MFBO 13

Chapter – 13

He had killed Lizenne and was tormented by guilt because of it. Razet was too fragile, too kind, too wounded to ever become a perfect villain.

“That’s not what I want.”

And that wasn’t what Lizenne wanted either.

All Lizenne wanted was to believe that her younger brother was still alive—as if the accident that day had never happened.

“I want you to still be by my side. Of your own will.”

“……”

“Not because you’re bound to me, but because you truly want to stay.”

“……”

“I don’t want that dream to become reality. From now on, I just want to live well with you, Calib.”

So don’t question why I suddenly changed.

Anyone would doubt it. A person doesn’t change overnight, and there was no way Razet wouldn’t be suspicious.

On the surface, he looked gentle, but no one knew what might be going on inside the mind of Razet Wigreon.

I wanted him to believe that my change was simply Lizenne—drugged and shaken by that dream—finally coming to her senses.

“I don’t want to ruin you. I’m trying not to.”

It was a declaration that things would be different from now on.

I took Razet’s hand. When he flinched and tried to pull away, I tightened my grip and looked straight up at him.

“So help me.”

“……”

“Help me make sure I don’t ruin you.”

His hand, clasped in mine, seemed to tremble slightly.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been to the villa.”

That wasn’t a very appropriate first thing to say, considering this was the first time I’d ever seen it. I acted calm on the outside, as if I’d been here countless times before, but inside, I was thoroughly shocked.

I clenched my jaw to force my mouth shut.

Reading about how wealthy someone was and seeing it with your own eyes were entirely different things.

We had come to the private estate of Count Bistor. The moment I saw the villa—just as large as the main mansion—I nearly let out an exclamation of awe. Thankfully, I remembered that I was Lizenne before I did.

The Count’s estate included a private beach. If you walked a little further, the sea came into view.

A salty seaside breeze snatched my hat away. The straw hat, decorated with yellow and blue flowers, slipped off my head.

“Ah—”

The hat didn’t fall. A ribbon tied beneath my chin caught it, leaving it dangling behind my head.

“Shall I tie it again?”

Someone gently pressed down on the back of my head. It wasn’t forceful—just a light tap.

I turned to look at Razet beside me. He was a little taller than I was. Were kids this age usually this tall? He was two years younger than me, yet taller.

My memories of Calib were unclear. It was as though Lizenne had deliberately avoided thinking about him.

So I couldn’t tell whether Calib had always been this tall, or if Razet was the unusually tall one.

Help me.

What happened in the stables couldn’t simply be forgotten. Razet, of all people, wouldn’t forget.

“Okay. Tie it.”

Razet adjusted my hat properly. I stood still and looked up at him slightly. Backlit by the sun, his face was hard to see.

His long, graceful fingers tied the olive-colored ribbon.

The ribbon brushed lightly against my chin and neck as it passed. The sensation made my skin itch for no reason. I clenched my fists and tensed my neck to keep from scratching.

“Who taught you how to tie ribbons?”

The question escaped me without thinking. I lifted my head and returned my gaze to him.

Our eyes met.

It seemed Razet had been watching me the entire time.

“When you live in an orphanage, you learn all sorts of things. I often tied the hair of kids younger than me.”

“Oh. I see.”

Razet looked at me as if he were searching for something. His gaze traced my cheeks, nose, lips, then returned to my eyes.

“What are you staring at?”

Since that day, Razet had been observing me like this constantly—as if trying to determine whether I truly meant what I’d said about not ruining him, or testing whether he could somehow persuade me to undo this spell and escape.

After a brief pause, he spoke.

“It just feels like… we don’t really resemble each other at all.”

“……”

He was testing me. The old Lizenne would have gotten angry at that. But I didn’t.

Of course we didn’t look alike. We weren’t related.

“We inherited our mother’s eye color.”

“Hm. That’s true.”

I said it, and Razet nodded in agreement.

“That’s proof we’re siblings.”

He smiled, as if amused.

I knew it was ridiculous. By that logic, anyone with the same eye color would be family.

But Lizenne was someone who would create a substitute if necessary just to believe her brother was still alive.

“Yeah. I guess that’s true too.”

I felt the ribbon being tugged gently from both sides. For no reason, I felt like he might suddenly choke me. It was irrational. His hands were infinitely gentle.

“All done. It looks nice.”

“I know.”

I knew I was quite pretty. When I replied so matter-of-factly, Razet looked at me as if he were dumbfounded.

“I meant the ribbon. It’s tied nicely.”

Embarrassed, I fell silent. Then he added belatedly,

“Of course, you’re pretty too, Sister.”

We had come to Count Bistor’s villa because my birthday was approaching.

Before Lizenne’s birthday came Calib’s death anniversary. It had already been two years since he died. As Lizenne’s birthday drew closer, the Count’s estate grew increasingly gloomy.

In the end, the Count sent Razet and me away to the villa.

“Why, if it isn’t you!”

The sudden voice startled me. It belonged to a man built like a bear. Large and warm-faced, he strode straight toward me.

“It’s been a long time!”

“……”

“Isn’t this the first time since last year? I’ve been wondering when you’d come.”

At first, I thought he was talking to someone else. As I looked around, the man grabbed my hand and shook it enthusiastically.

Who is this? Why is he acting so familiar?

I darted my eyes around.

No one reacted.

If a stranger had approached me like this, the knights would have stopped him. But they didn’t—meaning he was someone Lizenne knew.

“Oh? And is this young man your fiancé, miss? I hadn’t heard of any engagement, but congratulations! You look lovely together.”

He said that while looking at Razet beside me.

The air instantly froze.

“……”

Sensing the shift in atmosphere, the man hesitated, then seemed to realize something. He clasped his hands together and spoke again—making things even worse.

“My condolences regarding Young Master Calib. He was such a bright soul… I’m sure he’s resting peacefully now.”

Where did his sense go?

People beside him tried to stop him—calling his name, signaling desperately—but he didn’t notice at all, still looking confused by the tension.

“Must be his age. His eyesight’s gone bad.”

I opened my mouth to salvage the situation. I didn’t know why I had to, but if I acted unaffected, that would be stranger.

“He’s my brother. Calib.”

I grabbed Razet’s arm and pulled him closer, then spoke clearly.

“Pardon?”

The man looked from me, to Razet, to the surroundings, then back to me.

“Why would my brother be dead? He’s right here, alive.”

“But… Young Master Calib definitely—”

“My fiancé? Haha. Looks like your jokes have improved since we last met.”

I laughed softly.

Razet, who didn’t know who the man was either, simply followed my lead and laughed along.

“Go buy yourself a pair of glasses.”

The man, unaware that I’d just saved him, could only gape stupidly. His mouth was finally shut when a knight who knew him pulled him away.

The man was the son of the villa’s caretaker. His father had fallen ill, so he’d taken over the role. Having only just heard about me, he was flustered and apologetic.

“Miss, are you comfortable? Is there anything you need?”

He looked at me with pity.

“I’m fine.”

“If you feel unwell anywhere, please call for me. I’ll bring medicine right away.”

“Mm— I’m a little tired, but otherwise fine.”

He fussed unnecessarily.

“It’s not my body, but my head that hurts—”

“Hey! Bring me my medicine!”

A knight near me hurriedly called the caretaker. Leaving the caretaker torn between the knight and me, I headed inside the villa.

The interior was cozy, filled with the scent of wood. Soft sofas, armchairs by the fireplace, and large glass windows—it was quite to my liking.

I’ll stay in this room this year.

I opened doors at random, pretending to be picky, and boldly claimed a room I’d never seen before.

Perhaps because of my confidence, Razet didn’t seem suspicious. He, too, flung open doors just like I had. I left him behind and opened the large glass window I’d noticed earlier.

“Calib, the air’s nice. Want to go for a walk?”

“We came all this way without stopping. Aren’t you tired?”

“I’m fine. Are you tired?”

I asked Razet, who had somehow stuck to my side like glue. I’d only meant it casually, but he shook his head.

“I was worried you might be tired. Let’s go.”

We went outside and walked along the beach.

The cool breeze. The salty air. Waves lapping at our ankles.

“It’d be even better in summer.”

At my murmured comment, Razet looked at me. His expression clearly asked, You’ve never come in summer before?

But he didn’t say it aloud. I pretended not to notice his gaze.

Then, quite suddenly, mischief struck.

“Calib, should we throw someone into the sea?”

I leaned toward him and whispered so only he could hear. Razet’s eyes widened. His gaze flicked back and forth between me and the ocean.

“Into there?”

He pointed at the sparkling water, sunlight shattering across its surface.

“Yeah. I can’t lift someone alone, so let’s do it together. I’ll grab the torso—you take the legs.”

He stared at me like I was a murderer.

“Into there? You want to throw someone into that sea?”