Translator: Nox

Chapter 59

* * *

The quarters assigned to Lisian were strikingly modest.

The space was roughly the same size as the room Tulia had recently moved into.

While both siblings had faced the Marquis’s indifference, Lisian’s standing was on a completely different level than Tulia’s.

Had he voiced even a single preference, Aubrey or Viscount Lilius would have scrambled to provide him with the most opulent and grand suite available.

Instead, Lisian had accepted this humble room—a mere token from Aubrey—without a word of protest.

He had occupied it from his earliest years until the present.

Tulia reflected that he rarely visited the main castle anyway.

A space that remains empty for long stretches of time never develops that lived-in warmth, regardless of how much it is heated or how many decorations are added.

It lacked any sense of true comfort or homey charm.

Still, the parlor was tidy and sophisticated, exactly what one would expect from a young nobleman’s residence.

But as she stepped inside, a peculiar scent hit her.

In a noble’s home, one typically encountered the sweet aroma of fresh fruit or the perfume of blossoms.

She wondered why the air was thick with the smell of raw herbs.

Having been forced to deal with various medicines lately, Tulia recognized the pungent odor immediately.

It was a restorative remedy.

A remarkably strong one at that.

It was the same substance the court doctor had tried to make her ingest daily.

Taking it was a miserable experience.

Though it resembled a small pastry, the flavor was so intensely foul and bitter that it brought tears to the eyes the moment it was chewed.

It often caused a wave of nausea as a side effect.

The herb was aptly named Loquium, a word synonymous with bitterness.

Tulia struggled to finish even a tiny portion of the finger-length herb each day.

And yet…

“…Lisian?”

There sat Lisian, a boy who was the picture of poise and neatness.

He was the beautiful youth who stammered when he spoke and often turned a charming shade of pink when flustered.

The true protagonist of this story, and the quintessential image of a pure-hearted soul.

That very Lisian was currently consuming Loquium.

He was eating that wretched, borderline-toxic herb.

The sight of him on the sofa, methodically stuffing Loquium into his mouth, felt like a fever dream.

Even while doing something so strange, his natural elegance and beauty made the act look almost solemn, as if he were bathed in a holy light.

Yet, the scene was bizarre.

Such frantic behavior was entirely out of character for him.

“…Tulia?”

He swallowed the mouthful of herbs and bolted upright, clearly startled.

“Li-Lisian.”

His expression didn’t twist in the agony of the bitter taste, as Tulia’s would have. Instead, his features showed only the shock of her unannounced arrival.

His pale green eyes searched hers, vibrating with sudden emotion.

“Isn’t… isn’t that incredibly bitter?” Tulia asked, her own voice trembling. “Are you sure that’s Loquium?”

She wondered if it might be some kind of dark chocolate treat that looked similar.

Lisian paused for a heartbeat before responding.

“It… it is Lo-Loquium.”

Tulia wondered if he had somehow lost his ability to taste.

“It doesn’t taste awful to you?!”

“…It is bitter,” he admitted softly.

“Then why are you snacking on it like it’s candy?!”

She lunged forward, grabbing the container of Loquium to inspect it.

Two-thirds of the supply was already gone.

“Are you desperately ill? Did something happen?”

She worried he had sustained some horrific internal trauma that required him to endure such a disgusting treatment.

“Are you in pain?”

There was no doctor present, and Lisian looked perfectly healthy on the surface.

“No, it… it isn’t that.”

“Then what is it?”

Lisian looked away, a soft sigh escaping his lips.

“There is a su-sudden, urgent council meeting to-today.”

“Right.”

“I have to represent Fa-father. I’ll need to provide constant tes-testimony…”

As he spoke, a deep flush crept up his neck and across his face.

Tulia finally understood.

That was why he had been forcing himself to eat the foul medicine all day.

The meeting would be packed with high-ranking aristocrats.

As the heir to the Marquis, Lisian would be seated in a position of immense authority, likely outranking even Count Nigela Frazier or Viscount Lilius.

From that seat, he intended to shield Leon Frazier and Tulia.

He was doing it his way.

In the only way he knew how.

He clearly despised his own stutter.

To minimize his speech impediment even slightly, he had been relentlessly consuming the Loquium, refusing to let his tongue rest from the bitterness.

“…”

“…Lisian.”

“Yes?”

She tried to speak his name again, but a lump in her throat prevented her from saying more.

Lisian didn’t press her for a reason.

A heavy, lonely quiet filled the room.

Tulia realized then that Lisian was drowning in shame.

Because he viewed his stutter as a profound defect, the current situation was a direct blow to his self-respect.

Yet, despite his pride, he had been completely honest with her about why he was eating the herbs.

It was an act of pure kindness.

He didn’t want his sister to worry after seeing him frantically chewing the medicine without context.

He did it for her.

Lisian always found a way to leave her at a loss for words.

“Tell me something,” she said, biting her lip hard. “Does eating this much actually work? Even for a little while?”

“I… I don’t know.”

“…”

“So far… it has done no-nothing.”

“….”

“Eve-ever since I was a child, no matter the amount I took.”

“….”

“I remain the same. Use-useless.”

He gave a small, self-deprecating smile.

He was calling himself a failure.

Tulia’s grip tightened on the basket until her knuckles turned white.

“If you’re useless, brother…”

“…Hm?”

“Then everyone else on this planet is completely fucking worthless.”

“Fu-fucking? Worthless?”

“Yes. Not just worthless. Fucking. Worth. Less.”

“….”

“That’s the truth of it…”

Lisian’s brow furrowed slightly.

“Tulia. That… that language is hardly befitting a la-lady.”

“I’m angry. What do you expect?”

She hadn’t intended to sound so much like a pouting child, but the words slipped out anyway.

Lisian’s faint smile was so full of maturity that it only made her want to act more stubborn.

“It’s alright, Tulia.”

His gaze was as soft and comforting as a warm breeze in spring.

“I… I.”

“….”

“I have a responsibility to de-fend you all.”

“….”

“Be-because I am the oldest…”

“….”

“I am your elder bro-brother. And Leon’s hy-hyung.”

“….”

But Tulia knew he was still just a boy.

He was only seventeen, a student at the Academy.

Meanwhile, their uncles—men with twice his life experience—were circling like predators, waiting to tear them apart.

“Stop eating this garbage, Lisian.”

She pulled the basket away. She understood now that he wasn’t doing this because he wanted to.

“I know you’re anxious. But you’re mistaken about one thing.”

“Wh-what is that?”

Tulia took a piece of the Loquium and bit into it forcefully, like a hero in a legend consuming a bitter tonic for strength.

The taste was so foul it brought a sting to her eyes, but the shock of it cleared her mind instantly.

She looked him directly in the eye.

“Family members are supposed to protect each other. It goes both ways.”