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A gathering of the family took place not long after my father got back.
“I’ve already heard the story.”
Contrary to my expectations and suspicions that it might be a marriage fraud, Prince George turned out to be a much more sane person than I thought.
“Anyway, you’re right. How is it that they can just show up out of the blue and do something like this?”
“Isaac.”
My mother scolded my brother, who was fuming after hearing it. Isaac didn’t find out about this until after he was caught by Sir Cromwell, his mentor.
“An official letter of apology has already been sent about that, so I don’t think we should bring it up again now.”
It seemed as though neither mom nor dad could easily refuse, saying that adults have adult reasons. Everyone seemed to dislike him for some reason, but my dad asked Clara what she thought.
“Clara, what do you want to do?”
“I……”
Although she has received countless confessions so far, Prince George is the first person to publicly ask Clara’s older sister for her hand in marriage.
Even my older sister, who is usually good at saying no, couldn’t hide how embarrassed she was this time. Still, she wasn’t in a favourable mood based on how she acted, so she was about to let it go for a while.
“I think he’s a good marriage partner.”
I raised my head at the sudden remark. It was no one else but Theo, who looked straight at Clara and started talking nonsense.
“As far as I know, Saturion is a very wealthy country, but as Prince George said, it is weak in the medical field.”
Even though I tried to stop her, it didn’t work, and I had no idea what she was talking about when she suddenly started talking about how great this marriage proposal was.
“If you have finished speaking, I will excuse myself first.”
“Theo?”
Theo was the first to get up and leave his parents, who felt guilty. It’s up to me to go after a fool like that.
“I will follow him.”
My parents nodded and looked after Clara once more.
It was hard for me to keep up with him because he moved so quickly.
“Brother! Just stop there!”
“Don’t follow me.”
My older brother, who had a voice like my dad’s, didn’t care that I was following him. He just went to his room. In the end, I ignored all manners and ran down the hallway as fast as I could, barely managing to grab Theo by the hem of his clothes.
“I told you to stop!”
“Let me go!”
Brother Theo roughly shook my hand away. But without so much as batting an eye, I grabbed Theo’s hem once more and pulled with all my might.
I think it would be refreshing to know the reason why this frustrating person is like this. Only then did Theo stop walking, but he still didn’t look at me.
“Brother. Why are you doing this?”
“Prince George has a wide network of people and has deep exchanges with the capital’s nobles.”
“I can guarantee you that he is not the person you are worried about.”
“What am I worried about?”
Brother Theo bit his lip and recited Prince George’s profile.
“This Prince George of Saturion has clean relationships with women, and he has no strange rumours. He is on good terms with his brother, who will eventually become king, and he is the kind of person who wants nothing more than to become prime minister in the future so that he can help the country become more prosperous and powerful.”
My brother didn’t know how to figure everything out in such a short period of time, but he didn’t forget even the most trivial things, such as putting milk in his tea first or that he hated cucumber sandwiches just like Clara.
“He is a young man in good health. He is not the kind of person who would make his wife look bad for no reason.”
I didn’t know what to say when I looked up at my brother’s face to ask if he was really crazy.
Even though he says that, his face is very messed up, and he bites his lip so much that it has marks on his teeth. Even if he says it with eyes that look like they’re about to eat the enemy, it doesn’t make any sense.
I don’t know why my brother goes to such lengths to praise someone who might be his rival.
Theo was angry, but he was trying to hold it back by gritting his teeth. He looked at me and tried to smile.
“I’m sorry. Because I didn’t meet your expectations.”
“Brother.”
Before I knew it, it started to snow heavily in the winter outside the window. The rain became thicker, and black clouds obscured the moon.
Is Theo the type of person who bites his lips and can’t say anything instead of crying? Before I knew it, the raindrops filled the window and flowed endlessly like thick tears.
* * *
He vaguely knew that one day this kind of moment would come.
– Her name is Clara, and as of today, she will be a part of our family.
He still clearly remembers the day they first met. It was the first time in a long time that a smile had appeared on the face of his mother, who had been losing more and more vitality since the birth of her child, Louise.
Clara, who was sad and holding her mother’s hand tightly, went to Valentine’s mansion for the first time in her black mourning clothes and was scared.
– The Duchess felt bad that she was alone because all of her family had died, so she took her home herself.
– She seems to be a lucky person, not only because she was the only one to survive the accident, but also because the Valentine family took her in as their own daughter.
Although he didn’t understand everything the insensitive adults were talking about, he was still able to understand the gist of it.
The child, who lost her whole family, is in a place she didn’t know and was afraid. People say that Clara is lucky.
Since his parents have decided to accept Clara into their family, it is up to him, as the eldest son, to take care of his new sibling. Theo, who was soon to be the successor of the Valentine family, spoke first to Clara, who bowed her head in a dignified manner.
– Hello, Miss Clara. My name is Theo.
The scared girl turned her head when she heard Theo’s voice. The memory of the first time he saw those wet, dark eyes could not be erased.
He didn’t know what that feeling was at the time. Even though the Valentine Mansion was a new place for Clara, she adapted so quickly.
Pretty dresses and delicious food. Clara’s skinny cheeks soon became plump. Unlike Louise, who was already starting to cause trouble and couldn’t even speak even though he was older, she really liked her brother, who was so calm and called brother.
The happiness didn’t last long. Less than a year after Clara came to her mansion, the Duchess gave birth to the daughter she had longed for.
The entire family was engulfed in a festive mood at the birth of the first princess in a hundred years. While everyone was happy, Clara was nowhere to be seen.
– It’s over for that kid now.
– That’s right. Valentine’s last name is not appropriate for such a child.
Trying to ignore the sarcasm of the maids, Theo set out alone to find Clara. When he passed through the playroom, study room, and bedroom and opened her dressing room, he could see the hem of Clara’s dress through the tightly closed closet door.
– Clara.
His eyes met with Clara, who was crying with her body curled up.The scratches on her arms definitely weren’t there until morning. The terrified child curled up and trembled.
– How on earth did this happen? Who did it?
– I-I fell.
It was only later that he realized that there were people who hated Clara. Most of them were children of noble families who came from local estates to become Theo’s playmates.
After Ciel was born, some people started making fun of Clara in front of her and behind her back. Theo started by talking to his parents at dinner.
– I want to focus on my studies. I don’t think I need another playmate now that I have Isaac and Clara.
– Really?
– I fear that they will also be a negative influence on my siblings as well.
Upon hearing just one word from Theo, Theo’s parents immediately sent all of the children who had been harassing Clara back to their homes without saying a word.
He didn’t find out why they did it until he was much older; at that point, he learned that it was because they were envious of Clara, who had been given Valentine’s surname despite being of comparable status.
– Thank you, brother.
– Don’t hold back when things are hard, and feel free to talk to me at any time.
Clara cried and cried in Theo’s arms because she couldn’t bring herself to ask for help. Then he got it. This child can only be protected by himself.
Clara took care of Ciel on her own, which earned the trust of the mother. He felt like Clara had been taken away by her youngest, but whenever Clara had a problem, he would always turn to Theo first.
– Theo.
A relationship where he can protect that child, but he can’t kiss her.
As if they were riding on endless parallel lines without being able to reach each other, after he realized his feelings, he no longer liked the name family.
He couldn’t hastily confess his feelings. Everything around them may crumble like a sand castle if they are swept away by the waves of emotion.
He did not want to get older. If this perilous childhood never ends, they will always be together. Theo said no to everything, even when he was asked to marry and given a confession.
While Theo stood still, Clara has now become an adult who can do her job on her own without his help.
The reason why he couldn’t catch Clara looking behind her as she was preparing to leave the nest may be because he couldn’t forgive himself for being selfish.
May he forgive himself for not being able to bless Clara with a smile now that she can fly without his help. He can’t let his greed abandon the opportunity that came late.
“Please convey my congratulations to Clara.”
Ciel seemed to have already sensed his feelings, but no matter how much she tried to stop him, it was too late.
“Brother!”
“Go back.”
Theo shook off his sister’s hand and slammed the door shut.