Chapter 25
Chapter 25
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: Finally Speaking My Mind
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Rubettria.”
“Yes, brother.”
“You, why are you so…….”
“…….”
“You look angry? Your tone and behavior are so aggressively unlike you.”
“Haha…….”
Ridiculous. I hadn’t even raised my voice—I’d just said what needed saying.
Watching Viego’s confusion at my complete one-eighty left a bittersweet ache in my chest.
What kind of sister had he hoped his only little sister would grow into? Did he want her to stay a timid fool forever, too scared to speak her mind?
“It’s exactly what you wanted, brother—a foolish little sister with a mouth but no words. That’s why I’ve been playing the obedient role all this time.”
“…….”
“But after coming that close to dying once, my heart changed. From now on, I plan to speak up and live my life.”
Viego stared at me blankly, blinking slowly.
“I know your sister is just Lillia to you and I don’t even register, but it rubs me the wrong way when you come charging in at her say-so to scold me. So please, hold back from now on. You’re my brother, not my father—I don’t need your lectures.”
“What are you talking about? You don’t register? You’re my sister, Rubette—not Lillia.”
“Pfft.”
I laughed outright in his face and turned to Victor behind me.
“Hear that? Isn’t it just hilarious, coming from brother?”
Victor flicked his gaze to the empty air, lips quirking as he shrugged.
Something in his sisters’ reactions must have hit home—Viego bit his lip hard.
After a long silence, he finally spoke.
“……If I’ve made you feel left out by only looking after Lillia, then I’m sorry. But I thought I was looking out for you in my own way…….”
“Hmm…….”
“Every time I came by to spend time with you, you always seemed uncomfortable. It made me feel awkward every visit—”
“You’re right! I did.”
I flashed a bright smile and clapped my hands once.
“Every time you came to see me, I made a point of acting bothered.”
To keep stating it: Viego wasn’t a bad brother.
He was the kind of person who worried about a sister stuck in her room, too frail to go out.
That’s why he’d carve time out of his packed schedule to keep her company.
“Why? Because Father’s drowning in booze day in and day out, and poor brother, you’re swamped with work twenty-four-seven. Yet you’d push through the exhaustion to check on your sister. I felt guilty seeing that. I didn’t want you to.”
Rubette had been that sweet.
A child who never whined for her family’s affection, no matter how much she craved it.
Even enduring abuse, she’d tell herself it wasn’t as hard as Father’s grief over his late wife—and powered through.
Even when she desperately wanted to play with her brother, she’d wish he’d use that time to rest instead.
I wanted everyone to know how agonizingly that too-mature Rubette had borne her loneliness.
“I did it for your sake, brother. So no need to worry that I’m still childish at fifteen.”
Smiling, I added,
“Your little sister’s plenty mature—way more than kids who run tattling after one slap they deserved.”
“…….”
Viego stared at me in shock for a long moment, then slowly closed his eyes and drew a deep breath.
“Unnecessary consideration on your part. It wasn’t like I was visiting out of obligation.”
“Half of it was, though. You knew deep down you favored the twins over me. It was your way of easing that nagging guilt.”
Viego froze.
“If they got hurt playing, it’d be my fault for not watching them, right? Remember last year when Riki fell climbing a tree in the garden? You chewed me out for it.”
“…….”
“You woke me up and yelled just like today. I was baffled—I didn’t even know where he was playing.”
“…….”
“Looking back, I regret just apologizing and letting it go. I tried so hard to be the mature sister, always taking the high road, but I ended up as the punching bag. Getting scolded for things I didn’t do, bowing my head.”
“Rubette—”
“Don’t even say my name. Every time you do, I get this knot in my stomach wondering what I messed up this time. I’m sick of it.”
Viego fell silent, eyes wavering as he bit his lip. Laying it all out point by point—he was starting to feel his guilt.
“I’ve kept my mouth shut all this time, just hoping for once you’d praise me.”
“…….”
“I’m exhausted now. Done with it. Sick of getting hurt every time you side with Lillia, and sick of myself for scrambling to win affection from a brother like that.”
“…….”
“And don’t think your occasional visits absolve your guilt. From now on, unless it’s official business, let’s not cross paths in this house.”
I brushed past Viego with heavy steps, grabbed the doorknob of the wide-open door, and glanced back.
Under that silent eviction, Viego stared at me with those still-shaken eyes, lips twitching faintly.
He looked like he wanted to argue, but I whipped my gaze away—I didn’t want to hear it. After a long silence, he slowly left the room.
Before closing the door, I said,
“And brother? If you’re opening someone’s door without permission first, knocking’s pointless.”
Calling him out on barging in unannounced—he flinched, shoulders jumping.
As he half-turned, I made a show of it.
“Next time you come ‘for business,’ at least mind that basic courtesy. Anyway, we’re done.”
Slam.
I shut the door on him.
* * *
That afternoon, after the minor uproar at the ducal residence.
Crown Prince Lark’s office.
Victor, there to report, stood lost in thought, replaying Rubette.
“Sorry, brother. Those interrupters wasted so much time. My bad, Victor bro.”
After kicking Viego out and slamming the door in his face, Rubette turned with a radiant smile, like nothing happened.
*Thrilling.*
Victor was stunned, but a grand sense of refreshment welled up deep in his chest.
It was undeniable: eldest brother Viego doted on the twins to the point his blood sisters felt neglected.
Even if it stemmed from guilt toward Grand Duchess Molga, who’d raised the triplets like her own……
*Honestly, he didn’t need to make me or Ruby feel that way. He brought it on himself.*
Yeah. Definitely thrilling.
*But Ruby… how much has she been putting up with alone?*
She’d said everything to brother that she couldn’t bear to before. In the time apart, she’d become a whole different person.
To think the painfully timid girl could explode like that—what had she endured?
He felt sorry for her deep down, but honestly, Victor was thrilled with the new Rubette.
It was satisfying to see her unload on Viego instead of bottling it up, but what he liked even more was……
“So, bro, you said you had a favor to ask? What is it?”
“Ah! Right…… um, first off, you’re totally over that Cedric guy, right—”
“Brother.”
“Y-Yeah…….”
“You saw the commotion just now, so you get it—I’ve outgrown every situation where that eight-year tail of following him around sticks to me like a label.”
“Y-Yeah, looks that way. Sorry for assuming.”
“So from now on, don’t even mention the ‘C’ in Cedric around me. I’m completely over it.”
……Just the mention of Cedric had Rubette bristling.
Victor beamed, no hesitation.
“Great. Then let’s grab dinner out tonight. I’ve got a friend I want to introduce you to.”
Truth was, Victor had dropped by the ducal residence unannounced to fulfill a bet from a mock duel: granting Crown Prince Lark’s request.
“……Who?”
“Actually, it’s His Highness the Crown Prince. He said he wanted to meet you!”
But Rubette,
“What? The Crown Prince wants to meet me? Why?”
“Huh? W-Why? Uh, well, we’re close, so…… y’know, to get acquainted with my little sister too…….”
“Ah! Hmm, I see.”
She pierced Victor’s fumbling with a sharp look,
“Sorry, bro. I’m on a diet, so dinner another time.”
And turned down the invite flat.
“Besides, after seven years as a desk slave, I’m done with men—Cedric or otherwise. No time for that if I want to live my life right.”
“……Huh?”
“Just saying. Tell His Highness we’ll meet if the chance comes up.”
Had she sniffed out the ulterior motive behind the casual dinner pitch?
Stung by Rubette’s pointed words, Victor had no choice but to agree and head back.
“……Lord.”
“…….”
“……Victor.”
“…….”
“Lord Victor!”
“Wah!”
Snapped from his reverie, Victor flapped like a spooked bird.
Ahead, Lark propped his chin amid a mountain of papers, one brow arched.
“So, family drama made it awkward—you couldn’t even broach it with the duchess and came back empty-handed?”