My Childhood Friend Told Me to Go Marry the Most Beautiful Woman in the Kingdom, So I Seriously Started Improving Myself—and Somehow Ended Up Making Women Fall Hard - Chapter 02: A Declaration of War from Men

Chapter 02: A Declaration of War from Men

I ran away in despair—only to find Magnum waiting ahead of me.

“So you’re Hort, huh?”

“Galactica… sir.”

I didn’t know what kind of face I was supposed to make.

Anger? The pain of having something taken from me?

A mess of emotions swirled inside me as I looked at Magnum.

“I’m sorry. I knew you and her were close. But love is free. And as the heir to a ducal house, I have the means to make her happy. You understand, right? Step aside.”

I couldn’t say anything in return.

His intelligence, his family background, his looks—everything about him was above me.

And he was the man she had chosen. The man she had kissed.

I couldn’t find a single word to argue with that.

“…”

“Silent, huh? How pathetic. I thought you’d have more backbone, but you don’t even show despair on your face. It’s boring. Did you really love her? I want her as a woman. Dealing with a pitiful man like you was a waste of time. Don’t get in my way from now on.”

All I could do was watch Magnum’s back as he walked away.

Rain began to fall on my broken heart, as if the sky itself were showing how I felt.

♢

After putting some distance between Rina and me, I spent my days until graduation drifting through emptiness.

During those few days living in the dorms, I kept having the same nightmare over and over.

Rina and Magnum, kissing and smiling happily together.

Just thinking about it made my chest ache.

While I was like that, someone came and spoke to me.

“Hey. You were always with Rina, weren’t you? What’s going on with you lately?”

It was Dias—the guy who, unlike me, had top grades and had taken first place in swordsmanship.

We had trained together all this time, pushing each other during sword practice.

“Dias. What do you want?”

Maybe he was worried about me.
Even so, I answered him coldly.

“It looks like you’ve put some distance between yourself and Rina.”

“Yeah. A little.”

“Then… would you mind if I asked her out?”

“Huh?”

“I’ve been holding back all this time, because of you.”

Dias’s father was a knight.

He was the strongest swordsman in our year, and after graduation, he planned to train under his father and become a knight himself.

He was serious and honest. That was probably why he came to me first.

“I see. You’re pretty straightforward. Do what you want. It’s her decision anyway.”

“…Have you gone soft?”

“What did you say?!”

“I respected you, so I held back. But the you right now doesn’t deserve to stand next to her.”

“…!”

I couldn’t say anything back.

The right to stand beside her.

If something like that even existed, then I had none.

I didn’t have a prestigious family like Senior Magnum. I didn’t have outstanding magical talent.
And I didn’t have sword skills like Dias.

“I—!”

“Hort. I admit you’re kind, and you’re a good guy. But you’re too soft. We’re graduating soon and stepping into the real world. From here on out, we won’t hold back.”

Dias looked down at me with a cold gaze I had never seen before.

I tried to say something.
Anything.

But no words came out, and all I could do was turn away and leave.

♢

After receiving a declaration of war from the men aiming for Rina, I ran away.

I returned to my family’s territory, staring out the carriage window as the scenery passed by.

Fields and forests stretched endlessly, but my feelings remained a tangled mess.

That cold sensation from the evening twilight lingered in my chest, refusing to fade no matter how much the scenery changed.

…Rina.

Every time I thought of her name, something deep inside me creaked and ached.

I clenched my fingers in time with the carriage’s sway.

I had believed we would get married.

But that wasn’t true. It never had been.

And yet, back then, I had said, “I get it.”

Marry the most beautiful woman in the kingdom.

Who even is the most beautiful woman in the kingdom?

My family’s mansion smelled familiar.

Wooden floors. The dry scent of firewood. A rich stew drifting in from the kitchen.

My parents knew I was coming home.

I had written to them about Rina, who lived in the neighboring territory.

They said nothing—only welcomed me warmly.

“Welcome home, Hort.”

The one who greeted me was my older sister.

She had married into another noble family and had returned home after becoming pregnant.

She sat gracefully on the living room sofa, sipping tea.

Her dress was a little more relaxed than usual.
She looked softer somehow—different from the sister I was used to seeing.

“Sis… you’re expecting, huh. Congratulations.”

“Thank you. But more importantly—your face looks terrible.”

The whole family already knew what I had written in my letter.

The moment my sister saw my face, she frowned.

“…So?”

“Huh?”

“Sit down. I’ll listen.”

“Okay.”

I sat down in the chair across from her.

Somehow, that only made me more nervous.

“…Rina told me. She said I should become a man who could marry the most beautiful woman in the kingdom.”

In the letter to my parents, I had written that Rina had chosen another man.

They had thought I would end up engaged to her.

They also knew how I felt, so no one said anything.

But this reason—I was telling my family for the first time.

The moment I put it into words, my chest tightened.

My sister blinked once.

Then—

“…Pfft! Ahahaha!”

She laughed loudly.

That was just the kind of person she had always been. Bold and cheerful.

I sometimes wondered how she had gotten married, but her husband was a quiet, reserved man, and by all accounts, they got along well.

“Why are you laughing, Sis?”

“Sorry, sorry. But really… isn’t this good for you?”

“Good?”

“Yeah. I was thinking, ‘Finally.’”

“Finally?”

My sister smiled brightly as she said it.

“You finally got away from that woman! That’s great, isn’t it?”

I was speechless.

“…What?”

It was a reaction I never could have imagined.

Seeing my face, my sister let out a small sigh.

“You still haven’t noticed, have you?”

“Noticed what…?”

“Rina. She’s always been proud, hasn’t she?”

She said it so firmly that I almost denied it on reflex.

But what came back to me was her habit of looking away—and that silence.

Outside, she was always composed, strong, and dignified, no matter who she faced.

And with me, I had been scolded again and again for being ‘pathetic.’

“…That might be true.”

My sister rested her chin on her hand and spoke calmly.

“She ordered you around, didn’t she? Because she knew you’d do anything she asked.”

“That’s not—”

“Listen. You and her were childhood friends, not fiancés. You understand that, right?”

“…Yeah. I do.”

My chest hurt. If we had been engaged, maybe our parents could have pushed things along and we might have married.

But Rina and I were only childhood friends.

And because she was so capable, her family had already decided she would marry the man she chose.

As the daughter of a viscount, she was beautiful—and sought after by high-ranking nobles.

Compared to that, I was the third son of a baron. A knight-in-training.

We didn’t match.

If I had succeeded as a knight and become worthy of her, maybe marriage could have happened.

But she didn’t want to wait that long.

My thoughts spun in circles, but Rina herself had already given me my answer.

“I… thought that was fine.”

My sister’s voice was gentle—yet completely unforgiving.

“You were like that at the academy too, weren’t you? You carried Rina’s bags. You rushed over the moment she called. You woke her up in the mornings and even made her tea. You never refused when she asked for something. And when there were people she didn’t like, you stood in front of her as a shield.”

One by one, those memories came back to me.

And realizing that hurt.

“…It’s because we were childhood friends.”

And because I loved her…

It sounded like an excuse, and I hated that.

“Being childhood friends isn’t a reason to let someone do whatever they want.”

I opened my mouth—then closed it again.

When my sister said ‘ordering you around,’ she didn’t mean it maliciously.

If anything, she was thinking about me.

Those were things Rina did naturally.

Naturally. Normally.

That was exactly why it was the worst—my sister was saying.

I didn’t understand it. Because for me, it had always been normal.

“And there’s more.”

My sister lowered her voice slightly.

“Have you ever seen her talking to other men?”

My heart made an unpleasant sound.

The image of her kissing Magnum flashed through my mind.

“…Yeah, I have. But it’s the academy. Talking to classmates is normal, right?”

“It is. Of course.”

My sister nodded.

But the words that followed were cold.

…She was right.

Rina was always strict with me.

She even hated holding hands.

I often saw her talking with someone from a distance.

Whenever I got close, she would quickly end the conversation.

When I tried to touch her, she would pull away and say, “Don’t touch me.”

I knew it already.

She didn’t like me.

“She was hiding it.”

My sister said it without hesitation.

“She didn’t want you to see her true feelings.”

Something dark sank deep into my chest.

It wasn’t anger. If anything, it felt closer to sadness.

Ah. I was just a ‘convenient helper.’ I was just something ‘taken for granted.’

Maybe… I had always been that way.

“…But Rina is kind.”

I said it like it was my last line of defense.

My sister laughed again.

“She is kind. To you, at least. …Because you did everything for her.”

Those words pierced straight through my chest.

I let out a long, slow breath.

“…Sis. Then what was I supposed to do?”

My sister straightened up, as if she had been waiting for that question.

“It’s simple.”

And she said it brightly—almost cruelly so.

“Go find the most beautiful woman in the kingdom. With your own eyes.”

I gave a bitter smile.

“So in the end, we’re back to that.”

“Yes. Back to it.”

My sister took a sip of tea before continuing.

“But there’s a condition. You don’t wait to be chosen. You choose.”

…Choose. That word felt new to me.

I had always stayed quietly by Rina’s side, matching her expectations and convenience.

I thought that was kindness.

But no.

Maybe it had just been running away.

My sister looked straight at me and said,

“You’re not just a ‘nice guy.’ Being kind means taking responsibility for who you choose.”

I nodded.

The pain in my chest hadn’t disappeared.

But its shape had changed.

From sorrow—into resolve.

“If there’s a woman you’re interested in, come talk to me. I’ll teach you how to treat her properly.”

“Got it. Thanks.”

“I’m doing this for my little brother, after all. And congratulations on graduating from the academy. That’s why I came back home.”

My sister had always doted on me, the youngest in the family.

And as a graduation gift, she gave me a sword.

“You’re becoming a knight-in-training, right? At least carry a decent sword.”

“Thank you, Sis.”

I thanked her once more and drew the blade.

It was beautiful.

A brand-new blade that hadn’t cut anything yet.

From here on, I would start learning—from the very beginning.