Chapter 1
𝕍𝕠𝕝𝕦𝕞𝕖 𝟛:
𝔹𝕝𝕦𝕖 𝔹𝕚𝕣𝕕 𝕚𝕟 𝕒 𝔹𝕒𝕣𝕓𝕖𝕕 ℂ𝕒𝕘𝕖
"Sasha, Sasha."
The air felt hot and dry, and my mouth was parched like cracked earth. A gentle hand shaking my shoulder roused me from my slumber.
As my blurry vision gradually cleared, I saw Estelle's pale face, tinged with the bluish hue of dawn.
"Sasha, the older brothers are fighting again."
Those two? This early in the morning?
I rubbed my eyes and strained to listen, trying to shake off my drowsiness. Sure enough, I could hear the faint sound of their heated argument coming from downstairs.
"I'll go check it out. Estelle, go back to sleep."
The atmosphere felt so unusual that I immediately pulled myself up, grabbed the candlestick, and made my way downstairs.
The bedroom was empty, with the sheets haphazardly tossed around. The commotion was coming from inside the library.
"...I'm the eldest among us! I don't care what you think!"
"Are you planning to continue acting like a fool for the rest of your life?"
There was also the sound of something being thrown. I believe he tossed a book. I pushed the half-closed door and entered the room.
Right after that, the main culprits behind the early morning noise on the floor below turned around in unison. Oh my, both of them had angry expressions on their faces.
"What on earth is going on?"
"... This idiot keeps spouting nonsense that gets on my nerves!"
"Hah! He probably couldn't comprehend any of this because his mind is occupied with nothing but a field of flowers."
"You little...!"
Lethias was about to charge straight at Benya, but fortunately, he managed to restrain himself despite being seething with anger.
There hadn't been any more physical fights since the incident where I got hurt while intervening between the two of them. At least, not yet.
"I really can't stand this."
While Lethias was still breathing heavily, trying to calm his anger, Benja appeared to be coldly glaring at his older brother.
He spat out a few more words before backing away toward the bookshelves in the library. I was able to prevent Lethias from pursuing him by holding onto his arm.
"That's just..."
"Please calm down. Why are you both at it again?"
After a while, Lethias finally managed to calm down, although he didn't explain exactly what caused the ruckus this early in the morning.
Instead, he grumbled that today was his 16th birthday and that he had been in a good mood since the morning.
We had long given up on marking the passing days on the walls of this place. But how did he come to know it was his birthday?
The answer to my question was right in front of me, behind the mirror door that I had not noticed before.
There, I found a tray cart and a gift box. It dawned on me that on Estelle's birthday last spring, a present, complete with a cake, had been delivered.
Throughout the winter, spring, and summer, Viscount Hippolyte had never once visited this place.
The only things we ever received were a crystal music box on Estelle's birthday and a card left there.
(Thanks to that, we discovered that it was Estelle's birthday).
Estelle truly cherished the music box with its melancholic tune. And it seemed that Lethias was also delighted with his birthday gift.
"Sasha, take a look at this."
"It's a wonderful fountain pen. But doesn't it appear a bit... old?"
"That's natural. It's what my father used."
I see. Lethias's birthday present was none other than a cherished heirloom from the deceased duke.
If they were willing to part with such a valuable item, wouldn't it have been better to return this entire house? After all, everything here would eventually be inherited by Lethias.
Of course, lacking insight into the intricate details of our current situation, I couldn't draw any conclusions about Jerome.
His occasional gesture of sending gifts to his teenage nieces and nephews as if they were mere children, without any explanation or context, was indeed suspicious.
Ha, it would have been wonderful if he had at least retrieved some of my mother's belongings. I won't be able to see the things my mother gave me or the items she handcrafted...
"I never thought I'd lay my eyes on this again..."
As Lethias played with the fountain pen, which had a golden snake engraved on its handle, a faint tear glistened in his eyes.
His hair, the same color as his eyes, was unevenly cut at the nape of his neck.
That was the result of our little hair salon play. As time passed, his prominent chin became even darker, with it turning blue**.
(**Lethias is growing stubbles and with him having blue hair, he’ll have a blue beard, too, of course)
Growing taller made it challenging to find clothes that fit him. Neither he nor Estelle were children that could be given something as simple as birthday presents.
Despite my concerns, I decided to keep my thoughts to myself. Lately, he seemed to engage in numerous pointless activities, making me nervous.
Originally, he had a disposition quite different from this, but it appeared that his personality was gradually changing during our time here.
I worried that he might become a hot-tempered tyrant, similar to the original.
Even if I wanted to attribute it to puberty, maintaining an upbeat personality in confinement, against common sense, was no easy feat.
Besides, wasn't he a Ducal Prince who lacked nothing and received constant support?
Not only Lethias, but Benya was also undergoing changes.
I wished he would become more cheerful like Lethias or express his emotions more openly, but instead, Benya seemed to be heading in the opposite direction.
The number of his jokes and sarcastic remarks significantly decreased, and he tended to isolate himself somewhere quietly all day long.
Whenever I tried to talk to him, it felt as though I was talking to a wall.
"Benya? Benya, are you there?"
The library was, of course, the only place he could be alone in this tower.
After not finding him in the spaces between the tightly packed bookshelves, I eventually reached the window. It seemed like he had gone to see the Gargoyle again.
It must have been challenging to fit through that tiny window now, but he was quite resourceful. Despite calling out several times, there was no response, so I eventually climbed the ladder.
Looking out the window, I indeed saw a bunch of gray hair cut haphazardly.
"Benya."
No matter how many times I called, he didn't look back. This stubborn guy... If he wanted to act like a prodigal young master, he should have at least fixed his hair first.
I sighed and leaned out of the narrow window. I had been in and out a few times in the past, so I wasn't as afraid as I was the first time.
Benya still didn't turn his head even when I landed on Mr. Gargoyle's wings.
"Phew, if we were adults, we would never have come out here."
"..."
"Benya, are you okay?"
"What."
His answer left me speechless. I adjusted the hem of my nightgown and sat down, crossing my knees.
The summer morning arrived early. Suddenly, the sky grew brighter as the sun rose over the distant mountains, spreading brilliant light in all directions.
At the same time, a warm breeze ruffled our hair.
After a series of awkward silences, Benya finally spoke.
"Sasha."
"Yes?"
"What are you thinking about?"
I came up with another topic to discuss, avoiding the fact that I was seriously worried about the possibility of him turning villainous.
"I was reminiscing about the time I traveled to Vibrato a long time ago. Estelle insisted on going, so my mom and I accompanied her."
That trip happened three years ago. Estelle, who often missed out on family trips due to her illness, was so insistent that I ended up on a boat for the first time since I was born here.
I still vividly remember the overwhelming feeling when I saw that luxurious passenger ship.
"Yes, I recall you worrying about seasickness then."
"When did I do that? Oh, and you got scolded for asking what we'd do if the ship sank!"
"Wasn't that Hyung's doing?"
"Really? It was quite chaotic until your father reassured everyone that snakes don't drown."
It was a witty and reassuring remark, meant to placate a young son. At least, that's how I felt about it back then.
I must have felt a sense of pride in their family, something that only aristocrats of noble lineage could understand.
The Serpent Ducal couple, to me, were the epitome of nobility in every aspect. The same was true for their children. I believed it, I truly did...
Benya, who had been sitting somewhat awkwardly on Mr. Gargoyle's back, finally turned his head and looked directly at me.
Perhaps influenced by the mood, his bright sky-blue eyes seemed to be clouded by dark thoughts.
"Aren't you sad? Your birthday passed without anyone knowing."
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