Chapter 103
“Oppa….”
At the sound of Cayente’s voice, Isabella, who had been tense the entire time, let out a crying voice. It seemed she was genuinely hurt that her older brother didn’t greet her warmly.
“How’s school? Did you finish your assignments before coming here?”
“Is that what you say when you’re meeting a sibling you haven’t seen in years?”
Even at Isabella’s sigh, Cayente remained cold. Yulia, who was in Cayente’s arms, was also surprised by his reaction. Curious about why he was acting this way, she tried to lift her head to see his expression, but Cayente didn’t allow it. As if there was something Yulia wasn’t supposed to see, he placed his hand on her head and prevented her from looking up.
“You should have contacted me first,” he said.
Cayente’s change was one thing, but it was likely motivated largely by protecting his family. Among the remaining family members, the ones he cared for most deeply would probably be his younger sisters. Yet he treated the two sisters he hadn’t seen in a long time as if they were strangers, keeping his distance.
Yulia wondered if the “assignments” Cayente mentioned were related to some past fight between the siblings.
“Oppa, before that, you should apologize to us first.”
As the standoff between Cayente and Isabella dragged on, Ayla stepped in. Her voice drooped along with the overly distant behavior Cayente was showing.
“What apology?”
“No matter what, we had to find out about your marriage through the Esacudia Duchy gossip magazine? How could you not tell us about something as important as marriage?”
Ayla seemed about to scold him for not telling them, even breaking into tears as she spoke. Yulia assumed Cayente must have had his reasons, and that meeting him would clear up any misunderstandings—but it didn’t. Cayente didn’t offer any excuses or explanations.
At Cayente’s silence, Isabella raised her voice in disbelief.
“Or is it that you’re so blinded by love you see nothing else? Right, Oppa?”
Since Ayla had mentioned seeing the Duchy gossip magazine, Yulia realized Isabella was referring to what she read. But she found it odd that Isabella seemed genuinely shocked, as if this were unbelievable.
Though Yulia knew her brother had changed, Isabella should have been aware too. After all, Cayente and Yulia weren’t strangers—they had been close enough in childhood that marriage jokes were tossed around lightly. Was it really such an outrageous thing?
Cayente’s arm, which had relaxed slightly, tightened around Yulia, making it hard for her to breathe. She pressed against his chest, hoping he would let go, but he held her firmly. Yulia had thought he might have been worried about her going out alone, but that wasn’t the only reason; he still couldn’t hide his unease.
“What do you want to hear?”
Listening to him without seeing his face, Yulia couldn’t guess why he was so desperate. As he spoke with Isabella, she could feel his heartbeat quicken again against her ear.
“You want to know? That woman—”
“Isabella!”
Startled by Cayente’s shout, Yulia flinched in his arms. She had never heard him cry out with such desperation, neither in childhood nor when they reunited.
“Go home first. We’ll talk about this later.”
Isabella, equally surprised, fell silent, and Cayente swiftly ended the confrontation.
Pushed into the carriage, Isabella sobbed quietly on the way home. Yulia felt heartbroken but couldn’t intervene; it all somehow felt like her fault.
“Isabella…”
As the carriage stopped at the front door, Isabella was the first to jump out and rush to her room, locking the door behind her. Yulia lingered outside, unable to knock, when Ayla arrived shortly after. She let out a small sigh and took Yulia’s hand.
“She’s like that a lot since father passed. If we leave her alone, she’ll calm down on her own. Let’s go downstairs.”
It made sense. It was because of their father’s death.
Feeling sympathetic, Yulia followed Ayla down the hall, repeatedly glancing back at the locked door. Isabella was the most delicate and sensitive among the Clu siblings. The sudden loss of their father must have been incredibly hard. Even if Yulia tried to comfort her, it wouldn’t be easy—Cayente’s heart had taken a long time to open.
“After that, she relied a lot on Oppa, so I guess she felt extra hurt,” Ayla said, noting Yulia’s slowing pace from repeatedly looking back. She glanced toward Isabella’s room with a bittersweet smile.
Four years ago, the sisters had gone abroad to avoid the chaotic crowds, and though they knew Cayente had changed, they hadn’t seen it firsthand as often as Yulia had. Seeing this, Yulia sighed quietly, realizing how much she wished she could have comforted Isabella properly at the time.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t help when things were hard for everyone,” Yulia said, moving to the sitting room. Ayla laughed, saying there was nothing to apologize for, though her small tear hinted at how much Yulia’s concern meant. They spent time empathizing, crying, and laughing together.
“Anyway, you shouldn’t have gotten married without telling us,” Yulia added.
“Sorry. I wanted to tell you… By the way, what about your debutantes?”
Maria was on the island, and Cayente had been too busy to think about it. Ayla bit into a muffin and shook her head.
“Not yet. We were in Casad. There, debutante traditions are mostly ceremonial, so it’s not mandatory. Plus, nowadays, people marry freely. Ah, a secret—Isabella has someone she’s seeing.”
“Someone she’s seeing?”
Yulia’s eyes widened. Ayla lowered her voice, cautious even though it was just the two of them.
“He’s from Casad. A classmate from school, and he really, really likes her.”
“That’s good. I’m relieved.”
“Eh? Relieved about what?”
“That she has someone to give her heart to.”
It was comforting that Isabella wasn’t bearing her hardships alone. Yet it wasn’t entirely simple. The man wanted to marry after graduation, but Isabella avoided the topic, pretending not to know.
“She wants to return to the Duchy to help Oppa after graduation, but if she marries him, she’d have to stay in Casad.”
Since the man was the eldest son of a Casad marquess family, Isabella couldn’t entirely follow her plans. Ayla sighed quietly, saying Isabella seemed to love him but felt guilty toward her brother.
“She’s always felt sorry that Oppa struggled alone after father passed.”
Isabella had regretted letting Cayente handle everything while sending the others away. She had intended to support him, even taking non-management classes in college to be able to help him professionally after graduation.
“Couldn’t she work in Casad too?” Yulia asked.
“How?”
“Oppa is handling Duchy affairs here. Casad is close; she could commute when needed.”
“That’s true. We should discuss it later.”
Seeing Ayla smile, Yulia felt relieved. Ayla’s presence had eased the tension; without her, Yulia might not have been able to breathe easily with Cayente’s sharpness.
Yet, could it be that their older brother truly didn’t welcome his younger sisters?
Yulia sipped her orange-scented black tea, recalling Cayente’s earlier behavior. No matter how she thought about it, his attitude had been extreme. He had treated the sisters as if they might harm Yulia, maintaining an unnecessary distance.
“Tonight, I’ll prepare dessert. You’ll help, right?”
“Of course! What are we making?”
Even without knowing why, Yulia decided she’d try to lighten the mood.
A knock announced Ian entering the office. Judging by the time, he had stayed to see the ship depart. Ian reported meticulously that he would personally ensure product inspections were completed within a week for a client in the Eastern Continent.
After hours of standing in the sea breeze, Ian seemed more composed than Cayente. Since taking the director title, his hair was neatly tied back, his shirt collar crisp, and nothing was out of place. Just a month ago, Cayente had looked like this.
“I’m looking into an office to display the trading company sign. Is it really necessary?”
Cayente barely heard Ian, distracted by Yulia leaving home. His once neat hair was now disheveled, his cravat and shirt loosened to cool down from rushing. The freshly ironed shirt from the morning was damp and wrinkled.
But even in this messy state, Cayente wasn’t paying attention to Ian’s words. His focus was entirely on Yulia.
Isabella knew everything: who their father was killed by, what Cayente had done to the baron’s business, and why he returned to the Empire.
