Just as I thought I was about to be helplessly dragged into his arms…
I suddenly heard a sharp knocking sound on the wall and looked up in surprise. It was Claudia. Who knew how long she had been there, but she was leaning against the wall, raising one perfectly shaped eyebrow.
"Since you’ve been gone for so long, I even took the time to make sure you could have some alone time with Rin. But what on earth are you saying to her now?"
Judging from what she said, it seemed like she had been listening to our conversation for quite some time. She looked rather displeased, which made me even more nervous. Claudia was angry… I straightened my pinky and stiffly put my hands behind my back.
"Did my older brother mercilessly slaughter innocent and guiltless civilians? If not, then don't entertain such pointless thoughts.”
Innocent and guiltless. It was challenging to establish the criteria, but Claudia categorised it simply.
“Once you participate in a war, even ordinary soldiers are prepared to kill or be killed. Feeling guilty for killing them would be an insult to their honour.”
There was certainly some contradiction in Claudia's words. After all, there were undoubtedly people who had been forcibly conscripted and sent to the battlefield.
It could be considered self-justification. Yet, even if I had killed thousands or tens of thousands, Claudia would have insisted without hesitation that those thousands or tens of thousands were in the wrong.
"The brother I know was a strong person. He would visit the bereaved families of each one of them to offer compensation and comfort, rather than be engulfed in guilt.”
This was probably her way of comforting him, even if it was a bit rough.
“So stop acting like a child. It would be better to offer those three damned culprits who caused all the trouble and that devil bastard as sacrifices.”
“Of course, it would be best to burn them in the middle of the square and then dismember them.”
Claudia came to this conclusion on her own and nodded her head. Just as Felix was a genius who could learn one thing and know ten, so was Claudia. Her eloquence had long since surpassed Hugo's.
'Larry, it seems like you'll be burned at the stake the moment you get your body…’’
I wore a wistful expression for a moment as I mourned the devil’s future.
"But did you really have to catch that filthy rat to talk about it? We barely have enough time to show Rin only beautiful and good things."
I felt sorry for interrupting the conversation about me, but I knew I had to speak up, so I raised my hand slightly as if making an announcement and began to speak.
“It’s not dirty. I sprayed it with the 'just one drop of this will eliminate all bacteria and germs' potion.”
"Did Rin disinfect it for you? Oh my, our Rin is so kind."
Claudia smiled beautifully as if she had never been annoyed. She approached me with her arms outstretched as if to hug me tightly. Just then, Felix stepped in front of her without hesitation… Huh?
"Step aside, don't block me. You're as big as a mountain now."
Claudia accepted Felix as Walter without much difficulty, but she still seemed to show some aversion. His external form reflected the appearance of the devil, ‘Leraze.’ He had changed so much that finding traces of his former self was impossible, so I thought it would take some time for her to adjust.
"Why should I step aside?"
“Huh?”
Actually, it wasn't just his appearance that had changed, Felix had lost all his emotions except for his love for me. As a result, he seemed genuinely displeased with Claudia trying to hug me freely. I had earnestly asked him to be kind to her, so it appeared that was the extent of his tolerance. Oh, how I weep for our once-harmonious family!
"Is this how you’re going to behave? Who do you think is responsible for allowing you to spend time alone with Rin?"
"I don't recall asking for your consideration…”
"Are you really going to act like this? Then I'll start acting recklessly too. I won't let you touch even a single strand of Rin's hair."
"Hmm..."
Felix tilted his head and let his words trail off before suddenly turning to grasp a handful of my hair. He pressed his lips to it and then pulled away, revealing a captivating smile with his crimson lips. For a moment, I thought my heart would stop.
"Ahhh! This is insane! I’m so frustrated! Why have you become so unbearable?!”
At the same time, Claudia grabbed Felix by the collar. Felix was shaken back and forth violently, but he did not resist. He remained calm and expressionless, allowing himself to be tossed around.
Unlike in the past when they were so close, it was hard to believe they were really siblings, now they exuded the unmistakable tension of real siblings.
・・・・・
"This is the famous, late... ah, no, Felix Chamberlain..."
Cedric broke into a cold sweat, admitting he never thought he would meet such a great person directly. Felix was still remembered as a hero who was tragically defeated, renowned for his character and talent, and often hailed as a rising star of the empire. Given that Cedric had personally retrieved Walter's heroic tale, he must known it well.
Cedric seemed to experience a mental overload as he compared Felix and Walter, who were as different in appearance and demeanour as night and day. He decided to stop overthinking and said, “'Ha ha, what’s good is good,” as if he had given up on something. Regardless of how Walter had come to join their side or what the hero's past was, he had ultimately obtained the ally he desired. Cedric cautiously opened his mouth again while observing Felix.
"So, you’re Claudia’s one and only brother and now also Irene’s lover…?”
"No, it’s not?”
"It’s unlikely."
By the way, those answers were not mine. They were said by Claudia and Erica at the same time.
"No, if they both like each other, it's not a matter you two can oppose, is it?"
Since I breathed new life into him, Cedric, who had transformed from a complete wreck into an unexpectedly sensible person, defended the relationship between Felix and me.
"Of course, if he were my former brother, I could back down a hundred times and allow him to meet her in about 10 years!"
"...Do you really need 10 years?"
“Furthermore, it’s not even that you’re granting permission; you're only leaving room for the possibility of allowing it,” Cedric muttered incredulously, challenging her words on my behalf.
However, Claudia was resolute. She pointed aggressively in Felix's direction, veins bulging in her neck as if asking, 'Do you really not get it?'
"That state is absolutely, completely unacceptable! If you want to be with Rin, you should think about returning to your old self!"
Erica nodded with a stern expression, reinforcing Claudia's argument.
"Your eyes look like a beast. You seem to lack self-control."
"That's right. You seem to have no intention other than to completely devour our innocent and naive Rin."
Innocent and naïve? I wasn’t sure who they were referring to, but I just sat there with my mouth agape, silently watching them argue. Honestly, if we were being critical in terms of the emotional aspect, shouldn't it be me who 'devoured' the innocent and naïve Felix? For some reason, only words like doom and disaster came to mind at this moment. Why did it feel like I was indirectly experiencing a meet-the-parents scenario with my boyfriend here?
'Lover, lovers...’
I casually recalled what Cedric had said. Lovers. It struck me that Felix and I hadn't defined our relationship yet. ‘Oh! What a fool I am!’ I clenched my fists and shot up from my seat, shouting.
"Oh, right. I forgot to propose to Fel!"
"What are you talking about now?! Read the room and stop fanning the flames!"
Startled, Cedric instinctively grabbed my hand to pull me back down on the sofa.
Ah, without realising it, I got too excited and forgot the most important thing.
Initially, I had intended to use marriage with Felix as a means to an end. [1] Of course, I planned to ask for his consent sweetly and romantically. However, after meeting him again, every day felt like a storm, and I had completely forgotten about it.
But it seemed like Fel had no intentions of running away, so perhaps a proposal wasn't necessary after all. I realised belatedly that I had said something unnecessary and quietly sat back down.
I hesitated and looked up at Claudia, who smiled sweetly with an expression of barely contained displeasure. She said:
"Marriage is something to consider about 30 years after my brother returns to his original self, ok?”
In 30 years, I would be 52 and Felix would be 56? No, that was a bit too much... Couldn’t you make it 3 years instead? And it was not even about granting permission; it was just thinking about it. At that moment, I was drinking kimchi stew first, [2] without even having directly proposed to him or succeeded.
Just then, Felix's hand suddenly gripped Cedric's wrist, which was holding my hand, as if to crush it.
"Ahh! My bone! My bone is broken!"
"Do not touch her carelessly."
"Then could you please refrain from breaking people's hands so carelessly?!"
At that moment, I remembered Felix once saying, “I intend to make his rude hands incapable of holding anything.” Felix had always been the type to speak his mind. It was simply a matter of whether he acted on it or not. Cedric screamed in pain, but it was his own fault. Who told him to grab someone's hand like that? That guy still hadn't broken his old habits, it’s a serious issue.
"Why did you do that?"
When I clicked my tongue and said that, Cedric looked down at his limp wrist and muttered,
“That’s right, why did I do that?”
...Hmm, looking at it again, it seemed a bit excessive.
"Fel, you shouldn’t do that."
Even if he looked like that, he was still a Grand Duke. We may not be able to respect him, but let’s at least try to show him some respect.
"I shouldn’t?"
"Yes."
"Then I won't."
Felix hugged me with a gentle touch, completely different from how he treated Cedric. However, it wasn’t long before Claudia pulled us apart.
“It’s 10 years too early for you to covet Rin!”
Claudia continued to scold him unilaterally, while Felix listened expressionlessly. The strange standoff persisted. I guess we could call today Cedric's ‘Day of Suffering.’ After being beaten up here and there for meddling unnecessarily, he appeared on the verge of tears as he received treatment from the doctor who had come up to the reception room.
“Let’s set aside the marriage talk for now. What are you even rambling on about? We can’t even have a wedding ceremony publicly at this point.”
Battered and bruised, Cedric raised his uninjured hand slightly and voiced his opinion.
"That's right. It's a matter for 30 years later."
No, Claudia, that didn’t seem right… Anyway, Cedric was correct. If we suddenly had a wedding ceremony, it would be like openly announcing that Walter was on our side.
'That's right, announcing that he's on our side... announcing... Oh...’
I suddenly sprang to my feet, struck by a flash of inspiration. Cedric’s face revealed his discomfort as if to ask, ‘What on earth are you about to say?’
"Should we revise our plan a bit?"
Translator's Corner:
[1] A "means to an end" is an activity or process done in order to accomplish a goal. In this case, Irene was planning to propose to Felix so that he wouldn't run away from her.
[2] The full saying is: "Don't drink kimchi soup thinking that someone will give you rice cake." Rice cake is traditionally served with kimchi soup to avoid choking and help digestion, thus when eating kimchi soup, rice cake is expected next. This proverb is the Korean equivalent of "Don't count your chickens before they hatch," cautioning people to not be too confident in anticipating success or good fortune before it is certain.
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