"Forget it. This is just making it seem like it’s all because of me. I’m sick of hearing people fight."

Holding back my tears as hard as I could, I heard Lady Coco say that in a tired voice.

But.

I still felt resentful. I’d tried my best to hold it in, and she’d picked only the things that hurt to say. Was that an excuse too?

As I watched Coco spin around sharply, part of me hoped she really would leave. Then Brother would be mine again, again. Then maybe we could smooth this over before it turned into something that lingered. If she stayed with us, Brother would obviously pay more attention to her than to me, so we probably wouldn’t even get a chance to talk.

Yeah. I pressed my lips tightly shut, even though they kept wanting to move.

If she left on her own...

That was how I settled it in my mind, and then the wind blew. The wind in the mountains came often. But as it swept through Lady Coco’s thick purple hair, making it flutter like a curtain, the gauzy veil she wore below her eyes fluttered too... and I realized I’d misunderstood her.

The reason she’d suddenly covered her face wasn’t because she looked down on a country bumpkin like me or didn’t want anything to do with me... it was because she was hurt. There was a deep stab mark on her cheek. A not-yet-old wound, crusted over in red. It had obviously happened during the attack earlier that day.

Only then did I notice her bloodshot eyes and her dark, drained complexion. And the slight tremble in her fingertips. The body they’d found was... one of her people. My chest turned heavy with a thud.

"Wait!"

Lady Coco, who had hesitated for a second, started moving again. Her hand quickly pressed down over the veil.

"Wait!!"

Brother tried to grab me when I bolted out like that, but I shook his hand off.

Stumbling, I ran after her and caught hold of her.

"This is just making it seem like it’s all because of me."

Someone as proud as Lady Coco probably wasn’t really blaming herself. But if there was even a little sincerity in that, if she hadn’t said it just to be sarcastic, then I couldn’t just pretend I hadn’t heard it.

I’d said cruel things too. And there were parts I’d gotten wrong.

"Just... stay with us."

"Why? Do you suddenly feel sorry for me? I’m not going to die, so you can shove your pointless pity up your ass."

More than anything else, I just had this strong feeling that I couldn’t let her go like this.

Maybe getting slapped across the face by Brother had knocked all the energy I had to get angry right down to my toes. Good.

"I don’t think the person who was just saying people should know how to be grateful when someone pities them gets to say that. Just stay with us. It’s not because of you. I got hit because I was being nasty, and don’t you know that when people disagree, that’s when you get the best answer? Maybe it doesn’t look like it to you, but Brother and Luman are comrades who’ve spent years together. This isn’t even a real fight. Right, Luman?"

"...Right."

I said they weren’t fighting. I didn’t say they knew how to talk nice!

Luman’s eyelashes trembled.

"...You really do have a knack for getting on people’s nerves."

That meant she was staying, right?

My temper wouldn’t let me go as far as apologizing. No fucking way.

Maybe I should’ve asked Brother that question instead. But... I was embarrassed that he’d hit me, and I resented him.... No. That wasn’t it. I just avoided him because I couldn’t guess what kind of look he’d give me.

But after speaking to Luman, things only got more awkward. It would’ve been nice if Brother talked to me first...

Brother discussed the watch with Dell and Luman, then went straight into the tent.

"That’s swollen as hell."

Luman clicked his tongue when he looked at my face.

"Ugh...."

"Don’t touch it. It’ll get worse."

"It’s fine. Who cares if it gets worse...."

"Ah, ah. Would be a shame if a pretty face got scarred."

"What good would that do me?"

I was tired, sure.... And it’s not like I’m anything special to look at.

The moment I scrunched up my brows, Luman dragged me over and sat me down on top of a thick blanket.

"Ren. You’ve never been to the capital, so you wouldn’t know. Used properly, it’s a very useful talent."

What the hell is with this guy.

He’s kind of pathetic in his own way....

"Are you looking down on me right now?"

Luman asked with an openly dazzling smile. Like there was a woman right in front of him he was trying to seduce.

"Do I have to answer that?"

"...Heh. No."

"Why are you smiling like that? You look like a pervert."

"With your cheek all swollen, you look just like some sulky..."

"Like some sulky what."

"A raccoon! Pffft...."

"......"

This bastard’s shameless enough to laugh his ass off while looking at a little brother who just got slapped by his brother. Is a Hero’s duty secretly something like smiling while saying the meanest shit possible? Or smiling while making people’s blood pressure explode!!

"Ah!! That hurts! Are you insane??"

Fuck, why does he keep making nasty shit fly out of my mouth?!

For no reason, I glanced over at the tent Brother had gone into.

"......"

"Ren."

"Why do you keep calling me?"

"Temar’s asleep."

"Like I don’t know that?? I’m just looking, okay?"

You won’t even let me look if I want to!! Just leave me the hell alone!

The cheek Luman had poked stung.

"Ren."

"Can’t you stop calling me already?? Every time you say my name, it pisses me off. Seriously! Just for today, stop calling me! I’ve got stuff to think about...."

"What stuff?"

"Stuff."

I need to think about how I’m supposed to make up with Brother!!

"Let me guess, Temar—"

I glared at him, and Luman shut up.

"There’s something I want to ask you."

"What."

"What was it like, living in the village?"

"...?"

What was it like living in the village? What kind of question was that?

When I didn’t understand, Luman looked like he was thinking.

"I haven’t known you long, but you’re a little strange."

"What. You’re saying I’m strange? I’ve heard that plenty. If you’re about to start telling me I’ve got a shitty personality, can you please save it for tomorrow...."

"That’s not what I mean. Haah. This is awkward."

"What’s awkward is the way you talk."

"What? Haah."

Luman sighed and laughed. While he searched for the right words, I did my best to forget the pain throbbing in my hot cheek.

He keeps pressing right on the places that hurt.

Do people like Heroes not even know what pain is? I glared at Luman with narrowed eyes, then lowered my head. It felt like I was getting a secondhand taste of what he’d said earlier—"if you’re pretty, that can be useful." Luman, when he wasn’t talking, was annoyingly handsome... when he kept his mouth shut, he wasn’t even satisfying to glare at. Damn it!

Grumbling to myself, I dug at the dirt with my finger, and then something dropped by my feet with a soft plop.

What the hell? It was round. Looked kind of like a little medicine jar.

"Ren. Who were you closest to in the village? The old apothecary?"

"...? Why are you suddenly asking that...."

"Sorry, but I’ve got something I’m curious about too."

"...?"

"That. Put it on your face. It’s painful to look at."

"Who asked you to look at my face in the first place??" 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Then take it back!

The one who’d dropped the jar at my feet was Lady Coco. It was probably some salve for wounds. I picked up the little jar and held it out to her, but thick-skinned Lady Coco calmly pretended not to know what I meant and looked down at me like she was too good for the earth beneath her feet.

What are you looking down at me for!!

The moment I tried to spring to my feet, Luman made room for Lady Coco and told her to sit.

Now we were eye level. I stayed right where I was instead of getting up.

"Why do you like your brother so much?"

"What?"

What kind of question is that now?

"Pffft."

"Luman. If you’re going to laugh, get lost!"

Damn it! He keeps making me say shitty things.

"Are you asking so you can laugh at me?"

"I’m asking because I’m genuinely curious. Like a little kid, why do you like your brother that much? There has to be a reason. Is he really that good to you? He seems kind, sure, but not exactly attentive. So why do you like him that much? You got slapped across the face and you still like him?"

"You little—"

The last part hit me hard as hell.

"You wanna fight me right now? Huh??"

"No! Are you incapable of understanding what people say? Didn’t I just tell you I’m asking because I’m genuinely curious? Or is it not your ears that are bad, but your memory? Ah! Is that why you forget getting hit so fast too?? Must be nice, having such a convenient personality."

What kind of bullshit human being even talks like this! What’s wrong with noble people’s mouths?? He’s worse than I am.

"Ahem."

Lady Coco cleared her throat, then spoke in a somewhat softer voice.

"I’m not asking to pick a fight. I’m asking because I’m curious. I. Mean. It. Hahaha!"

"Kids these days really do have terrifying conversations."

"Luman. Shut up, would you??"

"Khh...."

What is wrong with him, seriously? Ever since earlier today, every time he looks at me he starts laughing and making a scene—no, making a scene is a bit much. Why the hell does he keep laughing?! While rubbing me the wrong way!!

What does this lady even want to know so badly?

And why did she take off the veil that was covering her face again?? Making people soften up like this. Every time my anger flared, the moment I saw the wound on her face, it fizzled right ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ back down.

So this is kind of what Luman meant, huh. The world is rotten!

"You. Do. Hear. What I’m saying. Right?"

"Unfortunately, I hear you just fine."

Was she really asking because she was genuinely curious?

Lady Coco looked like she was holding herself back from screaming too. Her throat twitched. In her narrowed, smiling eyes, I could see she was determined to hear an answer no matter what.

"Just because."

"If you’re going to say just because, then forget it!"

How the hell did she know?

We spoke at almost the exact same time, then just stared blankly at each other. Lady Coco’s face twisted up right away.

"Can’t I just like him because he’s family?"

"Ha. Is your head empty? Are you innocent, or just stupid? If people could just like each other because they’re family, then why do succession battles happen? Why do siblings’ corpses float down rivers?"

"Siblings’ corpses float down rivers??"

"...Forget it. You’re not just stupid, you’re slow too."

Fuck. Okay, that probably did make me look stupid just now. I’ll admit it. But I did understand what she meant!! It just took a second to process. I’d just never imagined something like that before.

Lady Coco looked at my probably-stupid face and spoke again.

"So there really isn’t a reason?"

"......"

Actually, there were more reasons than I could count.

Brother had a lot of good points, and he was cool. And he was my brother! He was gentle and kind and loved people! I liked my brother, and my brother liked me too!!

For some reason, Luman suddenly seemed to be looking at me with pity. Hey, excuse me, can you not do that with your eyes??

Since Lady Coco really did seem to want to know, maybe I should tell her just one thing.

"Brother doesn’t have ulterior motives."