CH 15

The Reincarnated Villainess Reunites With Her Brother 1

A small child named Reynaldo visited Hubert’s territory.

While Mother and Father were arguing, Rosemary sneaked the frightened little child outside.

The small child’s hands were soft.

The little boy, who still can’t walk steadily, anxiously put his finger in his mouth.

“Let’s wait here for Father to finish his talk.”

Rosemary sat the boy down on a bench in her favorite garden.

Mother and Father often quarrel, so Rosemary was scared and cried every time there was a fight.

Her older brother always ignored the frightened Rosemary and went outside.

When she timidly peeked into the room, fearful that another fight had started today, she saw a boy standing a short distance away from her, so she brought him out without a second thought.

How could he stay with two people who were fighting so loudly and not cry?

Maybe because he was a boy.

Rosemary thought to herself.

“How old are you?”

The boy thought for a moment and held up four fingers.

“I’m eight years old. Four years older than you.”

She wondered if he couldn’t speak.

She stared into the same jade-green eyes as her.

“What’s your name?”

She waited for him to answer, hoping he could speak.

The boy stared at Rosemary for a while, then whispered, “Reynaldo.”

He could speak. That was good.

“I’m Rosemary.”

This was the first conversation Rosemary remembered having with her brother.

‘Reynaldo Hubert… No, it’s now Duke Reynaldo Rose….’

I was ruminating on my memories in the room prepared for the maids.

The memories and emotions of when I was Rosemary can be vaguely remembered by recalling distant memories.

I remembered Rosemary’s childhood as if it were my own.

Reynaldo was the child of a mistress her father had made outside the house.

It is said that when his mistress was getting married, she pushed the child she had with her father into the Hubert family, saying that the child was a hindrance to her marriage.

I heard this story from a gossipy maid, so I could not be sure.

Since Reynaldo came to the mansion, he had never said anything about his own mother.

When I asked him after a while, he just replied, “There was such a person, wasn’t there?” so I couldn’t ask too much.

Moreover, it was forbidden for me to talk about it because the mere mention of the subject would make my mother’s mood worse and aggravate her already sickly condition.

It was also forbidden to bring Reynaldo near my mother.

At the time, Rosemary had only one playmate, her attendant Alberto, and she was starving for someone to play with while Alberto was away.

So, when a new child came to the house, she was delighted.

It was a time when I wanted a little brother or sister more than anything.

My brother, who resembled my father, took no interest in me at all, so my playmates were generally maids, but there was no way maids would seriously play with a child’s pastime, and it seemed as if I was successfully releasing my stress with Reynaldo.

Judging from the results, the effect was good for both parties.

Reynaldo, hungry for affection, was satisfied by his contact with Rosemary.

Rosemary’s hunger for a playmate was filled by her brother, Reynaldo.

I also remember spurring Reynaldo to distance himself from me when I found out that others were making fun of him as a siscon and someone who couldn’t stay away from his sister.

‘I still can’t forget Reynaldo’s sad face at that time…’

His eyes were filled with tears and he called me “Sister…” in a high-pitched voice that hadn’t yet changed.

‘It was too painful for my conscience to take.’

And now, such a young brother is now thirty-two years old and a respectable duke of the northern provinces.

‘Though I’m glad he wasn’t caught up in my, Rosemary’s, crimes.’

I don’t know what has happened to him in the twenty years since Rosemary’s execution.

I hope he is happy.

While I was looking forward to meeting him, I was also scared.

Rosemary only wanted Reynaldo to be happy.

I was afraid that my younger brother, who only showed affection to his older sister, would follow in my footsteps after I died.

It was a relief to see that Reynaldo was still alive.

However, I can’t help but feel a sense of discomfort.

‘It’s only a guess, but I think Reynaldo resented the country.’

He insisted on her innocence, but the country didn’t take him seriously and condemned Rosemary.

‘Besides, to attach the name “Rose” to the territory… seems to be an assertion of unresolved feelings.’

If he was loyal to the royal family, there was no way he could use a word that could be used to describe his older sister, who had become a criminal.

‘What happened in the past twenty years?’

The blank period was so long that even I, who inherited Rosemary’s soul, couldn’t imagine Reynaldo’s thoughts.

I also have another concern.

If.

What if.

If he knew that Rosemary was reborn.

‘… I don’t want to think about it….’

I stopped thinking.

After deciding on a day when I would be off duty with McClain-sama, a letter was sent to Duke Reynaldo with the intention to meet.

The reply arrived a few days later, and it was said that the Duke was to visit the royal capital.

Since it would be suspicious to meet at the royal palace, we decided to meet in a private room in the cafe that McClain-sama often visited.

My heart beat excitedly at the sight of the bustling streets outside the castle, which I hadn’t seen in a while.

“If you want something, I’ll treat you.”

“No, no! I’m getting paid properly.”

I hurriedly replied, but I was keenly aware that he, like Reynaldo, had a 20-year gap to his mind when I saw that he could say such a statement so casually.

The Alberto that Rosemary knew would not have been good at this kind of natural exchange with a woman.

With a sense of loneliness in my heart, I followed McClain-sama.

The cafe stood quietly on the outskirts of town.

A detached house standing on a quiet street corner was decorated with beautifully colored flowers. It was hard to believe that it was a cafe.

When I opened the door, I heard the sound of a bell ringing.

A woman wearing a cute apron comes from inside, and when she sees McClain-sama’s face, she leads him to a private room saying, “Please come this way.”

I see, he is a regular customer.

I obediently followed behind and was led to a small room off to the side.

Inside, the room is beautifully decorated in an antique style, with a spacious sofa and two comfortable-looking chairs.

I sat down on one of the chairs and looked around the room.

“Would you like something to drink?”

“May I have a cup of herbal tea, please?”

“I understand.”

I told the waitress and McClain-sama also ordered one for himself.

“Don’t be so nervous.”

That’s impossible, isn’t it?

I chuckled.

After a while, the tea arrived.

I take a sip of the fragrant herbal tea and calm my fast-beating heart.

Next to me, McClain-sama also took a sip of his tea while occasionally paying attention to my condition. The tea seems to have a citrus aroma.

At that moment, the front door quietly opened.

The first thing I saw was black.

A black cloak with black clothes. The pants were also made of jet-black fabric.

Black boots with rims decorated only with silver.

The only bright decoration on him is a pair of sharp jade eyes.

An icy cold expression Rosemary has never seen before.

Clothes dyed in pitch black.

“Miss Edigma?”

McClain-sama looks at me in surprise.

For some reason, he hurriedly offered me a hand towel.

“Marie, why are you crying?”

“I don’t know. As soon as I saw you, suddenly…”

Wait, crying? Who is?

I finally realized that I was crying when warm droplets dripped down onto the palm of my hand.

Tears began to overflow, and I couldn’t stop.

“I’m sorry….”

I turned my head and sobbed uncontrollably.

The dark clothes are a sign that he is still in mourning.

The ice-cold expression on his face is a reminder that he’s not happy.

It’s as if the Rosemary sleeping inside me is crying aloud.

And I keep screaming in my head.

Reynaldo.

I’m sorry.

My tears flowed down unstoppably, confusing the two people in front of me for a while.