LVSMLA 24

Chapter 24

That night, I didn’t return to my own bedroom and ended up falling asleep in Callisto’s bed with him. The child, who had been crying uncontrollably for a long time, must have been exhausted, because he fell asleep in my arms as if he’d fainted, breathing softly and not moving at all until morning.

“Young master, little young master. You’re here? I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

“Oh, Elsie. Sorry…”

At Elsie’s voice calling us and the sound of the curtains being pulled open, I woke up. We usually slept together in my room, so she must have been searching for us when she couldn’t find us.

Bright sunlight streamed in, tickling my eyelids. I stretched and tried to sit up, but Callisto, who was clinging tightly to my chest, wouldn’t let go. I had no choice but to stay lying down with him still attached to me.

Elsie approached the bed and looked down at us. I smiled and pointed at Callisto.

“Doesn’t he look like a baby koala?”

“A koala…? What’s that?”

“Oh, never mind.”

I guess there were no koalas in this world.

Callisto, clinging to me like a baby koala, showed no sign of getting up. I poked his soft, mochi-like cheek with my index finger.

“Calli, let’s get up now.”

His long, thick eyelashes fluttered, and his eyelids slowly lifted to reveal clear eyes. He looked up at me in a dazed state. One cheek, poked by my finger, turned apple-red, while the other was squished flat against my chest.

As his amber eyes, glowing lazily in the sunlight, regained focus, my reflection appeared in them.

His face, like a perfectly crafted porcelain doll, slowly broke into a smile. His large eyes curved into crescents, and the corners of his red lips lifted.

“Hyung.”

Even though he had fallen asleep after crying so much and woke up with a puffy face, he still looked nothing but adorable as he smiled at me the moment he opened his eyes. It felt as if his entire world consisted of me alone.

The image of him quietly crying tears just last night came to mind, and I couldn’t say anything—I just pulled him tightly into my arms. Callisto wriggled in my embrace and hugged me back with his small arms.

It was so cute, so lovely, and so heartbreaking that he was trying to share his warmth with me too. A warmth spread deep into my chest.

“Young master, little young master! Please wake up! The sun is already high in the sky!”

Before Elsie’s storm of nagging could begin, I couldn’t bring myself to let go of Callisto.

At Elsie’s request, she brought several picture books I used when I was younger. And from that day on, I immediately started teaching Callisto.

He had already attended several group lessons. Thinking about how he must have felt sitting there alone, unable to read a single word, made my heart ache.

So without realizing it, I ended up spending more and more time with him. Callisto seemed to like it, though—he didn’t even focus on the book, just stared at my face while I taught him. Whenever our eyes met, he would smile brightly.

I sighed in disbelief and tugged his round cheek. His white mochi cheek stretched out.

“Calli, focus.”

“I am fo-cused.”

His pronunciation came out muffled because his cheek was being pinched. His large golden eyes were filled with grievance. Still being squished, he insisted again.

“I am doing it.”

“……”

I had to frown hard just to stop myself from laughing. Callisto looked at me sadly, then drooped his shoulders in disappointment. I tapped the notebook in front of him.

“Try writing ‘Callisto’ here.”

His small hand holding the pen moved clumsily. And the word written on the page was: “Etienne.”

“……”

As Callisto peeked at me nervously with round eyes after pulling off that prank, I couldn’t help but laugh in the end.

Even though he spent the whole lesson playing around and teasing me, Callisto learned quickly. As expected of someone described in the original story as a once-in-a-generation genius—he understood everything after being taught just once. The time spent praising him was longer than the time spent teaching him.

Within just a few weeks, I found myself clapping in admiration every time I taught him.

“He’s seriously a genius. How can you learn so fast? You’ll catch up to everyone in no time.”

“Hey… stop saying things like that.”

“But it’s true. Why should I stop? You’re this smart—so why did you cry, huh?”

“I never cried…”

Callisto’s ears turned red as he avoided my gaze. Elsie, who was preparing his snack nearby, chuckled.

“Young master, if you say that one more time, you’ll end up calling him a genius a hundred times.”

“Then I’ll just call a genius a genius. What else am I supposed to call him?”

I shot Elsie a glare.

I was worried Callisto might get tired from both group lessons and private study with me, but contrary to my concerns, he seemed to enjoy learning letters.

After some time passed, Callisto gradually adapted to group classes as well.

When he had grown somewhat close to the other children, one sunny day, we went on a picnic we had previously planned with Lawrence. The Gilros twins and Brine also came along as we headed to the most beautiful lakeside village in Winyeats territory.

“Wooooah! This territory is huge! Our dad’s land is so tiny in comparison!”

“It’s so pretty! Let’s make lots of money and buy our dad a place like this too!”

The twin boys ran around the lake shouting excitedly. It was a bright autumn day. The trees surrounding the lakeshore were painted in vibrant red and gold, making the scenery breathtakingly beautiful.

Callisto, sitting close beside me, took out a warm drink from the picnic basket and poured it for me. The sight of his small hands carefully taking care of me first was so adorable that I ended up kissing his cheek, forgetting the other children around us.

“You and Callisto seem to get along very well, Etienne.”

Brine, who had been quietly watching us, spoke softly. I nodded without thinking, then met her gaze. Her eyes were calm in a way that didn’t suit her age. Only then did I remember the downfall of her family, the Marquess House of Beringham.

Brine’s father had a half-brother—an illegitimate child of the former Marquess Beringham. Although the former marquess treated him kindly, he was dissatisfied with his position. He eventually joined forces with the Empress, betrayed Beringham, and brought ruin upon the very family that raised him. The vast wealth of Beringham ended up in the hands of the Empress and him.

For Brine, the idea of a family’s illegitimate child was something like that.

I pulled Callisto close with one arm around his shoulder and replied.

“How could I hate him? He’s this adorable.”

“Hyung… I told you not to say things like that in front of other people…”

Callisto lowered his gaze, embarrassed. Brine laughed out loud, her face noticeably brighter than before.

“I see. I guess that’s possible. It’s nice, Etienne.”

“Thanks.”

In the original story, Brine’s life was terribly tragic. Her family was destroyed by her half-uncle and the Empress, and she herself was thrown into a dungeon after having her copper cannon technology stolen, dying in misery.

But this time would be different. Brine and Callisto shared the same goal, and I would do everything I could to help them achieve their revenge against the Empress and Harrington.

The rare picnic was peaceful and joyful. Watching Callisto, who had been busy studying letters until now, running around with his new friends made me happy. Lawrence, who usually bickered with Callisto, also seemed to enjoy himself, laughing often even while teasing him.

Then, I heard a conversation from a young man and woman standing in the distance, seemingly villagers.

“Wow, Susan. This is really beautiful. How did you make something like this?”

“It’s nothing… It just looks bad because it’s wood.”

“What do you mean bad? It looks like a cluster of candles. How could anything be prettier than this?”

“It would be prettier if it sparkled transparently. I want to try carving it out of ice.”

“What? Ice is expensive—how could you carve with that?”

“I guess so…”

The man laughed as if it were a joke, but the woman called Susan looked somewhat downcast. In her hands was an elegant wooden carving shaped like a chandelier. It was so beautifully made that if it were crafted from glass, it could immediately adorn the imperial palace hall.

‘Wait… a chandelier carving?’

Then a name from the later part of the original story suddenly came to mind. A master glass artisan who would appear about fifteen years later and revolutionize fashion with stunning glassworks created using new techniques.

I looked at Susan with widened eyes.

‘Don’t tell me… that glass artisan is Susan McAdam?’

And then, a new business idea I had been thinking about for a long time began to take shape in my mind.