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Chapter 9
“I don’t like that.”
I didn’t want to use someone’s life, however pleased.
I knew far too well what it felt like to be treated as something that could simply be used.
I just wanted to become friends with it.
I stopped thinking and reached out toward the rabbit.
The rabbit stared straight into my eyes before cautiously hopping toward me.
“Hello.”
I quietly murmured the word, turned my palm upward, and carefully held it out.
The rabbit began to approach me, one small step at a time.
When it came close enough to touch my hand, it sniffed my scent with its little nose.
…… It’s so small. Cute.
My heart, which had been beating rapidly, soon calmed down.
All that remained was a ticklish feeling and the desire to become friends with it quickly.
Just as the rabbit was about to place its cheek against my palm—
“Hey, what are you doing there?”
A somewhat sharp voice came from behind me.
It was Theodore.
My hand jerked in surprise, and the startled rabbit disappeared into the bushes.
“Brother Theodore.”
A few days ago, when our family had gathered together for the first and last time, we had decided how we would address one another.
After all, I couldn’t keep calling someone who was now a member of my family “Master of the Magic Tower” or “Young Master” forever.
Of course, I had no problem pretending to be shameless, but calling Luke “Dad” still felt embarrassing.
So instead of “Master of the Magic Tower,” I would call him “Duke.”
And instead of calling Edward and Theodore “older brother,” I had decided to call them “brother.”
“……‘Brother’?”
Theodore’s eyebrows rose slightly as he repeated my words.
“W-Who’s your brother?”
He grumbled while his face turned red.
Apparently, he really didn’t like being called “Brother.”
Honestly, I didn’t mind his reaction.
Yeah. I didn’t like that title either.
“If you’re uncomfortable with it, should I call you ‘Young Master’ when it’s just the two of us?”
I quickly offered him what I thought was a good solution.
“What? That……”
Perhaps he hadn’t expected me to suggest it first, because Theodore’s eyes widened as he looked at me.
Then he slightly frowned and answered,
“Forget it. What if you get confused later and accidentally call me ‘Young Master’ in front of everyone?”
There was no way I would get confused.
It was a little disappointing, but since he had already rejected the idea, I couldn’t ask again.
I nodded and said,
“I understand. Brother.”
“Yeah, well. Fine. I guess you’ll have to call me that.”
Theodore stumbled over his words, cleared his throat a few times, and quickly changed the subject.
“But what are you doing here?”
“Oh, I was watching a rabbit.”
“That one? You saw it? It’s cute, right?”
Perhaps he liked animals, because the moment rabbits came up, Theodore’s mouth stretched into a huge smile.
“Yes. It was cute. It was white and fluffy.”
His attitude had changed so completely that it felt strangely awkward.
But for the moment, it seemed that his hostility toward me had disappeared.
I hurriedly agreed with him and forced myself to smile.
I need to earn as many points with him as I can right now.
Whether Theodore knew what I was thinking or not, he began enthusiastically telling me all about the rabbit.
Honestly, I wasn’t very interested, so I let the words go in one ear and out the other while pretending to listen carefully.
“Anyway, you’re lucky. That one is afraid of people, so it usually avoids them.”
That’s because I don’t seem to be an ordinary person.
I desperately held back those words and simply laughed awkwardly.
Just when I decided that I should change the subject, Theodore conveniently spoke first.
“But where did your maid and ‘that thing’ go? Why are you alone here?”
“I told Annie that I wanted to take a walk by myself for a little while. Kai is sleeping right now.”
“Alone? Why?”
“I’m more comfortable alone.”
Theodore blinked at my answer, then suddenly turned his head away and muttered quietly as if speaking to himself.
“Strange girl. Just like Big Brother.”
I mentally noted the information that he was an introverted person, thinking of Edward.
“What are you doing here, Brother Theodore?”
“Me? Well, nothing. I was just bored.”
Theodore quickly said it and subtly avoided my gaze.
I narrowed my eyes as I looked at him.
That guy came here to pick a fight with me again.
He had been quiet for the past few days, though.
Realizing this instinctively, I quietly smiled and asked,
“I was a little bored walking around by myself too. If you don’t mind, may I walk with you for a while?”
Even though I was annoyed inside, I had no choice but to be kind to him on the outside.
“Walk together?”
Theodore’s eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed again.
He had been staring intently somewhere else but finally met my gaze.
As if openly mocking me, he pulled up one corner of his mouth and answered,
“Sure. Whatever.”
It had already been twenty minutes since we started this strange kind of companionship.
Theodore and I were walking at the same pace, taking the same-sized steps.
But there was almost no conversation at all.
…… Then why did you ask me to walk with you?
The first few conversations we had while walking had quickly come to an end.
And even those had only been meaningless conversations about the weather and my clothes.
“Who on earth made that dress for you? I thought you were a little chick.”
Theodore’s mocking voice came back to me whenever I tried to forget it.
Ugh. Now that I think about it again, I’m really angry.
I clenched my fist tightly in silence to suppress the anger I couldn’t express.
Theodore somehow noticed and asked me,
“Is something bothering you?”
“……No.”
“Okay, then.”
He nodded calmly and turned his gaze forward again.
From that moment, the conversation stopped once more.
This is driving me crazy.
Just as I was about to tell him that we should walk separately if this was how it was going to be—
“But you know, if you want to get angry, just let it out.”
A completely unexpected remark suddenly came from him.
“……What?”
Is that really something the person who caused it should be saying?
I was so dumbfounded that my anger disappeared immediately.
Regardless, Theodore continued explaining with an unusually serious expression.
“Don’t hold your anger in. If you do, you might get sick, and then I won’t know what to do.”
As he said that, he scratched the back of his head.
Then, as if something was bothering him, he pressed hard against his chest.
It was the place where the pendant he had been so prickly about before was hanging.
“You must have gotten sick from holding things in before, then?”
I said it half sincerely and half sarcastically.
“Of course. Why else would I say something like that?”
His answer was completely different from what I had expected.
…… What happened to him?
I didn’t know Theodore that well.
But judging from his outward personality, he didn’t seem like someone who would quietly endure things.
“Okay. Thank you for the advice.”
In the end, that was all I could say.
After hearing my answer, Theodore grinned.
“So, what are you unhappy about with me?”
…… He had noticed that I was angry because of him.
I thought he was clueless.
But can someone really insult himself so openly in front of the person he’s insulting?
I considered simply lying but decided to tell him a little of what I thought.
“Well, for one thing, you don’t talk much.”
“I thought it would be better to stay quiet than deliberately pick fights with you.”
“……And your way of speaking is rather aggressive.”
“I don’t have anything to say about that. It’s true.”
“……Even if I tell you more, you don’t intend to change, do you?”
“Who knows? I’ll listen to everything first and then think about it.”
I decided to stop talking.
It felt like only my mouth would get tired.
Should I just give up on my plan to become friends with him?
I was beginning to think that taking revenge alone would be a hundred times easier.
I hardened my expression, turned my head away, and simply continued walking.
“……Should I start fixing it from now on?”
Theodore, who had been wearing a playful expression, began watching my reaction.
“It’s okay now.”
“Ah, okay. Fine. I’ll do it. We can talk.”
Why was he suddenly so restless?
It wasn’t as if he liked me enough to care about my opinion this much.
Because of all the complaints that had already piled up inside me, I couldn’t help thinking that.
Still, when I saw him straighten his crooked posture, I decided to give him another chance.
Theodore squeezed his eyes shut and lowered his head.
“What do you… usually do?”
After barely managing to say those words, he looked quite proud of himself.
…… Well, at least it was better than when he hadn’t said anything at all.
“This is actually my first time going for a walk. Usually, I stay in my room or train.”
“Train? What kind of training?”
Theodore’s eyes sparkled with interest.
“Do you like exercising or using a sword too?”
“Not really.”
“Then what is it? …Don’t tell me you’re learning magic from Father?”
As he questioned me, his expression suddenly became much worse.
