Chapter 64

Chapter 64

“Is it a side effect of being an Awakened?”

“It could be.”

“I guess being an Awakened isn’t all that good.”

“I guess.”

At Andra’s blunt response, Elverika soon lost interest and she stopped talking about Dustin from then on.

The two talked briefly about what had happened to each other in the past, finished eating and went out of the dining hall.

“Oh right. I forgot to tell you this.”

On the way back to the dormitory, Elverika pulled out several letters from her bag and she delivered them to Andra. It was the mail that came to her. Some were letters from her hometown, and some were invitations or promotional materials for a shop, where she often visits. Andra looked at them with an indifferent expression, and then she stopped turning her hand over a single letter.

“Who’s it from?”

“Eldest brother. But it’s from Ramhafzel, not the eastern region.”

“He must have come to the capital.”

“Yes, I guess so. Anyway, thank you.”

Andra immediately put the letter into her coat pocket without even opening it there. Elverika looked a little sad at this, but she didn’t say anything. Afterwards, the two went to the lounge and had a brief tea time together, then they eventually parted ways.

‘What made Ansel come to Ramhafzel?’

Andra returned to her room in the dormitory, and took out the letters from her arms firm and examined them. The first was, of course, the letter from her eldest brother, Ansel. Ansel occasionally sent her letters, but since most of the content was close to nagging, Andra hated eldest brother’s letters the most.

The envelope was surprisingly light. He who usually filled three or four sheets, only wrote one sheet, contrary to what she expected. Andra smiled slightly as she took in the scent of her eldest brother as soon as she opened the envelope. Oddly enough, Ansel always had a fresh green grape scent. When she was a child it was Andra’s favorite scent.

The opening of the letter is cringe-worthy, as it begins with the phrase ‘To the lovely angel of the family’, a glimpse into Ansel’s affection for Andra. The phrase that followed was a greeting, and as expected, the next few lines were nagging. Was she sleeping well, was there anything wrong with her body, and was life at the academy okay? Ansel spared every concern for his youngest sibling, who was ten years younger than him.

The most important part of her letter was this. Ansel hastily took over the succession of the Marquisate, promising that he would soon come to visit Andra at the academy. In fact, it wasn’t all that surprising that Ansel succeeded her father to become Marquis Avellin, but she was only astonished that he suddenly became her Marquis at this time.

‘Father’s retirement ceremony isn’t that far off.’

Andra read the last words, then folded the letter back up and put it into the drawer. Seeing Ansel hastily took over the title and made his way to the capital, something must have happened in the political scene. Or was about to happen. Ansel would come to the academy to explain it to her.

‘It’s not that I can’t guess at all.’

Putting the rest of the letters on her desk, Andra walked over to the window. Her room was located on a high floor, so she had a clear view of the surrounding area.

‘It could be that the battle for the throne is slowly coming to its end.’

The battle for the throne of the imperial family, which started five years ago, had long since trickled down to just a battle between the first princess and the second prince. Under the empress’ watch, the two powers were coming together in a tense confrontation. House Avellin was involved as well and was on the side of the second prince.

‘Ansel, will you be okay?’

The Avellin chose to side with the second prince mainly due to Ansel’s influence. This was because five years ago, the first princess betrayed Ansel and chose Airak. This forced Ansel to sort out his life in Ramhafzel and come to the East. It was for this reason that the second child, Adego, who was supposed to become the head of the family, had to rush to the capital.

It goes without saying that Avellin’s hatred of Airak has grown since then.

‘As expected, no matter what happens to Ansel, I don’t want to get caught up with Dustin Airak.’

Andra swore so much.

* * *

A large bear-like man strode down the hallway. He was moving with a constant stride, as if measured with a ruler. The sound of footsteps echoed through the wide hallway like thunder. With every move he made, countless medals on the chest of his uniform clinked.

“Open it.”

As the man approached the door, the servant who was standing in front of him bowed his head and opened the door. A well-groomed parlor was revealed. The man entered the parlor without delay and looked down with his arms crossed at his younger brother, who was lying on the sofa.

“Dustin Airak.”

Airak’s second son, Anthony, looked at Dustin with pitiful eyes. It was as reported. He was told that his condition was a little strange, but without looking closely, he could tell at once that his younger brother was not in good condition.

Dustin now looked like a piece of wood moving without his will. It was obvious that he had lost his mind.

‘It’s far-fetched to think that he has been walking around like that.’

Anthony managed to hold back the sigh that was about to pour out. At this age, he still has to clean up after his younger brother.

“You don’t know shame. I would have told you to be wary of your behavior in Ramhafzel. If you are going to live like that, let go of your surname first. Tell me now. I will tell the Head personally, and the family will dig you out.”

“…After playing some games with the princess, you speak well.”

Dustin, who was only staring at the ceiling, finally responded. With a small laugh, he scoffed at Anthony, saying he had become the capital man. He even asked if he would gain the ability to say, ‘Don’t work in vain, just shut up and sit still’ when he became part of the imperial family.

“So your mouth is still working.”

Anthony let out a long sigh that he had finally held back. Should he say it was a relief that Dustin responded like that?

“Older brother.”

“I don’t want to play with you.”

He took a seat nearby and sat down. With his large body, the wide sofa quickly became narrow.

“Why did you come here instead of to the Princess?”

“A certain bastard is blaming his family, so I can’t help but come. Her Highness said I should also go to you. I wouldn’t have come if it wasn’t an imperial order.”

Dustin shut his mouth for a moment and looked at Anthony. If he had to pick the least Airak-like member of the family, he would say Anthony.

So it may be why the first princess welcomed Anthony as her husband. Compared to other Airaks, Anthony was quite useful in the capital. And her eyes were right. Anthony, as the husband of the princess, successfully established a foothold in the capital’s political scene.

“Brother.”

“Tell me.”

“Does Brother love the Princess?”

It was a random question. Anthony’s head turned around as if in absurdity. But Dustin was curious. Not surprisingly, Anthony was the only one who had a political marriage. Considering that most Northerners married for love, the choice he made was very unconventional.

When the first princess asked for Anthony’s hand in marriage, all Northerners thought Anthony would turn her down. She said he didn’t even get enough marriage proposals at the beginning, so he should leave the North and move to the capital. The princess had quite the nerve.

She, of course, placed a number of worthy conditions, but it was a constant fact that she treated Anthony as a chess piece. Moreover, it was unclear whether an Airak, who had high self-esteem, would be able to handle this kind of treatment. So people thought Anthony would turn down Viola.

However, Anthony accepted Viola’s request, and they were married less than a month after they met.

“You’re saying all sorts of weird questions.”

“I’m just curious.”

“Why did you suddenly wonder about that? Do you have a lover?”

“…Not that.”

Dustin hesitated for a moment.

“I’m curious to know how you can plan to live with someone you don’t even have feelings for her for the rest of your life… So I asked.”

“You’re thinking of something.”

“So, do you love the Princess, Brother?”

He was more tenacious compared to other days. Anthony narrowed his eyebrows unknowingly at Dustin’s question that he asked again. Then, with a sigh, he answered quietly.

“I don’t know.”

In fact, this was a question Anthony had asked himself several times. Did he love the princess? After marrying the princess, he often asked himself such a question. Because he still couldn’t understand why he had accepted the princess’s offer at that time. To be honest, he was impulsive that day.

“It’s surprising. I thought that the Brother still had a little bit of a heart for the princess. Otherwise, wouldn’t it be a loss to endure what you’re dealing with now?”

“As you go through life, you cannot always weigh the pros and cons. Sometimes you have to go the opposite way.”

“Then does Her Highness love you?”

Even if they don’t have feelings for the other person, if they spend their life together every day, will they eventually develop feelings of love? So, does she feel the same way? After days of confusion, Dustin was curious about it now. If time is the thing…

If that’s the case, maybe he can look forward to Andra a little bit.

Anthony, on the other hand, did not readily answer Dustin’s questions. This was also a question he asked several times, but in the end he never found an answer.

Why did the princess choose him over Ansel Avellin at the time? And had she ever regretted that choice even once? They’ve been living together for several years now.

Did the princess have feelings for him, any at all?

Viola had never once expressed any dissatisfaction with her marriage to Anthony. She always seemed satisfied with her marriage, and she had hoped it would last.

Even when they slept together while aiming to sire a successor, the princess showed no sign of dislike. Rather, the princess was a woman who knew what her body wanted.

But she never initiated any mention of liking Anthony, or saying that she loved him. It was, of course, the same for Anthony himself.

“…I don’t even know.”

In response to Anthony’s answer, Dustin ruffled his hair.

“It wasn’t worth visiting you.”

The brothers could not come to a conclusion.

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