“……”

Carlos, who fixed his eyes on Aneta, instinctively reached out and caught something flying toward her. It was indeed a reflex that could only be described as animalistic.

Everyone might have marveled at his swift movement if this had been any other time. However, at least not now.

The bouquet, which had been caught in his hand, looked fragile compared to when the bride had held it. Now in his hand, the stems seemed so delicate that if he applied any force, they would snap apart.

“Congratulations, Carlos. You caught the bouquet.”

Carlos, who also knew what he had caught, was speechless. The first person to break the silence was Aneta. Her voice, filled with laughter, conveyed her amusement.

“It’s yours. Take it.”

“No. Since you caught it, it’s only natural to keep it.”

Carlos tried to place the bouquet in Aneta’s arms hurriedly, but she refused it.

“You look great holding it. I can’t tell who’s the flower here.”

Rodion, who had been watching the whole situation from the side, looked up at Aneta with a confused expression, wondering how she could think that, but she ignored him.

Noticing that Chris, standing on the podium, stared blankly at the bouquet in Carlos’s hand before bursting into laughter.

Vernon seemed to be barely holding back his laughter.

Embarrassed, Vernon blushed and tried to ease the situation for his friend. He shifted his attention and began speaking about living happily ever after, prompting applause.

When the ceremony concluded, Aneta, Carlos, and Rodion headed toward where the food was prepared.

Aneta and Carlos sat beside each other with Rodion, and the bouquet was placed on Carlos’s lap.

Carlos stared at the bouquet with a troubled expression. Everyone around him looked at him and the bouquet with strange expressions.

Having unintentionally snatched the bouquet from Aneta, Carlos had tried to return it to her, but every attempt failed.

Aneta had no intention of accepting the bouquet Carlos was offering. It was rare to see him so flustered, so she stubbornly maintained her indifference.

“Ah.”

At that moment, Rodion let out a small exclamation, and the two turned their attention toward him.

Rodion was staring at the overturned teacup with a disgruntled expression. He had made a mistake due to the distance between his chair and the table.

Understanding the situation, Aneta quickly grabbed a napkin and wiped the tea that was about to spill. In the meantime, Carlos pushed Rodion’s chair in closer.

“Looking at you two, it really feels like you’re a family, just like His Grace the Duke and you.”

Tereza, who had happened to pass by and seen the scene, stopped and expressed her honest thoughts. She watched them with a pleased smile, as though they had planned it and were perfectly in sync.

Accepting Tereza’s words happily, Carlos alternated his gaze between Aneta and Rodion.

‘If we had a child between us, would it feel like this?’

Seeing Rodion, who strangely resembled Aneta, made him feel good.

Rodion, perceptive as always, noticed what Carlos might be imagining.

The child, feeling uncomfortable with Carlos’s gaze, shifted his attention away from him and spoke to Aneta instead.

“Mother.”

“Why is that?”

Aneta was surprised by the unexpected address term but soon answered casually. By this time, warmth was rising in Carlos’s chest.

“Honestly, I think it’s better if you divorce Father.”

“I’ve already done that, so you don’t have to worry about it.”

But the conversation that followed was too harsh for him. Carlos unconsciously clutched his aching chest as Aneta played along with Rodion’s joke.

The scene looked so peaceful that Tereza burst into hearty laughter. Her laughter drew the attention of those nearby, but they quickly scattered.

***

The day Rodion was to return to the academy was the day after the wedding. Vernon and Chris planned to depart for their honeymoon after seeing the child off.

Aneta and Carlos also took the time to see Rodion off.

“Sister, you’ll miss me. Please stay healthy even when I’m not around.”

Before entering the carriage, Rodion stood before Aneta and offered a heartfelt farewell.

Aneta returned the sentiment, saying she would miss him too, but the child seemed unsatisfied with that response.

“No matter how busy you are, take breaks and don’t skip meals.”

“I understand, Rodion. Don’t worry too much.”

Aneta couldn’t shake the feeling that the roles had somehow reversed. Nevertheless, she couldn’t help but nod in agreement as he held her hand with his small, delicate hands.

“Rodion, why are you worrying so much about Aneta? I’m right here.”

At that moment, Vernon intervened between the two. Watching the scene with a dissatisfied expression, he approached Rodion, embraced him, and whimpered.

“Don’t forget about me. Your big brother is sad.”

Kneeling on the ground, craving his younger brother’s affection, he rubbed his cheek against Rodion’s small head, making anyone watching feel sympathy.

However, this wasn’t something that applied to Rodion.

“Brother, now that you’re married, you shouldn’t be acting like this. You need to be more mature.”

Rodion sighed as he watched Vernon, who looked disappointed. Vernon, who was suddenly being told to act more grown-up by a seven-year-old, seemed to be in shock and staggered to his feet.

It looked like both his body and mind were exhausted.

“Don’t laugh, Carlos.”

“You’re laughing too, Aneta.”

Vernon wanted to shout at Aneta and Carlos to stop laughing but couldn’t bring himself to do so because of Chris. While he wasn’t laughing out loud like the two, his wife was secretly laughing with her head turned.

“You’re being too unfair, even discriminating.”

“But you have your wife.”

“Aneta has Carlos.”

“Ah.”

Upon hearing Carlos’s name, Rodion turned his body with a short gasp. Since Carlos had kept his gaze on the child, their eyes met easily.

“I apologize for any rudeness during this time, Your Grace.”

“There’s no need to apologize.”

Rodion straightened his back and looked up at Carlos, who answered without a hint of hesitation. Then, at some point, he clenched his fists and warned,

“If you make my sister suffer, I won’t just stand by.”

At that moment, Vernon, shaken off the shock, made a sound of disbelief.

“You’ve got it wrong, Rodion. It’s not him making her suffer; it’s the other way around.”

Vernon gestured toward Carlos and Aneta with his chin.

Aneta couldn’t deny Vernon’s words, as memories of her actions toward Carlos surfaced.

However, no matter how Aneta treated him, Rodion would always be on her side. The child completely ignored Vernon’s words and continued with his warning.

“You can’t make her cry.”

“No, no, that doesn’t apply to me. It’s the opposite.”

Vernon thumped his chest in frustration. Rodion, upon seeing this, looked at Vernon with skeptical eyes.

“Carlos must have dozens of soaked pillows from crying all night because of Aneta.”

“Is that true?”

When Vernon exaggeratedly said this, Rodion turned to Aneta to ask about its truth. Aneta subtly avoided the child’s gaze.

The truth was, it was clear without asking her. Carlos cried, but only in front of her. He wasn’t the type to cry alone. He would use tears as a weapon to seize an opportunity.

Aneta couldn’t deny it, even though she knew the truth. The answer was simple: she hadn’t done anything right. Thus, she couldn’t bring herself to speak.

“I never did that, so stop saying weird things, Vernon. Our brother would believe it.”

In the end, the one who denied Vernon’s words was none other than Carlos himself. Upon hearing his reference, Rodion briefly rolled his eyes as if contemplating something.

“If making Aneta suffer is the choice, then it’s better for me to suffer. If it’s about making her cry, then I should cry. So, don’t worry about that, and stay healthy until we meet again.”

At that moment, Carlos’s answer was decisive in Rodion’s decision. With his mind made up, Rodion extended his hand toward Carlos.

Carlos took the hand extended to him without hesitation. It felt much smaller than his hand, but somehow it made him feel his relationship with Aneta had been recognized. And that instinct quickly became a reality.

“Please take good care of my sister. And when we meet next time, please call me Rodion instead of brother.”

“Sure. Thank you.”

With a brief but sincere word, Rodion shook the hand several times before pulling it back.

“Then, I’ll go now, sister-in-law.”

The last person to bid farewell was Chris. Rodion politely bowed and climbed into the carriage, saying it was time.

The moment the door closed, the carriage set off without a word. Watching the carriage grow distant, Aneta thought of Rodion, who had left after saying he would return.

“I wish I had a child-like Rodion.”

Her murmured words made Carlos happy to know she shared the same thoughts.

“Aneta, it’s not too late for us now.”

“What are you talking about?”

Aneta gave a half-laugh and lightly tapped Carlos on the chest.

“I’m serious.”

Carlos, undeterred, subtly moved closer to her. Watching this familiar interaction, Vernon clicked his tongue.

“How is it that his flirting seems to improve over time? That’s a skill in itself.”

Who would look at that scene and think he had never met another woman besides Aneta?

Vernon shook his head, thinking it was a mystery, and waved his hand in front of the two. It was to separate the two, who had already become inseparable.

“You two, enough with the lovey-dovey stuff. We’re the ones who got married, not you.”

Vernon’s seemingly casual remark struck Carlos like a small dagger in the chest.

Carlos glared at Vernon.

“Oh, oops. My bad.”

Vernon realized he had touched on a sensitive topic for Carlos only after feeling the intense gaze pricking at his skin.

But what could be done? The words had already been said, and only one option was left.

“Haha, wait a second. Time has passed so quickly, hasn’t it? We should head in and start preparing to leave. Thank you for coming today, Aneta and Carlos. We’ll see each other later.”

Spitting the words out quickly, Vernon chose to run away from Carlos.

With one hand holding the watch he had casually pulled out and the other holding Chris’s hand, Vernon hurried into the mansion.

Watching the two disappear as though chased by something, Aneta and Carlos soon locked eyes and smiled as if saying they couldn’t be stopped.

“Shall we go too?”

“Yeah.”

Aneta moved toward Carlos and took his hand.

Carlos, pleased by her familiar gesture, entwined his fingers between hers.