Klen was cutting the tart and feeding it to Aren, hidden from the eyes of the attendants.
Their coordination was perfect.
In the brief moment when the attendant’s attention was diverted, Klen, utilizing his practiced speed, offered the tart.
Aren would quickly approach, grab it with its beak, and then bounce back away.
Its beak, moving up and down as it returned to its place, looked exactly like it was just eating the seeds placed beneath it.
And when it sang, Klen would subtly cut another piece of the tart.
‘That’s not what the training was for,’ I thought.
It’s true that animals are tamed with treats.
It seems Klen gained quite a lot of favor with just one tart.
“Wow~ Thank you for such hospitality.”
And it seemed that wasn’t limited to Aren.
Brother, who didn’t usually have a sweet tooth, cleaned his tart plate completely and wore a satisfied smile.
“I’m glad you liked it. Go rest in your room first. You must be tired, right?”
He must be exhausted after rushing a long distance without rest and even getting into a minor fight.
The hearty meal and the warm, embracing indoor atmosphere seemed to weigh heavily on his eyelids.
Already, half of Brother’s eyes were covered by his eyelids.
When I signaled with a look, an attendant stepped forward and bowed.
“The room is this way.”
“Then, shall I do that~? Adrian, see you tomorrow.”
Brother followed the attendant out of the dining room.
As if suddenly overcome by sleepiness, his steps forward were slightly unsteady.
It seemed his body was finally feeling its limits.
It was fortunate that he didn’t fight any further.
If I had let him fight to his heart’s content, he probably would have collapsed and fallen asleep while swinging his sword.
After the meal was over and the dishes were neatly cleared, Linda approached us.
Klen maintained his composure and drank his black tea, while Aren playfully pecked at a seed.
I seemed to be the only one who noticed that the two of them were closer than usual.
“How was the meal?”
“It was delicious.”
[Especially that crispy, sweet thing placed over there. I liked it~]
“But was it prepared in advance?”
“Yes. Regardless of who he is, I figured that if he is Lord Adrian’s brother, he would stay the night. In that case, it is proper etiquette to prepare with the utmost care.”
“I see.”
“Thank you.”
No one here understood Brother’s pranks.
I was grateful that, despite finding him uncomfortable, they prepared the food and guest room for him properly, like a distinguished guest.
Linda gave a gentle smile in response to my expression of gratitude.
“Then, I will escort both of you to your room as well.”
Even though most of it disappeared into Brother Marcus’s stomach, the quantity was still excessive for three people.
We, full to a satisfactory degree, slowly walked toward the room.
And when we arrived at the room and opened the door,
[I’ve returned at last!]
Aren, which had been sitting quietly on my shoulder, flew up over my head and circled widely around the room.
The last place it landed was on the branch outside the balcony, its nest.
Aren’s head moved this way and that, checking carefully for any changes since it had been away.
But nothing could have possibly changed after only a few days.
Satisfied, it slipped into the nest, flapped its wings a few times, and comfortably settled down.
[Indeed, my home is the best~]
“…”
It hadn’t been gone long enough for that to become a longed-for home, I thought.
“Haha. Then please rest well.”
A smile bloomed on Linda’s face, as if she was pleased that the first place Aren sought was the nest she had prepared.
We exchanged light greetings with Linda as she closed the door and left, and then we sat down on the sofa.
Both Klen’s head and mine turned automatically toward the potted tree in front of the balcony.
Just the sight of the blue color in the empty nest brought a smile to my face.
Klen, sitting next to me, leaned comfortably against the sofa and then tilted his body, resting his head on my thigh.
“Are you sleepy?”
“…I am tired.”
For once, he spoke honestly and closed his eyes.
I lowered my hand and slowly stroked his red hair, letting it slip between my fingers.
The bangs falling onto his forehead must have been ticklish, but he didn’t move an inch.
His face, now free of tension, fully revealed his neat features.
It would be perfect if his amber eyes were open now.
I waited, but his closed eyelids didn’t rise again.
He was breathing easily and evenly, but surely he wasn’t asleep yet.
I quietly looked at his face and opened my mouth.
“…I know these words are meaningless, but.”
I continued speaking while looking at his still-closed eyes.
“Even if Brother Marcus had come instead of me, Klen would have surely treated him well.”
I wasn’t trying to be sarcastic.
Although he emits a chilling aura and even uses ice magic, Klen has a warm nature.
Clearly, he would have done his best for the person he married, even if it wasn’t me.
Even if that person was a brother like mine.
Since I wasn’t expecting an answer anyway, I turned my head to look out the window.
It was still too early to sleep.
Should I have some tea?
If I bring cookies, I can give them to Aren, too.
But I couldn’t bring myself to call Linda right away.
She must be resting after working hard all day.
I was reluctant to make her run an errand.
I lowered my gaze, which had been wandering around the room.
The weight pressing down on my thigh was quite tingly; it felt like the blood circulation would stop soon.
If he wasn’t asleep yet, it might be better to wake him and send him to bed.
“…!”
But when I lowered my gaze, I gasped.
My sight met his amber eyes looking up at me directly.
Klen had opened his eyes at some point and was staring at me quietly.
His expression was the same as when his eyes were closed, and as I wished, I had the perfect combination of his gentle expression and amber eyes right before me.
For a moment, my gaze was captured, and I couldn’t look away.
“Of course, I would have tried to provide the utmost comfort. After all, it would be a person giving up everything and coming here alone because of that oath.”
For a moment, I didn’t realize what he was saying.
But soon I understood that it was his own serious answer to the words I had just spoken.
“Ah… Th-That would be true.”
“But I wouldn’t have given my heart.”
“My brother is handsome too.”
“Do you think I opened my heart to you because you are handsome?”
At those words, my heart pounded so loudly it echoed in my ears.
But perhaps due to the intense shock, my mind vividly recalled the conversation we had previously.
“…I heard you say you thought it was good because I was handsome?”
Yes. I wondered why the comment about my brother being handsome unconsciously slipped out.
It was because that specific remark had been deeply embedded in my mind. He definitely said that to me.
“…”
“…”
“…That also had an influence, though.”
Klen seemed to consider this a loss in our verbal sparring.
After that mumbled remark, he wrapped his arms around my waist and closed his eyes.
This time, he truly seemed intent on sleeping, as he wiggled his body to find a comfortable position and relaxed.
I turned my head toward Aren.
The creature, which had promised not to disturb us, was curled up, not even turning its head in our direction.
It seemed Aren was also asleep.
