454 – The younger brother who is sensitive – 2
From noble mtl dot com
Zenobia fell into silence at my declaration.
She then blinked her eyes, opened her mouth, and then fell silent again.
– Yes?
She looked dazed for a long time before finally muttering in a mesmerized voice. As if she didn’t understand what she was hearing.
I understand. Zenobia and I are not in an awkward relationship, but we are not an intimate relationship either. It’s just a formal relationship where we exchange greetings when we run into each other by chance, and contact each other to say hello when something unfortunate or unfortunate happens to each other.
Of course, from Zenobia’s perspective, I am treated with all manners of courtesy because I am her prospective uncle, but the reverse does not apply. Since I have never publicly supported Zenobia’s unrequited love for her, Zenobia must have thought the same.
“I will help you marry Erich.”
But now, Zenobia’s common sense has collapsed. She took it upon herself to help the prospective uncle whom she had to recruit. Perhaps apart from joy, embarrassment would be greater.
– Are you serious?
“Uh.”
Nevertheless, it seems that joy is greater than embarrassment when you see that instead of questioning what is being said, they first question whether it is true or not.
My heart aches. I must have been so desperate and heartbroken that an unexpected opportunity rolled my eyes. Because of his ugly younger brother, he can’t raise his head.
“There is a condition instead.”
Still, she had to say what she had to say, so when she calmly opened her mouth, tension appeared on Zenobia’s face. I think I know what she’s thinking. I’m afraid she might ask for the Hiden family’s interest.
Honestly, it seems like a political move when a prospective uncle who has kept quiet suddenly comes forward and offers to help with marriage. If it were me, I would have thought the same.
“Stop fighting with Sarah and accept her as your second wife.”
But no. I’m not interested in politics or anything, family interests or anything like that.
Just for the sake of her mother, who must have been wetting her pillowcase with tears by now, and for her nanny, who must have been distraught worrying about her only daughter’s love life.
– … ….
“…….”
– …That’s all, right?
“Yes.”
Zenovia’s face is blank again, but I am serious.
If the two hold hands and fight together, there is nothing more to wish for.
It is a natural desire for people to monopolize their lover’s love. It is a primal instinct that can hardly be called greed, and it is an issue that even nobles, for whom arranged marriages, polygamy, and polyandry are commonplace, cannot be suppressed.
Yes, I know very well. Whether it is Sarah or Zenobia, there is a high possibility that she wants to be Erich’s only wife. The idea of joining hands with your opponent and fighting together may sound like bullsh*t.
But what can we do? If we fight against each other instead of fighting jointly, the future is sure to be one of mutual annihilation.
‘Because a love fight is not a fight where the participants are decided.’
If the only women in this world were Sera and Zenobia, they could fight to the end. One of the two will survive anyway, so it wouldn’t be a bad idea to go all the way to the end.
However, just as there are half men in the world, there are also half women. There is no guarantee that another woman will not target Erich while Sera and Zenobia are sorting out their ranks.
Unfortunately, I have experienced something similar. The sad reality of losing to someone else while fighting against each other, and the tearful ending of losing to an unexpected player.
‘Confectionery Club.’
The main characters are the club members from the 1977 season. They were obsessed with Rize and were trying to keep each other in check, so they couldn’t even confess properly to Rize, and I, who didn’t participate in that idiotic fight, became Rize’s lover.
That’s why I can see the future. Sera and Zenobia are also members of the 1977 season― No, I can see a future where they will just become Jets with the 1979 season set.
‘Erich would also be a prime candidate in the marriage market.’
Crucially, if Erich graduates from the academy without a lover, she will eventually go the route of an arranged marriage, and Erich is treated as a huge blue chip in her marriage market.
He is still at the age of marriageable age, has a handsome face, good personality, is strong in arms, comes from a good family, and even though he is a baron, he is a noble by title, and he is my younger brother. I can’t find any flaws.
“If we combine her and Sarah’s strength, we can secure half of it. However, if the current situation continues, we may not be able to save even half. Or, she may be completely taken away by a third party.”
She felt strange talking about her younger brother like an asset, but she spoke with sincerity. If Zenobia insists on her monopoly, things get troublesome.
– Okay.
The answer came out cooler than expected.
– It’s okay if I’m the first. It’s rare for a lower-ranking noble to have multiple wives, but that’s possible for Erich.
“Are you sure it’s okay? It’s strange to see that the imperial bag is the wife of a baron, but if the baron also has another wife, the story behind it may come out.”
It was such a cool answer that I ended up saying something negative.
It is impossible to criticize one’s own weaknesses in a persuasive position, but since the other person is so cooperative, it is better to just wipe one’s mouth and move on.
– You are the one who brought up the topic of your second wife.
“That’s right.”
I never thought she would accept so willingly.
-And it’s hard to say this, but since I like Erich, I can understand her daughter’s feelings. It’s just that if Lady Sera becomes first, I don’t have a chance, so I didn’t step down.
Looking at Zenobia muttering bitterly, I seemed to understand the reason why she obediently agreed.
Zenobia had no monopoly in mind. She simply set her first position as her only goal and final route.
‘Because I fell in love with Erich.’
I looked at Zenobia with mixed feelings. Just as Erich is a prime candidate for her marriage market, Zenobia is also a character with no shortcomings. She, no, considering she is the current Imperial Baek, she is an item that will be evaluated even more highly. Moreover, seeing as she said that she understands Sarah, her personality and ability to think well are also excellent.
Such a person happened to fall in love with the owner of her calamitous instincts named Erich. How sad this is.
‘Blessed baby.’
I don’t plan on doing it, but Erich seems to have inappropriate women’s clothes.
***
I lay on the bed blankly and looked at the ceiling. There is nothing more familiar in my life than lying in bed, but right now I felt something other than calm or familiarity.
‘I want to die.’
She muttered that to herself and quietly closed her eyes. She has suffered from illness since birth, so if I say something, she will misunderstand, so she usually doesn’t even joke about it, but this time, she is serious.
I really feel like I want to die. Her mother, who had looked at her marriage to Erich with eyes full of anticipation, and I, who had to tell her mother that we were not in a relationship yet.
I feel like I’m going crazy. It is too much to have to tell the harsh truth yourself and to see your mother’s expectations turn to disappointment.
‘If we stay together for a year, there should be some kind of result…’
Tears welled up out of sadness. It is unfair. It’s been a year. We went to school together for a year. I don’t even know Erich, but we were already close friends, so why did we hang out for another year?
In fact, when Erich became Baron Hardiner, she had some expectations. She wondered if Erich didn’t just express it, she might have feelings for me. Now, she wonders if they are getting closer little by little.
But that wasn’t the case. It is true that I was one of the reasons why Erich chose the Barony of Hardiner, but it was a feeling of friendship, not love.
‘What should I do?’
I’m starting to get seriously worried about the future. Even though we’ve been together for a year, it’s still like this. I don’t think the remaining year will be much different.
If we graduate in this state, we will be living in different places again, and even if we stay in nearby estates, the physical distance will inevitably be greater than if we stayed together at the academy.
So, what happens then? I couldn’t win Erich’s heart even when we were close, so what should I do when the distance becomes longer? Will I never be able to reach Erich? Am I going to end up like this forever without being able to show my feelings?
‘I don’t like it.’
She bit her lip and shook her head. I don’t like that. I never want to accept that kind of ending.
But, what can I do if I don’t like it? What changes if I refuse?
‘I’d rather go to Erich’s room—’
Suddenly an extreme thought occurred to me, but I quickly shook it off. That’s not the way. That’s not about winning Erich’s heart, it’s about tying him up by placing a debt on his heart.
If I tried to visit Erich in the first place, I would be physically defeated. It’s clear that she will be quickly overpowered and sent back.
‘…Huh?’
Then, the communication port next to the pillow began to glow.
I looked at the communication port for a moment, then touched my eyes and received a call. I don’t know who it is, but I can’t receive a call with a gloomy face.
– Sarah?
“Huh, brother?”
Soon a familiar face appeared and her eyes widened.
I can say that I have become quite close to Karl, as we have been together at the academy and the confectionery club for a year, but this is the first time we have been in contact like this. There were no topics to discuss privately, and even if there were, we tended to do it through Erich.
Anyway, she slowly got up, putting her doubts behind her. I can’t lie down and talk to her brother.
– Were you surprised by the sudden contact? I have something urgent to say. Is there anyone nearby?
“No. I’m alone.”
– That’s good. I feel a little embarrassed if others hear it.
My older brother nodded lightly, but his expression instantly changed to a serious one.
– Sarah. Would you rather gain half or lose everything?
“…Yes?”
The hand holding the communication tool trembled at those words.
It was a word without context, but I could immediately understand what it meant.
– If it’s the former, I can help you somehow.
There is only one thing my brother can help me with.