CH 11

“Sister.”

Cassadin called me in a calm voice. His tone was gentle, as if he were soothing a newborn baby. Did he not want to admit that he was surprised?

“Sister, I wasn’t testing you. I was just…”

“Just?”

“It was the first time I felt such warmth. I did it because I like you, Sister.”

Yet another lie without any hesitation. His head swung slightly, and he looked at me with sad eyes. His performance was convincing enough to deceive anyone.

“So you tested me because you like me?”

“I’ve never tested you. Not once.”

I made a bitter smile as I heard the words that left his mouth. It was bold of him to say that when he had been constantly testing me since the first day he arrived.

“Then why did you steal the book?”

“…”

“The book that disappeared three weeks ago. I know that you stole it and put it back on the bookshelf.”

After a moment of silence, Cassadin raised his head to look at me. His lips were curled up in a smile, but his eyes were stone cold. Maybe this was his true self.

But he still continued to lie.

“I didn’t steal it.”

“Cassadin, the only person who came into my room that night was you. I even remember what book was on that bookshelf. Did you really think I wouldn’t know it was you?”

Maybe he really didn’t think I would know because his eyes shook noticeably. Then I smiled at Cassadin and added,

“At the time, I thought you had a reason for doing so.”

“…”

“The important thing isn’t that you stole the book. It’s that you lied to me.”

I gently stroked Cassadin’s cheek, as if I were handling a precious possession. Cassadin’s eyes narrowed for an instant, but he didn’t reject my touch.

He simply asked me this,

“Why didn’t you scold me when you knew everything?”

“…”

Was he hoping to be scolded? Or maybe he thought my lack of reaction was strange.

His voice trembled slightly, like that of a rebellious child who wanted recognition for the prank he had pulled.

“Because you’re my precious family.”

I pulled my hand away from my unrelated brother’s cheek. And upon seeing that, he desperately grabbed my hand again.

But after grabbing my hand, Cassadin didn’t utter a single word. And when he let go of my hand after a while, he was back to being a polite younger brother.

To be exact, he was a man wearing the mask of a polite, elegant, and kind younger brother.

“Sister, you are the light that shines upon my everything. A ray of light that has saved me from darkness. One so bright that I can’t dare look up to. You are that sort of light to me.”

“…”

“I will never lie to you again. I only stole the book because I was curious about what kind of book you read. If I knew this would happen, I would’ve told you the truth.”

“I can lend you any book you ask for. I can even get books from the imperial palace for you if that’s what you want.”

“Thank you for saying so. Sister, by the way…”

He asked me with a smiling face. It was a truly fake smile.

“Where is the imperial palace?”

“It’s not too far from here. But why do you ask?”

The imperial palace was located near our territory. It was because we must be able to go to the imperial palace immediately in case the imperial family is in need of our family’s healing ability.

“You said the Crown Prince’s birthday banquet was next week.”

“Yes.”

“I’m incredibly curious about what the imperial palace looks like. I hope I won’t make any mistakes when I go there.”

From the etiquette that I saw Cassadin show, there was no reason for him to be concerned about such a thing.

“I’m more afraid that I might make a mistake than you.”

Would I be able to maintain my composure when I meet Damian at the birthday banquet? I still had the image of him stabbing my heart and mocking me etched in my mind.

I would be able to greet the man who killed me without much problem. But even if I pretended to smile, I couldn’t erase all of the hatred inside of me for him.

If it was Damian and his sharp senses, he might notice my hostility towards him. He even has mysophobia, after all.

So I decided that for the remaining week, I was going to master the art of hiding my hostility toward Damian. And the one who erased my train of thought was none other than Cassadin’s voice.

“Have you ever been to the imperial palace, Sister?”

“Of course. I usually attend all events held annually at the imperial palace.”

“Incredible. But if it’s the Crown Prince’s birthday banquet, will it be held in the Crown Prince’s palace?”

“No. It’s held at the Crystal Hall, not the Crown Prince’s palace. It’s a place that’s only used for large events.”

“I see.”

Cassadin nodded.

“…I hope that day will come soon.”

After that, we walked around the square together. Every time I asked him what he wanted, he just shook his head with an enigmatic smile.

“I need to know what you want.”

Hearing that, Cassadin stopped to stare at the air for a moment, as if lost in thought, then he suddenly turned his gaze toward me.

“There is one thing.”

“What is it?”

When our gazes interlocked, he added with a smile,

“It’s you, Sister.”

It was my mistake to expect a proper answer from this guy, and I couldn’t help but laugh at the sudden loss of tension. Then we returned to the mansion.

Cassadin used to knock on my room door every time before dawn when nobody was awake. But for some reason, after that day, he didn’t come to my room late at night for a while.

The Crown Prince’s birthday was now just a day away. That night, I was reading a newspaper article featuring Damian on the front page.

“Year 829 of the Empire, Swordsmanship Tournament Winner-Grand Duke Damian Keane Daeus.”

And next to the large print was a small portrait of Damian.

His slanted eyes and straight lips made his already sharp face look even sharper. And it reminded me of a sharp skewer.

‘Winning a swordsmanship tournament even with heart disease. He’s a monster, alright. Who in the world would think a monster like that would be suffering from heart disease?’

When I first fell for Damian in my past life, I didn’t think he had such an illness. It was only after he suddenly collapsed in front of me, clutching his heart, a year after following him around, that I realized it existed.

Knock knock.

A sudden knocking sound caused me to throw the newspaper in my hands far away and put out the candle.

“It’s me, Sister.”

“Come in.”

And the door opened with a creak. My younger brother, now relatively familiar from seeing him so often, came into view.

“Why haven’t you been coming at night recently?”

“…did you wait for me to come?”

Asking with a slender smile on his lips, Cassadin looked just like a sly fox.

“A little bit.”

“That makes me happy. To think that Sister was waiting for me.”

“You said you couldn’t sleep at night. Has it gotten better now?”

“…yes, thanks to you, Sister.”

He nodded as he climbed onto the bed where I was. And the way he lay down next to me couldn’t feel any more natural than this.

When our eyes met, Cassadin’s eyes curled like a crescent moon.

“But I still like it best when I’m with you like this.”

“You’ll return to your room in the morning anyway.”

“Because you’ll get in trouble if the others find out we’re doing this. That’s why I return to my room before sunrise.”

“If you really didn’t want me to be in trouble, you wouldn’t come visit me at night.”

Cassadin laughed softly. His laughter tinkled like a refreshing river as it scattered in the air.

“It’s because I like you, Sister. I like seeing you during the day, but I also like seeing you at night.”

“…”

“Shining platinum blonde hair and blue eyes that contain their own serene lake. It’s always enjoyable to see Sister’s beautiful appearance illuminated in the faint moonlight.”

His brain must have been made of honeycomb because every single word that spilled out of his mouth was sweeter than honey. If he continued to talk like this, it wouldn’t be impossible for him to become a top-tier socialite.

And I responded nonchalantly to Cassadin’s insincere flattery,

“It gets me thinking every time I see your shimmering silver hair and those deep purple eyes. Especially when I can tell from your expression that you’re thinking deeply about something.”

“…”

“I wonder what you’re thinking about when you stare blankly into space, immersed in your thoughts with eyebrows slightly furrowed. You’re always making me curious.”

Despite my thorny remark, Cassadin just smiled as usual and brushed the hair back from my forehead.

“Sister, all I think about is you.”

“…someone saw you leaving the mansion in the middle of the night a few days ago.”

I thought it was strange that Cassadin didn’t come to my room for the past few days, so I had Sasha keep an eye on him.

And Sasha informed me that Cassadin had slipped out of the mansion a few nights ago and only returned before dawn.

Suddenly, the hand that was touching my hair stopped moving completely.

“…”

“What were you doing outside?”

To my question, he slowly blinked a few times, then he soon opened his mouth.

“…I went out for a moment to get some fresh air.”

Did he really call that an excuse?

“Is that really true?”

“Yes.”

It seemed like he didn’t want me to ask any further. His trip outside was probably related to the past he wanted to hide.

And I already had a vague idea about his past.

‘He’s either a noble or royalty from a country that’s been crushed by the Empire. And Cassadin’s homeland is most likely…’

It was most likely related to the Hyran Kingdom, which had been completely erased from existence, even on maps.

Because the only time that darned Cassadin had shown any signs of emotions that included longing and resentment was when I gifted him that dagger.

‘He said that when he first discovered Cassadin, he was unconscious on the floor, wearing expensive clothing. So he thought that the boy was a son of a noble family.’

What Sasha had told me last time also crossed my mind.

“Well, that must be true if you say so.”

Even knowing the truth, I pretended not to, acting as if I truly trusted Cassadin. There was no need for me to pry when the opponent had no intention of speaking more about the topic.

And Cassadin smiled brighter than he had ever before. It was a dazzlingly bright smile, but it felt nothing more than a smile dipped in a pool of deceit to me.

Thus the false night passed, and finally, the day of the Crown Prince’s birthday banquet arrived.