Chapter 148
***
“Brother, what if Father scolds you? You used your ability back there.”
“…Yeah.”
Crista asked anxiously. Richard sighed.
They had reached the public carriage stop and were worrying about shaking off the two men from earlier.
It was their first time outside without guards, so they’d already been uneasy. Just as they feared, a small incident had happened.
Worried for Crista, Richard had grabbed the first reliable-looking person and asked him to escort them.
He had wanted to trust those men since they’d helped strangers… but still.
“Why did that man ask why we were going there?” Crista asked.
“I’m not sure,” Richard said. “He didn’t seem like a bad person. Maybe he misunderstood because of how we look.”
“Ugh, and we didn’t even get the bread… I’m sorry I begged to go. I didn’t know we’d have to stand in line.”
“It’s fine. You couldn’t have known.”
Lately Crista had been eating that bread often. Richard hadn’t realized it was so hard to buy; he thought you ordered and ate right away.
At seventeen, this was the first time he had ever stood in line. He was learning just how little he knew about ordinary life.
“It’s really good,” Crista mumbled. “I wanted Vani to try it…”
Richard sighed as he watched her.
Yes—Bania.
They were on their way to see her.
***
A few days earlier.
Richard lay there, empty and heavy. When he did, a voice always echoed in his head.
“Brother, do you think we can live together someday?”
His younger sister, Bania, had asked in a small, gloomy voice.
“Crista told me once… One of our siblings had no ability at all.”
Back then Bania was terrified she might be “ability-less.”
“How do you use an ability? Brother, could you show me yours… just once?”
It hurt. The only thing he could do was something that small.
He had bound a flying bird’s feet with his skill, and the little sister had watched with shining eyes.
“So cool… I’m jealous…” She’d tried to smile, and he never forgot that face.
“…Don’t worry, Vani. We’ll be together.”
While he lived safely with the family, most of the siblings had left the castle—and that little girl, left behind in Windsor Castle—how scared and lonely had she been?
The news from the castle had been awful.
Bania’s awakening was late; under the stress she cried day and night. They said she’d become painfully sensitive…
One day, she even put her own hand into the fireplace.
“I… I don’t want to die…”
When the third sister Diana, who had a healing ability, went to Windsor after hearing that, Richard followed her. Bania told him this:
If she had no ability, she could never be part of his family. She might even be killed.
She was scared. She just wanted to live.
“Haa…”
Richard lay on his bed like a corpse and sighed.
He hadn’t wanted to believe Father could be that cold—but Bania’s fears had become reality.
She had been allowed to live—barely.
“Richard.”
Father and the siblings often came to comfort him.
That day, it was his older sister, Brigitte.
“Father’s really worried. How long are you going to lie there? Want to go out with me and clear your head?”
“…No. I don’t feel like it.”
Brigitte couldn’t understand his despair.
“You have plenty of other siblings. It’s not like you’re lacking anything. Why are you so fixated on them?”
“….”
“Those kids can’t come back no matter what. Publicly taking in an ability-less child? It would stain Father’s prestige and put our safety at risk.”
Richard covered his eyes with his arm and turned away. Brigitte lost her patience.
“You heard what happened when Marina ran away, right? Father had to activate Nullification for a while, and rumors spread that our abilities were broken. It was chaos.”
How many assassins had dared to attack since then? How far had the ridiculous rumor spread that some of their family had no power?
Even after some time, more infiltrators came, and enemies of Bassenberg kept spreading lies.
“If the truth—that an ability-less child exists—gets out, it’s a huge threat to us.”
“But forbidding me from even seeing my siblings doesn’t make sense.”
“You idiot!”
Brigitte shouted.
“Meeting the disowned ones just gives our enemies something to use against us!”
“….”
“If people find out the ones who left Windsor were Father’s children, what then? And what about Ryan Bassenberg who’s keeping them—do you want us tied to him? He’s known as a mass killer who abuses his power.”
“….”
“Father cut the tail on purpose—publicly disowned them—to protect the family’s image. If people even suspect we still keep ties with them, what good could come of it?”
Richard said nothing, dragging the blanket over his head. He clearly didn’t want to talk.
“You’re the only one pining like this. She’s living happily now.”
Brigitte sighed.
“She doesn’t think of you as family anymore. And if you show up, she’ll probably be scared Father will be angry and won’t even welcome you.”
“That’s not true. Bania and Alex aren’t like that. We miss each other more than anyone. I… I want to see them so much.”
“Good grief.”
Hearing his voice tremble under the blanket, Brigitte exhaled.
“…What if I let you see her face just once? Then will you let go?”
“What?”
Richard threw off the blanket and sat up. After days of lifelessness, he suddenly moved; Brigitte let out a helpless laugh.
“What do you mean, Sister?”
“You’re really… unbelievable.”
“What do you mean?!”
They knew where the disowned siblings lived: in Belzer, roughly a week from the capital by road.
But Father would never permit a visit.
“They’re in the capital right now.”
“…Huh? Who—Bania? Alex?”
“I don’t know about the youngest. I only saw Bania.”
“W-Where? Where is she?”
Even after she spoke, Brigitte hesitated.
Was this really right?
A few days earlier she had run into Ryan in the capital—and he had threatened her.
If she approached again, he’d “self-destruct” without holding back. The words had scared her off, for the moment…
But Ryan’s handsome brother-in-law kept popping into her mind. In the end she searched the capital.
She even found their rented villa—but realized this was madness and walked away.
Their guards had eyes and ears everywhere. If it got out that she’d contacted disowned, ability-less kin over some man, what then?
“You have to go secretly. No guards. If they report it, it gets big. Take them halfway, shake them off somehow… Ugh, this is insane. Is this really right?”
She scribbled an address on a slip and handed it over, sighing again and again.
“Don’t get hurt. Don’t cause trouble. And if Father catches you, do not mention my name.”
“Sis, of course! Thank you. Really—thank you!”
Richard came alive and hugged her tight.
“Fine. But after you see her and come back—you get your head on straight, okay?”
***
Ungh.
Remembering that conversation, Richard swallowed a groan.
They had planned to go quietly without anyone knowing, and he’d used his ability right in the middle of the capital on civilians.
If Father heard about this somehow and learned he’d gone out, it would be bad.
He was ready to be scolded for a few days—without ever admitting he’d gone to see Bania—but still…
“Crista, do you want to go home now?”
He worried about Crista. Brigitte had no idea she’d come too.
Richard had meant to go alone, but he’d thought of Crista—who was closest to Bania—and secretly asked her to join him.
“What are you talking about! I’m going to see Vani too!”
“What if Father punishes you as well?”
“Then he punishes me. We aren’t doing anything wrong, so I’m not that scared. And also—”
The hired carriage rattled on the rough road. Crista leaned close and whispered in Richard’s ear.
“You don’t have guards. It’s dangerous. If something happens, I’ll protect you.”
“…Ha-ha.”
He laughed awkwardly.
In truth, his small, cute thirteen-year-old sister was terrifyingly strong.
—Power to control wind at will.
Rank: Top tier.
When used with wind pressure to attack, its lethality rivals the special-tier ability .
“Still… don’t kill anyone.”
“Hehe. Okay!”
The two were excited—about to see the siblings they had missed so badly.
At that same time—
Ryan and Rivan were sprinting back to the villa, eyebrows flying.
Yeee! I’m so excited for a reunion!