Chapter 6. The Day of the First Snow (6)

Just as I was wrestling with this internal debate, Sebastian—who I was now familiar with—appeared once again.

It seemed the Duke of Raven had returned and was calling for Kyle.

Wait… he’s not seriously going to leave me behind, is he?

“Um, what about me…?”

“You may stay here, miss.”

Oh no. He’s not seriously going to leave me alone with Karn, is he?

I darted a glance at Karn, who was wearing a clearly sulky expression.

Yeah, this is definitely a bad idea!

Panicking, I quickly grabbed Kyle’s forearm.

“Kyle… are you really going to leave me here?”

I looked up at him with the most pitiful, desperate gaze I could muster.

It came naturally—I really was desperate.

Kyle, who had been gazing down at me with his usual blank expression, finally opened his mouth.

“Come with me.”

Maybe my sad puppy eyes worked, because Kyle gripped my shoulder firmly as he spoke.

Um… his eyes look a little too serious, though.

It was like he was suggesting we run away together in the middle of the night or something, and that startled me a bit.

Just then, Sebastian’s calm voice broke in.

“It’s fine if she comes, but… are you sure it’s a good idea?”

Sebastian gave me a long, meaningful look, and I quickly understood what he meant.

Gasp—oh right! If I went with Kyle, I’d have to meet the Duke of Raven!

That would be way more awkward!

There’s no point in trying to dodge a mid-boss if you end up facing the final boss instead.

Sure, I’d have to meet him eventually at dinner, but I wanted to put that off for as long as possible.

If I stayed with Karn, I might still have a chance to slip away somewhere—but if I ran into the Duke, I wouldn’t even be able to escape.

“I-I’ll just stay here.”

“A wise decision, miss.”

Sebastian gave a small nod. Then, bowing politely, he left the garden with Kyle in tow.

Even as he walked away, Kyle kept glancing back at me with an affectionate look.

Huh? Why does he look more regretful than I do?

“You! What did you do to my brother?!”

Karn suddenly shouted at me as I was watching Kyle’s retreating back.

Whoa—you? That’s a bit harsh. But I didn’t even have time to be shocked by the blunt address before Karn continued.

“How did you trick him? He always found girls annoying!”

The pointed sarcasm in his voice somehow came off as… kind of cute.

I’d been around enough noble brats at the academy that this sort of attitude didn’t faze me anymore.

Compared to the young ladies I’d dealt with, Karn was practically adorable.

Besides, I think I understood why he was acting this way toward me.

“You’re jealous, aren’t you?”

I crouched down to meet his eye level.

His sharp, cat-like eyes glared at me, but he looked more like a kitten throwing a tantrum than anything truly threatening.

“Hah! Of who?!”

Karn crossed his arms and scoffed like he couldn’t believe I’d even ask.

He might’ve looked like a kid, but his behavior was totally like someone my age.

I reached out and ruffled his hair without warning.

“Ahh! What are you doing?!”

Karn freaked out and shouted in protest, but I just kept patting his head enthusiastically.

“Are you upset because Kyle’s being nice to me?”

Even if he pretends to be all grown up, Karn is still just a kid.

He’s still at that age when he wants to be loved and throw tantrums freely.

So it was only natural for him to be upset, thinking I had taken his brother away from him.

Alright, this generous big sister will let it slide!

“No, I’m not!”

Karn slapped my hand away, visibly irritated. His face had turned bright red, probably because he thought I was teasing him.

Trying to calm him down, I softened my voice.

“Really? You’re not?”

“Yeah! I just… just didn’t like how my brother treated me coldly because of you!”

That’s literally what jealousy is, kid.

Hearing him snap like that, I couldn’t resist and messed up his hair again.

Karn flinched hard at my touch, clearly startled.

Ugh, I was trying to hold back, but this kid is just too…

“You’re so cute!”

“W-What?!”

Karn froze like he’d turned to stone.

Then, like spring warming up a frozen winter, his cheeks slowly flushed pink.

Seeing such a different reaction from earlier, I couldn’t help but smile.

“W-What are you saying? Y-You crazy woman!”

His tone was a lot less sharp now.

I narrowed my eyes slightly. Hmm… looks like Karn’s weak to compliments.

Even the tips of his ears had turned red—yep, it’s confirmed.

Also, he’s calling me “this woman” now? I guess I don’t really care what he calls me, but it’d be nice if he called me “big sister” at least once.

I looked at his flushed face, placed my hands on his little shoulders, and gave him my prettiest smile as I said:

“Karn, try calling me ‘big sister.”

“Why would I?!”

Karn raised his arm halfway in protest.

But by now, I had figured out a few tricks. I decided to coax him gently.

“Why not? If you call me sister, Kyle will be happy.”

“…My brother?”

The stiffness in Karn’s eyes slowly softened.

Ah, so he really does like Kyle a lot.

Using Kyle as an excuse, Karn’s attitude showed a slight shift.

Hehe, still just a kid after all.

“Yeah, Kyle would be really happy if we got along. I’m sure of it!”

I nodded eagerly as I spoke, maintaining a gentle smile to build trust.

Ugh, my mouth was starting to cramp from smiling so much…

“Ugh, but…”

Karn still looked reluctant, stepping back with a scrunched-up face.

Geez, is saying “sister” really that hard for him?

Well, considering he didn’t like me much to begin with, I guess it’s understandable that he wouldn’t want to call me that.

But I really wanted to hear this cute little creature say “sister.”

“Call me sister, please? Karn is such a good boy, so I know you can do it.”

This time, I added a compliment to my request.

My guess is that Karn didn’t get many compliments growing up in the shadow of his perfect older brother.

That’s probably why he gets so flustered even from simple praise…

“Umm…”

Karn hesitated, faltering a bit.

Seeing his reaction, I could tell the moment was near—so I delivered my final blow in a serious tone.

“What, don’t tell me Karn can’t even manage something this simple?”

That jab at his pride worked like magic.

“Fine! I’ll do it, okay?!”

He snapped, shouting back in frustration, then mumbled under his breath, fumbling with his words.

Oh my, is he really going to say it?

“S-sis …”

Karn barely managed to get the first syllable out and already looked mortified.

I stared at him with sparkling, expectant eyes.

Just a little more! You’ve got this!

I cheered for him silently as his lips slowly parted again.

“Sis… ter.”

“Oh my gosh.”

Ack, way too cute.

A mini-Kyle-looking boy calling me “sister” had way more impact than I ever imagined.

My heart practically exploded—I nearly collapsed on the spot.

“Karn, that was amazing!”

It wasn’t even meant to be cute, but it felt like watching the most adorable display ever.

My heart swelled warmly, and the little boy in front of me looked unbearably lovable.

Smiling brightly, I wrapped him in a hug—and just as expected, Karn absolutely hated it.

“Let go! I can’t breathe!”

Karn flailed as I hugged him, and I finally released him with a sheepish grin.

Ah, I wish I had a little brother like this.

If I asked Kyle to lend him to me for a week… no, even a month—he’d never go for it, would he?

As I entertained this impossible fantasy, I glanced at Karn, whose cheeks were still flushed pink.

If only he were a bit more easygoing.

With a pouty lip and his usual prickly demeanor, Karn grumbled,

“You know, you…”

“You mean sister.”

“Sister… you’re really…”

He actually listens better than I expected.

His expression didn’t look pleased at all, but the fact that he responded to me at all made me happy.

Karn then burst out at me like I was some alien species.

“You’re seriously weird!”

“Eh? Me?”

He was now officially treating me like some kind of weirdo, but I wasn’t upset about it.

At least he didn’t say he hated me. That was already a win in my book.

“…You’re weird, but harmless.”

Huh? What a random thing to say.

Weird, but harmless… So I’m harmless, at least?

I wasn’t sure whether to take it as a compliment or not.

It sounded kind of positive, but the way his face was all scrunched up made it feel anything but.

Seriously, could he at least smile while saying stuff like that?

“So, what you’re saying is—you don’t hate me, right?”

“What? How do you even interpret it like that!”

Oh no, it seems my subtle plan to get closer just backfired.

I’d tried to bond with him somehow, but Karn was still glaring at me with suspicion, his expression fierce as ever.

Hmm… what do kids usually do when they’re not getting along?

I paused for a moment, then recalled an image of kids sweetly holding hands.

“Karn, let’s hold hands.”

“No way!”

A flat-out rejection. So firm, my fragile heart nearly shattered.

Ugh, kids these days are so cold.

But I wasn’t about to give up just yet.

‘It’s 5 o’clock now! Dinner time is coming up soon!’

Glancing at the clock in the middle of the garden, I came up with a new idea.

I wasn’t sure if it would work, but I decided to give it a try anyway.

I sprang to my feet and stretched my hand out toward Karn again.

“Are you really not going to hold hands?”

“Why should I even do that in the first place!”

“Now think about it. We’re about to head to dinner.

But if we walk into the dining hall holding hands, Kyle will love it, and so will the Duke and Duchess, right?”

“What kind of logic is that…?”

Karn looked at me like I was out of my mind, but there was a hint of hesitation in his stance.

His small hand twitched ever so slightly, wavering—and finally, he reached out and gently took mine.

“Good boy.”

“Annoying.”

That didn’t sound like an annoyed tone at all?

Karn had his head slightly lowered, but even at a glance, he didn’t really look upset.

Hmm… could it be that physical affection is awkward for him, but he still likes it?

For some reason, he looked even cuter.