Roman curled his body up with his expression crumpled to the fullest. He already knew well the side effects of taking suppressants. During his time with the Knights’ Order, there had been a guy who desperately endured with suppressants when he had night duty during the Bloody Cycle.
Though it was an unavoidable situation and he could have just drunk the blood of his Benic colleagues, even with a face so pale he looked ready to collapse, the guy ultimately endured the long night borrowing the power of incomplete medicine. At that time, he thought it was only foolish. When just drinking a few sips of blood would solve it immediately, leaving the best method aside and suffering all night was nothing but inviting hardship.
But now he seemed to understand that guy’s heart. Over the past few months, he’d become completely accustomed to one person’s blood, and to the warmth that person gave. But when he tried to bite another guy’s finger and drink blood, he just couldn’t bring himself to do it. He felt he could attempt it, but thought it would be of little use.
A few years ago, no, even just a few months ago, it was something he couldn’t have imagined. Roman was a self-acknowledged and publicly recognized aesthete. If he felt like it, he would readily spend nights with even fervent Benics, but he had never once even thought of suppressing the Bloody Cycle with medicine.
“…”
Diego’s face floated up above his closed eyes. It seemed he really was sick, as thoughts he would never normally have crossed his mind.
‘If I ask him to come, will he come?’
It wasn’t that there was no method. The crystal orb for communication was still in the bag, and Kan had just placed that bag on the table. So if he asked Isabel to relay a message, he could depart immediately this very evening.
But if they miss each other… That would be a sight.
With another assault of headache, even thinking became impossible now. …Let’s just sleep. Sleep and see. Hoping he would feel even a little better when he woke up again, Roman squeezed his eyes shut and forced himself to sleep.
But his cruel body didn’t move according to its owner’s will. Because of body aches accompanied by headache and high fever, Roman couldn’t regain consciousness for a while. He opened his eyes again after a full two days had passed.
***
Knock knock—
Following the knocking sound, Emily’s voice came from beyond the door.
“Can I come in for a moment, brother?”
“Come in.”
It was fortunate he hadn’t extinguished the oil lamp yet. Soon the door opened and Emily entered, and seeing her gently sit on the edge of the bed, Diego spoke.
“You’re not asleep yet?”
“I lay down to sleep but couldn’t fall asleep.”
After hesitating briefly, Emily carefully continued.
“I have something to tell you, brother.”
He had felt like Emily was sort of watching for an opening during dinner. Thinking she would tell him when the time came, he hadn’t rushed her and waited, so it had come faster than expected.
“Tell me.”
“I, it’ll be a month soon since I started working at the count’s residence. …So, I was wondering, can’t I keep doing it?”
Receiving his younger sister’s gaze filled with earnestness, Diego let out a light groan.
‘A month already, has it been that long?’
Roman had guaranteed it, and Emily really wanted to do it, so he’d reluctantly given permission… He couldn’t be pleased about continuing hardship that didn’t need to be done. Even though it was still an environment that wasn’t affluent, he didn’t want to become a pathetic older brother who kept pushing his only younger sister into the workplace.
“We promised it would only be for a month from the beginning.”
Noticing his indirect opposition, Emily pouted and fiddled with her fingers as she retorted.
“…I know. But I feel so reluctant to quit. Aunt Leila, and the butler grandfather, and the lady all treat me really well.”
A look of surprise appeared on Diego’s face at those words.
“The lady—surely you don’t mean the countess?”
“Yeah. On the first day when I went to the mansion, she came to the kitchen and spoke to me first, and asked my name too. Sometimes when I bring dessert to the study, she praises me a lot.”
Emily’s voice was full of cheerfulness, as if she’d never been dejected. Unlike her, doubt rose on Diego’s expression. A count’s residence would have a head steward responsible for managing the maids. But a person of the rank of countess personally visited the kitchen to greet Emily and even asked her name?
It could have been curiosity because she was seeing an unfamiliar face, but somehow it didn’t sit right. Along with that, a story he’d heard from someone at some point came to mind.
‘There’s a rumor she was the duchess’s lover for a long time.’
‘Not the duchess, the duke?’
“…”
Surely not.
Hurriedly shaking off the thought in his head, Diego belatedly answered Emily’s words.
“I understand what you’re thinking. But since Roman is absent right now, I’ll talk to him about it when he returns.”
“Really?! For real?”
“Yeah. Go to sleep quickly. You have to wake up early tomorrow too.”
“Okay. Good night, brother.”
When Emily left, the small room was quickly enveloped in silence. After extinguishing the proudly burning oil lamp, Diego laid his body out long on the bed.
After a moment, he suddenly sat up and rested both arms on his raised knees.
Three more days had passed since visiting Roman’s house. He couldn’t very well visit the private residence again without reason, and there was even less reason to go to the guild, so he’d been burning up inside, but thanks to Emily, a reason to seek out Roman had arisen.
Of course, his heart wasn’t entirely at ease. When had he said extension wasn’t possible, and he felt utterly pathetic for trying to use that matter as an excuse.
“Haah…”
He buried his face in his dry palms and let out a long sigh. Like the past few days, a night when he couldn’t easily fall asleep deepened.
***
When he opened the door and went out, Emily had already finished preparing. She sprang up from sitting on the chair and came running quickly.
“Shall we go out if you’re ready?”
“Yeah!”
Eventually, Emily left the house with her arm linked through her brother’s.
On an early afternoon with gentle sunlight pouring down, the two siblings went out together for the first time in a while. It was because today was their late mother’s birthday, and every year when it was their parents’ birthdays, Diego would take Emily to the temple.
In fact, it wasn’t the usual case. Normally if one’s parents had passed away, one would visit the grave on the death anniversary, but Diego had no family grave. When he was young, he didn’t even know such a thing existed, and only after growing to some extent did he carefully bring up to his uncle asking him to tell him where his parents’ grave was.
But all that came back was contempt and ridicule. He heard the answer to just know they were buried in a suitable place, and when he grabbed the hem of his uncle’s clothes as he was turning away, begging and pleading to please tell him, finally a slapping sound rang out from his cheek. The burning pain came next.
Even when he asked his aunt, she showed the same cold reaction. He learned the reason much later. Worried that their siblings might later claim ownership and property rights to the land where the family grave was located, they had blocked it from the source from the beginning.
The year he held his coming-of-age ceremony, Diego planned to ask once more where his parents’ grave was, even if he had to write a statement entrusting all the land and property his parents had left him. But a few days later, he witnessed his aunt abusing Emily, and left the house with Emily right then, ultimately never finding out where his parents’ tomb was.
It wasn’t that he hadn’t thought about going to find it even now. But repeatedly squeezing his eyes shut, Diego gave up on the idea. He didn’t have even a bit of expectation that people would have changed. If he heard harsh words like back then, he had no confidence he could endure it quietly.
“Brother?”
At the sudden sound of a voice, he turned his head and his eyes met Emily’s, who was staring intently at him. Before he knew it, the temple spire standing tall in the distance came into view.
“What are you thinking about so much?”
“…Just. Aren’t you cold?”
“No. I wore too many layers, I think I’m sweating on my back. If I’d known, I should have left the scarf at home.”
“Take it off if you’re hot. Should I hold it for you?”
“Mm, just a moment.”
Emily, who had stopped briefly, unwrapped the pink scarf around her neck. Then suddenly stretched out one hand, pointing to the sky on the opposite side.
“Ah, look over there, brother!”
Taking advantage of Diego turning his gaze, Emily immediately wrapped the scarf around her brother’s neck. Even amidst this, she tied a knot so it wouldn’t come undone, then held her stomach and giggled. Even while wearing clothes, his body was good enough that his muscles were prominent, and the pink scarf on top of that was truly an unsuitable combination. No wonder even the young ladies passing by seemed to be holding back laughter.
“It suits you so well!”
“You don’t think I’ll take that as a compliment, do you?”
“Why, it is a compliment. Wait a sec.”
When she reached out, he thought she would finally take it back, but he was mistaken. Rather, she moved her hands swiftly to make a ribbon shape, then held her stomach and laughed again.
Could she be that happy?
