A Single Flower (1)
The next day, I didn't get out of bed. I lay there in my messy, unorganized room, unable to muster the strength to rise. I had no will to try. The realization that both twins had actually hated me felt as though it had stolen my reason for living. What had I been striving for all this time?
After falling into this world, I had first lived for the sake of the orphanage siblings, then for the twins. I had poured everything into becoming their support. And this was the result—me, being gossiped about behind my back. If they had acted that way to my face, at least the betrayal wouldn't have cut so deep. Discovering the truth through someone else only made the pain sharper.
—Knock, knock, knock.
“Brother, are you awake? You need to head to class.”
Eric's voice came from the other side of the door. He knocked lightly, as if checking on me. I gave no reply. I simply wanted to rest today, truly.
When I didn't respond, silence stretched for a long while. Just as I thought he had left, his voice returned.
“...Stay strong. I'll go ahead.”
Eric offered a brief farewell and departed. Such a kind friend. Was it because he was the protagonist? Or perhaps he understood my situation. Born into a weak noble house, he too endured a difficult life at the Academy. Though I belonged to a powerful family, my current treatment was little different from his. Maybe he empathized with my struggles. That would explain why he worried for me.
A sharp sting flared in my palm. Still lying down, I raised my hand toward the ceiling. It was a hand deformed from constant strain—callused, blistered, and ruined. A hand that symbolized my efforts. Staring at it, I sank into thought.
****
Kirsi had waited for Caiden on the first floor of the men's dormitory for quite some time. He hadn't come out, perhaps still asleep.
“Class starts soon...”
She scrutinized everyone leaving the dormitory, but Caiden's face never appeared. If she waited any longer, she would almost certainly be late. Yet Kirsi didn't move.
“...I'll just be late, then.”
Ever since last night, thoughts of him had consumed her. After seeing other women show interest in him, Kirsi found him even more precious. She wanted him more, and his absence filled her with unease. Without a hug or a kiss to start the day, it felt incomplete.
Then someone caught her eye.
“Eric!”
She called out loudly. It had been some time since Kirsi and Eric had dropped formalities. Thanks to their shared connection with Caiden, crossing certain noble boundaries had come more easily than with others.
Eric heard her voice and began walking over slowly, his expression far from cheerful.
“...Kirsi.”
“Good morning.”
She offered a greeting before stating her purpose.
“...Do you happen to know where my brother is?”
“.......”
Eric didn't answer, his face subtly hardening. It struck Kirsi as odd.
“Is he sick? He hasn't come out... He's not just oversleeping, is he—”
“—Kirsi.”
Eric cut her off, a breach of etiquette considering their family ranks, but Kirsi paid it no mind.
“...Yeah?”
“......”
Eric let out a sigh, as though he had swallowed words he meant to say.
“...Honestly, I don't know either. I left without checking his room.”
****
I dreamed. Memories of first meeting the twins. Of building happy recollections with them. Of the emotional exchanges we had shared. Of the vows I made for their sake. Of the moments I resolved to be their support. Of the first time I gripped a sword, of mounting a horse. All of it returned to me vividly, as though no time had passed. I had never once doubted this path. I had felt pride—that those cruel twins leaned on me. That I had humanized them. Especially since they were nobles of a powerful house.
But the dream's atmosphere shifted. Cold sweat ran down my back, and breathing grew difficult. Asena's voice rang out first. Words demanding I return the Freister family name. That I was never to be considered. That I was an adopted child. That they had never once thought of me as their brother.
“...Haa... haa...”
My body refused to move, as if pinned by a nightmare. Next came Kirsi. Kyle's words transformed into her voice. That I was full of bluster. That I smelled. That I was annoying with my lectures. That I was obsessed with women. And... that I was incompetent.
I saw the twins mocking me. They watched as I despaired amid the crowd.
“That's what I wanted to see, Brother. Your despair after being betrayed.”
Asena spoke coldly—not the Asena I knew, but the Asena from the novel.
“Did you really believe I liked you? We're different from birth... How could I? You were just a toy. Hehe.”
Kirsi spoke too, indifferent to my feelings.
“No...”
I groaned, rejecting the scene in my mind. This wasn't the twins. They would never do this to me.
“...Brother...”
Someone shook my body. I was still trapped in that nightmarish vision. The bond we had built couldn't be so fragile. No matter how villainous they were, no matter what monsters lurked in their hearts, they wouldn't treat me this way. If I didn't believe that, I couldn't endure.
“Brother!!”
Kirsi's voice snapped me awake.
“Hurk...!! Hurk!!”
My entire body was drenched in cold sweat. My breath came in gasps, my heart pounding. The malicious voices faded from my ringing ears.
“Brother..! Snap out of it..!”
Kirsi shook me, her face etched with worry. The version of her from the dream overlapped with reality, and for a moment I couldn't speak. Understanding the situation came first. Glancing around, I saw orange twilight filtering through the window. I must have slept the entire day. After such prolonged rest, my heavy head felt lighter.
“...Drink some water.”
Someone handed me a glass. Overcome by sudden thirst, I took it and drained it to the last drop. The act cleared my mind. I looked around the room. Amid the chaos, Asena and Kirsi stood there. Asena's expression was rigid, while Kirsi's was filled with concern. She wiped my forehead with her sleeve.
“Are you sick, Brother..? Why are you sweating so much..!”
My eyes trembled.
“.....When did you get here?”
“Just now...! We hadn't seen you all day.. But what happened here?”
This was the same Kirsi who gossiped about me behind my back? I couldn't believe it even as I saw it. When we were together, everything felt so peaceful. Yet she was the source of my torment.
“Why is the room such a mess..!”
“...Who did this?”
Asena asked coldly. Her actions were calm, but her voice was icy.
“Who made it like this? Someone from the Knight Department?”
Honestly, her reaction didn't make sense. The anger she displayed didn't feel false, which only made it stranger. Did they truly not know?
“Brother—”
Overcome by emotion, I spoke.
“—Someone's been badmouthing me. I think I've started being ignored. I've been getting bullied lately.”
Both fell silent at once, as if something had caught in their throats. I had to suppress a bitter laugh.
See? They knew the reason.
At the same time, I became certain Kirsi had said those things. My head spun.
“...I don't understand politics. I don't know who's behind it.”
“.....”
“.....”
“...If you want to catch them, do it yourselves.”
Knowing they were the culprits, this was my way of turning a blind eye. Just like with Asena, I didn't want to stir up trouble. My mind was still too tangled. I wasn't ready for choices that would bring such upheaval.
“....”
I couldn't understand them. Even after everything, I still cared for them. The memories we had built made it impossible otherwise. Yet how could the twins do this to me?
I looked up at them. The way they subtly avoided my gaze only stirred my emotions further.
“Ah. But even if you catch them, don't bring them to me.”
It was hard to contain the resentment spilling out. Knowing they were behind it all, I could say this. If they felt even a shred of emotion toward me, I wanted them to taste a fraction of my pain.
“......Really. I think I'll come to hate them very much.”
Of course... the hardest part was that I still couldn't bring myself to hate them. How could I? To someone who had always been an orphan, they were my first family.
Asena lightly grasped her own arm. Kirsi flinched, then sat beside me, trembling.
“...Brother, hug me.”
She spoke as if uneasy. Words that still left me confused. In the end, there were only two possibilities. Either they truly hated me, or they pretended to like me, betrayed me as in the dream, and wanted to see my despair—perhaps resenting a commoner in the Freister family.
The second was that they had said those things for some reason I couldn't fathom. They liked me, but each had their own unavoidable motive. What that might be, I couldn't imagine. Was it for the family? But if not, how could I explain them still acting as though they liked me to my face?
“...Brother?...Quickly..”
Kirsi continued to whine. Yet that didn't justify their actions. My wounded heart wouldn't simply vanish. I remembered Kirsi's gossip—that I smelled. And now she wanted a hug? I wanted to ask.
“....”
Instead, I gave her a light embrace. Not the tight hug I usually offered, but a casual one, like those shared between friends. After a brief hold, I pulled away. Kirsi tried to cling to me, but I gently detached her.
“You two. Can you leave me alone for today? My head's spinning. I need some time to myself.”
“....Your head hurts? ...I'll take care of you, Brother.”
Asena spoke, but I shook my head. Without knowing their intentions, it felt unsettling.
“....See you tomorrow.”
I cut them off firmly.
***
It wasn't until deep into the night that I found clarity. After experiencing a whirlwind of emotions, I reached a conclusion.
“...Right.”
A refreshingly straightforward resolution. My mind felt remarkably light. Whatever their reasons, they had betrayed me. Whether it was their true feelings didn't matter. They had gossiped about the one who cherished them and tried to expel me from the family. So I would make my own choice.
As if they were truly my sisters. As if the ten years we spent together, sharing memories, were real. As if my promise to be their support remained an unchanging vow. As if my identity as a Freister was an undeniable truth.
Why should I tiptoe around the twins? Even that was the mindset of a loser—entering the fight already defeated. I was a Freister. I had been one for ten years. That didn't change just because they said otherwise. I had forgotten that.
Do not let anyone touch us.
The days I had repeated that family motto now felt hollow. A Freister shouldn't act this way. Right now, Asena and Kirsi were toying with my emotions. Even as their brother, my heart swayed like a reed. I needed to reverse our dynamic. I was the one who should be leading them.
The stigma of being a commoner seemed to have influenced my actions too. No wonder I was ignored. I should have acted without hesitation. Instead, I had foolishly softened because they were family.
They say people grow stronger through trials. I felt my resolve hardening. My mind cleared, and what I needed to do became obvious. The Freister motto meant not only trampling others thoroughly but also tempering oneself to avoid being disregarded.
They called me incompetent? Threatened to expel me from the family? I would make it so they couldn't even try. I would build an overwhelming position so the twins couldn't utter another word against me.
There were many ways. One: become the strongest and most renowned knight—one whose mere affiliation elevated his status. Two: secure a political marriage that would greatly benefit the Freister family. The Academy was the perfect place for that. As Grandmother Riana had said, this moment, filled with opportunities to form connections, was my chance. Three: build my own followers. Create a faction that would support only me.
The decision came quickly. Achieving all of them at once had become my goal.