BVS CH 16

Chapter 16

“D-Did I?”

Martin kept repeating the words our family to himself, as if they were somehow important.

I tapped the table with my finger, watching him carefully, and said softly,
“That’s… not really important.”

He didn’t seem to care what I said.
“So basically, you mean this is for our family, right?”

If he was in a good mood, then that was enough for me. I nodded quickly.
“Yes, that’s exactly what I mean.”

“Alright then. Let’s do as you say.”

That fast?

It seemed Martin didn’t always spend a lot of time thinking before making decisions.
Not that I minded—getting what I wanted quickly was fine by me.

“Oh, and…”
“There’s more?”

I had another reason for coming.
“I thought you should read this.”

I slid the royal family’s letter across the table.
Martin checked the seal, and the good mood he’d been in moments ago instantly faded as he frowned.

A long silence followed.

He tried not to show it, but I could tell from the sound of his deep breaths that he didn’t have pleasant feelings toward the royal family.

But why?

The royal family wouldn’t move to destroy the Cloud family until far in the future.

My tea had long since gone cold.
“Is there something you don’t like?”

At my question, he quickly masked his expression.
“Not at all. I don’t know why you’d think that.”

But the letter still sat unopened on the table.

I gestured toward it, silently telling him that if nothing was wrong, he should read it.

He loosened his cravat as if uncomfortable, then finally picked it up.

After reading it through, he spoke.
“Unlikely as it may be, if the Cloud family is chosen to attend this audience…”

“…?”

“In that case, it would be better if you went instead of me.”

Weird. Very weird.

Who wouldn’t want to attend an audience with the king?

And someone with business sense would see it as a chance to stand out and make valuable connections.

For Martin—a man who didn’t easily trust others—to hand such a chance over to me? That was basically throwing away an opportunity.

“Please don’t misunderstand.”

“This is important. People will find it odd if the head of the family doesn’t attend. I’d like to know why.”

The letter in his hands began to crumple slightly.
“…There’s someone there I’d rather not see.”

So there was someone he wanted to avoid.

From the way he said someone, I could guess it was a person of high status.

My mind wandered on its own… to thoughts like maybe it was Martin’s first love or something—

“What are you imagining?”

His cold tone made it seem like he’d read my mind.

“…For the record, it’s a man.”

Martin didn’t know that I came from the 21st century, where I had no bias about such things.
If it wasn’t a first love, then why couldn’t he tell me?

Maybe to change the subject, he asked,
“So about this donation… Erica’s actually going to do it?”

“Of course. She told me herself while we were walking earlier.”

If only he could’ve heard her humming happily… she had looked radiant from behind.

Martin’s gaze shifted to my coat lying beside me.

Why was he staring at it like that?
“You really went with Erica?”

His look changed in a strange way, like he was searching for something.
“…And?”

At my flat reply, he laced his fingers together and rested his face in them, deep in thought.

I could kind of understand how he felt—finding out from me, not his sister, that she had said something like that.

“You two seem to have gotten close,” he said, his voice slightly unsteady. “She’s telling you things like this now.”

“Well, unlike before, we eat together every day.”

He already knew that.

If we hadn’t eaten together, I wouldn’t know she hated vegetable stew, that she held her spoon using all five fingers like a child, that she always wanted dessert, and that she enjoyed walks after meals.

Thinking about it made me smile without realizing—those bright red eyes asking me to go on a walk were so clear in my mind.

“How close can eating together make you?”

Arms crossed now, he asked again.

I’d learned more than just her eating habits—
That she hated the silence in the house, so she’d started chatting without realizing it.
That sometimes she couldn’t sleep from loneliness.

And I hadn’t learned these things because I’d pried—they had just happened naturally.

“It makes you feel… like a real family,” I said.

I didn’t notice the way his red eyes flickered with some kind of longing at that moment.

“….”

The more time I spent with her, the more attached I felt.

Martin met my gaze for a long moment, then relaxed his arms and sat straighter.

After some hesitation, he said,
“Then I’ll join too.”

“…Join what?”

“Meals.”

He wanted to eat with us?
“But you’re busy.”

“I can make time for one meal a day.”

He crossed his legs and smiled lazily.

What was with him today? Not acting like his usual self at all.

His eyes were still fixed on me, and I felt a strange tension. I rubbed my wrist.

“This feels a bit sudden.”

“Erica said the same thing.”

“She’s different from you.”

“How so?”

“She’s cute.”

A pause.

Then Martin dropped the smile and said,
“We’re blood-related.”

“…And?”

“How do you know I don’t have a cute side too?”

Was he… offended?

And that rare smile—using it in front of someone who’s never dated was just unfair.

I almost hiccupped.
“…I-I didn’t know you wanted to be called cute.”

I ended up stuttering and hiccupping in front of my bold husband.

I don’t even remember how I got out of his study after that.

By the time I came to my senses, I was standing in front of the stairs to the second floor.

[Then let’s start eating together from tomorrow.]

Meals together? That was not what I’d expected to happen today.

His voice echoed in my head all the way up the stairs.

Why now?

I didn’t know what he meant by it, or how I was supposed to take it.

[I can make time for one meal a day.]
[You seem to have gotten close to Erica.]

Was he feeling competitive because Erica and I had grown closer?
Did he see me as some kind of rival?

Still, the fact that he’d taken the first step was a good thing.

Even if it was suspicious.

The next morning, there he was—sitting with me and Erica at breakfast.

He carried a tray with soup, salad, and a fine cut of lamb.

“Something happen yesterday, Sister-in-law?” Erica whispered from across the table. “Why is my brother here all of a sudden?”

I just shrugged. I hadn’t expected him to follow through so quickly either.

As soon as Martin sat next to her, Erica glanced toward the window and muttered,
“Did the sun rise in the west today?”

“You’re one to talk,” Martin replied.

True enough—who would’ve thought Erica would be sitting here eating with me, either?

“I didn’t think my brother would crash my time with Sister-in-law,” she grumbled.

“Looks to me like you’re the one in between a married couple,” Martin shot back.

Before sparks could start flying between them, I quickly clapped my hands.
“Alright, alright, let’s just eat together and enjoy the food.”

Erica seemed ready to complain, but we ended up eating pleasantly enough.

It wasn’t hard to see that both siblings were enjoying themselves—there were faint smiles on their faces.

I decided to enjoy it too, even if I didn’t know how long the peace would last.

“So why did you suddenly decide to come today?” Erica asked.

“I got permission from my wife, so don’t make a fuss,” Martin replied.

“Sister-in-law, is that true?”
“Isn’t it?”

Somehow, the peace barely lasted five minutes.

If we kept doing this every day, my ears might start bleeding.

Erica crossed her arms, studying me.
“Hmm. Suspicious. You must’ve been on a trip and something happened.”

“That’s not it.”
“It’s not.”

Martin and I denied it at the exact same time.

“…Why are you answering, Brother? I was asking her.”

I avoided his eyes, but for some reason the image of him saving me from being run over by a cart came to mind.

It was like I could still smell his scent. I waved my hands in the air to shake the thought away.

Erica, meanwhile, had regained her sharp look and was smiling knowingly.