HPBLL - Chapter 58

Stella thought that Skyle's gaze was ominous. She felt that if she stared intently into his eyes, she would get drawn in rather than calm him down.

"Brother, please calm down."

Stella hugged Skyle, intending not to meet his gaze. Skyle froze in surprise. It was the first time. The first time he had hugged her younger sister.

"I'm not going to die right now."

Except when they were very young, Stella had always called Skyle by his name. The title older brother, which he hadn't heard in a long time, was deeply etched in Skyle's ears. Stella felt a little relieved when he stopped for a moment. Then she patted his back.

"Don't get angry. I'll explain everything."

Skyle pulled away from her with a sour expression. Then he suddenly came to his senses.

"Anger? Does this look like I'm getting angry to you?"

Skyle patted his chest, expressing his frustration.

"Would you stay calm if you were in my shoes? Your younger sister is about to die."

She pondered how to calm him down. It seemed like ordinary methods wouldn't work. Stella stared intently at the drawer.

Stella had two magic potions given to her by God. One was the love potion that Kendrick had already drunk. The other was a potion that allowed her to read people's minds. Along with minds, she could also read memories and emotions.

'I never thought I’d end up using this on Skyle.'

It was originally intended to look inside the girl Marie's head. Judging by the size of the vial, it seemed to be enough for three sips. Stella decided to use one sip to look inside Skyle.

"Why didn't you tell me? Is there no medicine to cure the disease? How much time do you have left?"

Stella seated him on the sofa as he poured out a barrage of questions. Roy discreetly stepped aside. Stella took a sip of the white potion from the drawer.

"What are you doing? You said you would explain."

After drinking the medicine, Stella pulled Skyle's arm.

"What are you doing?"

"Just stay like this for a moment."

She had to drink this medicine and touch the person whose thoughts she wanted to read to read their mind. Stella closed her eyes. A small light entered her dark vision. Then, Skyle's memories began to flow in little by little.

***

Skyle hated being alone in his room since he was a child.

The other young nobles said that even among themselves, their parents would come to read them fairy tales or that siblings would spend the night together. However, Skyle had absolutely nothing like that.

Brothers, sisters.

But one day, Skyle gained a sister.

He often saw a little girl toddling along, looking as though she had just taken her first steps. She walked well, but looked unsteady, and she was only babbling a little.  “Ouch.” “Ow.” “Wow.” Is that all?

"Father, what is that child?"

"What else could it be? It's your little sister, Stella."

It was only after a few days that he realized the child was his younger sibling. His parents never took the time to explain to Skyle how he had come to have a sibling, nor did they introduce him, even as a formality.

'My sister...'

The emotion he felt the moment he recognized Stella as his sister was admiration. Purple eyes just like his own. Whenever Skyle looked in the mirror, he thought he looked fierce because of the purple. But when he looked at Stella, it was different.

'Lovely.'

Everything was cute and beautiful. Skyle learned many things. However, no one told him how to treat his younger sister. It was a time of intense curiosity. Skyle often peeked into his sister's playroom. It happened to be when the nanny had stepped away for a moment.

"Do you want to stand on your head?"

His younger sister was burying her head in the ground and stomping her feet. He recalled the handstand he had learned in swordsmanship class. Skyle carefully grabbed his sister's ankle and lifted her up.

"Waaah!"

Stella burst into tears. Hearing the sound of Stella crying, the nanny rushed over and comforted her, and Skyle returned to his room as if running away.

"Master Skyle, Young Lady Stella is very delicate and fragile. You must not lay a hand on her carelessly."

The nanny explained cautiously to Skyle. Since then, Stella has become more difficult for Skyle to deal with. She seemed to have a very weak constitution, as she caught colds frequently. Unlike Skyle, who mingled with many young nobles as the future monarch to succeed Lanedict, Stella stayed only at home.

"As expected, Skyle is excellent at math."

"Stella mastered the Imperial language very quickly."

Even amidst this, her parents' comparison of their children continued. To Skyle, Stella was someone he should not approach carelessly, while simultaneously being an object of comparison. His parents even gave her small gifts because her body was slightly weaker.

"Brother, can I come into the room?"

At some point, she started to annoy him. He couldn't tell exactly when that started.

"Wow, Skyle. Your little sister is really pretty."

"That's right. I want to see her up close. Tell her to come over."

"Her cheeks are so soft. I told you I just want to pinch them once. Hahaha."

It might have been from the time Stella was mentioned by the young men who were close to him.

"Should I ask my father to let me get engaged to Stella?"

Her beauty, which shone even at a young age, became the subject of gossip at every opportunity, and Skyle was displeased by this.

"Can't you see the other youngsters came to the room?"

That is why Skyle was even more reluctant to let his friends meet Stella.

"Can't I play too?"

"No."

"Just once."

"Get lost."

Watching Stella scurry away, he felt a pang of guilt, but there was no turning back. Stella and Skyle weren't the type to talk often to begin with. Consequently, he had no idea how deeply hurt she had been by what had happened. There was also no guardian to watch over and mediate between the siblings. Their parents simply wanted to raise each of them well individually and didn't care about their harmony. And so, a few more years passed.

Their relationship was still awkward. Then, an accident occurred in which Stella fell into the sea.

"The person who fell into the sea over there."

"She has purple hair. She looks like Stella."

The moment Skyle heard those words, goosebumps covered his entire body.

'I have to save her.'

Skyle jumped into the sea before the knights could even swarm in. They were too slow. If Stella were to die before the knights arrived... I... Skyle felt as if he could not breathe. He thrashed his limbs frantically and barely managed to grab Stella by the waist. She was already unconscious. Skyle suddenly felt terrified.

"Good job, Skyle."

He couldn't even hear his father's praise. Time flew by in a daze.

"Stella opened her eyes."

His legs gave way at the news that she had regained consciousness. He inwardly rejoiced. Fortunately, she hadn't died. It was the first time Skyle had ever felt fear in his life. However, even after several days had passed, Stella was nowhere to be seen. Skyle was implicitly aware of Stella's schedule. Around 3 or 4 p.m., Stella would take a walk in the garden to clear her head. But since returning from the sea, Skyle hadn't seen Stella even once. He mustered the courage to go see the nanny.

"Why isn't Stella coming out?"

For some reason, Skyle felt embarrassed to ask about Stella. The nanny answered with a composed expression.

"She's sick, so she's been lying in her room all day."

When Skyle heard these words, his heart sank again.

'You mustn't get sick.'

He had never once said kind words to her or been a good older brother to her. He didn't even know how to do so. However, he still hated the thought of her leaving this house. He secretly observed Stella.

'She's eating ice...!'

Then he realized.

'She's faking it on purpose.'

At this moment, young Skyle became angry. He had worried so much about Stella, but it was all an act. He felt like he had been toyed with.

'You don't even know how worried I was!'

He had put off his studies and lingered around Stella's room. He had even climbed a tree to watch her through the window. But all those efforts had become ridiculous. He pondered hard why he was so angry. Skyle was upset. He felt hurt by Stella, who wasn't even showing him that she was fully recovered.

"Are you still in pain?"

This was enough to make one angry.

"Did you come because you were worried?"

He observed Stella's expression. It was just a sour and surprised look. Skyle suddenly choked up. He had worried so hard for days, yet she hadn't even welcomed him. He felt as though he, who was always praised, had become a fool in an instant.

"As if you're any good yourself."

He spat out a word often used among his peers instead of swearing. Stella's expression changed strangely. She looked very surprised and hurt. However, Skyle could not stop speaking.

"If you're going to be so sickly, get out of the house.'

***

Skyle regretted it for a long time after returning to his room.

'Did I go too far...?'

Stella's wounded face was enough to appear in his nightmares. It was terrible. Skyle thought about going to apologize, but Stella's door was firmly closed. Also, she hadn't feigned illness again since that day. He also thought that this was enough.

"Bringing Stella into the house in the first place was a mistake, honey. Even though she is half your blood, she is far inferior to Skyle."

"I know, right. Stella costs a fortune. We should have adopted that girl back then instead. I hear she's now been adopted by an Eastern Viscount and is building up the family's fortune. She was exceptional from the very beginning, unlike Stella."

Then, he ran into Stella, who was eavesdropping on her parents' conversation. He didn't know if she was aware of it, but thick tears were dripping from her eyes. Skyle's mouth dropped open. "I'm sorry." The words got stuck in his throat. He didn't know the exact reason why he wanted to apologize. He just wanted to say he was sorry. However, his pronunciation was strangely slurred, so it seemed the words hadn't reached her. Stella turned her head away.

"Ugh."

Stella covered her mouth and sobbed uncontrollably. Skyle first calmed himself down and called her name. He wanted to stop those tears somehow. Watching Stella cry made his heart ache, too.

"Stella."

However, Stella stepped back.

"Don't call me. My name."

Seeing her hurt, Skyle also felt his eyes well up with tears.

"Skyle, you're not my brother."

Thump. His head was spinning. It felt like he had been struck by something. Skyle had never once wanted a situation like this. He hated seeing her tears streaming down her face, and he hated hearing that he shouldn't interfere because he wasn't her brother. He hated it all.

'I have to follow.'

Skyle stared blankly at her retreating figure for a moment before cautiously moving his feet. Sure enough, she was burying her face in the bed. Her shoulders heaved. Skyle carefully placed his hand on her back. His hand was small, but Stella's shoulders were even more gaunt.

"Nanny. It's okay, I want to be alone."

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