Chapter 10: 10

I looked back slowly. 

A boy, about a head taller than me, put a lamp in front of me as if waiting. 

「Blond that is as splendid as melted gold. Rich eyelashes are delicately shaped like silk lace.

His brilliant red eyes as bright as a crafted ruby, has a decadent edge as if they are not of this world, indeed the boy is like a little devil born from sulfur.」

The original description flashed through my mind that was still in a headache. 

There was a lot of burdensome rhetoric, but when I saw the boy in front of me, I knew it was not exaggerating. 

Michael, the Duke of Bauner’s third son. Lily’s third brother. 

He was a charming young man that instantly made people fall in love.

“…Bothersome.”

Michael furrowed his fine eyebrows. 

He didn’t really seem to welcome me, no, ‘Lilly’. 

“And what’s with your face?’ 

The boy wiped my tear mark with his sleeve. It was more like he was annoyed and decided to remove foreign substances rather than to console.

The rings that were surprisingly thick for a child shone on his smooth fingers.

He quickly grabbed my wrist and pulled me to the back door. 

“Let’s go. I know the shortcut.”

“What?”

“Go back to your room quietly. I don’t know how you got here, but father would go crazy if he knew you were here.” 

Michael’s words embarrassed me a little, but I took a quiet step. 

He was not going to hurt Lily because he’s her older brother, right?

“Don’t tell anyone this route. It’s my first time telling it to someone.”

It was dark anyway, so I couldn’t really recognize the surroundings. 

Michael moved forward. 

It was a fleeting sensation, as if it was being led into a dream. 

Even though he was so close, he didn’t show any presence at all. 

I clasped his hand because I thought I’d get lost if I let my guard down. 

‘…Is it an illusion?’ 

Michael seemed to stare at me in the dark. 

***

“Because there’s no knights, so security is a mess.”

As soon as he came back to Lily’s room with me, Michael took the dirty shoes from my feet and threw them out of the window. 

It was a little too much for destroying evidence, but it didn’t have to be pointed out. 

“…I heard that the knights guild went to subjugate monsters. Is the mansion empty when they go to subjugation?”

Michael’s answer was disappointing, even though I thought for a moment about running away from the mansion during the subjugation. 

“For now. But the duke’s guard itself doesn’t weaken. When the knights guild are not present, a detection barrier is placed on the wall. With a small number of guards deployed in front of and behind the barrier, it will be easy to move around inside.”

That was why I was able to leave the room. Although it was in a corner, it was within the duke’s mansion. 

‘A detection barrier, is it detecting people passing by? Then, it is safer to run away when there are knights….’

“Don’t go out.”

I thought he had read my mind.

I would have been stunned if Michael hadn’t added, ‘From next time on’. 

“How did you get there in the first place? And when did the brothers come? I’m the busiest at night. It’s bothersome….” 

Michael grumbled and twisted the doll’s head. 

He seemed more interested in the doll than his sister, who returned after 10 years. 

‘Is it because he has never met Lily?’ 

Michael was the only one of Lily’s three brothers that Alan had after Lily was kidnapped.

No, it was weird to say he ‘had’ him. Because he wasn’t even born in the castle. 

Late last year, Alan, who was searching for his daughter, returned with Michael beside him. 

The duchess died shortly after giving birth to Lily, and everyone was reluctant to accept an illegitimate child.

Because of it, he was not properly treated as a son. 

‘Maybe Michael’s reaction is normal. It’s a villainous family. Alan, who cares for his daughter, may be a special case.’

“Lily.”

Then a loud voice came from behind his back. 

Looking back, there were two men standing in front of the door. 

The big and skinny men. Although their bodies were different, they were both handsome.  

“Lily, Lily.” 

The big man knelt in front of me and grabbed my shoulders. He tilted his head as if to check my face.  

Michael’s lamp lit up his tanned skin. I knew it as soon as I met his trembling eyes.  

‘The special case… is Michael.’  

“It’s me. Your favorite older brother, Pedro.”  

「The commander of the knights of the Duchy, Pedro von Bauner. At the age of 28, his black hair curls like a mane, and his tanned skin gleams golden.

This wild wolf beast has one purpose. He will protect his home and his family.」

“It’s really Lily. Damn, if I knew this would happen, I’d go with father too. I thought we were tricked as usual. Rather than being disappointed again this time, I chose to go to subjugation…”

Pedro’s thick eyebrows trembled. He couldn’t calm down easily and spoke gibberish. 

“How are you feeling? Where have you been? No, it doesn’t matter now. You’re back, Lily.”

“I was half in doubt, but I didn’t expect it to be real.” 

A skinny young man approached me one step closer and raised his glasses that were attached strings. 

The blue eyes shone white over the eyeglasses. 

「Hugo von Bauner, the Great Wizard.

This beautiful lily flower spirit, which is only 15 years old, has fine white hair and blue sapphire eyes.」

‘He’s 15 years old?’

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But perhaps because he’s tall, and his calm eyes make him look more mature than Pedro.

My body was raised up without a moment of surprise. 

“Argh!”

Pedro lifted me up. His height raised my vision to a frightening level. 

“Brother, Lily is surprised.”

“Darn it…. I just can’t believe it.” 

As if ignoring his words, Hugo put on an annoyed expression on his face.

“Are you listening to me?”

“This isn’t a dream, is it? Hey, Hugo. Hit me.” 

“Gladly.”

Bang!

Hugo hit Pedro in the back with a silver candlestick. 

The sound… 

‘Isn’t he going to die?’

Contrary to my worries, Pedro’s eyes shone like a puppy’s and hugged me.

“Lily! It’s really Lily! Look at this. The head is exactly the same. The smell is the same.” 

“Brother, put Lily down now.”

Hugo grabbed the candlestick as if threatening him. 

“If you refuse me, you’ll be beaten again.”

“No, take her away if you can.” 

Pedro didn’t listen to his brother’s request and gently curled my fingers as if he was treating a two-year-old baby. 

Alan was also like that, and all the duchy people’s attitude toward Lily didn’t seem to have changed from ten years ago. 

“Do you want to taste black magic? I’m studying the curse of melting skin these days.” 

“That’s what you always say and you’ve never succeeded. In the first place, does black magic really exist? Isn’t that ancient record, a stupid story, just made up? You’re so gloomy because you’re stuck in the corner of your room everyday because of your stupid research.”

“…Put Lily down immediately or I’ll give you a good taste of the gloomy power, brother.”

Hugo said, as soon as he finished his words, it suddenly smelt like there’s a pungent lily. 

A white haze swirled around Hugo’s feet. 

The sound, touch, and form of the white haze that made my eyes shiver were sharp.

The magic of the spirit

The mood was different from the healing techniques used by the maids. 

Even with perfect skill, Hugo clicked his tongue.

‘…Is there something wrong with the control?’ 

“Pfftt! Look, you’re still casting white magic.” 

“Shut up.”

“Oh, are you picking a fight? Do you want to go for it? I don’t know how long the shaky wizard can survive.”

“I told you to give Lily first. This fight…” 

“If you’re going to take your sister away from the fighting dog, you’ll have to show your determination, little brother.”  

“Okay. Let’s make a decision at this point. It’s absurd that we haven’t been able to organize our ranks for 15 years.”  

“Didn’t you ever think that I yielded for you all this while?”  

Pedro clenched his fist hugging me without stopping his brother, who was more than ten years apart.  

“You know? Our family motto. ‘If you want something, kindly get it.’ But first, show me how strong you are.”  

…Aren’t these people crazy? They said they were happy to meet me. Why are they fighting all of a sudden?

Confused, I looked at the two older brothers alternately, and then looked at the last brother.  

“Hmm.”  

Uninterested. That was Michael’s reaction.  

Anyway, the villainous family’s temper was extraordinary.

“Try to avoid this too, brother.”  

As Hugo gestured, white beams of light gathered to form a spear.  

I was frankly terrified that the end of the day was heading towards Pedro, not me.  

“Are you threatening Lily right now?”  

Pedro, who had been snickering all the time, hardened his expression for an instant and shook his head.  

The appearance of a large dog was nowhere to be seen, and a new golden beast was showing its raw vigilance.

“Do I look like a newbie like brother? You can relax, I won’t touch even Lily’s single hair.”

“Yeah, that’s right, I won’t let you touch it.”  

Hugo snorted at his confident remark.  

“Do you think a brother who can’t do any magic can protect Lily?”  

“Oh, it’s noisy. Anyway, the wizard bastards are gen… no, they talk a lot. If you’re going to stab me, stab me quickly.”

It was getting worse and worse. 

I hugged Pedro’s neck to tell him to stop because I couldn’t watch it anymore, and he laughed as if he was happy with my hug. 

‘Huh?’ 

A warm sensation touched and colored my palm. 

I slowly opened my hand and suddenly screamed. 

“Brother Pedro, blood!” 

At that one word, Pedro hardened like a statue. He squeaked his head away with a look of disbelief. 

“Lily, say what you just said again.”

“…Blood.”

“Not that.”

I took a moment and uttered it carefully. 

“Bro… ther, Pedro?”

To be continued…

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