The appearance of Lilliaâs, who looked like an angel, crying face made me feel sorry even though I knew what kind of person she was.
âWhew, just like her mother, her acting skill is on the Hollywood level.â
Victor, who was watching Lilliaâs crying face, burst out laughing.
âNo, really, what did I do to make you cry?â
âHwaaaaaâŚâ
âVictor Diollus!â
âAh, what?!â
âRelax your eyes. Donât even lower your voice. Youâre scaring her.â
âHa, what⌠Wow, Iâm speechless.â
Victor, who tilted his head back in the air, messed up his hair as if he were bewildered.
âB-Brother Victor. Iâm sorry. You misunderstood me and didnât give me a chance to explain, so I was so frustratedâŚâ
âYou and Kedrick were mocking Rubette!â
âDonât scream, you bastard!â
âWow!â
What a mess. I just swallowed a sigh from behind.
âNo, Brother Victor. Itâs really a misunderstanding. Itâs true that Kedrick did it, but not me. And when I saw Rubette fall, I tried to help her quickly. You just came before I could.â
âWell, letâs just say so. But whatâs this shit? Because you cry and make a fuss like this, we get misunderstood by you.â
âCanât you speak nicely?â
âN-No. T-Thatâs right, Brother Viego. I asked you to solve the misunderstanding, not to fight Brother Victor, so donât be mad at him. HwaaaâŚâ
âDonât cry. Stop it. Itâs alright.â
It made me wonder if this Viego was still that Viego who threatened us with a cold face.
The older brother was affectionate only to Lillia, he even wiped her tears with a worried face.
âHey, fine. I misunderstood. Letâs forget it. Iâm sorry I made my pretty little sister cry. Alright, you should go, Brother.â
âYou.â
Viego, who had been grinding his teeth at Victorâs crooked attitude, looked at me immediately.
âRubetria.â
â⌠Yes?â
âYouâre the one who made this fuss now, so why are you still like a honeyed mute? If Victor misunderstood Lillia and got angry, shouldnât you have stepped in to stop him?â
ââŚâ
Victor, who was listening, flared up.
âWhy is there fire on her all of a sudden, Brother? Sheâs the victim. Kedrick that bastard pushed her down the stairs and mocked her, and it wasnât even a fuss. Didnât you hear clearly from Lillia?â
âBrother Victor, it wasnât Kedrickâs intention. And the thing about making fun of RubetteâŚâ
Lillia, who had glanced at me, crouched down and added quietly.
âKedrick said he was having a hard time these days because of Rubette. Even though he refuses, Rubette keeps following him and asks to meet himâŚâ
Oh, my.
âThatâs why when he looked at Rubette in such anger, he must have gone too far. I told Rubette to apologize. So, let go of your anger.â
â⌠Ha.â
ââŚâ
Victor tried to retort, but then bit his mouth, and Viego looked at me with an expressionless face.
Thereâs no one here who doesnât know that Iâve been following Kedrick around.
Of course, it wasnât that I hang around and made myself look like a fool, but every time I tried to give up my mind, Kedrick coaxed me into not doing soâŚ
âRubetria.â
âYes, Brother.â
I responded meekly to Viegoâs low voice.
âAre you a three-year-old child? When do you plan to grow old?â
ââŚâ
âI just heard from Lillia. You seemed to have jumped into the pond on purpose before.â
âHuh? Jump into the pond? What does that mean?â
Victor glanced at me.
âDid you really leave Lillia on purpose to threaten her? I was so worried that I waited for you to wake up for six hours, putting aside my affairs that day.â
Viego added, grinding his teeth.
âHow does it feel to make a fool of your brother?â
âBrother, what do you mean? Why is Rubette threatening Lillia?â
Viegoâs voice rose with excitement.
âA man is more important than her own life. It seems that she was trying to threaten Lillia with her life, not to hang out with Young Master Kedrick. Unless sheâs really crazyâŚâ
ââŚâ
Victor, who had now roughly guessed the situation, stiffened as it was.
âItâs so easy to bury a person.â
I, who suddenly became a madman who committed suicide because of a man, sighed slowly among them.
The sad thing is, Rubette had been under this kind of misunderstanding quite a few times and had not been able to speak for herself.
âIâve told you so many times. Youâre like Lilliaâs older sister. Like sisters to each other under the sky. Being close and caring for you is not enoughâŚ!â
Viego started firing like a stalwart man.
âDid you risk your life to scare the child for just that reason? As if that wasnât enough, so you even fired the butler?â
ââŚâ
âLillia followed Rob like a father.â
ââŚâ
âYou even slapped Ricky, who was so worried about you, on the cheek.â
Beside him, Lillia sniffed.
âLillia, that little girl, youâve written a very good novel because Viego believes in whatever she says.â
Viego kept pushing me.
âIf you have a mouth, say something! What kind of evil has this gentle and kind child suddenly become?!â
Hearing the voices accusing me without listening to explanation, I looked at him silently.
âYouâre the best older brother someone could ever have, arenât youâŚâ
***
Viego didnât hate his younger sister, Rubette.
Heâd worry about her when she was sick, and he would sit in the corner 24 hours a day and come in for a cup of tea in the midst of a busy schedule for his sister who doesnât want to come outâŚ
Well, he was that kind of guy.
âWhy are you staying in your room when the weather is nice?â
Viego sat facing Rubette, and ruffling her hair.
âLillia complained to me, she said she wanted to go out and play with you, but sheâs always rejected.â
âAh, thatâŚâ
Thereâs nothing more terrifying than going out and playing with twins.
When nobody is looking, the children harassed and teased Rubette even more.
âItâs just, Iâm not feeling well.â
A short tea time with Viego, who came to visit once a week.
For Viego, it must have been an act of a certain sense of duty, but the foolish Rubette was delighted with even such interest.
âThe cat doll I made!â
A birthday present for my older brother, which I sewed with poor skill and made with cotton.
When I saw the cat doll he had secretly brought to his office, hanging from his jacket.
âHehe, Brother, thatâŚâ
âAh, this.â
Viego patted the doll and grinned.
âWho did such a cute thing? When I asked because it was obvious, she said she didnât know, but when I showed her, she finally confessed. It was Lillia.â
â⌠Pardon?â
âShe said she was embarrassed to say that she made it because she was not skilled. What a funny child. For me, itâs a more desirable gift than expensive clothes or jewelry.â
No. I made that.
âOh, andâŚâ
Viego looked at Rubette again with a tired face, and pulled out a box the size of the palm of his hand.
âThe thing you told me a few days ago? That Grandma hates you.â
ââŚâ
The other side of Molga that I took out to my older brother Viego very carefully.
âNo matter what you think, I think you are mistaken, Rubette.â
It was so easily ignored.
âComing back from this time, Grandma only talked about you in my room for two hours. She came back early because she wanted to see you, she was worried because you were sensitive, she wanted to live with you for the rest of her life without getting married, and she was more in love with you than with twinsâŚâ
ââŚâ
âAfter Grandfather passed away, she has dedicated herself to our family.â
ââŚâ
âGrandma was a mistress, is that why youâre drawing a line with her and the twins?â
âOh, no. IâŚâ
Viego put down the box he was holding with a sigh.
âDo you know what this is? Itâs a gift that Grandma herself bought while traveling because youâve been losing weight, so she was worried about your health. I, too, as an older brother, canât take good care of you because Iâve been busyâŚâ
ââŚâ
âI am not proud of it. So Iâm more sorry and grateful to Grandma. SoâŚâ
Viego got up and said as he left the room.
âOpen your heart a little.â
***
âPfft.â
Everyoneâs eyes focused on me, who burst into laughter while searching for memories.
I mean, itâs funny. How stupid a person can be to live a lifetime of being deceived like this. Heâs like a fool who will lose his organs to a con artist.
âRubette, youâre laughing?â
âOh, Iâm sorry, Brother. Itâs just so ridiculousâŚâ
âRidiculous?â
âMm.â
I stared at him and said.
âI fell into the pond that day and almost died. Even you know that I was lying unconscious.â
ââŚâ
âYouâre saying I wanted to threaten Lillia because of Kedrick? Risking dying just to scare her? Brother, if I really die, thereâs no Kedrick in hell.â
With a shrug, I asked Victor next to me, âDonât you think?â
Victor looked at me blankly and nodded slowly.
â⌠Right.â
âIf you think about it with common sense, you can easily see that itâs nonsense. If you are too emotional and canât even think of a simple thought, what can you do as a head of family?â
With my arms folded, I accepted Viegoâs gaze sternly and added.
âWe should be glad the house is still standing.â
âHukk.â
â⌠What?â
Naturally, both brothers were astonished at the rebellious tone of their younger sister, who was usually timid and obedient.