Chapter 5
“What do you mean by that?”
For the first time, the curious and innocent tone carried a hint of fear.
“Why?”
Once.
“Why can’t I be your little brother, Nuna?”
Twice.
At Noah’s question, Rosent and Pophini’s faces simultaneously hardened.
This kind of question always put them in a difficult position.
Countless thoughts flashed through Pophini’s mind like a revolving lantern.
What should I do?
Should I force Mac to bow his head?
Should I go to a wizard and ask for a memory-erasing spell, even now?
But it was far too dangerous to cast such magic on a child!
Helpless in this moment, Pophini bit her lip and turned a worried gaze to Rosent.
Rosent, noticing her glance, raised a hand in reply instead of words.
And the first thing she did was—
“Ah!”
She ruffled Noah’s hair roughly.
Noah flinched, too surprised to react to the sudden gesture, while Rosent looked him straight in the eye and said,
“Who told you to say such a terrible thing?”
“But…”
And at that moment—
“Ow!”
Rosent gently pinched Noah’s nose bridge with two fingers to stop him from arguing.
Then she whispered softly,
“Noah, no matter what anyone says, you’re my little brother.”
“……”
“You’re not the kind of child who says such mean things, are you?”
She lightly tapped Noah’s forehead with one hand.
“Noah, look closely at my eyes.”
Following her instruction, Noah cautiously shifted his gaze to her irises.
A mysterious hue, like roses tinged with a faint pink.
“They’re red, just like yours, right?”
“……”
Noah didn’t respond but gave a tiny nod.
Perhaps it was the first time he’d seen such an odd, dreamlike color, and he stared as if mesmerized.
Seeing that, Rosent once again whispered sweetly.
“What’s your name, little brother?”
Her voice, fluffy like cotton candy, was tinted with pastel warmth.
Noah, almost enchanted, answered in a daze,
“Noah Agrinda.”
At the same time, Rosent smiled brightly and whispered,
“See? You know it well. I knew my little brother was smart.”
A bright laugh spilled from her lips. At that, a faint blush spread across Noah’s cheeks.
But Pophini and the maids standing nearby gasped in shock.
A vivid crimson, like a rose in full bloom.
Nothing like Noah’s usual deep reddish-orange eyes—it was the unmistakable symbol of House Agrinda.
Even if they were technically both shades of red, the difference in essence was clear.
Mac’s harsh claim that an adopted child could never become the Young Duke of Agrinda.
And now, Rosent’s very deliberate mention of Noah’s full name—no, more specifically, his surname.
Her comparison of their eye color.
It all served to criticize Mac’s earlier stance that the difference in blood made them inherently different.
Oh no…
Pophini felt a chill of killing intent and instinctively hunched her shoulders.
If Rosent and she hadn’t been close friends, the Agrinda family would have likely withdrawn all goodwill toward the House of Maril over this matter.
She silently prayed that Mac would grasp this unspoken warning.
But Mac, oblivious as ever, simply looked bored, and Pophini pinched his cheek hard in frustration.
She felt like crying right then and there.
Rosent’s next words only tightened the noose around her.
“If I say he’s my brother, who dares say otherwise? Noah is without a doubt my little brother.”
A gentle yet firm warning directed squarely at the Maril family.
Unable to withstand the pressure any longer, Mac grabbed Pophini’s dress and grumbled,
“I don’t get it.”
“Mac, please, just stop already!”
On the verge of tears, Pophini clamped her hand over Mac’s mouth and repeatedly apologized to Noah.
But the more she did, the more Noah snuggled into Rosent’s arms—
Wearing a pitiful, almost tearful expression that only drew more sympathy.
In the end, Pophini decided to send Mac back to the Maril estate to de-escalate the situation.
But that didn’t go smoothly either…
“No way! Why should I go? What did I do wrong?!”
Mac shouted back in defiance.
He clung to Pophini’s ankle, throwing a tantrum as if summoning all the stubbornness in the world.
To calm him down, Pophini promised to go with him, but Mac lay flat on the floor and protested.
“…Escort the guests to the guest quarters,”
Rosent sighed deeply and finally gave the order to take Mac to the guest room.
Pophini, her face pale, apologized profusely.
It was the first time her younger brother had shown such hostility toward another child, and she seemed genuinely flustered.
But one person silently observed the entire situation—
Noah.
“……”
Hiding behind Rosent, he quietly watched as Mac was led away.
Then, without hesitation, he began to follow him.
There wasn’t even a moment’s pause in his steps.
A little while later, Mac was being guided through the ducal residence by a maid.
His eyes sparkled in awe at the sheer size of the estate, vastly grander than the Maril estate.
But soon he grew bored and asked the maid,
“The room feels stuffy. Isn’t there a training yard here?”
The young maid who had been escorting him was startled by the sudden question but replied calmly,
“I’m sorry, Young Master Maril, but the lady ordered that you be taken to the guest room—”
“How rude! You dare talk back to me, a mere servant?”
Mac growled, ignoring her completely and walking off on his own.
It was certainly not behavior befitting someone taught proper etiquette by his tutor.
But who here would scold him?
After all, neither his mother, his father, nor even his sister could stop him when he shouted and threw a tantrum.
Even the high-and-mighty Lady Agrinda had only widened her eyes in surprise at his shouting.
The maid anxiously fretted and shifted from foot to foot, which only emboldened Mac.
Eventually, Mac found the ducal estate’s training yard.
Smooth, flat sandy ground with no uneven patches.
Surrounded by thick trees and a hint of greenery in the air.
Indeed, it was a different world from the Maril estate—vast, orderly, and clearly fit for a full knight order to train in.
It was fitting for the wealthiest ducal house in the Manong Empire.
Excited by the rare scenery, Mac rushed inside and grabbed one of the wooden swords prepared in the corner.
These wooden swords had actually been set aside by Rosent in preparation for Noah’s future training.
“Haha!”
Mac gleefully swung the sword at a straw target, and the practice yard soon echoed with dull thuds.
But just then, an unwelcome voice disrupted the moment.
“Hey.”
It was Noah.
“…What do you want?”
Caught mid-play, Mac was embarrassed, and though he shrank slightly, he still glared sharply at Noah.
But soon a smirk crept across his lips.
It wasn’t a kind smile—it was born of contempt.
“You’re not even ashamed after what I said earlier?”
As expected, Mac immediately resumed belittling Noah.
“Just go back to the orphanage. Sure, the Lady’s protecting you now, but that won’t last forever.”
“……”
“The older you get, the less she’ll care about you. People get tired of the same thing, just like eating the same food every day.”
Shrugging, Mac tossed the wooden sword at Noah. But Noah calmly picked it up.
“Hmph. What are you gonna do with that? You don’t even know how to use it.”
“……”
Noah grasped the hilt carefully.
Then—
“I know.”
Whoosh—
In an instant, the tip of the wooden sword swerved toward Mac’s throat.
The sudden shift in air made Mac instinctively widen his eyes and back away slightly—but Noah didn’t let up.
“Of course I know.”
He had held a sword his entire life.
A chilling smile curved on Noah’s lips, no longer that of an innocent child.
“…What…”
Caught off guard by the sudden change in demeanor, Mac couldn’t hide his fear.
Noah tapped Mac’s shoulder with the wooden sword and said,
“I’ve met plenty like you. And I’ve learned something.”
“……”
“That some things can’t be solved by words alone.”
He adjusted his grip and pressed the blade to Mac’s throat.
It was a clear threat.
“You’re not scared of an orphan, are you?”
Mac gave no reply.
He was angry at the reversal of power—and at the same time, afraid and trembling from the oppressive presence.
“……”
All he could do was stare at Noah, breathing shakily.
Then—just as the air thickened with hostility, a familiar voice called from afar.
“Noah!”
It was Rosent’s voice.
“Aw, too bad.”
Noah clicked his tongue and dropped the wooden sword.
Mac collapsed to the ground almost instantly.
Noah, clearly amused, grinned and brought a finger to his lips.
A sign to stay quiet.
Mac nodded hurriedly, and Noah nudged the wooden sword with his foot until it reached Mac’s hand.
“Pick it up.”
Then he whispered,
“I finally have a real big sister. I can’t let her hate me now, can I?”
