Chapter 12

***

Lysian and Joel conversed in a separate reception room in the study.

“Yes. Lysian, what’s going on? This is the first time you’ve requested anything from me.”

“She read the book.”

“What?”

Joel looked surprised for a moment at Lysian’s words.

‘She’s the interpreter.’

Joel was deep in thoughts.

“Have you heard anything from Gerard?”

Joel shook his head at the question that broke the silence. He had never heard anything. Gerard was the only person who knew exactly about the birth of Lestia.

He was the heir of the family, and he was able to confirm his father’s will.

At the time of Lestia’s birth, Joel was spending his childhood at Verchester estate, in the northwest part of the Empire.

He didn’t have many memories of his father. He was a man who was always busy, and Joel didn’t know if his father was interested in his family or not.

He had a mother, but she too was sickly and often left her sons at the estate to recuperate alone in the warm south.

Joel was raised with his eldest brother, Gerard, and his twin brother, Mathias, under the care of a nanny.

Because Joel was the more sensitive of the two brothers, he felt the absence of his parents greatly. But it was okay. He didn’t want to complain, because all his siblings were in the same boat.

Then one day, his mother came back to the estate with a skinny face, holding Lysian in her arms.

“He’s your brother.”

At first, Joel was very jealous of Lysian.

He hated the kid who stole the arms of his mother, which neither he nor Mathias could remember being held properly.

However, he smiled pleasantly in front of his sick mother without any complaints. His mother liked Joel’s attitude like that.

However, no matter how much he smiled, she did not hug Joel. Instead, she lay in bed all day and said,

“Joel, Mathias, even if mother is not here…. …you will take care of this poor boy. Do you understand? It’s because you kids are older.”

Mathias shrugged his shoulders and told her not to worry, and Joel could only nod quietly.

He wanted to tell his mother that he needed the love of his mother too.

At the time people often talked about his mother.

-I heard that the Duchess of Verchester cried yesterday when she read the letter sent by her husband.

– I heard that the Duke refused his wife’s request to stop by the estate.

-How can he do that to a woman who gave birth to his child?

-The Duke always did that. And every time, she went directly to the Duke.

-It must have been frustrating for her. I’m afraid she can’t visit him directly now. ….

-She’s so sick after giving birth to the twins…

The people said his mother had an unrequited love for his father.

They mocked her for why she would love such a husband.

Joel, however, deeply sympathized with his mother’s heart and resented his father.

Even if his father didn’t really love his mother, shouldn’t he at least pretend to love her?

What was so hard about showing his face once?

If he created a family, he had an obligation to take care of them.

But his mother did not force his father to do his duty, and day by day she grew pale and thin, and eventually gave her last breath.

He and his young siblings had to guard their mother’s coffin without their father.

His father did not even attend his mother’s funeral, as he had to deal with his own busyness.

Afterwards, Verchester’s already desolate mansion became as stark as the cold air.

Gerard was enrolled in the Imperial Academy, and Mathias began to get into trouble. Lysian, still a child, spent more than half a day in his mother’s room, thinking.

Joel still remembered how helpless he was to do anything during that time.

Lestia was born the same year his mother died.

If he calculated the time, it would mean that when his mother was between life and death, his father was embracing another woman.

He was filled with anger towards his father.

Did he love his mistress so much that he didn’t even come to his lawful wife’s funeral?

Lestia was born at such a time.

She was only his father’s daughter.

Gerard would bring her to Verchester as he wished, but Joel would never acknowledge her as his sister.

Or so he thought.

However, the child he found was living a completely different life than he expected.

He couldn’t believe the Duke Verchester’s daughter was selling flowers on the street.

She was eleven years old, but she was so small and thin.

She had so many bruises all over her body that she didn’t even know she had a father.

The moment he saw her for the first time, he knew.

His father gave birth to his children and did not take responsibility for them.

Gerard only said that Lestia was abandoned because she could not use magic.

The man called Father was not much of a man.

His father must have thought he had fulfilled his obligation just by paying child support.

Joel decided to accept Lestia as his sister.

Because under his father’s neglect, the little girl was not a bit different from himself.

No, because she didn’t have the protection of his family’s patronage, she must have had it harder and more painful than he did.

But….

Lestia is the interpreter?

How should he take this?

“…”

No, it didn’t matter.

He had decided to accept her as his sister.

He would be able to perform whatever brotherly duties she wanted.

He can pretend to love her as much as he wants. Unlike his father.

“Lysian, whatever Lestia is, it doesn’t matter from the start. That doesn’t mean she isn’t our sister.”

Lysian stared at Joel’s calm reaction.

Joel didn’t show the slightest concern or worry about Lestia’s complicated future.

Lysian knew that this was Joel’s own way of being kind to others, not his family.

But he didn’t want to blame Joel for his ways. Lysian and Joel both knew how hard it was to accept a new family member.

“I understand.”

“Yes.Until Gerard returns, I think we should focus on getting to know Lestia better.”

Joel chuckled and got up from his seat.

“Let’s go. Lestia must have waited for a long time. I’m sure Mathias is bothering her.”

With that, the two men ended their conversation and headed for Lestia.

However, the study was empty.

Only the large stuffed rabbit Joel had given Lestia as a gift sat lonely on the couch.

Mathias and Lestia seemed to have disappeared without a trace.

“Joel, I think we have two people to get this time.”

Lysian shrugged, and Joel gently patted his forehead.

“Ugh, Mathias….”

How could such a troublemaker like him be his twin? Joel thought. As the years passed, it was becoming more difficult to believe.

****

“Kyaaaah!”

Lestia screamed, closing her eyes tightly and clinging to Mathias’ neck.

“Liti. Liti. It’s okay. Hold on tight.”

However, as if Lestia’s scream was nothing, Mathias took her in one hand and stormed forward without hesitation.

Boom! Boom!

Wherever Mathias walked, the ground made strange noises with every step he took.

It was the magic that added a tremendous power to his feet. It allowed Mathias to move at a tremendous speed that no human could achieve.

Lestia learned that the reason why the window shook before he entered the study was because he used magic to move in this way.

“Liti. Liti. Let me show you my favorite place. It will be much better than the garden of the mansion.”

He did say that, but where on earth were they going? Lestia thought.

It was already too much to call it a walk.

The huge size of the Verchester mansion had reduced to the size of a pea, and now she couldn’t even see it.

And the landscape in front of her became a forest.

Every time Mathias walked, the snow that had accumulated on the trees throughout the winter would fall and create a fog.

But Mathias ran through it, paying no heed to anything. Lestia felt her hair fly about in the wind, and hoped that this dreadful migration would soon be over. It was a long way to go!

“Liti! Open your eyes.”

Finally, Mathias’ steps came to a halt. Lestia slowly opened her eyes. Then she let out an involuntary exclamation.

“Wow….”

In front of her was a landscape that Lestia had never seen before.

It was a panoramic view of the capital city underneath the winter forest.

It was like a painting on a canvas, or a finely crafted toy.

“You can see all the way to the downtown area of the capital far away. This is my secret place. What do you think?”

Mathias said proudly, cautiously lowering Lestia from his arms.

“It’s really cool… …Ah!”

Lestia moved forward, gazing dreamily at the scenery, and then quickly backed away, realizing that the cliff was right in front of her feet.

She felt like she was about to fall.

“Don’t worry, Liti. Brother Mathias is here, there’s nothing to worry about.”

Mathias laughed brightly and squeezed Lestia’s shoulders.

“Huh, but ……….”

But Lestia was still scared.

“Don’t look down. Just look straight ahead.”

Lestia concentrated on staring at the front, as Mathias said.

Then she could feel more than before.

Flutter in the freezing, sunny sky, clouds were floating by.

The chirping sounds of many birds.

The crisp, thick scent of spring that comes with the wind at the end of winter.

All of them were so intense that they seemed to awaken Lestia’s sleeping senses.

“How is it? It’s so much better than a walk in the garden, right?”

Lestia nodded quietly, deeply sympathetic to Mathias’ question.

It was then that the faint sight of Verchester mansion came into view from far away.

“Wow …… I can see the Verchester mansion from here too!”

Lestia said happily. But Mathias waved his hand.

“What! Liti, why have you come all this way to look at a house? You want to go home already? No way!”

In the blink of an eye, Mathias had Lestia in his arms again, this time running down the mountain.

“Now, little sister! I will take you to the next destination right away!”

“What? Where are we going again?”

Without knowing the destination, Lestia held on tightly to Mathias again this time.