If Only You Had Said Those Words a Little Earlier

Such a plain, unadorned answer.

As an elder brother, Solor spoke those words so directly, without the slightest attempt to hide them, saying them outright.

“……”

So straightforward that even Ellie could not help but part her lips in surprise.

“…I see.”

How long had it been since she last heard words like these.

No—she had never heard them at all.

Eric had never heard such words.

And the Ellie in her memories had never asked such a question either.

…What is this.

Are words like this really something you can just say out loud.

Are feelings like this really something you can express so directly.

I can’t bear to part with you.
I need you.
I want you to stay by my side—

Words like these, spoken so easily.

Ellie clenched her fists tightly.

The sudden surge of emotion made her arms tremble uncontrollably.

She blinked, her lips quivering, her throat feeling dry and painfully tight.

With a gulp, she swallowed the saliva on her tongue.

But even that was far from enough to ease her throat.

I waited more than twenty years for these words.

I waited a lifetime for these words.

Even until my death, I never heard you say anything like this to me.

Even if it had been insincere.

Even if you had been coaxing me like a child.

As long as you had said those words—

I would have given you everything.

But, brother.

Why did you never say such things to me.

Only after I died.

Only after I shattered into pulp and sank into the sand beneath the steps.

Only after I came to another world.

Only then did I finally hear them.

If only a little earlier.

Just a little earlier…

I would have done anything for you…

“……”

“…Ellie?”

Seeing Ellie trembling as she took deep breaths, Solor was startled.

He called out to her anxiously, but the first time, there was no response.

“Ellie, are you alright?”

“—”

At the second call, Ellie snapped back to her senses.

Her body shuddered violently, and at some point her aching eyes had become clouded with tears.

“…Ah, I—imperial brother…”

She instinctively lowered her head.

The cursed pull of gravity caused a tear to fall onto her leg.

“My stomach suddenly hurts a bit… sorry, imperial brother…”

Her voice trembled.

Even someone as skilled as her at hiding emotions could not steady it now.

“Ah—did you eat something bad?
I’ll call a doctor—”

“No… no need!”

Uttering the clumsiest lie, Ellie stood up.

“…I’ll just go back and rest a bit…!”

And then, almost as if fleeing, she hurried out of Solor’s office.

“Haah—haah—”

Along the way, she awkwardly quickened her pace.

The wind rushed into her throat, making it burn even more painfully.

The maids following behind her also hastened their steps.

After all, this second princess had performed quite a few extreme actions in the past.

Every sudden move of hers was enough to give the young attendants a scare.

But when they saw Ellie return to her chambers, the maids finally let out a sigh of relief.

They lingered outside the closed door for a moment, catching their breath, wondering how the previously frail princess could run so fast now.

Though perhaps this was Eric’s own will at work.

After all, even after reincarnation, the body was still Ellie’s original body.

Being somewhat weak was true, but Eric had never been the kind of girl who would be gasping for breath after just a few steps.

This level of exertion was something his will could endure.

“Haah…”

Still, after returning to her quarters, she staggered a bit.

She walked to the bed, and before she could even collapse onto it, her strength gave out.

With a soft thud, she sat down on the plush carpet at the foot of the bed, half her body weakly slumped against the mattress.

“…Haah… haah…”

Rapid breaths, mixed with deep inhalations meant to calm herself down.

Ellie’s heart pounded violently from the exertion.

She remembered that one should not lie down immediately after exercise.

But this was not really running—just a brisk walk for a few steps.

It should not be a problem.

And even if it were a problem… it did not matter.

Hearing her imperial brother say such words—

Even if she died now, it would have been worth the price of admission.

But if I died… would imperial brother be even more unable to part with me.

Would he cry at my grave.

Would he dream of me, like I once wondered.

Would he suddenly think of me and feel sorrow when he saw something familiar.

Ah… that actually sounds kind of satisfying.

Imperial brother like that—

I really want to see it.

But…

But…

“Ah…”

Burying her face straight into the bed made it hard to breathe, so Ellie turned her head.

That movement caused her gaze to line up perfectly with the reflection in the floor-length mirror.

“Huff…”

Only then did she realize it and sniff lightly.

She was crying.

That second prince who had smiled even at the moment of death was now hiding in the body of a little girl, secretly shedding tears.

Just because of a single sentence from her imperial brother?

Yes.

How infuriating.

Just because of that one sentence, the disguise she had maintained for so long was torn apart so easily.

Had changing into a female body made her more emotional.

Hmm… maybe so.

That was the only explanation she could come up with.

People always need to give themselves a reason, right.

…But…

“…Sigh…”

She did not try to stop her tears.

If she wanted to cry, then she would cry.

Let the tears flow, let the emotions spill out.

Keeping everything bottled up would only make her feel worse.

She could not remember when she had heard this saying.

In her memories, it seemed that no one had ever spoken such gentle words to her…

Ah… then perhaps it was Ellie who had heard them.

After all, this girl had always lived surrounded by the warmth given by others.

“…Living like this already, what is there left to be dissatisfied with.”

With her head resting on the bed, letting her tears soak into the sheets, she muttered words that sounded almost like a complaint.

Eric could never understand why this “Ellie” would want to leave such a happy life.

Just because she was looked down upon by others?

Just because whenever she was compared to her imperial brother, she always fell far short?

Just because of idle gossip?

Ah… utterly foolish.

Solor had struggled for his entire life, wanting only to leave something in Solor’s heart.

Even if it was just the slightest trace of grief over his death.

For that, she had exhausted her entire existence.

And yet in this world, Ellie—who could so easily obtain what had taken her a lifetime of effort—was wasting it away.

“……”

After crying, after calming down, her expression returned to its usual calm.

She had always been someone who could steadily control her inner emotions while keeping her expression composed.

This time, perhaps because life had been too comfortable lately, she had allowed herself a rare moment of indulgence.

Ellie no longer rested her head on the bed.

She straightened up, lowering her gaze to look at the traces of tears she had left behind.

Crying once was enough.

Just as she had said before—vent the emotions, then stop at the right point.

She would probably never forget her mother’s “training.”

How to make her into a calm, even cold, emperor.

But it seemed that in her previous life, Solor had been far more successful at that than she was.

Haah…

From now on, she had to work even harder.

So that her imperial brother could smoothly become an outstanding emperor…

Mm.

Wasn’t that the plan from the very beginning.