Given That I've Become a Villainess, I'd Like to Live Freely

Eric POV

[Eric]: "Pardon the intrusion, Big Brother."

My older brother, William, called me to his room one night.
He had a serious look on his face, glancing through a pile of documents without ever raising his gaze my way.

[Will]: ".....Eric, Rose has gone missing."

[Eric]: "......What!?"

It took a moment for my brain to register what my older brother had just said.
Because, something like that happening sounds completely incomprehensible.

[Will]: "It seems Rose never returned home to the Duke's mansion after going shopping with her maid. Rather, it sounds as if they never even made it back to the carriage that had gone to pick them up."

[Eric]: ".....h-have we started a search yet!?"

[Will]: "Of course the Duke began an immediate search. And I have already alerted Father to this as well. We've sent some knights to assist in the search, and I will be sending Rudolph to join them later."

Big Brother is strangely calm despite the fact that Roselia, whom he is always doting over, has disappeared. The only thing that looks even slightly out of the ordinary is the small crease between his brow.

[Eric]: "Rudolph was originally your close aide, so I have no objections. .....but Big Brother......"

Big Brother looked at me for the first time since I got here with a look that was clearly asking, "What is it?"

[Eric]: "How can you be so calm right now?"

Big Brother is always kind and an excellent royal loved by other people. He is an older brother I am both proud and envious of.
Big Brother would regularly invite over a girl who wasn't Sophia-sama, his fiancee, to the castle after I said some terrible things to her when we were kids. That was Roselia, an otherwordly beauty with a sharp gaze and powerful maturity to her.

Big Brother always treated Roselia like she was his little sister and cherished the time he spent with her and Sophia-sama. Until then, the only people Big Brother would be himself around were members of our family and Sophia-sama, but Roselia effortlessly slid into that group.

And now that Roselia, whom he cherishes so much, has gone missing. It's strange that he isn't more upset.

[Will]: "......I'm......calm?"

I heard something at that moment. A low voice like something crawling out of a barren wasteland.
My mind went blank, and I couldn't hide my trembling. I looked around the room, but it was pointless. That voice was coming from the brother sitting in front of me.

[Eric]: "B-Big Brother.......?"

[Will]: "Eric, I'm......calm right now? You really think so?"

[Eric]: "Eh, n-no, um......."

I take it back. And I really wish I had taken the initiative to immediately volunteer to help with the search. But I at least understand my own position, so I do my best to remain calm and avoid showing any fear.

I'm an idiot.....

How could he possibly be calm during a situation like this?
The Roselia he cherishes so much has gone missing. One of the few people he can really be himself around and let down his guard.
I should've never opened my big mouth....... As his younger brother, I should've understood, but I made a mistake and said the wrong thing.

[Eric]: "Sorry B-Big Brother"

[Will]: ".....no, I lost my composure. Sorry. .....I'll let you know when we find her. Until then, I have other people I must speak with today."

The next time I heard from my big brother, he told me something gut-wrenching.

He though Miss Erina, a girl who was very close to me, was suspicious. He thought she had something to do with Roselia's disappearance.

I couldn't believe it. Miss Erina is a sweet girl who looks like she wouldn't even hurt a fly, but according to Big Brother, she has a record of harassing Roselia before this.

[Eric]: "......no way"

[Will]: "I don't have any proof yet, so I'm not making any type of accusation. However the fact remains that she is suspicious, so I want you to alert me if she does anything out of the ordinary."

[Eric]: ".......I understand"

I find it hard to believe, but it'd be impossible for me to go against my older brother. So if I do ever see something, I will tell him immediately.

Big Brother didn't summon me again until after Roselia had been rescued.

[Will]: "Rose is safe. So then Eric, do you have any information for me?"

I sighed in relief when I heard that Roselia had been found, but I immediately straightened my back when Big Brother directly addressed me.

[Eric]: "I'm still not sure. Miss Erina has been acting the same as ever with me and the other boys she's close to while Roselia was gone, but she did tell some of the other girls 'Roselia is never going to come back.' Whenever I tried asking her for any details however, she only ever replied with 'it is her fate'......"

[Will]: "Fate, eh? Keep digging."

I gave my big brother a small bow before leaving his office.

From then on I continued to report Miss Erina's actions to Big Brother every night.
I thought she'd grown a bit more meek since the incident with Alex, but it seems like she managed to make up with all the boys she was on close terms with only a few days afterwards.

She still comes to visit me regularly as always, and while I find it impossible to turn her down, I no longer have the 'interest' I had when we first met.
She came across as a free-spirited noble at first, someone that was fresh and interesting for a royal like me to speak with. She was also cute and friendly, almost begging for somebody to protect her, so I left her to do as she wished.

Alex was the same age as me and was meant to be the next prime minister, so him becoming my aide was only natural.
Rudolph is my brother's aide, but since he and I are the same age, he became a sort-of escort for me during our time in school.

Both Alex and Rudolph naturally came to my side as a result of the positions we held, but Miss Erina chose to be by my side by her own will. However, I couldn't keep up appearances as a member of the royal family.

And it's because of this that once Roselia was safe and Miss Erina had been sent to a monastery for the crime of lèse-majesté​ that my big brother gave me the scolding of a lifetime.

[Will]: "......Eric, you already know don't you? You're lacking the self-awareness required of a royal."

There are only ever two times that Big Brother speaks with me this informally. When he's dropped his guard and is treating me as just his little brother, and when he's positively furious with me.

Right now......is the latter.

[Eric]: "Yes......."

[Will]: "I thought you'd grown up a little......but that apparently only holds true for your sword arm. Your skill with a blade is greater than most of our knights, but you understand that there are many other lessons you still need to learn yes?"

[Eric]: ".....Yes"

[Will]: "Then work to expand your horizons, and before you do anything, think about your position as a member of the royal family and how your actions would reflect back on us."

[Eric]: "Is, that it?"

Maybe he's holding himself back?
It's true I was a little naive in trusting Miss Erina so easily, but it's also true that I had nothing to do with this past incident.

[Will]: "On that matter, yes. As for the next matter......"

The sun would just be breaking through the horizon by the time Big Brother had run out of things to lecture me about.