The empress and Lady Endelturn paused for a moment at Dad’s confusion. These experienced women had instinctively sensed the urgency of the situation.
“Um…” The empress awkwardly chuckled, her gaze flickered.
“I…” At that moment, Becky quietly rose from her seat. “I’ll bring some tea. Please, have a seat and continue your conversation.”
Are you betraying me like this? I desperately tried to catch Becky’s eye, but she coldly pursed her lips and turned away.
‘I’m sorry, Princess!’
‘No, don’t go! Don’t leave me!’
That was our final exchange through our eyes.
“Umm, Dad.”
My dad finally sat. Soon after, the empress spoke, “Hmm. It seems like we made a mistake…”
“Ah, no…” I replied timidly, unable to meet my dad’s gaze.Apparently, my pitiful demeanor caught the empress’s attention, and she cleared her throat before adding, “Judging by your expression, you didn’t know, did you? Still, it’s quite impressive. In this day and age, there’s hardly anyone in the capital who doesn’t know this shop. The princess is very talented and skillful at her young age.”
“But—”
“Rubette is the owner of this shop. They have seven stores already, from the main boutique for clothing, accessories, and cosmetics to the leather goods store on Hebe Street. Didn’t the duke know?” Lisbeth spoke with enthusiasm as if she were boasting about her own talents.
Silence fell upon us. I glanced to the side and saw my dad, his mouth slightly agape, looking down at me.
I quickly lowered my eyes.
“Oh dear, why are you like this?” Lady Endelturn firmly grasped my hand, which had tensed up. “Where else can you find such an impressive daughter? You should be proud, my lord. Why do you scare her?” she said.
“It’s different from our time; these days, nobles running businesses is not unusual,” Lady Endelturn and the empress desperately defended me.
“Well… I was just a little surprised.”
“Ah, I see. You must have been upset that she worked without her father’s knowledge. That’s understandable. You should have talked to your father, Princess,” the empress chuckled and patted my arm. “Perhaps you’re also a bit too oblivious, my lord. Seeing you’re carrying a watch made by your daughter,” she added.
At those words, Dad gazed down at the watch on his left wrist—it was one of a kind in the world.
There were two watches with unique one-of-a-kind designs, one I had given to Lark, and the other I had gifted to Dad.
So, Dad, who had been silently blinking, muttered, “You said you didn’t want to spend my money and would handle things independently from now on.”
“That’s right, Dad.”
“You really did that…”
He seemed partially shocked, and apparently unaware of his reaction, the empress burst into laughter and clapped her hands. “Really? How admirable! How did you grow up so quickly? My Lisbeth should try to be more like you.”
“Hoho, my lord, you must be delighted to have such a daughter.”
“True, ma’am.”
I felt torn between laughter and tears as the empress and Lady Endelturn’s conversation flowed seamlessly.
“Our crown prince also grew up too quickly. Looking at how he’s been managing things perfectly since childhood, they are so alike. I wonder how well they’d get along if they traveled together in the palace…”
“Hoho, you’re absolutely right. Can this old lady make it to see your heirs before she passes away?”
“Oh, ma’am, that goes without saying. You should live a long, long life.”
‘Wh-what are you saying? Please, please stop it!’
I screamed internally.
As expected, like a wary tiger, Dad narrowed his eyes and replied sharply, “What are you talking about? My daughter will never become a member of the imperial family. While a marriage proposal may have been sent before, the crown prince himself has taken it back.”
Upon his words, the three women widened their eyes in unison.
“Wh-why? Is my son not worthy?”
“Isn’t my brother incredibly charming?”
“From what I saw, it seemed like the crown prince and the princess got along quite well.” Lady Endelturn added, addressing Dad as if scolding him, “I understand your reluctance to send your daughter away, but the decision to choose a lifelong partner should ultimately belong to the individuals involved.”
“No.” Dad firmly held my hand and said, “I hope my daughter marries an ordinary spouse. I don’t want to see her suffer within the imperial family. I’m concerned about her having to deal with her husband’s other wives and the complications that might arise.”
“Oh…”
“Ah…”
Both the empress and Lady Endelturn lost their words and sighed deeply.
And I was surprised as well. Dad was clearly discussing the empire’s marriage laws.
‘He’s thought this far ahead all by himself. I don’t know about someone else’s father, but his values are surprisingly similar to mine.’
I silently nodded to myself.
“Now I understand a bit better. So that’s why my Lark was so determined to amend the law,” the empress said, oddly addressing Dad’s stern expression with generosity. “We understand your feelings a hundred times, a thousand times over. Perhaps Lady Endelturn here may understand them better than anyone else. But still…” The empress chuckled. “I have some good news. In my opinion, it seems that he’s already halfway—”
“Empress?” Lady Endelturn lightly tapped her hand to signal caution, and the empress cleared her throat. “Ahem, yes. It might be too hasty to celebrate just yet. For now, I’ve understood your intentions well. I apologize if we unintentionally burdened you.”
“…”
“However, please understand. I’ve always wanted a daughter-in-law like the princess, you see.” The empress smiled warmly at me. “Oh, now that we’ve met like this, how about we change our location to continue our conversation? It would be impolite to occupy a seat in such a busy shop…”
“Your Majesty, I—”
“Why don’t we go to the palace and eat with the crown prince? How about that?” With a childlike playful smile, the empress looked at Dad, who sighed and glanced at me.
I quietly lowered my gaze again, avoiding his eyes.
***
When the carriage finally arrived at the palace…
‘Huh? Isn’t that Viego?’
For some reason, I felt like seeing a familiar face through the passing carriage window. Turning to Dad, who had been mumbling to himself the entire way, I said, “D-Dad. Would you like to go in first?”
“What now?”
“I’ll catch up with you shortly. Please go ahead.”
“…”
Did I see it wrong? Just in case, I stopped the carriage and got out.
***
On the way out of the palace, Viego’s steps lacked any strength. The question Lark had thrown at him with a mocking tone before turning away lingered in his mind.
“Who was your real family, my lord? Has the princess, tormented by the demons in that corner of the house, never asked you for any help?”
“…”
“Ignorance is a sin. If you have even the slightest remorse, then apologize and seek forgiveness. Whether to accept it or not is the princess’s choice.”
There was no denying the truth in those words. Viego had long abandoned any hope of being called brother by Rubette.
“Who was your real family?”
Family…
He had considered them family. Even closer than that, he had believed.
Molga, who had cared for him like a son even though they weren’t related by blood.
The twins, who, despite not sharing his blood, had followed him adorably while sharing their mother’s affection.
He had thought of them as family, but…
“Oh, Brother. Your complexion looks terrible. You haven’t slept for three days now. Can’t you just rest for a little bit? I’m worried, I’m so worried…”
“What nonsense are you talking about? How can I sleep peacefully? Don’t worry about it.”
“Still…”
Whenever his younger sister Rubette, who had trouble even speaking to him, came to see him, her words were always similar.
You look sick. Rest, please, you can deal with work later…
For Viego, who carried a heavy burden, rest was a luxury. Such concerns sometimes felt like an annoyance.
“Brother, are you sick?”
“I’m fine, Lillia. It’s just been a day or two. If I get some rest, I’ll be better.”
“Well, then I’m relieved. Brother, you know, I have a favor to ask. Could you possibly listen? I need a debutante ball gown, but the shop I want to go to is difficult to book…”
“What?”
“Could you go with me to lend me some support? Huh? I really want to wear a dress from that shop, Brother.”
A tear welled up in his eyes at her pleading, imploring gaze.
How foolish he must have been.
“Ugh.”
He vomited; and he stood there, silently reproaching himself for his stupidity.
“Young Duke, are you alright?”
He heard the worried voice of his escort, but all that came to mind was Rubette’s face.
“Who was your real family?”
Rubette was probably the only one in this house who considered her disgustingly foolish brother as family.
With a father who locked himself in his room and never emerged, and the second brother, Victor, who had fled the house as if escaping, Viego had hoped that someone would at least recognize his struggles…
Yet, Viego never voiced any regrets about them. The only person who had provided the comfort he desired, who had reached out to him when he was struggling…
The one who truly thought of him as a family was none other than Rubette.
“… Brother?”
Rubette, it had been only her.
Just as he thought her voice sounded like a fantasy, he caught sight of her face in his blurred vision.
It wasn’t a mirage. It seemed she had come to meet someone, judging by her meticulously groomed appearance from head to toe.
The Rubette before him looked much better than before. From the moment she had told him that she would no longer consider him a brother, and from the moment she had resolved to rid herself of the nauseating affection she held for him, she looked happy.
Frowning, Rubette turned to Viego’s escort and asked, “What’s going on?”
“I-I don’t know. We were on our way back after meeting with His Highness the Crown Prince, and suddenly…”
“His Highness? Did you eat some spoiled food when you met him? Why are you vomiting on the street like this?” Clicking her tongue, Rubette bent down and met Viego’s gaze.
Viego tried hard to focus on her in his blurred vision.
“Look at me.”
Rubette, though grumbling as if she found it distasteful, took out a handkerchief and gently wiped the corner of Viego’s mouth.
“Haha…”
Seeing Viego, who laughed like a madman with teary eyes, Rubette was taken aback. “It seems like you’ve finally lost your mind.”
“Rubette…”
“I told you over and over again. Get some sleep in between work. I know there’s no one else to work except for you, so, you have to stay alive first, no matter what.”
The hand that wiped his mouth was a bit rough, but it held concern.
For Viego, who had been lonely and struggling, no one had ever done this for him. No one would in the future either.
Ah…
He had been such a fool.
The only family who had loved him was her.
“Rubette.”
“Yes, yes, I’m listening.”
“Don’t forgive me…”
Rubette paused at the hoarse voice.
“You don’t have to call me Brother, either. Just… just…”
“…”
“Please, stay by side…”
“…”
“Until I do everything I couldn’t do for you…”
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