Natasha grumbled at Jerome for no reason.
“Are you sure he’s coming here?”
“Yeah, I’m sure. He said he would.”
The two whispered quietly under their robes.
It was already unpleasant to be out here alone in the market, and Natasha’s irritation grew as Dennis took longer to show up.
“Hey, isn’t that Dennis?”
A glimpse of pale green hair could be seen among the crowd. The characteristic light hair color of the Westerners stood out even from a distance.
“Wait a minute. Who’s that next to him?”
A person with vivid red hair was walking alongside Dennis.
Though the face couldn’t be seen clearly as the person was facing away, their attire suggested they were a noble lady of some sort.
“Well, would you look at that?”
He’d turned down all those introductions, and now it seemed he already had someone.
Jerome also looked surprised, not expecting Dennis’s outings to be for a woman.
After a brief conversation, Dennis and the red-haired woman exchanged farewells and parted ways. Dennis watched her walk away for a moment before heading in Natasha and Jerome’s direction.
Natasha naturally walked past him, pretending to bump her shoulder into his.
“Oh! I’m sorry, I wasn’t watching where I was going… Huh? Dennis? Is that you?”
Jerome, watching from behind, shook his head as Natasha continued her charade with such ease.
“Wow! What a ‘coincidence’ meeting you here! How wonderful!”
The emphasis Natasha put on “coincidence” was clearly not a mistake.
However, Dennis didn’t suspect anything and took the bait right away.
“Wow, is that you, Natasha? How long has it been?”
“About eight years, I guess? Since you entered the Magic Tower when you were around twelve.”
“You look exactly the same as you did when we were kids. You haven’t changed at all.”
Suddenly, Dennis hugged Natasha tightly.
Jerome burst out, scolding, “Hey! Dennis! What are you doing? Hugging like that, two grown adults…!”
“Jerome? What are you doing here?”
“I already had plans with her today. Now, let go!”
Jerome forcefully pushed between Dennis and Natasha, losing his temper. Dennis reluctantly let go, looking upset.
“So, you two were meeting up without me?”
“What? No, it’s not like we were purposely meeting without you… I mean, it was more like a command from my mother…”
“You did meet without me! Jerome, that’s so mean. You knew I wanted to see Natasha!”
“No, I mean, that’s not how it is!”
Jerome tried to explain, but Dennis wasn’t listening at all.
Watching the two bicker, it felt like they had gone back in time.
Back then, Dennis would whine, Jerome would get annoyed, and Natasha would sigh quietly from behind.
Recalling those days, Natasha couldn’t help but smile faintly.
“Since we’ve run into each other, how about we grab some tea?”
Natasha suggested, and Dennis nodded enthusiastically.
“Sounds good! Sounds good!”
He resembled an eager puppy wagging its tail.
***
“…And when I got back from the Magic Tower, the house was in complete chaos! I was so shocked!”
Dennis was still smiling as he spoke, even though his words didn’t seem like they should be spoken with a smile.
“Natasha is no longer considered my sister, Mikhail gets furious whenever her name is mentioned, and my parents have divorced too.”
Each statement was like a bombshell, and Natasha struggled to keep a calm expression.
“Also, they kept showing me pictures of women I don’t know, forcing me to meet them. If I knew things would be like this, I would have stayed in the Magic Tower!”
“…Does none of this bother you?”
Jerome asked sullenly at that moment.
“What is?”
“The fact that Mom and Dad got divorced. I… I was actually really shocked. I was worried you might be surprised too, so I tried hard to keep it a secret.”
“Huh? But I’m a wizard.”
Dennis laughed brightly.
“You know, when you become a wizard, well… how should I put it? Human things like this start to feel a bit vague.”
A wizard, essentially, is a human capable of handling magic.
Magic is a blessing bestowed by the gods, and if those who wield such mighty power were to be swayed by human emotions, the world would be turned upside down a dozen times a day.
Perhaps that’s why. Humans who became wizards seemed completely numb, as if they had undergone some sort of emotional castration.
“I know about that. But you can still feel strong emotions, right?”
Even though he knew this theoretically, wizards were not commonly seen in their daily lives.
That’s why Jerome and Natasha lacked some understanding of Dennis.
“Hmmm~. I don’t know? I really don’t have any thoughts about it.”
“…What?”
“Well, you know. It’s not like they died or anything. Just because they’re divorced doesn’t change the fact that they’re my parents, does it? It’s just that it’s harder to have both of them in the same place at the same time, right?”
Thinking about it so simply made the concept of divorce feel as light as a balloon.
Jerome’s face twisted in a strange way. It was too bizarre for an ordinary human like Jerome to understand.
“Hmm. I actually set this up to let you know that I was the lawyer who handled their divorce… but I guess that wasn’t necessary.”
“I heard you were a successful divorce lawyer, sis. Wow, did you handle our parents’ divorce too? That’s amazing!”
“Huh? Oh, yeah?”
There were rumors that the Magic Tower was full of crazy wizards. It seemed like Dennis had clearly been affected in a bad way by his time there.
‘If you think about it, I played a role in breaking up his family, but he really doesn’t seem to care at all.’
However, even after examining Dennis’s face carefully, there was no sign of displeasure.
Was it because he was a wizard? It wasn’t a human reaction.
“It’s a shame we can’t be real siblings, but that doesn’t change our relationship, so I don’t mind! Oh, but I do prefer you as Natasha Petrov rather than just Natasha.”
Dennis hummed for a moment as if contemplating, then made a bombshell declaration.
“Oh! I know. Why don’t you marry Jerome?”
“Are you crazy?”
“Are you nuts?”
Natasha and Jerome both blurted out profanities simultaneously.
“Why not? Jerome is being pressured a lot by Mikhail to get married anyway. I think Natasha would make a great sister-in-law. Aren’t you two close?”
“We’re not close anymore.”
“Who’s marrying who?”
The two were visibly disgusted, and Dennis tilted his head in confusion.
“Not close? But you two still meet like this, don’t you?”
“That’s… because there’s a long story behind it.”
Natasha couldn’t possibly explain in detail that she made a deal to get a recommendation letter needed to secretly infiltrate the Duke of Richard’s household to help them divorce, so she shortened it.
“But Jerome has liked you since childhood… Mmph!”
“Haha! This cake is delicious!”
“Hmph!”
Jerome rudely shoved a piece of cake into Dennis’s mouth. Natasha just shrugged; it was a scene she had often seen since childhood.
“By the way! Earlier, things seemed good between you and that woman. Who was she?”
Jerome hastily changed the subject. Natasha also wanted to ask the same thing.
“The woman? Oh, you mean Lia?”
‘Lia?’
It sounded like a nickname no matter how she heard it. Just from that, she couldn’t guess who it was.
“The atmosphere was nice.”
“Yeah, it was.”
Dennis smiled broadly.
“I think I’m in love.”
His smile was fresh like a blossoming flower. Jerome was momentarily at a loss for words at that bold declaration.
“Is she a noblewoman?”
“That’s a secret!”
“What secret? Come on, just tell me already!”
Jerome was on the verge of grabbing Dennis by the collar. But Dennis remained firm.
“Nope. I’ll tell you when the time comes, so just wait a bit.”
His laugh was like that of a teenager who had just fallen in love.
A slight anxiety crossed Jerome’s mind, but he tried to ignore it.
“Oh, right! Sis, want to join us for dinner tonight? We haven’t met in a while, so let’s have dinner and maybe play some board games like we used to.”
“Mikhail would be shocked.”
“Hey, what’s the big deal? As long as Father is around, the eldest brother is just another guest, right? Will he really kick out a guest I invited?”
“But Father…”
Jerome couldn’t bring himself to finish his sentence. It wasn’t exactly a secret that Duke Petrov avoided Natasha.
However, as long as there wasn’t a clear ‘banishment order’ against Natasha, who was invited as Dennis’s guest, there was no justification to kick her out.
And since the divorce, Duke Petrov had been wandering around, leaving all his work to Mikhail.
“I do miss Chef Sergei’s cooking.”
“Right? I missed it a lot while I was at the Magic Tower. He’s still as good as ever.”
“Are the board games still there?”
“They’re a bit old, but still there.”
The two were in perfect sync.
In the end, Jerome could only mutter a low warning.
“…I told you, didn’t I? Whatever Mikhail says, I’m not involved.”
But Dennis and Natasha pretended not to hear.
***
The delicate carvings characteristic of the West were intricately etched into the walls. The complex patterns of the carpets and rugs created a dizzying effect.
Where a splendid chandelier used to hang in the Richard Duke’s residence, a finely carved candlestick now stood.
Rather than being luxurious, the mansion had a more antique feel.
“…Nothing has changed.”
Since Natasha left this place, not much had changed.
“This place is always the same.”
Jerome responded, leaning against the door.
“I didn’t expect even the room I used to stay in to be exactly the same.”
“That was Mikhail’s decision.”
“…That Mikhail?”
“I’m not sure what he’s thinking. He still shudders whenever your name comes up, but he also insisted on keeping your room untouched.”
A person’s feelings are always so complex.
To hate someone intensely is not much different from loving them deeply.
“…Maybe he misses the time when you were like siblings.”
Jerome added softly.
“Like I do.”
“You miss those times?”
“Don’t you? We didn’t know anything back then and were just happy.”
Did they? Really?
Natasha held back an answer that was about to come out cynically.
“We were… until before you broke up our family…”
“I think you’re mistaken.”
Natasha coldly cut him off, thinking she no longer had a reason to listen to such nonsense.
“The one who ruined your family wasn’t me, but…”
Just before the sharp words could be exchanged.
“Sis! Have you finished looking around the room?”
Dennis abruptly interrupted.
“Huh? What’s with the atmosphere? The room seems unchanged. Is there a problem?”
At that innocent question, Natasha shook her head.
“No, nothing.”
Natasha brushed past Jerome.
“Let’s go; dinner must be ready by now.”
“Yes! Mikhail will be so surprised to see you!”
• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Esraa• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
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