This Delusional Voice Keeps Telling Me I’m a Villain

Brother Ben

Translated by: chocolala
Proofread by: Kitje

Brother Ben was the first person who was kind to me; at the time when I was a bit of an outcast, when I was the prince’s study mate. During that time, I was the youngest study mate, and there were no other children of the same age aside from Prince Carlos. Everyone else was older, some even about ten years older than me. 

So, it wasn’t easy to bond with them… The first time I joined, I felt quite out of place. But I didn’t mind too much because I had some super tasty sweets made by the palace’s pastry chefs…

It was then that Brother Ben spoke to me, “Hello, Urschel. I’m Benedict Grantier. I’m also your cousin, but this is the first time we’ve spoken. Nice to meet you.” 

Brother Ben was a very caring and kind guy. If I encountered any problems with my studies, he would help me immediately and also praise me.

“Urschel. Did you have any trouble with your studies today?”

“Not really? Ehehe, other than foreign languages, I’ve been doing my best to catch up.”

“I see. That’s great. Urschel.”

“Anyway, you do know that the caramel nut tart here is super-duper delicious, I just can’t…”

“I see, I see. Urschel, you really do have a sweet tooth, don’t you?”

He listened to me all the time, even though I didn’t think he was interested in my story.

On holidays, he also would take me out…

“Urschel. Do you want to hang out with us next holiday?”

“I can? I’m going!”

Brother Ben was a friend and a kind big brother to me. He was the reason I became friends with Brother Chris and Brother Danny, who were also our fellow study mates; if it wasn’t for him, I would have been alone all throughout those times. 

He was that type of big brother that it was only natural that I fell in love with him. He was reliable and kind, and I admired him. 

“Brother Ben, Brother Ben!”

In no time, I was attached to him.

In the absence of sweets, I used to follow behind my brother Ben all the time. Eventually, I began to feel a kind of love for him. I really liked Brother Ben. So I seriously thought that this was what people called first love—my first love. 

…Well, looking back, I really mistook adoration for first love; I really was a child back then.

However, as I recall, this fleeting first love was so short-lived. Brother Ben has had a fiancé since before he was born. He was a man the same age as Brother Ben, called Lenny.  

Their engagement involved the interests of various parties—the so-called political marriage. Although it was rumoured that the two didn’t get along well, it was a fact that Brother Ben already had Lenny as his fiancé.

My first love was shattered before I could convey my feelings to Brother Ben. It was against the law in Janvangar to interfere with the engagement of two noblemen, and it would only embarrass Brother Ben. 

…I was forced to give up my first love early on.

It was a very childish first love, born of a misunderstanding, so, it didn’t stick with me and soon became a memory. In addition, I quit my position as a study mate shortly after that, and Brother Ben became a member of Prince Leodore’s close aides. The same applied to other friends there; at this point, we could no longer get along like before.  

Brother Ben was also occupied with his training to become the next head of the Grantier family; more than that, he had to learn and do his job as a close aide to Prince Leodore. Fast forward to the future, the head of the Grantier family had suddenly passed away recently and Brother Ben took over the position. Brother Ben became too busy, and we had no point of contact per se…  

Besides, Father had made Brother Ben his enemy… So, I barely could meet him. However, it was totally my fault that Father thought of Brother Ben as an enemy. 

I was so excited by the feeling of being in love for the first time, that I thoughtlessly spoke to Father about it.

When I told him, “I think I like Brother Ben!”. Father chewed his handkerchief with a squeak and threw a tantrum. 

“There’s someone who has seduced my sweet little Urschel, you said?!”

“Father?”

“Father hates this Ben bastard!!”

Since then, Father had turned against Brother Ben. As a result, I couldn’t invite Brother Ben to the Minusle’s estate. Father strongly opposed it.

On several occasions, Brother Ben had tried to come to the Duke’s house to see me, but Father had refused on his own initiative.

…It must be very bewildering for Brother Ben to be suddenly disliked by Father without knowing it.

*sigh*

Nevertheless, I was so happy to see him again in the city by chance. He really was a brotherly figure, truly a good guy. I hoped I could stay close friends with him forever.  

Fwehehe, I’m so looking forward to meeting him again!

…However, more importantly, I had to…

One month had passed since that reunion with Brother Ben. After all the events with Aiden, finally, I had a chance to take a breather.

“Yay! A day out with Theodore!”

The day before, I asked Theodore to free some time for me one of these days, and he cleared his schedule for the whole day today.

I’m so happy! 

It really had been a long time since we could spend our time together like this. Lately, both of us were swamped with this or that. I was so excited.

We planned to go to Natcheil, but where exactly in Natcheil it’d be, everything was thought out by Theodore! And he said it was a secret.

“Theodore, why don’t you tell me where we’re going?”

“Secret,” he said, while only telling the destination to the coachman, but not me.

I guessed he wanted me to look forward to it…? But since it had been a long time since we were last together like this, it would be fun no matter where we went.

“Let’s go. Urschel.”

“Yes! Let’s go!”

So, we got into the carriage, and off to our destination.

At the same time. A carriage was leaving a certain nobleman’s house for Natcheil. 

The carriage was black, but simple and well used, indicating the status of its owner—a nobleman. The driver of the carriage looked tired and grumbled in a whisper so that he could not be heard by the man in the carriage. 

“Geez, he’s really a slave driver. How many times a week does he have to go to Natcheil? Moreover, when he arrives at Natcheil, I must wait such a long time for him. My job is not only to drive the carriage, but I also have to take care of the horses at the estate, yet he makes me wait in standby out there… What’s more, when he goes to Natcheil, all he does is eat up all the sweet things in the shop. It’s surprising enough that a man can be such a sweet tooth, but his appetite can even make locusts taken aback. He literally devours everything.”

He spat on the ground and glanced at the man in the carriage, who was now well known among the sweets shops of Natcheil.

“I hope you’re going to finish early today… My young master, David…”

chocolala: Finally, the supposed MC of the so-called BL game appears in the story! Would Urschel meet him soon?