Chapter 66
In the dream, Isley was only seven years old.
His skin, which had not yet been sunburned, was white, and his hands and feet with calluses were small.
His curly hair was cut short, revealing his round forehead.
He had a young face suitable for his age, with his dense facial features, but his size was not.
As can be seen from the sitting height, the child was significantly taller than the children of his age. He was already over 140 centimeters tall, and he was quite large. Maybe that’s why people who saw the boy for the first time thought that he was three or four years older than his original age. However, no matter how others looked at it, Isley had the innocence characteristic of a seven-year-old.
Isley sat on the carpet on the floor of the room, fiddling with his new wooden sword.
The dark grayish-brown sword was made by cutting the hawks’ tree, which was expensive and was purchased specially for the swordsmanship competition. The child lit up his eyes as he held up his sword.
“I have to get first place in this swordsmanship contest. And I will tell my mother the news of the victory. mother… Will you praise me?”
Compliment… What a sweet word! It feels like rolling candy in your mouth. He smiled as he imagined her hand stroking his hair. Isley lifts his head as calluses-laden hands ruffle his hair and fall off. Then he immediately sees his mother’s face. Pale white skin, dark hair that looks like the night sky, long eyelashes that cast shadows, and red lips with a soft smile. She stares at him with red eyes with a face more beautiful than anyone else in the world.
Yes, with those cold eyes…
“Ah….”
Isley opened his eyes in surprise. And he rose from his seat, shaking his head from side to side like a man trying to forget a terrible imagination.
“Hey, this is not the time! Let’s practice!”
Isley rushed out of the room with the intention of going to the gym. When trying to go down from the second floor through the long stairs leading directly to the front door…
… Shuuk!
“… Huh?”
Someone pushed Isley on the back.
It happened in an instant. So Isley felt his body floating in the air. Obviously, the time to float in the air was fleeting, but to Isley, it felt like a very long time.
‘I… Am I falling now?’
Isley looked up at the top of the stairs with a blank expression on his face.
There was his older brother, Osses. The boy’s face, with his hands outstretched as he looked at his young brother as he fell down the stairs, was intertwined with guilt, fear and indescribable joy.
When Isley learns of the culprit who pushed him, a shock engulfs him. He was tied to a solid wooden pole, and pain as if being hit by hundreds or thousands of stones hit him all over his body. Isley was going down the stairs and fell to the first floor.
“Akh! You-young master…!”
One last time to hear someone scream…
‘It hurts….’
Isley’s world turned black.
There was always laughter in the rose mansion. A mother who was called the Iron-Blooded Duke from the outside, but is kind to her children, and the children who love and follow such a mother more than anyone else.
Although there was the pain of the early death of their sickly father, it did not become a major obstacle to their happiness. The four of you loved, cared for, and lived happily ever after.
… And that’s what people thought.
They did not know the other side of the Emers house. The brothers pretended to be friendly on the outside, but on the inside, they were jealous of each other and kept in check, and they were anxious to monopolize their mother’s love.
To be honest, it would be a lie to say that all of our friendly faces are fake.
The brothers felt affection for each other, but they also thought that they could let go of those feelings in order to win their mother’s love.
So, it wouldn’t be difficult to break a brother’s leg so he could not participate in a swordsmanship contest, tore up all the books the day before class with the tutor, burned a picture of his mother hard on fire, and locked him up in a dark and narrow warehouse. It all possible.
The brothers had no hesitation in whatever they did. Among them, Osses was the most reluctant to resort to any means.
He felt inferior to his brothers. It was because she thought he was inferior to Isley, who had a talent for swordsmanship, and Arthur, who was rumored to be a genius. He was not capable of defeating them, so in order to win his mother’s love, he had no choice but to cut down on the two of them, he thought. It is still in Isley’s memory that he cried and poured out his jealousy.
‘Why did you say that I and Arthur were jealous?’
Isley was rather envious of Osses. Most nobles passed on the heir to the first. It was the same with the Duke of Emers. He was appointed as an heir as soon as Osses was born. She said firmly that the successor would never change in the future. The Duke took an interest in her successor, Osses, more than the other children, and occasionally gave her a check on how much he had learned to work.
Swords, magic, studies, etc. were able to do well. But it was impossible to choose the time of birth.
‘I wish I was born first. I hate studying, but my mother must have been more interested in me.’
Even Osses resembles his father the most among his brothers. His brown hair and soft eyes were eerily identical to the picture of a man hanging in the Duke’s room.
‘My mother originally said that she was planning to get married by arrangement. She wanted to have only one child who would be her successor… However, a man who suddenly appeared broke all those thoughts. Osses resembles that man, so why don’t I know that he is blessed?’
Isley put on my crutches as I thought about it. I refused to be supported by a servant, and went to the dining room.
His right leg was broken, so it was difficult to move his body. When he arrived in front of the dining room, the servant opened the door. The Duke sat at the top of the table, and Arthur and Osses sat to the left and right.
“Come here, Izz.”
The Duke greeted Isley with a soft smile.
“Yes, mother! Good morning!”
When the boy saw his mother, he felt his heart flutter. The mere fact that she said hello to the one her loved made Isley the happiest person in the world.
The Duke spoke lightly of concern for the boy’s condition, and Isley lied that he was fine, though his legs were still throbbing. Because he knew he was sick and she didn’t like a whining child very much.
On the other hand, he deliberately did not treat his leg, hoping she would take care of himself. This contradictory and contradictory mind has always been entrenched in Isley.
As Isley limped and sat down next to Arthur, the food started coming out right away. Crab meat soup, scrambled eggs, and other light foods good for breakfast were served.
Isley felt a stinging gaze as she ate the scramble and lifted his head. Osses, who was sitting on the opposite side of the diagonal, was staring at him. When he meets his eyes, he shakes his head like an apology. He must have felt sorry.
‘You don’t have to.’
Isley was upset that he could not participate in the swordsmanship competition, but he was not angry with Osses. This is because he is well aware of his desire to be loved more than his other brothers and to receive his mother’s attention. It was the same with Isley as well as his other brothers. Because they understand and empathize with each other, there is no way to tell anyone what the brothers have done. Falling off the stairs was also settled by Isley’s mistake.
… Thud!
Then a sound was heard from somewhere. Isley shrugged in surprise. Arthur, who was sitting next to him, was nodding at the table when he banged his forehead against the table. As he lifted his head, blood gushed out of his nostrils. The employees around them were startled and ran to Arthur.
“Are you okay, young master? You must have hit it hard. Bleeding!”
“Call the doctor quickly! You’re still bleeding!”
“It’s okay…”
Arthur covered his nose with his sleeve and mumbled.
“… It doesn’t matter. I think it’s because I’m tired lately.”
After it was revealed that Arthur had a talent for magic, the Duke gave him a teacher from the magic tower. When Arthur performed well under him, the Duke praised him with a small prize. From then on, Arthur frantically began to study magic, which he had not shown much interest in. In his room, books related to magic piled up like a mountain, and papers with formulas he had never seen before were glued to the walls. The enthusiasm was enough to make even the teacher stick his tongue out.
The Duke patted his mouth with a napkin and said.
“Is this because of studying magic? It’s good to work hard, but don’t overdo it, I’ll be worried.”
“Yes… All right.”
Arthur’s face flashed red.
‘Isn’t it good to be worried?’
Isley spit out her brother, half worried and half jealous.
“That’s right. Why are you overdoing it, and then one day you’ll die suddenly? Get a good night’s sleep! Idiot.”
“Are you stupid? Isley, you…!”
Arthur continued to speak with a face holding back his anger.
“… Is brother doing well? Didn’t you give up because you were overworked last time without even thinking about your own physical strength? Who is calling who an idiot?”
“What, That’s over a month ago! Don’t bring old things.”
After a small quarrel, a pleasant mealtime began. Isley, as usual, chirps funny stories, inventing words that are not related.
The servants standing in the service heard the story happily, and the Duke smiled softly. Arthur, who was hesitating in the meantime, confided about what he had studied today and what achievements he had achieved. Arthur had no talent for making up words. So he used to tell stories that Isley thought weren’t funny. Osses, who always put appropriate chuimsae in their words, were silent today. Isley seeing it was concerned for his brother’s.
As they left the dining room after eating, Osses hastily caught Isley.
Isley looked back with a puzzled face.
“What’s that, brother?”
“Sorry…“
With a face that looked like he was about to cry, Osses carefully pulled up his sleeve.
“I must have been crazy back then. I, I… I didn’t expect you to get hurt so badly. Really…! just… I was hoping for a slight injury…”
Isley looked down at the hand that was holding him quietly. Today, Osses’s hand was still wrapped in bandages. Osses had a habit of scratching his hands with his nails when he was stressed. It usually said that he was red and swollen, but when it was severe, his blood would come out and they would bandage him up. He knows it’s funny to worry about someone who hurt him, but Isley broke his heart to see him.
‘… It’s not bad to worry about others.’
Isley clasped Osses’s hand gently, and smiled.
“I’m fine.”
However, Osses’s expression did not improve at all.