When he heard those words, Enoch felt his whole body go stiff.
Brother?
Of course, it was true that there were a few people who could be considered so when looking at the family tree.
However, Letina had never once referred to him in connection with the children of the palace.
She did not mistreat her husband’s children, but she did not regard them as her own either. Therefore, it was only natural that she thought of them separately from her one and only child.
Even though Enoch knew that she was indifferent toward him, he felt a sense of relief that she did not show interest in anyone else. It was a somewhat petty thought, but at his immature age, he couldn’t help it.
But Letina had referred to the man beside her as his brother.
Could that statement actually be true? Enoch thought of Bertina, who had pouted her lips. Could Mother really be referring to one of her stepsons?
Even though she had never come to see me.
At that moment, a wave of heat surged up to the top of his head.
He thought he had become accustomed to indifference and contempt, but what he felt in that moment was something entirely new. It was a heat he had never experienced before, but Enoch realized at once that it was jealousy.
As he lowered his head to hide his intense emotions, the man took a step closer and spoke.
“Kinas Nasant.”
It was a name that was not particularly familiar, but there was something vaguely recognizable about the voice. Enoch instinctively lifted his head, his eyes widening in surprise.
Standing next to Letina was a young man who looked exactly like the emperor.
Although he was called the young emperor, Enoch knew that this man was not Eben.
Yet he looked so much like the emperor. Among the children with fiery red hair and turquoise eyes, there was no one who resembled their father as much as this man. He was the very image of a young Eben.
Because of that, Enoch forgot his rudeness and examined the man’s overly pale skin and his strikingly beautiful eyes. Those were features he had often seen on one particular man’s face.
If you removed the emperor’s characteristic contempt and signs of aging, and replaced them with irritation, the man standing in front of him would be the result.
As Enoch absorbed the unbelievable resemblance, he rummaged through his mind. Kinas, Kinas Nasant.
In terms of birth order, he was the prince just above him. However, Enoch had not realized that he looked so much like their father.
Although he did not often encounter his brothers, all of the emperor’s children gathered for official events. Enoch had seen the faces of his half brothers during the New Year’s and Harvest Festivals and had roughly memorized those who stood out, with Iliad being one of them.
Yet no matter how much he tried to recall, he had never seen this man before.
Perhaps feeling frustrated by her son’s blank expression, Letina scolded him.
“Hey, you need to greet him.”
Only then did Enoch remember that Letina had introduced this man as his brother and said, “I am Enoch Inovis Nasant.”
His voice was gruff since it was not a particularly pleasant encounter. Letina frowned as if displeased by his tone, but she did not correct him.
Instead, she naturally extended her hand to the young man standing beside her. The Fourth Prince silently offered his arm to her.
Placing her hand gently on him, as one might do with a lover, she said, “We will be walking through the forest a bit longer. What about you?”
We? Upon hearing that, Enoch almost asked back without thinking. We, Mother? Why are you saying ‘we’ with that man?
He found the Fourth Prince, who resembled the emperor; he hated him so much, bothersome. Of course, that was not the only reason, but it was the least embarrassing one.
Furthermore, Letina treated the Fourth Prince as if he were her own child. Enoch could read affection in her gestures, tone, and expressions.
No. Letina did not treat her own child like that.
Realizing what he was most fixated on, Enoch bit his lower lip.
“I’m going back to my palace now.”
“Really? Alright.”
Her tone held no hint of disappointment. As Letina naturally shifted her gaze elsewhere, she added almost carelessly, “Next time, take some attendants with you and dress properly.”
ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚
After that, Enoch did not seek out Letina.
Before, he had constantly gone to her, trying to block her from leaving the palace at night.
Dressed more extravagantly than during the day, Letina visited the Emperor’s palace every night. The emperor would not let her in, citing the late hour. Meanwhile, he continually summoned dancers and musicians, forcing Letina to stand outside as people passed her by.
Watching that cold reception was always painful. Therefore, Enoch often positioned himself in front of her. Of course, he had never succeeded in stopping her.
However, that one encounter in the forest hurt more than all those failures combined.
What struck him was a different kind of pain from anything he had felt before. It was not loneliness, longing, shame, or humiliation.
It was betrayal, jealousy, and inferiority.
Even while watching the emperor, Enoch had never felt those emotions. What Letina gave the emperor and what he desired from her were different in nature.
Yet the Fourth Prince was in the same position. Even though he was twenty-four, he was still essentially like a son to Letina.
But how could she keep that man beside her instead of me?
Just thinking about that made his chest hot and his throat tight. Enoch remained locked in his room, continually brooding over the surging emotions. No matter how he tried to suppress them, they swirled around his heart.
So, Enoch did not go to Letina. He hated her.
But Letina didn’t care at all about how he felt. It wasn’t just her; everyone felt the same.
The only one who came to find him while he was holed up in the palace was Bertina.
When he had not appeared in the abandoned garden for a long time, Bertina came directly to his palace.
Though he did not particularly want to see Bertina, Enoch could not refuse her visit. He was simply too desperate for company.
So, he opened the door to the room where he had been holed up and let the girl in.
As soon as Bertina entered the room and saw his face, she asked, “Hey, is something wrong?”
He intended to reply, “Of course not,” but as soon as he heard her, his nose began to tingle. Enoch frowned.
Seeing the strange expression on his face, which was neither crying nor anything else, Bertina stepped closer.
“Are you crying? Is something really wrong?”
“Who’s crying…”
However, he couldn’t finish that sentence because hot tears were streaming down his cheeks.
Bertina seemed genuinely startled to see the thick drops of tears falling. Even though they had fought before, Enoch had never shown this kind of vulnerability.
In front of him, who was hastily raising his hand to cover his face, Bertina stood there at a loss for words. “Hey, hey, stop crying. Why are you crying?”
“You can’t just control that, you know?”
Her tone was sharper than usual, but it sounded pitiful, laden with emotion. Enoch thought she would mock him in her own way, but that did not happen.
Instead, she awkwardly rubbed his back with her stiff hands. It was clear she had never done anything like that before, but strangely, it felt warm, and Enoch could only cry harder.
After a long while, having cried enough to soak his face, he finally pushed the girl away.
“Okay, that’s enough.”
It was a bit ungrateful to say such a thing to the comforting hands he had just moments ago welcomed. However, rather than getting upset, Bertina asked again.
“Did something really happen?”
It was one of the kindest things she had ever said.
Avoiding her gaze, Enoch replied, “You were right.”
“What do you mean?”
“You said it yourself. That my mother is getting close to some prince.”
That was true.
As he tried to speak in a calm tone, Bertina asked, But you said that wouldn’t happen?
“You said so last time.”
“And you got mad because you thought I didn’t believe you.”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
The girl trailed off unexpectedly. Enoch apologized to her.
“Anyway, I’m sorry. You were right.”
“Hey, hey. There’s no need to apologize for something like that.”
Despite usually trying to get an apology for trivial matters, Bertina waved her hand dismissively. It’s fine, so don’t worry about it. It was her way of comforting him.
