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Chapter – 17
Radius let the words slip out before he realized it. As he accepted the bouquet Peto handed over, Thalassa shot him a sidelong glance.
“You went and did something I never asked for….”
“Have a wonderful time. And look forward to it. Today’s just an ordinary musical, but in the second half of the year, you’ll get to enjoy Mina’s beautiful and splendid performance.”
He winked at his mother as he spoke.
“You’ve been chanting ‘Mina, Mina’ every day. What’s gotten into you?”
At Thalassa’s exasperated expression, Darius gave a completely off-point answer.
“Mina isn’t performing right now. She’s preparing for her next piece.”
“Really? I heard she sings well.”
“She does. Incredibly well! Anyway, think of today as a musical appetizer and enjoy it.”
“You’re making such a fuss about how wonderful Mina is. What would you do if I actually married Peto?”
At Thalassa’s crooked smile, Radius beamed.
“That’d be great! If you two got married, Mina would be my little sister!”
“…What?”
Thalassa’s eyes widened in shock.
“I really hope things work out between the two of you. And I’m fully prepared to welcome the most lovely and exceptional little sister in the world.”
“…Huh?”
“Ah, Mother, we don’t have time for this. You have a restaurant reservation, so you need to get going. Come now, off you go.”
Radius ushered Thalassa—who seemed on the verge of saying something—toward the carriage along with Peto, pushing them in.
You’re secretly pleased, why pretend otherwise…
He didn’t forget to wave elegantly as they departed. Thalassa gave him a strange look, but Radius didn’t think much of it.
Then Radius began planning how to officially meet Mina.
He meant to send her a letter through the theater owner, suggesting they meet privately to discuss things as their parents’ children.
Is that too blatant? No, no—I’ll just say I want to hear what she thinks about our parents dating. We should start matching ourselves in advance. We’ll be family soon, after all!
No one could stop the overly excited Radius.
But something unexpected happened.
Mina contacted him first.
He was so shocked upon receiving Mina’s letter that he just stared blankly at the envelope.
Wow! She said she never replies to all the fan letters she gets. That’s why she held that fan meeting instead. Am I the first person to ever get an actual letter from her? Aside from that invitation?
And the letter said she wanted to meet him alone.
Radius immediately assumed Mina was also serious about their parents’ relationship and wanted to discuss the future if Thalassa and Peto got married.
They’re both getting older, so an early marriage could be good… Wow, amazing. I thought I was the only one rushing things, but maybe Mina feels the same way?
He got excited.
So he prepared. He made plans so he wouldn’t freeze up during this official meeting with Mina.
He listed the questions she might ask, drafted ideal answers, and reviewed them over and over.
Last time… yeah, even I think I was a mess. It was supposed to be about meeting my mother’s new boyfriend, and I just bombarded Mina with questions and babbled nonsense. This time, I need to stay calm and have an actual conversation…
He swore to himself.
But when they finally met, Mina barely finished greeting him before setting an envelope on the table.
“This is…”
Radius hadn’t expected this. He was thrown.
Is this another letter?
Blushing slightly, he accepted the envelope.
“May I open it now?”
“My father asked me to deliver it to Lord Lorvaker.”
“Oh.”
At that, Radius immediately realized what was inside.
“I heard that you paid for all the expenses of my father and Lady Thalassa Lorvaker’s date.”
At that moment, he realized today’s conversation with Mina would not go as he had imagined.
“I understand Lord Lorvaker’s intentions. I appreciate that you care about the two of them and want their relationship to deepen. But there are limits to everything.”
“…Ah.”
“The Martinez family may be nothing compared to the Lorvaker house, but we’re not so poor that my father needs to bill his date’s child for their outing.”
Radius was stunned and flustered.
But thinking Mina misunderstood him, he quickly spoke up.
“I think there’s been a misunderstanding. I didn’t mean anything improper. I just wanted to prepare something nice for my mother’s new partner, Mr. Martinez.”
“A good tailor or recommending a pleasant date spot would have been enough.”
She was right.
I know high-end suits are expensive, but… did he put the full amount in there?
He didn’t check the contents, but he suspected Peto Martinez might have even included the restaurant bill and musical tickets inside the envelope.
Well… at least it shows he has basic manners. As my mother’s new boyfriend, that’s actually very respectable.
“My father thought meeting you directly and returning the money would surprise you, so he asked me to request this meeting instead.”
Mina told him why she had asked to meet.
“…I’m sorry. I didn’t think Mr. Martinez would feel burdened.”
“Honestly, children involving themselves in their parents’ dating life is delicate. Just keeping that in mind for the future is enough. There’s nothing you need to apologize to me for.”
“No, I truly overstepped. I should apologize to Mr. Martinez directly.”
“No, you really don’t need to go that far. Just don’t do it again. I’ll pass your apology on to my father.”
“…Thank you.”
Radius felt his heart sink. He felt like he’d only earned Mina’s dislike.
Even without me meddling, Mother and Mr. Martinez probably would’ve gotten along fine. I really overdid it…
Seeing his crestfallen face, Mina asked quietly,
“You truly want the two of them to work out, don’t you?”
Radius looked up at her, surprised.
“Yes. I do. Mr. Martinez is a very good man.”
“They haven’t known each other that long, and they just started dating. Their backgrounds are completely different… Wasn’t there anything that bothered you about that?”
At her cautious question, Radius began speaking—almost defensively—because of his earlier mistake.
“They may have only just begun dating, but someone like Mr. Martinez is rare. Mother always said that since she already has everything else, she wanted a good-looking man. But most of them just wanted her wealth or influence.”
Sadly, Radius’s biological father, Kevin Ventura, had been one of those men.
“I never gave much thought to Mother’s dating, but… did you know she nearly died right before she started seeing Mr. Martinez?”
“I know she was severely injured in a pirate clearing operation.”
“Yes. The injury was so bad she retired from service. At the time, I thought she might really die. It terrified me. I felt like if she left this world, I’d be completely alone.”
Radius suddenly realized he was rambling, nervous in front of Mina.
Shut up, Radius Lorvaker.
But his lips didn’t stop.
“She made a miraculous recovery, but after that I started thinking about Mother’s death… and about myself left behind. Realistically, she’ll pass away before I do, and the loneliness and grief… I thought I wouldn’t be able to bear it. So I even started thinking about marriage.”
You idiot. How far are you going to go? She’s not your friend. No— even if she were, you wouldn’t say this! Shut up! Stop talking!
