Chapter 75
It happened all too suddenly.
After a brief moment passed, Chesha slowly blinked her eyes.
‘…What the hell is this guy’s deal?’
He had clearly come over on purpose and spilled it.
She had fully expected that there would be people picking fights once they arrived at the banquet hall.
The Basilian County, having suddenly emerged, was like a protruding stone—perfectly positioned to be targeted.
Just like Count Rudin had done before, she figured at least one fool would pop up and cause trouble.
But this…
She had never even imagined that Kierne’s clothes would get ruined.
‘That kid put so much effort into preparing!’
Chesha glared at the guy, wishing she could chop his head off with an axe right then and there.
The boy wearing the hat made by Hata looked to be around the same age as Belzeon.
Even at a glance, he was dressed in luxurious clothes, making it easy to guess he was the young heir of a high-ranking noble family.
The boy frowned as he looked at Kierne.
“I’ll compensate you for the clothes. Why are you glaring like that?”
“……”
Kierne didn’t respond.
He just let out a short, scoffing laugh and beckoned with his finger.
Golden mana swirled up from his hand.
“Kyaa!”
A sharp scream erupted.
It was because the table stacked with fruit juice glasses had been enveloped in golden mana and was now flying through the air.
The table stopped precisely above the boy’s head.
“Wh-what, aaah…!”
Before the boy could even react, it flipped over.
The glasses clattered down, pouring over the boy’s head.
The boy, now drenched in sticky fruit juice, burst into tears.
“Y-you, you rude…!”
Unable to even speak properly, choking on his words, the boy fled while sobbing, his face smeared red with juice.
Kierne let the fleeing boy go.
He just watched his retreating back for a moment, then turned around to check on Chesha’s condition.
“…Little sis, are you okay?”
Of course she was fine.
But Kierne, who had shielded her, was not.
Kierne’s clothes were now spotted with red fruit juice stains.
The other Basilian men had used black fabric for their outfits, but Kierne’s happened to incorporate a lot of light-colored material, making the stains stand out even more.
Chesha didn’t know what to say.
Kierne glanced around slightly and said,
“Let’s go somewhere else for now.”
Because of the commotion, too many people were staring their way.
Kierne set Chesha down on the floor so she wouldn’t touch his wet clothes, and they walked side by side.
He found a spot with fewer people and sat Chesha down on a new chaise lounge.
After thoroughly checking to make sure no juice had splashed on Chesha anywhere, Kierne let out a sigh.
Then, suddenly, he bit his lower lip.
His small shoulders trembled faintly.
He seemed to be trying hard to hold it in, but in the end, tears fell in big drops.
“I’m sorry…”
Kierne quickly turned away.
He didn’t want Chesha to see him crying.
It was only after some time had passed, as he stared up at the sky, that the boy turned back around.
Having pulled out a handkerchief to neatly wipe away the tear stains, Kierne gave a faint smile.
“I’ll drop you off with Karha, and then big brother has to head back first.”
Kierne took a deep breath and exhaled.
“I always want to show only a perfect image in front of others.”
His fingers, clutching the handkerchief, were twitching slightly.
Kierne looked down at his now shabby and pitiful clothes and murmured,
“Especially not like this, never…”
The boy smiled bitterly.
Just like that day long ago in the past, when he had hidden in the bushes and realized how wretched he looked.
“I’m truly glad your clothes didn’t get ruined, though. I wanted you to be the prettiest one today.”
“Don’t go, brother.”
Chesha quickly grabbed the hem of Kierne’s clothes.
It was their first social debut together—how could he go home alone?
Knowing how much Kierne had looked forward to today and how carefully he had prepared, those words made Chesha’s heart sink with a thud.
“I want to stay with you.”
“But with my clothes like this… Even walking you back into the banquet hall would be embarrassing.”
His expression said he wanted to disappear right that instant.
Seeing Kierne like that made her heart sting.
As Chesha fidgeted anxiously, something suddenly caught her eye.
“Stay right there!”
Chesha let go of Kierne and scampered off.
“Little sis? Where are you going?”
The place Chesha ran to, leaving Kierne behind, was a statue decorated with flowers.
Thanks to the lavish spending poured into the banquet, fresh flowers were abundant everywhere.
They had adorned various spots with flowers, and the statue was no exception.
It was decked out with flowers to make it look like a fairy.
Chesha strained on tiptoe and picked up the flowers placed at the statue’s feet.
Gathering a few stems, she hurried back and thrust them toward Kierne.
“You can cover it with these!”
“Huh…?”
“I’ll get more!”
While Kierne stood there bewildered, holding the flowers, Chesha quickly leaped into the bushes and hid.
Then, moving her short legs busily, she headed to a spot with no people around.
As soon as she reached a place where she couldn’t sense anyone nearby, she summoned her power.
With a sparkling light, butterflies and flowers appeared.
Chesha carefully created the flowers.
She didn’t know how much Duke Ibroiel had spent to buy those expensive flowers.
But no flower could compare to ones bloomed by a fairy.
The flowers, brimming with vibrant life force, were lush and emitted a startlingly bright fragrance.
She popped out plenty of flowers that would suit Kierne’s outfit—pong, pong, pong—and gathered a full armload.
“Good!”
This was more than satisfactory.
Chesha returned, hugging the flowers.
When she got back, the boy was still standing there blankly, holding the flowers Chesha had first given him.
Chesha, arms full of flowers, toddled over to Kierne.
But perhaps she had been too greedy—the flowers blocked her view completely.
Chesha tripped over a stone.
“Oops!”
She thought she was going to fall flat on the ground, but she stopped in mid-air.
A golden line had appeared from somewhere and caught her.
Kierne, who had quickly summoned his mana, let out a short sigh.
“…Haa.”
Then, fully lifting Chesha upright, he scolded her.
“You almost got hurt.”
There was no time to be scolded.
Chesha hurriedly thrust out the flowers in her arms.
“It’s a present.”
They were clearly special flowers at a glance.
Kierne’s eyes widened in surprise as he accepted them.
He fiddled with the flowers, then used magic to attach the blossoms one by one to his clothes, covering the stains here and there.
Since his outfit was more ornate than typical menswear, decorating it with fresh flowers made it blend surprisingly well.
No, rather, the red stains, the fresh flowers, and Kierne’s beauty combined to create an almost artistic atmosphere.
Chesha beamed and clapped her hands.
She wanted to toss out some cool, profound line if she could.
But considering her current physical age, she kept it simple.
“Now we can go together, right?”
“……”
Kierne was silent for a while.
‘Why is he acting like this?’
Chesha tilted her head to the side.
Kierne, who had kept his lips sealed in long silence, suddenly blurted out something out of the blue.
“You’re really strange.”
She had worked so hard to make the flowers, and this is what she got in return!
Chesha looked at Kierne with a sense of betrayal.
But Kierne’s expression was odd.
“Because of you, I’ve become strange too. Even learning magic…”
He was staring intently at Chesha without even blinking.
As if looking at a being from a realm he couldn’t comprehend.
The black pupils set in the distinctive red eyes of the Basilians were narrowed tightly.
Kierne, who had been murmuring, closed his mouth for a moment.
Then, slowly, he spoke again.
“…This is a problem.”
The boy, having fully recognized his own feelings, smiled.
With a smile as lovely as a freshly bloomed flower, Kierne declared,
“Now, I really think I can’t live without my little sister.”
