When Evan didn’t respond, Rant’s eager expression wilted, his sparkling eyes dimming. I could almost see his imaginary ears and tail drooping. Evan, clearly flustered, sensed it too.
“I want to call you Brother. Is that okay?” Rant pressed, his large eyes glistening with earnest pleading.
“…Call me what you like, young master,” Evan relented, swayed by Rant’s heartfelt request.
When did my puppy turn into a fox?
Rant’s affectionate behavior toward Evan was surprising. Normally shy, he was polite but distant with his tutors, never this warm. I wondered what about Evan had won him over.
“It’s Rant, Brother,” he corrected, beaming as Evan nodded.
Well, good is good.
If Rant and Evan grew close, it could only be a positive thing. Rant began peppering Evan with questions, and Evan answered patiently.
When dessert arrived—a cream cake piled with fruit—Rant’s cheeks flushed with excitement. He adored cream cakes, especially those topped with fruit, enough to leap out of bed for them.
“Brother, try this! It’s amazing!” Rant said, eyes shining as he pointed to a cake adorned with plump strawberries.
Evan, prodded by Rant’s eager stare, picked up his fork and took a bite. His gray-blue eyes widened slightly as he savored it.
“Delicious, right?” Rant asked.
“Indeed,” Evan replied, a faint smile breaking through his earlier reluctance.
Unlike its appearance, the cake wasn’t overly sweet. The fruit, simmered in liquor and chestnut honey instead of regular honey created a balance of sweet and bitter.
Perfect for refined tastes.
Even Father, who disliked sweets, could enjoy its subtle flavor and smooth texture.
“Your Highness, try some too,” Rant said, pushing his plate toward Sys.
“It’s good.”
Sys, caught off guard by Rant’s sudden friendliness, looked wary. Hesitating under Rant’s sparkling gaze, he finally gave in and took a bite.
As Sys tasted the cake, Rant grinned mischievously, a phantom arrow-tipped tail wagging behind him.
“Ugh!”
Sys’s face contorted instantly. Rant’s innocent smile widened.
“It’s my favorite. Really tasty, right?”
“Pfft.”
I couldn’t help laughing at Rant’s blatant prank. Sys’s resentful glare stung, but I ignored it, popping a piece of my own cake into my mouth.
“Haa!”
While Rant smiled brightly, Sys’s face crumpled further. Unlike Evan’s balanced cake, Rant had given Sys a sickeningly sweet one, tailored to Rant’s taste with honey-drenched excess.
Even Sys, who could stomach the bitter Arak fruit, seemed overwhelmed by the cloying sweetness.
“You must be younger than I thought, liking such sweet things, brother-in-law,” Sys teased, rinsing his mouth with tea.
Rant’s puffed-up cheeks trembled at the title. Before he could retort, a low voice cut in.
“That title is premature, Your Highness.”
Father’s intervention flipped their expressions—Rant grinned smugly, while Sys frowned.
“Bee’s coming-of-age is done. It’s only a matter of time, isn’t it?” Sys countered.
“Promises can be broken,” Father replied coolly.
“Chancellor!” Sys shot to his feet.
Father, unfazed, sipped his tea with textbook elegance.
“Have you forgotten it was nearly broken once already?”
Sys flinched, visibly shaken. Father set his cup down, his blue eyes shifting past Sys to me.
“I should get going.”
He stood, glancing at Evan.
“Could you spare me a moment?”
“Of course, Your Grace,” Evan replied, his gaze briefly lingering on me before following Father.
“Haa.”
As they left, Sys let out a weary sigh, looking drained from his exchange with Father.
Rant, hands folded neatly on his lap, rolled his eyes mischievously. His plate, once piled with cake, was now spotless.
“Finished your cake?” I asked.
“Yes,” he nodded.
I smiled gently, chiding, “Then head to your room.”
“…”
Rant hesitated, glancing at Sys. I called his name again.
“Rant?”
“…Yes, Sis.”
He stood reluctantly. His prank on Sys was mischievous but not malicious. I pinched his cheek lightly, shaking it.
“That’s enough mischief, okay?”
“Yes.”
“Go on, then.”
I patted his backside, and he nodded, blushing as he left. I signaled the maids to leave, and soon only Sys and I remained in the dining room.
I approached him slowly.
“Facing two gatekeepers at once is tougher than I thought,” he said, offering a weak smile.
Seeing the usually confident Sys so deflated stirred pity. I toyed with a strand of his silver hair, soft as thread between my fingers.
What promise passed between him and Father?
It clearly involved me. I’d asked about it multiple times, but both clamped their mouths shut like locked vaults.
Curiosity gnawed, but I didn’t press. They must have a reason for keeping it from me.
Still, seeing Sys so dejected made me question whether ignoring it was right.
“You wanted a capable woman like me by your side, yet you didn’t anticipate this?” I teased.
“Hah, I expected it, but they’re formidable,” he replied, pulling me close and wrapping his arms around my waist.
“I’m struggling today.”
He rubbed his head against me like an affectionate cat. I patted his back gently.
“My brother thinks he’s the best. A little mischief is to be expected. You’ll have to endure a bit more.”
“That’s harsh. A little mischief?”
He grumbled, resting his forehead against me.
“Can’t you be on my side, just this once?”
“Crying over this much?”
“Even I can’t handle two at once, Bee.”
He tightened his hold, his voice soft and plaintive.
“The chancellor alone is overwhelming.”
“Did something happen with Father?”
Before we entered, it was just Sys and Father in the dining room. Father’s face was neutral, but his aura was sharp, unlike usual.
“I told him I want to marry you as soon as possible,” Sys mumbled, burrowing into my embrace.
“Marry?” I asked, startled.
“…”
He looked up, studying my face.
“What do you mean, ‘marry’? You weren’t thinking we wouldn’t, were you?”
I met his piercing gaze without flinching.
