I Want to Fall in Love After Getting Reincarnated as the Heroine on the Verge of a Bad Ending, but My OP Older Brother Won’t Leave Me Alone!? - Chapter 179
Translated by: ShinigamiTori
Chapter 179 ? The Start of a Strange Feeling 5
Less than a week before the rank exam, I found myself heading quietly to the unused faucet in the backyard after my magic potion class.
Just as I was about to wash my face, someone unexpectedly clung to me from behind.
“Nee-san? What are you doing??”
Judging by his action, he must have known it was me from behind. But the moment I turned around, Luka froze stiff.
And for good reason—my face is covered in soot.
Thanks to the foolish Willy, who wasn’t paying attention to the teacher’s lecture again, my face ended up looking like a soot-covered monster. I’m seriously about to lose my patience.
“… It’s really you, right?”
“Uh-huh, I made a small mistake in an experiment.”
“A small mistake, in an experiment….”
Luka stared at me in disbelief but eventually burst out laughing with a “pfft.”
“Ahaha! Seriously, how does someone end up looking like that? Haha!”
Luka must have found it really funny, as tears began to gather at the corners of his eyes as he laughed hard.
Seeing his childlike, innocent grin was so endearing that I found myself smiling back without even realizing it.
“Luka, you’re really cute when you laugh.”
I blurted it out without meaning to, and Luka seemed to snap out of it, turning his face away from mine.
“…. It’s embarrassing, so don’t look at me too much.”
“Hehe, what should I do?”
If I say that his embarrassed look is also adorable, I’ll probably get scolded.
If I say that his embarrassed look is also adorable, I’ll probably get scolded.
That evening, after finishing dinner, I went straight to Julius’ room.
“Is there something you don’t understand in your studies?”
“No, I actually have something I want to ask.”
Upon hearing that I had something to talk about, Julius let me in and invited me to sit on the sofa. He then had the maid prepare some tea and immediately dismissed her.
Once we were alone, I took a sip of the tea and spoke.
“… Actually, I came to ask you about when I first came to this mansion.”
The more I got to know Luka, the more I became curious about the past. But I couldn’t bring myself to ask Luka, so I decided to ask Julius.
Julius might not want to remember the time when he wasn’t getting along with Rene, but I felt that, given our current relationship, it would be alright.
“Hmm, to be honest, I don’t remember much. Rene didn’t like to talk and always had your head down, so I couldn’t even see your face, and I didn’t make much of an effort to talk to you either.”
It seems the only time they saw each other was during meals, and they never saw each other outside of that.
“You were locked in your room from morning to night at first, getting drilled by a tutor on noble etiquette and knowledge. I think I saw you cry once, saying you wanted to go back to your old home.”
“That’s…”
Having grown up as a commoner, it was understandable that an eight-year-old would be overwhelmed by the harsh manners and knowledge drilled into her from morning to night. Even someone like me, who’s over twenty, would surely cry.
Rene’s mother, it seems, did her best to try to stop it or support her, but her father continued the harsh education, saying, “It would be troublesome if the Count’s family name were tarnished.”
Rene’s mother, it seems, did her best to try to stop it or support her, but her father continued the harsh education, saying, “It would be troublesome if the Count’s family name were tarnished.”
“And then, when that person found out, he??”
Suddenly, Julius’ words trailed off as if he had remembered something. He covered his mouth with one hand and appeared to be deep in thought.
“Is something wrong?”
“… No, it’s nothing.”
No matter how you looked at it, it didn’t seem like there was nothing there, but at times like these—when he wasn’t sure about something—I knew that Julius wouldn’t say anything even if I asked.
“Sorry, I wasn’t able to help.”
“No, you helped enough. Thank you!”
I thanked him, finished my tea, and returned to my room so as not to disturb his studies.
While I was curious about what Julius had been about to say, I resumed my position at the desk.
???
A few nights later, Julius came to my room, and I immediately stopped studying to greet him.
“Honestly, I wasn’t sure if I should give this to you with the rank exam only two days away.”
With that intro, Julius handed me several envelopes. His serious expression gave me a sense of unease.
“I didn’t believe it was my place to make a decision on my own.”
“…?”
I tilted my head as I took them, noticing they looked a bit worn, maybe from a few years ago.
“I found them when I rummaged through his study.”
He referred to our father, and when I asked if it was alright to go through his room without permission, Julius casually replied, “As long as you don’t get caught.”
From the way he spoke, I could tell this wasn’t the first time.
Though I was curious about what the letter from my father’s study had to do with me, I took it.
“… Huh?”
And when I saw the name “Rene Wainwright” written on the envelope, I gasped.
The beautiful handwriting was familiar to me. My heart began to race, and I turned the envelope over.
“—Lukas Ashton.”
There, in clear letters, was Luka’s name.
If you like the novel and would like to support me, feel free to click the button below to go to my ko-fi! (??`?) Please also consider sending some love by leaving a rating/review for this series on Novel Updates! Thank you ??