Chapter 22
Translated by Momo & edited by Mary
The Duke of Coulson, a distant relative of the Duke of Silvy, had three boys.
The two older kids grew up well, and they were considered to be so talented that either of them could be an excellent heir. Their parents doted on them and showered them with as much affection as possible.
On the other hand, the youngest son, Gilbert, was said to be unworthy in comparison to his two brothers’ reputation and was treated poorly.
His room was kept separate from his family’s quarters, and his parents only came to see him once a month. He behaved well since he wished to be spoiled and praised by his parents, but they didn’t care for him at all. The ones in charge of caring and playing with Gilbert were always the servants.
They were family, but not a ‘real’ family.
And that was Gilbert’s position in the Coulson family.
When he was about to fall into despair from this sort of life, talks about being adopted by the distantly related Silvy family came up.
The Silvy family currently had a five-year-old daughter, but they seemed troubled because they didn’t have a male heir.
It was an outdated tradition, but basically, it was decided that a man should inherit the nobility rank. Exceptions could be applied, but in reality, they were really rare.
One of the duties of nobility was to raise exemplary heirs. Hence, the Coulson family, which was blessed with three boys, was casually chosen.
At first, it was said that the second brother would go. If everything went accordingly, he would become the next Duke Silvy.
However, if a boy was born in the Silvy family, the second brother would be tossed aside. The mistress was still young, and there was plenty of potential for a second pregnancy.
Given these concerns, Gilbert was chosen as the “child that could be ignored.”
On the day of departure, no one came to see Gilbert off.
“Am I being thrown away?”
The servant only deeply bowed to Gilbert, saying, “Have a safe trip.”
The Silvy household, the adopting family, welcomed Gilbert with open arms. It was rather heartwarming.
Especially Cecilia, who became his stepsister, and immediately said upon meeting him: “I’ve finally got a younger brother!” while cheerfully hugging the boy.
Gilbert’s welcome was like that. At the start, he didn’t like Cecilia.
He hated her. He scorned her.
Her parents doted on her, despite the fact that she could also be considered as some useless heir that could not hold a noble title. She was loved, loved, and loved almost to the point of drowning her in affection.
“Why are we so different even though we have the same circumstances?”
After joining the Silvy family, that was all he could think about.
He kept this restrained attitude for about six months, until one day, Gilbert fell ill. He had a high fever, and he was so drained that he could not get up on his own for a while.
Originally, Gilbert didn’t have a strong physique. He was often ill at the time he was still living with the Coulson family. His parents hated Gilbert’s frail body, and the servants would gossip it was “troublesome” and “unsightly” in the shadows when he got sick.
He had no memory of anyone ever caring for him.
“Gil, how are you feeling?”
After he got sick, Cecilia visited Gilbert many times. She made sure they hired a nurse to care for him and she would sometimes change the towel on his forehead.
In reality, though, Gilbert was extremely annoyed by Cecilia’s attempts at nursing. She was clumsy and she would noisily be busy by herself around the room. He felt like she was treating this as a child’s play.
He felt like he was treated like a doll.
That made him furious.
But if he tried to kick her out of the room, he might lose his footing in the Silvy family.
Gilbert had no choice but to accept his role as a doll.
She went to Gilbert’s room every single day, without missing a beat. She would sing lullabies or read a book until she was satisfied.
And in the end, she would always ask, “Is there anything you wish, Gil?”
Gilbert always shook his head.
It was the same on that day too.
She wiped the sweat off his face, read a book until her throat became hoarse, and then energetically asked, “Is there anything you wish, Gil?”.
He would usually shake his head, but that day Gilbert was a little different.
He wanted to be a little mean to this hypocritical stepsister.
Gilbert pointed to the illustration in the book that Cecilia had just read a while ago. It was a blue rose that was said to grant any wish.
“I want this.”
He asked for that.
Blue roses didn’t exist in this world. Gilbert knew that and still said it on purpose.
He wanted to see his stepsister’s troubled face.
However, after seeing the illustration, Cecilia grumbled, “Hmm!” and proclaimed, “I got it! I will look for it tomorrow!”
He was surprised by her answer but at the same time thought that she probably didn’t know that blue roses didn’t exist, and let it go anyway.
And as expected, she didn’t show up at the usual time the next day.
Surely his sister would be troubled now. When he thought about it, he felt refreshed. He really thought it was his reward after being treated like a doll all this time.
But he also felt lonely in the quiet room.
In the evening, Gilbert woke up at the sound of a loud noise.
When he sat up and looked around, his stepsister was outside the window.
Her cheeks were dirty with mud, and she had something in her hand.
Gilbert hastily opened the window. Then a flower was presented right in front of his nose.
“I’m sorry. These were the only blue flowers I could find!”
She was holding a blue bellflower.
“It can also be used as a medicine! It was hard to find because it grows in the middle of the cliff.”
“Cliff!?”
He said it in a baffled voice.
Certainly, there was a cliff behind the mansion, but could it be that she climbed that by herself?
On closer inspection, her dress was soiled with dirt, and the hem was torn to some extent. Her cheeks were scraped, and her forehead was red, probably from hitting it somewhere.
“Mom will probably be angry with me since I skipped my afternoon lessons today.”
But she was still smiling even after saying that.
Gilbert extended his trembling hand and gently took the bellflower. “Why…?”
Without noticing, his voice was also trembling.
He couldn’t understand why she would go this far.
“Because I love Gil! I’m sad if Gil is not okay!”
She answered with an innocent smile.
Then she stroked Gil’s head with her dirt-covered hands.
“Hmm, let’s play together soon!”
“Hm…”
His eyes moistened. Tears accumulated into big beads and rolled down his cheeks.
No one had ever told him they loved him. It was the first time that he knew those words sounded so warm.
“What happened, Gil?? Does your body hurt?”
She looked at his face from outside the window.
Looking closely, her honey blonde hair, which was always neatly combed, was all messed up. She probably fell several times while climbing.
Gilbert wiped away his tears.
“It’s nothing. I just also really love my sister.”
“I see!”
For the first time since the day they met, he had the biggest smile on his face.
And that was how Gilbert became infatuated with Cecilia.
It didn’t take long for him to realize that these were romantic feelings, and after that, he knew he couldn’t take it back anymore.
Cecilia still saw him as her brother. While being aware of that, he has never made a move on her. But he couldn’t give up, so he was steadily preparing, trying to get rid of the possible obstacles one by one.
If the engagement between Cecilia and the Crown Prince was annulled, he could get permission from their parents to propose. Although they were siblings in the family register, they could still get married. He thoroughly checked how. He knew what all the necessary arrangements were.
“After all that, what’s up with that guy trying to get close now…”
He didn’t hate Oscar. But when it came to Cecilia, it was a different story.
His chest was filled with a heinous feeling.
He felt like a black fog was rising from the palm of his hand.
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