Chapter : 21
This kind of contact had become completely natural now. The reason was simple: they had grown close.
A few days had passed since Sirius had suddenly started being nice to her.
They said children could become friends close as if they’d known each other for a lifetime after spending just a few hours together.
And unless something unusual happened, Elena and Sirius were together almost all day long.
There still seemed to be a line they didn’t cross when they were just talking, but once they started playing together, Sirius began acting completely at ease.
Is this really okay?
Holding his hand, Elena sank into thought.
Why does it feel like a plan where I walk into my own grave and even shovel the dirt over myself?
Still, the ambition to actively prove herself to be a useless person wasn’t such a bad idea.
Ironically, the problem was that it only worked if she stayed within his field of vision at all times.
“Hey, what are you doing? Let’s go.”
“Yeah.”
Since she didn’t have a better plan than “becoming a useless person,” Elena held Sirius’s hand and headed for the garden.
But before they reached the clearing where they had played yesterday, a faint, urgent voice calling for Sirius reached them.
“Your Highness Sirius! Where are you!”
Elena and Sirius looked at each other at the same time.
You heard it too, right?
Without saying a word, they realized they were thinking the exact same thing.
“Why are they looking for me?”
“I don’t know either.”
There was no point in guessing here. Even now, the voice calling for Sirius echoed through the area.
“Shouldn’t you go?”
Elena said. Sirius tapped the ground with his toe for no reason.
She could tell he didn’t want to go.
“I just want to go to the garden and play… but I guess I can’t.”
“It might not be a big deal. Let’s just go hear what they want.”
Sirius hesitated, as if he had a bad feeling.
But perhaps he realized Elena was right, because he eventually went to find the maid who was shouting.
“Your Highness Sirius, Duke Rode is looking for you. He is in his office, so please go there.”
The maid delivered the message respectfully, then bowed again and left, as if she had nothing more to say.
She didn’t even wait for a response.
That behavior meant an answer wasn’t required.
Sirius had to go to the duke’s office immediately. His expression naturally darkened.
He had been really looking forward to watching ants today—what was this?
Elena spoke to comfort him.
“I’ll wait. Go and come back.”
“Okay…”
“Come to think of it, I have somewhere to go too. So it’s fine even if it takes you a while.”
“Somewhere to go?”
Elena nodded. Watching ants was important, but there was something she needed to take care of. She had to go see Joseph.
“They said Joseph woke up this morning. I’m going to confront him about what he did and get an apology.”
“Good. Make sure you get one. If Joseph refuses to apologize, tell me.”
Sirius sounded more energetic than before.
It was a bit unsettling that the energy came from a sense of vengeance, but still.
In any case, he looked much better than earlier.
Walking backward, Sirius waved at her.
“See you later at our house.”
Elena waved back at his retreating figure.
Did we even have a house?
She searched her memory for a moment, then recalled the line they had drawn on the ground yesterday while playing house.
“Heh.”
A laugh naturally followed the memory.
Unaware of how brightly she was smiling, Elena stepped forward lightly.
It was time to go see Joseph.
“You really are something…”
A slightly exasperated tone slipped out on its own. Elena narrowed her eyes slightly as she looked at Joseph.
He lay completely still in bed, his body wrapped in bandages.
The abdomen Sirius had kicked first had broken ribs, so even the slightest twist made him groan as if he were dying.
That wasn’t all. His arms and legs, beaten badly, showed dark bruises beneath the bandages.
There wasn’t a single spot without a bruise.
But the most striking thing was his swollen face.
Before Sirius arrived, Joseph could once have been acknowledged as the most handsome boy in Rode—but that advantage had completely vanished.
That had been his only redeeming quality.
Elena clicked her tongue. Joseph flinched visibly.
“So why’d you do something to get on Sirius’s bad side? Is self-inflicted suffering your hobby?”
“…Why are you here?”
He was mumbling badly.
Because his face was so swollen, she could barely understand him, so Elena tilted her head closer.
“You should’ve spoken politely to Sirius from the start. You already lost—refusing to accept it is seriously pathetic.”
“Did you come just to mock me?”
“No. I came to get an apology.”
Since Joseph always went on about being the older brother, she figured she’d lecture him a bit as the younger sibling before accepting his apology.
If he didn’t want to hear it, he shouldn’t have insisted on playing the older brother.
After giving Joseph a sharp look, Elena got to the point.
“You know what you did wrong, right?”
“…Throwing something recklessly.”
That “something” had been a real sword wrapped in cloth.
Duke Rode, pleased with Sirius, had given it to him to seriously begin training him.
Joseph had grown jealous and snapped when Elena asked what it was.
“So. Were you wrong, or not?”
“…I was wrong.”
Even while clenching his teeth, he answered obediently. Sirius must have really scared him. Elena raised an eyebrow.
“Sincerely?”
“Does that matter?”
Joseph muttered sarcastically.
But with Sirius’s figure seeming to loom behind Elena like a hallucination, he suppressed his emotions and continued.
“It’s not like you’d forgive me just because I’m sincere.”
“Why not? You’ve already been punished enough.”
Do you think I’m as petty as someone?
Honestly, everyone in the Rode family was untrustworthy.
Still, Elena intended to let it go without holding a grudge.
Sirius’s punishment had been so thorough that it left no room for lingering resentment.
But if Joseph kept acting like this, his future was doomed.
Sirius would see right through a hollow apology.
Maybe he needed to be beaten to the very end to come to his senses?
With nothing more to hear, Elena turned around.
“…Is that serious?”
At that moment, Joseph stopped her with a subtly trembling voice.
Sensing something different, Elena turned back instead of leaving.
“If I sincerely beg for forgiveness…”
“I told you. I’ll forgive you.”
“…Then will you leave my wrist alone too?”
Elena froze at the scene she had never encountered before.
Joseph’s neck was still stiff, but his eyes were filled with fear.
The boy she’d thought of as a little devil now looked like a frightened child trembling in terror.
“I don’t repeat myself three times.”
After a short pause, Elena spoke quietly.
Tears suddenly welled up in his eyes.
“Hngh…”
A sob burst from Joseph’s lips.
He didn’t want to cry, but the tears poured out from deep inside, impossible to stop.
Trying to hold them back, he soon found himself sobbing uncontrollably.
Deep down, he thought his fate was already sealed.
The only reason he was receiving treatment now was because his injuries hadn’t left him permanently disabled.
But if his wrist were broken, it would be different.
He’d be crippled—unable to wield a sword ever again.
His father would abandon him.
The treatment would stop.
He’d waste away with a broken body until he died.
But maybe… that wouldn’t happen.
Relief washed over him, and Joseph broke down in tears in front of Elena.
The younger sister he had looked down on must have stopped Sirius—for no benefit to herself.
“Hic… you stupid bastard—agh!”
Joseph stopped crying and clutched his forehead.
Elena had come back and flicked his forehead hard with a fist the size of an egg.
Thunk!
“Don’t curse. Do you think I don’t want to?”
Seriously, the people of Rode had a weird way of talking about kindness.
Stupid bastard, really?
Still annoyed, Elena flicked his forehead once more.
“Ah!”
Apparently lacking any learning ability, he’d been spacing out and clutched his forehead again.
Elena spoke.
“Why should helping someone be something you get insulted for?”
“Hic… hngh…”
“And get this straight—it wasn’t for you. I did it for myself.”
Breaking Joseph’s wrist might have felt satisfying in the moment.
But she had no way to deal with the backlash that would come later.
If Joseph became crippled and abandoned by his father, ruining his entire life over something that wasn’t worthy of death would leave a bad taste in her mouth.
So, strictly speaking, it wasn’t an act of kindness.
She could’ve made him indebted to her, but she didn’t want that either.
Elena still disliked Joseph and hoped he’d eventually ruin himself by his own doing.
Bastard, just don’t ruin yourself in front of me.
That was as far as Elena’s feelings toward Joseph went.
“Watch yourself from now on. If this happens again, I really won’t let it slide.”
It was her final warning.
She shot him a cold glare. Joseph sniffled and fidgeted.
Then, as if making up his mind, he finally spoke.
“I’m sorry.”
“….”
“I-I’m sorry. Hngh…”
It was an ugly cry.
But somehow, the second apology felt sincere, and Elena let out a small sigh.
She didn’t want to think about Joseph or anything else.
Suddenly, she missed Sirius.
Even though she absolutely shouldn’t have.
