Alike
What am I supposed to do now?
Barely freed from confinement, Allen had no choice but to wrestle with the question.
Should he force himself to go advise his younger brother again, just as his sister had demanded?
But then…
Even if he suddenly showed up and said those things, would Edward actually listen?
More likely, Edward would only grow suspicious.
Not that Allen particularly cared if Edward doubted him.
If Edward simply refused to take the advice, that would be the end of it.
Honestly, even Lirith probably hadn’t expected more than that.
After all, every last member of House Frigid knew how stubborn the youngest was.
Still, doing exactly as his sister ordered was extremely dangerous in its own right.
But next time, I might end up locked away by the Imperial Princess instead.
Oh my… so you’re going to give it and snatch it right back? Hoho…
I can’t—I really can’t take any more of this!!
Allen couldn’t help resenting Edward.
Couldn’t the boy have taken things a little slower?!
Allen had planned to handle everything carefully himself precisely because he’d seen this coming!
Who in their right mind would have predicted that a younger brother who had always kept women at arm’s length would march straight to the Imperial Princess and propose on the very same day the advice was given?
No… the truth is, my brother did nothing wrong…
The crazy women were the problem.
Allen had expected Lirith to be furious—of course he had—but he never imagined it would go this far.
The reason he had still tried to bring Edward and Charlotte together, even knowing Lirith would explode, was simple: he had believed that no matter how deeply she loved Edward—deep enough that whispers of incest already trailed behind her—she was still someone who knew where to draw the line.
He had trusted her for one reason above all.
She had never selfishly forced her one-sided love onto Edward.
Because she had run away from home, he couldn’t be certain she had always been there… but Allen had seen it with his own eyes.
As a child, Lirith had clenched her teeth and held herself back so she would never cross that line.
Ed… Ed…
She had wanted nothing more than to stay glued to Edward’s side all day long.
Yet she would linger near her little brother only until the very moment he was about to start feeling burdened—then invent some errand and slip away at exactly the right time.
Edward’s face was always set in a scowl, but Lirith, who truly loved him and watched him constantly, could read even the tiniest shift in his expression.
So she always walked that tightrope with perfect precision, offering affection without smothering him.
And every time she withdrew, she ached with regret.
She wanted just a little longer—no, she wanted to stay by his side forever.
But she understood that if she pressed any harder on a younger brother who had been pushing girls away since he was tiny, he would simply flee.
So she always retreated at the proper moment, watched him from afar, and contented herself with whispering his name.
Allen oppa…? Did you see that just now? If you ever breathe a word of it to Ed… you’d better be ready for what comes next.
Huh? What are you talking about, little sister! This big brother saw absolutely nothing, hahaha!!!
Having stumbled upon that side of her by chance, Allen had never once believed Lirith harbored dreams of actually marrying Edward or binding herself to him for life.
And yet…
The Lirith he saw now was deeply wrong.
He had fully expected her to yell at him and maybe land a few blows.
What he had never expected was torture-level torment.
Mother was here too, so I thought she’d stop after one round…
Even a runaway child wasn’t a discarded one. Probably.
That was why he had never imagined Camilla would simply leave him to Lirith’s mercies indefinitely…
Maybe Mother just wants me to play punching bag because Lirith is that furious?
That seemed to be the only explanation.
Even Mother must never have expected her daughter’s rage to burn this hot…
Anyway… what do I do now?
Should he go straight to his younger brother?
Or should he look for some other way…
He was still turning the problem over when a soft voice drifted from behind him.
“Lord Allen? You should hurry and go speak with the young master, shouldn’t you? Hehe…”
Allen turned—and nearly jumped out of his skin.
The voice was gentle.
But the face of the maid staring at him looked ready to kill.
“Hiiiek!!”
In that instant, every alternative plan vanished from Allen’s mind.
If he so much as considered another option…
Long before his sister or the Imperial Princess could touch him, this maid might bury him herself.
He had no choice. He was just about to start toward Edward’s room when—
“Emma. How dare you direct killing intent at a child of House Frigid.”
“M-Mother?”
“Amelia!”
At last, a savior had appeared for Allen.
Amelia.
Personal maid and secretary to Duchess Camilla of House Frigid, and mother to Emma, the second son’s personal maid.
Watching her daughter go too far, she could only burn with anger.
The Duchess said she understood the girl’s feelings for the young master and told me to leave her be… but…
What her daughter was doing right now was far beyond the pale.
Allen might have left the family without a word, but he was still a son of House Frigid—still the child of the people they served.
And to threaten a man like this? Was that even remotely acceptable?
Even after committing a grave mistake as a child, Emma had been forgiven with generosity and even appointed personal maid to the second son—an honor far beyond what she deserved.
So why was the girl still acting so recklessly?
“How dare you intimidate your master’s own son! Have you lost your mind, Emma?!”
“Th-that’s not—”
“Not what?! I never raised you to behave like this!”
Amelia had no choice but to scold her daughter severely.
Truthfully, even she herself deserved a thrashing for allowing this to continue.
The only reason they were still being tolerated was because Camilla and Edward cherished the maid mother and daughter.
Just because their masters were generous did not mean they could keep crossing the line.
She had believed her daughter was shrewd enough never to break the rules so openly…
But right now Emma looked completely unhinged.
Emma may keep her master in her heart, but she must never show it outwardly! That is a maid’s duty!
She understood why Emma was like this.
It would be hard for anyone not to fall for a master who was not only beautiful but endlessly kind to her.
Loving him was allowed.
But she must never let that love show, and she must never, ever forget her actual duties because of it.
The moment she did, she was finished as a maid.
Amelia had stepped in because her daughter had already crossed the line—even though their master had tried to stop her.
“Emma! You understand what I’m about to say, don’t you?”
“…Yes…”
Hearing that answer, Amelia felt a quiet rush of relief.
If Emma had forgotten her place and talked back, Amelia would have been forced to raise a hand against her own flesh and blood.
She had managed to rein Emma in, but there was still unfinished business.
They had already caused the eldest son of House Frigid far too much trouble.
So Amelia bowed her head in her daughter’s place and begged Allen’s forgiveness.
“I am truly sorry, Lord Allen. Would you please find it in your heart to forgive my daughter just this once? If not, I will gladly take the punishment in her stead…”
“N-no, Amelia! I understand completely, hahaha…”
“Thank you… Emma. Apologize to His Lordship and return to your post.”
Fortunately Allen showed no desire to make an issue of it, so Amelia ordered Emma to withdraw.
“…I apologize, Lord Allen…”
“N-no need! Hahahaha!!”
To Allen’s relief, Emma offered no further resistance. She apologized to the man who had forgiven her and left.
From Allen’s perspective, he had escaped a crisis—and if he pressed the matter, the trouble might somehow bounce back onto him. Better to drop it entirely.
Even after her daughter was gone, Amelia kept her head bowed and continued apologizing.
“I am truly sorry.”
“It’s fine… You don’t have to keep saying it…”
He actually wanted to thank her for saving him, but her endless apologies only made him more uncomfortable. Allen waved both hands.
“More importantly, Amelia?”
Desperate to change the subject, he called her name.
“I was locked up so suddenly I still don’t have a clear picture of what’s going on. Would it be possible to see Mother?”
Between the beatings and the repeated blackouts, he wasn’t even sure how many days had passed. He needed to get his bearings.
And he had matters to discuss with Camilla, so he asked Amelia to guide him.
“…Yes. In fact, she has been looking for you. I was already on my way to fetch you.”
“Really? I was half-afraid Mother had truly cast me aside—what a relief! Hahaha!!”
Allen, who had been fretting over a possible refusal, broke into a broad grin at Amelia’s answer.
“…Please allow me to escort you.”
Amelia gave him a faintly pitying look, then led him to Camilla exactly as requested.
And so Allen arrived at Camilla’s study and explained everything that had happened.
“…It seems Lirith is angrier than I expected.”
“That’s putting it mildly, Mother… I thought I was going to die, haha…”
Allen laughed as he spoke, intending a light jab.
She had left her own son locked up and beaten by his sister for days—surely she could feel a little guilt.
Instead, Camilla looked almost disappointed as she opened her mouth.
“Hmm. Then I won’t need to lift a finger myself.”
“Pardon?”
Allen could only stare in confusion.
What on earth was this woman—no, his mother—saying?
Your son nearly died, you know?
That was the only thought that would form.
But then—
“Did you truly believe I would simply overlook a son who ran away without a word… and then kept leaving little notes to mock this mother while he fled?”
“Th-that’s…”
Looking into Camilla’s narrowed eyes, Allen finally found the answer to his own question.
Come to think of it, he had left nothing but a scrap of paper when he ran, then kept dropping more notes as if taunting the mother who was searching for him…
Of course Camilla was furious with him.
Edward’s condition had been so poor that she had postponed dealing with Allen for a while—nothing more.
She had almost certainly planned to discipline him herself.
Fortunately—
“Haa… You seem to have suffered enough, so I’ll let it go for now. Allen, we’ll put the matter of you aside for later.”
Lirith had already done the job thoroughly enough that Camilla’s own punishment appeared to be off the table.
Well—she had only postponed it, so it wasn’t truly canceled. But at least Allen wouldn’t be suffering today.
“Haha… Thank you.”
Wiping cold sweat and forcing a smile, Allen decided it was time to get to the real point.
“Mother… Lirith’s condition doesn’t look good to me.”
“I think the same, but isn’t she simply angry? I understand the source of all this was you, so her venting may have been a little excessive, but…”
Allen was trying to convey that Lirith’s state was anything but ordinary.
Camilla, however, still saw it as nothing more than ordinary rage.
“Pardon?”
No matter how much of the blame lay with him—
A normal person did not lock someone up for days on end, beat them, and pour high-grade healing potions over the wounds.
The words rose all the way to his throat, but he swallowed them.
What was done was done. The real problem was that Lirith seemed ready to turn that same violence on others. He had to make Camilla understand.
“My thoughts on the matter are a little different.”
“What? Are you saying Lirith will cross that ‘line’?”
The “line” Camilla meant was Lirith suddenly trying to bind herself to Edward—but that wasn’t it.
“No. I don’t think she’ll cross the line where Edward is concerned. The problem is that I can’t be sure what else she might do…”
“What sort of actions are you imagining that make this a problem?”
“…In the extreme case, Lirith might try to kill the Imperial Princess.”
Allen offered one extreme example: if it would stop Edward from marrying Charlotte, there was no telling what Lirith might attempt.
Bang!
“What kind of outrageous nonsense is that?!”
Hearing the example, Camilla slammed the table hard enough to rattle it, her face dark with anger.
“I’m not saying this lightly! The eyes I saw in my sister today—I hate to put it this way, but… they looked exactly like the Hero’s eyes that night.”
“What…? You were nearby that night as well?”
“Yes… I watched from a distance in secret, but it was so shocking I remember it with perfect clarity.”
That was why Allen had hesitated even after Lirith released him.
If it hadn’t been serious, he would simply have gone straight to Camilla—or told Edward everything—and accepted whatever extra beating Lirith gave him later.
What had stopped him was the genuine fear that, if he did, Lirith might actually try to kill him.
The eyes that had looked at him then…
Even though they were blood relatives…
Even though they had never been especially close…
Those eyes said she could kill him at any moment.
They were the eyes of someone who had completely lost her mind.
Not quite the same as the way the Hero had looked at his younger brother…
Do exactly as I say.
Otherwise, I don’t know what I’ll do to you…
They looked alike.
And that was why Allen pressed on.
“Even if it isn’t the Imperial Princess, there’s no telling what she might do. Mother, please look at Lirith again—carefully!”
Camilla’s furrowed brow was terrifying, but he still begged her not to leave Lirith as she was.
“Haa… Very well. Amelia.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“Bring Lirith here.”
“Yes, at once.”
To Allen’s relief, Camilla ordered Amelia to fetch her.
Amelia left the study immediately, leaving only Camilla and Allen alone in the room.
Allen had already told her where Lirith was, so it wouldn’t take Amelia long to bring her back.
Even so, Camilla had something she wanted to ask her eldest son in the brief time remaining, and she opened her mouth.
“This may take a little while, so let’s talk about you for a moment, Allen.”
“Yes?”
“You’re not planning to leave immediately, are you?”
“Ah, well…”
Allen’s expression made it clear the question put him in a difficult spot.
The truth was, he had intended to say his goodbyes and slip away before Lirith returned.
He had stayed only long enough to help resolve the worries surrounding his younger brother Edward—but Lirith’s condition was so strange that he had decided temporary flight was the wiser course.
The next time he showed his face to the family…
Would probably be the day of Edward and Charlotte’s wedding.
Camilla seemed to read his thoughts perfectly, because she continued without waiting for an answer.
“There’s no telling what might happen, and Edward may need you when it does.”
“Mother, I’m your child too, you know. Always fretting only over the youngest is a bit—”
At Camilla’s insistence that he stay because Edward needed him, Allen—who freely admitted he had run off without a word and done as he pleased—still felt the old sting of favoritism and tried to voice his hurt.
Camilla looked at him and sighed.
“Haa… Must I speak in circles for you to understand?”
“Pardon?”
Seeing the blank look on his face, she continued.
“I don’t expect you to stay here forever. But you’ve been gone more than ten years. Live at home for a while, at least until you’ve seen your brother’s wedding—then leave.”
“Ah, so that’s what you meant… Still, even if the wedding is rushed, half a year feels rather long.”
The hurt eased a little at her words, but half a year still seemed excessive.
Allen had a fiancée waiting for him, after all, and he was about to refuse—
“No. Next month will do. Stay.”
“Next month?! That soon?!”
The unexpectedly early wedding date left him stunned.
“Yes. And the real reason you’re so eager to leave is that ‘love’ of yours who’s the same age as me, isn’t it?”
“Ah… that…”
“I would very much like to hear the full story later.”
“Hahaha…”
Allen looked at his mother—who was watching him with quiet, piercing eyes—and regretted everything.
He really should have given his little brother the advice and run the moment he finished.