-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: A Brother's Concern
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Andrea arrived the next morning.
“Chloe!”
Andrea flung the door open and stormed into my chambers without so much as my permission.
*He's later than I expected. I thought he'd show up the moment the party ended.*
This was the first time I'd seen Andrea since waking from death.
I watched him approach, my heart pounding with a restless mix of tension and rage, but then I was struck by a sliver of surprise.
*What is this?*
Something felt off.
*I used to feel so small in front of him, with his always glamorous and sophisticated air. But now... he just looks strange.*
The Andrea of my memories had always seemed so mature, so stylish, so much larger than life.
But now, facing him again in the past, he didn't seem nearly as impressive as I remembered.
Andrea had his dirty-blond, neck-length hair slicked back with great flair, and he wore a brightly colored outfit with a heavily ruffled neck collar.
He was overly dressed from head to toe. It made him look rather ridiculous.
*Like a clown.*
I had thought my anger would surge the moment I saw him again, that I wouldn't be able to keep my composure.
I'd worried if I could face Andrea—the man who had killed my mother, deceived me, and condemned me to a life of utter misery—with a clear mind.
But contrary to my fears, seeing him now actually calmed me.
*Why was I ever afraid of someone like him?*
He had seemed so big, so grand, that being hated by him felt like the end of the world.
It felt like losing the only shield that could protect me.
But I know now that he was never my shield. He was the one who drove me to my doom, and no matter what I did, he would never truly love me.
And because of that, I was no longer afraid of him.
He was just a stranger I didn't need to impress or cower before. Nothing more than a ridiculous clown.
*Besides, after seeing Calius, Andrea looks... rather shabby.*
Was he always this small and frail?
The shock of meeting Calius last night was still fresh in my mind.
*He was immense. He looked like a man forged from steel.*
And his eyes... it was like encountering a wild wolf.
I couldn't forget the shiver that had run down my spine.
Whether it was psychological or simply because of Calius, Andrea no longer seemed so grand.
Still, I hunched my shoulders and watched him cautiously, just as I always had, so he wouldn't suspect anything.
“Brother...”
“What was wrong with you yesterday? I heard you showed up to the party in your nightgown! Are you insane? What's gotten into you lately? What were you thinking? Is your head going funny like your mother's did?”
I was dumbfounded by Andrea's audacity, shamelessly dragging my mother into this.
My feelings must have shown on my face, because Andrea let out a heavy sigh.
“Hah, you don't look pleased. Surely you aren't upset by what your dear brother is saying out of concern for you? You know what the doctors say about the madness in your mother's family.”
I tried to act my usual, timid self, but when Andrea said he was speaking "out of concern," I couldn't hold back a sudden burst of laughter.
“Haha, hahaha!”
“...?”
“Ahahaha!”
“What? What's wrong with you?”
When something is this absurd, you laugh instead of getting angry.
Andrea's expression soured. Seeing it only made me laugh harder.
“Concern. That's right, my brother is concerned about me.”
Very concerned that I might ruin his smooth path to the throne.
*You're so desperate to surpass me and take the throne that you come running in a panic just because I went to a party.*
That's why you use the word "concern" to control me and tarnish my mother's family name.
*Ah...*
Looking at Andrea's twisted expression, I realized something.
*The one Andrea fears is me.*
A smirk played on my lips, and the laughter wouldn't stop.
Andrea snapped irritably.
“I asked what's wrong! Have you really gone mad?”
“Perhaps. Maybe I have.”
“What? Really?”
Not expecting me to agree, Andrea's eyes widened.
“Tell me more, Chloe. You know you can tell your brother anything, right?”
Andrea's demeanor suddenly softened, and he looked at me with warm eyes.
I know now that this kindness is a lie, one that has fooled me countless times.
I wanted to rip that mask right off his face.
I wondered if there was a good way to do it, then spoke calmly.
“Yesterday, I had an insane urge to go to the party. So I went.”
“Is that all?”
“Yes. Disobeying my brother's orders is a crazy thing to do, but I felt like doing something crazy.”
Andrea sighed, looking utterly flabbergasted.
“Why the sudden change? Chloe, you're not like this.”
“A thought just occurred to me. If I want to go to a party, shouldn't I be able to? My brother doesn't ask for my permission, so why must I ask for his in everything I do? Isn't that rather pathetic?”
“What...?”
“I wanted to lessen your burden. You've worked so hard taking care of me all this time. I can't let you do it forever.”
“Chloe, that's...!”
I gave Andrea a gentle smile.
Just like he did when he first approached me all those years ago.
“I did it all for you. You know my heart, don't you? It was for you, Brother.”
Andrea's gaze faltered.
His expression was one of pure indignation, as if he found it utterly outrageous that I, who had always trembled before him, would now speak my mind without fear.
He couldn't maintain his composure.
“Don't you realize that your selfish behavior is an even greater burden to me? You made a mistake.”
Rage at me—for not listening to him, for not moving to his will—blazed in his eyes.
“Hah. Perhaps you've forgotten, cooped up in here, but royals have a duty to maintain their dignity. You saw how people pointed fingers at Her Majesty the Empress, didn't you? Do you want to end up like her? I am trying to protect you. To keep you from making mistakes like you did yesterday!”
He hadn't come to listen to me in the first place, but to berate and scold me.
To ensure I would never again go out without his permission.
He had no real interest in my reasons.
“Are you in any position to worry about me? Everyone is already worried you'll take after Her Majesty the Empress. One stain on the imperial family is enough. Do you understand? You know how much your brother worries that you'll become just like her. I am trying to protect you.”
I'd heard it all so many times before. His criticisms of my mother, veiled as concern, no longer hurt me.
“Chloe, everything I say is for your own good. You know that, right? Do you finally understand how foolish your little idea was?”
Andrea was desperately trying to force me to admit that he was right and I was wrong.
“I did it for you, Brother.”
But regardless of what he said, I simply replied in a gentle tone and gave an order to a nearby maid.
“My dear brother's throat must be sore from all this talking. Go and bring some warm tea and refreshments.”
“Do you think I could swallow a single thing right now?”
I quickly added to the order.
“You heard him. Bring a soft dessert for His Highness as well. Something easy to swallow, like a chocolate pudding.”
Pudding is always delicious.
At that, Andrea's face turned beet red. Forgetting the decorum he valued so highly, he yelled at me.
“Chloe!”
His face was twisted into a hideous scowl.
*So that's your true face.*
The startled gazes of the maids instantly turned to Andrea.
In that moment, the mask of the kind prince, the affectionate older brother who doted on his half-sister, was stripped away.
*Ah, how thrilling.*
Andrea, who treasured that mask as if it were his own life, flinched under the maids' stares and began to flounder in embarrassment.
I deliberately put on a tearful expression.
“Brother, did you just yell at me...? I was only worried your throat might be hurting...”
“Ah, no. It's not that.”
He hastily lowered his voice and offered an excuse.
“It's just that I couldn't contain my fury when I heard Marquis Rodrian approached you at the party. Do you have any idea how worried I was? For a man like that to dare approach you!”
He spoke as if his outburst was all Marquis Rodrian's fault.
“To dare approach my beloved sister while I wasn't there! The shameless, impertinent cur! What on earth did he do to you?”
I feigned ignorance for the time being.
“Marquis Rodrian? I'm not sure who that is...”
Of course, Andrea had no intention of listening to me this time either.
“Approaching a girl who's already engaged. People who don't know any better will point fingers and accuse you of promiscuity. Accepting a gift from another man? They'll gossip, saying 'How can a princess behave so improperly?'”
Sounds more like what he wants to accuse me of.
“What will you do if Viscount Felsus calls off the marriage because of this?”
“Well...”
“Marquis Rodrian is a man of ill repute. You must not associate with him. This is exactly the kind of thing I was worried about when I told you not to go to the party.”
“...”
“Do you see now how wrong you were? Chloe, you know how much effort I'm putting into your marriage, don't you? If it falls through because of someone like Marquis Rodrian, I'll be so angry I won't be able to bear it...”
*He talks too much. It's exhausting just listening to him.*
Just as I was sighing internally, a maid rushed into the room.
Instead of reporting to me, the mistress of this palace, she turned to Andrea as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“Your Highness! Marquis Rodrian has come, requesting an audience with the Princess!”
*Perfect!*
The timing was absolutely perfect.
I wanted to gloat to Kal, who wasn't even here.
*See? I told you Marquis Rodrian wouldn't refuse me. He came.*
Andrea whipped his head around to glare at me, so I quickly wiped the satisfied look off my face.
“Why is Marquis Rodrian here? Did you invite him?”
“Of course not.”
I feigned innocence, playing dumb.
“That madman. Does he know where he is?”
As if this was a wonderful opportunity, I clapped my hands together and said to Andrea.
“This is perfect. You can discipline the Marquis yourself, Brother. You'll do that for me, won't you?”
“Uh...?”
Andrea's eyes darted around nervously.
