Chapter 23

The appearance of Lillia’s, who looked like an angel, crying face made me feel sorry even though I knew what kind of person she was.

‘Whew, just like her mother, her acting skill is on the Hollywood level.’

Victor, who was watching Lillia’s crying face, burst out laughing.

“No, really, what did I do to make you cry?”

“Hwaaaaa…”

“Victor Diollus!”

“Ah, what?!”

“Relax your eyes. Don’t even lower your voice. You’re scaring her.”

“Ha, what… Wow, I’m speechless.”

Victor, who tilted his head back in the air, messed up his hair as if he were bewildered.

“B-Brother Victor. I’m sorry. You misunderstood me and didn’t give me a chance to explain, so I was so frustrated…”

“You and Kedrick were mocking Rubette!”

“Don’t scream, you bastard!”

“Wow!”

What a mess. I just swallowed a sigh from behind.

“No, Brother Victor. It’s really a misunderstanding. It’s true that Kedrick did it, but not me. And when I saw Rubette fall, I tried to help her quickly. You just came before I could.”

“Well, let’s just say so. But what’s this shit? Because you cry and make a fuss like this, we get misunderstood by you.”

“Can’t you speak nicely?”

“N-No. T-That’s right, Brother Viego. I asked you to solve the misunderstanding, not to fight Brother Victor, so don’t be mad at him. Hwaaa…”

“Don’t cry. Stop it. It’s alright.”

It made me wonder if this Viego was still that Viego who threatened us with a cold face.

The older brother was affectionate only to Lillia, he even wiped her tears with a worried face.

“Hey, fine. I misunderstood. Let’s forget it. I’m sorry I made my pretty little sister cry. Alright, you should go, Brother.”

“You.”

Viego, who had been grinding his teeth at Victor’s crooked attitude, looked at me immediately.

“Rubetria.”

“… Yes?”

“You’re the one who made this fuss now, so why are you still like a honeyed mute? If Victor misunderstood Lillia and got angry, shouldn’t you have stepped in to stop him?”

“…”

Victor, who was listening, flared up.

“Why is there fire on her all of a sudden, Brother? She’s the victim. Kedrick that bastard pushed her down the stairs and mocked her, and it wasn’t even a fuss. Didn’t you hear clearly from Lillia?”

“Brother Victor, it wasn’t Kedrick’s intention. And the thing about making fun of Rubette…”

Lillia, who had glanced at me, crouched down and added quietly.

“Kedrick said he was having a hard time these days because of Rubette. Even though he refuses, Rubette keeps following him and asks to meet him…”

Oh, my.

“That’s why when he looked at Rubette in such anger, he must have gone too far. I told Rubette to apologize. So, let go of your anger.”

“… Ha.”

“…”

Victor tried to retort, but then bit his mouth, and Viego looked at me with an expressionless face.

There’s no one here who doesn’t know that I’ve been following Kedrick around.

Of course, it wasn’t that I hang around and made myself look like a fool, but every time I tried to give up my mind, Kedrick coaxed me into not doing so…

“Rubetria.”

“Yes, Brother.”

I responded meekly to Viego’s low voice.

“Are you a three-year-old child? When do you plan to grow old?”

“…”

“I just heard from Lillia. You seemed to have jumped into the pond on purpose before.”

“Huh? Jump into the pond? What does that mean?”

Victor glanced at me.

“Did you really leave Lillia on purpose to threaten her? I was so worried that I waited for you to wake up for six hours, putting aside my affairs that day.”

Viego added, grinding his teeth.

“How does it feel to make a fool of your brother?”

“Brother, what do you mean? Why is Rubette threatening Lillia?”

Viego’s voice rose with excitement.

“A man is more important than her own life. It seems that she was trying to threaten Lillia with her life, not to hang out with Young Master Kedrick. Unless she’s really crazy…”

“…”

Victor, who had now roughly guessed the situation, stiffened as it was.

‘It’s so easy to bury a person.’

I, who suddenly became a madman who committed suicide because of a man, sighed slowly among them.

The sad thing is, Rubette had been under this kind of misunderstanding quite a few times and had not been able to speak for herself.

“I’ve told you so many times. You’re like Lillia’s older sister. Like sisters to each other under the sky. Being close and caring for you is not enough…!”

Viego started firing like a stalwart man.

“Did you risk your life to scare the child for just that reason? As if that wasn’t enough, so you even fired the butler?”

“…”

“Lillia followed Rob like a father.”

“…”

“You even slapped Ricky, who was so worried about you, on the cheek.”

Beside him, Lillia sniffed.

‘Lillia, that little girl, you’ve written a very good novel because Viego believes in whatever she says.’

Viego kept pushing me.

“If you have a mouth, say something! What kind of evil has this gentle and kind child suddenly become?!”

Hearing the voices accusing me without listening to explanation, I looked at him silently.

‘You’re the best older brother someone could ever have, aren’t you…’

***

Viego didn’t hate his younger sister, Rubette.

He’d worry about her when she was sick, and he would sit in the corner 24 hours a day and come in for a cup of tea in the midst of a busy schedule for his sister who doesn’t want to come out…

Well, he was that kind of guy.

“Why are you staying in your room when the weather is nice?”

Viego sat facing Rubette, and ruffling her hair.

“Lillia complained to me, she said she wanted to go out and play with you, but she’s always rejected.”

“Ah, that…”

There’s nothing more terrifying than going out and playing with twins.

When nobody is looking, the children harassed and teased Rubette even more.

“It’s just, I’m not feeling well.”

A short tea time with Viego, who came to visit once a week.

For Viego, it must have been an act of a certain sense of duty, but the foolish Rubette was delighted with even such interest.

‘The cat doll I made!”

A birthday present for my older brother, which I sewed with poor skill and made with cotton.

When I saw the cat doll he had secretly brought to his office, hanging from his jacket.

“Hehe, Brother, that…”

“Ah, this.”

Viego patted the doll and grinned.

“Who did such a cute thing? When I asked because it was obvious, she said she didn’t know, but when I showed her, she finally confessed. It was Lillia.”

“… Pardon?”

“She said she was embarrassed to say that she made it because she was not skilled. What a funny child. For me, it’s a more desirable gift than expensive clothes or jewelry.”

No. I made that.

“Oh, and…”

Viego looked at Rubette again with a tired face, and pulled out a box the size of the palm of his hand.

“The thing you told me a few days ago? That Grandma hates you.”

“…”

The other side of Molga that I took out to my older brother Viego very carefully.

“No matter what you think, I think you are mistaken, Rubette.”

It was so easily ignored.

“Coming back from this time, Grandma only talked about you in my room for two hours. She came back early because she wanted to see you, she was worried because you were sensitive, she wanted to live with you for the rest of her life without getting married, and she was more in love with you than with twins…”

“…”

“After Grandfather passed away, she has dedicated herself to our family.”

“…”

“Grandma was a mistress, is that why you’re drawing a line with her and the twins?”

“Oh, no. I…”

Viego put down the box he was holding with a sigh.

“Do you know what this is? It’s a gift that Grandma herself bought while traveling because you’ve been losing weight, so she was worried about your health. I, too, as an older brother, can’t take good care of you because I’ve been busy…”

“…”

“I am not proud of it. So I’m more sorry and grateful to Grandma. So…”

Viego got up and said as he left the room.

“Open your heart a little.”

***

“Pfft.”

Everyone’s eyes focused on me, who burst into laughter while searching for memories.

I mean, it’s funny. How stupid a person can be to live a lifetime of being deceived like this. He’s like a fool who will lose his organs to a con artist.

“Rubette, you’re laughing?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Brother. It’s just so ridiculous…”

“Ridiculous?”

“Mm.”

I stared at him and said.

“I fell into the pond that day and almost died. Even you know that I was lying unconscious.”

“…”

“You’re saying I wanted to threaten Lillia because of Kedrick? Risking dying just to scare her? Brother, if I really die, there’s no Kedrick in hell.”

With a shrug, I asked Victor next to me, “Don’t you think?”

Victor looked at me blankly and nodded slowly.

“… Right.”

“If you think about it with common sense, you can easily see that it’s nonsense. If you are too emotional and can’t even think of a simple thought, what can you do as a head of family?”

With my arms folded, I accepted Viego’s gaze sternly and added.

“We should be glad the house is still standing.”

“Hukk.”

“… What?”

Naturally, both brothers were astonished at the rebellious tone of their younger sister, who was usually timid and obedient.