Pat. Pat.

I gently patted Roera’s back, intending to do so until she calmed down.

Her ragged breathing, driven by emotion, soon returned to a steady rhythm.

Roera’s back, pressing against my arm, rose and fell in a slow, consistent pattern.

Sniff. Sniff.

The quiet sniffles, signaling the final stage of her calm, gradually subsided until only the sound of her peaceful breathing remained between us.

Surely, Roera would pull away soon.

"…"
"…"

Not yet, I guess. I resumed the gentle patting.

Another 30 pats went by.

By now, surely Roera would pull away.

"…"
"…"

Still not yet. I resumed the patting once more.

Another 60 pats later.

Surely, this time she would let go.

"…"
"…"

Pat.
Pat.
Pat.
Pat.

An eternity seemed to have passed since the first pat. It felt as if my arm would turn to dust before she finally moved. The noble young lady, breathing peacefully against me—was she ever going to move?

At this point, I was genuinely starting to worry. Is something wrong with her?

“Roera?”

Thankfully, when I called her name, Roera flinched slightly, as if she had just realized I was there.

“What?”

“How are you feeling? Are you alright now?”

“…What.”

“…! Don’t tell me the shock caused you to lose your ability to speak!? Roera, could you put a few more syllables together for me so I can stop worrying?”

“…Ugh, just shut up!”

Roera, clearly annoyed, shoved me away as if she were swatting away a bothersome insect.

“Get off! You’re suffocating me!”

I was taken aback.

Suffocating? Wait, was I the one clinging to her like a kitten looking for comfort this whole time?

Memories blurred together. My sense of self unraveled. Was I the one at fault here?

I was shocked. It seemed my sister had an overwhelming mental ability capable of throwing me off balance like this.

“I’m sorry, little sister. Did your brother cling a bit too much?”

I was now speaking to the back of Roera’s head. She had turned away from me after pushing me off.

“Ugh, stop saying weird things!”

At least we were still communicating, despite her back being turned. I could practically picture her expression just from hearing her voice—frustration, disgust, and exasperation, all in perfect harmony.

“What’s so weird about it? Your brother is starting to feel a bit hurt, you know.”

“Enough with the ‘brother’ stuff! Just stop it!”

“You were the one who said it, Roera. ‘You’re my brother, no matter what.’ So now, no matter what you say, I’ll always be your brother.”

“Ugh! I must be losing my mind!”

Roera slapped her own cheeks in frustration, causing her face to redden dramatically. Who knew hitting herself a few times could make her look so much like a tomato? I started to wonder if she’d fractured her cheekbone at this rate.

“Forget it!”

“Forget what?”

“Everything! Everything that just happened! Forget it all!”

“As your brother, I might be forgetful, but even I can't just forget such a heartwarming moment. It was a special time, one where we shared our true feelings as siblings. I’ll never forget it, Roera. Even if I forget everything else, I won’t forget this.”

I quoted her own words back to her, savoring the emotional weight of the moment. Roera’s eyes started to well up with emotion again, likely feeling the same sense of sentiment.

“R-really? You’ll never forget it? Well, in that case, I guess…”

*Swish.*

The gentle sound that followed wasn’t suited to the warm atmosphere.

“Well, then, we should both die. You and I. Let’s just end it. I can’t see another way.”

Her voice trembled, and the tip of her sword shook as well. Roera had made her decision, apparently.

“W-wait, Roera! If anyone should understand me, it’s you!”

“Shut up! Just shut up!”

Once again, I had to find a way to calm Roera down. This time, instead of soothing pats, I had to avoid the sudden strikes from her sword.

Thankfully, Roera’s second outburst concluded without any casualties.

Now, we were both sitting on a bench in the mansion’s garden.

Roera sat next to me but promptly took off her shoes, threw her legs up onto my lap, and stretched out lazily across the bench.

To my left, I could see her bare feet wriggling freely. To my right, I could see her long blonde hair cascading down the bench as she stared blankly at the sky.

“Roera, are you alright?”

“What do you mean?”

“Your clothes. Won’t they wrinkle? And they might get dirty.”

“Don’t care.”

“Your hair might get a little messy too.”

“I tied it up loosely.”

“So confident! Even with a casual look, you still exude style and grace, huh?”

“Tch, whatever.”

Roera snorted dismissively, though her feet on the other side were playfully bouncing around. It would have been nice if the rest of Roera could be as straightforward and cheerful as those feet. I was a little jealous of the feet's carefree nature.

"So, what’s next?"

Roera shifted her position, sitting up briefly as if she was going to finally sit properly—only to lie back down, resting her head on my lap this time.

She gazed up at me from below.

"What are you going to do now? What’s your plan from here?"

She nudged the bag on the ground with her foot, which I had left nearby. Apparently, it was in her way, so she had tossed it aside.

"Are you really moving into the main house?"

Ah, that’s right. Roera still thinks I’m moving into the main house. Before I corrected her, I decided to tease her a little.

"Just curious—if I moved into the main house, would there be a problem? Is it one of those teenage territorial things where you don’t want to share a space with your brother?"

"Don’t be stupid."

*Thud.*

Roera dropped her head onto my thigh, whacking me in the process. As expected from a knight-in-training, her whole body was practically a weapon.

"It’s just… it annoys me."

"What does? That your brother’s living the good life?"

"Stop calling yourself my brother!"

"...That a male relative is living the good life?"

"Ugh, forget it. I’m not talking about you. I’m talking about *him.*"

*Him.* Whenever Roera spoke about our family head, she always referred to him that way in front of me. It wasn’t like she was hiding her true feelings out of caution. If anything, it felt more like she was being honest with me in particular.

For some reason, Roera deeply resented the family head. It wasn’t just the typical rebellion of a teenage daughter. It was something stronger.

"Him. He sends you to the annex as punishment, and now he wants to bring you back to the main house as some kind of reward? What is that about? What is—"

Roera trailed off, glancing at me as if she had more to say but stopped herself.

*Thud.*

Then, she hit my thigh with her head again.

"And you’re just going to accept it happily? Don’t you have any pride?"

"What would you prefer I do, Roera?"

"..."

Roera turned her gaze away and lightly tapped the bench with her foot, as if unsure of what to say.

"Don’t I annoy you?"

Her voice, unusually quiet, broke the silence.

"I’ve always told you not to do this, not to do that, calling you pathetic, and always interfering without offering any real solutions."

"…"

"This time is no different. So what? No pride, huh? What’s the point in having pride if it just means staying in the annex forever? Yeah, right, easy for me to say when it’s not my problem."

*Thump. Thump.*

Her foot hit the bench with more force as she continued.

I remained silent, waiting for her to finish what she had to say.

"What did you talk about with *him*?"

"The first thing he said was that if the arranged marriage goes through, he’ll treat me properly."

"Oh… right."

Roera suddenly sat up straight, as if she had just remembered some long-forgotten school assignment.

"So, what did you say? You didn’t just agree to it, did you?"

"What’s the problem if I go through with an arranged marriage?"

Roera furrowed her brow and flicked my knee with her finger.

"You idiot! Of course, there’s a problem! Are you seriously going to let him control your life like that? Let him decide who you marry, too?"

"Arranged marriages are pretty common among nobles, you know."

"Maybe, but… ugh! You’re not even a real noble, are you!?"

"The way you suddenly blurted that out…"

"Whatever. I’m not wrong, am I?"

"Well, no, you’re not. I’m pretty skeptical about the whole arranged marriage thing myself."

For someone from modern times, the concept of an arranged marriage felt like something out of a drama or a movie. If I imagined myself getting married that way, it felt unreal. But if it were my sibling or child in such a situation? Yeah, that’d be uncomfortable.

"Really!?"

For some reason, Roera looked delighted.

"What’s gotten into you? I thought you were the type to go, ‘Oh, I can’t wait to meet my lovely arranged bride and give the family head a grandchild!’"

"In your head, what kind of person am I, exactly?"

"So—"

Roera paused, gesturing as she spoke. After a brief moment of contemplation, her face lit up with excitement.

"Hey, would you do what I tell you to do?"

"Depends on what you’re asking."

"Whatever it takes. Do anything to make that Dintal girl lose interest in you."

"Dintal girl? You don’t get along with Pien?"

"...Pien?"

Roera scoffed, her mood immediately souring.

"Wow, it seems you two have gotten really close. I guess when a girl like her falls out of the sky and clings to you, what choice do you have? Of course, any guy would go all gooey and say, ‘Sure, I like you too.’"

"It’s not really like that… but okay. What’s your issue with Pien? Don’t tell me it’s because you don’t want to lose me to her—"

"Shut up! You really think that? Ugh, can’t you see she’s not normal? She acts like her head’s full of flowers! Doesn’t she give you the creeps?"

Listening to Roera rant, I couldn’t help but be impressed. How did she figure that out? She’s right, Pien *isn’t* normal.

"Forget it! I’m the idiot for worrying about you."

Roera turned away from me in frustration. Another encounter with the back of her head.

"Alright, let’s say Pien loses interest in me. Then what? What do you plan to do after that?"

"...Actually, I talked to *him* about it. I said I’d marry into the Dintal family instead of you."

"Why?"

"Why else? That idiot Calon is my—"

Roera spoke mechanically, then quickly glanced at me, gauging my reaction.

"…Just because."

"Just because?"

"Just because! I hate seeing him control you, living your life by his rules. What, does that annoy you? Do you think I stole your chance?"

"...So, you were willing to sacrifice yourself for me?"

"You—! Stop saying weird things!"

"What weird things? I’m saying I’m touched."

"..."

"It turns out you’re the only one who really cares about me, Roera."

"..."

Roera, still turned away from me, lay back down, resting her head on my lap once again. She grumbled as she spoke.

"If you understand, then you better behave from now on, got it?"

"Of course."

"You said it! You’ll listen to me from now on!"

"But… are you sure you’re okay with this? You, of all people, putting up with in-laws?"

"I’m nothing like you. I’m the legitimate heir of Vendell. They’ll treat me like royalty. Once I’m in Dintal, they won’t even dare breathe without worrying about me. It’s a whole different story from your situation."

Her defiant attitude and the way she proudly boasted about herself were just so… Roera. And yet, something felt a bit forced. Almost like she was putting on a front.

I resisted the urge to pat her head.

"So, all you need to do is follow my lead. Forget about *him.*"

*Thud. Thud. Thud.*

Roera punctuated each word by hitting the back of my leg with her head.

Honestly, I was touched. Despite her rough words and actions, she was genuinely trying to help me.

*Tap.*

Absentmindedly, I nudged my bag with my foot.

Originally, I hadn’t planned on telling Roera anything. I didn’t want her to get involved in any unnecessary trouble. I didn’t want her to worry. And besides, I didn’t think she’d care in the first place.

But now…

I made up my mind and spoke.

"Roera. I really appreciate it, but you don’t need to."

"Yeah, yeah. Shut up."

"No, I mean it. You don’t need to because I’m not going to go through with an arranged marriage. So, you don’t have to worry about getting stuck in one either."

"...What do you mean?"

I explained everything to Roera—what I had been through and what I was planning to do.

In other words, I shared my escape plan.

"...!"

As soon as I finished, Roera shot up from her seat.

"What are we doing here, then?"

"I ran into someone on the way and got sidetracked."

"...Forget that!"

*Thud. Thud.*

Roera grabbed my bag, shook the dust off, and slung it over her own shoulder.

"What’s this? Is this the part where you say, ‘Don’t go, brother’?"

Roera elbowed me in the side, grinning mischievously for once instead of her usual sarcastic smile.

"Let’s go."

"With all due respect, where exactly are we going?"

*Poke. Poke.*

Roera didn’t answer with words. Instead, she kept jabbing me with her elbow, urging me to get moving.

Her face was positively glowing with excitement.

Damn it. Right.

Of course, I knew it wouldn’t be that simple. Ildor wasn’t about to just let me go.

“Sir Rishir.”

I had barely taken a step towards the front gate when a man blocked my path.

“The family head has given an order. If Sir Rishir attempts to leave, we are to stop him.”

He wasn’t just any guard. He wasn’t one of the trainees posted at the gate.

The man standing before me, with a courteous smile, was none other than Sir Gerhen, one of the knights of the Vendell family.

He wasn’t a mere trainee but a fully-fledged knight.

And that meant only one thing.

"…If I insist on leaving, what then?"

“I’ll have no choice but to use force.”

In other words, he was someone I had no chance of defeating in a fight.

Not even the trainees were an easy match for me.

The only reason I had won against Humpton was because he had underestimated me. That allowed me to exploit his opening with magic.

But now, everyone in Vendell knew that I could use magic.

Humpton had even said it—if we fought again, he wouldn’t lose.

He wasn’t bluffing.

If I faced a trainee going all out while also guarding against my magic, I would almost certainly lose.

And this guy wasn’t just any trainee. Gerhen was skilled enough to take on three Humptons at once.

Now, he was standing in my way, ready to use force if necessary.

What could I, a mere bastard, possibly do in this situation?

“Gerhen. Move.”

Damn. I really didn’t want to resort to option [1. Hide behind my sister].

But it seemed Roera had made the decision for me. She stepped forward and stood between Gerhen and me.

"Miss…?"

Gerhen was visibly taken aback. The opponent had changed from a bastard to the family’s beloved daughter.

"I have business outside. I’m taking him with me."

"Sir Rishir is—"

"He’s coming with me."

"..."

"Did you not hear me? I said, *move.*"

*Sigh.*

Gerhen let out a soft breath.

“I don’t know what’s come over you, Miss Roera, but I’m afraid that won’t be possible.”

“Oh, really?”

“The family head’s orders are clear. Please, Miss. I don’t want to have to be disrespectful.”

“You’re saying you could be disrespectful if you wanted?”

Roera smirked, her signature mocking grin spreading across her face. It was a grin full of defiance.

"..."

Gerhen’s eyes twitched.

Though Gerhen served the Vendell family, he was still a nobleman. No one other than the family head could treat a family retainer so lightly.

“Miss, I’ll be frank. I’m not like the trainee, Lowen, whom you defeated.”

“You’re telling me to know my place and not overstep?”

“I remember your duel with Lowen well. It was an intense, evenly-matched battle.”

In noble-speak, that translated to:

You barely beat a trainee. Do you really think you can take me on?

“Don’t give me that.”

Roera snorted as she drew her sword.

“As you wish. I, Sir Gerhen, humbly request instruction from Lady Roera Vendell.”

Gerhen unsheathed his sword as well, and the two knights readied themselves for a duel—though not exactly a formal one.

"...!"

It only took a single clash.

Gerhen’s face twisted with disbelief as his sword met Roera’s.

It had only been a year.

A year ago, Roera had barely eked out a victory against a trainee like Lowen in a duel that could have gone either way.

But now, after just a year, here she stood, matching Gerhen—a fully-fledged knight who had already been at his prime a year ago.

Both of them pushed their swords apart, creating some distance between themselves before clashing again.

Several times their swords met, the sharp sound of metal ringing through the air.

After a series of exchanges, Gerhen took a step back, his face a mixture of astonishment and frustration.

"I see now why the family head favors you so much, Lady Roera."

"Thanks. So, does that mean you’re stepping aside?"

"To achieve this level of growth, without even fully embracing Vendell’s

 swordsmanship… It’s unnerving to think how strong you’ll become when you inherit it."

"So… you’re going to step aside, right?"

"..."

Gerhen reset his stance, this time adopting a more serious form. His sword began to glow faintly with a swirling energy.

"You’ve got to be kidding me."

Roera’s expression hardened as she realized what was happening.

Gerhen was using Vendell’s sword style now.

"Lady Roera, I hope you understand my position."

"Why are you all so intent on keeping someone who wants to leave? Why does it bother you so much if he’s leaving on his own terms?!"

Gerhen hesitated for a moment.

He had hoped that by showing his true strength, Roera would back down. But instead, she charged at him with even greater determination.

At this point, it seemed there was no choice but to fight it out.

‘I can’t let Lady Roera get hurt…’

Gerhen had no choice but to raise his full strength, aiming to knock her out quickly before she could sustain any serious injury.

Leaving her standing would only increase the risk of someone getting hurt.

"...!"

That’s when Gerhen’s gaze fell upon me, standing behind Roera.

‘That bastard…’

The knight’s sharp instincts caught wind of something strange. The bastard was quietly gathering mana.

But Gerhen remained calm.

He had witnessed Rishir’s duel with Humpton. He knew what the bastard was capable of and how little threat that posed to him.

His mana, which enveloped him like armor, would be more than enough to deflect whatever trick Rishir had up his sleeve.

And so, Gerhen turned his attention back to Roera.

‘He’s hiding the spell in his left hand.’

It was the equivalent of keeping a pesky fly in the corner of your eye. He remained aware but unconcerned.

It was a reasonable assumption.

And yet, that very reasoning was what led to his mistake.

“Huh?”

“What?”

“Huh!?”

The three of us all realized something was off at nearly the same time.

The way Rishir was gathering mana didn’t seem right. How much was he pulling in?

“No—what the hell? Why is this happening again? Screw it!”

Instead of using his left hand, Rishir raised his right hand.

A huge, swirling mass of mana shot forth, seemingly of its own accord, aimed directly at Gerhen.

It was an unexpected attack even for Rishir himself, but it was all the more startling from an outside perspective.

Could a human's mana output suddenly increase so drastically? Such a thing should be impossible unless they had consumed some kind of rare, potent elixir.

“This is absurd!”

But Gerhen, true to his skill as a Vendell knight, managed to react just in time to deflect the attack.

He swung his sword to intercept the mass of mana, only for the sphere to abruptly change its trajectory mid-flight.

"...!"

Everything collided in just the right way, and the bastard’s spell struck the knight square in the jaw.

Gerhen’s eyes rolled upward as Roera’s fist followed closely behind.

“What did you do!?”

Roera, in place of the unconscious Gerhen, asked the question he might have voiced.

And just like that, the bastard and the young lady left the Vendell estate behind.

“Ugh, this place is horrifying. Who designed this nightmare of a garden?”

“Really? I think it looks nice.”

“Duran, you’re doing this on purpose, right?”

“No? Compared to your terrifying garden, this place is like paradise.”

“Ugh, you’re so mean!”

“You’re convinced I’m joking, aren’t you? Harsh. So, what brings you here? I thought you were done with your business.”

“I’d like to think so, but what can I say? A mage’s contract comes with certain formalities.”

The Vendell estate had been in a commotion ever since the young lady and the bastard made their escape.

And amid all the chaos, an uninvited guest arrived.

“Well, I’ll need to formally take over, won’t I? Can’t leave room for any misunderstandings later on.”