Chapter 19
“What Can You Do?”
Herace softly rubbed his cheek against the back of my hand. My gaze wavered, unsure where to land.
From a distance, Clara caught my eyes and gave me a discreet thumbs-up. That finally made me smile.
“What about you? What can you do?”
My heart was racing, my mind going blank. But deep inside, there was also a spark of excitement—the thrill of a writer watching her story unfold exactly as she’d plotted it.
I sank onto the sofa, ready to watch comfortably.
So Herace is using the “love triangle” element too. For once, our thoughts align.
And right now, Whisler was clearly losing to him.
It wasn’t about reputation or honor. If we were measuring impact, then between Whisler standing calmly and Herace kneeling dramatically, the winner was obvious.
That realization steadied me, and soon I could think clearly again. In front of me, the brothers’ war of words continued.
“Will you kneel too?” Herace taunted.
“…You’re just as reckless as when you were a child,” Whisler replied. “You never think things through.”
“Oh? So you’ve been watching me closely since then? Sounds like a compliment. That means I’ve always caught your attention—sounds like love and praise to me.”
“That’s not praise. It means you’ve always been a problem child.”
“No, it means I’ve always been bold. Attractive, even.”
“Brother, enough rebellion. Our parents worry about you. And I can’t keep covering for you forever.”
Then Whisler glanced at me before adding:
“Besides, this supposed ‘love’ you claim for Philena—it’s fake. You’ve always been like this. You get bored quickly. Whether it’s people or objects, you throw them away.”
As if to prove his point, he took my hand gently, his expression full of pity.
“But Philena is different. I won’t let you toy with her. Don’t interfere between us.”
The crowd began looking at Whisler sympathetically. He was playing his role well.
But Herace just chuckled.
“Done talking?”
He leaned lazily against the sofa where I sat, one knee propped up. He didn’t look crude or cowed. In fact, despite his worse reputation, he seemed to hold the upper ground.
“It sounds like my dear little brother is having a cute misunderstanding.”
He even patted Whisler as if humoring him.
“You’re right, though. I never had much interest in anything as a child, and I did get bored easily.”
“Exactly—”
“Don’t interrupt when your big brother is talking.”
Herace straightened, stretching an arm casually around my shoulders. Without really touching me, he brushed away Whisler’s hand that had been holding mine.
“But Philena’s different. She’s the first thing that’s ever held my attention.”
“…Tch.”
Whisler tried to resist, but he was easily shaken off. His hand flushed red where Herace had touched it, and he quickly hid it away, pride clearly stung.
Then, instead of pressing the attack, Herace did the unexpected. He reached out and patted Whisler’s head.
“You’ve worried a lot. Thanks for that. Really.”
With his other hand, he tapped his chin thoughtfully, then pointed at Whisler.
“I may cause trouble, but it’s rare for me to publicly show I’m insane. Usually, you do all the protesting for me.”
“Still, brother, Philena is mine—”
“If you had truly put her first and treated her that way, I wouldn’t have stepped in.”
“This isn’t something a third party should interfere with! And I have treated Philena well from start to finish. I only faltered for a moment—just a moment!”
Whisler didn’t hide it. Or maybe he couldn’t. Everyone already knew things between us had soured.
The nobles had probably confronted him with the rumors about me. At first he would’ve denied it, then pretended to reluctantly accept. They would’ve comforted him, saying, “Of course you were shaken. It’s Philena, after all.” Just as he planned.
But today, Whisler hadn’t asked for a breakup. He was playing his role in creating a dramatic love story. It worked in our favor.
“How old are you to still be whining like a child? I may be insane, but I’m not some beast who thinks only of mating. I’m still your older brother—I act for you too, you know. I’ve waited long enough. People think I only recently fell for Philena.”
Herace stepped forward, his voice low and sharp.
“But that’s not true, is it, little brother?”
Whisler’s eye twitched.
“A good boy doesn’t lie. Just as you obey our parents, you should obey me too. And don’t think you can sway public opinion with your influence. You don’t know me at all, Whisler.”
Whisler, the so-called angel, versus Herace, the self-proclaimed villain. In this game, Whisler, who had more to lose, could never win.
“Everyone knows you’re too busy caring for the whole world to have enough time in a day,” Herace pressed.
Then he tightened his arm around me, finally pulling me into his embrace. His voice came out rough, almost feral:
“I told you—I can be Philena’s second choice, or her dog if need be. So tell me, Whisler…”
“…”
“What about you? What can you do? What can you possibly be?”
Spinning his hand mockingly, Herace pointed at Whisler’s knees. His grin was sharp, cruel.
“You don’t even have the guts to kneel, do you?”
Grinding his teeth, Whisler’s face twisted. He was about to retort when—
“Young master! The—th-the carriage!”
His driver came running in, panicked.
“If you don’t come quickly, I… I can’t manage! It looks dangerous!”
As expected, Whisler couldn’t refuse. His expression softened, and he stepped back.
“Don’t worry. I’ll be right there.”
Before leaving, he looked straight at me.
“We must meet again and clear this misunderstanding, Lady Light.”
“I’m quite busy these days. But if time allows, someday… perhaps.”
Even to that evasive answer, Whisler smiled gently as he withdrew.
* * *
Even after he left, the air in the department store stayed tense.
Then—clap!
Herace snapped his fingers, and everyone’s attention darted back to him.
“Snap out of it. If you’re going to watch so openly, at least hide it better. You’re making me want to wreck the place.”
Despite the threat, Sera approached with her professional smile intact.
“About the dresses—do you still intend to purchase them?”
“My brother already bought every one Philena wanted, didn’t he? Or was I mistaken?”
At that, Sera quickly retreated.
“O-of course! Please do visit us again. We’ll always welcome you.”
Herace’s decision to leave immediately made sense. We’d already gathered more than enough “material” here. Any more would just get dull.
He gave a polite nod, then offered me his arm. Raising his voice so the crowd could hear, he said:
“Philena, I could’ve bought your dresses myself. But when I heard you were here, I had a feeling something like this would happen. So I prepared something else instead. I’m always ready when it comes to you.”
