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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 68
Chapter Title: A Brother's Letter
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“Why is he sending a letter now?”
Karayan knew Endymion was at the academy, and he knew the boy hadn't sent a single reply to the dozens of letters Lumina had sent.
He had accidentally overheard the maids whispering about it.
Perhaps because of that, his opinion of Endymion was harsh, and even his tone when mentioning him was disapproving.
“He must have been busy. Besides, it’s a boarding school.”
Since Endymion had gone to the academy largely due to her own influence, Lumina found herself defending him.
But to Karayan, it looked like she was needlessly defending him.
Was she that naive? It was obvious that her so-called brother found his only sister a nuisance, yet she seemed to be the only one who didn't realize it.
Karayan, who didn't voice his inner thoughts, stared directly at Lumina as she moved away from him.
“You said you were going to reply. Where are you going?”
“Um. I was thinking of picking out a book first.”
It seemed she was trying to escape using the book as an excuse.
And Karayan's prediction was correct.
Lumina was running away.
As if he had never been lounging, Karayan rose from his seat.
He then toppled the tower of books that had stood solidly around him and shoved them carelessly into a corner.
Crash, clatter.
The sound of the books collapsing was so chaotic that Lumina's attention was inevitably diverted.
“If there's a book you want to read, just tell me. I'll get it for you.”
Having roughly cleared the area, Karayan pushed back the chair next to him and spoke.
“You sit here in the meantime. Where are you trying to go, scurrying around on those delicate legs of yours?”
In other words, Karayan was acting quite aristocratic and gentlemanly.
Lumina could deduce that he had paid attention during half of his etiquette lessons and completely ignored the other half.
“Weren't you meditating?”
“That ended a long time ago.”
Karayan firmly put his foot down, making sure Lumina couldn't go anywhere.
“So what I mean is, you should put me to work.”
He, who was practically offering himself up for servitude, was far more persistent than the maids.
If she said she was leaving the library, he would surely follow.
Lumina couldn't understand why even Karayan was so keenly interested in the letter from Endymion.
But understanding wouldn't solve the problem. In the end, Lumina sat down in the chair he had pulled out for her.
And said.
“A fairy tale book.”
“…A fairy tale book?”
“I was looking for a fairy tale book with lots of pictures!”
The library in the Heart ducal estate was said to have every book imaginable, boasting a diverse collection.
However, it had no children's books.
‘The renowned Duke Heart must have had a childhood and read picture books, but I haven't seen a single one in the library. I guess they thought such books didn't suit this formal place.’
Karayan also knew that this place didn't carry things like fairy tale books at all.
“A fairy tale book with lots of pictures…”
“I really want to read one. You can get it for me, can't you?”
Sparkle, sparkle.
Lumina looked at Karayan, her eyes filled with anticipation.
Ugh.
There was no way he could tell her they didn't have any.
His resolve weakened, Karayan stood up to find a book that wasn't there.
“I'll be right back, so don't you move from this spot.”
“Okay!”
Karayan disappeared from sight.
Lumina, who had been smiling brightly, let her smile fall and quickly unfolded the letter while Karayan was away.
[Dearest Sister, I hope you have been well. I am ashamed that my reply is so late.]
Slightly spiky characters came into view.
The handwriting felt immature, like a child trying to imitate an adult's script, paired with a tone an old man might use.
It was definitely Endymion.
[I have read all the letters you have sent.
From your letters alone, it seems you are doing well, which is a relief.
If you are facing any unjust circumstances that you cannot write about, please draw a carrot in the corner of a letter.
Or, if even that is not possible, just make a small dot, like a speck of dust.
I will immediately study marital law and find a solution.]
‘…A carrot?’
Perhaps because Ash had once judged Karayan so harshly, Endymion still seemed to be full of anxiety and worry about Lumina's married life.
It occurred to her that a boy like this would never have intentionally ignored her letters.
[I imagine you must have been worried about me as well, given my long silence, so I wanted to reply immediately.
However, I have been so busy lately strengthening my bonds of ~~dispute~~ friendship with my classmates at the academy that circumstances did not allow it.
It is not a major issue, so there is no need to worry.]
‘It seems the hazing was severe.’
Lumina immediately understood Endymion's situation.
Considering Endymion's age and his sudden transfer, it wasn't particularly surprising.
Still, it seemed he was now adjusting well to academy life.
Reports of his daily life filled the pages of the letter.
‘I could have opened this in front of the maids after all.’
Just as she had that thought, a sentence caught her eye like a stone she'd tripped over.
[I intend to remain at the academy during the holidays until I graduate.
I wish to focus on my studies to achieve results that surpass even the top student.]
‘What's higher than first place? Rank zero of the academy, or something…?’
She couldn't fathom Endymion's intentions.
[This is not because I do not wish to see your face, Sister.
I say this because you might misunderstand. I have heard that if a student consistently shows outstanding achievement until graduation, a member of the imperial family will personally visit to commend them.
I wish to have an audience with the imperial family to receive permission to enter the forbidden archives in the imperial palace.
However, because I transferred, I have no grades from the first semester.
Therefore, I must work harder than my peers, and I ask for your understanding.]
The forbidden archives, as she understood it, was a place where all sorts of banned books were kept.
And most of them were related to black magic.
‘Is Endymion interested in black magic?’
Puzzled, Lumina wrote a reply.
She was just folding the quickly written letter neatly and placing it in an envelope when it happened.
“Here.”
Thump—.
A heavy sound came from beside Lumina. Turning her head, she saw a huge pile of books.
“They're all picture books.”
She could tell just by looking at the spines.
These aren't in the library. How did he get back so quickly?
“You came back so fast.”
“I happened to be nearby.”
Karayan didn't mention that he had left the mansion, run to a bookstore, and bought every single picture book they had.
It was something he could easily do, and wouldn't it seem like he was boasting if he spelled it out?
Even after running such a long distance, Karayan sat down naturally beside Lumina without showing any signs of being out of breath.
And he glanced at the letter in her hand.
His expression showed he was dying of curiosity.
But it was a letter addressed to Lumina.
He couldn't snatch it, nor could he outright ask to see it. In the end, he spoke indirectly.
“You look happy.”
“Yes! Endymion says he's doing well! Isn't that a relief?”
“…You seem very close to your brother.”
Karayan asked hesitantly after a moment.
He was anxious that Lumina, who became sensitive whenever the topic of family came up, would coldly push him away again.
His heart, which had been calm even as he ran between the bookstore and the mansion, now felt like it was racing.
Hmm.
After hearing Karayan, Lumina stared into space for a moment as if lost in thought, then readily opened her mouth.
“We only got close recently. Endymion isn't my full brother; he's my half-brother.”
It was a story she had never told him before.
Karayan listened intently.
“We first met when I was seven and my father remarried, so it was inevitable that we felt more like strangers than family.”
“And?”
“Pardon?”
“There must have been something that made you get close.”
Karayan desperately tried to keep the conversation going.
Lumina could also see that he was trying hard to continue the conversation.
‘It's not some huge secret.’
In fact, it was something anyone who knew about the Lanshuss family could tell him.
He could have dug around behind her back like his father, Lucius, but the way he asked her directly didn't seem so bad.
“Our parents passed away. We were the only family left, so we had no choice but to become close. That's all there is to it.”
“Is that kid Endymion a genius?”
“Pardon?”
“He enrolled in the academy at four, didn't he?”
Blink, blink.
Lumina, who hadn't understood what Karayan was talking about, soon burst into laughter.
She realized what he had misunderstood.
“No. He's only two years younger than me. Endymion was an illegitimate child before my father remarried.”
Only then did Karayan realize that Lumina had grown up in quite the dysfunctional family.
It felt like a puzzle piece clicking into place, resolving his long-held questions.
“That…”
Karayan tried to comfort Lumina.
But since it was something he had never done before, the words didn't come easily.
Lumina quickly cut in.
“You don't have to worry about it. They're dead anyway. The living should live among the living.”
She said it calmly because she truly was unaffected.
But Karayan interpreted it as Lumina suppressing her pain.
Having become an idiot who couldn't even offer a single word of comfort, he cursed himself for not having a more delicate and gentle nature.
“If you meet him, you'll see right away that he's a good kid.”
Karayan wanted to talk more, about this and that.
Lumina. He wanted to know more about her.
Noticing this, Lumina called his name in a soft voice.
“Karayan.”
Karayan suddenly felt a tickle in his chest.
“Thank you for bringing me the books.”
With that, Lumina leaned in and kissed Karayan on the cheek.
Chu.
