Chapter 06
My First Love Is My Younger Sibling?
Kai’s eyes darted rapidly.
“Coral? Did I hear that wrong? But I clearly heard ‘Coral’…”
“Maybe it’s just the same name. But Coral isn’t exactly a common name.”
Jessica or Irene—there were many like them at the academy—but Coral was truly just one. In the empire, the name Coral was quite unique.
“But the name is Coral?”
Kai suddenly pressed his ear to the door, wide awake.
“Coral should be in the hall right now. The butler took her there earlier.”
“I see. Her residence is the East Annex…”
Without hesitation, Kai sprinted toward the Grand Hall in the opposite annex. His footsteps echoed like his pounding heart. When he reached the hall, Kai came face to face with pink rabbit eyes.
“Coral…!”
At that moment, Kai collapsed onto the floor.
Coral immediately spotted Kai.
“Oppa?”
Momont reached out her hand toward Kai, who had fallen in surprise.
“Master, do you know Miss Coral?”
Half in a daze, Kai picked himself up and muttered dumbly,
“Why are you… coming out of there?”
“Why are you here?”
Momont cut in and introduced,
“This is the young master.”
“The young master…?”
Kai felt like he was losing his mind. Coral seemed to finally understand the situation; she glanced once around the mansion and her eyes widened.
“This is your house?”
Just from this brief conversation, everything became clear.
‘My stepmother was Coral’s mother…!’
Whether fortunate or unfortunate, Coral appeared oblivious. Kai’s mind flooded with memories of six months ago, when Coral had to leave the academy due to family circumstances.
‘The day you suddenly disappeared felt like the world was collapsing.’
He had gone to her house but she wasn’t there. Seven days after searching for Coral’s home, he finally caught sight of her retreating figure.
‘You were smiling in a way I’d never seen before. Seeing your brightened face eased my heart.’
For six months, Kai had only lingered near Coral, wanting to approach but waiting for the stepmother situation to settle. And now, that stepmother’s daughter was Coral! Kai felt like crying.
‘This time, I was definitely going to confess. My first love is my own sister.’
His chest ached as if stabbed by a knife.
‘I missed you so much, but…’
This was not the meeting Kai had hoped for.
“Oppa, why are you like this?”
Tears clouding his vision, Kai struggled to hold them back.
“It’s nothing.”
Looking at Coral’s pure white smile, Kai made a decision.
‘Coral, before you find out everything, I’ll fix everything. Then… I’ll confess to you.’
Kai’s mind was consumed with plans to reverse the situation.
‘I thought having a stepmother would make everything better… that I could get closer to Coral… but everything’s messed up. Why out of all the people in this world did Coral’s mother have to become my stepmother?’
Kai blamed the heavens. Just then, a distant voice calling Coral reached him. Coral waved and quickly disappeared from Kai’s sight. Tears welled up in his eyes.
‘I will never allow this marriage!’
His eyes sharp with determination, Kai spun around.
‘Dad will listen to me. The reason Dad wants this marriage is because of me. I made a fuss saying I needed a mom. So…’
After leaving the mansion and boarding the carriage, Coral remained silent the whole time. She was entrusted to Sir Momont, but what had happened? Yet Coral seemed to already know everything.
“Mom, are we going to live in that house now?”
“…Yes. Don’t you dislike it, Coral?”
The simple question caused hesitation. Swallowing hard, Coral forced a smile.
“No, I don’t.”
Smiling but looking sad—was this what it meant? It tore Kai’s heart that an eight-year-old child would smile sadly. In the tangled relationship, Coral was too young to fully accept her stepmother’s remarriage. Kai cursed his arrogance in thinking her heart had healed within less than a year. Though it was painful, he could not show sadness.
‘Coral is enduring so well…’
Coral was perceptive; if Kai showed darkness, she would sense it immediately. Countless things he had hesitated to say echoed in his mind. He couldn’t hide it forever—today, he had to speak.
“Actually, Mom is going to marry Prince Macaron.”
“…”
“If Prince Macaron becomes your dad, no one at the academy will treat you badly.”
“…”
“You’ll be able to do whatever you want.”
Words poured out, thoughts long mulled over. As a divorced woman with low status and a bad reputation, Kai couldn’t be Coral’s strong protector. But Prince Macaron, as a royal, was respected and would surely be a strong support for Coral. Just his status alone. After marriage, Kai would still belong to her original family under imperial law, but Coral, as a child, would receive treatment as a royal descendant. Even if Coral chose to leave the family when she became an adult, that would remain the same. It would be easier for her to connect with Kai then. But…
“I don’t need that.”
“…?”
“I only need Mom.”
“…!”
Kai’s heart dropped. What did adults even mean to Coral, who had been abandoned twice? He turned his head, not wanting to show tears. Then a small hand grabbed his.
“Mom, I’ll do well. So please…”
“…”
“Don’t abandon me.”
The calm eyes that didn’t match the words pierced his heart, shattering it. Kai felt the small hand trembling on the hem of his dress. He held it tightly, then wrapped his other arm around Coral.
“Who would ever abandon such a pretty daughter?”
Tears he’d held back finally slipped down.
That evening, after Coral and Calypso left the mansion, Kai went to the west annex to check on his dad’s condition through Momont.
“What’s wrong?”
Macaron’s voice was as kind as ever, which only made it harder for Kai to speak.
‘Dad probably decided this with me in mind…’
No matter what, Kai couldn’t change the conclusion he had reached that day.
“Dad, that person won’t do.”
“What person?”
Macaron frowned, surprised.
“As a stepmother… she won’t do.”
Macaron’s face visibly hardened, but Kai, looking down, didn’t see it.
“I… don’t need a mom.”
After a long silence, Kai sensed something strange and slowly looked up.
“You said you wanted a mom.”
Macaron’s marriage was to lose the crown prince selection, but Kai was a big part of that decision. Before the contract marriage, Macaron seriously considered whether Kai would accept it.
‘Suddenly having a stepmother at a young age could cause confusion. Is it worth it to go through a contract marriage for that?’
Having a nonsensical crown princess was more harmful than having none. But that wasn’t the reason for forcing the contract marriage. Under imperial law, to register Kai into the family officially, there had to be a crown princess. So Macaron thought about marrying someday, but only after Kai grew up. But now…
“I want to have a mom.”
At Kai’s words, Macaron’s hesitation ended. The contract proceeded smoothly, and Macaron believed Kai would initially be happy.
‘He begged for a mom because he needed one.’
But Macaron never expected the “mom” would have to act like a real mother during the one-year contract. That wouldn’t happen. What worried Macaron was Kai’s possible disappointment after the divorce. Even though it was a contract mom, Macaron believed they could gradually help Kai understand.
‘But when did he change his mind after saying he needed a mom so badly?’
Kai wasn’t the type to be capricious without reason. But Macaron was clear on what was acceptable and what wasn’t. Changing one’s words lightly was for fools.
“It’s already decided.”
Was that such a heartbreaking sentence? Kai looked like he was about to cry.
“You never said it was Coral’s mom. It can never be Coral’s mom.”
Macaron didn’t like seeing Kai like that and wondered.
“What’s your relationship with Coral that makes you say no?”
“That’s…”
Kai kept repeating that she was just someone he went to the academy with.
‘Are they on bad terms? No… maybe it’s more like…’
Either way, it was too late to take it back.
“It’s over.”
Even if it’s just a contract marriage, it wasn’t something that could be overturned with a word. Macaron might have agreed if it only concerned himself. But now the marriage was a serious matter involving the woman and her daughter. Kai looked lost and slumped away.
Even after Kai left, the uneasy feeling kept nagging Macaron’s heart. To forget his complicated feelings, the cube he was fiddling with twisted even more. Lying back in his chair, Macaron pulled the reins.
“Find out why Kai is like this.”
Momont hesitated, not leaving.
“Your Highness, this is the first time the young master has opposed something so strongly.”
“So?”
Momont knew Kai’s temperament better than anyone—perhaps the boy most like his lord. Momont felt this was a tense moment, like the calm before a storm.
“Maybe reconsidering the marriage…?”
“It’s already over.”
Momont glanced at the deadly gaze, hesitated, then gathered courage again. This was a matter affecting his lord’s fate, and he couldn’t give up easily.
“Perhaps looking for another contract partner now…?”
But Momont had to close his mouth immediately.
“Who said it’s impossible to find better conditions?”
Of course, ‘better conditions’ here meant the worst possible.
“Apologies. I was shortsighted.”
“Don’t ever bring this up again.”
Momont fled outside as if escaping once again.
