Just as the girl turned to leave, Shamilia reached out and grabbed her hand.

“Would you like to go out with Luc?”

The words escaped her lips before she had even thought them through.

Silence followed.

She’d expected Marie to blush.

Or at least look surprised.

Instead, the girl merely stared at her with a strange expression.

“…You’re asking if I’d date Brother Lucberk?”

“Yes! You’ve liked Luc since forever.”

Grasping Marie’s hands tightly, Shamilia looked at her with desperate hope.

‘Luc just doesn’t know any better. Once he starts seeing another woman, all this strange obsession will surely disappear.’

Unable to suppress a laugh at Shamilia’s earnest expression, Marie burst into giggles.

“How could I ever date Brother Lucberk?”

“W-Why not? What’s wrong with him? Is it because he’s a mage? He’s actually a pretty go—”

“Because Brother Lucberk is kind of a total weirdo.”

Marie said it so matter-of-factly that it sounded as though the answer should have been obvious.

“I mean, sure, he’s handsome.”

“But he’d make a terrible boyfriend.”

The blunt assessment left Shamilia speechless.

“And besides…”

“I already have a boyfriend.”

“Y-You do?”

“I’m dating Eric from the general store.”

‘Since when?’

Shamilia blinked in surprise.

“But don’t tell my mom.”

With one last bright smile, Marie walked out without a second glance.

Shamilia remained frozen where she stood.

“…She’s dating Eric?”

she murmured blankly.

‘No… that’s not the important part.’

Marie’s carefree words echoed over and over in her mind.

“Brother Lucberk is kind of a total weirdo.”

She was right.

Her younger brother was… unusual.

No…

Maybe very unusual.

Normal people didn’t confess romantic love to their own older sister.

Nor did they try to cut off their own arms.

A dull headache began pounding behind her temples.

‘Is that really how everyone else sees Lucberk?’

The thought that she alone had never realized it was almost absurd.

‘I never even thought he was strange.’

Which part of him was supposed to have seemed abnormal?

Perhaps she’d simply grown used to it after spending her entire life by his side.

Letting out a long sigh, she brushed a hand through her hair.

“Ha…”

‘Maybe someone besides Marie…’

But after seeing Marie’s reaction…

She couldn’t help thinking everyone else would answer exactly the same way.

‘What if they all reject him the moment they hear his name because they think he’s crazy?’

The more she thought about it, the more complicated it all became.

She slowly bit down on her lower lip.

Her plan to introduce Lucberk to someone else had fallen apart before it had even begun.

She’d had no idea that other people saw her younger brother as such a weirdo.

As Shamilia frowned, absentmindedly tapping the countertop with her fingertips, she noticed Eric and Marie standing together outside the shop.

They were clearly trying not to make it obvious.

Yet the way they looked at each other made their feelings unmistakable.

Affection.

Love.

‘Was that how Lucberk looked at me too?’

She tried to remember.

But she couldn’t.

‘Then again… when would I have had the chance to notice something like that?’

She was overwhelmed by the outrageous things he kept doing.

Shamilia shook her head.

Then she suddenly froze.

Hadn’t she given up on introducing Lucberk to Marie the moment she found out that she already had a boyfriend?

A simple solution surfaced in her mind.

‘If I tell him I already love someone…’

That should be enough.

Surely her brother would then finally abandon this twisted obsession and let her go.

She spent the rest of the day carefully rehearsing what she would say to Lucberk.

***

“I need to talk to you.”

Her unusually serious tone made Lucberk narrow his eyes.

He seemed to be trying to guess what was coming.

“What is it?”

His answer was casual.

Setting her teacup down, Shamilia looked at him.

“Sit down.”

“What’s this about?”

“I have something important to tell you.”

Lucberk adjusted his glasses before taking the seat across from her.

Meeting his calm violet eyes, Shamilia silently repeated the words she’d practiced all day.

“What is it that’s got you so serious?”

Apparently noticing the tense atmosphere, he let out a quiet laugh.

“Luc… there’s someone I like.”

At those words…

The long fingers resting against his teacup stopped moving.

He said nothing.

He didn’t even ask who it was.

‘So this really was the answer.’

‘We went in circles all this time… when it could have been this simple.’

The thought almost made her laugh bitterly.

“I’m sorry I never told you.”

His silence only made her more uneasy.

Forcing a smile, she continued.

“I didn’t even know how to explain my feelings.”

“So I just kept it to myself.”

“I should’ve told you.”

“I’ve finally sorted out my feelings.”

“I really do love him.”

“I want to be with him.”

‘Why isn’t he saying anything?’

The longer he remained silent, the more anxious she became.

“He’s a very kind person.”

“I’ll introduce you to him someday.”

“…”

“Oh, and when I mentioned you, he said he’d love to meet you.”

“I guess he finds mages fascinating.”

“I run a bookstore that specializes in magic books, after all.”

“Funny, isn’t it?”

Cold sweat trickled down her back.

Lucberk didn’t so much as twitch an eyebrow.

He looked as though he were thinking about something else entirely.

Or perhaps he wasn’t listening at all.

His silence forced Shamilia to invent more and more details that she hadn’t planned to include.

After listening to her for quite some time, Lucberk finally spoke.

“Who is he?”

“Huh?”

She froze.

She’d never actually chosen anyone in particular.

She’d just wanted to create someone.

Besides, Lucberk knew almost everyone she knew.

Who could she possibly name that he wouldn’t recognize?

“H-He exists. Someone you don’t know.”

“And how do you know that?”

“I… I just do.”

“Tell me.”

“I met him through work. You’ve probably never seen him.”

“Hmm. So someone connected to a bookstore that sells magic books… yet he’s never met me.”

“W-Well… I’ve been thinking about expanding into regular books too. I met him while looking into that.”

It was a painfully flimsy excuse.

Still…

To her relief, it sounded just believable enough.

Silence fell between them.

“I read plenty of books besides magic books. So who is he? Now you’ve made me curious.”

Lucberk smiled gently.

That warm, reassuring smile only sent another chill creeping down her spine.

“I…”

Before she could invent a random name…

He pressed her again.

“It’s all right. Tell me… I just want to know who the man is that my sister loves.”

She had a strong feeling that his interest went beyond mere curiosity.

Shamilia hesitated, then closed her mouth again.

She didn’t want to drag an innocent person into this.

Besides, even if she made up a name, Lucberk seemed like the kind of person who wouldn’t stop until he uncovered the truth.

“H-He exists.”

“Someone like that.”

“Later… after I talk to him…”

“I’ll introduce you.”

She forced an awkward smile.

However, instead of letting it go, Lucberk tilted his head with what looked like genuine curiosity and leaned in a little closer.

His violet eyes gleamed through the crystal-clear lenses of his glasses.

Perhaps it was madness.

Or perhaps it was innocent curiosity.

She nervously twisted her fingers together.

Then Lucberk smiled at her with disarming warmth.

“Sister.”

“Y-Yes?”

“When you said that… Did you really think I’d simply let it go?”

His knowing smile made her want to run.

Lucberk quietly studied the rigid expression frozen on his sister’s face.

‘So… she says there’s someone she likes.’

Watching her cling desperately to such an obvious lie was strangely endearing.

Yet hearing her claim to love another man also irritated him.

Seeing her nervously fidget with her teacup, clearly anxious that her lie might be exposed, almost made him laugh.

She didn’t even know how to hide her thoughts.

And yet she had tried to deceive him with such transparent falsehoods.

Was she innocent?

Or was she simply naïve?

“It was a good attempt.”

Lucberk smiled gently.

Shamilia lowered her eyes and bit her lip.

“But it annoyed me more than I expected.”

“…What?”

“Hearing you use that mouth……to say you love another man.”

“I really do!”

“Don’t lie to me.”

Even after everything had fallen apart, she still tried to maintain the pretense.

He couldn’t help but smile.

It was one of the things he found so endearing about her.

The way she stubbornly struggled until the very end…

The way she fought so desperately to escape.