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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 53
Chapter Title: The Doctor's Warning
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"Who is it?"
Karayan asked sharply.
"It's Hannah, the Young Mistress's personal maid."
Karayan glanced at Lumina, as if asking if she was indeed her personal maid.
Lumina, who didn't want to resort to feigning tears, nodded as if to say this was perfect.
"Oh? Hannah? Come in!"
Brandon, disguised as Hannah, entered.
"Young Mistress. I came because I thought it was time for you to change into more comfortable clothes. If I've interrupted your time together..."
"No, no. That's right. I should change. You came at the right time, Hannah."
Lumina shook her head.
As if he had been waiting for that answer, Brandon spoke in a rush.
"The Young Mistress needs to change, so the Young Master should step outside for a moment."
He caught the still Karayan completely off guard and pushed him firmly by the back.
"Right now. And go far away."
Karayan was pushed out and ejected before he could even process it with a bewildered, "Huh? Huh?"
*Slam—!*
And the door was shut in his face.
*A normal maid wouldn't treat the Young Master, a Legion, so carelessly. Mister Brandon, are you even trying to hide your identity?*
As Lumina watched him with a suspicious gaze, Brandon turned to look at her.
"Now, let's go get you changed. Unless the Young Master is a pervert, he won't be eavesdropping while the Young Mistress is changing."
A quick glance.
After a sidelong glance at the door, Lumina moved to the dressing room with Brandon.
"What brings you here? You're not actually planning to change my clothes like a pervert, are you?"
Having mentioned the word "pervert" so loudly, she was sure Karayan had moved far away.
Lumina spoke comfortably with Brandon.
"It didn't seem like Karayan would leave no matter how long I waited, so I came up with an excuse, little miss. How was it? Natural, right?"
*He didn't seem to have any intention of hiding his identity at all.*
Lumina just smiled and let it go.
"I have something to tell you."
There was only one thing Brandon would have come to discuss at this hour.
Sensing what he was about to say, Lumina asked in a casual tone.
"Is your face okay?"
"It's great. It's not melting anymore, and it doesn't hurt. It's in perfect condition."
"I was worried about side effects, so that's a relief. By the way, the Doctor, was it? Aren't you going to catch him?"
"I tried. But he's a sharp one. Seems he's already sensed something."
"That's how he's managed to hide and dodge us for the past six years," Brandon muttered before continuing.
"There are ten minutes until midnight. If I make it past midnight, I'll really be okay."
The period of the restriction the Doctor had placed on Brandon ended today.
In just ten minutes, Brandon's fate would be decided.
Brandon glanced at the clock adorning one of the dressing room walls.
It was a clock from which a cute cuckoo emerged at midnight and noon.
"Ash was very surprised when you suddenly disappeared, little miss. He's too shy to show it, but he's been worrying himself sick. When you see him later, just tell him you're okay."
"Yes, I will."
Only Lucius's confidants, Olivia and Brandon, knew the details of the contract or pact between Lumina and Lucius.
So it was natural for Ash to be surprised.
Knowing this wasn't what Brandon really wanted to talk about, Lumina readily nodded.
"You know, when Ash was born, it was the second happiest moment of my life. He's the second treasure of my life."
"And the first treasure?"
"Olivia, of course. The day she confessed and asked me to marry her is as vivid as yesterday."
Brandon smiled softly, as if reminiscing about that time.
"Can you believe it, little miss? She confessed her love to something faceless. It was the happiest moment of my life. I'm sure no one in the world was happier than me then."
"That's impossible unless someone truly sees only what's inside. You must have had no choice but to love Olivia even more deeply."
"That's right. When Olivia was pregnant, she said something like that. That if the child resembled me, she would finally know what my original face looked like."
"..."
"But Ash, aside from his eye color, takes after Olivia or his maternal grandfather. So Olivia was quite disappointed."
Brandon smiled bitterly.
"And I, who still had memories of being discriminated against at a very young age, actually hated my real face..."
Originally, Brandon must have been a man from a nomadic minority with gray eyes.
Lumina, who had been simply watching Brandon unable to hide his complicated feelings, suddenly spoke.
"You want to leave me your last words, but you're making small talk like this because it would be awkward if things actually turn out well, right?"
"Spot on."
Brandon gave a playful smile and snapped his middle finger and thumb. It made a crisp sound.
"Then you should be with Olivia in what might be your final moments."
"She would be sad if I died."
"..."
"I don't want to make her sad."
Brandon loved his family more than Lumina could have imagined. It was such a genuine, unfeigned sincerity that Lumina felt a strange sense of unfamiliarity.
*I'm so, so glad I was given the chance to save Brandon.*
She had a subtle conviction that they would not have to grieve the loss of a family member anytime soon.
*Cuckoo.*
When the time came, the cuckoo popped out of the clock and chirped.
It was the cuckoo that announced midnight.
And it was also the cuckoo that announced the end of the period set by the Doctor.
"Mister."
Lumina looked at Brandon and smiled.
"It looks like you won't be the one to draw tears from Olivia's eyes."
There was nothing wrong with Brandon's face. Nor did he suddenly collapse.
Brandon raised both hands in a gesture of surrender.
"Alright, I'll be your slave."
He couldn't deny that he owed his life to Lumina. Brandon decided to follow the girl who was much smaller than him.
"However, I will never betray the Captain, harm the Captain, or do anything that would disadvantage the Captain."
"Mister. Do you like my father?"
"Of course. I like him."
"Olivia! Run!"
*Eek.*
Lumina covered her mouth with both hands and let out a small shriek.
"No, not in that way!"
Brandon hastily corrected himself.
Watching Brandon earnestly deny it, Lumina slowly lowered her hands.
Her lips, which he might have expected to be surprised, were curved into a mischievous smile.
"I can't say anything in front of a kid. Speaking of which, I heard you suddenly coughed up a flower in your sleep."
"I don't really remember it, but that's what they told me."
"I managed to snag one and gave it to Erica. She seemed more likely to figure it out than a regular doctor. I'll let you know as soon as the results are in."
*He really is competent.*
Lumina was inwardly impressed by how he handled things without even being asked.
It finally sank in that she had gained a reliable ally.
"And, Lumina."
Brandon, who always called her "little miss," lowered his voice.
"Be careful of the Doctor."
"The Doctor? He's the one who harmed you. Why would I...?"
"Just be careful. No matter what."
Brandon's expression was serious.
"There's not much known about that guy, so I can't tell you a lot. But there's one thing I can be sure of."
"..."
"He's a bastard who's crazy about Legions."
"What?"
"It's not a figure of speech. It's the truth. If he finds out what you are, he'll definitely try to harm you."
When speaking of 'the Doctor,' Brandon looked unusually anxious and uneasy.
"I was kidnapped by the Doctor when I was a child. It was an atrocity he committed because of my unique ability. From that day on, my life was nothing short of a living hell."
Brandon's voice trembled slightly.
"The person who rescued me from that hell was the Captain. That's why I can never betray him."
The reason he went so far as to mention his dark past must have been because he genuinely didn't want Lumina to get involved with the Doctor.
"You don't want to be experimented on while you're still alive, do you, little miss?"
Lumina nodded.
"Good. So if you see this face, run without a second thought."
Brandon covered his face with his palm.
And when he moved his hand away, he wore the face of the old man he had shown her once before.
***
*Click, clack—.*
Arabelle, her expression stubborn, stared straight ahead and marched forward.
"Princess! Princess!"
Her maids called out desperately from behind her, but she acted as if she couldn't hear them.
Arabelle's pace was naturally fast, and her maids were having a hard time keeping up.
Arabelle, who didn't have the word 'consideration' in her dictionary, had never once stopped just because someone was trying to hold her back.
Thus, she arrived at her destination without slowing her pace.
"What are you doing? Open the door. Now."
"If you would just wait a moment..."
"I'm here, and you're not opening it?"
Arabelle's eyes flashed sharply as she glared at the attendant guarding the door.
In the meantime, the maids who had hurriedly caught up with her tried to soothe the insolent princess.
"Princess, you've come without any notice. Imagine how awkward this must be for the Prince. His Highness is not in good health, so perhaps it would be better to make an appointment and visit next time?"
"I said, open the door. Me."
Arabelle didn't even pretend to listen to the maid.
Everyone was exchanging awkward glances when...
"P-Princess. The Prince says you may enter."
The attendant who had recognized the approaching Arabelle and had quickly gone to ask the Second Prince for his wishes appeared and spoke.
The door opened at once, and Arabelle strode inside.
She then rushed over to the Second Prince, Eliot, who was sitting on the sofa.
"Brother! Brother!"
"Belle, you're here?"
Eliot, who had been reading a book on the sofa, greeted Arabelle affectionately.
"Big brother, you have to listen to me!"
Arabelle plopped down next to Eliot like an arrow and fumed. Then she got straight to the point.
"You know Karayan, right?"
"You mean the Young Duke Heart?"
"Yes! That Karayan! He went and got married all of a sudden! And his bride is... what's her name? Some girl from a family I've never even heard of. Brother, do you think this makes any sense?"
As if his younger sister's whining was just pleasant to hear, Eliot wore a smile on his lips.
This kind of situation seemed familiar to him.
"Brother, don't just smile!"
Eliot had short silver hair, thoughtful violet eyes, and an overall delicate build that gave him a frail impression.
Because of this, even though he was born with the same coloring as his sister Arabelle, their auras made them seem like complete strangers.
"Our Belle must be very upset that the Young Duke Heart, whom she liked so much, has married someone else."
"What are you talking about?"
Arabelle retorted, as if wondering whether Eliot was even listening to her properly.
"Then why are you so angry?"
"It's beneath him!"
Arabelle screamed.
"He was supposed to marry me, Arabelle Piaget Epagonizomai Philoneikia von Rembrana, and yet he married some girl who crawled out from who knows where."
"..."
"I won't accept it."
