Adrisha dawdled until the end, but only before it was too late that she left for the Imperial Palace at Dalia’s urging.
Unlike Adrisha, whose partner is in the imperial palace, Dalia still had some time to spare.
She had to wait for Hikan in the waiting room.
‘But when this is over, brother Hikan will have some free time right?’
Suddenly, she missed Hikan.
After the embarrassing incident when she slept soundly in his office, she hardly met him except during mealtime.
Still, it’s fortunate that they’ll be able to talk a lot today.
Then, she heard a knock. Hikan is already here.
Dalia got up and went to greet her brother. Seeing him during this chaotic situation has reassured her a little.
It was just as she felt last time, but Hikan’s beauty during the ball was 10 times more handsome than usual.
Is it because the unique silver hair color and blue eyes go well together?
Hikan also looked at Dalia longer than usual. Recently, considering Hikan’s relaxed attitude, Dalia made a perfectly reasonable speculation.
‘Is it because I looked cute?’
Dalia looked up at Hikan, anticipating with sparkling eyes.
He replied matter-of-factly.
“No, I was surprised that you were so small.”
“……”
‘He’s been saying that I’m small since last time. He’s small too. ‘
Dalia thought to herself. Of course, he’s only about as tall as any other adult men.
‘What did I expect?’
No matter how much Hikan has changed, it was too much to expect such a word from him.
Or maybe that she’s too confident?
Hikan reached out his hand to Dalia, who was embarrassed.
“Let’s go.”
“Ye, yes.”
She took his hand.
Hikan dragged her toward him and asked indifferently.
“So did you make a lot of friends?”
It was about the tea party. Dalia understands it right away.
‘……should I be honest or should I lie?’
Should she say that the talk about Adrisha made the atmosphere become gloomy? Anyway, since we made a connection with each other at the end of the day, should she call it a success?
After much consideration, Dalia decided to be honest.
“……that’s……”
She was sure that he would not like it.
Rather than making friends at the event that he worked so hard for, she ruined the mood.
And it’s happened because of Adrisha, who Hikan hates.
She was sorry because she knew how hard he had worked for it.
“That’s what happened. I’m sorry.”
“Well done.”
However, Hikan’s response was unexpected.
Dalia asked back in surprise.
“What?”
“That’s the only way to make those fools understand. It’s good to give them a warning once.”
“……”
“Mrs. Hanley was close to mother. I wonder how they met.”
Hikan smiled sarcastically by raising one corner of his mouth. There was a cold hatred in his eyes.
She remembers Hikan talking about their mother in the study before.
Their mother, who was hurt by the mana explosion of their maternal grandfather, simply couldn’t accept Hikan, who is also a transcendent and sent him to the duchy.
“Anyway, I’m sure this has earned you the favor from Lady Adrisha Beniter. She seems to be very trusted by the Emperor, so there’s nothing bad about you being close to her.”
‘You don’t think like that though.’
He looked at Dalia and said in a calm voice.
“Besides, you are above them. Because you’re a Pesteros.”
“……”
“And, if you manage to make even one person become your people, then it’s a success. Good job.”
And Hikan’s hand came up above her head. He’s not stroking it, just lightly put his hand’s weight on it.
And then, as if nothing had happened, his hand fell right away.
As she couldn’t believe it, Dalia stared at Hikan’s handsome face blankly.
‘Brother……you’ve really changed. I guess you really like me now.’
It was unbelievable. The fact that the final villain can like his sister like a normal person.
Only then did Dalia realize. Maybe she also likes Hikan quite a bit too.
Until now, he has been forcing himself to turn a blind eye to the people he hates, but now he is different.
Suddenly she was conscious of the hand that she was holding.
Hikan’s hand was still cold. However, the feeling the temperature brought was completely different from during the funeral when she first held his hand.
‘I’ll do it well.’
Holding that hand, her worries disappeared and gained strength instead. Dalia followed her brother with a smile.
People came to greet Hikan and Dalia. Some of them gave gifts to Dalia, saying that since she didn’t have a birthday celebration so they had no chance to see her.
After asking the servant to move the gift box to their designated room, Dalia smiled merrily.
“I hope that it’s a big doll that I can hold and sleep with.”
“If you needed that, you should have bought it earlier.”
“Doll is the best when you get it as a gift. “
Suddenly, Dalia realized that she didn’t know when Hikan’s birthday was.
“When is brother’s birthday?”
“Why do you ask that?”
“……Hmm, can brother guess why?”
“……That’s okay.”
Dalia smiled bashfully. It was surprising that she and Hikan were talking like this casually.
“My birthday is in winter. It’s autumn now. There’s a long way to go, so you don’t have to worry.”
“My birthday is……”
“I know, it passed a while ago. I’m sorry I couldn’t take care of you then.”
Dalia’s birthday was in June. How does Hikan know her birthday?
Dalia looked at Hikan in surprise. He pretended not to know, as always, as if nothing had happened.
At that time, a married couple came to greet Hikan and Dalia. They said that they came from the duchy.
They greeted Hikan first and expressed regret for what happened at the last ball.
They were the first to directly mention the ball’s mana explosion incident.
Dalia was a little bewildered by their casual behavior. Then the two made a fuss when they saw Dalia who were holding Hikan’s arm.
“Oh my, Miss Dalia really sticks to her brother like a glue.”
“You’re so cute. The Duke must be happy.”
Dalia felt that her good mood subtly deteriorating in an instant. It seemed that the rumors that Dalia couldn’t live without Hikan were still circulating.
‘That’s the very, very early thing……that I did in order to live.’
Thanks to that, she was living with Hikan this way, but it was a little unfair to be regarded as such a person.
But in her own way, she’s also a member of the Pesteros Dukedom. She also asked the Emperor to make the Beniter become a Count.
‘I tried to be charismatic at the tea party.’
It seems that it did not reach the duchy.
Even so, it was rude. They’re saying that she’s cute to someone they’ve never met before, or that she doesn’t know how to be away from her brother.
But she didn’t want to ruin the mood. Because in any case, Hikan was the main character not her.
So Dalia only gives a short smile instead of answering back. People with that much sense won’t talk about it anymore.
However.
“Why are you being rude, Viscount?”
“……What?”
Dalia looked at Hikan in confusion. His expression was cold.
“You’re not there during the Duchess Blueport’s mana explosion incident in the first place, and now you’re saying that she’s cute and all that to my sister. Are we in a position to hear this from you?”
She already knew that once Hikan had that cold expression, it means that he’s angry, he looks really scary.
Dalia pulled his sleeve slightly to stop him. However, Hikan did not look back at Dalia and only glared at the couple.
The atmosphere around them suddenly became cold. The Viscount and his wife were conscious of the atmosphere and hurriedly apologized.
“We, we’re sorry, Duke, Miss Dalia. We were careless.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Be careful next time. Come here, Dalia.”
Hikan spoke coldly and pulled Dalia. She greeted the married couple awkwardly and hurriedly followed him.
Hikan still looks angry. He spoke sharply to Dalia.
“Did the other families talk to you like that?”
“N, no.”
“Tell me if someone ever made fun of you like that. I’ll never let them come to the mansion again.”
“……yes.”
“As I said earlier, you’re a Pesteros. Don’t just leave that behind. When Adrisha Beniter was insulted, you get angry and why……!”
Dalia now knew that this was Hikan’s ‘jealousy’.
‘I wish you’d tell me that you’re angry because you’re ignoring me at times like this.’
But still, that’s Hikan. Dalia looked up at him and suddenly smiled.
Hikan frowned and looked at Dalia.
“Why are you smiling?”
“I was worried. I’m afraid that brother might blame me for being angry at the tea party.”
“……but?”
“But when brother got mad at someone else, I thought that…….it was stupid of me to worry about that……”
‘I can’t say that it’s funny because you tell me that it’s okay, but you’re reacting the same way as me in the same situation.’
And I was touched by that.
“……”
Dalia buried her head in Hikan’s arm and whispered in a small voice to hold back her laughter.
“What if other people think that we siblings are always angry……?”
“Tell them to think that way. They’re the ones who’ll regret it anyway.”
Hikan replied bluntly, perhaps embarrassed now.
Dalia laughed again.
To think that Hikan got mad at others for his younger sister.
If she told this to the person who played the original game, it was obvious that everyone would think that it was nonsense.
With him, there was hope that everything would be fine in the future. She smiled.
