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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 49
Chapter Title: My Younger Brother, Endymion
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His flushed face was so red it was clearly visible even in the dark.
It seemed Karayan was the one who needed a cold towel to cool his fever.
*Uh…*
Lumina abandoned her plan to throw the towel from her face back onto his.
She realized he hadn’t done it because he genuinely found her unsightly.
“You’re not just anyone, Young Master.”
Instead, she giggled at the flustered Karayan, who didn’t know what to do.
“We’re married, so technically, you’re my husband… Of course, you don’t like me, and you never welcomed this marriage. But still, we’re not strangers, are we?”
His face still hot, Karayan glanced at the chattering Lumina. The heat in his face hadn’t subsided.
*Just like I thought when we first met, he’s not very honest.*
Having removed both the towel covering her face and the one on her forehead, Lumina comfortably turned onto her side.
She figured if she sat up, Karayan would just push her down again as if he’d been waiting for it, making her feel like a roly-poly toy.
“And do you think I just go around smiling all the time? I was smiling just now because I like you!”
Lumina said, her soft cheeks squished like rice cakes.
Karayan’s face, which had seemed to be cooling down, turned red again.
Her sparkling pink eyes looked straight at him as she so casually said she liked him, giving the heat no chance to fade.
Karayan raised an arm to slightly cover his face.
Then, he turned his head slightly to the side and spoke.
“Call me by my name.”
“Pardon?”
“You know my name, don’t you? You say you like me, but you don’t even know the name of the man you like?”
It felt like saying she didn’t know, even as a joke, would lead to big trouble.
“Of course, I do. Your name is Karayan von Heart.”
“And you are Lumina von Heart.”
“Yesss…”
Having lived her whole life as a Lanshuss, it felt strange and awkward to have “von Heart” attached to her name.
She wondered if she really needed to get used to it, since she planned on divorcing him and going back to being a Lanshuss in a few years anyway.
“The people of House Heart have always been strong. We don’t get sick.”
“…”
“So don’t get sick without my permission.”
First, he told her not to smile as she pleased.
Now, he was telling her not to get sick without his permission. He was utterly dogmatic.
“And don’t use your ability.”
“That’s a little difficult.”
Lumina, who he expected to just say, “Yes, yes,” and move on, answered decisively.
“Why?”
“Because you get sick periodically, Karayan.”
“I’m stronger than you. So you don’t need to worry about it.”
“I know. But your sickness is different from other people’s. They say a burden shared is a burden halved, so just leave it to me. I’m strong, too!”
Even though she had already lost consciousness once and was now lying in bed.
Karayan found it absurd that she was clenching her tiny fists and insisting she was strong.
Though she read the meaning behind his gaze, Lumina could repeat her claim of being strong without a hint of shame.
After all, she had lived longer than Karayan.
Karayan could tell her not to use her ability because he didn’t know his own time was running out.
“I think you were in more pain than last time because you keep getting beaten up somewhere. So please, stop getting beaten up.”
“It’s not usually like that. It was because of the rain.”
“The rain? Do you get weaker when it rains or something?”
It seemed his pride wouldn’t let him admit it himself.
Karayan pressed his lips shut, and his expression darkened at the mention of rain.
So, Lumina smoothly changed the subject.
“By the way, how long was I asleep?”
“A full day. And you weren’t sleeping, you fainted.”
Better than last time.
On second thought, she had intended to sleep longer but woke up because of Karayan, so maybe it was similar to last time.
Back then, too, she had woken up intermittently before falling back asleep.
“I’m just asking, just in case.”
“What is it?”
“Don’t tell me you sat there for a whole day taking care of me…”
“O-Of course not! Why would I do that?”
*You didn’t, right?*
Lumina, who was about to finish her sentence, widened her eyes.
Karayan’s reaction, cutting her off so sharply, was exaggerated. And to top it off, he was stuttering unnaturally.
It was suspicious.
“Don’t look at me like that.”
“Like what? I’m looking at you the same way I was before.”
“It’s suggestive.”
Lumina felt wronged.
*Suggestive!*
*Who’s the one acting weirdest right now!*
Her dissatisfaction must have been written all over her face.
Karayan took the two washcloths Lumina was holding, dipped them in the water with what seemed like practiced skill, and wrung them out completely.
In truth, he hadn’t been able to prepare a washcloth so naturally from the start.
Having never nursed anyone in his life, he had told the doctor, who then taught him personally.
Unaware of these circumstances she would never know—as she had been unconscious—Lumina felt Karayan place the cold washcloth on her forehead.
“Just rest. I’ll go get the doctor.”
“Right now?”
“If not now, then when?”
“What time is it? The sun has set, isn’t it nighttime?”
“And?”
His expression asked what the problem was.
“The doctor needs to sleep, too. I don’t feel any pain right now, so call him after sunrise.”
“But…”
Even if she felt fine for now, couldn’t there be something wrong?
Before Karayan could insist on fetching the doctor, Lumina patted the spot next to her.
“Lie down.”
“What?”
“Let’s get a good night’s sleep first and think about it later. The bed is wide enough, so there’s no problem.”
The doctor’s rights were one thing, but more importantly, Karayan looked exhausted.
*He seems to have been by my side all day. Don’t tell me he hasn’t slept a wink?*
Looking at Karayan’s face and reactions, it was entirely possible.
In truth, if she could, Lumina would have sent Karayan to his room.
But this *was* his room.
The room Lumina was lying in wasn’t her own, but the one she shared with Karayan.
Not brazen enough to tell the son of the house’s owner to sleep on the floor, Lumina offered Karayan his original spot.
Besides, the bed was wide enough for both of them to roll around in.
“How indecent.”
Despite saying that, Karayan showed no intention of lying down on the bed.
*Who said I was going to do anything?*
To emphasize she had no such intentions, Lumina shot him the most innocent look she could muster.
Karayan looked at her face and blurted out.
“Who is Endymion?”
“Pardon? Endymion?”
*Why is Karayan saying Endymion’s name?*
*No, before that, is he even talking about the Endymion I know?*
Unlike Lucius, who knew everything down to Lumina’s paternal aunt’s in-law’s third cousin’s grandfather, Karayan knew nothing about her family.
Since the two of them didn’t get along, Karayan wouldn’t have heard anything about Lumina from his father, Lucius.
He could be referring to an Endymion who owned a bakery or was a magitech engineer.
Though Lumina didn’t know anyone like that.
Leaving all possibilities open, Lumina asked back.
“Which Endymion?”
“The Endymion you know. Is he a bad guy?”
“No. He’s a good person!”
“Has he ever hit you?”
“What? Never.”
*Endymion being violent?*
She wondered where on earth he had heard such a thing to be asking these questions.
“Then.”
*Why did you call his name so wistfully?*
Karayan swallowed the rest of his words.
“Then?”
Lumina pressed.
But Karayan just couldn’t bring himself to say it.
*Don’t tell me Endymion is the name of a man she used to like?*
Lumina was young, but as a noble, the possibility that she’d had marriage talks with a man from an even younger age couldn’t be dismissed.
Young Lumina, who looked like she knew nothing of the world, would have probably agreed to the adults’ words without a single complaint.
Then, as they spent more time together, what if she developed a one-sided crush…
As his imagination ran wild, Karayan’s irritation soared.
But he couldn’t bring himself to ask if Endymion was a former lover, so he asked in a roundabout way.
“…Don’t tell me he’s someone you like?”
“Yes. That’s right!”
Lumina answered without a moment’s hesitation.
For a moment, Karayan felt as if he had been struck by lightning.
“You said you liked me, so how can you still have lingering feelings for another man? Do you really like me?”
“Of course, I do?”
Lumina replied, bewildered.
Karayan couldn’t understand what was so “of course” about it.
*Is it normal in the Lanshuss family to like two people at once?*
Just as he felt so frustrated he thought he would explode.
“Because Endymion is my younger brother.”
The moment he heard that, Karayan realized what a fool he’d made of himself.
“Uh oh?”
Without a second thought, Karayan roughly lay down in the spot next to Lumina.
If he didn’t, she would surely see that he was blushing all the way to his ears.
Lumina stared blankly at Karayan, who had turned his back to her.
Just then, Karayan, while pulling up the blanket, suddenly whipped around to face her.
“…?”
“Your fever hasn’t completely gone down yet.”
With that, he pulled the blanket up to her chin and lay back down.
He didn’t forget to turn his back to her again, to hide his red face.
But despite his efforts, as he had tucked her in, Lumina had witnessed Karayan’s ears and even his neck turning as red as a tomato.
*He’s the one who’s running hotter than me right now.*
Lumina wriggled one hand out from under the blanket.
She fiddled with the washcloth for a moment, then stifled a laugh.
