Chapter 3: The Past (2)
From that day on, Levina decided to hold a grudge against me. Perhaps she realized with a child’s instinct who in this household didn’t actually like her. In any case, she no longer approached me warmly nor begged me to play with her. Instead, she treated me with a sharp, prickly attitude, completely different from how she behaved with my father and brother.
It might have been for the best if it had stopped there. However, Levina didn’t end there. She often snuck into my quarters to scribble in books I hadn’t finished reading; smeared wax on the paths I frequently took; and even sprinkled strange spices on my food.
It was painfully obvious who the culprit was, but I couldn’t even get angry. Between the dull second son and the youngest daughter tearfully claiming ignorance, it was obvious who was more trustworthy. At this rate, I’d be branded as a vicious villain who resented my new little sister, trying to falsely accuse her out of spite.
So, I decided to try and make peace with Levina. For both of our sakes, we needed to clear up the misunderstanding between us and try to become good siblings.
It was a sunny afternoon. I found Levina by the pond in the back garden, throwing food to the fish. Her personal nanny and maid, Cecil, stood nearby holding a parasol. When I approached, she flinched and gave me a look as if I were some street thug. What on earth?
“Levina, can we talk?”
Levina glanced at me, then went back to focusing on throwing pieces of bread to the carp in the pond. I decided to sit down beside her and start talking, regardless of whether she was listening or not.
“I don’t know what you think of me but… I want us to get along. The other day, I didn’t refuse your request because I didn’t like you. It was because I care about you.”
It was something like that. In any case, after ignoring me and concentrating on the carp for a long while, Levina finally spoke.
“Really?”
“…What?”
“Do you really want to make up with me?”
…The way she asked made me feel like I had done something seriously wrong. My pride was a little hurt, but I nodded without showing it.
“Of course.”
“Then Brother, can you grant me just one request?”
At some point, she lifted her gaze from the pond and looked up at me with her sparkling, ocean-colored eyes. In moments like these, she really was quite cute.
“Alright. As long as it’s something I can do, I’ll grant your request.”
“Well then… I want to go out into the streets today. There’s a market being held, and it seems like it’ll be fun.”
A thousand thoughts rushed through my mind at once. Well, considering that Levina had only been living with her mother in a commoner village until not long ago, it made sense that she’d be interested in such places. Though it was quite an unusual hobby for a noble lady of a duke’s family. She’d have to start avoiding these kinds of outings eventually, but since she wasn’t planning to sneak out at night and it was broad daylight, I figured this one time would be fine, right?
Therefore, I agreed, and she excitedly jumped up and clung to me. Ooh, she’s cute. At times like these, I could almost understand why Father and Brother had become so doting.
Riding in a carriage with just the two of us, we made our way to the royal capital’s bustling streets. It was chaotic and noisy, but Levina was clearly having a great time.
The main street was lined with stalls, and people dressed in their best clothes were walking around, talking, eating, and selling all sorts of goods. There were trinkets and dolls that young girls would like, as well as many strange and exotic foods I had never seen before.
“Hey, handsome young lord! I’ve got something here that would suit you perfectly!”
As we passed a row of stalls, a merchant who looked strangely like a pirate shouted loudly in our direction. He seemed to be selling rare weapons smuggled in from abroad.
Out of sheer curiosity, I wandered over to inspect the strange, oddly-shaped defensive tools, none of which I could even guess the use for.
That was a mistake. It was a mistake to take my eyes off of Levina for a few seconds.
When I turned my head to look beside me, Levina was already gone.
“Levina?”
I looked around frantically, but no matter how much I scanned the crowds, her long, silver hair was nowhere to be seen among the sea of people. Panic began to surge through me uncontrollably.
In an instant, I had no idea what had happened. I ran all over the market, frantically searching for my missing sister, but she was nowhere to be found. Even as the sun set and red lanterns began to light up across the stalls, there was still no trace of her.
Was this what they meant when they said it felt like your heart was going to burst? I slumped down against a street corner and clutched my head in my hands. How could I have been so stupid? Losing my sister while being distracted by some scammer’s wares. I didn’t deserve to be called an older brother, not by a long shot.
Besides how my family would react, I was worried that she had been kidnapped by thugs. Damn it, damn it, damn…
“Oh, Young Master! There you are! We’ve been looking for you everywhere!”
Huh? I stared blankly at my family’s knights crowding around me. How did they know I was here?
“What are you doing out here, sir? Please head back quickly. We thought something terrible had happened…”
“Wait, I can’t go back yet. I need to find my sister.”
“What? What are you talking about? The young lady returned already.”
What? She went back home? Relief washed over me and all the tension drained from my body. Ah, so she somehow managed to find her way home on her own. Ah, thank goodness. I’m so glad…
The knights exchanged strange glances among themselves for a moment before hastily urging me to return as well. Feeling at ease, I headed back home, thinking that my sister was more capable than I had thought. After all, what noble girl could find her way home from the middle of the capital alone after losing her brother?
As soon as I arrived home, I jumped down from the carriage and ran through the yard. But then, a strange scene greeted me.
The first person I saw was my brother. It was unusual for him to come home this early, but there he was. Feeling a surge of joy, I quickened my pace to greet him—until his cold and piercing gaze turned and stared towards me.
W-What… why does he look so scary…
Smack!
My body shook and my cheek burned. And then—
“Do you have any sense at all?!”
I naturally shrunk back at the thunderous roar.1Can probably also be “I naturally shrunk back at the sound that was like thunder.” My brother was usually calm and composed, and the shock left me paralyzed more than the pain of being hit.
This was the first time my brother had ever raised a hand against me in all our years of living together. Sure, I had done things that deserved punishment when I was younger, but even then, only Father had ever hit me. Now…
“Not only did you take our sister out on your own, you even abandoned her in the middle of the street?!2Or “You took our sister out on your own, and then abandoned her in the middle of the street?!” If you took her, you should’ve watched over her until the end! What would you have done if something had happened to her?!”
