Chapter 3
Chapter 3
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: My Brother Mayches
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I lay back down on the bed.
I'd sent Mayches out of the room because I wanted to mull over the idea that maybe I could live quietly and happily on the fringes of the novel...
But Mayches was the type who never wasted a single minute of the time I was awake.
Getting him to leave my side was harder than me suddenly jumping up and sprinting 100 meters right that instant.
"Mayches."
"Yeah? What is it?"
I brushed it off with a vague smile at Mayches, who was grinning like a total goofball.
I just couldn't bring myself to chase him away.
I knew he was pushing himself to handle everything so he could drop it all the moment I woke up, never knowing when that might be.
In the end, we settled into our usual spots—me on the bed, him on the chair beside it.
I gripped Mayches's hand tight in mine. It was barely any strength at all, but he seemed to notice the faint change.
"What is it?"
Without a word, I squeezed his still young and delicate hand even harder. My own hand trembled.
Why? His voice lingered like an afterimage, asking that simple question.
Yeah, why? Why...
Why did I find myself so pathetic?
Why did those moments of closing my eyes on the asphalt keep flashing back?
"...Anyway."
Anyway, we're going to die. That's what I'd thought ever since being born as Aiel.
And right on the brink of death, I'd thought it for real: If I was going to die like this anyway...
Back then, my emotions were such a tangled mess that I couldn't even look at them straight.
But after coming back to life in Aiel's body, I started reflecting on it now and then.
If I was going to die like this anyway...
When my cousin was badmouthing my mom and dad, I should've yelled, "Hey! Do you know what kind of people my parents were? You're the one with the personality problem!"
When the closet was still freezing cold, I should've studied harder instead of crying and shoved it right back in my aunt's family's faces.
Instead of dealing with that obnoxious cousin who smirked at me, I should've been the creepy one who'd make them regret it for real from then on.
I shouldn't have pinned my hopes on people who never gave me any love—I should've just lived my own life.
I should've done it all, said it all, lived it all. Nothing but regrets.
"Anyway?"
"...Mayches."
"Yeah, Aiel. I'm listening."
I looked straight into Mayches's eyes.
Honestly, to me, Mayches was just a pitiful little kid with the same wounds I had.
Someone with nowhere to lean on, forced to rely only on a sister who could barely speak or walk properly.
I'd ignored those sparkling eyes of his, even though he was right there beside me.
I'd failed to recognize the boy working so hard on his own.
"Mayches."
"Yeah? Aiel, is something wrong?"
Something wrong? We'd spent every moment of my waking hours together—if something happened to me, you'd have been right there through it all.
For some reason, my throat tightened up.
Mayches must be incredibly busy and worn out, even if he was a genius. At just thirteen, the new head of the Rudelriz Family—he must be overwhelmed by it all.
Enemies on every side wouldn't be an exaggeration.
And yet, every time I opened my eyes, he'd come rushing to this room, dropping everything.
Only now did I truly see all the love he'd poured into me during that time.
I squeezed my eyes shut tight.
Mayches startled and wiped away the tears streaming down my face with a soft cloth from the bedside table.
He fumbled to press his hand to my forehead, checking for fever.
"Does it hurt? Are you uncomfortable? Feeling bad?"
Tears kept flowing nonstop.
Mayches panicked and called for someone.
Then he whispered apologies, saying it must be because I'd walked for the first time today and he'd overlooked the strain on my body, all while dabbing at my tears.
His actions, which had always felt burdensome, and his love for his sister... they finally felt warm and grateful.
I felt sorry for all those days I'd viewed his efforts so pessimistically, keeping him at arm's length.
"Mayches..."
"Yeah, I'm right here. Tell me. I'm listening to everything. It hurts a lot, doesn't it? I'm sorry."
I wanted to say it didn't hurt...
But my frail body couldn't even handle a few tears and the flush on my face—it actually started to hurt for real.
I opened my eyes again. Through my blurring vision, I could make out Mayches's hazy silhouette. As tears fell, his face came into sharp focus.
It was just as expected—a warm face full of worry.
I forced out words in broken bursts, fighting the pain with all my might.
"I'll..."
"Yeah, Aiel."
"Protect you, Mayches."
I'll try to change the original story.
Even if we can't escape that fate in the end, at least let's live happily before we die—no regrets left behind.
"..."
"My brother."
We're family, after all.
I don't know what face Mayches made after that.
As always, I blacked out cold again.
Two years passed after that.
A lot happened in that time.
First, I started properly calling Mayches "Brother."
Of course, it was tough at the start. I had nineteen years of self-awareness from my previous life.
Calling a fifteen-year-old kid "Brother" bruised either my pride or my sensibilities—or both.
But now I called him "Brother" without fail. This was the world I lived in now, and I'd decided to embrace my new life as Aiel Rudelriz.
Plus...
"Aiel... why won't you call me Brother?"
Every time I called out indifferently, "Hey, Mayches," he'd purse his lips, staring at me with eyes that looked ready to well up with tears.
He'd been like that nonstop since the first time I called him Brother.
Truth be told, calling Mayches "Brother" wasn't that hard.
It got easier if I just imagined "Brother" as his middle name.
Anyway, this wasn't that big a deal.
Second, my health improved like a miracle.
Before, I'd barely wake once a month—now, I only fainted once a month.
When a genius mage really put his mind to it, things were on another level.
A few months ago, I even walked from my room to Mayches's study (which he'd moved right next door) without help from him or the maids.
Cheers erupted from maids and servants all around.
The butler and head maid practically prostrated themselves on the floor, sobbing uncontrollably.
Good thing no flashes went off, or I might've thought the hallway was a red carpet...
That day, Mayches was so thrilled he handed out bonuses bigger than their monthly pay to everyone in the estate.
After that, amid the fervent support from the Rudelriz estate staff, I kept up my walking practice steadily. Now I could even manage a brisk three-second stride.
But even this wasn't the most important thing right now.
Third—this was the real big one.
Mayches Rudelriz, now turning fifteen. My brother was objectively a ridiculously handsome pretty boy.
Subjectively, he was just my goofball, so I'd never even considered that he might be good-looking.
I'd vaguely thought at our first meeting—when Mom and Dad dragged him over—"Wow, what an oddly pretty boy. Oh, wait, this is that Mayches? Huh, impressive..."—and then forgotten all about it.
But just a bit ago, while desperately strolling the hallway, I overheard the maids gushing over Mayches's face.
My heart dropped—I had to confirm right away if it was just fangirl bias toward our cute family head or objective truth.
"Brother."
I didn't have the strength to spare for knocking yet.
Leaning my full weight on the doorknob, I barely managed to fling open the door to his study and stumble in.