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Chapter – 12
“Lenia.”
“Big Brother!”
I broke into a bright smile and hurried forward.
Then I threw myself into the arms of a man with brownish blond hair and deep green eyes.
The man I ran to embrace was Arendian Verenor—my eldest brother.
He hugged me back and gently cupped the back of my head with his large hand.
“I missed you. It’s been so long, Big Brother.”
“I missed you too, Lenia.”
My eldest brother was always kind, and unlike Serdian, very mature.
Perhaps because of that, I always felt at ease and able to rely on him when I was with him, so I liked him a great deal.
“…You’re here.”
“It’s been a while, Serdian.”
“It has. I wish it had been even longer.”
There he goes again, acting childish. Seriously.
Even at Serdian’s sulky remark, Arendian merely smiled good-naturedly.
I looped my arm through my eldest brother’s and led him forward.
“Let’s go inside.”
“Lenia, me too—!”
“Aren’t you tired? You must be.”
“Lenia….”
I lightly ignored Serdian’s words, pressed myself closer to my eldest brother, and walked on cheerfully.
“Thanks for coming all this way. It’s late, so you should rest well today.”
“Lenia, wait a moment.”
I was about to head back to my room after telling my tired brother to rest, when he stopped me.
“What is it, Brother?”
“I want to spend some time with you, Lenia.”
“I’d love that too.”
“Then shall we go for a walk, just the two of us?”
“Won’t you be tired? I’m fine as long as you are.”
“I’m fine. Let’s go.”
Just as we were about to leave for our walk, loud footsteps echoed between us, as if someone were desperate to announce their presence.
…I’ve ignored him almost all day, so I do feel a little bad.
Suppressing my desire to spend time alone with my eldest brother, I called out to the owner of the footsteps.
“Little Brother.”
“…Yeah?”
“Shall we go for a walk together? All three of us—it’s been a while.”
“Lenia!”
Serdian quickly clung to me, and I roughly patted his back once before hooking my arm back around my eldest brother’s.
Pulling both Arendian and Serdian along, I led us outside, slowly walking as I breathed in the pleasant night air.
Walking in step with me on either side, I spoke.
“It feels so nice to take a walk at night like this, the three of us together.”
“I’m happy just walking with you, Lenia.”
“So, Serdian, how’s work at the Mage Tower?”
“…Yes, yes. I’m doing fine.”
He really only acts like that around Big Brother.
I shot Serdian a warning glance at his sulky reply.
“Little Brother. You’re being rude again.”
“Lenia, I keep telling you—you shouldn’t trust Big Brother so easily.”
At Serdian’s words, I stared straight at my eldest brother’s face.
As always, he was smiling warmly at me.
See? Of course.
There was no way my eldest brother could be anything like Serdian.
Serdian was the kind of person who could act one way on the outside and another on the inside if it benefited him.
…And yet, knowing that, I still fell for it again. Honestly.
Only the family and a few people at the Mage Tower seemed to know this side of Serdian.
Anyway, there was no way someone as gentle as my eldest brother could be the same kind of person.
I scolded Serdian, who was looking wronged.
“Little Brother, what are you even saying?”
“Haha. Did I do something to upset you, Serdian?”
“There’s no way Big Brother could be like Little Brother.”
At my words, Serdian immediately drooped again.
To stop that, I linked arms with both of them and continued walking.
“If you hadn’t come this time, I would’ve been really disappointed. We wouldn’t have been able to take a walk together like this.”
“…Really?”
“Yeah, really! I love it.”
The dejected Serdian quickly brightened, a shy smile spreading across his lips.
…He really is simple.
Time passed in the blink of an eye, and soon it was the day I had promised to go on a date with Serdian.
As I finished getting ready and waited for him, my eldest brother approached.
Fixing my hair gently, he said,
“I’m jealous of Serdian. I want to go on a date with you alone too, Lenia.”
“I know. You’re always busy and can never find the time.”
As the heir of the marquisate, my eldest brother had been busy every day since graduating from the academy.
Even this visit to the capital was for work.
“Even if I had time, Serdian probably wouldn’t like it.”
“That’s true.”
I laughed, imagining Serdian’s sulky face.
“Serdian’s coming. Have a good time.”
“Okay.”
As Serdian approached me, he lifted a hand to his mouth, looking deeply moved.
“Lenia, you somehow look more and more…”
“……”
“How can you keep getting prettier every single day?”
“What nonsense.”
I replied flatly, as usual, to Serdian’s strange remarks.
“Ugh.”
Suddenly, Serdian clutched at his chest.
“Why? Are you okay?”
“Seeing you makes my heart—”
“…….”
I ignored his dramatic words and walked ahead.
He quickly caught up and slipped his hand into mine, speaking brightly, more excited than usual.
“I’m going to do everything I’ve wanted to do with you today.”
“Go ahead.”
Seeing him so excited like a child made me laugh.
“Lenia, what do you want? I’ll buy you everything today.”
“It’s fine. There’s nothing I really want.”
“No, there has to be something.”
His eyes sparkled as he stared at me, and in the end, I gave in.
“Alright. If I see something I like, I’ll tell you.”
“Yes! I’ll buy you anything!”
With that look in his eyes, he’d probably buy hundreds of things if I asked.
I smiled even more brightly at him.
“Alright.”
But it didn’t take long for that smile to fade.
“Brother, that’s enough.”
“Enough of what?”
“How many things have you bought already? I don’t need all this.”
Serdian bought everything my gaze lingered on, even things I had only casually remarked on.
At my words, he lowered his eyes, wearing the most pitiful expression imaginable.
“I just… wanted to do everything for you, Lenia…”
“…….”
“Wow….”
Everyone around us couldn’t take their eyes off him.
Setting aside the fact that he was family, Serdian was objectively a stunningly handsome man.
With his refined features, that pitiful expression only made him stand out more, making people want to give him whatever he desired.
“No. We’re done shopping.”
“Lenia…”
For a moment, my heart wavered—but I’d already fallen for this trick once before. I couldn’t let it happen again.
“Let’s stop shopping and go eat. I found a place you’d like.”
“…A place I’d like? You picked it yourself?”
“Yeah, I did.”
Serdian’s eyes widened, reddening slightly as he looked at me.
Was it really that touching?
I patted his back lightly and led him along.
He kept looking at me with those moved eyes all the way to our destination.
Even during dinner, that gaze didn’t stop.
On top of that, he kept feeding me endlessly, until I hurriedly finished and dragged us back outside, afraid my stomach might burst if I ate any more.
I’m seriously stuffed.
But why is it so quiet all of a sudden?
What’s he thinking about so seriously?
As we slowly walked through the dimming streets to help digestion, I noticed Serdian deep in thought.
After a long while, he finally spoke, his face full of apology.
“Lenia, could you wait here for a moment? I just remembered something I need to do.”
“Huh?”
So that’s what he was worrying about?
“It’ll be quick. I’ll be right back.”
“Alright.”
“You have to stay right here. Don’t move. And if a stranger offers to buy you something, don’t follow them!”
“…I know that much.”
“I’m worried. I should’ve brought Miard.”
Serdian had insisted we spend time alone, so Miard—who usually accompanied me whenever I went out—wasn’t with us.
In truth, Miard had been avoiding Serdian for certain reasons.
The reason Miard avoided him was—
“Lenia.”
Serdian’s voice snapped me back to reality.
“There are plenty of people around. What’s there to worry about?”
“Still… Ah, right!”
Serdian pulled something out from his coat.
It was a necklace with a small gemstone.
“This was something I meant to give you before we came here.”
“Huh?”
“I was so excited that I forgot like an idiot.”
“What is it?”
Smiling shyly, Serdian explained,
“If you’re ever in danger, and you grab this and call my name…”
“……”
“I’ll be able to come to you immediately.”
“Oh, really?”
“I worked really hard on it. I wanted to finish it before coming to the capital, but it took longer than I thought… I only finished it yesterday.”
