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Chapter 28
“But you said it yourself — that the butler and the maids all only care about your brother and ignore you. From now on, since we’ll be living together, I can’t just forgive the butler and maids who hurt you.”
“What do you mean hurt me! It’s just because my brother just got back and needs a lot of help…!”
“Do you really think that?”
“Yes! You…!”
Huffing angrily, Nox jumped right off the bed and stood in front of the butler.
“Don’t talk like that to the butler!”
Inside the room, Nox was the only one who looked truly serious. The servants were biting the insides of their cheeks, desperately trying not to laugh.
Elaena’s acting as the “villainess” was top-notch. The servants bowed their heads before her and apologized to Nox. Each time they did, Nox would go pale and defend them, snapping angrily at Elaena.
It was only when the last maid’s turn came that Nox realized something was off. The maid, face flushed and lips pressed together, was someone who was always terrible at hiding her emotions.
At that moment, Nox finally realized that Elaena was doing this on purpose. His ears turned red.
Before Nox could explode, Elaena sent all the servants out — and then stepped outside with them herself.
“I wasn’t teasing you, Nox. Don’t get mad. Things like this get solved faster if you just talk them out.”
Just before closing the door, Elaena gave Lyle a gentle push on the back.
“Now it’s just the two of you. Talk it out properly.”
And with that, she closed the door, leaving the flustered Lyle inside.
Satisfied, Elaena turned around — only to be met with the wide, admiring eyes of the servants, as if they were looking at someone extraordinary.
“Huh? Why are you all looking at me like that?”
“Oh, no reason at all, ma’am.”
It looked like the word “ma’am” was about to slip out of their mouths, but they pressed their lips shut to stop themselves.
Good grief.
The butler wasn’t much different.
Since Lyle’s return, Nox had been acting more distant, shutting himself up in his room. The butler had been at a loss for what to do. Lyle told him to leave the boy alone, so he had — but he knew that wasn’t really a solution.
And yet, something that hadn’t changed for months had turned completely around with just Elaena’s involvement.
Perhaps… she really is…
The person the Grant Duchy truly needed.
“Did you know, sir? That the young master was outside?”
“I wasn’t certain, but I thought he might be.”
Talking about Nox before returning to the mansion, Lyle had worn the softest expression she had ever seen on him.
So much for pretending to be distant brothers.
He’d probably been upset about what happened at the entrance, but still — Nox was his little brother, fifteen years younger. Of course he cared.
He must’ve heard everything.
If it were anyone else, maybe not, but Lyle’s hearing was unusually sharp — honed by necessity. He must have heard every tearful word Nox had said.
When he’d opened the door earlier, his troubled expression had said it all.
“For now, let’s head downstairs. Let’s hope those two make up properly. And, as it happens, I brought some excellent tea leaves.”
“Oh, that sounds lovely!”
“I’ll brew the tea.”
“There are still some cookies left that you brought last time.”
At Elaena’s words, the maids — already completely charmed by her — nodded eagerly. The butler kept glancing back toward the room, clearly still worried, but he couldn’t ignore whatever the future lady of the house said.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Nox.”
Startled, Nox turned away, unable to meet Lyle’s eyes. His brother’s tone didn’t sound angry.
But that didn’t mean Nox was fine. He knew exactly how awful his behavior had been — yelling “pumpkin” at a guest and telling her to get out of the mansion. It was rude, disgraceful, and unworthy of the Grant name.
“I was wrong.”
“I’m sorry.”
The apologies overlapped. Nox blinked up at his brother in surprise.
“I should have talked to you before choosing our mother’s ring. I didn’t think it through.”
“Oh, that’s, um…”
“I also should have told you about Lady Winchester sooner.”
He’d never wanted a new family.
That meant, deep down, he’d always wanted the old one.
Suddenly, Elaena’s words at the pastry shop came back to him.
“The Duke was fifteen back then, right?
He grew up surrounded by his family’s love for fifteen whole years.”
He had been so caught up in his own hardships afterward that he’d forgotten something important — his little brother had grown up with no grandfather, no father, and only had his mother’s love for five short years.
The loneliness Nox carried was deeper than Lyle had ever realized.
“No matter who I marry, that won’t change the fact that we’re family.”
Lyle placed his large hand gently on Nox’s head. The weight felt so warm and kind that Nox’s eyes began to glisten.
“I’m sorry… for not realizing sooner.”
“Sniff…”
“From now on, I’ll make more time for you. If there’s something you want to do — or even if there isn’t — but if there is…”
“The armory.”
“What?”
“I want to go to the armory.”
Wiping his damp cheeks with his sleeve, Nox spoke in a small, trembling voice.
“Mom said the Grant family is famous for its swordsmanship. She told me that when Dad and you came back, I’d get to learn too.”
Every time he heard stories about his brother, he’d thought to himself — I’ll ask him to teach me swordsmanship someday.
Other kids trained every morning with their fathers, but Nox had no one. While others boasted about their growing muscles, Nox’s body stayed soft and slender.
Whenever he felt jealous, he reminded himself:
I have a family too.
I have a brother too.
I do.
“Alright. What else?”
“…I want to go to the botanical garden. It’s an academy assignment — to visit with family.”
“Then I’ll clear my schedule for tomorrow.”
“Really?”
Lyle nodded.
“Tomorrow, we’ll go to the armory, then to the botanical garden.”
“We ran out of cookies.”
“Then we’ll stop by the pastry shop on the way back. Anything else?”
“…No.”
Nox felt strange — his brother seemed willing to grant anything he said. He tried to push away the hand still resting on his head, but it wouldn’t move.
“Nox.”
Lyle called his name softly.
“I may be older, but this is my first time being someone’s brother. I’ll probably mess up plenty more in the future.”
A bond that should’ve been natural since birth was only now being rebuilt after ten long years.
No one expected their relationship to become picture-perfect overnight.
“When that happens, just tell me. If you’re upset, if you need help — tell me directly.”
“…Okay.”
“And as for Lady Winchester — you’ve probably heard already, but she’ll be leaving about a year from now.”
At those words, Nox gave a tiny nod.
Weird woman.
But… he didn’t dislike her.
Every person Nox had met before had either pitied him or disliked him. Elaena was the first who did neither.
One year?
He didn’t know why, but neither that strange woman nor his brother seemed willing to explain.
“Tomorrow,” Nox glanced up at his brother, “is that woman coming too?”
“Lady Winchester? No. Why?”
“No reason… I just thought it might be… nice if she did.”
It still felt a little awkward doing things alone with his brother. Maybe if that strange woman came along, it wouldn’t be so bad. She was quick to notice things and seemed to understand what he meant, even when he didn’t say it.
“You want her to come?”
“No, not exactly… It’s just, she might get bored otherwise.”
Nox’s lips jutted out in a pout, and Lyle’s eyebrow twitched upward.
“I’ll ask her. If she doesn’t have plans, I’ll invite her to join us.”
“…Okay.”
“She bought you some sugar candies, by the way. If you’re feeling better now—”
“Let’s go! Talking too much made me hungry!”
Cutting him off, Nox shouted energetically and opened the door. His steps toward the dining room were light and quick. Watching him go, a faint smile touched Lyle’s lips.
