Chapter 17
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Chapter 17
Count Rudin and his wife stood with their mouths agape in stunned silence.
It was a statement and action that completely shattered the conventions of High Society.
And in response to the fierce twins' outburst, Chesa found herself with her own lips parted in astonishment.
'Are they showing consideration simply because they bear the Basilian name?'
They were adopted children brought in out of necessity.
Of course, we had grown somewhat closer recently, but...
'At the end of the day, they're still fake.'
Chesa regarded the twins with fresh eyes.
In the meantime, Belzeon belatedly rose from his seat.
"Karha, Ishuel!"
He called their names coldly, his gaze sharp and reproachful.
The twins simultaneously pouted their lips in defiance.
Karha retrieved his sword once more and moved to stand beside Ishuel.
Belzeon apologized to Count Rudin and his wife on behalf of the twins.
"My sincerest apologies. My younger siblings are still immature and lack proper judgment. I humbly beg your forgiveness."
No matter the circumstances, one could not treat Count Rudin—a fellow nobleman, a prominent figure in the Capital's High Society, and even an attendant to the Emperor—in such a manner.
Regardless of his true intentions, what Count Rudin had outwardly demonstrated was 'assistance,' which made the matter all the more serious.
Belzeon's current conduct was the result of thoroughly rational judgment.
Finally encountering someone who understood propriety, Count Rudin erupted in fury.
"How can the father and sons alike be so utterly devoid of manners!"
He railed on, saying he had disliked them from the moment he arrived from the Eastern Region.
Beside Count Rudin, the Countess burst into tears.
Before the sputtering, red-faced Count Rudin, Belzeon quietly apologized once more.
"My apologies."
"Bah! I have no further desire to speak with children. With matters having come to this, what is Count Basilian doing?"
"Count Basilian is..."
Belzeon began to speak but faltered mid-sentence.
Count Rudin pressed him again insistently.
"What is Kieran Basilian doing, not rushing over at once! Contact him immediately!"
"..."
Belzeon opened and closed his lips several times.
Yet ultimately, he could say nothing.
Count Rudin let out a hollow laugh, as if utterly exasperated.
"Now I understand how the House of Basilian truly operates."
He muttered the words in a lowered voice, barely audible.
"This is what happens when children grow up without a mother..."
Fire blazed in Ishuel and Karha's eyes.
This time, they seemed ready to kill the Count and Countess.
Yet they did nothing.
It was because Belzeon had sent a warning glance.
"...."
The twins gritted their teeth and held back.
In the meantime, Count Rudin issued a warning with unbridled arrogance.
"I won't let this matter slide so easily."
He took his sobbing wife by the arm and left the Reception Room.
He yanked the door open with such force that it slammed loudly, causing all the servants to rush over in alarm.
Count Rudin shouted loudly, as if ensuring the servants below would hear.
"It would be best if Count Basilian himself came to apologize for his rudeness!"
The servants hurried after Count Rudin as he departed with a sneer.
Only the three Basilian brothers and Chesa remained in the Reception Room.
The twins and Chesa looked toward Belzeon.
"Brother! Let me deal with that bastard right now...!"
Ishuel, whose eyes blazed a vivid crimson, suddenly fell silent.
It was because Belzeon's atmosphere was ominous.
Belzeon was not angry.
He remained expressionless for a moment, then exhaled quietly.
Then, turning slowly, he spoke.
"Do nothing."
With only those words, he disappeared.
The young ones left in the Reception Room were utterly dejected.
Normally, the two of them would have been rowdy and boisterous, but the atmosphere was gloomy.
Ishuel hugged Chesa tightly and murmured.
"Brother apologized."
He bit his lower lip until it turned pale, then spoke again.
"It's so humiliating."
"...Me too."
The twins fell silent for a time.
A melancholy stillness descended between them.
Karha, who had kept his lips firmly sealed, suddenly burst out.
"But what did I do wrong? That woman started the quarrel first! Going on about the Orphanage and all that to a baby!"
Karha pointed at Chesa and fumed.
"I may be small, but I have ears too! I understand everything that's said!"
"I suppose that's what High Society means—letting such things slide."
"How can we let it slide? What if we can't hold back?"
"We need to possess greater power."
"We don't have it now, though."
"That's right."
Karha clenched his fists in bitter resentment.
"Should we just kill him?"
"Let's kill them. Want to go tonight?"
Ishuel actively supported Karha's proposal.
Perhaps sensing Ishuel's eagerness, Karha seemed to hesitate slightly.
"Hey, what if we get caught? Belzeon will really lose it."
"Are you scared of your older brother? Is that why you can't kill someone?"
"No, it's not that...."
While the twins bickered over Count Rudin and his wife, Chesa bit her lip.
Watching Belzeon apologize and the twins grow despondent left her in a foul mood.
Especially that boy who couldn't speak a word before an angry adult.
His small figure, tidying everything up and quietly disappearing—it kept haunting her vision.
'He's really getting to me....'
Chesa finally resolved to find Belzeon.
"Put me down, please!"
"Hm? Want to go to your bedroom?"
"Yes."
When she said she'd ask the servants to take her there, he released her without complaint.
The twins were probably still in the Reception Room planning the demise of Count Rudin and his wife.
Leaving the Reception Room, Chesa summoned a small butterfly.
It was a butterfly that could locate people within a certain range.
"Belzeon."
Upon speaking the target's name, the butterfly began fluttering its wings.
After flying for a while, the butterfly landed before the Study door.
Following the butterfly, Chesa paused to look up at the door.
She worried briefly about how to open the handle, but fortunately the Study door was slightly ajar.
Chesa was able to slip inside without difficulty.
Of course, she hadn't forgotten to prepare a bribe for Belzeon before entering.
The Study, flooded with afternoon sunlight, felt drowsy.
Filled with the distinctive scent of books, it was a warm and inviting space.
With a long sofa, tables, and other furnishings, one could read comfortably anywhere.
Yet even checking each cushioned chair one by one, Belzeon was nowhere to be found.
After searching for quite some time, she finally located her target.
Belzeon was huddled in the corner of the Study.
In the crevice between the bookshelf and the wall.
The boy, crouched on the cold stone floor, appeared small.
The way he pulled his knees close and held them to his chest looked infinitely childlike and fragile.
It was hard to believe this was the same boy who had acted so maturely in the Reception Room outside.
'Is he crying?'
Chesa tilted her head and observed carefully.
Belzeon was not crying.
He simply stared down at the floor with a dry, vacant gaze.
But that expression troubled me far more than tears would have.
I almost wished he would simply weep.
Chesa approached carefully.
Deliberately making her footsteps audible, Belzeon—who had been staring at the floor—slowly lifted his head.
"...."
Upon noticing Chesa, his eyes narrowed slightly.
Yet he did not drive her away; he merely looked at her before turning his gaze aside.
It was a silent permission.
Chesa approached until she stood directly before Belzeon.
"Big brother."
Since they were still too unfamiliar to use such a term naturally, she had chosen an ambiguous form of address.
"My legs hurt, so I'll just sit here for a moment."
She settled beside Belzeon, offering a flimsy excuse as she did.
"...They're aching."
I wanted to offer some meaningful comfort, but there was no way I could know what would help.
So I simply decided to remain at his side.
'Hata always appreciated it when I stayed with her during her nightmares.'
I wondered if perhaps this was similar.
Belzeon and Chesa sat side by side on the cold stone floor for a long while.
By the time the frigid stone had warmed beneath their body heat.
A low voice emerged.
"Karha and Ishuel stepped forward because you bear the Basilian name. Not for your sake."
I wondered what he was about to say, but the moment he opened his mouth, it was something irritating.
Belzeon looked at Chesa.
"And I am someone who does not wish for you to become a Basilian."
His crimson eyes drew a resolute line.
"It means you gain nothing by flattering me."
"What is flattering?"
"...."
Chesa simply pretended not to understand.
After all, it was far too profound a matter for a child to comprehend.
She handed the bribe she had prepared to the sighing Belzeon.
It was a lily of the valley, its delicate white buds suspended like tiny bells.
"Please take this."
Everyone's spirits lifted when they caught the scent of such fresh flowers.
I could only hope that Belzeon's mood would improve, even slightly.
Belzeon regarded the flower with an expressionless gaze before quietly accepting it.
His eyes, which had been gazing at the flower with apparent indifference, gradually began to tremble.
His jaw tightened.
He was clenching his teeth to hold back.
His trembling frame stirred my compassion.
Chesa hesitated before gently bringing her hand to his cheek.
The moment her small hand made contact.
A tear fell from Belzeon's eyes.
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org