Chapter Twenty-Seven
He's My Brother
---
A Few Hours Earlier...
The maid entered the child's room, expecting to find him as she always did: sitting in one of the corners, waiting for her to help him get dressed while he read a book...
But the juice had spilled all over the floor, even though the glass was still in its usual place. She inspected it for a moment. She knew there was nothing wrong with the glass...
She searched the bathroom, the study, and the dressing room on the third floor.
That was when things began to seem unusual. She swallowed nervously, her body starting to tremble, and alerted everyone.
Within minutes, all the servants were searching for Elyon, who had never wandered away from his quarters before.
Once the entire tower had been thoroughly searched, and the servants had finished blaming one another for their negligence, they decided to inform the Archduchess and face her wrath.
The red-haired maid stepped forward, agreeing to share the responsibility with his nanny. Together, they went to inform the Archduchess at the main palace.
She hurled everything she had in her hands at them, though, of course, none of it struck them.
"How could you lose track of a little child? Tell the knights to search for him!"
The red-haired maid wanted to point out that no one outside the servants of the South Tower even knew what the child looked like. However, she swallowed her words and bowed obediently.
Despite the large number of knights dispatched to search, they failed to find the child.
The Archduchess cursed inwardly. Her son was ill, and she also had no desire to provoke her husband, who had never liked getting involved in the affairs of the palace or its servants.
Then, amid her mounting workload and exhaustion, a scream rang out from her son's room, freezing her in place.
Despite her haughty appearance, her entire body trembled.
When she finally reached her son's room, which was not far from her own, she was struck speechless by the sight of the child standing before her. Had she never seen him before, she would have mistaken him for a beggar who had wandered into the palace by accident.
In a heavy voice, she asked,
"How did you get here?"
An uneasy atmosphere spread among the servants.
Why hadn't she asked who he was?
At Amanda's gesture from behind the Archduchess, the servant released the child's hand and stepped back.
Elyon stood inside the room, between the door and his brother's bed.
There was something in the child's eyes that the Archduchess had never seen before. He was breathing rapidly, his gaze shifting from her to Damian.
The Archduchess clutched the hem of her dress and hurried to place herself between Elyon and her son, as though the little boy could somehow snatch Damian away with a mere glance.
"Go back. Why did you come here?"
Elyon clutched the front of his shirt with both hands. His voice trembled as he spoke, his head bowed.
"Why...? My brother..."
"..."
"Why... can't I..."
"..."
"I want... I want to see my brother..."
"..."
"Damian... He's my brother..."
As soon as Elyon finished speaking, tears began streaming down his face without end. With every sob and every broken word, they fell even more heavily.
The Archduchess was utterly speechless.
What exactly was she doing?
She loosened her grip on her dress and, without looking at the child, said,
"Amanda, take him and clean him up. Then let him come in."
Elyon looked up at the Archduchess through tear-filled eyes. He swallowed his tears and obediently took Amanda's outstretched hand.
The Archduchess looked at her sleeping son and lowered her head, biting her lip before leaving the room.
The servants remained frozen in place, while the doctor opened his mouth for a moment, then closed it again.
---
"How did you end up in such a state?"
Amanda washed Elyon's body, gently scolding him as she cleaned the dirt from his hair and skin.
She glanced at another maid holding a towel, took it from her, and ordered,
"Prepare some clothes."
The maid approached and whispered,
"Are you sure the young master's clothes will be all right? Won't Her Grace be angry?"
"It's fine. I'll take responsibility."
The maid's expression relaxed, while Elyon's features grew a little less gloomy.
When Elyon had finished bathing and put on clean clothes, the maid standing beside Amanda froze.
Without thinking, she murmured,
"For a moment, I thought I was looking at the young master when he was five years old..."
Amanda swallowed her surprise and turned to the maid.
"Bring some food for the little master. He hasn't eaten anything since this morning."
"I want to see my brother. I'm not hungry..."
Grrrr...
"Little master, perhaps you aren't hungry, but your stomach still needs food."
Elyon lowered his head, his ears turning visibly red beneath his black hair.
Amanda smiled and held out her hand. Elyon obediently took it.
She led him to Damian's room after making him eat three sandwiches, which he barely managed to finish.
The moment Elyon entered Damian's room, he hurried to his brother's side, took his hand, and embraced it without saying a word.
"My young master, why don't I apply some ointment to your wounds?"
The doctor approached and knelt in front of Elyon, applying ointment to his face and then his hands.
But Elyon's thoughts remained fixed on his brother.
The doctor had to bandage some of the wounds on Elyon's hands and legs. When he finished dressing the wounds on his feet, he said,
"You don't need to wear shoes. The wounds will sweat..."
The doctor lifted him and settled him on the empty side of Damian's bed. With a playful smile, he said,
"You're a sick child, too, so stay here..."
Elyon's smile widened slightly. He nodded, then rested his head on the pillow and gazed at his brother.
He even took Damian's hand and whispered,
"Please don't leave me, brother..."
Elyon, who had been restless all day, seemed to have finally reached his limit. His body relaxed, and he sank into a deep sleep while the doctor watched the two children.
The doctor extended his hands toward the two boys from a short distance away, sensing their mana. He raised an eyebrow.
"It seems the young master will wake up tomorrow..."
He murmured as he looked toward the door—or, more accurately, toward the person watching from behind it.
He raised his shoulders in a small shrug, then let them fall.
---
The Following Morning...
His body ached, his eyes stung, and his throat felt dry. He opened his eyes wearily and turned to his side.
Sleep and exhaustion vanished in an instant.
He blinked several times to make sure he wasn't dreaming or imagining things, then called out in a voice as bright as spring,
"Elyon!"
"..."
"How did you get here?"
Elyon showed no sign of hearing him. He was still sleeping peacefully.
Damian, however, failed to notice the exhausted figure watching him from the corner of the room.
The figure closed their eyes, then opened them again and said,
"He sneaked in here."
"Mother!!"
Damian's eyes darted toward his mother, his face filled with surprise.
Instead of answering, she sat on the edge of the bed and embraced him.
"I was so worried."
Damian hugged his mother back and smiled, like a child who had simply woken up after an ordinary night's sleep.
"Mother, it's all right. This happens all the time... I'm fine now."
The Archduchess wiped away a stray tear, recovered her smile, and pulled back from her son's embrace.
"The important thing is that you're all right."
Damian spoke as he stroked his brother's head, keeping his own head lowered.
"Mother, I'm truly sorry..."
"...?"
"I shouldn't have treated you that way. I know you do everything for my sake..."
The Archduchess hugged her son even tighter this time, allowing her tears to fall freely.
"It's all right. What matters is that you've woken up."
---
The breakfast table was laden with all manner of delicious dishes, yet none of the three people seated around it seemed inclined to eat just yet.
Damian glanced between the food and the other two, surprised to find his little brother smiling at him with sparkling eyes.
He then looked at his mother, who watched them with a calm, expressionless face.
Damian sighed, picked up two pieces of bread, and placed one in front of each of them. Then, with a lovely smile, he said,
"It's my birthday today. Come on, eat."
Elyon took his piece of bread without hesitation.
The Archduchess hesitated for a moment before smiling and taking hers.
Damian noticed the tension in his mother's expression, and his smile faltered briefly. Then he spoke in a bright voice,
"Let's do something today..."
"Huh?"
"Something?"
Elyon and the Archduchess looked at Damian as he stuffed a piece of meat into his mouth and spoke with his cheeks full.
"A picnic... There's a place at the top of the western hill..."
"It's dangerous outside the palace."
Damian frowned as he swallowed his food, then looked at his mother with drooping brows.
"But I want us to go on a picnic together..."
The Archduchess gazed at her son for a long moment, then looked at Elyon, who perhaps saw nothing in this place but Damian.
"All right."
"Wonderful!"
Damian nearly jumped for joy, but his mother spoke in a firm voice, suppressing a laugh.
"But we won't leave the duchy."
Damian's lips drooped, and his eyebrows sagged for a moment before he sighed.
"All right."
"..."
"I'll secretly show you the hill."
Damian whispered to his brother and winked at him.
Elyon smiled and nodded.
The atmosphere gradually grew lighter and more relaxed. The three of them ate in peace, interrupted only by Damian's cheerful chatter with his little brother, while the Archduchess watched them.
She remembered the doctor's words:
["Perhaps it's best to let them stay together..."]
["What?"]
["Actually, the magical natures of the first and second young masters are surprisingly compatible."]
["Compatible? I don't understand. What does that have to do with my son's health?"]
["The second young master's energy protects his brother from his own power."]
The Archduchess bit her lip as she continued watching the two children.
Will you remain pure-hearted toward your brother, Elyon de Walter?
---
It had been a busy day, and Elyon's smile had never once faded.
Even as evening fell, he remained glued to his elder brother's side, refusing to leave him for even a moment.
When bedtime came, Damian decided that Elyon should sleep beside him again that night.
Not wanting to disturb her son on his special day, the Archduchess did not object.
After the red-haired maid had changed Elyon's clothes, she looked toward Damian, who was smiling at his little brother as he pointed to the watch hanging around his neck.
"I'll be back in a moment. Wait here, all right?"
"All right."
The maid turned her attention back to Elyon, who, for the first time in her eyes, seemed to look his actual age.
As soon as Damian left the room, she bent down toward Elyon.
"I'm going out now. Is there anything the little master would like?"
"No, thank you."
Elyon shook his head.
The maid clenched her fist for a moment, then smiled.
"I'm here if you need anything."
She left the room, and Elyon sat on the bed, swinging his legs as his eyes wandered around the beautiful room.
Damian's room was much larger than his own, yet it looked rather similar.
His brother's desk held several books, with a small bookcase behind it. Beside the desk was a beautiful window overlooking the main exit gate.
I didn't read a book today... I'll tell my brother.
Elyon stood and left the room, looking in both directions as he recalled Damian's explanation.
"The third floor: the Archduke's room, the Archduchess's room, and my brother Damian's room. Perhaps Mother went to see the Archduchess..."
Elyon reached that conclusion and headed toward the room Damian had told him about, but the door was closed.
Perhaps she wasn't in her room.
He began descending the stairs slowly, as the soles of his feet still hurt. Damian had deliberately carried him on his back several times throughout the day, so he hadn't felt the pain as much.
When he reached the second floor, he remembered Damian telling him that most of the rooms there were reserved for guests and certain palace officials.
His brother certainly wouldn't be there.
So Elyon continued down until he reached the first floor.
Before he could turn in either direction, he froze.
The man standing before him had the same eyes and the same hair color, but not a trace of emotion could be found in his features.
When Elyon took a step backward, the man looked him up and down and spoke in a mocking tone.
"So, you're the son of that maid who died."
...... To Be Continued ......