The door opened and closed slowly. Diego didn’t turn his chair towards the sound coming from behind. His gaze was fixed somewhere on the bookshelf that filled the wall, but there were no titles that caught his eye. It was because his own story was in a difficult situation to contain someone else’s story.

The butler, who was waiting for an order, couldn’t bear the long silence and spoke first.

“What did you talk about with Marquis Botry?”

“……”

“Was there something serious?”

It was already close to night, long past dinner time. After Marquis Botry had left, Diego had not left his office. The butler couldn’t help but worry. What could he be so preoccupied about that he was lost in thought?

Diego broke the silence and answered shortly,

“It’s nothing.”

As he said that, he turned his head to look at Javier. Diego asked in a suspicious tone,

“What’s going on?”

The heavy atmosphere was lifted in an instant. Javier exclaimed, “Ah” and then muttered something in a flustered voice. After a moment of hesitation, Javier gathered himself and delivered the message.

“The sword you ordered has arrived.”

As he said that, he raised the scabbard that was hanging from his right hand. Diego held it carefully with both hands and examined it seriously for a moment. Then Diego said, nodding his head,

“Give it to me.”

Javier handed it over to Diego without a word. Diego took the sword out of the scabbard. His posture was awkward for some reason. The length of the sword was too short for an adult male to hold it properly. The blade was also too dull to be used for its original purpose. It wasn’t because it was a poorly made item. It was a gift for Cedric that he had secretly ordered through a contact when he went out with Estella to the shopping district.

It took some time to complete it, as it was custom-made to Cedric’s height and measurements. He could have purchased a ready-made item, but they wanted to take extra care with this one. The real sword meant something special to him.

“Would you rather I deliver it on your behalf?”

If it were the usual Diego, he would have readily accepted the butler’s suggestion. Diego didn’t have much immunity when facing his younger sibling alone. It was only when Estella or the servants were present between them that he could engage in conversations with the children with less awkwardness. This was because he was terribly afraid of the emotions that would inevitably follow when facing them alone.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Diego nodded this time.

“No. Someone told me that these things don’t mean anything unless you deliver it personally.”

Diego stood up with the sword in his hand and left the room, passing by the butler’s puzzled eyes. Cedric’s room was on the lower floor, so he had to step on the central stairs. Although it was a place where many people passed through, there were no signs of other activity, perhaps due to the late hour.

Diego suddenly thought that Cedric might have already fallen asleep. After a moment of contemplation, he concluded that it wouldn’t matter either way. There were things he wanted to discuss with the child, but at the same time, he didn’t want to bring them up out loud. If he couldn’t choose one or the other, it wouldn’t matter what the outcome was.

When Diego reached Cedric’s room, a maid who had just finished tidying up the bed was cautiously closing the door. Diego blocked her path as she tried to turn around and asked,

“Is the child asleep?”

The woman seemed surprised by his sudden appearance but soon responded calmly,

“No, I’m sure he’s still awake. It seemed like he wanted to read a book.”

“That’s good.”

Diego opened the door to Cedric’s room without saying a word. After Diego murdered their father, there was no one to stop him from entering his siblings’ chambers in this mansion.

As soon as Diego stepped inside, he could see Cedric leaning against the headboard of the bed. Cedric casually flipped through the pages of a book before tossing it onto the bedside table. Mistaking Diego for a maid, Cedric grumbled.

“You came at a good time. This book is so boring, I don’t want to read it anymore. Can you turn off the light here?”

“Let’s talk first.”

At the sound of Diego’s voice, Cedric abruptly raised his head. Cedric called out to Diego in surprise.

“Brother?”

Cedric’s gaze suddenly shifted to the sword Diego was holding. Diego briefly observed Cedric’s tense shoulders with a hint of amusement. In a normal sibling relationship, one wouldn’t be frightened just because the other person was holding a sword. After all, it wasn’t aimed at Cedric.

Unintentionally, Diego let out a small chuckle and approached Cedric with a more affectionate expression. Standing by Cedric’s bedside, Diego extended the sword towards him, keeping the handle facing Cedric.

“It’s yours.”

Cedric looked up at Diego with a bewildered face. Cedric hesitantly asked,

“This… is mine?”

Cedric’s voice was noticeably more hesitant than when he had commanded the maid earlier. Diego pondered for a moment about the significance of blood ties.

He’s a family member who felt more unfamiliar and uncomfortable than that of a mere servant. The time they had shared was insignificant, and the periods of genuine connection were even more scarce. If it weren’t for their shared bloodline, they would have been complete strangers. But Diego is a man who had denied his father’s existence his whole life.

Then where should he find meaning?

“You’ve given me many gifts.”

Cedric accepted the gift from Diego, stealing a glance at him. His fingertips, caressing the hilt of the sword, were already trembling in excitement. It wasn’t an unexpected reaction. He knew Cedric would like it. Diego responded with a sigh.

“Because this is what you wanted.”

“……”

“Didn’t you ask for this at your last dinner with Father?”

Duke Berta had hesitated before giving Cedric the sword he wanted. Due to his wife’s objections that it was still too early for him to hold a real weapon, he compromised to present it as a birthday gift this year. This was the only time Diego had received anything from his father.

He hesitated to give it away because it felt like a ruse. The one who killed his Father dared to give him the gift he was promised. And in return, he promised to take care of him and raise him. There was no more absurd drama than this.

Diego looked down at the stiffened Cedric and pulled a nearby chair to sit next to him.

“Now it’s time for us to have an honest conversation.”

“What… do you mean?”

“I heard that you know I killed Father.”

Cedric visibly flinched. He clenched the blanket with pursed lips.

“I wanted to reconcile with you, but I wasn’t sure how we were going to move forward. The most important thing is still unsettled.”

They could have pretended to be normal siblings like this. Diego found it difficult to play with the children and jump together, but that was the easiest way for them to restore their relationship. Diego could have buried the truth in a place that didn’t seem obvious. The other was more than willing to go along with the lie.

But he couldn’t live his whole life with something weighing on his chest.

“I wanted to say that I’m sorry for taking Father away from you. I don’t regret killing Father, but I don’t dare to ask for your understanding. It’s only natural for you to be angry with me.”

“……”

“I know this gift from me may feel like a trick, but…”

Diego looked down and saw the gift he had given Cedric. Cedric couldn’t let go of it and gripped it tightly. Diego sighed at the sight of Cedric’s nose turning red. He then spoke, hoping his words wouldn’t sound forceful.

“Cedric, tell me what you want to do. I’ll do whatever you want. If it’s difficult for you to stay by my side, I can send you somewhere far away.”

Cedric was still bowing his head, so Diego couldn’t read his expression. It was only after a while that Diego noticed that the blanket was soaked where Cedric was sitting. His tears had spread and were now dripping onto the blanket.

It took a long time before Cedric finally spoke.

“This house… is weird.”

“……”

“Mother and Father are weird. Because all they ever did was check in on me every once in a while and hit me when I wasn’t making the progress they wanted.”

Cedric looked up as he spoke. His face was a complete mess. His runny nose and tear-streaked face were not at all pretty, even with empty words of consolation.

“I rarely saw Father’s face, maybe once a month. So why am I sad? How can I think of us as a family?”

Cedric protested and raised his hand to wipe his face. His intermittent gasping for breath made it look like he was overwhelmed with emotion, which was very painful to watch. Diego took out a handkerchief and handed it to Cedric, who had found a place to release his sadness and began to cry in relief.

“Aren’t you sad, aren’t you angry… If you ask me that, it makes me feel like I’m a bad kid because I don’t care…”

“Cedric.”

“I just wanted… I just wanted a family. I thought my brother would give me that. Can you?”

Diego was about to call Cedric’s name again but stopped himself. Cedric spoke urgently in response to Diego’s silence.

“When I got hit by Mother and it hurt, Aunt Gail said the same. She said my brother went through that too and that when I grew up, I’d be fine like my brother. So, I just need to hold on a little longer.”

Diego asked himself if he had really gotten better. He didn’t even know the answer himself.

“We’re the same. If we’re the same, we should be able to understand each other.”

Cedric looked up at Diego with eyes that contained a sense of desperation. His impatience grew as he watched the other man refuse to give him any reassurance. From Cedric’s desperate appearance, Diego could sense a kindred spirit.

“I want to stay here… with Estella and my brother… and continue to have fun together…”

That this child was just as lonely, if not more so than Diego.

Cedric couldn’t even swallow the sobs that broke out. Diego looked down at his crying younger brother as if he were pitiful. At least Diego knew what maternal love was until his mother died. He felt thirsty for that momentary taste of happiness that had disappeared, but it was better than never experiencing it at all. That affectionate embrace had been the driving force that kept Diego going.

Diego was sure of it. This was the first kindness he’d ever tasted, and he wouldn’t be able to let go of his brother–at least not until he was old enough to stand on his own.

“Do you know that your mother is facing a trial?”

Diego asked cowardly. Cedric just nodded his head in his sleep because he couldn’t answer. He buried his face in the blanket. Diego quietly continued to ask.

“Who reported it?”

Cedric’s sobbing deepened. Diego’s voice finally shook slightly.

“What… what you want to happen to your mother… tell me.”

“If she did something wrong, she should be punished.”

Cedric replied in an inaudible voice. Diego instinctively knew that these were words that Cedric had heard from his own mother.

Even if they hated their parents, their teachings remained deeply ingrained in their minds. Diego fell silent as he watched Cedric return the lessons he had learned from his mother.