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Chapter 26
Kelic buried his face in the handkerchief, sniffling as he spoke.
“Anyway… don’t ever say things like that again… like you shouldn’t have been born… don’t say it so casually like that.”
Beside him, still fuming and muttering about stuffing caterpillars into the clothes of those awful adults, Aselt stood in a daze.
His gaze was fixed on Maybel.
She was treated… like that…?
Though he didn’t show it outwardly, Aselt was just as shocked.
When Maybel first arrived at the Grand Duke’s residence, he had heard from the maids that she looked unwell.
But since he hadn’t seen it himself, he hadn’t realized how serious it had been.
How hard could the life of a noble princess really have been…?
Having known the harsh conditions of the black market, Aselt had assumed the maids were exaggerating.
After all, Sophia had stolen all of Zikmund’s research.
She must have lived in luxury because of it.
And the Maybel he had seen in person—though small for her age—was soft and adorable.
That was why he had resented her for being Sophia’s daughter… and tried to bully her.
What have I… done…?
It felt like his breath caught in his throat.
Even now, he was wearing the sunglasses Maybel had made for him.
Since that day, even the servants of the Grand Duke’s residence had begun approaching him more comfortably.
Some had even apologized.
It was all thanks to Maybel.
And yet, he had done nothing for her.
Unlike Maybel, who had understood him, Aselt hadn’t even tried to understand how she had lived—until she said it herself.
He hadn’t wanted to know.
Behind the dark lenses, Aselt’s eyes sank into shadow.
“I… I’ve never heard that before…”
Still holding Kelic’s hand, Maybel spoke.
Her voice trembled.
Aselt’s eyes widened as he looked at her.
Kelic, who had been crying into the handkerchief, lifted his head in shock.
Maybel was smiling.
But at the same time, she was crying.
Her large, round red eyes were filled to the brim with tears.
“I’ve… never heard that in my life!”
Thick tears streamed down from the corners of her smiling eyes.
“Hehe… thank you…!”
Even as she smiled brightly, she looked genuinely happy.
The two brothers couldn’t take their eyes off her.
And in that moment, both Aselt and Kelic felt their hearts drop heavily.
How could they describe it?
She was so pretty, so adorable…
And yet, they never wanted to see this again.
They never wanted to see Maybel cry.
They never wanted her to shed tears ever again.
Overcome with an instinctive urge to protect her, Aselt clutched his chest tightly.
No… that wasn’t it.
This feeling—
He had felt it once before.
A long time ago.
Back then—
“You—you! From now on, I’ll protect you! I’ll make sure nothing like that ever happens again!”
“W-what?! Wah—!”
Kelic suddenly shouted and threw himself at Maybel.
“Careful!”
As Maybel staggered, Aselt rushed forward and caught both children in his arms.
His back hit the ground, and the stitched wound throbbed painfully—but it didn’t matter.
“Ah—hyung!”
“Young master!”
“Ahhh! Master Aselt!”
“What do we do?!”
Ella and Sheila rushed over and helped the three of them up.
But Kelic and Maybel clung tightly to Aselt again.
“Are you okay, hyung? I’m sorry—it’s my fault.”
“Are you alright? I’m sorry—it’s because of me.”
Aselt winced from the sharp pain.
Then, in his vision, he saw tear-streaked faces.
The two children—both with tear-soaked cheeks—looked strangely alike.
He let out a small chuckle.
Stretching out both arms, Aselt pulled Kelic and Maybel into a hug.
“Hyung?”
“Young master…?”
At such close distance, the soft scent of soap filled the air.
Yes—Aselt had felt this strange protective instinct before.
It was when he first met Kelic, curled up and trembling in a dirty, freezing cage.
Back then, Kelic had been badly injured and terrified, yet he had approached Aselt first.
When night fell and the cold set in, he had offered warmth—
to a predator who might eat him.
When that rough but warm fur touched him, Aselt made a decision.
I’ll protect this kind and fragile child.
After steadying his breath, Aselt spoke.
“Maybel… me too.”
“Y-yes…?”
“I’ll protect you too.”
At his gentle voice, Maybel inhaled sharply.
“So that you never have to go through something like that again… Instead of those who treated you so badly… I’ll be your family.”
Family.
Those two words pierced deeply into Maybel’s heart.
It was something she had never imagined before.
She hesitated, unsure how to respond.
Seeing that, Aselt spoke gently again.
“So like Kelic said… don’t ever say that again—that you shouldn’t have been born.”
“Yeah, that’s right. Don’t say it anymore.”
Kelic, still in Aselt’s arms, turned to look at her.
His crying had already stopped.
But Maybel’s hadn’t.
Her red eyes, like a rabbit’s, were still brimming with tears.
“Hey… don’t cry…”
Kelic wriggled out of Aselt’s arms and used the same handkerchief he had cried into to gently dab at her eyes.
“From today on, you’re my little sister. So I’ll protect you.”
“No, Kelic. She’s our little sister. We’ll protect her together.”
At their words, something inside Maybel began to collapse.
When she looked closely, she realized—
it was the self-hatred she had always taken for granted.
A child who should never have been born.
A child who wasn’t meant to exist.
A child who would eventually die.
She had run away just to survive—
to avoid death, to avoid ruining the protagonists’ happy ending—
and yet she had never been able to discard that belief about herself.
But now—
it was finally breaking apart.
I see…
So many things have changed…
I’m no longer that unwanted ghost princess of Ashilonia…
Her chest tightened with emotion, and she cried silently.
Tears welled up and streamed down her cheeks.
“Hic… sniff…”
“Ah—Maybel, don’t cry!”
“Shh… it’s okay. Let her cry.”
As Kelic panicked, Aselt stopped him.
It hurt to see her tears fall, but it was better than forcing her to suppress her feelings.
Instead, he gently wiped her damp cheeks and chin from time to time.
Ella and Sheila quietly approached from behind and handed over cool, damp cloths.
While Kelic carefully wiped her tears, Aselt placed a cool cloth on her warming forehead.
After crying silently for a long time, her face flushed red, Maybel finally spoke.
“Can I… really…?”
“Hm?”
“Can I really… become… your family?”
She asked between small coughs.
Her tear-swollen eyes looked so pitiful.
To reassure her, Aselt smiled softly.
“Of course.”
“Even though… I’m not a beastman…?”
“Yeah! It doesn’t matter! We’re brothers, but I’m a fox and he’s a basilisk!”
“But… but…”
As Maybel kept trying to find reasons why she couldn’t belong, Kelic suddenly lit up with an idea.
“It’s fine! At first, hyung tried to eat me anyway!”
“…What?”
The shocking statement instantly stopped Maybel’s tears.
Kelic just grinned foolishly, happy she had stopped crying.
“I was actually thrown into his cage as food!”
“F-food…? What?”
Maybel’s mouth fell open in shock.
What kind of story was that?!
Like a broken doll, she slowly turned her head toward Aselt.
“Ah…”
Aselt mentally smacked his forehead and gave an awkward smile.
“Well… about that…”
And so, to fix the situation Kelic had blurted out, Aselt began a long explanation.
But one thing didn’t change.
The brothers’ resolve—to accept Maybel as their little sister and protect her—remained firm.
A cool breeze drifted over the hill and through the garden.
It was the perfect day for Maybel to gain a new family.
