“How is Luciard’s condition?”
Icarus, who had been smiling until just a moment ago, stiffened his expression. The physician wiped away a cold sweat and replied.
“…It’s not good. He’s malnourished, and he has too many bruises. It will take some time for him to recover. Also, I noticed signs of a previous bone fracture.”
Icarus frowned slightly as he looked at the child’s arm, which was in a splint.
“If he had suffered another serious injury, he might have been permanently disabled. For now, he should rest for a month and avoid overexertion.”
“How long will it take for him to fully recover?”
“Considering the malnutrition… it will take about two to three months. I will instruct the chef to prepare nutritious meals that are easy to digest.”
“…Alright. You may go now.”
The physician bowed and left the room. Icarus rubbed his face and looked down at Luciard.
‘This was something I should have noticed at a glance.’
Luciard’s shoulders were so thin that they could be grasped with one hand.
Even Hestia, who was two years younger, wasn’t in such a state.
“Luciard, does it hurt?”
Flora was gently putting ointment on Luciad’s back, tears running down her cheeks.
Unused to receiving such attention and concern, Luciad nodded awkwardly.
“More importantly, I heard there’s a banquet. Shouldn’t you… no, shouldn’t my lady go to attend that?”
“Call me sister-in-law, Luciard.”
“…Sister-in-law.”
“How could I go knowing that you’re in such pain? You’ve been through a lot, haven’t you?”
“Well, yes, but…”
Even though he awkwardly tried to brush it off, Icarus spoke to Luciard again.
“Luciard, are you uncomfortable anywhere?”
“The doctor examined me, so I’m fine now.”
“…We’ve captured all the people you mentioned. We’ll investigate the neglect and abuse you’ve endured and decide what punishment they deserve.”
Luciard, who had been barely managing to hold back his emotions, stiffened his face.
“We’ll do as you wish. Is there anything you want?”
Luciard clenched his fists tightly.
His gaze blazed, and his fists trembled. Remembering what he had gone through stirred up his anger once again.
But soon he exhaled deeply and calmed himself.
“Can I think about it a little longer?”
“…Of course. There’s plenty of time, so take your time.”
Icarus kindly patted Luciard’s head.
Just then, someone knocked on the door.
“Excuse me, Your Grace. It’s time for you to attend the banquet.”
Icarus had briefly appeared at the banquet earlier, but he had only handled the situation with Derrick and Victor. In fact, his sole reason for attending was to bring Hestia.
“…I suppose I have no choice. Flora, let’s go.”
Just as he reached out his hand to Flora, Icarus noticed her tear-streaked face and hesitated.
“Shall we change and get ready before going?”
Gently comforting her as she was still distressed, Icarus left the room.
Now, only Luciard and Hestia remained.
Hestia hadn’t said a word, overwhelmed by the tenderness between Icarus and Flora.
The two children’s eyes met.
Hestia glanced over Luciard’s body.
She had noticed in the storage room earlier, but seeing him now, the bruises all over his body were much worse than she had imagined.
“That must hurt.”
Hestia said as she approached Luciard. He shrugged indifferently and put on his shirt.
“I’m used to it.”
“You shouldn’t get used to things like that. Who likes being in pain?”
“…”
Seeing Hestia sit on the couch next to him, Luciard fell into deep thought. He had an expression she couldn’t quite read, so Hestia asked.
“Will you forgive them?”
“Who? The ones who did this to me?”
For a moment, Luciad seemed confused, but then his face twisted in disbelief.
“I thought you were considering forgiveness.”
“Do I look like someone with such a good nature?”
No.
Seeing the scheming look on his face, she realized her worry was unnecessary.
‘He doesn’t seem like someone with a gentle nature.’
“In fact, my brother called the servants who harassed me earlier. They were trembling and groveling on the floor. They looked like completely different people.”
Those who had always boasted confidently in front of him had bowed their heads and begged for forgiveness before Icarus.
Even though Luciard was the one who had suffered, they were not asking him for forgiveness, but Icarus.
Only then did Luciard realize.
“If you just endure it, people will think you’re an easy target.”
“An easy target… where did you learn that?”
“They kept calling me a pushover.”
‘What kind of things are they teaching these kids?’
It was bad enough that they physically abused a child, but teaching them this? It was beyond reprehensible.
“Even if it’s because they fear my brother and not me, having a strong brother by my side is still my power, right?”
“That’s true.”
“I won’t be a victim anymore. I’m sick of living like that.”
He was now a completely different person from the timid boy he had been just moments ago. He looked much better this way.
‘Somehow, he reminds me of my younger self.’
It’s not easy for a young girl who has just become an adult to take care of her younger siblings after losing her parents and everything else.
Without a solid support system, there were plenty of people who looked down on her and those who sought to exploit her weaknesses.
In order to protect the little she had left, she had to change herself first.
“Then why did you say you needed time to think earlier?”
“I’m thinking about a more severe punishment. Flora… I mean, my sister-in-law told me what kind of punishment could be imposed. Want to hear it?”
“Uh… no, I don’t really want to know.”
She didn’t even want to imagine what horrifying punishment could have come from Flora’s kind face.
Luciard seemed slightly disappointed but didn’t press the matter further.
An awkward silence fell between them.
After all, it had only been an hour since Hestia met Luciard, and their first encounter wasn’t exactly pleasant.
‘So, what do you think of our Luciard?’
No, please. Evil spirit, get out of my head.
Just thinking about the possibility of being connected to him through an engagement made her feel nauseous.
‘And what’s with this talk of an engagement to a little brat…’
“Thank you.”
While Hestia was lost in her thoughts, a sudden voice of gratitude snapped her back to the present.
Hestia blinked in surprise and looked at Luciard.
His face reddened slightly as he scratched his cheek.
“…If it weren’t for you, I probably would have locked myself in my room and wouldn’t have even tried talking to my brother.”
“…I didn’t do much.”
She was genuinely shocked. She never imagined she would hear a thank you from Luciard.
With his prickly demeanor, she thought he was the last person to ever utter such words.
‘But I don’t hate it.’
A slight smile tugged at Hestia’s lips.
“Anyway, thanks. I was taught that if you receive help, you should express gratitude.”
“Who taught you that? The Duchess?”
“How did you know?”
“The Duke was with me the whole time, so it had to be the Duchess.”
“Is that so?”
As Luciard awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, his eyes met Hestia’s. Both of them burst into laughter without any prompting.
“What are you planning to do from now on?”
“What do you mean?”
“You know… things you want to do in the future, or if you want to become something.”
More specifically, whether he still planned to run away in two years.
Had today’s events not unfolded, Luciard would have likely left the house two years later, just as originally planned.
But now the future had changed.
The Winston brothers had resolved their misunderstandings, and Icarus would take good care of Luciard until he became an adult.
No one could predict how the future would unfold now.
‘That’s why I need to ask.’
What was Luciard thinking now?
Luciad thought carefully about Hestia’s question before finally speaking.
“I’m not sure. Honestly, if I hadn’t cleared things up with my brother, I might have run away from this house.”
“You can’t do that!”
Hestia cried out in a hurry, causing Luciad to blink in surprise.
He soon let out a small chuckle and waved his hand dismissively.
“I don’t think like that anymore.”
Hestia sighed in relief.
“What would you even do out there? I’ve heard that if you don’t have money, it’s hell outside.”
“I know. But I used to think that living freely out there would be better than staying in this hell.”
Hestia saw the blue bruise peeking out from his sleeve and pressed her lips together.
“But now, my brother promised to never let something like that happen again, so I suppose I should trust him. Though, if something similar happens, I don’t know what I’ll do.”
“So, what are your plans if things get better?”
“Well… My sister-in-law suggested I learn swordsmanship.”
“Swordsmanship?”
“Yeah. She said that as long as I can defend myself, no one can touch me.”
“Swordsmanship isn’t a bad idea.”
“What do you think?”
“Me? About what?”
“I haven’t had a proper education, so I don’t know what I should learn. I thought you might have some ideas. What should I learn in the future?”
“Hmm…”
Honestly, Hestia didn’t know the answer either.
She had never been to an academy, and her education was limited to basic culture that even minor nobility could easily acquire.
After her parents passed away, her situation only worsened, and she never had the chance to learn anything that could raise her value.
Now, she was still young and hadn’t received much education.
However, she had learned something by observing other nobles while working as a maid.
“Swordsmanship is good, but it’s also important to learn basic knowledge. Nobles value intelligence more than physical powers. If you’re seen as ignorant, people won’t treat you as an equal.”
Right now, few in the kingdom would dare to mistreat him, especially with Icarus backing him. But a warning never hurt.
“If you want to catch up to others, you’ll have to work hard from now on.”
“…I see.”
“If you’re really unsure, why not ask the duke? He probably knows more than I do.”
“Yeah, I’ll keep that in mind.”
“And whatever happens from now on, I’m sure you’ll do well.”
“Why do you think that?”
“You managed to survive in a place like hell, didn’t you?”
Luciad’s blue eyes wavered at her unexpected response.
“Wasn’t it tough for you?”
“…It was.”
“Whenever things get hard or tiring, just think of everything you’ve already gone through. Then it won’t feel like such a big deal.”
This advice was meant for both Luciad and Hestia herself.
After all, whenever she recalled the twelve years of struggle after her parents’ death, her current days seemed peaceful in comparison.
Luciad, mulling over her words, let out a bitter laugh.
“You’re right. No matter what happens from now on, nothing will surpass the hell I went through during those ten years.”
“Right? So don’t worry too much. It’s not that big of a deal.”
Luciad found it almost amusing how Hestia managed to brush away his worries with just a few words.
It was hard to believe that the girl in front of him was two years younger than him.
“…No matter how I look at you, you don’t seem like someone my age.”
Hearing Luciad mutter that, Hestia inwardly panicked and turned her head as if she hadn’t heard him.
“Hey, would you two like to join the banquet as well?”
Right on time, Flora and Icarus entered the room, having changed into their formal attire.
Sensing the warm atmosphere in the room, both of them smiled in contentment.
“Hestia, are you sure you don’t want to reconsider my offer?”
“Aah! I think my parents are calling me! I’ll be off now!”
Hestia quickly made her escape, pretending she hadn’t heard anything.
Icarus burst out laughing, clutching his stomach, while Flora looked disappointed. Meanwhile, Luciad, who didn’t know what was going on, tilted his head in confusion.
“What offer?”
“Oh, well…”
Icarus explained the engagement proposal he had made to Hestia earlier. It was only then that Luciad realized he was the one being proposed as Hestia’s fiancé.
“Luciad, wouldn’t you like that too?”
Icarus looked at his younger brother with twinkling eyes, but his expression froze.
Luciad was making the exact same disgusted face as Hestia had earlier.
“Sigh, I’ll just pretend I didn’t say anything.”
Watching his brother walk off ahead of him, Icarus stood there in a daze for a moment.
“Wow… How are the two of them so similar? They’re a perfect match!”
…Unfortunately, it seemed that the feelings of the two did not reach him.
This chapter was adorable, thank you so much!