TYSBMF27

Chapter 27

“Uh?”

“Do you find it annoying that I suddenly showed up at the main estate?”

At my blunt question, Emil looked flustered. It wasn’t the reaction of someone who had been caught red-handed, but more like he hadn’t expected me to ask something so direct.

“I get that you might want to meddle, but if you tricked my father just to do that, I won’t forgive you.”
“That’s not it!”

His denial came out desperate. And maybe it was just my imagination, but… he looked a little sad.

“Well… um… to be honest.”
“Go on.”
“You do bother me a little… You awakened like Grandfather and already reached Core Stage 2…”
“…”
“And my goal is to become the head of the family…”

I pressed my lips together. The truth was, I couldn’t bring myself to treat Emil too harshly, because I kept remembering the original story.

In the novel, he wasn’t the one who won the succession battle. Emil died young, long before that ever came to pass.

“But I swear, I didn’t come to sabotage you!”
“…”
“I was curious about you. I wanted to see your skills… And, well… I’ve never had a little sister in the main family before…”
“…”
“If I’m going to become head, it’ll be by proving my strength fair and square. I won’t use cowardly tricks.”

It wasn’t an excuse crafted to get out of trouble. His awkward words, rushed out in embarrassment, carried sincerity.

‘Right… Even in the original, he didn’t seem like a bad kid.’

The eventual victor, our cousin Ruska, had cherished Emil dearly and spent his life mourning him.

‘That’s how good of a younger brother he was.’

Having ambition doesn’t automatically mean a rotten heart. Likely, Emil had come to see me out of half ambition, half childlike curiosity.

“Besides, what could I even do to sabotage you right now?”
“Like… throw a curse at me?”
“Are you crazy?! I’d be the only suspect!”
“So you would, if it were the perfect crime?”
“Uh… no. I’m not confident I could keep it from Uncle Silvan…”

So basically, if he could get away with it, he would?

But instead of offering an empty promise, his frankness actually made me laugh.

“Fine, forget it.”

“…So you trust me?”
“If you do anything suspicious, I’ll tell Father.”
“I really won’t!”
“Mm-hm. So, in the end, you came here because you wanted to get closer to me.”
“Uh…”

Though he had brazenly used that excuse to persuade my father, hearing me say it out loud made Emil’s face flush crimson.

“I told you, I only came to see your skills!”
“Sure, sure.”
“It’s true! That whole ‘I want to be close’ thing was just in case Uncle didn’t believe me…”
“Uh-huh, I’ll just pretend that’s true.”

His transparent thoughts were so easy to read, it was almost cute.

I had assumed that since he was aiming for the position of head, befriending other heirs in the main family was out of the question. But the fact that he went out of his way because he was curious about me… honestly, it made my heart warm.

Back in the Tower of Spirits, I’d always been ostracized. I never had a proper friend.

‘Even in my past life, the family situation forced me to keep my guard up, so I couldn’t make any close friends either…’

If I thought about it, Emil was closer to an older brother than a friend.

But I’d never had anyone to call “brother” in my previous or current life, so the word still felt distant. Besides, mentally, I was older.

‘Anyway, if he can’t even give me 40 gold, he’s no brother.’

As I reorganized my mental hierarchy, I tilted my head at Emil.

‘Come to think of it, he’s awfully thin for a kid.’

He was ten this year—older than me, sure—but still at the age where baby fat should be lingering. Concern crept in.

“Did you eat breakfast?”

For the record, I had polished off a wholesome breakfast of oatmeal porridge, an omelet, and salad. Nutrition was a principle I never compromised.

Emil, however, looked at me like I was speaking nonsense.

“Huh? Breakfast? I never eat in the morning.”
“…”

No… Calm down. Everyone has their own rhythm. Just because someone skips breakfast doesn’t mean it’s a disaster.

I smothered my inner nagging elder and continued.

“Then… what about dinner? Did you eat much?”

“Dinner? Can’t remember.”
“And lunch?”
“Just a bit of bread, I think…”

He was just like Father!

“Why don’t you eat properly?!”

Caught off guard by the sudden scolding, Emil shrank back.

“Uh, why are you so obsessed with food…?”
“Because you won’t grow! You’ll ruin your health! You need to eat properly!”
“Uh… okay…”
“When we get to the castle later, you’re eating something!”
“O-okay.”
“Promise!”
“…Promise.”

Pressed into a corner, he even hooked his little finger with mine.

Only then did I feel at peace. Later, I’d have to check whether Father had eaten properly too.

After chatting and even playing a few card games with Emil, we finally reached the Palmos Rest Stop.

“Ugh! My whole body aches!”
“Seriously, the way you complain about food and now your joints—you sound like an old man, not a kid.”

I ignored Emil’s grumbling and hopped down from the carriage. The sky that had been dim when we left was now clear, painted in bright blue.

Under the shade of a distant tree, a young man spotted me and immediately stood.

“…Mia.”
“Father!”

The moment I saw him, I sprinted over. I reached him before he could even close the distance.

‘Now that I think about it, this is the first time I’ve met Father outdoors.’

And yes, the blazing sun truly didn’t suit him. He radiated an aura of cold all on his own.

“Father, did you eat breakfast?”

“It’s been a week since I saw you, and that’s the first thing you ask…?”
“Think about your usual habits.”
“Hm…”
“So? Breakfast?”
“…”

When he didn’t answer, I smacked his thigh. At least he wasn’t lying about having eaten.

“Fine, we’ll eat later! You have to make up for skipping breakfast!”
“…Alright.”

Though sulky, he didn’t refuse.

“By the way, Emil didn’t eat either. Honestly, what is it with relatives inheriting all the bad habits?”

I glanced back, and Emil, who had followed me, bowed politely.

“Good morning, Uncle.”
“Thanks… for bringing Mia.”
“It was nothing.”
“Did you two… get along?”

Emil shot me subtle signals with his eyes. I smirked.

“Mm. Wasn’t bad.”

Apparently dissatisfied with my lukewarm reply, Emil frowned.

“Can’t you say it a little nicer?”
“Ten gold.”
“Uncle, why is she so obsessed with money?”

My father stiffened at the remark.

“Are you saying… Mia is greedy…?”
“No! Not at all! That’s not what I meant.”
“Ten gold is pocket change. Just give her—”
“I’ll do it!”

Emil panicked, realizing jokes didn’t work on someone with near-zero social skills. Poor kid.

Meanwhile, I extended my hands expectantly.

“Ten gold!”

“Ugh, you too?!”
“Hehehe.”

I dodged behind Father and clung to his thigh. He looked down at me, then turned his gaze back to Emil.

“Anyway… thanks for escorting Mia. Now… you should return to the main estate.”

The dismissal was merciless.

Emil and I both froze.

‘Wait—what?!’

He brought me all the way here, and now Father wanted to send him off without even a meal?

Tugging nervously at Father’s sleeve, I spoke up.

“Uh, Father.”

“Hm?”
“Since he came all this way, shouldn’t we at least share a meal with Emil?”
“Is that… so?”
“Yes. If you’re grateful, you should show it.”
“I was planning to give him rare poisonous herb samples later…”

So in Father’s mind, gratitude had already been settled with material compensation. That explained his indifference to kicking Emil out.