HLDTC 07

Chapter 07 …

How to Live as the Favorite of the Constellations 

The Circumstances of Adults (2)

“……Seriously, here…… this place…… is it really okay…….”
“……if we…… quietly…… you know…… I don’t think…….”

While deep in sleep, faint whispers of people talking could be heard from far away.

Arvian let out a small whimper and slowly opened his eyes.

Even after many reincarnations, there was one trait that never changed—he was extremely sensitive to sound.

Especially while sleeping, no matter how deeply he was asleep, he would wake up immediately if there was noise.

“Uuung.”

Ah! How helpless an infant’s body was.

He wanted to sleep a little more, but the moment he woke up, hunger struck like magic. Being both hungry and sleepy made him even more irritated.

Just as he squirmed as if he might cry at any moment, his body was carefully lifted and pulled into someone’s arms.

“Arvian, I’m sorry. Did I wake you up because it was noisy while you were sleeping?”
“Umm…….”
“You can sleep more. Ah, should I sing you a lullaby?”

The Count’s voice?

Half-asleep, Arvian thought so—then suddenly opened his eyes wide.

That voice was too young to be the Count’s.

It sounded like a child around five or six years old. And the arms holding him felt unusually small.

“What, you’re not going back to sleep?”

Arvian blinked and looked at the boy.

Dark, vivid red hair and blue eyes—identical to the Count’s.

Eyes that sparkled like the clear sea of midsummer were staring straight at him.

Before even realizing who the boy was, Arvian could only think one thing.

‘He’s insanely good-looking.’

Arvian could confidently say this was the most handsome child he had ever seen.

He didn’t know what he would look like when he grew up, but with this level of beauty, even the ravages of time would probably just bounce off him.

‘The Count and Countess are already good-looking, but… this is on another level.’

It was like someone had taken only the best features of both and sculpted them into a single face.

‘The portrait didn’t even capture this properly.’

Yes.

This extremely handsome child was Arvian’s older brother, Kaelus Dayvriel.

Arvian silently gasped in admiration, mouth slightly open.

Kaelus spoke to the nanny in a slightly annoyed voice.

“The nanny was too loud, so Arvian woke up. I told you I’d come in quietly, but you didn’t trust me.”
“Sigh…… it’s not that we don’t trust you, young master. You came without any escort or notice. Even using a gate, it’s a long journey.”
“How was I supposed to bring escorts or send notice if I was sneaking out? And let me say this in advance—don’t contact the ducal house for a while!”
“Young master.”
“I’m going to stay here and play with Arvian.”

The nanny pressed her forehead in distress.

Kaelus huffed proudly and looked back at Arvian with a bright smile.

“Arvian. You remember me, right? It’s me, me! Kaelus! Your brother!”

“Uuung.”

Remember? How could he possibly remember?

It had already been over two months since he regained his past life memories. Kaelus had never visited him even once in that time.

That meant he must have seen him only once before that—so of course a baby wouldn’t remember.

Even Arvian had only recently developed enough vision to properly recognize the Count and Countess’s faces.

‘No, wait a second.’

Arvian frowned slightly.

‘Is this guy really Kaelus?’

He had been too shocked to realize it earlier.

“W-what? You don’t remember? That’s ridiculous! I shouldn’t have come this late! This is all Grandfather’s fault!”

“……”

“No choice now. Since I’m here, I’m going to make sure you never forget me again! Arvian, I’ve been thinking hard about how to play with you. I even bought lots of toys on the way here!”

Arvian had thought Kaelus hated him and had run away to the Inosilene Ducal House.

Or maybe he was trying to use the Duke as a strong backer to secure inheritance of the Count’s estate.

And he had even considered suggesting that they pretend to be a close, loving pair of brothers for the Countess’s sake.

‘But this is completely different from what I expected.’

Kaelus wasn’t treating him as an obstacle at all—instead, his eyes sparkled with excitement at the idea of playing with his little brother.

Where had the ruthless inheritance struggle gone, where nobles fought without tears or mercy?

All that remained here was a boy who had escaped the ducal house just to see his little brother.

Kaelus proudly pulled something out from his chest.

“Alright, first toy is this!”

“Uhh?”

It looked like a small whistle, with a decorated rolled-up object attached to the end.

Arvian unconsciously focused on it.

Satisfied with the reaction, Kaelus straightened his chest proudly.

Then he brought it to his mouth.

Pwooo!

When he blew into it, the rolled part shot straight out.

“Wow!”

“This is called a party whistle… want to see again?”

Pwooo! Pop!

He blew again, and the extended part snapped out, lightly tapping Arvian’s nose.

“Uwah!”

Startled, Arvian widened his eyes.

Kaelus teasingly tapped his nose a few more times.

‘So it changes shape when air is blown into it.’

Arvian stared at the party whistle.

It made a loud, noisy sound, but he didn’t understand its purpose.

It didn’t seem particularly useful as a child’s toy. It didn’t help fine motor skills, and it wasn’t even something like a teether.

‘Ah, I see.’

It was probably a tool for improving lung capacity.

Even though lifestyle and clothing hadn’t changed much, small everyday items seemed to have evolved quite a bit.

‘So things are getting better now. That’s good.’

As Arvian reached out to grab it, the extended part quickly retracted.

“Au?”

“Not so easy for you yet.”

Whoosh!

Kaelus grinned triumphantly.

“Uu! U! Ah!”

“Oh? You want to try more? Alright, let’s do it!”

“Uaa! Aah! Uuung!”

Whoosh! Whoosh!

But no matter how many times he tried, it was the same.

The infant’s reflexes couldn’t keep up with the fast, flashy movements of the party whistle.

Frustrated that nothing was going his way, Arvian pouted and waved his hands irritably.

Kaelus let out a breathy laugh.

“Hehehe. What an ugly face. My ugly little brother.”

* * *

Bang!

Arvian’s door suddenly burst open.

The Count had rushed over after hearing that Kaelus—who was supposed to be at the ducal house—had returned without notice or escort.

He shouted loudly as he entered.

“Kaeluu—!”

But he couldn’t finish calling Kaelus’s name.

The Countess shot him a sharp glare and placed a finger on her lips.

“Shhh!”

“……!”

Only then did the Count realize this was Arvian’s room and scolded himself for his haste.

He quietly entered.

The mischievous eldest son was sleeping with his head on the Countess’s lap, while Arvian had fallen asleep beside Kaelus.

What a peaceful, ideal family scene.

“Dear.”

The Count carefully sat beside her.

“You’re home early today?”
“I rushed here as soon as I heard Kaelus returned. Father said he would come with Kaelus next month. What happened?”
“I’m not sure either. By the time I arrived, they were already asleep like this.”
The Countess gently stroked Kaelus’s hair.

“Maybe he really missed his little brother. He came straight here and played with Arvian excitedly.”
“Sigh… even so, coming all the way here without escort…”

By now, the ducal house must be in chaos, tracking Kaelus through gate records.

He would likely be retrieved by evening or the next morning.

‘At least he arrived safely.’

Still, he needed to be properly scolded.

Even though Kaelus was intelligent for his age, the outside world was still dangerous for a child alone.

Of course, he was under the blessing of “The Guardian Who Holds the Shield of Eternity”, so he could likely protect himself better than most.

“I should talk to Kaelus when he wakes up.”

“Mm.”

The Countess shook her head.

“Don’t scold him, dear.”

“But…”

“He came all this way just because he missed his brother. Shouldn’t we be happy to see him?”

“……”

“Kaelus must be exhausted too. He’s been living away from us at the ducal house for over a year already.”

At her words, the Count fell silent.

Kaelus had been sent to the ducal house at a young age due to promises made in the past.

In truth, he had once been the designated heir of the Inosilene family before marriage changed everything.

Had he not fallen in love with the current Countess during an arranged marriage negotiation, he would have become a young duke by now.

The Count let out a deep sigh.

“If only that boy hadn’t been so stubborn about refusing marriage…”

“The young duke? He’s probably thinking, ‘If only that kid hadn’t been stubborn about refusing the title.’”

“Whose side are you on?”

“Hoho. The young duke’s side, of course.”

There was another child in the Inosilene family.

Elenora Inosilene.

Eliphas’s younger sister—and the current young duke.

“The ducal title was practically handed over because he refused it. Instead, their son was sent to be trained as heir.”

“I told you not to push yourself too hard.”

“Grrr…”

In other words, Kaelus’s harsh upbringing at the ducal house was the result of the youthful, reckless decisions of Eliphas Dayvriel.

Even the Countess, who said this, had once been deeply moved by him.

“Kael must have prepared himself to be scolded when he came home. But I want him to feel like home is comfortable.”

“…Understood.”

The Count lowered his head.

The Countess gently stroked his head too and smiled.

Arvian, who had been silently listening, narrowed his eyes slightly.

‘So that’s how it is.’

He turned his gaze.

Kaelus was sleeping soundly, unaware of anything.

‘So he’s my brother. I never really imagined it, but… I don’t hate it.’

Coming all the way here just to see his little brother, buying toys with his own pocket money despite the hardship—it was all strangely endearing.

Tap, tap.

A small hand gently patted Kaelus’s body.

Kaelus’s sleeping lips curled slightly upward in a faint smile.