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Chapter 34
Calisto didn’t seem to notice Roen standing at the door and immediately ran into my arms. Startled, I quickly pressed down on the back of his head so he couldn’t lift it.
With his cheek squished against my chest, Calisto struggled.
“Hyung… I can’t breathe! I can’t breathe!”
“Ah, sorry…”
I had no choice but to loosen my grip, and he lifted his head at once. His amber eyes, looking up at me, were filled with worry. Glancing at Roen, I quickly hid Calisto behind me.
“Your Highness, then next time—”
“So that’s the rumored illegitimate child?”
“……”
I could feel Calisto, who had wrapped his arms around my waist from behind, stiffen.
Calisto knew his own identity. He must have realized that the boy standing before him was his half-brother.
And Roen was the son of the Empress who had killed Calisto’s mother.
Forcing out a voice that wouldn’t come, I answered slowly,
“He is my younger brother, Your Highness. He is still young and has acted rudely. Please forgive him…”
“Haha, there’s nothing to forgive. If he’s Etienne’s brother, then he’s my brother as well.”
Roen waved his hand dismissively, and I was taken aback instead. He had turned cold after confirming I was an Alpha—so why the sudden change? Roen gave me a languid smile as I watched him nervously.
“If he’s your brother, then he must resemble you. But I can’t see his face hiding back there. What was his name again?”
“…Calisto. Calisto, greet the First Prince.”
“……”
Calisto silently stepped forward to stand beside me.
“Calisto of Winyates… greets Your… Your Highness…”
Since he was meeting a prince, Calisto had no choice but to show proper respect. Thinking about what the child must be feeling as he greeted Roen made my chest ache.
Roen narrowed his eyes and slowly examined Calisto.
Calisto had fled the imperial palace right after he was born. Roen, who had been only eight at the time, probably had never seen him in person. Calisto didn’t resemble the Emperor at all. I had never met the Emperor, but from portraits and the profile engraved on coins, it was clear he looked nothing like Calisto.
Even so, Roen’s gaze sweeping over him felt unsettling. I grew anxious, wondering if he had noticed something.
“Your Highness?”
I cautiously called out to him. Only then did Roen look away from Calisto, one corner of his lips raised.
“Ah, sorry. I thought he would resemble you, Etienne, but he doesn’t. That surprised me.”
My heart dropped.
I tried to divert his attention, but he continued to study Calisto with curiosity.
“But that’s strange. He feels oddly familiar.”
“Pardon? Familiar?”
“Well… I can’t quite explain it. Feels like I’ve seen him somewhere before, but I can’t remember.”
It felt like my blood turned cold.
Only then did it occur to me that Roen might have met Calisto’s mother, Concubine Marie Louise.
Calisto didn’t resemble the Emperor. Then perhaps he resembled her.
“…Calisto is my brother, so he probably resembles me or my father. That must be why he seems familiar, Your Highness.”
I tried to brush it off and send Roen away, but his eyes quickly turned cold.
“I said he doesn’t resemble you at all. Even if you’re half-brothers, it’s hard to believe you’re related. Isn’t that right, Calisto?”
Without realizing it, I grabbed Calisto’s hand. It was trembling.
Calisto kept his head down, avoiding Roen’s gaze, and spoke in a strained voice.
“Hyung… is my brother…”
“Hm.”
Roen hummed softly and nodded.
“Well… I suppose so. I didn’t mean anything by it, so don’t worry. Etienne, I’ll be going now. See you next time.”
“…Yes, Your Highness.”
Calisto and I bowed together. When I glanced at him, the corners of his eyes were red.
I knew better than anyone how much Calisto had insisted that we weren’t real brothers. Yet here he was, denying his own identity in front of his actual half-brother. It made my heart ache.
After Roen left, I pulled Calisto into a tight embrace. He trembled faintly in my arms, hiccuping softly. There was nothing I could do except hold him and share my warmth.
Before long, I was officially declared an Alpha. My father publicly announced that I was a dominant Alpha, and the Empress and Roen seemed to lose interest in me, making no further moves. The matter involving Roen was, for the time being, settled.
However, the side effects of the stimulant were worse than expected. I fell ill again.
Whenever I regained consciousness after fainting, I would see Calisto carefully placing a damp cloth on my forehead with his small hands. After some time passed, I gradually recovered. It was late at night.
Calisto lay quietly beside me.
Smiling weakly, I gently stroked his cheek.
“Cali, you’re not asleep?”
He shot up immediately, his golden eyes shining clearly as he looked down at me.
“Hyung, are you okay? Does it still hurt a lot?”
“No, I think I’m okay now.”
It had been over a week since Roen’s visit. I had been too sick to properly comfort Calisto, and it weighed on my mind.
After hesitating for a moment, I spoke carefully.
“Cali, were you surprised when Roen suddenly came that day?”
“…No.”
Calisto avoided my gaze, mumbling. He couldn’t tell the truth and seemed to be holding everything in.
I almost told him that I already knew about his identity, but stopped myself. It must have been a deep wound for him. I thought it would be better to wait until he chose to tell me himself.
Instead, I pulled him into an embrace and stroked his back. His small body trembled faintly before gradually calming down.
I whispered softly into his ear,
“There’s nothing to be afraid of. Nothing will happen. You don’t need to worry about anything. I’ll protect you.”
When I first possessed Etienne and met Calisto, I hadn’t felt this way.
Everyone around me felt like characters in a novel. Even as I soothed and coaxed the defiant Calisto, all I cared about was removing the death flags as quickly as possible.
But at some point, everything changed.
I was Etienne Winyates, the son of Count Winyates.
Calisto was my one and only younger brother.
Death flags and tragic endings no longer mattered.
I just wanted Calisto to be happy.
I didn’t want him to walk a bloodstained path.
“I’ll do everything for you. Anything you want… so don’t think about bad things, Cali.”
Whether it was revenge or dreams, I wanted to achieve them for him. He didn’t need to be forced into the navy or suffer a harsh life at sea. I would provide everything—military power, wealth—whatever was needed.
Calisto shifted in my arms and lifted his head. His chubby cheeks glowed softly in the moonlight streaming through the window. His expression seemed oddly calm as he looked at me.
“Why?”
Why?
He was my little brother. Taking care of him was only natural.
Caught off guard by the question, I answered awkwardly,
“Well… because you’re a baby.”
Calisto replied with a serious face,
“I won’t be a baby forever. I’ll be eight soon.”
“Oh… right.”
My sentimental mood vanished instantly. I struggled not to laugh and nodded solemnly.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then Calisto quietly said,
“Okay. You protect me, hyung. But…”
He gently touched my lips with his small finger. They were dry and cracked from being sick for days.
“I’ll grow up quickly and protect you too.”
Calisto still looked no older than five, and when I held him, he smelled faintly of baby powder and milk.
Yet for some reason, his words felt reassuring.
I smiled warmly at him.
“Okay, thank you. I’ll rely on you, Calisto.”
At that, a proud expression spread across his small face. Lifting his chin, he said haughtily,
“Yeah, hyung. You can rely only on me.”
I ended up laughing out loud. Calisto, who had been pouting, soon laughed along with me.
“Cali, but don’t grow up too fast.”
“Why?”
“You’re so pretty now—I think I’ll be sad if you grow up too quickly.”
“Won’t you think I’m pretty when I grow up?”
“Of course I will… but I won’t be able to hold you and put you to sleep like this anymore.”
“Why not? You can just keep doing it.”
“Haha…”
As we chatted, sleep began to take over. Calisto’s large eyes drooped halfway closed.
I kissed his forehead and said,
“Alright. Then I’ll keep holding you and putting you to sleep.”
“Yeah… every day. You promised before.”
“Okay, okay.”
“You have to sleep with me and hold me forever…”
“I said I would. Now let’s sleep.”
“Mm…”
His warm body felt comforting.
His voice grew slower, and my eyelids became heavy.
Back then, I never imagined that even after Calisto turned ten, he would still be sleeping in my room.
And just like that, six years passed.
