Chapter 18

Sitting on the park bench in front of the cathedral, she calmed her heart.

“Are you feeling a bit better?”

A familiar voice came from right beside her. She looked at the man next to her.

“…So it was indeed you, Sir.”

“Did you know it was me?”

He asked, and she nodded. How could she not recognize him, even from a distance?

“If I had known, I would have disguised myself more thoroughly. I wonder if any of the other nuns noticed…”

“No.”

She slightly lifted the hat he had pressed down. His lush black hair was revealed in full.

“Vivi…?”

Sir Costance was startled by her gesture and opened his eyes wide.

“Only I know. That it’s you, Sir.”

“How…”

“I recognized your scent.”

He swallowed hard. It was so loud that she could hear it clearly. Embarrassed, he turned his head to the side, his face flushed.

“I’m sorry. I was so flustered…. So I have a scent.”

“Yes. You have a distinct scent, Sir.”

“Is it, perhaps, an unpleasant smell?”

Sir Costance, sensitive to the word “smell,” asked her. She smiled slightly at his serious question.

“No. It’s nice. A very warm scent.”

“…I see.”

And then he said nothing more.

“Um, Sir.”

She broke the silence.

“Do you have nothing to say to me?”

“Actually, I want to ask you. Do you have nothing to ask me, Vivi?”

He replied. Of course, she did. She was curious why he was here in disguise. However, she closed her lips.

She felt sorry for Sir Costance’s consideration, hoping she would ask about his sensitive matters first. She knew it would be rude to ask… but Sir Costance’s eyes seemed to say that if she asked, he would answer.

“Yes, I do.”

“Ask away.”

“Why do you hide your appearance and come here, Sir? According to the nun, you’ve been coming for quite a while.”

“I came to see Eugene.”

He said without hesitation.

“What?”

She was surprised by his willingness to tell her the truth.

“Eugene is… my only brother.”

He confessed. His tone was more subdued than ever. He smiled bitterly before speaking again.

“He is the son born between my father and my father’s mistress. Still, he is my only brother, so I cherished him a lot.”

He lowered his head slightly.

“Alonso wouldn’t remember, though.”

“Alonso?”

“Eugene’s original name. Alonso Orsi.”

Only then did she truly realize that Eugene was indeed Sir Costance’s brother. Orsi. He really was a child born with the Orsi name.

For some reason, she felt she shouldn’t listen any further. Yet, she couldn’t ignore him and focused on his words.

“When Alonso was born, Father was commanding the army. I was left alone with Alonso to take care of him.”

“…”

“Even though we had different mothers, I found Alonso cute and lovely. Before he was born, the mansion was quiet and desolate. It was a frightening place. So Alonso’s cries comforted me.”

Sir Costance’s voice softened. She imagined Sir Costance holding baby Alonso, hiding in the dark mansion.

“A few years later, Father relinquished his title and returned to the mansion. By then, I had grown up and applied to the military academy. I spent all my time in the dormitory after enrolling. Even after graduation, I immediately boarded a ship, so it was difficult to see Alonso.”

He said he worried a lot about Alonso, left alone in the mansion.

“When I finally disembarked and returned to the mansion after a long time… Alonso was gone.”

“No way…”

Her voice trembled.

“Yes. Father, who never approved of Alonso, had left him at an orphanage. He abandoned him.”

“Oh my.”

“Knowing that, I got angry at Father for the first time. I got scolded instead, though. Upon returning to the military, I first searched for Alonso. I placed him in an orphanage near the military base and secretly visited him.”

“…Can’t you bring Alonso back to the mansion?”

“Father abandoned Alonso. Even if I brought him to the mansion, Father… And I judged that playing at the orphanage was better than living in the Orsi mansion.”

Her heart felt heavy. Unaware of all this, she had cried in Sir Costance’s arms, causing Eugene and Sir Costance to meet.

She felt so sorry that she couldn’t say anything and just fidgeted with her fingers. Truly, Sir Costance was too good for her, and she was causing him so much pain.

That fact suffocated her.

“Still, I guess blood can’t be deceived.”

“…?”

“I didn’t expect Alonso to like you too, Vivi. Both brothers liking the same woman.”

“What? Th-that Eugene doesn’t l-like me but respects me. Just as a sister and brother….”

As she stammered, she realized something odd.

“Sir. Then you knew me… from a long time ago?”

Sir Costance smiled.

“Of course. I fell for you back then.”

Caught off guard, she heard another confession.

“…”

“…”

Sir Costance, seemingly embarrassed by his words, cleared his throat.

“I didn’t know you knew me from before.”

“You were always with Alonso.”

“That’s true. Eugene follows me around.”

Finally, she could smile freely. Seeing her smile, Sir Costance’s face brightened slightly. The heavy feeling in her heart eased, and her mind felt refreshed after talking with him.

Eugene must have been very surprised…

He would be very worried since she suddenly ran out with a shocked face. She stood up to go comfort the startled children.

She took a deep breath.

“Don’t you have anything to ask me, Sir?”

She asked, looking at him. She intended to come up with a reasonable excuse, even if she couldn’t tell him the truth.

“Warm tea is good for stomachaches. Avoid drinks with milk.”

“…What?”

“You were holding your stomach. Wasn’t it a stomachache?”

Sir Costance feigned ignorance.

“…Yes. My stomach hurt a lot.”

“I have those times too.”

The thought of him clutching his stomach in pain was unimaginable.

“I’m going back inside. The kids must be worried.”

He stood up with her.

“If your stomach hurts again, come out.”

“Aren’t you coming in?”

“Meeting Alonso would only hurt us both. If he learns about his birth, he’ll resent me. I don’t want to be someone who hurts Alonso.”

“I see.”

As she was about to enter the cathedral, Sir Costance hesitated. He looked like he had more to say.

She stopped and looked at him intently. She wanted to hear everything he had to say.

“Sir?”

“But I want to help Alonso. …I hope Alonso grows up well.”

“I understand your heart.”

Despite her reassurance, he hesitated.

“I also want to give him everything I couldn’t. But if I did that…”

“Sir.”

At her call, he raised his head.

“I understand your heart. I’ll find out what Eugene likes and wants. I’ll help Eugene too.”

Sir Costance was the best man, the best groom prospect, and the best brother.

* * *

“Vivi!”

As soon as she entered the cathedral, Eugene asked her with a worried tone.

“Are you okay?”

“Oh, it was just a little stomachache.”

At her mention of a stomachache, he fussed about whether she should go to the hospital. She coaxed and comforted him, but his sulky expression didn’t easily fade.

“Who was that man holding you, Vivi?”

Eugene asked sharply. It seemed he didn’t even think of calling her ‘noona’ anymore.

“A man?”

It was the nun who reacted to Eugene’s words. She looked at Vivi with a face of disbelief.

“Oh, it turned out that man was… an acquaintance.”

“Really? What kind of acquaintance?”

The nun asked eagerly. If she spoke carelessly, the nun would surely ask about Eugene and Sir Costance’s relationship.

“He turned out to be a neighbor. Someone who lives downstairs. I’ve only met him a few times, so we’re not close.”

“Is that so? You don’t know his name?”

“Yes. These days, even neighbors are distant. It’s very different from the past.”

The conversation grew longer. The nun couldn’t hide her disappointment and started tidying up the pens and papers scattered by the children.

“But you were in his arms, Vivi.”

“He was supporting me. My stomach hurt, so I was groaning for a moment.”

Once she started lying, the words flowed easily. Fortunately, Eugene and the nun didn’t question further and stopped asking.

“…Was it really a stomachache?”

Eugene murmured.

“Yes, I’m fine now. Really.”

“I thought you were angry, Vivi.”

Eugene held onto her hem, suppressing his voice. The boy, usually the loudest and most active in the cathedral, had tears welling up in his eyes. He quickly wiped the falling tears and sniffled.

‘Ah… they resemble each other.’

Sir Costance and Eugene. Now she saw the resemblance between the two

“Eugene.”

“I thought you were angry because of my drawing.”

“Why would I be angry?”

“No matter how much it’s for peace, you shouldn’t kill or retaliate against the villain. That’s not peace.”

Eugene cried sorrowfully.

She couldn’t give any answer to Eugene’s words. If, as in Eugene’s drawing, her father had disappeared or died during his research, the destructive weapon wouldn’t have been developed.

Then this cold war would disappear, the anxiety would vanish, innocent people wouldn’t be tortured, and indiscriminate violence would cease…

“Yes, Eugene.”

The nun beside him hugged Eugene.

“To keep peace, we must unite in happiness. Killing the villain only creates another problem. Our job is to guide the villain to repent and reflect on their sins.”

“…”

“We can’t go back to the past, so even more so. That’s how we keep peace.”

When a person with a righteous heart plants the seeds of peace, they reap the fruits of happiness. (James 3:18)

The sunlight, hidden by clouds, gradually emerged. The vivid blue beyond the window became visible. The leaves swayed gently with the wind. Simultaneously, the shadows of the trees that seeped into the room moved as if dancing.