

The marriage between Eliot and Ashville was also a political alliance.

Although they deeply loved each other, ironically, they hadn't understood each other's feelings for over a decade.

Both of them believed that the other had chosen them only because they had no choice but to comply with their family's arrangements.

Thinking of Ashville's heartbroken state back then, Chris felt that the original author's arrangement of a couple who had been married for over ten years but still couldn't open up to each other was really melodramatic.

“But I’ve already explained it to them, so there’s no need to take it too seriously.” Chris patted Wayne’s head.

“I’m all grown up now, Chris. Don’t touch my head,” Wayne said, utterly dejected.

A head pat is indeed a very effective way to express affection, but when Wayne looked at her smiling expression, he always felt a sense of déjà vu, like "patting a dog's head with a smile".

“Call me sister!” Chris said coquettishly.

In short, the matter was resolved smoothly, Ashville's inner conflict was completely resolved, and her attitude towards Wayne became a hundred times more friendly.

After learning about Wayne's tragic past, perhaps out of a sense of compensation, Ashville suddenly became extremely caring towards him.

"Wien, try to get along well with your classmates at school today. If there's anything you're not used to, just come back and tell your mom." She then gave a sharp look: "I'll make sure the school board improves things."

"I understand."

He and Chris boarded the carriage together and set off at the signal of his mother waving a handkerchief.

"Phew—" Wayne felt a great weight lifted off his shoulders.

"How was it?" Chris sat opposite her, arms crossed, legs crossed. "Did you feel your mother's love?"

"...I felt it."

And it was a lethal dose.

Seeing Wayne still looking shaken, Chris smiled slightly and said, "You'll get used to it."

Upon arriving at school, to avoid accidentally bumping into the prince, Chris and the prince separated as soon as they entered the school gate.

It is said that she recently joined the craft club, one of the many school clubs, so she would visit the activity room before class.

With nothing else to do, Wayne went back to the classroom to study, but to his surprise, someone was already sitting in the last row by the window.

Ge Li, who transferred to the class through "shady means," was staring blankly at the sky outside the window.

“The sunrise is beautiful.” Wayne’s seat was not far from hers.

Goethe turned around, saw it was Wayne, and then turned his head back.

"However... this beauty can only last for a moment, and it will soon disappear." Her tone couldn't hide her melancholy.

For some reason, the girl seemed somewhat melancholy.

Wayne nodded: "But it will always reappear before long."

"Will the same clouds appear again when the sunrise comes?" she asked rhetorically.

“No.” After giving a seemingly heartless answer, Wayne said calmly, “The sunrise is an inanimate object without feelings. Only people can appreciate it and give it all sorts of meanings. So from this perspective, as long as the person who sees the sunrise next time is still the same person and still has the same feelings, then everything will remain the same, and nothing will have changed.”

Ge Li remained silent for a long time, seemingly unable to find a suitable angle to refute his remarks.

After a long while, she said softly, "Hmph, sophistry."

Wayne suddenly remembered that this person also seemed to be an admirer of Prince Richard.

To be honest, he was still somewhat curious about this.

He never thought that much about it when he watched anime before. The description of the prince being "admired by many women" was just a background element, just like the female protagonists in the novels he usually read were all incredibly beautiful. He understood that this was to satisfy girls' imaginations of the perfect other half.

But when he actually made this idea a reality, he felt extremely uncomfortable.

Why do all pretty girls have to like so-and-so?

"By the way, did Ge Li transfer classes because of His Highness the Prince?"

That's the question.

Ge Li glanced at him in surprise, then seemed to realize something and became wary: "Did Chris send you to investigate?"

"Huh?" Wayne looked completely bewildered.

The girl sneered and said, "Let her give up. His Highness Richard won't like her."

"Hey, she didn't even like Richard, did she?"

I'm inexplicably a little angry.

“Impossible.” Ge Li was completely unconvinced. “That girl has been talking about becoming a princess since first grade. What’s the point of her suddenly putting on an act now? His Highness saw through her true colors long ago!”

Chapter 21 Orchestral and Handicraft Sections

Wayne was speechless. Does a first-grader really understand what liking someone means?

There was no point in arguing with an elementary school student, so he gave up.

"Alright, I hope your relationship with the prince goes smoothly."

Hearing him say that, Ge Li gave him a deep look. "I didn't expect you to be so perceptive, much more so than that monkey."

"I'm really sorry I didn't become another monkey." Wayne took out his textbook from the drawer and continued to flip through the parts he hadn't finished reading yesterday.

After a while, Ge Li suddenly asked in a low voice, "Did His Highness the Prince go to your house yesterday?"

Goodness, you even knew that? You must have had someone watching his every move.

"Hmm." Wayne nodded.

"What did you say?" she asked.

“I told you…” Wayne was about to answer when he suddenly realized, “Why should I tell you?”

Ge Li pursed his lips and said, "What do you want?"

Wow, you're pretty good at this!

“Actually, I want to go out and have some fun,” Wayne said, leaning on the table. “A park, a circus, an opera house—invite me, in your name?”

“No way.” Ge Li refused without even thinking. “I don’t want to go out alone with someone I don’t like.”

Wayne held out his hand, making a slight gesture: "Can't you even like me for a little while?"

"Stop dreaming." She rolled her eyes at Wayne, her expression disdainful. "Why don't you just ask Chris to come with you?"

Yeah, why not? Of course, I don't want her to notice anything unusual about my behavior!

Chris also had the script in her hand. If she accidentally revealed a clue or said something wrong, it would be easy for others to notice.

Wayne said shyly, "Because I wanted to prepare a fun little gift for Chris to thank her for taking care of me, so I can't let her know yet."