chapter 19
Hereis softly rubbed his face against the back of my hand. In that instant, my eyes lost their focus.
Just then, Clara, who had been watching from afar, met my gaze and gave me a thumbs-up. Only then could I manage a smile.
“What can you even do?”
My heart was pounding, and my head turned blank. Yet, at the same time, a small thrill flared within me—the joy of a writer who had predicted the future and laid out the scenario. I sat down on the sofa for a more comfortable view.
Hereis is also playing with the element of a love triangle. For today at least, I thought in a way similar to him.
More importantly, Whistler was being overshadowed by Hereis.
This wasn’t about reputation or honor. In terms of sheer buzz, between Hereis kneeling dramatically and Whistler just standing as usual, of course the former stood out more.
Perhaps from delight, I regained my composure relatively quickly. Before my eyes, the standoff between Hereis and Whistler continued.
“Will you kneel too?”
“…You haven’t changed a bit since childhood. Still reckless.”
“Wow, you’ve been watching me closely since I was a kid? I should take that as a compliment then. Means I’ve caught your eye, right? That’s love, that’s praise.”
“It’s not a compliment. It just means you’ve always been a problem child.”
“No, it means I’m proactive. That’s attractive.”
“Brother, let’s end this rebellion here. Mother and Father are worried about you. And I can’t keep covering for you forever.”
Whistler glanced at me briefly before adding,
“Realistically speaking, your claim of liking Filena is a lie, isn’t it? You’ve been like this since you were young. Whether it was people or things, you’d get bored quickly and discard them without care.”
Oddly enough, Whistler took my fingertips and shook them gently. Then, with a pitiful look, he said softly,
“Anything else is fine, but not Filena. Don’t interfere between us.”
Before long, people began looking at Whistler with sympathy. At the shift in atmosphere, Hereis let out a short laugh.
“Finished?”
He leaned against the sofa I was sitting on and bent one knee. The way he shrugged his shoulders didn’t look vulgar or intimidated in the least.
If anything, even with a lower reputation, he seemed to hold the upper hand over Whistler.
“It looks like our dear little brother has gotten the wrong idea, so let me clarify—”
Hereis spoke as if soothing Whistler.
“—You’re right. Since I was young, I never cared much for anything. I got bored with everything quickly.”
“So then—”
“So then, nothing. Don’t interrupt your elder when he’s speaking, Whistler.”
Straightening up, Hereis stretched his arm over my shoulder as if to draw me close, and without actually touching me much, he brushed away Whistler’s hand that had been holding mine.
“But the one thing that held my interest? That’s Filena. Filena.”
“…Ugh.”
Though Whistler tried to resist, he was instantly forced back. Even though Hereis had only touched him briefly, Whistler’s hand turned red. His pride wounded, he quickly pulled it back.
Just as the air was growing heavy, Hereis defied expectations by ruffling Whistler’s hair.
“You worried a lot, huh? Thanks for that. Really. But you see, this is my first time too.”
He tapped his chin with his free hand, then suddenly pointed at Whistler.
“I may have caused problems, sure, but isn’t this the first time I’ve openly shown my madness myself? Usually, it’s only through your voice that my rebellion gets heard.”
“Still, brother, Filena is my—”
“If you had kept Filena as your top priority and treated her the best, I wouldn’t have stepped forward.”
“Brother, this is absolutely not for a third party to step into. And I have treated Filena with the utmost care from beginning to end. I only wavered for a moment. Just a moment.”
Whistler didn’t even try to hide his slip. Or rather, maybe he couldn’t. Everyone already knew things between us hadn’t been going well lately.
Nobles must have carried rumors about me straight to Whistler. At first, he’d have denied them, then acted as if he reluctantly accepted. His pitiful act would have the nobles consoling him, saying that of course anyone would be tempted if the other person was that Filena. Exactly the reaction Whistler wanted.
Today, he hadn’t told me we should break up. It was perfect for stirring public opinion and dramatizing our love story.
For us, this was actually beneficial.
“How old are you, still whining like a child? Even if I’m crazy, I’m not some animal who only knows how to rut. An older brother protects his younger sibling and acts for their sake, doesn’t he? I’ve waited long enough. People think I only recently fell for Filena at first sight, don’t they?”
“But it wasn’t recent, was it?” murmured Hereis as he stepped forward. Whistler’s lower eyelid twitched.
“A good kid shouldn’t lie. Just like with our parents, you should listen well to your brother too. Don’t you dare try to wield public opinion as your weapon. You don’t know a thing about me, little brother.”
Whistler, known as the angel, and Hereis, who embraced the role of villain. From the start, it wasn’t a fight Whistler—who had more to protect—could win.
“Everyone here knows you’re so busy trying to take care of everyone that even 24 hours in a day isn’t enough.”
Hereis bent his outstretched arm down until it circled me, gently pulling me into his embrace. His voice burst out, rough and beast-like.
“I told you already. I can be Filena’s second, or I can be her dog. So tell me, Whistler.”
“…”
“What can you do? Just what can you be?”
Spinning his hand idly, Hereis pointed at Whistler’s knees. With a derisive snicker between his teeth, he added,
“Exactly. I liked Filena before you, but if you’d treated her right and kept her, I wouldn’t have needed to step in.”
Whistler’s cheek twisted as if he were grinding his teeth.
Just as he was about to say something, a frantic voice called out desperately to him.
“Master! Th-the carriage!”
At the driver’s sudden appearance, Whistler’s expression lit up.
“If you could p-please hurry outside and help, I—I can’t quite figure out the situation… It might be dangerous.”
Unable to refuse such a plea, Whistler took a few steps back. Just as expected.
“Don’t worry. I’ll be right there.”
Before leaving, Whistler looked directly at me and spoke earnestly.
“Let’s meet and clear up this misunderstanding, Lady Light.”
“I’ve been busy lately, but if time allows, we’ll meet. Someday, surely.”
Even at that response, Whistler smiled, tidying up the situation before departing.
* * *
Even after Whistler left, the air in the department store’s center lingered with tension. Clap! With Hereis’s brisk applause, attention finally gathered back in one place.
“Get a grip, all of you. If you’re going to gawk that obviously, at least try not to make it so blatant. Makes me want to shut down the shop.”
Despite the sharp threat, Sera approached with a businesslike smile.
“I’d like to ask if you intend to purchase that dress, my lady?”
“I heard my brother already bought every dress Filena wanted here earlier. Was I mistaken?”
At Hereis’s words, Sera quickly backed off.
“Ah, y-yes! Then please do visit us again next time. We’ll always be ready to welcome you.”
Hereis’s decision to leave immediately was understandable. He’d already wrung all the material he needed from the scene. Any more, and it would grow tiresome.
He exchanged a polite glance with me, then escorted me out. Raising his voice just enough for the surrounding people to hear, he said:
“Filena, it would’ve been nice if I’d bought your dress, but the moment I heard you were at the department store, I had a feeling something like this might happen. So, I tried something else. You know I’m always fully prepared when it comes to you.”
