* * *
As Remy began unpacking food from the basket, the two younger children eagerly darted to the table.
They didn’t even wait for him to set everything down before grabbing bites of food.
‘They eat so well. How lovely.’
Seeing them eat so heartily filled Remy with an odd sense of satisfaction.
Truly, there was nothing more endearing than children enjoying their meals.
“Oliver, come eat. Why are you just sitting there?”
Unlike his siblings, Oliver showed no reaction to the food.
Worried, Remy studied him with concern.
“I’ll eat,” Oliver said finally, quietly approaching the table.
He picked up a piece of bread and began eating it in small bites.
Remy spread strawberry jam on his own bread and took a bite, watching Oliver out of the corner of his eye.
“Remy-hyung.”
Oliver, who had eaten about half his bread, suddenly spoke without looking up.
“Yeah?”
“Is it really okay for you to keep bringing us food like this?”
“Huh? Why…?”
“This kind of food must be expensive. I just worry if it’s alright for you to keep doing this.”
“Oh… No, it’s fine. Really.”
“A noble’s life must be nice. Being able to give away such expensive food to just anyone every day without a second thought…”
“……”
Remy felt a pang at the subtle bitterness in Oliver’s words.
Though his intentions had been good, he realized his actions might not be as welcome as he’d assumed.
Even though Oliver had once begged for ten shillings, he clearly didn’t want more than that.
Despite being so young, Oliver had a strong sense of pride.
Perhaps Remy’s generosity had inadvertently wounded that pride.
Still, Remy couldn’t stop bringing food.
While Oliver’s feelings mattered, his younger siblings’ wellbeing was his priority.
It wasn’t right for children their age to grow up on scraps of bread alone.
Their growth came first.
“Oh, come on. ‘Just anyone’? That’s a bit harsh!”
Remy chose to respond with cheerful humor.
“What?”
“To me, Oliver’s practically a savior. You’re hardly ‘just anyone.’”
“……”
“Now, let me think… How much do I owe you, Oliver? Do you think this is enough to repay my debt?”
Pretending to think deeply, Remy playfully tapped his soft cheek with a finger, his eyes rolling upward.
Then, as if struck by a brilliant idea, he brightened up and beamed at Oliver.
“Yeah, I think if I keep this up until you’re all grown, I should just about settle the debt!”
He smiled warmly at Oliver, who stared back silently.
Oliver knew that Remy’s words were ridiculous, and yet, hearing them filled him with a strange mix of gratitude and guilt.
He couldn’t bring himself to speak for a moment.
“You’re really strange, hyung.”
“Huh? Me? Why?”
“The other masters don’t even care….”
“Hey, are you seriously going to keep comparing me to others? I hate that kind of talk. We’re all people. Why do you keep drawing lines and separating us?”
“But….”
“Oliver, look at me.”
Oliver turned his head to meet Remy’s gaze directly.
Staring into Oliver’s bright, wide eyes, Remy’s expression turned serious.
“Every person deserves respect. Being born into a noble family doesn’t mean you’re entitled to special treatment, and not being born into one doesn’t mean you should be looked down upon.”
“Nobles and commoners can’t be the same. That’s the way the heavens decreed it.”
“Says who? That it’s decreed by the heavens? That’s just an idea forced on us by society.”
“Idea?”
“Yeah, like… um… a lie that’s imposed on us. The ones who already have everything just want more, so they enforce this ridiculous way of thinking.”
“…A lie?”
“Yep. Not everything you know is the truth. That goes for me, too. But Oliver, you need to figure out the fundamental truth. The truth no one tells you—you have to find it for yourself.”
After saying that, Remy internally flinched.
‘Did I just say something way too complicated to a kid…? Should I have made it simpler?’
“So, what I mean is… when you grow up, you can be an amazing person. Even more impressive than the alphas from noble families. That’s what I wanted to say.”
Oliver stayed quiet for a moment after hearing Remy’s words.
“Hyung.”
“Hm? Yeah, I know, I know. That was a little hard to understand, right?”
“No, it’s not that.”
“Then what?”
“Hyung, there’s jam dripping on your clothes.”
“What?”
In the middle of trying to sound all serious and wise, Remy looked down to find cursed strawberry jam dripping all over his clothes.
Flustered, he fumbled to clean it while Oliver calmly grabbed a napkin from the table, dampened it with water, and handed it to him.
“Oh, uh, thanks.”
Taking the napkin, Remy hastily wiped the jam off his clothes.
Of all times, why now?
It was humiliating.
‘Ugh. What must Oliver think of me? If it weren’t for this stupid jam, he’d see me as the cool older brother I was trying to be.’
“I think you’ve got most of it cleaned off,” Oliver commented.
“Huh…? Oh, yeah, I think that’ll do.”
“The dark color of your outfit hides it well.”
“Right. Thanks.”
Remy placed the dirty napkin back on the table and let out a deep sigh.
“Hyung.”
“Hm?”
As Remy reached for the bread he had set down earlier, Oliver snatched it away.
He layered another slice on top and carefully wrapped it with a clean napkin before handing it back to Remy.
“Uh, I can eat it without making a mess now, though.”
“Still, eat it like this. I don’t want your nice clothes getting dirty again.”
“Clothes? We have plenty at home, so it’s not—”
Remy stopped himself, realizing that might sound dismissive to Oliver.
He quickly changed his tune.
“You’re right, you’re right. It’s a special outfit, so I should take care of it.”
He laughed awkwardly, trying to brush off the moment.
“Thanks for the food.”
Opening his mouth wide, Remy bit into the neatly wrapped bread.
As he chewed, Oliver stopped eating and simply watched him.
Remy blinked, silently asking why Oliver was staring.
“What you said earlier,” Oliver began.
Remy, still chewing, nodded to show he was listening.
“Thank you.”
Remy tilted his head in confusion, as if to ask, “For what?”
“I’ve never thought about it that way before.”
Ah. Remy nodded again, this time in understanding.
“I’ll always remember what you said. That everyone deserves respect.”
Oliver’s words brought a bright smile to Remy’s face.
‘The kid actually understood what I was saying. Cute little guy.’
“I want to be a great alpha someday, too. Someone who never looks down on others.”
Gulp. Swallowing the last of his bread, Remy put it down and instead pulled Oliver into a tight hug.
“You will. You’re more than capable, Oliver.”
Though Oliver looked a little flustered in Remy’s arms, he soon relaxed and stayed still, taking in the floral scent of Remy’s clothes.
He didn’t say anything, only quietly closed his eyes.
* * *
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