But Lisette, sitting beside her mother, quietly and calmly cut the meat on the table and put it in her mouth.

She kept a smile on her face throughout without saying much, but her expression held no trace of any will to fight. Watching Lisette sit in silence, as though there was nothing left to do but comply, Alexander undid the shirt button near his collarbone and let out a breath.

‘That stubborn fool.’

It seemed he had come back at just the right time. If he hadn’t, he thought he would have looked up one day to find his little sister married off to some worthless man. The mere thought of it soured his mood, and Alexander twisted his face and looked over at his brother, Théodore.

“Does Father know about this? No, Brother. In the capital these days, people don’t marry until they’re at least twenty-two. Men and women alike….”

“That’s the capital. This is a regional estate.”

At Céline’s reproach, Alexander called out to her like a sigh.

“Mother.”

Thud.

“It’s not even your marriage, so why are you making such a fuss. And above all, Lisette herself said she would go through with it. Isn’t that right, Lisette?”

Céline set down her utensil and looked back at Lisette. At that, Lisette too, like an obedient child, nodded toward Céline in agreement.

“Yes. That’s right.”

“There’s my girl. Goodness, how can she be so sweet.”

Céline smiled brightly and smoothed Lisette’s hair, and beside her Lisette smiled like a picture. Alexander’s mouth fell open. He had the strange feeling he was watching a performance. It was a perfectly matched scene, too neat to be real.

At that surreal sight, Alexander looked back and forth between the two of them, then tilted his head and looked at Lisette.

Unlike his mother’s expression, which practically beamed with pride, Lisette’s lips barely managed to lift at the corners. At that strained smile, Alexander let out a silent sigh and thumped his chest with his fist.

‘That fool.’

Right, she had always been like this, even as a child.

She endured pain. She endured sadness.

Smiling through it all had become such a habit for her that the one time she had let her feelings show was that day, three years ago. But that day, the one thing she had wanted was destroyed by her own family’s hands.

Filled with sorrow, Alexander drew a long breath and shook his head at her profile, barely holding herself together.

‘Hopeless.’

The sharp sound of a fork jabbing repeatedly and pointlessly at the food on his plate rang out one after another. At that undisguised displeasure, Céline furrowed her brow.

“Why are you the only one reacting like this to something good?”

“It is a good thing. I’ve been thinking about Lisette’s marriage too. But Mother, Elben is….”

Alexander pointed a hand toward the air and looked back at Céline.

“Too far.”

“…….”

As though agreeing with his words, Céline glanced at Théodore and Angela beside him and fell silent. At the sight of Céline sighing as though her resolve had softened, Alexander leaned his body slightly forward.

“It’s a full two weeks on horseback from our estate. I’m worried the poor girl will be sent off alone to struggle somewhere so far away. Why not look again at a closer estate nearby….”

“I don’t say I don’t understand your concern, but….”

Théodore cut Alexander off and let the end of his words trail long.

Perhaps because he had held the position of heir to the family from birth, or even before, Théodore’s gaze was unusually overbearing. Alexander, who had been leaning toward his mother, straightened up and narrowed his brow.

“No, I think you don’t understand.”

“…….”

But at Alexander’s sharp reply, showing no sign of backing down, Théodore stared him down steadily.

“That’s not so.”

Yet Théodore let out a breath as though giving up the staring match, pressed one hand to both temples, and lifted his head.

“I don’t know what you think, but I worry about Lisette no less than you do. However, we can’t take responsibility for her for the rest of her life. Given that, Baron Tarmen was the only one who said he would protect Lisette, frail as she is, to the very end….”

“A man twenty years older, and he’s supposed to….”

“Alex!”

“Enough!”

Céline stepped in and raised her voice to calm Théodore, who had raised his.

“Enough, both of you. What are you doing when you’ve only just come back together after so long.”

Only at her intervention, her face set hard as she fixed her gaze on each of them, did the two stop their staring match and look away. Céline sighed at the sight of them and glanced at Lisette.

“…….”

Her mother’s gaze, gesturing toward the brothers ahead, caught her eye, and Lisette let out a small sigh.

And then, the forced bright smile that followed.

Her face was no different from usual.

But.

‘Why does it bother me so much today.’

Alexander let out a long breath.

But whether she knew of Alexander’s frustration or not, Lisette forced a smile and shot him a playful look.

“What is this at a meal we’ve all gathered for after so long. You’re ruining the whole mood.”

“You!”

“I really am fine, Brother. Truly. I met him not long ago and he was kind. So it will be all right.”

“Ha.”

At Lisette’s words, which came out exactly on cue, Alexander raised both hands and tossed his napkin onto his plate.

Then he deliberately scraped his chair across the floor as he stood.

“I should have gone straight to the capital. Coming here was a waste.”

“Brother.”

“I’m tired. I’ll take my leave.”

“Alexander!”

Even at Céline’s sharp call, Alexander bowed his head and then raised it, and instead of leaving the dining room, he stepped toward Céline and pressed a light kiss to her cheek.

“Mother.”

At the easy smile of her second son, Céline’s hardened expression softened at once, and she gave him a swat on the back as though she couldn’t help herself.

“You, really.”

“Forgive me.”

Alexander gave his mother’s shoulders a brief firm squeeze and released them, asking her forgiveness as he straightened up. Then he turned toward Lisette, who was looking up at him with a somewhat troubled expression.

“Get up.”

“…….”

“Alexander de Vermoa! You, really!”

At Alexander’s words, clearly intending to take Lisette with him, Théodore’s face twisted. But Alexander simply shrugged as though he genuinely could not understand why Théodore was raising his voice at him.

“I just want to have a conversation with my little sister. Is that a problem too, Brother?”

“…….”

“I’ve been curious about what’s been happening on the estate while I was away.”

At Alexander’s goading words, Théodore’s expression locked up, words failing him. At that, Angela raised her head and shook it toward Théodore.

“Dear.”

“Ha.”

At Angela’s restraining call, Céline frowned and waved her hand.

“All right, all right. Yes, when have you and your brother ever been ordinary together. Go and talk. Just don’t go far!”

“Don’t worry. Get up, Lisette.”

Having secured his mother’s permission, Alexander held out his hand to Lisette.

But Lisette still couldn’t find her footing, unsure whether this was all right, and looked over at her mother and eldest brother. At the sight of their displeased expressions, Lisette bit her lip and looked at Alexander.

“Brother, I’ll just….”

“Get up.”

But Alexander cut off Lisette’s attempt to refuse, threw the napkin from her lap onto the table, and pulled her up by the hand. At that, Lisette stiffened and glanced around at the others.

“Brother.”

“Now then, let’s hear what’s been going on these past three years. Come on, Lisette. I still haven’t given you your gift either.”

But with no intention of hearing her out, Alexander pulled her fully to her feet with a firm grip and wrapped an arm around her shoulders so she couldn’t look back, and steered her out of the dining room.

“So, how have you been, little sister?”

At Alexander’s exaggeratedly warm question, Lisette glanced back. Her mother and eldest brother standing and watching her. And Angela’s sigh-laden gaze settled heavily on her back, but…

“Fine. And you, brother?”

She turned her head away, pretending not to notice, and let herself be led by his hand.

Feeling a faint sense of relief as she went.

* * *

“Brother.”

“Stay still. Fool.”

With her wrist in her brother’s grip, her steps tangled twice as they crossed the corridor. It was hard to keep up with Alexander’s pace.

When his tall frame took one step, she, being shorter, had to take two or three quick steps just to keep up.

‘This is hard.’

Perhaps it was the toll of running at full speed yesterday, but her thighs and calves ached, and honestly, walking properly was difficult. On top of that, she had collapsed out of nowhere and woken up on the floor. She hadn’t slept well either, and the fatigue had piled up so much that even taking a single step felt like a struggle.

Her breath rose all the way to her chin.

“Brother. Slower, please.”

“Yes, yes. I know, it’s all my fault for not coming back sooner….”

“Brother!”

“But how could I just leave you there alone….”

“I’m telling you I’m struggling!”

Lisette pulled at his hand with a firm grip and raised her voice. At that, Alexander startled and stopped in his tracks and turned around.

“Ah.”