CHAPTER 06
Thanks to his quick reflexes, Joshua immediately caught it. Since it hadn’t been thrown to attack in the first place, it was easy to catch.
“…What is this?”
“You said to throw it.”
Joshua opened his hand, visibly flustered.
It was candy.
Seraphine, being frail, had to take a lot of medicine. Since the medicine was bitter, she always kept candy nearby.
“W-Who said I wanted this?!”
The pink hard candy, wrapped in shiny foil, stole his gaze.
Suddenly, Joshua found himself annoyed with Seraphine for treating him like a child.
On the other hand, Seraphine truly did think of Joshua as a child.
‘Having a little brother feels completely different from having a little sister.’
Back in the Tilmun Kingdom, Seraphine had a younger sister—affectionate, competitive for their parents’ love, and cat-like in her temperament. Though often bristly, she would beam and snuggle up whenever things went her way, claiming she only had Seraphine.
But her younger brother was bigger, harder to approach, and seemed like he might run away at any moment no matter what she did.
Even now, it was the same.
“Father told me to stay here since you’re worrying people in new ways again. I’m the only one home right now. If I’d known, I would’ve said I had plans.”
“So I worried you.”
“…Did you drink poison or something? Why are you being so creepy today?”
Joshua looked disgusted.
Still, he didn’t throw the candy away.
Seraphine, thinking that actions speak louder than words with this boy, pondered briefly before asking,
“What if I really had drunk poison and died? What would you do then?”
“…What nonsense are you spouting now?”
Joshua looked stunned for a moment, then reacted with distaste.
“Planning to drink poison this time? Are you crazy? No—wait, you’ve always been out of your mind.”
Joshua glared at her with contempt and added,
“It was foolish of me to believe—even for a second—that you were sane. Stop thinking weird things and just take your medicine and sleep.”
As much as he disliked her, family was still family.
Even if he looked disgusted, he didn’t go so far as to tell her to die.
‘Well, who really wants their blood relative to die… except for my father, maybe.’
After that brief exchange, Seraphine had a rough sense of Joshua’s personality and nodded to herself.
Meanwhile, Joshua was a bit startled that Seraphine lay down quietly without snapping at him for being rude.
Was it the cold?
Why is she so obedient?
And the candy from earlier, too…
Joshua frowned deeply as he looked at the candy in his hand.
“You’re not going to eat it?”
Seraphine, half-asleep after taking her medicine, opened her hazy eyes and asked softly.
Hearing her voice, Joshua quickly looked up at her.
Of all the times he’d seen her, this was the most relaxed and peaceful she’d looked.
But it didn’t seem like she’d completely given up on life.
He didn’t understand her sudden change in behavior, especially since she’d attempted suicide before.
“What’s strawberry flavor even supposed to be?”
Seraphine hadn’t realized it was strawberry flavored. She casually noted that Joshua must dislike strawberry.
“What kind of candy do you like? I’ll have it ready tomorrow. Come get it.”
“Are you seriously asking me to play nurse again tomorrow?”
Joshua scoffed.
Seraphine hadn’t meant it that way, and quickly tried to backtrack.
“I wouldn’t want to get a healthy person sick.”
“Then just send the candy with a maid…”
“Then it’ll look like you like candy!”
“So what if it does?”
There was no malice in Seraphine’s gaze.
Only Joshua imagined himself like a child being showered with candy from his big sister.
He wasn’t even an adult yet, but being treated like a kid embarrassed him, and his face turned red.
“Fine! I’ll come! Happy now?!”
Seraphine tried to say something else but couldn’t.
Bang!
Joshua slammed the door and left.
‘Geez… if he didn’t want to come, he could’ve just said so. What was that about?’
Maybe he really hated strawberry that much.
Having learned her brother’s taste, Seraphine closed her eyes again.
She wanted to sleep a little more.
✦✦✦
Joshua came to care for her every single day.
Even though she told him it wasn’t necessary, he’d burst in anyway.
“Sis, is this all you ate? Seriously? This looks like bird food.”
He’d grumble the moment he saw her.
He acted like he hated being there, but even when she told him to go, he wouldn’t leave.
As a sick person, Seraphine couldn’t exactly stop visitors from coming.
And so, the strange time they spent together slowly grew longer.
“You still look like death. Are you sure this is just a cold? Why’s it taking so long?”
“Not everyone is as healthy as you.”
Her honesty made Joshua flinch, like she’d hit a nerve.
Perhaps because she’d already died once, the fact that her life was slipping away didn’t strike Seraphine as particularly dramatic.
The Empire had been built over the ruins of the Tilmun Kingdom. But this was no longer the place she once knew.
The people, the memories—they were all gone. Only her memories remained.
So she didn’t try hard to be remembered by others.
She simply accepted that if she died, then so be it.
Joshua didn’t seem to like that attitude.
Though, it’s not like he ever did like her in the first place.
And even though he came to “care” for her, Joshua wasn’t particularly helpful.
Most of the chores were done by maids anyway.
Joshua’s role in Seraphine’s room came down to two things:
- Picking fights.
- Watching her like she was a specimen.
“Do you really have to stare at me while I take my medicine?”
Unable to bear it, Seraphine snapped.
Joshua responded matter-of-factly.
“You might pretend to take it and then get worse.”
“If I’m sick, I should try to get better. Who does that?”
“You did. Before.”
Joshua was right—she had refused medicine before.
It was a result of how horrifying it felt to see her meds never seem to diminish, no matter how much she took. But she didn’t bother explaining. Joshua wouldn’t understand.
Seraphine shook her head.
“I won’t do that anymore. Want some candy? It’s lemon flavor today.”
She grabbed a few candies randomly.
One was hers, the other for Joshua.
Despite his harsh words, Joshua always accepted the candy quietly and left.
‘So that’s why he kept watching. He wanted to make sure I really took it.’
The more time she spent with him, the more she realized.
Joshua wasn’t just a grumpy little brother who hated his sister like her body’s former owner had thought.
He had a temper and spoke roughly, but at his core, he was genuinely concerned.
He said it was because he was the only one free at home, but Seraphine knew better.
Showing up every day wasn’t as easy as he made it seem.
‘Neither of them knew how to be honest, so it’s no wonder their relationship was strained. Their personalities just… clashed.’
Being with Joshua reminded Seraphine of her younger sister.
So she began showering him with candy the way she would’ve with her own sibling.
Whenever he left with his hands full of candy, Joshua wore a strange, conflicted expression.
A few days later, Seraphine recovered enough to go outside.
Joshua, unaware she was well, came by as usual.
“Why aren’t you in bed, Sis?”
Seeing Seraphine dressed for an outing instead of in pajamas, he frowned.
“I’m all better. Honestly, it was just a cold—it lasted too long.”
“Then you should’ve told me not to come sooner.”
Grumbling, Joshua turned to leave. Seraphine stopped him a little hurriedly.
“You’ve been out in town before, right?”
Joshua nodded like it was obvious.
“Then… would you come with me today? I need someone to show me the way.”
“Trying to make me your porter or something?”
“Huh? Porter?”
“There’s a rumor you’ve been meeting lots of men lately, not just your fiancé. Have them carry your stuff.”
It was no secret.
Her fiancé had someone else he loved. The body’s original owner knew that, too.
In a desperate attempt to win him back, she’d even started flirting with other men.
It was a pathetic move.
Jealousy only worked if love was there to begin with.
But Seraphine, having nothing to hide, stated her destination plainly.
“The museum? That’s not really your thing.”
“I need to check something.”
The Empire was built where the Tilmun Kingdom once stood.
Its fall marked the first page of the Empire’s history.
Every time Seraphine read a history book, she ran into a truth too hard to believe.
“The one who brought the kingdom to ruin.”
She was going to the museum to confirm the truth for herself.
Because it had to do with her past life, she was more anxious than usual.
“If it’s too much trouble, I’ll ask someone else—just like you said.”
“What, you’ll really go with one of those losers? Then if you collapse again, Father will scold me.”
With a sigh, Joshua reluctantly agreed to accompany her.
If he’d refused, she would’ve taken some maids instead—but that would’ve made the situation more awkward.
Still, she was relieved. It was better to have someone familiar guide her.
She’d informed Duke Rubia ahead of time, so the outing itself wasn’t a problem.
But there was one small issue…
“…”
“…”
Neither of them was particularly sociable, so an awkward silence filled the carriage.
Looking out the window, Seraphine suddenly spoke, having remembered something after Joshua’s earlier comments about her fiancé.
“You should be spending time with your fiancée. I feel bad taking up your time like this.”
“Sis.”
Did she mess up?
Joshua’s expression darkened.
“That’s such an old-fashioned thing to say, even a hundred-year-old granny wouldn’t.”
“…”
“And I don’t have a fiancée. You don’t even know that about your own brother? I guess it makes sense—you’ve only ever cared about yourself.”
Maybe she should’ve just stayed quiet.
Joshua was the second son of a duke, and there had been talks of engagements before.
That was why she’d brought it up—but it clearly backfired.
Thinking back, the only time she saw anything close to a positive reaction from him was when she offered candy.
‘If that counts as a positive reaction.’
After that, the ride continued in silence.
Eventually, they reached the museum.
Upon arrival, Seraphine strode forward with purpose, like she was searching for something.
“I thought you came here to enjoy the art? Why are you breezing past everything?”
“This isn’t it.”
“What isn’t—wait, Sis!”
Joshua had to lower his voice because of the quiet museum, calling after Seraphine as she walked ahead like someone possessed.
After passing by countless paintings, Seraphine suddenly stopped.
Joshua, following behind, nearly crashed into her.
“You could’ve warned me before stopping. I almost ran into you.”
But Seraphine didn’t respond. Instead, she stood silently, staring up at the portrait of the Empire’s first emperor.
Though half-faded with age, the face was unmistakable.
Ikaros.
The boy who was beaten, the lowly slave who destroyed a kingdom and founded an empire—he had been Seraphine’s boy.
