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Chapter 07
“Ahhh…”
The early morning sunlight woke me from a deep sleep.
Stretching, I assumed my brother was lying on the floor as usual—
“Hazel, if you’re up, let’s have breakfast.”
A sentence that shouldn’t have reached my ears did.
Am I still dreaming?
I thought so and closed my eyes again. The savory smell of bacon wafted gently through the air. The scent of white bread rich with milk and butter hit my nose.
“This dream is way too vivid…”
“It’s not a dream. I told you I got my act together. I made breakfast with what you like, so eat it before it gets cold.”
Blinking in confusion, I turned my head toward the voice.
A man with ash-colored hair, apron on, holding a frying pan, stood by the table. I almost asked who he was.
“What’s with that look like ‘who are you’?”
I’d been caught.
My blurry vision cleared, and my one and only brother came into focus.
The messy face and overgrown hair and beard he had yesterday were gone, neat and tidy—just like my brother seven years ago.
“Brother… what’s going on?”
Of course, I reacted like that.
He answered calmly.
“How many times do I have to say it for you to believe me? I got my act together.”
“Then why?”
“Why? Well, it’s about time my little sister gets married, so I need to be a proper older brother.”
“Brother…”
Too late.
All the ‘potatoes’ my age were already married.
A sudden reality check made me feel oddly down.
‘Let’s just eat.’
I reluctantly got up and sat at the table. My brother placed two fried eggs, three strips of bacon, and a warm chunk of white bread on a clean wooden plate.
“No greens.”
“Want me to add some?”
“No.”
“Figured.”
He grinned and fed me the crisp bacon. Just touching my tongue, the rich salty flavor spread across my mouth.
Yes, this is the taste.
The memory of the past few days surviving on bland oatmeal made my eyes water.
I devoured the food, then asked for two more strips of bacon. Salted meat is always right.
“Eat up, Hazel. I’ll make sure you get this every day now.”
“How could you manage that?”
“I landed a big client.”
“Not a scam, right?”
“Your trust in me as an older brother is practically zero, isn’t it?”
“Before saying that, maybe you should reflect on your own deeds.”
“I’ll try to make it up from today.”
“I won’t trust you yet, I’ll watch.”
“Good attitude. You’ll have to do the same when you have a husband later.”
I replied halfheartedly, “Yeah, yeah,” while crunching the bacon.
I can confidently pick a reliable ‘potato’ for a husband.
The opposite of the man in front of me is the right choice.
After a full meal, I got ready for work, and my brother stepped out looking sharp.
He had damp hair combed back, and although his shirt and pants were worn, they were neatly pressed.
“Brother, where are you going?”
“To the store. Gotta work.”
“You?”
“I even prepared morning water at dawn.”
He gave a thumbs-up and smiled. The dimple that had been hidden in his hair showed clearly.
“I’ll go ahead and start portioning. You stop by the clothing store to get your dress, take your time coming.”
“….”
“Don’t worry, I won’t cause any trouble.”
I didn’t know what to say and just stared blankly.
He mirrored my gaze and pointed at my cheek.
“You’ve got egg yolk on your cheek.”
“Oh my, Hazel, you look like a proper person in a nice dress. Do you know how much it hurt me seeing you run around in rags?”
Anna, the owner of the only clothing store in Luden Village, wiped tears at the edge of her sleeve. She really seemed to feel sorry for me.
Her daughter, Meribel, clapped her hands and fussed excitedly.
“Hazel, this pale sky-blue dress was born for you. If you don’t buy it, a dress without a master will get depressed.”
“Meribel, no need to give me sales compliments too.”
“Sales compliments? What do you take me for? My feelings are genuine, not a shred of falsehood.”
“…Really?”
A smile involuntarily spread across my face.
A pale sky-blue dress with small frills on the sleeves and neckline.
The design was somewhat plain, but it felt satisfying just to wear new clothes after so long.
“I’ll take this. How much is it?”
“It should be eight silver coins, but I’ll take six and a half. I don’t make business with Hazel.”
“No, take all eight. I can pay today.”
Anna and Meribel’s eyes went wide at my claim.
“Felix earned this by gambling?”
“You didn’t steal it, right?”
“I thought so too, but he earned it legitimately.”
“…Really?”
The mother-daughter pair made the same shocked expression I had when I heard it from my brother. People really think alike.
I took eight silver coins from the pouch my brother had given me and handed them to Anna. Buying something at full price after a long time felt fulfilling.
But my peace of mind was short-lived.
“Hazel! Hazel! Emergency!”
Sara came running, flinging the store door open.
Thud!
Three people in the store widened their eyes. Pale Sara approached, lips trembling.
“Felix… Felix is…”
“Why?”
“He’s working without drinking any alcohol.”
“…?”
“Standing at the counter properly, even serving customers.”
“…Ah, so that’s the issue.”
Unlike me, who felt relieved that no accident happened, Meribel and Anna’s faces turned serious at Sara’s words.
“Hazel, is your brother sick?”
“No, ma’am, Doctor Michael is on a house call at Cromwell Castle, he’ll be back soon.”
I tried to stop Anna, saying he was fine, when Mr. Bill, passing by, peeked into the store.
“What’s going on? Why are your faces like that?”
“Felix is working without drinking. He even earned money to buy Hazel a dress.”
“What?! Felix is working?! Earning money?!”
The villagers, shocked by the news, stopped what they were doing and crowded around the store.
The streets quickly became noisy.
“Wow, Felix got his act together? How long will it last?”
“He said he’d make Hazel rich whenever he drinks, maybe he meant it.”
“Well, he may be reckless, but he has a conscience. He knows he’s making his sister suffer.”
“Hmm… maybe he ate a bad mushroom. Maybe it’s hallucinations?”
Oh, that makes sense.
Soon, the villagers agreed Felix must have eaten a poisonous mushroom.
Since he hadn’t died, it wasn’t lethal, and being sturdy, he’d likely snap out of the hallucinations in a week—so enjoy the moment.
I took their words to heart and gave up expecting anything from my brother.
Of course, he couldn’t have really gotten his act together.
The villagers ended their chatter saying my new dress suited me perfectly and quickly dispersed.
“Hazel, you’ll wear the new dress, right?”
“I will. Everyone says it looks pretty, so I feel good.”
“Oh, poor thing. Felix will have to eat poisonous mushrooms often, I guess.”
“….”
No, Anna, what do you mean by that?
