Chapter 7 – Waiting For My Brother’s Return
Since the day she returned here, Bianca has barely seen her eldest brother.
Furthermore, she would typically have meals with her mother and second-eldest brother or frequently by herself, as her father was constantly out and occupied.
In the spacious dining hall, a solitary meal in the middle of studying was not very palatable. The food never tasted good despite being considerably more abundant than at the monastery on the seaside. It was like chewing sand.
Her second brother, Julian, was amicable and cordial yet somewhat elusive.
Ultimately she decided to wait for her eldest brother, Satias, who projected an impassive presence and was extremely difficult to approach, to come home so that she would be taught by him. He was hectic, nevertheless, as a member of the student council at the school. After studying for a while, Bianca wandered around the entrance and awaited her eldest brother’s return. As she expected, he didn’t come home.
While reading her textbook, she dozed off in the salon.
“I heard from Jackson that you were waiting for me.”
Her brother called out to her, awakening her. Jackson was the butler of the house.
“Bianca, were you sleeping? Are you tired?”
The eldest brother, whom she had not seen in a long time despite residing in the same house, voiced mild concern. For some reason, as soon as she spotted his face, relief washed over her. At least he wore a smile that was not made up like those of her mother and second brother. Involuntarily, a complaint about home slipped out of her mouth.
“Hey, Brother. I’m compelled to study from morning till night, but I don’t understand at all, so it’s hard for me.”
Hearing this, Satias slightly raised an eyebrow on one side. He immediately dismissed the servant. With the salon cleared of people, the two were left alone across the table with tea. Regardless, Bianca was oblivious to the situation, and her complaining did not cease like a dam breaking.
“I don’t even recognize the faces of my family, and all of a sudden, Father was berating me for failing the test. And he said, ‘Have you been pouring your knowledge into the sea?’ I have no idea what’s going on anymore. And when I asked Brother Julian about things I didn’t understand, he wouldn’t explain them to me. He always seems very free, but he told me to ask my tutor or you. Even if I asked my tutor, they would give me a look that said, ‘You don’t even know what that is’ and their explanations are so complicated to understand. Hey, what do you think, Brother? Isn’t this terrible?”
When Bianca observed her brother listening to her in amazement, she became agitated.
“Good grief, Brother, are you even listening to me?” she spoke furiously, and her brother, who had been expressionless, suddenly burst out laughing.
“Haha, Bianca, that’s funny.”
Bianca was desperately complaining about her predicament, yet her brother laughed aloud.
“Well, that’s a horrible thing to laugh at!”
Bianca’s eyes were brimming with tears of frustration.
“I understand. When I have time, I’ll teach you.”
For the first time, she heard her brother refer to himself as “I.” And although her eldest brother seemed to be expressionless, it seemed that he could also laugh.
“Then enlighten me, right off the bat.”
Bianca leaned forward as if she would not let him get away, and with that, he said, “Okay,” so readily that it was hard to miss the beat.
“And also, Bianca, don’t speak ill of the family in front of the servants.”
Her brother warned her.
“It’s not like I’m badmouthing them. This is a complaint. It’s so painstakingly harsh that it’s overflowing. Is there a church near this mansion? I think it would calm me down a little if I prayed.”
“You are a chatterbox, aren’t you? It seems as if you are rebounding from not talking before. Okay. Don’t go to church now. You are a nobleman’s daughter. You can’t afford to be out and about. I am reluctant, but I’ll listen to your complaints from time to time.”
Her brother let out a wry smile.
“I see that aristocrats are inconvenienced in various ways. By the way, was I not the type to speak in the past?”
Bianca tilted her head.
“You and I have never had more than the necessary amount of conversation.”
“Well, is that so, aren’t I stressed out by all of this?”
Her brother turned away from her with a huff as Bianca widened her eyes. His shoulders were slightly trembling. He appeared to be suppressing a fit of laughter.
“Aren’t you and Julian chatting a lot, though?” Her brother responded while maintaining a cool head; his bursts of laughter rapidly subsided.
“Indeed, Brother Julian is easy to talk to.”
The second brother was carefree and unreliable. Should he hear a complaint, he would say, “Well, even if you said that to me,” and then escape with a smile on his face.
After that, she studied with her eldest brother for a while before retiring to her bed. Perhaps because she hadn’t conversed with Satias in a considerable amount of time, her anxiety didn’t rear its ugly head that day, allowing her to drift off to a pleasant sleep. It seemed that she was settling into her room, which did not suit her preferences.
