Chapter 4 — I Married My Fiancé’s Younger Brother
I never had particularly warm feelings toward Khalid to begin with.
And after getting scolded by Father on top of everything else, my resentment toward him only deepened.
Seriously—why? Why am I the only one who has to try? Why just me?
“Welcome home, Master. And Lady Renata.”
At the front door, adorned with golden leaf carvings, Head Steward Kaya was waiting for us.
She bowed politely and opened the door.
“Young Master Lenac returned about an hour ago. He asked for lunch to be prepared. Would you both like to join him?”
“I have an appointment—I’ll be heading out again after I change.”
“And you, my lady?”
“I’m not hungry.”
In truth, I’d only eaten half an apple for breakfast. Not by choice—just… nothing sounded appetizing.
I knew I should take care of myself, especially during times like this, but actually doing it was another matter.
I pulled off my thin black gloves and handed them to Kaya.
“At least have some soup. You’ll make yourself sick.”
“I’ll be fine.”
More than food, what I really wanted was to climb into bed and be alone.
But since Lenac was back, I couldn’t exactly ignore him.
Father, who had been silently watching the exchange, turned to leave with his waiting attendants.
I watched his broad back retreat down the hallway in silence.
Then I made my way upstairs. Lenac’s room was at the end of the east wing on the second floor.
* * *
I knocked a couple of times, but there was no response.
From across the hall, I could hear water running. He must’ve been in the bath.
I opened the door and stepped into the room. Just as I’d guessed, it was empty.
“Ugh… What a mess…”
Books and papers were scattered across the bed and the floor.
I bent down and picked up a sheet, skimmed it, then quickly lost interest and flopped onto the soft nearby sofa.
I sat there absentmindedly twirling a strand of my long, black hair until I heard faint voices from the hallway.
Not long after, Lenac appeared, drying his wet black hair with a towel.
“You beat me here. I was going to come find you anyway.”
He blinked his red eyes and gave me a soft smile. Water dripped from the ends of his neatly cut hair.
Adjusting the dark navy robe loosely tied around him, he came over.
“You must be exhausted.”
“Judging by your outfit, I’m guessing you were at the funeral. I’ll head over after lunch.”
“You don’t need to rush. His Majesty will understand.”
Lenac Carnelutti. He’s two years older than me and, at least on paper, my older brother.
He was adopted into our family when I was seven years old.
Even before the imperial proposal came, Father had grand ambitions—he wanted me to marry into a ducal or higher-ranking noble family.
So, naturally, he needed a male heir to carry on the Carnelutti name.
But no matter how much time passed, Father and Mother never had another child. I remained their only daughter.
Eventually, Father brought in a boy from a distant branch of the family who lived abroad.
That side of the family had fallen on hard times, despite sharing our surname.
Father paid a fortune—enough to buy a decent noble estate in the capital—to officially adopt Lenac.
But our blood connection was practically nonexistent. We might as well have been strangers.
Still, after living under the same roof for fifteen years, I couldn’t help but think of him as family.
“Let’s be honest, it’s you His Majesty favors—not me.”
“He knows how hard you work. You’re always too busy for one body.”
“And the more money I bring in, the happier His Majesty will be, right?”
After graduating from the prestigious Barkilia Academy, Lenac had thrown himself into the family business, traveling the continent to oversee trade.
These days, catching even a glimpse of him was like chasing a shooting star.
If not for Izar’s death, he probably wouldn’t have returned so soon.
“Sigh… Even you, Lenac? Hasn’t it only been days since Izar passed?”
“…We still have to separate work and personal feelings, right?”
He tilted his head and scratched his cheek. Really—do Father and Lenac not have a single emotional bone in their bodies?
I’d held back in front of Father, but in front of Lenac, I couldn’t help myself. The grief in my chest surged again.
Even now, if I closed my eyes, I could see Izar’s face so vividly, like a painting burned into my memory.
The way the other kids ostracized me, calling me a “fake noble” because of my family’s origins… the way I could never truly fit in, no matter how hard I tried…
Izar had always been the one to find me in those lonely moments.
He’d smile gently and reach out his hand.
I struggled through the ache to speak.
“…You and Izar were never that close. That’s why it’s easy for you to talk like this.”
“We rarely crossed paths, that’s true… But I did warn you, didn’t I? You weren’t even married yet, and you were already acting like you were. You never know how things will turn out.”
There it was again—him acting like some wise old sage just because he’s two years older.
He noticed the redness in my eyes and let out a small sigh, biting his lip.
“This is why war is terrifying. I just hope peace comes soon.”
He cleared his throat, then—unlike Izar or Khalid, who were always grabbing swords—he used those long, graceful fingers of his to gently tap my cheek.
“Anyway, they’re saying the Crown Prince might’ve died from magic.”
“…What?”
“The palace is keeping it quiet. I only heard through someone reliable.”
But… magic doesn’t exist anymore. Or so I’d always been taught. So I couldn’t bring myself to believe it.
And yet, something stirred in my memory.
Didn’t Father say Izar’s body had vanished—like he’d simply disappeared?
That would be impossible without magic.
Could there have been a mage on the battlefield? And if so, what difference did it make?
Izar was dead, regardless.
“You’re frowning more now than before. I thought you’d want to know…”
Lenac let out a small groan and grabbed the glass of water on the table, drinking it in one long gulp.
Clink.
Condensation formed on the glass as he set it down. I stared at it blankly.
Inside, everything felt like it was burning to ash.
Just thinking of the words “Izar” and “death” in the same breath made my heart seize in pain.
No. I wasn’t ready to accept it. I wasn’t ready to let go.
The urge to shut my eyes and cover my ears overwhelmed me.
“Judging by that face, Father’s already given you a lecture, hasn’t he?”
“…Yeah. He told me to make things work with Khalid.”
“Well, since you’ve heard it already, I’ll keep quiet.”
That was his way of saying he agreed with Father. These two—cold-blooded, emotionless creatures.
Sometimes, when they acted like this, they felt like strangers to me.
And I couldn’t help but wonder—would I eventually become just like them?
Was I the strange one for feeling this much?
Maybe I was being too emotional.
Everyone else was calm and composed—was I just weak?
No. No, that’s wrong. It’s them who are strange.
It wasn’t a short time. I spent twelve years with Izar.
It’s normal to mourn someone like that.
But my grief was starting to blur everything. I could feel my clarity slipping away.
I couldn’t take it anymore.
I stood abruptly.
Lenac, reaching to pour himself another glass of water, paused and glanced at me.
But even as I bowed my head and walked out, he didn’t stop me.
Forget the rest of the day. I just wanted to throw myself into bed and sleep.
If Lenac and Father had any shred of humanity left, they’d leave me alone—for now.
Well… at least until the engagement ceremony next week.
