Ch.70Tiny Lips That Make Me Tingle

While Serin went to have a conversation with the Duchess Rupenter, Luca spent time with me. Eshtiel, who had come to see Luca’s magic, was just a bonus.

“Luca, do the floaty thing again!”

“Hmm, the little cutie has energy to spare.”

“Hehe. That’s just how I am.”

Shadows formed under Luca’s eyes as he witnessed Eshtiel’s proud demeanor.

You’ve grown into a child who doesn’t consider others’ fatigue even the slightest bit, Eshtiel. Though it was far from a compliment, the boy puffed out his chest confidently.

“Come here, Eshtiel.”

“But I want to see more floaty things.”

“Hurry up. It’s not nice to torment tired people.”

“Hmph.”

Eshtiel hung his head dejectedly.

Soon after, Eshtiel jumped onto my lap. I slipped my hands under his armpits, picked him up, and properly seated him right beside me.

“You’re strict.”

Luca chuckled at my actions.

“Eshtiel needs to start learning manners.”

Though I desperately wanted to give Eshtiel anything without hesitation after having lost him once, if that resulted in him growing up to be an inconsiderate villain, it would be worse than doing nothing at all.

Therefore, I wanted Eshtiel to grow up to be a properly sensible girl.

‘The Academy is good, but entrusting her to Baroness Raden might also work well.’

Especially since she’s a titled lady, she could be an excellent mentor for Eshtiel. Above all, there would be much to learn from Baroness Raden, one of the wealthiest people in the Empire.

As I was briefly planning for the future, Luca cleared his throat.

“Come to think of it, so much has changed in such a short time… You must have a lot on your mind.”

“It sounds quite ironic coming from you, Luca.”

“Well, I’m not in a position to talk.”

Surely Luca had many matters to attend to regarding his kingdom. Didn’t he say this year of study abroad would be his last taste of freedom? Thinking about it, I felt a bit sorry for Luca, carrying such heavy burdens on both shoulders.

“You’ll manage well.”

“Even if I can’t, I have to. That’s why Kanarin saved my life, after all.”

“Speaking of which, I know the general situation… but how did you become acquainted with Duchess Rupenter?”

“Oh, were you curious about that? You’re surprisingly interested in other people.”

“How have you been seeing me until now?”

“That’s a good question. It’s just… my first impression was, how should I put it? You seemed like someone who lived in an extremely narrow world.”

“That’s true.”

It might not be wrong. I unconsciously found myself nodding.

All my time revolved around Rodrick and Eshtiel, so I had no reason to take deep interest in others. At least until that disconcerting day when I met Serin.

It wasn’t that I didn’t want to maintain relationships with others, but as a child of the deposed emperor, it was impossible for me to open my heart sincerely. That’s why Serin’s presence—clinging to me without questioning anything—was bewildering. No matter how much I pushed her away, she closed the distance between us in an instant.

That connection with Serin led me to where I am now. To this position as an Academy professor, where I have to pay attention to students, half out of obligation…

I’m grateful.

I want to repay her consistent devotion to me, even at the risk of her life. How exactly to repay the kindness she’s shown me is something I’ll need to contemplate further.

That’s why I was curious about Luca’s situation. By referencing how Luca behaved toward the Duchess who saved his life, perhaps I could become a better person to Serin as well.

“Well, she definitely saved my life. Though it wasn’t as dramatic as the gossips make it out to be.”

“Did the Duchess defeat assassins with her spear skills? Somehow I imagined that.”

“Pfft, no way. She would have been younger than your little cutie back then—what could she have done?”

“Was it impossible?”

“How could it be possible?”

“…”

“…”

“Ah, right. You’re Rahilt, of course. I keep forgetting.”

“Hmm…”

I suddenly recalled the days when, following Rodrick’s orders, I had dismantled criminal cartels since I was eight years old.

Looking back now, Rodrick was truly a terrible person.

To make even Luca exclaim in shock at what he made me do without hesitation…

“She just came to me out of nowhere and told me I was going to be assassinated soon. At the time, I thought she was some crazy girl. I mean, it was the royal palace, after all. Who would have thought she was the daughter of the Rupenter ducal family, which was recovering from its fallen past and flourishing again? Who could have known?”

“So what did you do?”

“Regardless of how absurd it seemed, I was scared. My mother died giving birth to me, so I had no support, and meanwhile, my brother had great ambitions.”

“Is having great ambitions a problem?”

“Usually not, but when I’m more outstanding than the size of those ambitions, it becomes an issue.”

“Even so… would the king just stand by and watch?”

“He really did just watch, which is why I was abandoned in a palace tucked away in a corner. From what I heard later, it seems Rastali had been bewitching the king with black magic since then.”

“That’s… at least fortunate it wasn’t genuine.”

“Who knows? Now that my stock is soaring, maybe they’re pinning all their wrongdoings on Rastali?”

“…”

A sad supposition.

In the sense that he had no protective barriers around him from birth, he was similar to me.

However, my case and Luca’s were clearly different. Unlike me, who had the strength to survive alone, it would have been difficult for Luca to develop his magical talents from such a young age.

“So I don’t really think of them as family. Neither the king nor my brother.”

“Come to think of it, when you say brother… you mean the First Prince, right?”

“Huh? Well, yes… Ah.”

Suddenly, Luca pressed his lips shut. Then, looking at me nervously, he searched for somewhere else to rest his eyes, which made me feel a bit sorry for him.

‘Luca saw that too, didn’t he.’

Back when Rashera’s romantic feelings were directed toward the First Prince of Carnar Kingdom.

By then, Luca would have already been assassinated and buried as a cold corpse.

In a way, he had witnessed a horrific possibility for himself, but surprisingly, he seemed to have no particular feelings about it.

“I’m sorry as the half-brother of a philandering brother.”

“I don’t think anyone needs to apologize. At this point, everything was just an illusion anyway.”

“Wow, so detached. Back then, you were so enraged that you…”

“P-please be quiet! I’m fully aware of my mistakes…!”

“You’ve really changed, in many ways.”

I ignored Luca’s private smirk and quickly changed the subject.

“Ahem! So, after receiving the assassination warning from the Duchess, what did you do?”

“I told you, I was terrified as a child. So I fled straight to the Rupenter ducal estate. Neither the king nor my brother paid any attention to me after that.”

“You mean you completely moved your residence to the ducal estate?”

“That’s right. From then until I became an adult, I was indebted to Kanarin’s home. Thanks to that, I now consider them more like family. Though I don’t know how Kanarin sees it…”

Luca’s expression clouded slightly, as if in reminiscence.

In truth, though I couldn’t explain why, I had been instinctively feeling a strange certainty.

Eventually, I asked a question filled with that certainty.

“Do you like the Duchess, Luca?”

“Yep.”

“Huh?”

“…”

The answer came from an unexpected corner—from Eshtiel, who had been sitting quietly beside me.

Eshtiel blinked her round, silver eyes innocently.

“He likes her a lot.”

“Eshtiel, that’s rude.”

“But you asked, brother.”

“Yes, but I was asking Luca, not you.”

“Hmph, why scold me for giving the right answer?”

I apologized to Luca on behalf of Eshtiel, who showed no signs of remorse.

“I’m sorry, Luca. I’ll have a separate talk with Eshtiel later.”

“No, it’s fine. As the little cutie said, it’s the truth. You had some certainty when you asked, right?”

“I wouldn’t say certainty…”

I let my words trail off and turned my attention to Eshtiel.

“Eshtiel, as punishment, no candy for you today.”

“Hmph, nothing I can do about that. I accept.”

“…Hmm?”

Eshtiel seemed to be making an indignant expression… but something felt off. It seemed somehow fabricated.

Above all, it was strange that she accepted the punishment without screaming even once.

‘Is it just my imagination…?’

Sometimes Eshtiel doesn’t stake her life on candy, I guess. Quite an unfamiliar experience.

Since I couldn’t think of any other suitable punishment, I decided to let it go.

Just then, Luca, having revealed his feelings, sighed.

“Sigh, but it’s troubling. Maybe it’s because we’ve been together since we were so young. Kanarin seems to see me only as family. Like… almost like a younger brother. You saw it too when we parted that time, right? She was pinching my cheeks in front of everyone.”

“Hmm…”

“She’s always been strangely mature. So smart that it’s like she’s living her second life… At this rate, I can’t help looking several years younger than her, even though I’m not.”

I understood Luca’s feelings. The Duchess certainly treated Luca very casually. Seeing that, I was reminded more of Rodrick and Eshtiel than of street lovers.

“In this situation, if I were to confess, I’d be lucky if she didn’t look at me like I was crazy. I should just hope I don’t end up in court for wanting incest.”

“Luca, you’re really suffering…”

It was right then.

Eshtiel tilted her head and expressed an innocent question.

“What’s incest?”

“…I think Luca misspoke about being close, Eshtiel.”

“Oh, I see. Do you go to jail for being close?”

“…Depending on who it’s with.”

“My good Grand Duke of Elhader, I’m feeling extremely and miserably pathetic as I listen to this.”

“Ah… um, I’m truly sorry.”

“Haah…”

This time, it was my turn to watch Luca’s reaction while desperately trying to think of words to smooth things over. However, unfamiliar concerns were difficult to resolve. In the end, it was Luca who spoke first, burying my verbal misstep.

“I envy you, Rahilt.”

“Me…?”

“Yes. You don’t have to worry since you have someone right beside you who charges straight ahead.”

“Worry…”

I took quite some time to grasp the true meaning of Luca’s puzzling words.

Luca initially seemed to think it was nothing special, but as the silence lengthened, he increasingly showed his bewilderment.

“Don’t tell me… still? You really don’t know?”

“Pardon? What are you talking about…”

“No, I mean, wow… You still…? It’s almost like you’re deliberately ignoring it.”

“I find it difficult to guess your meaning.”

“Well.”

Luca’s lips moved as if to say, I can’t tell you this directly.

“If you’re this oblivious, you really… should be grateful to Her Highness Princess Seriniel. If it weren’t for her, you would have had far too many people to reject.”

“…? I don’t quite understand, but I’m always grateful to Serin. Sincerely.”

“The fact that it’s sincere is also part of the problem…”

“This is difficult…”

“I find it harder to understand your innocence…”

Though Luca pointed this out in astonishment, as the person being criticized, I could only feel perplexed.

I felt an intense gaze from beside me, and when I turned, there was Eshtiel, half-closing her eyes and mocking me.

“Oh my, my brother is truly hopeless.”

It was the first time in my life that I found Eshtiel annoying.