CHAPTER 63………..
Now that’s my sister.
His red eyes were fixed on the man he hated most in the world, standing behind her.
“Well, it’s fine. A man should at least be able to do this much.”
“This much? Look in the mirror before you say that!”
“It’s not my blood.”
Only after Adele pulled the handkerchief away from his face did he finish what he had meant to say earlier.
Good heavens.
That was when Adele, seeing beyond the men, caught sight of the blood-soaked lion and gasped for breath.
“What is this, so early in the morning? Catch a few pheasants if you must, but why a lion?”
“…It’s a gift.”
“A gift?”
Adele covered her mouth. It wasn’t terrifying exactly, but she had already seen too many dead animals since morning; it made her nauseous.
Regardless, Cayden’s expectant eyes narrowed faintly.
“Who else would I give this to, if not my sister?”
“Ah… right. Th-thank you.”
“A man goes hunting—this much should be the standard. If he’s going to shy away, whining about what he likes and doesn’t like, he’d better stay locked up at home from the start, don’t you think?”
Cayden’s words and gaze were all too deliberate.
But Adele, still staring at the bloodied lion, did not notice.
‘As if he were a cat bringing back a dead mouse.’
It was something given, so she would accept it—but Cayden’s gifts were always too much to bear.
Besides, it was largely her fault he had become this way.
“You must instill in him the will to live. Family plays a critical role.”
That was the advice of the physician who had examined Cayden when he first came to this house, some ten years ago, clicking his tongue.
Though Cayden had spoken with bravado when he first met Adele, his condition had been dire—too thin for his age, covered with bruises, the signs of abuse written all over him.
Adele had made up her mind.
She would feed him, fatten him up. And to put flesh on his bones, she would need to lift his spirits.
For a child ground down by abuse, they said, even the smallest praise was vital. But no matter how hard she looked, there wasn’t a single thing about him that deserved praise.
Please, anything, just do something.
She had been ready to commend him even if he only drew a deep breath.
So when Cayden stoned a deer that had trampled the garden, Adele had made a fuss.
“Good heavens, who knew you had such a talent? Why didn’t you tell me sooner? From now on, you can deal with every pest that sneaks into our grounds!”
That was the beginning.
That was when Cayden’s scale began to grow.
From wild boar, to bears, to tigers—before long, no kind or size of beast was beyond him.
Adele never forgot the sight of thirteen-year-old Cayden dropping a monstrous beast larger than a house at her feet, smiling innocently.
“Here, big sister. This is for you.”
“Y-your face, it’s covered in blood!”
“Oh, this? I thought it was just rain.”
For a moment she thought she saw a black tail flicker behind him, like a phantom.
Having found both his nature and his calling, Cayden never again returned home empty-handed.
Whether it was a massive beast or a man threatening their trade caravans, he never came back without carrying something on his shoulder.
“…Adele?”
“Um, Captain, before we head back, I’d like to have a word with Cayden alone.”
“…The two of you?”
Killian, who had just tried to take her hand again, looked between them.
When his eyes met Cayden’s, with brows drawn high, Killian suddenly turned clinical, like reading a ledger.
“As you wish. The two of you are siblings, after all.”
“Ah, yes.”
It troubled Adele—why point out the obvious?—but Killian ceded the space without protest.
Adele leading her white steed down the forest path looked almost sacred.
Her gaze, clinging to Killian, clearly displeased someone.
“…Sister, must you really do this?”
“Ah, Cayden.”
Adele quickly composed herself, recognizing her brother’s ominous tone.
To think she would have to live under the same roof as Killian while harboring this walking time bomb—it was enough to bring on heart disease she never had.
There were only two ways to deal with it.
Destroy it, or soothe it.
“You must have been shocked yesterday too.”
With her wedding approaching, the last thing she wanted was more blood between family.
And it wasn’t so simple. As much as she had raised him with her own hands, there was that deep-seated sense of responsibility inherited through generations.
“I was going to explain once you returned.”
“When? After sneaking off to marry?”
Not long ago he had seemed pleased enough to be left alone with her, but now Cayden was cold, severe.
And rightly so.
Adele sighed, pulling off her riding gloves.
“Sneaking off to marry? Watch your tongue.”
“So you mean it’s for real?”
“Why do you say it like that—‘for real’?”
“Ha… what on earth happened.”
He should have run straight here after the bridge explosion, but instead he had wasted time smashing things in blind rage.
The self-disgust was suffocating.
And in his cynical face now flickered a dangerous light.
“Big sister isn’t the sort to like anyone. I know that better than anyone.”
“You really—”
“All you care about is the trade company. What man could you possibly want?”
Why did everyone insist on framing it as “taking” someone?
Trying to calm her brother, Adele tilted her head back in exasperation.
Killian or Cayden—it was the same. Once they fixated on something, they never let go.
And Adele wasn’t foolish enough to say aloud that the two of them were alike.
She clenched her teeth.
“That’s enough. Stop.”
“What is going through your head, sister!”
“What is?”
“Did you think I wouldn’t see through it? That you brought him to check Noella? If it ended there, I’d understand. But why act as if it’s real?”
As if it were real.
Adele repeated the words, rubbing her lips with a finger.
Her eyes darkened, her confusion hardening into coldness.
“Cayden, I told you to stop.”
“Sister!”
“Then why are you running wild without my permission?”
“…”
“I don’t know what’s gotten into you these two weeks, but I won’t press you. All the same, you’ll keep your mouth shut.”
At Adele’s icy tone, Cayden flinched. Since childhood, her word had been law to him, ingrained like a reflex.
Why this boy, who could snap anyone else’s neck with a smile, froze at her single command—no one could explain.
“…Sister, then you really are with that bastard—”
“Captain.”
“….”
“Call my husband that way again, and it’ll be the last. Anything else you want to ask?”
Eyes wide, Adele stepped closer to Cayden.
Anyone who met her gaze had no choice but to stop what they were doing. And for someone raised on that command from childhood, it was all the more absolute.
“Cayden, this will be the last time. Isn’t that so?”
“…What is.”
“Your reckless defiance.”
Her handkerchief brushed once more across his forehead and cheek.
Only she could wipe the blood of a beast from this predator.
“I have much to gain from him. But if he suffers slander or mistreatment because of me… that would be unfair, wouldn’t it?”
“…So you truly intend to go through with this marriage?”
“If you ask me once more, I’ll make you stand as the groom’s attendant.”
“….”
Cayden froze like brittle ice. Adele smiled at last. Her little brother, who used to soften at a mere pat on the head, had finally returned.
“Don’t make me owe the captain any more debts.”
“…Is that all?”
But whenever her brother bared his fangs like this, she wondered whether it was right to keep him under her.
He had grown, undeniably so.
“Is that really all, about that man?”
“Cayden.”
“If so, I can let it go.”
He had inherited the arrogance of the Sergio bloodline.
But unlike their father, it wasn’t because he possessed everything—rather, because he had nothing.
With nothing to lose, his obsession with the one thing he did have was boundless.
“You know what kind of man he is, don’t you?”
“…And why would you?”
“Isn’t that what I’ve always done for you? Just say the word—I’ll dig into his family’s past for generations, this instant.”
His resolve was grim.
If he didn’t, he would never find peace of mind.
“He said he came from the capital, right? Judging by his speech and how he ties his laces, he’s from Orsen. If I send people at once—”
“Drop it.”
“Sister! This is exactly the kind of matter—”
“…Whatever he is, the wedding will proceed in two days. The one in haste is not the captain, but me.”
Enough.
Adele laid a hand on Cayden’s shoulder, resolute to leave no room.
Understanding her meaning, Cayden fell silent, though his eyes still burned like fire.
Adele could not extinguish that blaze. Instead, she shifted to appeasement.
“It’s late. Let’s return, Cayden.”
It was the first time she had been this stern with him since he had grown into an adult, and her heart was not at ease.
So she awkwardly sought a lighter topic.
“I must decide what to make with your gift.”
“…That thing.”
Still, those words made his shoulders ease a little.
Simple things.
Biting back a smile, Adele suddenly noticed Killian approaching.
“Have the two of you finished your talk?”
“Yes. Cayden and I had a delightful time together.”
Isn’t that so?
When Adele tilted her head, demanding agreement, Cayden answered sullenly.
The marriage seemed inevitable, so pressing further would only provoke his sister’s anger. Not out of fear—out of distaste.
He said no more, instead nodding at the fallen lion.
“I’ll take care of this.”
“Will you?”
“Who else? Surely the esteemed captain, who dislikes hunting, won’t do it.”
So he had been holding back after all.
Unable to suppress his temper, Cayden lashed out with all the sarcasm he had. If he could not fight head-on, he would flaunt his strength instead.
When Adele frowned, Cayden snatched her handkerchief, wiping the blood from his own fingers.
“What? Did I say anything wrong? A man’s hunt should yield a gift at least like this.”
“…Cayden, you.”
“I thought, with your wedding coming, he’d show you some token of sincerity. Was that too much to expect, as your brother?”
“Captain, we need not hear more. Let us just… Oh!”
Just as Adele pulled on Killian’s arm, realizing there was no stopping Cayden, she gasped.
From Killian’s teal riding coat, a small white creature emerged, blinking up at her.
“What is this! A squirrel?”
“…I thought you might like it.”
“Oh, heavens. It’s adorable!”
Come here.
Adele held out her hands, and Killian set the squirrel in them.
A moment ago she had been clutching her head between two men, but now she burst out laughing, delighted by the squirrel’s coiling tail.
And above her, Killian watched Cayden in silence.
“Nothing much.”
His eyes were cold, yet satisfied.
It was enough to throw fuel on Cayden’s fire.
Where the hell had he even gotten that thing!
Every curse he knew swirled in his mouth. On his shoulder lay a massive lion, yet Adele melted at a single squirrel. Steam all but rose from his head.
“You—”
“Cayden, look at this!”
He was about to spit his fury, but Adele’s sparkling smile was quicker.
“It’s not just a squirrel. It’s a rare white-streaked-tail. Isn’t it beautiful?”
“…So it is.”
Cayden’s mutter was dark, his spirit drained.
As he watched the two of them walk away tenderly, he flexed his wrists.
It had been a long time since his killing intent had boiled this high.
“….”
Thud.
He flung down the lion he had been carrying. A cold forest breeze swept over his sweat-and-blood-soaked black hair, but it could not cool the heat.
“What the hell is that bastard.”
He had handled all kinds of suspicious men, but this one was on another level.
His father, speaking respectfully to him. His sister, laughing so guilelessly beside him. None of it could be dismissed.
Cayden changed direction, heading not for the estate but his own hideout.
If Adele found out, she would never let him be—but perhaps that was better than letting her laugh so innocently at the side of such a dubious man.
