IBYSRHML | Chapter 27

#.27

“Am I someone precious?” That was such a foolish question. I couldn’t understand why Edgar was asking something like that.

“I’m someone very precious to my sisters, my mom, and my dad. Isn’t it the same for you, Edgar?”

“I don’t have a mother or a father.”

“I don’t have a mom or dad either…”

Edgar, seemingly unaware of my circumstances, widened his eyes in surprise.

“My dad passed away before I was born, and my mom died right after giving birth to me.”

At my words, Edgar stared at me blankly.

I glanced at him before quietly pulling his hand and placing a flower petal on his nail.

I hoped it was a staining flower.

That way, we could both have red nails.

“My eldest unnie said that my mom didn’t die because of me but gave her life to protect me. That means I’m a very, very precious child. Isn’t it the same for you, Edgar?”

“I, I…”

Edgar stammered in confusion at my question.

When I looked up, I saw his distressed expression, unsure of what to do.

What should I say to him?

If I were an adult, I would have fully understood the situation and given him a splendid word of comfort.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t an adult.

Thanks to the original novel in my head, I might be a bit more knowledgeable than my age, but that didn’t mean I was far superior to other six-year-olds.

If I had to pinpoint where I stood between six and fourteen…

‘I’m just a kid who overthinks things.’

I didn’t understand exactly what Edgar was feeling, but from his pale complexion, I could tell he was struggling.

So instead of saying something grand like an adult, I decided to comfort him like a child.

“…Huh?”

I stood up and hugged Edgar tightly.

He made a strange sound.

Did he not like being hugged?

Whenever I had a fever or cried after fighting with Antonio, my sisters would hug me like this.

It calmed my troubled heart and gave me the courage to overcome anything, no matter how painful.

“Just because I fought for you doesn’t mean we’re friends, but still, Edgar, you’re someone precious. You know that, right?”

Edgar fidgeted in my arms.

But it felt really strange—awkward and stiff.

It was like hugging a blocky octopus.

As soon as I let go, Edgar gasped and took a step back.

“Edgar?”

The moment I called out to him…

“Huh?”

He ran away!

I watched Edgar’s retreating figure as he dashed away like a startled cat, then placed my hands on my hips and frowned.

Edgar was a liar.

He promised to play house with me, but he didn’t do it at all!

Leopold, having heard about the commotion from the previous day, made a brief visit to Edgar’s palace during lunchtime.

He had been furious upon learning that the palace maids had looked down on a guest from Trovancha. He had considered stepping in himself, but Marius had already handled the situation.

So instead of punishing the maids again, he decided to check on Edgar.

‘He must be feeling really down after hearing something like that.’

No matter how high his status or how powerful he and Marius were, they were still just cousins.

Moreover, Marius wasn’t particularly attentive to Edgar’s well-being.

Before Leopold left for Trovancha, Edgar had always stayed at the Duchy of Baltrahein because Marius preferred to keep him at a distance.

‘How long is Marius going to keep pushing Edgar away?’

Knock, knock.

He knocked, but there was no response. That didn’t mean no one was inside, though.

‘I can sense his presence…’

Normally, Edgar would either respond coldly with “Who is it?” or, recognizing his cousin’s footsteps, open the door immediately.

But today, there was only silence despite the clear signs of someone inside.

Was he deeply wounded by what had happened yesterday?

Concerned, Leopold knocked again and raised his voice.

“Edgar, it’s me, your Hyung Leopold. I’m coming in for a moment.”

After counting a few seconds, Leopold opened the door and stepped inside.

Edgar was curled up under his blanket.

Leopold sighed inwardly. So the careless words of a few maids had done this much damage.

“Don’t cry. It’s nothing to cry about.”

“I’m not crying.”

Edgar snapped from under the blanket.

He didn’t sound happy, but at least he didn’t sound like he had been crying.

“That’s a relief, then.”

Leopold had promised himself to be warm and affectionate when he came to see Edgar.

But the words that came out were as blunt as ever.

He let out a bitter smile at his own incompetence.

Even as an adult, he still didn’t know how to handle moments like this.

‘What would Regina say in a situation like this?’

Until now, he had believed that cousins could never replace parents.

Since they were just cousins, they had no obligation to raise Edgar or dedicate everything to him like parents would.

But that belief had completely changed after witnessing the Berchio family.

‘There are tough times, but… despite that, I’m happy. That’s what family is about.’

The three Berchio sisters had no duty to raise Liliana since they weren’t her parents.

Yet, Alice Berchio had signed a life-altering contract for her youngest sister, and Regina and her twin had taken turns looking after the child.

Not out of obligation or responsibility, but purely out of love.

Because of that, Liliana, unlike Edgar, was brimming with the warmth of having been loved.

‘A true leader cherishes their subordinates, even if they aren’t very capable. My sisters taught Liliana how to read, even when she struggled with it. So Liliana will also teach Edgar how to be loyal to his leader.’

Liliana, obsessed with her “leader” game, constantly quarreled with Edgar.

Even when Edgar played excessive pranks, she would quickly forgive him and play alongside him again.

Leopold had always believed that a child’s eyes and expressions revealed how they had been raised.

And Liliana, even at six years old, knew how to smile and express joy.

Leopold realized too late how children who had been showered with love acted.

Liliana gave Edgar the love she had received from her sisters.

She showed him how to give love, how to apologize first, and how to speak kindly.

Each time Edgar mirrored Liliana’s behavior, Leopold reflected on how negligent and lacking he had been.

“Edgar, I’m sorry.”

Leopold awkwardly patted the blanket-covered Edgar.

At the clumsy yet persistent gesture, Edgar slowly lowered the blanket.

“I’ve been lacking in many ways. I’m sorry.”

“Why are you suddenly apologizing, Hyung?”

“If I had been more attentive yesterday, it wouldn’t have happened—”

“Even if you had paid attention, people who want to insult others will do so anyway. I just happened to hear it because I was unlucky.”

Edgar, speaking with a sharp clarity unbefitting a six-year-old, pressed his lips together and fidgeted with his fingers.

He didn’t even seem to notice the strange red stain on his nails.

Instead, he kept glancing at Leopold, not out of fear, but as if waiting for the right moment.

“If you have something to say, just say it.”

“Hey, um…”

“Yeah?”

“What do you think?”

“About what?”

“Do you think… my mother regretted giving birth to me?”

Edgar, who had finished asking his question in an increasingly smaller voice, gripped the blanket tightly as if finding the situation unbearable. Despite the warm weather, sweat dampened the fabric from being wrapped up in it.

Caught off guard by the unexpected question, Leopold’s face stiffened for a moment, but he responded firmly to Edgar.

“I swear. The princess never regretted giving birth to you, not even once.”

“Why? She died because of me.”

“I don’t know who told you such a thing, but Princess Elisabeth was happy to have you. She was never once troubled by it.”

Leopold pulled Edgar onto his lap, holding the small boy tightly as he spoke each word with careful emphasis.

“The princess loved you. Very much.”

“Me? But she died because of me. Everyone says that if I had never existed, she wouldn’t have died.”

As Edgar hesitated, voicing his rebuttal, Leopold let out a short sigh.

It was clear now that the palace’s discipline had become a mess, likely because Marius had been too occupied consolidating imperial power by dealing with noble factions and rival bloodlines. Or perhaps, while Leopold himself had been supporting Marius in suppressing opposition, Edgar had been left neglected.

“After your father—the Duke of Luntbolle, and my uncle—passed away, the princess fell into great despair, and her health deteriorated severely.”

“Because my parents married for love and not politics?”

“Yes. Normally, members of the imperial family marry into foreign royalty for political alliances, but the previous emperor permitted the princess to marry a noble because of her frail health.”

Leopold continued speaking slowly.

“We all believed the princess would not live much longer. But then, news of you came. Upon learning she was carrying you, she found the strength to endure.”

“My mother?”

The tone of Edgar’s voice, as he asked, was suddenly filled with anticipation.

His green eyes shimmered with hope, and Leopold thought they looked as vibrant as lush greenery.

“Yes. She believed that if she didn’t hold on, you would be lost as well. She fought to survive until she could give birth to you.”

Leopold recalled how Regina treated Liliana and gently stroked his young brother’s head. Though awkward, it wasn’t impossible.

“She didn’t die because of you. She endured because of you. She may not have regained the strength to live long after childbirth, but through sheer love, she created a miracle.”

Edgar’s eyes, which resembled fresh green leaves, sparkled with a light Leopold had never seen before. His plump cheeks flushed red.

“She was deeply saddened that she couldn’t stay with you longer. That’s why, before she passed, she pleaded with Marius and me to take care of you.”

“My… my mother did?”

“You were the princess’s hope. You are proof of a miracle. You were born into immense love.”

At those words, Edgar’s shining eyes overflowed with tears.

Drip, drip—like a sudden downpour, they fell.

Leopold, caught off guard, froze mid-motion as he had been stroking Edgar’s hair. The boy hurriedly wiped his eyes with his sleeve, but it was useless. The more he wiped, the more the fabric became soaked.

“Hkk…!”

For a six-year-old, the way he cried was profoundly sorrowful.

Unconsciously, Leopold pulled Edgar into his arms.

At that moment, Edgar burst into loud, wailing sobs.

No longer was he imitating the composure of an adult, as he had when rebuking the maids. This was the raw, heartrending cry of a child—just like when Liliana sought comfort in her sisters’ embrace.

Children are so delicate, even down to the strands of their hair.

That must be why they are so easily hurt.

Holding his small, young brother close, Leopold swallowed the emotions surging within him, gently offering comfort.