Episode 23
“Ayla, we’ll take care of you, so take care of yourselves. Why are the three of you acting like this, as if it’s a big deal? Tsk.”
Under Father’s stern scolding, all three brothers kept silent, tightly sealing their lips.
But in a way, only Jade was delayed in marriage; the other brothers weren’t.
Jade, at twenty-six this year, was indeed a bit late.
Nobles often married as early as twenty, and usually before reaching twenty-five.
However, Noah, though twenty-four, being a priest, had remained free from marriage until now.
Luke, also being only twenty, had plenty of time.
Perhaps Father, at that moment, wasn’t pleased with the sight of his three sons not considering marriage.
“Father, it’s not that we…”
“Luke.”
As Luke tried to say something, Jade called him with a stern voice.
In response, Luke, looking somewhat unjust, closed his mouth again.
‘What’s going on between the three brothers?’
Is there some underlying reason among them?
“I apologize, Father. I should have set an example for my younger siblings, but I’ve caused concern for you and Mother.”
Looking puzzled, I glanced at my brothers, and Jade bowed his head to Father.
“That’s enough. Ayla is the only one left; the rest of you can leave now.”
“Yes, Father.”
Following Father’s command, my brothers glanced at me briefly and then left.
It meant we would talk later.
I nodded slightly towards my brothers.
“Honey, your words were a bit harsh.”
After the door closed, leaving only Mother, Father, and me, Mother scolded Father.
“Harsh? You know it too. What kind of talk went on between those kids.”
“But that’s because they care a lot for their younger sister.”
“That should be to some extent. Is it reasonable for them to say they won’t marry until their sister is completely healed?”
What? Did my brothers say they won’t get married?
Hearing this for the first time, I looked at my parents with wide-eyed confusion.
“…My brothers said they won’t get married until I’m better?”
“Ayla, this issue is something I will handle. Don’t worry about it.”
“But it’s because of me. Because of me, my brothers, especially why Jade hasn’t married until now…”
I stammered, shocked by the revelation.
Until now, I had thought Jade hadn’t married simply because he hadn’t met the right person, not because of me.
“Ayla…”
“I didn’t know. Why, how…”
“That’s how much they care about you. Jade not marrying yet, Noah becoming a priest, Luke constantly staying by your side – it’s all out of love for their sister.”
“…You knew? The reason Noah became a priest?”
“I know the reason Noah became a priest,” Mother’s words stunned me, and I asked in succession.
“Of course. As your mother, how could I not know what my children are thinking?”
“Ah…”
I was the only one who didn’t know.
All these events were happening because of me, and everyone else probably deliberately kept them hidden.
They would have concealed everything to ensure I never found out, to keep me in the dark.
As the youngest in this household, I’ve always known that I received a lot of love from my parents and brothers.
But the magnitude of that love was beyond my imagination.
Feeling the overwhelming affection from my family that I couldn’t fathom, my emotions became tangled, and I felt like crying.
“Why didn’t you stop them? Noah decided to become a priest a long time ago. He was so young. He should have lived apart from the family at such a young age…”
“We tried to convince him, but Noah’s determination was too strong. His desire to save his younger sister was so firm that we couldn’t stop him.”
I already knew how much Noah cared about me from yesterday’s incident.
“As for Jade’s marriage, and the decision not to marry…,” Father began.
“That issue arose because Jade didn’t directly tell us, and we happened to find out, so Jade doesn’t know that we are aware.”
Ah, so was that what Luke was trying to say earlier?
Perhaps Luke prevented Jade from telling our parents out of fear that he might speak about it?
“But when it comes to the marriage issue, we have no intention of stepping back.”
Father, who had been silently listening to Mother and me, spoke firmly.
“Yeah. And now that we’ve found a way to cure your illness, don’t worry. We’ll take care of it, so focus on getting better. Understand?”
Mother, still gently wiping away the tears from my eyes with her delicate hands, emphasized her point.
Reluctantly, I nodded, not wanting to cause any more worry for my parents.
But I had no intention of remaining silent like someone who knows nothing.
Since I had already decided to meet my brothers later, I was determined to have a direct conversation with them.
“I will settle everything for sure.”
She silently made a determined resolution to accept even a written promise from her brothers that they would no longer behave that way.
“As your mother said, the most important thing right now is your recovery. Promise me that you’ll focus on that.”
“Yes, I will.”
“Then I need to resolve the matter with Duke Blighton first. I can’t stand by and watch someone who can cure my daughter’s illness go through difficulties. I’ll do my best to quickly resolve the issues he’s facing due to the incidents during the war, so don’t worry about that.”
“Thank you, Father!”
I smiled broadly at Father, who gave a definite answer to quickly resolving Lloydin’s matter, as I had requested yesterday. I just needed to trust Father and wait.
“Speaking of which, Ayla.”
Father called me with a serious expression.
“Yes, Father.”
“Do you really have to get married?”
“What?”
“I mean, can’t you treat your illness without marrying Duke Blighton?”
“Well…”
I was momentarily speechless upon hearing a question I never thought he would ask, but I quickly organized my thoughts. Lloydin had said the same thing to me yesterday, and my response was already decided.
“Yes. I want to get married.”
“Even though it seems that a simple touch can cure the illness, why do you have to get married?”
“As Father said, a light touch, like holding hands, can cure my illness. That’s why Duke Blighton also said there’s no reason for him to marry me.”
“Duke Blighton said he won’t marry?”
“Yes. He probably didn’t want to enter into a loveless marriage. But I want to. I want to get better as soon as possible.”
In reality, it was for Lloydin and the Blighton family, but I intentionally left out that part and added another reason.
“I don’t want to be powerless in my sleep any longer. If possible, I want to cure my illness as quickly as possible. So, this marriage is driven by my selfish desire.”
“Is Duke Blighton in agreement?”
“Yes. He willingly agreed to help me get better. So, I also want to do what I can for Duke Blighton and his family. It would be even better if Father could help too.”
I looked at Father without avoiding his gaze, showing how firm my resolve was.
There was a silence in the study.
Father, deep in thought, didn’t say anything for quite some time. Mother and I waited quietly until Father spoke again.
And after a while, Father’s weighty voice echoed in the room.
“I understand. If anything happens, tell me. If I can help, I will.”
“Thank you, Father!”
“And you, start preparing for the wedding with Ayla tomorrow.”
“Alright, dear.”
“Father, thank you so much.”
Having obtained the strongest support in the world, I expressed my gratitude to Father continuously.
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