CH 7

From that day on, Lilian added to her daily routine visiting Cedric at a similar time and sitting him down for a cup of tea.

Lily’s recent days were as follows.

“Oh my, young miss. Are you awake?”

“Hm…”

Thanks to her stamina, which had been depleted by her near death encounter, Lilian could barely get up at noon, the average waking time for young aristocratic girls.

‘I wish I could sleep a little longer.’

Instead of revealing her true thoughts, the maid helped Lily, who was in a daze, wash her face. She was then dressed in very luxurious and well-fitting clothes.

The dress the maid had put on Lilian today was a light apricot-colored dress with delicate pintuck pleats. The ends of the sleeves and the chest area were decorated with frills in delicate serrated patterns like cherry blossom petals, and it was a loose-fitting garmet that didn’t pinch the waist.

Wearing these lovely clothes, Lily, who was only white without any color, looked a bit flushed.

Finally, half of her blue-black hair was gathered and tied with a navy-blue velvet ribbon, and her dress-up was roughly finished.

“How do you feel?”

“Um, fine.”

Even as she said so, Lilian awkwardly touched the delicate pearl-colored embroidery on her cuffs.

Lately, Cedric had been acting like someone determined to spoil his little sister’s manners.

‘I don’t know if this is okay.’

Lilian sighed. Currently, in Turin Castle, construction to move Lilian’s room to a remote place was in full swing.

In addition, it was rumored that it was becoming more and more large-scale as the days went by.

‘I heard they tore down all the walls and ordered all new furniture for the insulation work.’

To the point where the merchants murmured that the only way to open the pockets of the picky Elector of Turin was to procure something a girl would like.

In fact, Lilian wasn’t just sitting by and watching this situation.

On the day when the accumulation of presents in the room reached its limit, Lily made up her mind and went to see Cedric.

“Brother.”

“Hm?”

At that time, Cedric allowed Lily’s entrance while in the process of signing documents that needed to be dealt with urgently.

Thankfully, she didn’t have to make eye contact. Thinking so, Lilian hurriedly spoke.

You don’t have to keep giving me such expensive gifts.

“As Turin’s daughter, I’m just doing my duty, so you don’t have to compensate me. And I will get engaged even if you don’t bother to be nice to me. I won’t change my decision. So please don’t worry.

“…brother?”

Before she knew it, the hand that left signatures like flowing water had stopped.

‘Why are you like that?’ Her little question disappeared the moment she saw Cedric’s eyes looking at her.

His eyes, blue and cold like glaciers, were looking at her with embarrassment and unfairness.

‘Ah.’

At that moment, Lilian belatedly noticed.

It wasn’t compensation. She was mistaken because it was so large and unique, but it was purely a gift.

Cedric Islar was a man with extremely little time and a lot of money. Besides, he must have been infinitely clumsy since he had never opened up to someone before.

Giving away such an unbearable gift was a sign of how this inexperienced man expressed his ‘want to get close’.

‘And I just rejected that clumsy outstretched hand as unnecessary…?’

This.

Lilian was belatedly sorry. Cedric said in a suppressed voice.

“If you…don’t like it…it’s, not a reward, you are my sister…because I almost forgot about you for a long time…”

No matter how much he tried to suppress his emotions, he couldn’t stop himself from speaking nonsense.

Cedric sighed in front of Lilian, who seemed flustered and couldn’t even blink.

“I apologize.”

“I just…wanted to be nice to you, because you’re my only little sister and the only family I have left.”

A precious child. Rather than properly explaining to such a child, he immediately got her engaged. It also bothered him that he gave the order.

To make an excuse, Cedric at that time was in a dead end situation where he couldn’t think of anything else to protect Turin.

‘But if I had calmly explained it first, she would have definitely understood.’

Sorry. He wanted to do well even if it was late.

But even that seemed to have been a mistake.

“My actions have made you uncomfortable.”

“No, I…”

“I was wrong. Lily, if you don’t like it, then I’ll stop.” Cedric pursed his lips. He couldn’t bear to tell her not to hate him. It seemed too shameless to say that.

Just then, Lily came over and placed a small hand on Cedric’s hand.

“It wasn’t uncomfortable. So you don’t have to apologize.”

If it wasn’t a reward, but a gift from her older brother, then she also welcomed it.

After explaining that, Cedric’s expression softened slightly.

“Really? Then I…”

“Yes. Um, but if it goes on like this, the presents might take over my room… From now on, I would like to have one a day.

“Please, brother?”

Cedric quietly avoided Lily’s gaze.

Why is he acting like this? Lily tilted her head. From the side, Allen expressionlessly explained.

“Actually, the Lord has already bought a present for you to send tomorrow, Miss Lily.”

“…Allen.”

Aha… Lilian awkwardly smiled. She calmed down her brother, who glared at his loyalist, saying that he was talking nonsense.

“It’s okay, you can send me one at a time from now on.”

“If you don’t like it, it’s okay, don’t force yourself to accept it.”

“That’s not it. I don’t hate it.”

Lilian said so with a determined expression, which was rare to see.

Cedric asked this even though he knew it was pathetic.

“Truly?”

“Yes, truly.”

“By the way, young miss Lily.”

Allen, who was watching the pathetic Lord and his friend from behind, once again extended a helping hand.

“Doesn’t your leg hurt from standing still?”

“Yes?”

Allen intently looked at Cedric.

‘You’re not going to take it even when I helped you up to here?’

Cedric, who received that look, was sorry.

“S-sorry, Lily. I’ll give you my seat…”

Geez. Allen kicked the pathetic Lord’s leg as he tried to get up from his seat.

“!”

Cedric, who tried to get up, collapsed back into his chair from the sudden attack.

“Allen, you…”

“The Lord needs a break. How can young miss Lilian sit in this seat where only the Lord can sit?”

It’s not the seat in the Palaric Hall where Cedric officially received the vassals as the Lord, but a chair in the office. There’s nowhere his sister, Lilian, couldn’t sit on but Allen deliberately said that.

“Why not sit on the Lord’s lap?”

“!”

Cedric finally understood his meaning. But this time, Lilian waved her hand.

“Oh no. It’s okay. You’re still working…”

“Did you know, young miss? The windows of the Lord’s office are designed so that even if the castle is occupied, it’ll be impossible to attack until the very end.”

“I-Is that so?”

“Yes, from any spire or any window in this castle, you can see the windows of the Lord’s office. In other words…”

Allen went over to the window and opened the curtains.

“This window on the front means that this is the only window in Turin Castle where you can see the best view without any obstruction.”

“Then I…”

“I apologize, but I don’t think you can with your height.”

It was true. Lilian grew slowly and small for a 12-year-old. She could barely see out at her height due to the high windowsill.

Allen once again reminded his Lord. Cedric, who was not an idiot, held out his hand to Lilian, meaning that since she made it this far, she should accept it.

This. Lilian was taken aback. Her situation was a bit delicate, as she was not a real 12-year-old who’d look out the window while obediently cradled in her brother’s arms.

‘I-It’s embarrassing.’

That didn’t mean she’s not curious about the scenery outside… She didn’t hate being hugged, but the moment Allen noticed Lily’s hesitant expression, he tried to urge his Lord once again.

“!”

Cedric got off his chair and knelt down. Then he carefully opened his arms.

There was no expression on his characteristic cold and beautiful face. However, Cedric was displaying the greatest courage of his life.

Lily also noticed. Because his extended fingertips…

‘It’s shaking…’

What if she refused? She had an intuition that he’d be hurt more severely that she thought.

‘No. I want to get along well with my older brother.’

Cedric didn’t miss Lily’s staggered step forward.