Chapter 63

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Chapter 63

“They don’t like twins. They think that’s a bad sign.”

“How could such a thing… There’s no way such a thing could happen. Rather, it’s a good thing that two children were born in the family!”

Marie exclaimed excitedly.

“I think so too. But, that province looks different. I explained in the class that the palace was recently merged?”

Recalling the class time with him, she took another sip of the water she was holding in her hand.

“The current king holds the kingdom in one hand with power, but the culture does not come together easily. Perhaps, they were not hidden from birth? The locals saw the portrait of Sister-in-law and called her by two names.”

“Really?”

“Since they don’t know the customs of this capital, I think it’s natural that they will be reluctant to hide it.”

“But, isn’t it a lie that will come out one day?”

“They must have been confident that they would hide it for a long time. The distance was quite far, and those who knew that they were twins had been living in the castle so much that others wouldn’t know unless they investigated them.”

“….”

“I’m guessing that the person who’s supposed to marry Older brother might have been hiding somewhere. That way, she could have fooled us completely.”

“Still, what does that have to do with what happened at the County?”

“Whoo… It seems to be related to the death of my parents, to be precise. After writing such a letter to my sister-in-law, they were framed and died without being able to explain properly. Perhaps they were investigating Sister-in-law’s family.”

At his words, Marie was confused.

“…But, what makes people that way? Isn’t it better for the two of them to break up?”

“Well, I’ll find out about that by meeting Brielle’s grandfather.”

“Then, the Count’s Sister-in-law…”

“I can’t say for sure, but I believe that’s not the case. My brother-in-law also died. There is a high probability that he was related and sacrificed.”

It was worth vacating the mansion at such a critical time.

“I’m leaving, but I’m leaving Derek and Taylor behind. They’ll protect you and the children if anything happens.”

“Please go with at least one person. The Count might be in danger, too.”

Saying so, Marie’s face flushed with concern.

“I can do even basic swordsmanship, so I can protect my body. Besides, when they know I’m vacant, they might aim at the mansion, so I don’t want to go as much as possible. Though if I don’t go now, it might disappear forever. Besides, Brielle can’t stay locked up in the mansion forever.”

Kentrail spoke with conviction to her, who was still stiffened.

“I’ll come back safely without any injuries. So, you and the children, stay safe here. No matter what, don’t go out.”

The fact that he might be in jeopardy before the original story even started hurt her.

While Kentrail was busy getting ready to leave, he spent more time with Brielle.

“Uncle, why are you here all of a sudden?”

“To see the stars together.”

Brielle, who had come up with him to the highest room in the mansion, asked again.

“Stars…?”

“Yes. You never learned about the constellations, did you?”

“Yes.”

“Some of them change with the seasons, and some appear continuously.”

“Amazing.”

“Tonight is clear without a single cloud, so you will see well.”

“Hehehe, I should learn it from Uncle and teach it to Ellie and Marie as well.”

“Yes. Then Uncle guesses I’ll have to work harder on teaching you to see the constellations.”

At his words, Brielle hurriedly waved his hand.

“Don’t get too hard.”

The child, who had been burned several times by Kentrail’s passion, declined.

“Haha, Brielle, did Uncle make you study that hard?”

His laughter filled the attic.

“That’s right. Look how hard it was. I got muscles in my arms and fingers because I was using the pen so much.”

The child rolled up his clothes and held out his arm to him.

“Let’s see how much muscle our Brielle has gained.”

Thanks to the swordsmanship class, small eggs were produced, although when brought to Kentrail’s forearm, they were incomparably thin.

“I’ll catch up with Uncle soon.”

But, he said so.

“Of course. When that time comes, I will protect Uncle.” Brielle said, poked out his chest and stomach, and placed his arms around his waist.

“It’s very reassuring. So, shall we look at the constellations now?”

“Hmm.”

The two found a window on the roof of the mansion and lay down next to each other. The moonlight soaked in and lit their faces.

“There, look.”

He reached out and pointed to the twinkling star and began to explain.

“Then, do you see where it was?”

“Yes. That’s right. Even if we’re apart, we’re looking at the same star. And, they give us directions to get us home.”

“Thank you, star.”

“Yes.”

Kentrail told him a number of intertwined stories with the star as the main focus.

“It’s amazing. So, if someone dies, you can become a star?”

Brielle asked him, twinkling his eyes.

“They will.”

He replied bitterly.

“Then, what about my mom and dad?”

He paused and turned to his nephew. The child was looking at him with a face of both sadness and anticipation. He was unfamiliar with the words mom and dad that came out of Brielle’s mouth.

It was only then that he realized that it was the first time such a word had come out of a child’s mouth.

“Brielle…”

“I asked.”

Brielle urged him as if he wanted to get an answer quickly.

“That’s right.”

“Wow, then it means that Mom and Dad are among the many stars. They must shine like that so I can see well.”

He hugged Brielle tightly.

He now did not know what to say to the child? It seemed that any consolation would hurt, and avoidance would take away the chance to heal the wound.

“They hope that Brielle will lift their head and look up at the sky sometimes, so they’re shining like that. They’re always watching over you.”

That was all he could say.

“I’m glad. So, they know I’m growing up like this.”

However, the answer alone made the child courageous. It was then that he realized that Brielle was not as fragile as he thought.

‘Brother is like that, too. He was a man with a strong determination.’

“From now on, I will eat a lot of vegetables.”

He glanced at his nephew. Perhaps, the child thought that the people around him would be sad if he brought this up, so he was holding it tightly in his chest.

“Brielle, do you want to see your dad and mom’s faces?”

“A little…”

Brielle whispered, fearing that his uncle would be upset.

“Then, shall we go see?”

“Really?”

The child raised his head in his arms and asked. He didn’t seem to have expected that his parents’ appearance would remain.

“Yes. I think it’s time to show it to you, too.”

At that, Kentrail stood up first and reached out towards Brielle. He took his uncle’s and stood up.

As the two left the attic side by side holding hands, the stars were shining through the window.

“I’ve never been to this room before.”

Brielle looked around the room curiously and opened his mouth.

“Yes, this is where uncle keeps things for you.”

“Things for me?”

Hearing that, he asked in a puzzled voice.

“Come here.”

He gently grabbed the boy by the shoulder and led him forward. It was in front of something covered with a large cloth.

Kentrail was terrified of how Brielle would react when he saw the painting.

‘It was me, not Brielle, who had a weak heart…’

He couldn’t help it because he didn’t want his nephew to get hurt.

After he took a deep breath, he released Brielle’s shoulders and carefully lifted the cloth. Then, the picture slowly appeared in front of Brielle’s eyes. He forgot to blink his eyes for a moment.

In the picture, there was a person who looked very similar to him. The child knew instinctively. It was his father.

“D…ad?”

The identical hair was overflowing, and the bright eyes were making his face glow.

His tall nose and angled chin made him look soft with a soft impression. He also had a mouth that resembled Kentrail.

Brielle reached out and touched the painting as tears began to form in his eyes.

“….”

The child fumbled at the picture as if he had lost his words.

It was a face he wanted to see at least once. A face that he secretly drew only in his imagination…

Although he had never expressed it to anyone, it was a face he always kept blank when drawing family pictures. He could vaguely fill the hair with his own resemblance and a nose resembling his uncle, though he didn’t.

It was all because it wasn’t his real dad.

Brielle once wished that one day he would dream about it. He hoped that his own father would visit him in a dream and meet him, but his wish never came true.

He thought that he should not be greedy anymore since he had Marie and Uncle, and he began to sleep by removing the wish from his chest. Though perhaps that wasn’t it. He didn’t give up his greed, but it must have been buried in the other side of his chest.

That must be why tears covered his face like this.

Now, he would be able to actually draw a face.

However, he wasn’t happy. Rather sad.

A handkerchief was held out in front of his crying self. He saw his uncle holding out his handkerchief. Had his father been alive, he would have been about the same height as his uncle. And, he must have loved Brielle so much…

It was a distant imagination.

Standing there, the child drew his father’s face on his uncle’s body.

“Brielle…”

Kentrail saw his nephew and wept with his heart. Even though he brought him in because he felt he had to show his brother’s face before he left, he didn’t know if it was a good thing.

Although Marie always said there was no right answer for childcare, parents wanted to raise their child with the correct answer. In particular, he wanted to do that for Brielle, who has a bigger heart than anyone else.

He wondered if now was the most proper time when he had grown up to accept the right timing and facts.

“Mom is…”

It was the first word that Brielle uttered after crying for a while. Then, Kentrail showed the portrait recovered from Derek.

“….”

Brielle hugged the painting tightly.

The color of the skin resembled him, and he could see the lips that would have told him that she loved him.

He really wished he could hug her like this. He kept thinking about what it would be like if his mother was still alive.

“Uncle, was my mother happy that I was born?”

“Of course…”

He wondered every time he saw Jayden’s mom. How did it feel when he was born? Would she have been happy, or would she have hugged the newborn him tightly?

He wished they could tell him that they loved him even once.

Brielle, who continued to weep even though there were no more tears to shed, asked Kentrail.

“Uncle, tell me. Why did my parents have to die?”

Brielle wanted to know the truth.

Not gossip from social circles, but the real answer.

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