LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 50
“…What did you just say?”
“Uh… It’s… a son…”
“Damn it…”
After Leo’s death.
A child was born who seemed to be the last trace he left in this world.
“Ugh…”
The child’s weight fell far below average, and even their crying was feeble.
No, there was a bigger problem.
“A boy, huh.”
Male.
The child born from Leo and Carbon was, regrettably, a boy.
In this world, males were merely the weak.
At least, it was a gender inadequate to carry on the legacy of a swordsmanship family.
“Tsk, take care of him yourself.”
“Huh? But he’s the late mistress’s son…”
“And what of it? Does some petty past connection matter more than Aldair now?”
“Ah… No, not at all…”
The name given to the newborn was ‘Alben.’
It was the male version of ‘Elma.’
“Uwaah…”
Alben was very frail.
Whether it was from inheriting something from Leo or simply being a newborn, he frequently fell sick.
The person who took care of him with utmost devotion was none other than.
“Alben, it’s okay. Your sister is here.”
“Uwaah!”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Elma.
At first, it was merely because of a promise with Leo.
To pass on the love she had received to the child he left behind.
It was mostly a duty.
“Ugh…”
“No, Alben. You need to take your medicine to get better.”
“Uwaah.”
“Pfft! What’s with that face?”
Then at some point, she began to feel sympathy.
She had received warmth from Leo simply because she was born a bit earlier.
But this child couldn’t receive such natural love and warmth.
Even though he carried Leo’s blood.
“I took the love that this child was originally supposed to receive.”
The hand that allowed her to endure in this harsh family.
Now, there were no longer any men to touch that little head.
Pat pat!
“Uuh?”
“…So soft.”
Thus, she now had to take on that role herself.
It was an act that stemmed from guilt.
“Alben! I’ll read to you again today.”
“Sister!”
“Hm… What should we read today?”
“This one! This one is great!”
“You’ve already read it so many times?”
“Hehe, it’s great when you read it!”
Time gradually piled up.
An hour became a day.
A day became a month.
A month became a year.
Layers of time built upon each other.
All of it was made of love.
“Alben, what’s that wound?!”
“Uuh, huh? It’s nothing!”
“Nothing, my foot! Hurry up and tell me!”
“Uh… I mean, the head of the family just slightly hit me!”
“…The head of the family?”
“I just said I wanted to learn swordsmanship… Hehe. I messed up. A boy wanting to learn swordsmanship.”
At some point, there was something in Elma’s actions that surpassed obligation.
“What is this behavior?! You promised not to lay a hand on Alben!”
“He merely overstepped his boundaries.”
“Is there anything wrong with wanting to learn swordsmanship?!”
“…You’re acting uncharacteristically agitated. Leave before you offend me.”
It was extraordinary to raise her voice in front of Carbon, whom she ordinarily couldn’t oppose.
“Cough… It’s hard to breathe, sister…”
“It’s okay… It’s okay…! I’ll make sure you don’t hurt!”
Holding the sick Alben’s hand and spending sleepless nights.
“Wow… So this is the snack sold outside…!”
“I brought some of each kind, so save some! Oh, and about the servants… you know, right?”
“Shh! Hehe, of course I know.”
Sneaking out of the family to buy snacks.
All these actions were not borne of obligation but something else entirely.
And that was love.
The very love Leo had shown her.
“Sister is fine. I ate a lot.”
“Really?”
“Really. Actually, what I ate was what was left over.”
“Eew…”
“Pfft! I’m just joking.”
After Leo’s death, in the world tainted by ash,
Alben was the only splash of color.
“Both Leo and Alben.”
In the way they kept her alive, they resembled each other more than anyone else.
*
As Alben grew older, he began to resemble Leo.
His eyes, nose, and lips.
Except for that unique gray hair, everything was a perfect match for Leo.
“Alben.”
“Oh, sister, you’re here?”
Alben shut his book and smiled widely.
He had started to stay in the room where Leo used to live.
In the very spot where Leo had welcomed him, Alben greeted her just like Leo would.
Every time she saw that scene, her heart ached.
“Are you feeling okay lately?”
“Huh? All of a sudden?”
“I mean, you’re not suddenly feeling short of breath or have a fever or headache…?”
“I’m totally fine.”
“Phew… Thank goodness.”
“Hehe. You get serious every time I’m sick.”
Alben chuckled playfully.
Then he pulled out a small box from under the bed.
“Here!”
“What’s this?”
“A gift! You’re about to enter Polaris, right? I specially prepared it!”
Elma held the box in a daze.
As she unwrapped it, the contents were immediately revealed.
“A handkerchief…?”
“I saw it in a book. Giving a handkerchief means ‘I wish for your victory.’”
Elma already knew that story well.
It came from the habit of the founding emperor washing his hands right after winning against enemies.
“If you’re going to do it, win.”
“But sister, you’re not even taking the entrance exam? And why does winning or losing even matter?”
“But still, winning is better than losing!”
Winning is better than losing.
Elma pondered over that phrase, allowing a faint smile to appear.
“Yeah, thank you.”
“Ehehe. It’ll be lonely when you leave.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll write to you every day.”
Pretending to be calm on the outside to not worry Alben.
The one who was most troubled was her.
Carbon didn’t like Alben.
Not just secretly—he openly showed his disdain.
“He’s looking for any excuse to get rid of Alben the moment he gets the chance.”
She took the lesser branch position she didn’t want to protect Alben.
While protecting Alben from the position of the lesser branch, even Carbon wouldn’t have the gall to kick Alben out.
“Alben, if something difficult happens while I’m gone…”
“Ah~ Seriously. You worry too much, you know?”
Alben raised his shoulders high.
“I don’t want you to be unable to focus on your studies because of me.”
“Even so…”
“Now you have to live your life.”
“…I understand. But I’ll still keep writing letters, okay?”
“That’s what I hoped for too.”
She decided to worry a little less.
While the anxiety was unavoidable, by writing letters or visiting the family every vacation, she could maintain the influence of the lesser branch.
Above all.
To make Alben the head of the family, she needed to focus on honing her own strength.
“Then, I’ll be off.”
“See you later.”
With that, Elma set off for Polaris.
At the academy she arrived at, her life was a smooth continuation.
She received recognition for her outstanding swordsmanship skills and accomplished the feat of being elected Vice Student Council President.
Above all, the world outside the family was so beautiful.
No longer were there Carbon’s oppressive gazes or whispers from the servants.
She didn’t have to act as the lesser branch.
Just like other students.
She could lead a life close to ordinary.
Of course, she didn’t forget to write to Alben from time to time.
Whenever she wrote about her days at Polaris, Alben would reply with eager responses.
“One day, I want to go to Polaris with you.”
Holding onto such little hopes.
She felt a happiness she hadn’t experienced since Leo’s death.
That happiness crumbled at the end of her third year.
“An assignment, you say?”
“It’s a rather urgent matter. Proposals have gone out even for preparatory fourth years.”
After Elma accepted a certain ‘assignment.’
“The children have gone missing. From ‘The Rift.’”
“The Rift, you say? The kids? Why?”
“What do you mean why? The locals have gone mad and sacrificed 99 kids as offerings for some filthy deity.”
“What…?”
“Seriously, they’re insane. Sure, I understand they lost their homes because of the war.”
But even so, to do that to children…!
Jane sighed and added.
“Anyway, I’m going. I have to save those kids.”
“I had a feeling you’d want to go.”
“So what about you? Don’t you have to return home every semester?”
“I…”
“Don’t push yourself too hard. This is a mission that’s at least a month long.”
As much as she wanted to throw aside the mission, she just wanted to return to the home where Alben was.
“…I’ll go.”
It was hard to endure the thought of children trembling in that wilderness.
‘Alben…’
A sense of unease blossomed inside her.
Yet until the end of her third year, Carbon didn’t move.
There was no attempt to drive Alben out of the family.
She couldn’t believe he changed his mind…
‘If it’s just about a month…’
Even if letters didn’t reach her or she didn’t visit the family.
Nothing major would happen to Alben.
“Let’s get ready.”
“Alright! Let’s go!”
That’s what she thought.
But it shouldn’t have happened.
“Alben…?”
“Miss, you’re here.”
“Umm… Where’s Alben…?”
“Umm… Young Master Alben is…”
“Where is Alben!!!!!!”
When Elma returned home after completing all her assignments.
“Ahh… No!!”
Alben had lost his place within the family.
Foolishly, she was too late again.
“Alben! Alben!!”
She acted like a fool.
Carbon hadn’t given up.
He hadn’t kept still either.
He was merely waiting for an opportunity.
When Elma was away from the family for too long.
Like a predator, he crouched low.
“Alben!! Aaaah…”
Tears she thought would never fall again.
Dripped, drop by drop.
Wet the floor.