Chapter 7.1

“What?”

“Lie down. You said your throat hurts. Then I’ll tell you.”

Then, he lay down right next to me. I patted Alexid’s hand.

“Everyone dies, you know. By the way . . .”

“What? Dad and mom won’t die!” he exclaimed.

“Of course, that’s true . . .”

Alexid was crying. Come to think of it, Alexid was very soft-hearted when he was young. Alexid’s nose got even redder.

Alexid, who covered his eyes with the back of his arm, once again said, “Really! Mom and dad won’t die!”

“That’s right. So let’s protect mom and dad from everything.” I continued to speak in a calm voice.

Alexid’s words were also my wish. Being by my father’s side forever without dying. I would be more than happy to be constantly living under the shadow of my parents. I think that’s the wish of all children.

Bitterness lingered in my mouth.

“How? What happened to our dad?”

“. . . Illness. A bad illness happened to our dad.”

“What kind of disease is it? Cold? Or stomach ache? Intestinal inflammation?”

That would be the category of illness that Alexid, as a child, can think of.

But my dad’s illness was not a disease that could be healed from taking such medicine.

“A scarier disease.”

“What’s that?”

“Nisephor . . .”

It’s a terrifying disease that devours lives and even those around you. I closed my eyes and muttered.

“How can I protect our dad?”

“Quit drinking, quit smoking . . .”

I could say the necessary information was limited because the source of infection was so unpredictable.

“I don’t even eat anything unhealthy, I only eat healthy things . . .”

Will this be enough?

It’s important to try everything if you don’t want to regret it in the future.

I didn’t notice that Alexid was listening carefully to me.

It was suitable just for Alexid to take care of his health and monitor his every move together.

* * *

“I don’t . . .”

“Huh? Alexid . . . ?”

“Dad, don’t go!”

Oh my god!

I didn’t know this would happen. Definitely.

Alexid burst into tears as he grabbed my dad’s pants, even when he had to go and work as a knight. He was crying and making a fuss for dad not to go to work.

“Did you have a nightmare?” Dad asked in a calm voice. “Alexid, dad has to go to work.”

“Argh! No! Argh!”

“Alexid,”

“Then I’ll go too!”

“What’s wrong with him?” Mom looked down at Alexid with a troubled face. An annoying son is being dragged around while hugging his father’s leg.

Oh no. Don’t overdo it, Alexid.

I raised both hands and feet at Alexid’s overdoing.

I had to laugh in vain at his pitiful appearance as he looked back at me and mouthed, I did a good job.

I can’t believe he’s my blood.

Eventually, my father went to work with my brother grabbing onto his leg. Mom shook her head as she saw Alexid disappearing in her father’s arms, almost like a baby bear.

“What’s wrong with your brother?”

I replied, “I have nothing to do with it, mom.”

“Usually, Lulu, you’re related to these things.”

“Me? I’m not sure.”

I blinked and put on as innocent a look as possible.

“Huh?”

“Hmm.”

But my mom still looked suspicious of me.

I haven’t been that calm since I was young.

“Are you really not telling me? Are you going to run away from me? Lulu?”

“It’s not like that!” I retorted.

Mom! I’m not running away at all!

We’re the guards of justice to protect our dad! I can’t say it like that. And I really didn’t know Alexid would do that.

I tried to level up my acting skills, and I looked back teary-eyed, my cheeks swollen.

“Hmm . . . I’ll trust you for now. But Lulu. Your older brother and you . . .”

“I love you, mom.”

I said it quickly and smiled brightly. It was because I knew what my mom was going to say. Also, I didn’t do anything wrong. I just wanted to protect our dad. But I didn’t want to get a kiss on the cheek from Alexid.

That’s . . .

That’s . . .

That’s insane.

Alexid. A kiss on the cheek from him.

Alexid and I have never had a good relationship with each other until puberty. We just pushed each other, watched the other fall, and acted like nothing happened after a slip.

Oh, I really get goosebumps when I think about it again.

With a big smile, my mother seemed to accept it to some extent and tried to move on.

Come to think of it, it could have been better without Alexid.

I sighed.

Now I had to tell my mom to invite Gerald.

If Alexid had been there, he would have teased me with it all day.

Annoying.

“Mom.”

“Huh?”

“Please invite Gerald,” I said.

“Gerald? Are you talking about Gerald Logan?”

“Yes!” I answered.

“Aren’t you ending your relationship with Gerald?” asked mom as she raised her brows.

We were not in a relationship that could be summarized in such cute and lovely words.

What do you mean by ending a relationship? It was an intertwined relationship with Gerald. It was more of me begging for his love and an extremely complex relationship. We were a couple who was about to divorce, and love had never sparkled after we became married.

Oh my god.

Come to think of it. We’ve never kissed before.

Crazy Gerald Logan!

My fist trembled in anger.

Not even a kiss out of love!

I had never done anything with Gerald other than the mandatory kiss of oath at the wedding. I worked so hard to get first-hand experiences but failed!