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chapter 48
Clare woke up early in the morning but had no energy at all.
Because of the naturally high body temperature of a child, her blonde hair stuck messily to her face with the sweat she had shed while sleeping.
She quickly smoothed her hair with her hand, then headed toward her sister’s room across the hall.
She turned the doorknob and slipped inside, revealing a room filled with cute, dainty items.
But her sister wasn’t there.
“Sis……”
Looking dejected, Clare suddenly thought of her brother-in-law’s room on the first floor.
It had originally been her brother’s room, but since her sister had married a few days ago, it now belonged to her new brother-in-law.
She had even helped clean the room thoroughly. As thanks, her brother-in-law had bought her delicious food from Valena.
“Brother-in-law! Brother-in-law!”
But even in the first-floor room, he was nowhere to be found.
“Oh my, you’re up already?”
Hearing her voice, As came out, drying her wet hands on her apron as she approached.
“Even though you don’t have school today, you sure are diligent.”
“As……”
“Are you hungry? If you wait just a little longer, breakfast will—”
As, about to say it would be ready soon, stopped in shock.
Clare’s little face had suddenly crumpled, and a walnut-pattern crease appeared on her chin as she whimpered.
Her large, pretty eyes filled with tears, which soon rolled down her plump cheeks.
“Waaaah!”
At last, the child burst into tears.
“Sis! I miss my sister!”
The most expensive, top-floor luxury suite in the Sharp Territory’s priciest hotel.
It was famous for its beautiful interior design, frequented by high-ranking officials and nobles alike.
In particular, the bathroom and bedroom with a wide-open view of the southern sea were renowned.
But at present, that room had been locked for four days straight—and inside, it looked like a battlefield.
The living room sofa had been kicked far out of place. The wide curtains covering the windows were torn, the curtain rod had fallen.
The hotel’s prized bathroom was littered with towels and clothes. The dining area was too embarrassing to even describe.
Following the trail of disorder led finally to the bedroom.
Inside, there was only one large bed.
From under the blanket, four legs stuck out.
On the far left was a pair of thick, bony legs—just from looking, one could tell the owner was massive.
Next to them was a thinner, leaner pair. They only seemed so slender compared to the larger ones; the calves were tightly muscled.
So it went: big leg, small leg, big leg, small leg.
And up from the legs, under the covers, lay the newlyweds, fast asleep.
They didn’t stir in the slightest, simply breathing softly, wrapped in each other’s arms.
Ring, ring.
“……”
Noah, fast asleep, flinched.
Ring, ring.
“Mmm……”
With a frown, Noah whimpered like a child.
After finally getting a peaceful rest without being bothered, the unexpected interruption was unwelcome.
She reached for the phone.
“…I’ll get it.”
But Leto, already sitting up, gently tucked her hand back under the covers.
After adjusting her posture and carefully covering her with the blanket, he pressed a light kiss to her forehead.
Noah instantly relaxed, falling back into sleep.
Still half-asleep himself, Leto stifled a long, silent yawn and pushed his tousled silver hair back.
His muscular frame gleamed with strength even in the dim light.
As he leaned toward the phone, the blanket slid down along his narrow waist, stopping just above his hips.
“…What is it.”
His voice, still heavy with sleep, was low and irritable.
Understandably so—he too had been deeply enjoying the warmth of his honeymoon rest.
[Apologies for the disturbance, sir. A call from the Velo estate.]
Came the polite voice of a hotelier.
“Velo?”
Sleep began to leave Leto’s eyes.
[Shall I connect you?]
“Yes, please.”
There was a click, then the sound of the line changing.
And then—
[Waaahhh!]
Leto’s drowsiness vanished.
“Little sister? Why are you crying?”
“Who’s crying?”
Noah shot up, clutching the blanket to her chest, demanding an explanation.
[Siiiis! Waaaahhh! When are you coming baaaack! I miss youuu!]
On the other end, the sobbing grew louder.
It had been four days since the wedding trip began. Two more days still remained.
But for a young little sister, even that was far too long.
“Sis!”
Having come all the way to the hotel with As, Clare leapt straight into Noah’s arms.
“Goodness, look at your eyes.”
Noah gently rubbed the swollen lids with her thumb.
She must have cried so much that her eyes were still red and raw.
“Couldn’t you wait just two more days until we got home?”
“Mm……”
Clare nodded into her sister’s chest.
“But you endured just fine when I was at the academy.”
“No. I was lonely without you then too.”
Even though she had been so young, Clare remembered it clearly.
“You little crybaby.”
Feeling her heart squeeze, Noah hugged her sister tightly.
“Sorry for barging in.”
As apologized to them both.
“She was fine yesterday, but I guess being without you both really hit her. She looked for your room first thing when she woke up.”
“As! That was supposed to be a secret!”
Embarrassed, Clare stomped her feet.
“Did you miss me that much?”
Noah peppered kisses on her sister’s cheeks. Clare only nodded.
Then Leto asked slyly:
“Little sister, did you miss me too?”
“Yes.”
Clare answered without hesitation.
“You’re family now too, so of course I missed you.”
“I’m gonna cry……”
Leto covered his face with his large hands, overcome.
What a hopeless man, As thought, watching him like one might watch a boulder.
“Have you had breakfast yet?”
“We ate before coming.”
“We had super tasty bread and soup! And salad too!”
“So you cried, but still managed to eat a feast?”
Noah poked her sister’s round tummy. Clare quickly wrapped her arms around her belly and pouted.
“Eating gives you strength! Grandma always said never to skip meals. Food is precious.”
“Wise words indeed.”
Leto agreed.
The four of them strolled along the beach in front of the hotel. Even in the early morning, many people were already enjoying the sea.
“Brother-in-law! Shall I build the biggest sandcastle ever?”
“How big can you make it?”
“Well, the foundation is the most important part if you want it big.”
Clare filled a yellow bucket with seawater—though it was Leto who fetched it—and poured it onto the sand, kneading it into proper building material.
“Grandma said, whether it’s buildings or people, the basics matter most.”
While Leto played with Clare, Noah and As watched from the stepped embankment under the shade of a parasol.
“Did my parents return safely?”
Noah asked.
“They managed the guests at the banquet well and then left.”
“I’ll have to contact them later.”
“You still haven’t?”
“I’ve been busy.”
“No matter how busy, you should at least call your parents-in-law.”
With a mocking tone, As dug through her bag, suddenly remembering something.
“This came the day after you two left for the hotel……”
She pulled out a letter.
“……”
Noah’s blue eyes narrowed at the sender’s seal.
It was sealed with blue wax, pressed with an image of waves, a grand fortress, and a shield.
“Okeanus.”
A letter from the Marquess of Okeanus.
Noah scoffed.
“I at least expected a phone call.”
They had barely managed to send a wedding invitation, but there had been no reason it couldn’t have reached the capital.
If they couldn’t attend because of prior commitments, they should have at least called.
But up until the wedding day itself, there had been no word at all.
‘And now just a letter?’
What made her angrier was that the letter bore no postage stamp or delivery mark.
It hadn’t been sent through the post office, but dropped directly into their mailbox.
And the addressee was “Noah Velo.”
“How unpleasant.”
Though she didn’t know all the circumstances, Noah found the Okeanus family’s behavior incredibly distasteful.
“I’ll look at it later at home.”
As tucked the letter back into her bag.
“Sis! As!”
Clare waved her sandy hands.
“Look what me and brother-in-law made!”
The dampened sand had been shaped into a rather impressive castle. It looked convincing at first glance.
“Looks great.”
Noah groaned as she stood.
“You really don’t know when to stop, do you……”
As she stretched her back, As gave her a weary look.
In front of the Velo estate, a man stood.
His messy brown hair was parted straight down the middle, and beneath it, his green eyes gave off a gentle impression.
But the air around him was anything but ordinary.
The casual ease in his steps and meaningless gestures carried the same lazy confidence as a top predator.
“Is no one home?”
After pressing the doorbell repeatedly with no answer, he simply walked inside.
First, he headed for the kitchen. The clean, cozy atmosphere made it his favorite spot.
“As!”
But the kitchen’s owner did not respond.
“…Ah.”
Wandering about, the man finally noticed the desk calendar hanging in the hall—it was a holiday.
“So everyone’s out?”
Thinking nothing of it, he headed for his room.
But when he opened the door, one eyebrow twitched.
“…Someone cleaned my room.”
