Why You Should Be Responsible For Him - Chapter 2 Part 2

Despite the rough coughing and sticky saliva flowing out, I was deeply contemplating how to deal with those bastards when I saw the flowers in the garden melting before my eyes. The twins were holding hydrochloric acid, murmuring as they tried to pour it over my head.

Those insane bastards.

My body was too weak to stand up properly. I thought I’m going to die without a single struggle.

With eyes bloodshot from congestion, I glared at the twins. Just then, a voice came from beside me.

“Gael, Jeremy. Stop it.”

The brats who had been giggling like madmen tossed the hydrochloric acid far away and ran off as soon as their older brother, Ceres, appeared.

Ceres sat down, supporting himself on one knee, and lifted my chin.

“Look at me.”

“…….”

“Stop caring about those kids. They’re just getting worse because you keep reacting to them.”

“…….”

“Ignore them.”

I wanted to ask him if it was possible to ignore them, but my throat hurt so much that even groaning was difficult. Ceres wiped my mouth with a white handkerchief and stood up.

After that day, the twins pretended to be quiet when Ceres was around, but once he left, they became mischievous again and harassed me.

When they locked me in a cabin near the mansion and set it on fire, I thought I was really going to burn to death. Ceres appeared in the blazing red flames, and as soon as I saw him, the gas-poisoned me collapsed. When I vaguely came to my senses, I realized he was carrying me.

And when I regained consciousness and my body recovered, I heard the news that the twins had committed suicide. They swallowed hydrochloric acid meant for me.

It wasn’t sad, but it was surprising. Those venomous brats committed suicide. I looked at the burnt-down cabin of those bastards with a skeptical gaze, much like the black mourning clothes I wore.

“I told you to ignore them.”

Ceres approached and stood beside me.

“Aren’t you sad?”

I couldn’t rationally understand why these words popped out. I just opened my mouth as my instincts dictated.

Ceres looked at me and smiled.

“Why do you think that?”

“Because they’re killers to me, but they’re your brother.”

“It was too easy, actually. They listened very well.”

I could easily understand the meaning behind Ceres’ words. I had a vague suspicion. The twins didn’t take hydrochloric acid willingly; they swallowed it because of an irresistible command from Ceres. He had killed them.

Chills.

I felt a fear I had never experienced before. Various curses and fears flooded my mind, but I tried my best to maintain a calm appearance outwardly. I couldn’t let my weakness be exposed.

Cold sweat was streaming down my back, but Ceres tenderly wrapped his arms around my shoulders.

“Now, just pay attention to me.”

“…I don’t want to care about anything else.”

“That’s not possible, Yveline. You won’t be able to live without me.”

“Why?”

“Because I’ll make it that way. You’ll have to live only looking at me.”

Not long after the twins’ funeral, my father and the Duke of Rovensdi, Hugant, was murdered. His throat was neatly cut.

I saw him dead with my own eyes.

The scene was vivid in my memory. The white cylindrical bread, the cabbage soup we always had, pies baked with mushrooms, raisins, and peas spread over the grand table of Rovensdi. Rose petals scattered like a long path over the blood pooling on the floor.

Then, Ceres, standing triumphant over my father’s body, kicked his head with satisfaction when he looked at me.

“How does it feel? Desperate, isn’t it?”

I felt nothing. I mindlessly grabbed a candlestick from the table and swung it at him.

Even as my flesh tore against the sharp ornament, he laughed. It was me who was falling apart.

* * *

Click! Click! Click!

The gods are not on my side.

All in all, my life has been a bit of a mixed bag.

Working hard at my parttime job, covered in sweat, I wasn’t sure if I was kneading the flour or if the flour was kneading me. After finally finishing that, I arrived at the dormitory, and as soon as I washed up, I delved into the remaining studies I hadn’t completed.

It was around the time the dawn broke, and only about three hours had passed since I barely finished and went to sleep. There were about 30 more minutes until it was time to wake up.

However, damn it, I was awake now.

Walking with a puzzled expression at the regular noise coming from outside the window, I opened it. If it was a crow pecking at the window with its beak, I was irritated enough to grab it and throw it away.

As I opened the window, a small stone flew past my cheek quickly.

“…….”

“Senior, senior! I didn’t hit you, did I?! Are you okay?!”

It was Ash.

After exchanging various curses with my eyes, I closed the window again. I climbed back into bed, flipped the blanket over myself, and the window made the tapping sound again.

Thump! Thud!

I yanked the window open with all the force I could muster.

“Do you want to die?! Why are you making a fuss early in the morning!”

He seemed surprised enough to see me on the 4th floor of the dormitory, and he quickly took something out and shook it. It looked like paper, but it was not clearly visible.

However, it wasn’t interesting enough to catch my attention. I didn’t want to know.

I just wanted to get another 30 minutes of sleep.

“Sen… senior! I have something for you!”

“Come back in 30 minutes. I’m going out for breakfast then.”

I closed the window again and got into bed, but I didn’t hear any more tapping. As tired as I was, I fell asleep easily, and after a brief doze, I completely forgot about Ash.

* * *

After splashing water on my face and changing into fresh clothes, I stepped outside the dormitory. There, a familiar blond figure was sitting quietly, exposing the top of his head.

“Ash.”

Calling out his name, he promptly stood up, seemingly surprised by the sudden change in eye level.

Yeah, this guy was tall.

“Sorry for waking you up earlier. I was just in a hurry.”

He knew it well.

I noticed the buttons neatly fastened all the way down to his collar. Despite the warm summer weather, he didn’t seem too hot.

Oh, right. I wonder if those injuries from yesterday have improved?

Out of sheer curiosity, I reached out and unfastened three buttons on Ash’s shirt. He let out a surprised sound, but didn’t push me away. Pulling my index and middle fingers between the shirt layers, his collar opened wide.

“Lean forward a bit.”

He followed my instruction.

Every time he moved, it sounded like a creaking noise. The marks that had turned red yesterday now appeared to have lightened into a faint pink. It seemed like a noticeable improvement.

“Are you still applying the ointment?”

“Yes!”

Satisfied with Ash’s answer, I nodded and asked.

“What happened this morning?”

“Oh, I, uh, I have… something for you.”

“I’m not taking anything.”

“It’s for the medical bills!”

He shyly handed me a pink envelope sealed with a blue heart sticker. My expression soured as if I had seen something I shouldn’t have.

What the hell is this……?

It resembled the sight of children writing heartfelt letters to struggling adults, a gesture I didn’t expect. Even though the hospital expenses were a joke, I couldn’t deny the desire to receive such a letter. If Rose had seen it, she might have teased me about receiving a love letter.

Part of me wanted to tell him to take it back, but I could hear his heartbeat thumping all the way here, so I didn’t want to push him away.

Just give a casual reaction.

Nonchalantly tearing open the envelope, a single piece of paper fluttered out, smaller than the envelope size.

It’s not a letter?

I frowned as soon as I realized what it was.

“…What’s this?”

“It’s for my pocket money.”

An unfamiliar amount, something I’ve never seen in my life, was written on the paper. It was difficult to count how many zeros there were.

So, I thought. It’s fake money. You know, the fake toy money that kids use when playing games.

However, the more I examined it, the more it looked real. From the stamp on the banknote to the bank name and signature, everything looked genuine. Just in case, I held it up to the sunlight.

“Eugh!”

The hidden picture of the counterfeit bill was revealed.

Is, is this real? Seriously?

I held the bill up, wide-eyed, and he bowed his head with a look of apology on his face.

“If you graduate from the academy, I can give you more…”

“Oh, no, wait, wait, wait, this is pocket money, really?”

“…If it’s not enough, I’ll give you more next week……. Next week, I’ll talk to my brother and get a little more…….”

Not even a monthly allowance, but just for a week?!

I was so shocked that I almost collapsed, gripping the back of my neck. Despite my family being Rovensdi, I am just as poor as someone without a family background. With this amount of money, I could easily afford a house!

The unexpected and substantial amount of money made my hands tremble, but I tried to hide it.

Ahem, hmmm!

“Yes, it’s not nearly enough for all the time I’ve spent this morning devoted to your healing, but you’re young, so it’ll have to do.”

“Senior… You’re really kind.”

“Someday, Ash, you should show this kindness to someone else.”

“Yes!”

You’ve hit a windfall. A windfall!

My modest fortune suddenly took a significant leap. It seemed like the gods had finally decided to take pity on my unfortunate life!

I shoved the check Ash had given me deep into my arms and patted the top of it twice. I’ll be at the bank soon to cash it into a wad of cash.

At the same time as I felt the joy of making a large sum of money, I also felt the enormous gap between Ash and me. He was getting a weekly allowance that I’d spent years saving and working hard to earn. The world was wide and deep.

“Senior, where would you like to have your meal?”

In the prestigious academy for nobility like ours, meals were arranged freely. In other words, the chefs from noble families served dishes according to the preferences of young ladies and gentlemen, 24 hours a day.

As I wasn’t in a position to indulge in the luxury of having a personal chef, I resolved my meals in an inexpensive restaurant near the academy. For dinner, a hearty loaf of bread from the bakery where I worked part-time was usually enough.

“At ‘Today’s Menu’.”

“Do you decide on the menu before having your meal?”

“No, that’s the name of the restaurant, ‘Today’s Menu’.”

About five minutes from the academy’s main gate, there was a small alley next to a flower shop dominating the street with various pots. In that alley was a tiny restaurant with no signboard, and the only thing written on the menu was ‘Today’s Menu.’ Hence, everyone referred to it as ‘Today’s Menu’ (actually, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone but me go in and out of the restaurant).

The interior matched the shabby atmosphere of the alley. Three wooden tables of different shapes and sizes were placed inside. During the monsoon season, raindrops sometimes fell on the plates, and the pillar supporting the shop made odd creaking sounds. Even if the restaurant collapsed overnight, it wouldn’t be a big surprise.

There was only one thing that attracted me to this risky restaurant. Everything was priced at 30 rupees. Even the rare meat dishes, not the usual bread, were the same price!

Moreover, the taste wasn’t bad. Occasionally, it might be as salty as if someone had accidentally spilled salt, and there could be a hint of a foul odor, raising doubts about whether the food was made with spoiled ingredients. However, such occurrences were rare (and compared to the cuisine at the Provas Mansion, ‘Today’s Menu’ was practically a delicacy).

As I walked past Ash, he followed closely behind.

“I’ve never seen someone eating outside before.”

“Are you going to follow me around and watch?”

“No! Not to watch, I mean… “

“If you’re thinking of joining me, you better give up. The menu is limited, so you can’t pick and choose, and if there’s something you’re allergic to, you’ll have to shut up and take what they give you.”

“I eat everything, no matter what!”

…Were you really going to come with me?

If the damp, musty smell overpowering the food odor became too much, I would detach myself and run away. I still vividly remembered when Rose followed me to the front of the restaurant, only to recoil at the sight of its exterior. “I’m not ready to die yet, Yveline!” he had exclaimed. Indeed, anyone who ate Provas’s cooking must have quite a palate.

After giving Ash a shrug, I walked on in silence. As we turned into the alley next to the flower shop, the familiar signboard of ‘Today’s Menu!’ came into view.

Let’s see, today’s menu is… (Fish & Chips).

Potatoes, corn, potatoes, corn, potatoes, and corn – the monotonous cycle had been interrupted by the addition of potato and fish. It was simply fish, such as cod or haddock, dipped in flour batter and deep-fried, but I was quite, very, very happy to have something different to eat, away from the same old, same old.

“Why didn’t they put up a menu……. Maybe they’re closed today.”

However, it seemed otherwise to the guy beside me.

His question wasn’t worth answering, so I shrugged it off and continued into the store. The guy who was following me closely almost bumped his head into the entrance. I hadn’t realized it, but the ceiling was pretty low.

Ash stood behind me, instinctively rolling his shoulders forward slightly.

“Hello, I’m here!”

Thud! Thud!

The restaurant trembled uneasily, and the dust clinging to the windowsills fluttered down. Startled by the sudden vibrations, the guy behind me urgently tugged at my sleeve.

“…It seems like it’s about to collapse.”

“I can’t say for sure it won’t.”

“Don’t worry’ it won’t happen.” As if he was expecting some sort of answer, Ash tugged urgently on my arm, then wrapped his arm around my shoulders.

With a snort, as if he was scared and surprised.

However, considering the restaurant was on the verge of collapsing, I really couldn’t say for sure that it wouldn’t.

Thud! Thud!

The source of the ground-shaking noise revealed itself. It was Mr. Clean, the owner and chef of the restaurant. Mr. Clean is a short, burly, grizzly bear of a man, and as soon as he walks in, the place seems to fill up.

Upon confirming Clean’s presence, Ash, who had been pulling me back, stepped back even further. His reaction made sense.

Yes, he’s messy, with an unkempt beard covering half his face, all sorts of unidentifiable sauces smeared between his chubby fingers, and his apron, which should have been white, are turning yellow and brown. I looked at Mr. Clean and stopped believing in the saying that people follow their names.

Mr. Clean stuck his fingers through his forest-like beard and sucked at the sauce, and behind me, Ash made a gagging sound.

It’s okay, he washes his hands thoroughly when cooking. I’ve seen it. It’s true.

After giving him an encouraging look, I found a seat at one of the worn-out tables closest to the entrance and sat down. Ash followed hesitantly.

“Is that your boyfriend?”

“Kuck!”