FWTR Chapter 39

Chapter 39: Brother

“Did you toy with my sister like this as well?”

Lucas had arrived just in time to see Michael whispering closely to Estelle, leading him to mistakenly believe that Michael was harassing her.

“Ah, would a frisbee be better for you, then?”

Michael flicked his fingers and gave a languid smile.

“Answer me!”

Lucas reached for the hilt of the sword at his waist.

Watching them closely, Estelle realized that Lucas—always impatient and quick to anger—was reaching his breaking point.

‘Pulling a sword on a member of the royal family is a grave crime, even for a Winchester.’

She didn’t want things to get complicated by having Lucas imprisoned, nor did she want Michael to get hurt.

So she quickly stepped between them.

“Lucas, stop it immediately. His Highness didn’t do anything to me.”

“You… How do you know that?”

Even though he looked frustrated, Lucas reluctantly returned his sword to its sheath.

“A well-trained dog, I see.”

Michael clapped twice in amusement, which only made Lucas tremble with rage.

“Your Highness, please forgive my brother’s rudeness. I apologize on his behalf.”

Estelle stepped forward and bowed her head to Michael.

“…There’s no need to apologize. I had no intention of making it a problem.”

“Thank you for saying so, Your Highness.”

“Think nothing of it.”

Noticing the fire still burning in Lucas’s eyes, Estelle decided it was best to get him away before things escalated further.

“Thank you for coming, Your Highness. Because of you, my grandfather will rest in peace. It’s time for us to send him off for the last time, so we must go now. I hope to see you again.”

Michael gave her a brief nod, as if telling her to go quickly, and then left in the opposite direction.

—

“Lucas, are you out of your mind? What were you thinking, barging in like that? I told you I wanted to be alone!”

Frustration made Estelle press her throbbing temples.

“Most of the mourners have left, and it’s time to lay Grandfather’s coffin to rest in the cemetery. I came to get you. And besides… don’t you know the rumors about him?”

Lucas, still worked up, tried to justify his actions but then immediately lashed out.

“Rumors?”

“There are already whispers that he has multiple illegitimate children. On top of that, his personality is so terrible that he has an awful reputation. I thought he was trying to lay a hand on you!”

Estelle didn’t put much faith in idle gossip.

“Illegitimate children, huh…? Even when I gave him permission, he got angry—so the idea of such rumors is almost laughable.”

She was sure it was the Empress’s doing, trying to tarnish Michael’s reputation.

“It’s just gossip. There’s no solid proof.”

“Even if it’s not true, rumors like that don’t just appear out of nowhere. And did you not hear him earlier? He told me to fetch a ball!”

Lucas continued badmouthing Michael, his words loud and baseless.

“So, has even a single woman ever claimed to have his child?”

“Well… no, but still, he’s illegitimate. Nothing good will come from being around him.”

Though his anger had simmered down, Lucas still acted as if he had done nothing wrong.

His contempt toward Michael for being a bastard was no different from that of the Duke of Winchester.

‘I’ll have to keep it a secret until it’s officially announced.’

If Lucas reacted like this now, he’d completely lose his mind when he found out she was going to marry Michael.

“Let me be clear. Even if he is illegitimate, he has been officially recognized as royalty. You should be grateful he let your rudeness slide with just my apology.”

Since Michael had no intention of making an issue of it, it seemed he had simply been toying with Lucas.

“Be careful. He may not be so generous a second time.”

Any other member of the royal family would have raised a major scandal over it.

“I’m the second son of Winchester and the new Count of Madel! Who does he think he is—”

“Oh, shut up. Is Winchester royalty? No, they’re just nobles.”

No matter how much protection Winchester and Madel could offer, if Michael officially took issue with it, Lucas wouldn’t walk away unscathed.

“Wait… are you actually worried about me?”

Instead of acknowledging her point, Lucas veered completely off-topic, making Estelle sigh in exasperation.

“Yes. I don’t want you to disgrace Madel after everything Grandfather built. You should know this better than anyone—you’re the Count now.”

Being an heir was one thing, but as the official head of the family, his words and actions had a direct impact on Madel’s future.

Perhaps realizing this, Lucas stopped arguing and silently began walking toward the cemetery.

The grave was nearly ready.

“The work is almost done. You all may go now.”

Lucas dismissed the servants. Now, only the two of them remained in the quiet cemetery, their breaths the only sound in the still air.

“Grandfather, rest in peace.”

As Estelle bowed her head in silent prayer, she suddenly heard the sound of quiet sobbing. Startled, she turned to look at Lucas.

“Is he… crying?”

Just moments ago, he had seemed fine, but now his eyes were red-rimmed with unshed tears.

“I still have so much to learn. I still need him…”

“…Lucas.”

“He left so suddenly… and now, everything is on my shoulders. What am I supposed to do? Grandfather, I… I’m scared. What if I fail?”

Gone was the confident, brash young man—Lucas was now crying openly, raw and vulnerable.

“How did you hold it in? When you were just going to break like this anyway… I thought you weren’t all that sad.”

Estelle gently rubbed his back, trying to comfort him.

“…Some people show sympathy when they see weakness, but others look down on you for it. After my mother’s funeral, I decided never to cry in front of others again.”

“…”

“When you’re in a situation where you can’t help but cry, but you force yourself to hold it in… your mind starts to go blank. To the point where you don’t even know what kind of expression you’re making.”

She hadn’t known. She had always thought Lucas was simply emotionally detached, but there had been a reason behind it.

“Grandfather never approved of me, but he never gave up on me either. Even when he scolded me, he still kept me by his side and taught me. And now, he’s gone. I’ll never see him again… How could I not be sad?”

She had seen him on the verge of tears before, but this was the first time he had ever truly broken down and wept. It was unfamiliar, even strange.

“Then… does that mean he held back at my funeral too?”

Had he wanted to cry but forced himself to hold it in, afraid of showing weakness?

“I hope so.”

More than Rachel, who hadn’t even attended her funeral… more than the Duke of Winchester, who had greeted mourners with a perfectly composed face…

Lucas’s expression that day—just waiting for it all to be over—had left the deepest wound in her heart.

Even though she knew it was a meaningless question, Estelle couldn’t stop herself from asking.

“Lucas. If I die, will you be this sad too?”

“…What?”

“If I die, will you hold it in, only to cry later?”

Lucas’s voice trembled as he wiped his tears, his gaze snapping to her.

“You… You’re not thinking of anything stupid, are you? Why would you ask that…?”

“I’m just curious.”

His lips pressed together so tightly they turned white, and he bit down hard enough to draw blood. His hands trembled violently as he wiped away his remaining tears.

“Estelle… Like you said, I’m the Count of Madel now. I can’t protect things the way Grandfather did, but… I’ll try.”

“…”

“When he passed, he entrusted Madel and you to me. I know I’ve treated you horribly. I don’t expect you to act like it never happened, and I don’t expect you to forgive me.”

Estelle didn’t say anything, letting him speak.

“You can hate me as much as I hated you. If that helps you feel better, I’ll take it. Just… don’t ask me that again.”

“…Why?”

“Because even imagining it is unbearable!”

His voice cracked with raw emotion.

“You… You don’t know, do you? The time you left that letter… the time you took those sleeping pills and lost consciousness… Do you have any idea how terrified I was…?”

A will? Sleeping pills?

No matter how hard she searched her memory, she couldn’t remember that.

His hands were shaking violently, his pupils filled with sheer panic.

Not all of her pain had disappeared. One conversation couldn’t erase years of suffering.

She might never be able to forget.

“…You were just a child who missed your mother, weren’t you?”

Losing someone suddenly was far worse than never having them at all. Lucas had tried to fill that emptiness with hatred.

“I was wrong, Estelle. This isn’t an apology just to ease my own guilt. Mother told me that I would have a younger sibling soon and that I had to protect them. I failed to do that. I’m sorry.”

If she wanted to move forward, she had to start by letting go of the past.

“I’ve inherited Ruewenbine, but for now, I’ll hand over the acting head authority to you.”

Originally, it had belonged to Lucas anyway. Besides, she knew nothing about governing a border territory. Even if she studied diligently, it would be impossible to manage it properly on her own. She needed someone reliable to help her.

“…If you really mean that, then protect me from now on, Brother.”

For the first time, she called him by a title she had once vowed never to use.

“…Thank you, Estelle.”

Lucas broke down again, crying for a long time.

And this time, Estelle simply waited beside him in silence.

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