Chapter 124
“…It’s hard, but what can I do? I have to work hard if I want to learn from the beginning.”
Since Hestia started staying in Winston, the interaction between Frost and Winston became more frequent.
Thanks to that, Luciard and Elvin had grown close—almost like real brothers.
Luciard glanced at Elvin’s desk. It was covered in papers and books, all filled with handwritten notes and signs of wear.
Seeing this, Luciard smiled slightly.
“You’re really studying hard, huh?”
Elvin, embarrassed by Luciard noticing, quickly started tidying up the messy books and documents.
“I’ve still got a long way to go if I want to catch up to my sister. She could probably handle this stuff without even opening a book.”
Luciard paused, noticing the mix of jealousy and low self-esteem in Elvin’s voice. Then he spoke.
“Well… yeah. If it’s Tia, she probably would figure it out right away.”
Elvin’s grip on the documents tightened.
“But did you know? Tia sometimes makes mistakes too.”
Elvin’s eyes widened in shock.
“…My sister makes mistakes?”
“Yeah. I used to think she was so meticulous she never would. But now and then—maybe once a month—she slips up.”
Elvin was surprised by how often that was. To him, Hestia had always seemed perfect—irritating but flawless.
“She usually works well, but once in a while, she lets her guard down or mixes things up because she has so much on her mind.”
“What if something serious happened because of that…?”
“I catch it before that happens.”
“So she doesn’t even know she made a mistake?”
“Nope. I fix it before she double-checks her work. One time, she even got excited, saying she hadn’t made a mistake in a while.”
Elvin pictured Hestia messing up and let out a small laugh. Luciard smiled at the sound.
“Tia’s human too, you know.”
Elvin laughed, shaking his shoulders, then looked up at Luciard.
“She just works incredibly hard and puts in a huge effort to maintain her position.”
“…Yeah.”
“Do you know how much she works every day?”
“Sort of… Even before she became a guardian, she used to come home really late.”
“But you’ve never seen her working up close, right?”
Elvin nodded.
“She starts her day at 6 a.m.”
After eating breakfast with everyone, she goes straight to work. She usually eats a quick lunch in her office.
“She doesn’t go to the dining hall for lunch?”
“I suggested it many times, but she says it wastes time. So she usually eats something quick like a sandwich.”
Then she works all afternoon without breaks.
“Basil and I take short breaks, but Tia doesn’t. Unless she’s going to the restroom or grabbing a piece of chocolate, she just keeps working.”
She has dinner with Leon at 7 p.m., spends time with him until 8:30, then goes back to work until 11 p.m.
“Wait… so excluding meals and short breaks…”
That means she works almost 12 hours a day.
Elvin did the math for himself and fell silent.
“That’s not human.”
“Nope.”
“And this is less than she used to do.”
“This is less?”
“She used to work until 2 a.m. She’d get nosebleeds or faint at least once a week. I reduced her workload because I was afraid she’d collapse from overwork.”
“I didn’t know she was pushing herself that much.”
“Yeah. She doesn’t even realize it herself. Watching her work that hard right next to me is honestly nerve-wracking.”
Luciard sighed.
“One day, I asked her why she worked herself so hard.”
“…What did she say?”
“She said it’s because she wants to live a long, happy life with her family.”
Elvin’s eyes wavered.
Luciard still didn’t fully understand her. If all she wanted was a happy life with family, why work so insanely hard?
She had already achieved so much and didn’t need to push herself anymore.
Yet sometimes, she seemed like someone constantly running from something, always uneasy.
“Though lately, she’s been more at peace.”
Still, it was clear that her biggest motivation was her family.
“From the outside, she looks amazing and like she does everything easily. But if you look closely, she works hundreds of times harder than anyone else.
If you really want to follow in her footsteps, you should look closely at the kind of effort she’s put in.”
Elvin suddenly felt ashamed of himself.
He had only been jealous of what she’d achieved, without knowing the kind of effort she’d made.
The more he worked, the more he felt he couldn’t match her—but he’d barely done even half of what she had.
“…Thanks, bro. You really opened my eyes.”
Unlike earlier, Elvin’s eyes now sparkled with determination. Luciard patted his head.
“It’s okay. I get it. Really.”
Feeling comforted, Elvin smiled.
“Hey, Luciard.”
“Yeah?”
“You’re the only one who can handle my workaholic sister.”
Luciard flinched.
“Instead of talking nonsense about her quitting her guardian role or whatever, just hurry up and take her away already.
No one in our family would object. Even Dad secretly likes you a lot.”
Luciard was at a loss for words for a moment, then let out a small, awkward laugh.
“You say stuff like that so casually even though you know what kind of relationship Tia and I have?”
Elvin knew about their fake engagement.
At first, he hated watching them act like a couple—but now, here he was encouraging marriage.
“I just can’t imagine anyone else being with my sister but you.”
Luciard felt something strange—like he was being accepted by her family before her.
“Honestly, who else could be with her?”
“…You’re not just saying this because you’re worried she’ll never get married, right?”
“Not me, at least.”
Then is someone else worried? Luciard wondered, confused, as Elvin snickered.
“At first, I thought this whole fake couple thing was ridiculous. But after watching you two, you actually suit each other.
And now you even call her by a nickname. Doesn’t that mean you’re closer now?”
“Well…”
Luciard had been shy about it at first, but now it felt natural.
And yes, they had gotten closer—though not in a romantic way.
“If you really don’t like her, I won’t push you. But honestly, she’s great, right? She’s pretty enough, has a good personality, and works so well it’s almost a problem.
Oh—and don’t tell her I said any of this.”
Elvin didn’t want Hestia to know he’d complimented her.
Then he noticed Luciard wasn’t denying anything—his ears were even turning red. Elvin grinned.
“My sister’s completely clueless when it comes to romance, so you’ve gotta be straightforward with her.”
“Ahem… I didn’t say anything.”
“I’m just telling you how to handle her, in case you ever want to. And don’t worry about misunderstandings.
If she really doesn’t like someone, she shuts them down immediately.
The fact that she even went along with this whole fake engagement must mean she at least likes you a little, right?”
Luciard said nothing, just listening carefully.
Elvin noticed and started giving him “tips” on how to win her over.
“She’s actually never dated anyone, so if you push just a little—”
“What are you two doing?”
A voice cut through their whispering. Both Elvin and Luciard jumped and clung to each other.
“W-Whoa! Sis! You should’ve made some noise!”
“What for? So, what were you two talking about?”
Luciard broke into a cold sweat as Elvin scrambled for an excuse.
“It’s a guy thing.”
“…What’s that supposed to mean?”
“There is such a thing. Anyway, are you done talking?”
“Ah, yeah. I finished the conversation and was about to look around a bit more.”
“Perfect timing. I had some errands outside too, so I was thinking of going out with you.”
Just then, Raven approached from behind Hestia.
“Young Master, I just checked over everything, and there’s nothing more for me to handle. Since the young lady is here after a long time, why don’t you take the rest of the day off? Or better yet, why not personally show her around Byron?”
Elvin now knew more about Byron’s business than Hestia did, so he could explain many things to her.
Realizing that Raven was purposely giving him some time with Hestia, Elvin hesitated for a moment.
After the talk with Luciard, he was starting to feel guilty about how cold he’d been to her earlier.
But Luciard placed a supportive hand on his shoulder, encouraging him, and Elvin nodded.
“Well… if you need my help, I’d be happy to assist.”
Hestia’s eyes widened.
Just earlier, she’d felt like he was pushing her away, but now…
She spotted Luciard behind Elvin holding up a finger, as if saying “mission accomplished,” and figured he must have cleared up the misunderstanding.
“Wow, even though I visit from time to time, it’s been over two years since I was last in Byron. There’s a lot I don’t know anymore. Elvin, can I count on you to show me around?”
Hestia was purposely boosting his confidence, and Elvin’s lips twitched with pride.
“Follow me! I’ll give you the full tour.”
He puffed up his chest and looked like he was ready to march right out.
The adults watching had to stifle their laughter at his enthusiasm.
So, the four of them headed out together.
Their first stop was a jewelry shop.
There were many jewelers in Byron because of all the designers, but this particular shop was run by the head of the local jewelers’ guild.
The shop owner, who had been greeting customers as usual, lit up when he recognized the familiar faces—especially Hestia, who came in last.
“Miss Hestia! Welcome! It’s been such a long time!”
“How have you been?”
“Very well, thanks to you! The high-quality gemstones you helped us obtain have brought Byron a sudden boom in business. Please, come this way!”
Wanting to talk more in detail, the owner guided them into the VIP room.
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• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Freya• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
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