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 106 & 107

Act 07

Chapter 106: Big Sister’s Anger

It had been almost a month since I became a Royal Guard and started learning politics under Lady Lumina.

Every single day, I came to realize just how ignorant… and shallow I had been.

After becoming a Royal Guard, the intense training had taken a toll on my body, and Lady Lumina ordered me to take three days off.

“You’ve worked hard this past month. Take these three days to rest your body… and refresh your mind.”

“Thank you very much.”

I had already received a letter from my sister, Carrie, telling me to visit my brother-in-law’s shop in the royal capital.

She said she wanted to celebrate me becoming a Royal Guard.

So when I told her I’d use this break to visit, she replied that she would be waiting.

♢

On the first day of my break, I did nothing but sleep.

The next day, finally free from the constant routine of the royal castle, I made my way toward my brother-in-law’s house in a corner of the capital.

Lately, aside from explaining bras as part of diplomacy, I hadn’t had much interaction with other people.

So… I couldn’t help but feel a little excited.

As I stepped inside the house, a warm scent filled the air.

Freshly baked sweets.
Good tea leaves.
And… my sister’s familiar scent.

“Excuse me.”

“You finally came, Hort!”

A maid guided me to the living room, and the moment I arrived, my sister pulled me into a tight hug.

“Sis… it’s been a while.”

Behind her, my quiet brother-in-law gave a small, wry smile.

“Brother, sorry for dropping by.”

“…Yeah.”

He still didn’t talk much, but his calm presence was reassuring.

“Sit down.”

“Yes.”

Even though it sounded like an order, her voice was gentle.

As I took my seat at the table, she served tea and sweets.

“First of all, congratulations on becoming a Royal Guard. You’ve officially joined the ranks of the nobility now.”

“Yeah… I didn’t know becoming a High Knight would grant me a baron title. Though, I’m just a castle-serving noble without any land.”

“Even so, it’s something to be proud of. Father is very happy too.”

“Thank you.”

It had been a while since I’d been praised so openly… and it made me genuinely happy.

“But the real reason I called you here today… is because I finished reading all the letters you sent.”

Ever since I became a knight apprentice, I had followed my sister’s advice and thought carefully about my actions.

Because of that, I had been writing her letters—reporting what I had been doing and telling her about the people I met along the way.

“So… I worked as a secretary in the Second Knight Order, then fought demons in the Third Knight Order, and after that became a Royal Guard… and now I’m aiming to become a Crown Knight. That’s about it, right?”

As I summed it up again, her eyes narrowed.

My brother-in-law quietly poured more tea.

I had also told her about making underwear.

After all, it was something I was proud of… especially since I had even given her one as a gift.

And just as I finished talking about bras, my sister smiled.

But…

That wasn’t a good smile.

It was the kind of smile she made right before getting angry.

“And then? I understand from your letters that you followed my teachings. But you didn’t write anything about the details of the women you met. So now… tell me that part properly.”

“Eh? Details about the women?”

“Yes. In your letters, there were several women whose names you mentioned. But no details. Commander Adelheid from the Second Knight Order. Nagi, the oni-folk adventurer. Gina, who works as a maid in the Third Knight Order. Sister Natasha from the slums. Fururu, the craftsman. And Princess Luminaria.”

My sister listed all six of them one by one.

I couldn’t exactly write that Gina was part of the Shadow Division, so I had said she worked as a maid in the Third Knight Order… even though she was actually Lady Lumina’s maid.

In my letters, I had only written about how I met each of them.

And yet… the pressure coming from my sister was overwhelming.

“……”

A vein twitched at her temple.

Then she tapped her finger lightly against the table.

“Hort. Just to confirm… you didn’t take everything I taught you… and apply it to every single woman, did you?”

“Eh?”

Her voice dropped slightly.

Up until now, I had been doing exactly what my sister taught me.

That was why… I never expected to be scolded for it.

“So it’s exactly what I thought.”

“What do you mean, Sis?”

“You idiot! That’s the kind of thing a completely irresponsible, worst-of-the-worst trash man would do!”

“E-Eh? Worst-of-the-worst… trash man?”

When I asked that with a straight face…

Her anger only intensified.

“The things I taught you were meant to make the other person develop feelings for you! Kindness done with good intentions can easily turn into romantic expectations. And if you just leave things like that… it’s the same as playing with their feelings!”

“Playing with them?! That’s not what I intended! I just thought that since I used to go too far before, this time I’d act properly and be sincere—!”

My sister pointed straight at me.

“If you had really followed what I taught you properly, then at least one of those girls should have confessed to you, right?!”

At that moment, Nagi’s face came to mind.

She hugged me tightly and said, “I like you.”

Then Fururu’s face appeared as well.

Her eyes shining as she said, “I want to be with you.”

I froze.

“…Ah.”

My sister stood up.

The chair creaked loudly.

“You absolute idiot!!”

“W-Wait, Sis, I—!”

“No excuses!!”

The next moment, my vision spun.

“Buh!?”

A sharp impact struck my cheek.

My body was thrown sideways, and I rolled across the floor.

…Isn’t she way too strong?

That wasn’t the slap of a noble lady.

I got knocked right out of the chair and sent flying.

That hit felt even stronger than Haua’s attacks.

My brother-in-law quietly stood up and spoke.

“…Hort. Apologize.”

“Yes…”

I got up from the floor and knelt properly in front of my sister.

She stood there with her arms crossed, her cheeks flushed with anger.

“Listen carefully. Being sincerely kind… and treating a woman as special are two completely different things.”

“Treating someone as special…?”

“That’s right! What I taught you is something you only do for the one you truly love! You show your true self only to that one person, so they can come to love you. Because you trust them, you place a burden on them too. That’s how a relationship grows into marriage. When you act like that, women start to expect something. They start to see a future.”

My sister let out a breath.

It was obvious she was genuinely angry.

“If you’ve been doing all that without understanding it, then you’re trash! And if you understood and still did it, then you’re the absolute worst kind of garbage!”

“…I…”

“For now, you’re just clueless trash. Still trash, though.”

I had started learning about diplomacy and the world under Lady Lumina.

But I still hadn’t truly understood the meaning behind what my sister taught me.

My sister sat back down and lowered her voice slightly.

“But… I also know you’re genuinely a sincere person.”

Those words hit even harder.

“…What should I do?”

“It’s simple.”

She smiled.

This time… it wasn’t an angry smile.

“Don’t give ‘special treatment’ to someone… unless you’re prepared to take responsibility for it.”

“…Prepared to take responsibility…”

My sister leaned forward and looked straight into my eyes.

“So? Out of those six… who’s your main girl?”

“Eh?”

“Some of them confessed to you, right? And you once told me you wanted to date the most beautiful woman in the kingdom. So who is it?”

“That’s…”

All six of their faces came to mind.

Every one of them was attractive.

I had no idea who could be called the most beautiful woman in the kingdom.

“…Who is it? How am I supposed to decide that?”

“Haa?! Are you seriously that stupid?! It’s obvious!”

“Eh?”

“The one you fall for—that’s the most beautiful woman in the kingdom to you.”

“The one I fall for…?”

“Exactly! The standard for ‘the most beautiful woman in the kingdom’ exists inside you to begin with.”

Hearing that from my sister, I finally understood how I was supposed to find my answer.

All this time, I had no idea how to decide.

And yet… the answer had been inside me all along.

“You said you want to become a Crown Knight, right? So who are you doing that for?”

“Eh? That’s… so I can be worthy of the most beautiful woman in the kingdom… and so I can choose for myself.”

“You really are hopeless. You’re already a High Knight and a noble now. In this kingdom, most women would choose you. And you can choose as well.”

She paused for a moment.

“Well… the only ones you’d need to become a Crown Knight for before dating would be Princess Luminaria… or Commander Adelheid.”

Her words left me stunned.

I had thought that once I became a Crown Knight, I would finally understand who the most beautiful woman in the kingdom was.

But… now that she said it, she was right.

Did the person I loved really need status or honor?

Was I trying to obtain those things because they were necessary?

Did I truly think Lady Lumina or Commander Adelheid were the most beautiful in the kingdom?

“Even as your sister, you give me a headache. That part of you hasn’t changed at all. You don’t think for yourself—you just try to match everyone else. That’s why you ended up taking care of that kind of woman and just going along with it.”

My sister leaned back in her chair, looking completely exhausted.

“Anyway… for now, think properly about who’s in your heart. That’s what it means to choose.”

It had always been my sister who guided me.

And now… I finally started thinking.

Who was the most beautiful woman in the kingdom?

Where did my own heart lie?

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

[Afterword]

Hello, this is the author, Iko.

Act 07 begins here.

From this point on, the flow will shift a bit compared to before.

Up until now, I’ve been portraying the idea of “falling into the swamp” as wanting someone just out of reach.

It’s about becoming deeply absorbed in a specific target—romance, hobbies, someone you admire—until you can’t escape.

But after falling… there’s always what comes next.

If Hort ends up choosing one person, will the other women just give up so easily?

Is the “swamp” really that kind?

I’ll do my best to make the second half—where these strong, unique heroines begin to change—something you can enjoy.

Thank you for your support.

Chapter 107: Responsibility and Doubt

As I stood there, lost and unsure, my sister suddenly pulled me into a tight hug.

“Hort, you were suddenly rejected and pushed to make a decision… of course you’re confused.”

“Yeah… sorry. My head just can’t keep up.”

“I believe you’re an honest and sincere person. That’s why you followed what I told you. You were still hurt over Rina… and that frustration was still lingering inside you.”

“…Yeah.”

Even I could accept what she said.

Because my sister had always tried to stay on my side.

“But even so… you ended up spreading that kindness to other women without thinking. I never imagined you’d take it that far. That part is my fault too. I’m sorry.”

She apologized.

But being scolded like that made me realize something too.

I thought I was following her teachings…
But in reality, I was just using them.

I believed I was doing the right thing.

But now that it had been denied… I started to wonder if I had really been thinking about the other person at all.

Back then, I judged things as “right” and chose my actions based on my sister’s words.

“I don’t like that woman. But I won’t deny that you truly loved Rina. That’s exactly why I taught you how to choose for yourself—so that when you meet someone you can truly devote yourself to, you’ll be able to give them everything.”

My sister’s teachings had guided me.

They led me to many encounters… and many choices.

But in the end, the one who made those decisions… was me.

And I had even made my sister apologize.

The one at fault… was me.

“Thank you. I think what you said is right, Sis. I wasn’t able to follow everything you taught me perfectly… but I used it as a guide for how to move forward.”

“…Yeah. I’m sorry.”

“Please don’t apologize. I was the one making those decisions each time. None of this is your responsibility.”

She was right.

I had been acting in ways that could easily lead those women on.

Nagi’s confession.
Fururu’s feelings.
Natasha’s kindness.
My admiration for Commander Adelheid.
And everything Gina and Lady Lumina had given me—their guidance, their actions.

While I kept thinking about my goal of finding the most beautiful woman in the kingdom…

Somewhere along the way, I also started wanting them to like me.

When my sister told me to “think about who I truly like,” I finally realized my mistake.

My head felt noisy.

Lady Lumina’s voice—gentle, yet strict.
That feeling of wanting to protect Nagi, as she slept beside me at the inn.
Fururu’s pure admiration and affection as a craftsman.
Natasha’s warmth and kindness.
Commander Adelheid’s strong, beautiful strike.
Gina’s devoted actions.

All of it came rushing into my mind at once…

And I realized that I had been trying to make them like me.

“…So to you, every woman you’ve met has her own kind of charm.”

My sister’s voice was gentle.

I swallowed, let out a breath… and nodded.

“I think all of them are so charming… that I can’t even decide who the most beautiful woman in the kingdom is. Sis… how do you even know when you like someone?”

“That’s a difficult question.”

“Eh?”

I had thought she would give me a clear answer—after all, she had chosen my brother-in-law.

But instead, she hesitated… and said it wasn’t that simple.

“There’s no single answer to ‘liking someone.’ From my perspective, I don’t even understand why you liked Rina. She was selfish, stubborn, prideful… honestly, not a very pleasant person.”

“Haha…”

She was probably the only one who would say something like that so bluntly about Rina.

“You know… liking someone isn’t something you can explain logically. You just can’t stop thinking about them. You want to be with them. You want to do things for them. It’s a buildup of feelings like that. But your feelings are yours alone… so you’re the only one who can find that answer.”

Her words were always strict… but kind.

She didn’t just hand me the answer.

She guided me toward the path I needed to take.

Honestly… if she were some kind of scammer trying to trick me, I’d probably fall for it without question.

“…I liked Rina. So this feeling… it has to come from me.”

“Stay the night. This isn’t something you can decide right away. It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other, after all. I want to hear about more than just romance. I’ll prepare dinner.”

“Thanks.”

I had dinner with my sister and brother-in-law, talking the whole time.

There were a lot of things I wanted to thank my brother-in-law for too… especially when it came to Natasha.

To me, my sister and brother-in-law were the ideal couple.

They supported each other… and respected one another.

When I came here and had everything I’d done so far questioned, it shocked me.

But my sister had always been trying to guide me in the right direction.

After dinner, I went to the room they prepared for me, lay down on the bed, and stared at the starry sky outside the window.

“…Who do I even like?”

Back when I liked Rina, I never had to think about it.

Just like my sister said, she might have been selfish, stubborn, and prideful.

But sometimes, she showed clumsy sides… weak sides.

Expressions she only ever showed to me.

—“Stay by my side!”

—“If I become a court mage, you’ll be my personal knight.”

—“You’re the one who serves me, Hort.”

Every single word she said…

To me, all of it felt cute.

My whole world revolved around Rina.

That’s why it felt natural.

I only needed to look at her.

Until… she kissed Magnum and rejected me.

I liked her… so if choosing Magnum made her happy, I could accept it.

But when she denied everything we had…

It felt like the ground beneath me had disappeared.

My sister’s words…

They were something I clung to, like grabbing onto a lifeline.

“…I’m no good, am I? Commander Adelheid told me not to blame others… to make my own decisions.”

My own decision.

Right now… I still couldn’t see it clearly.

I knew how to make people like me.

But… could I truly fall for someone?

“…Who do I even like?”

All their faces came to mind, one after another.

Cute.
Charming.

Maybe… I did like them.

“…Am I just indecisive… like sis said? A worst-of-the-worst kind of guy…”

Someone I want to treat as special…

Just then—

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Three taps sounded on the window.

“Huh?”

When I looked, Gina was standing there.

I opened the window and let her in.

“Why are you here, Gina?”

“My apologies. I was investigating what kind of conversation you would have with your sister.”

A cold sweat ran down my back.

Was I being watched?

“…Was that on Lady Lumina’s orders?”

“No.”

“Eh?”

So I wasn’t being monitored by Lady Lumina?

“It was my own decision.”

“Your own?”

“Yes. After you were scolded by your sister… there are things I would like to say to you regarding that.”

I couldn’t help wondering…

How exactly had Gina heard that entire conversation?

“Something you want to say? …Sorry, I’m still kind of confused right now. And also—how did you even hear that?”

“Yes. First, I apologize for adding to your confusion. And… as a member of the Shadow Division, I possess two skills.”

“Skills?”

“Yes. They’re called ‘Far Ear’ and ‘Focused Hearing’. Far Ear allows me to hear sounds from far away. Focused Hearing allows me to isolate specific conversations while blocking out everything else.”

…So abilities like that actually exist?

That means she can hear voices and conversations without even being nearby…?

“This time, Sir Hort, since you were speaking with your sister after so long, I took the liberty of using them just a little… out of curiosity about what a conversation between siblings would be like. I never expected it to be that kind of discussion, and I apologize for having listened.”

“…Well, if you heard it, then it is what it is.”

It’s not like I wasn’t bothered by being overheard.

But getting angry over something that had already been heard wouldn’t change anything.

“Thank you. Then… may I say what I came here to say?”

“Yeah… what is it?”

“There’s no turning back anymore.”

“…Eh?”

I couldn’t understand what she meant.

And I just froze.