Ch.281281. Needless Worry?

“Ugh! Uweeeegh!”

“Go outside to do that.”

Though it felt a bit wrong to say this after making him drink something like poison, I couldn’t let him vomit in the room.

Darius covered his mouth with his thick hand and rushed outside.

I thought he’d be back soon, but it took surprisingly longer than expected.

I didn’t think it was bad enough to make him throw up multiple times.

But there was a reason for the delay.

“Findenai was cleaning the bathroom and wouldn’t let me in.”

“…”

“I was late because I had to go to the bathroom on another floor.”

He wasn’t the former leader of a scrap metal business for nothing.

His persistence was truly wolf-like, clinging tenaciously to issues.

Anyway, Findenai’s tea was cleared away. This meant we could finally have a proper conversation.

“Is there a problem with Deia?”

Though Darius looked dissatisfied and seemed to have a lot to say to me, when I got straight to the point, he couldn’t say anything else and just followed along.

“What do you think about Deia?”

“What do you mean?”

Asking how I felt about family wasn’t clear in its intention.

Even if Darius was a somewhat lacking eldest son, he wouldn’t ask such a question.

“Sigh.”

Finally, Darius let out a deep sigh and began explaining his reason for visiting me in somewhat lengthy detail.

“Since she was young, Deia has extremely disliked men.”

“That’s sudden.”

“I think you know the reason well.”

Darius continued, pretending not to hear my words.

“It’s because of Deus. The original one, that is.”

I know.

She naturally came to dislike men because of Deus’s hateful remarks and sexual harassment.

But if you asked whether she was attracted to the same sex, that wasn’t the case either.

In fact, this wasn’t about men or women, but rather a disgust for the very concept of loving others or physical intimacy.

“But now it’s different. The wounds Deus created… Deus has healed them.”

Darius said suggestively, deliberately raising his eyebrows. I was glad if I had helped soothe her wounds.

“But you know. Um, I think it’s gone too far.”

“What do you mean?”

I was starting to understand what Darius was trying to say, but it wasn’t something he should be saying.

Darius probably knew that too, which is why he came to talk to me directly.

Finally, he scratched his head in confusion and spoke honestly.

“I think Deia has feelings for you.”

“…”

“I’d like to think I’m mistaken, but honestly, I’m almost certain.”

“I think…”

I crossed my legs slowly and answered coolly.

“You’re mistaken.”

Darius often talked nonsense, but this time he had crossed the line.

Did he even understand what he was saying?

“It’s family affection. Since she never had a proper older brother, she’s probably just relying on me because I’ve been filling that role somewhat.”

The statement about not having a proper older brother applied not only to Deus but also to Darius.

Until I came, he was like a living ghost obsessed only with the family name.

“Ahem.”

Unable to refute that his past behavior wasn’t great either, Darius cleared his throat and subtly moved on.

“I also hoped it was just my misunderstanding. But just in case, I went to see Illuania this time. She spent a lot of time with Deia while you were gone.”

“…”

“Illuania said there’s a good possibility.”

This changed things.

I might dismiss Darius’s concerns.

But it was hard to ignore the words of Illuania, who was essentially an expert in these matters.

I frowned, deep in thought.

“When I spoke, you didn’t even listen properly…”

Darius grumbling in front of me was somewhat annoying, but I continued my contemplation.

The Deia I knew was certainly closer than typical siblings should be.

But I thought that was a reaction to not receiving family affection all this time. I understood well since I too craved family relationships in a similar way.

‘Besides, I’ve already addressed this once.’

I had occasionally emphasized the word “siblings” just in case.

At those times, Deia had accepted it as natural.

“Hard to believe.”

Even though Illuania said it, it was honestly difficult to accept. I couldn’t find a woman as sharp as Deia.

I didn’t think she would do something as foolish as loving her own blood relative.

“Deia is not that foolish.”

But after hearing my words, Darius shrugged and replied.

“It’s not about actions, but emotions. People are more easily swept away by emotions than you think.”

Words unlike Darius.

It was a moment when the dignity of the eldest son unexpectedly showed.

“Sigh, Deus.”

He let out a deep sigh and pressed his eyes tightly. His fatigue was evident.

“No, Shinwoo Kim.”

My eyebrows twitched as I didn’t particularly like being called that when I was Deus, but I decided to listen.

“If you were a different body, honestly, I would have welcomed it. I’ve never seen a man like you, and I can trust and rely on you. My brother-in-heart becoming my brother-in-law would still make you family.”

More praise than I expected.

But Darius continued.

“But not when you’re Deus.”

A firm declaration.

This wasn’t simply the words of Darius Verdi as a man.

The head of the Verdi family.

The Margrave of Norsweden.

The Giant of the Northern Mountains.

The head of the family who carried its weight sent a heavy warning toward me.

“I have no intention of watching the order of the family collapse.”

“…”

“I’m saying this just in case. I know you won’t do that, but… since you also cherish Deia, just in case.”

I understood what he meant.

But there was one thing he missed.

“Deia is important to me, but.”

“Hmm?”

“Darius, you’re important to me too.”

Isn’t that obvious?

“We’re family.”

When I calmly met his gaze and spoke, Darius’s expression, which had been staring blankly at me, gradually brightened.

While Deia’s opinion was important, not doing something Darius disliked was also important to me.

I just expressed that, but.

“Hah! Hahahahaha! That’s right! Exactly! Yes! Indeed, you are my brother!”

Perhaps feeling acknowledged, Darius continued laughing, exchanged a few hearty words, and then left.

It meant he would trust me.

“Sigh.”

I was thinking of leaving Norsweden soon. Looking at the situation, I needed to return to Greyford and announce my return.

But it seems there’s a problem to solve before that.

“…”

Suddenly, I recalled the worn teddy bear she had.

* * *

Knock knock.

“Come in.”

Deia’s voice came immediately after I knocked. When I opened the door and entered, she was busy reviewing documents on her desk.

“Deus?”

Was she surprised by my sudden visit?

The startled Deia put down her pen and greeted me.

“Are you busy?”

It’s not that Darius couldn’t handle this kind of work, but since Deia was so excellent at it, she naturally took charge of everything.

If I were here, I would have helped, but I’m not in a position to stay quietly in the territory.

“A little? I’m writing some reports for the royal family about prisoner transfers and incident investigations.”

Was the timing not good?

I was about to apologize and leave, but Deia took the initiative with a nod.

“Go sit on the sofa over there. I’ll finish this soon.”

Her hand holding the pen moved a bit faster.

Though I was hesitant, I accepted her hospitality and slowly sat on the guest sofa.

“There are some snacks on the table, so help yourself.”

Even while busy moving her hands, she didn’t forget to be considerate. Though they were the same snacks as in my room.

I didn’t bother touching them and just watched her concentrating on her work.

She had beautiful looks.

Enough to make me proud to have her as a sister. If she brought a man one day saying she wanted to marry him, I might get petty at the thought of losing family.

Just like my father.

But that would be the extent of it.

I would certainly applaud, congratulate them, bless their future, and with a rare smile, give them a push forward.

Watching her work, I also wondered if she really had such feelings for me.

Would such a capable woman be swept away by her own emotions?

Perhaps it’s because I tend to have shallow emotions, but it was hard to accept.

‘Even Illuania doesn’t know everything.’

While she is a kind of expert, she can’t get everything right. Especially with someone like Deia who hides her thoughts and emotions well.

At some point, I felt my thoughts being pulled in the direction I wanted, but I didn’t resist.

I didn’t think it was the wrong direction anyway.

Perhaps that’s why.

This quiet waiting time felt somewhat wasteful.

I also wanted to reassure Darius as quickly as possible.

“Do you like me?”

A blunt question thrown out directly.

It might sound somewhat arrogant, but I couldn’t think of any other words.

Deia’s head, which had been buried in documents, creaked as it turned toward me.

She had an expression of not properly understanding what she just heard, so I spoke again.

“As a man, I mean.”

This was something I could say because I had faith in Deia.

Indeed, she responded to my faith.

“Are you drunk?”

“…”

“You’ve gone wild since coming back. Practicing nonsense too. What? Me, what?”

“Never mind.”

“You’re not on drugs, are you? Should I call Findenai to take you away?”

“I’ll leave on my own.”

As expected.

Deia, with her expression crumpled in annoyance, didn’t even call me back as I left, just pretending not to see me.

“It was an unnecessary worry.”

Thinking that Darius and Illuania had strange concerns, I closed the door to Deia’s office.

After feeling relieved like that, the next day.

Deia suggested we go out to the city together for a while.