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Chapter 27
The child’s eyes darted nervously as he hurried to change his words.
“N-no, I didn’t mean you’re ugly! I just meant… you look like a pumpkin…”
“Me? I look like a pumpkin? Where? How? In what way? My hair’s pink — so you’ve seen a pink pumpkin before, is that it? Or are you saying that because of my eye color? I suppose that could make sense, but pumpkins are more orange, and my eyes—look closely—aren’t they more yellow?”
“Why would I look closely at your eyes!”
“Well, you said I look like a pumpkin. I’m just trying to figure out why. You said it, so I’m curious which part of me looks like one. Why are you getting angry?”
Elaina smiled as she spoke to Nox.
“All right, then tell me where you saw a pink pumpkin. I’ll go see it for myself.”
“I—uh—th-that’s not what I… pumpkin…”
“Yes?”
Elaina raised a brow and smiled meaningfully, as if daring him to keep going. Nox finally clamped his mouth shut.
Elaina crouched in front of the bed. Sitting on the floor and resting her chin on the mattress, she looked up at the boy. Nox flinched and turned his eyes away.
“I know you said that because you don’t like me.”
The sudden hit of truth made Nox’s lips jut out in a pout.
“But we’ll be family soon. I’m going to marry His Grace the Duke.”
“Family? What family? I don’t want to be family with a pumpkin—whatever, I just don’t want to be family with you.”
“Nox, did I do something wrong to you?”
“If it’s something I can fix, I’ll try.” Elaina’s gentle words made Nox’s eyes widen.
“What?”
“I said if it’s something I can fix, I’ll fix it. Since we’re going to live in the same house, I’d like us to get along.”
For Nox’s sake, it was better if they got along. He’d lived alone in the empty ducal estate since he was about five. He wasn’t cold-hearted—just a lonely child who didn’t know how to express it.
Feeling abandoned by his family, the Nox in Moonshadow never once contacted Lyle or Diane again. Ten years old—too young to bear such cruelty.
“If you don’t tell me, I’m not leaving. If you want to sleep alone tonight, then you’d better talk.”
Her mock-threatening tone startled Nox. It showed just how naive he still was.
“What? Are you crazy? Th-this is my room!”
“Right. So hurry up and talk. You’ve already realized I’m a weird person, haven’t you?”
Her refusal to back down made Nox stare at her warily, trying to gauge her intent. Elaina didn’t look away. When he realized she truly meant to stay in his room, Nox grimaced in disgust.
“You really are a strange woman.”
“Calling me names doesn’t hurt me. What I want to know is why you hate me.”
“Isn’t it obvious?”
Nox pointed to her hand.
“That ring—it was my mother’s. That man took it for himself.”
“Huh?”
Elaina looked down at the ring of the late Duchess, gleaming on her finger.
“So it was because of this.”
I see. Her calm reaction surprised Nox, who blurted out again before realizing it.
“I never wanted a new family. That man—”
“Brother.”
“What?”
“You should call him brother, at least.”
Nox fell silent for a long while, unable to respond. Elaina waited patiently.
“I never thought he’d come back,” Nox finally muttered. “The butler said I had an older brother, but Father never even looked at me. Then he died in the war, didn’t he? So I figured my brother would too…”
When you expect too much, disappointment hurts all the more. After hearing of his father’s death, Nox stopped waiting for anyone to come home.
Then his brother returned. And only then did he realize—despite saying he didn’t care—how much he’d actually been hoping for it.
Nox’s small fists trembled as his resentment boiled up.
“But then he suddenly came back acting like he owned the house! Everyone started paying attention to him. All they ever talk about is him, him, him! He’s the only one anyone cares about!”
He’d locked himself in his room out of anger. Normally, the butler would have stayed by his door, worried. But one command from his brother to “leave him be” was all it took for everyone to abandon him.
All the resentment he hadn’t even known he carried came spilling out. Elaina just patted his shoulder gently, saying, “I see.”
“That must have been really hard. You thought the butler stopped caring about you.”
“Idiot. I don’t care about that. I’m not a little kid anymore. It doesn’t matter now—no one cares about me anyway.”
“Whether it’s my mother’s ring or whatever, do what you want.”
Tears welled up in his eyes as he turned his head sharply away. He didn’t want her to see him cry. Crawling under the blanket, he hid himself.
A round little island formed on the bed—a lump under the blanket. From inside came a muffled voice.
“Now go. You said you’d leave if I answered you.”
“Yeah, okay. I’ll go.”
Marriage and all that—Nox didn’t really understand it. All he knew was that his place in this house was shrinking.
Since he was little, the butler had always told him he had a wonderful brother—brilliant, capable of anything.
Whenever he was bullied at the academy, he thought of that brother. Compared to someone fighting bravely at war, his troubles were nothing. As a son of House Grant, he must endure with dignity.
But the brother who returned was nothing like he’d imagined. Harsh, cold, and utterly indifferent to him.
A cool, admirable brother? What’s so cool about someone who can’t even speak up to a marquis who insults him as a beggar?
And yet, he took away everyone—servants, maids, even the butler—who had been Nox’s only family.
And still.
And still…
Then why… did he bring me cookies?
Why suddenly pretend to be a kind brother?
Was it just to build a “new family”?
To throw me away and make a family with someone else?
His eyes burned hot. Nox cried quietly. When his sobs grew, the blanket island trembled.
“You know, Nox,” Elaina said softly, sitting on the bed and patting the blanket where he hid. “His Grace—the Duke—Lyle—is your family. That will never change.”
“I’m sorry. You only wanted to be family with your brother, and I… barged in.”
The boy didn’t respond.
“I’ll only borrow your mother’s ring for one year. After that, I’ll put it back where it belongs. So could you let it go just until then?”
“…What does that mean?”
A muffled voice came from under the blanket.
“It means, just for one year, be my family too. I can’t tell you all the details—it’s an adult thing.”
Elaina hugged the blanket tight. Nox squirmed inside, but she didn’t let go.
“I’m not just asking. In return, I’ll be on your side.”
On my side. The child’s wriggling stilled for a moment.
“Let’s work together. What do you think?”
“…Work together on what?”
“If you get along with me for a year, I’ll help you with the things you can’t tell anyone else about.”
Elaina stood up and threw open the door.
Startled, Nox poked his head out from under the blanket.
Standing outside were the maids, the butler—and Lyle. The servants looked uneasy, and though Lyle’s face was stiff, he wasn’t angry like before.
“All right, let’s do this in order. Butler, you first.”
“Eh? Ah, yes, ma’am.”
Elaina placed the butler before Nox, then repeated to him what the boy had said earlier.
“Why did you care less for Nox after His Grace returned home? Didn’t you think he’d feel hurt?”
“What are you doing?!”
“Calm down, Nox. We should hear the butler’s side too.”
The butler looked at Nox with a pained, regretful expression. His aged face showed waves of guilt and sorrow. Nox turned away sharply.
“I’m sorry, Young Master Nox. I failed to notice your feelings.”
“Butler,” Elaina said sharply. “Do you think an apology fixes everything? Failing to understand your master’s heart is a grave offense, you know that?”
She gave a subtle wink. The capable butler understood, sagging his shoulders weakly in feigned shame.
“I have no excuse.”
“Good. Then I’d like you to leave this house—starting today.”
“Are you insane?!”
Nox shot up from the bed, shouting at her. She said she’d be on his side, and now she was expelling his butler?
Elaina nodded with perfect composure.
“Nox, this isn’t something we can just overlook. Don’t worry, I’ll find you a more capable butler soon.”
“No! I don’t want that! I like my butler! Don’t touch him! What are you doing?!”
Not understanding the games of adults, Nox panicked and began to cry out in protest.
