The clear sound of the bird rang out harshly.
The sound, heard after a long time, was utterly welcome.
But shouldn’t I be the one saying that?
Where were you and what were you doing that you only show up now?
The sound of flapping wings rang out, and the bird that swiftly flew toward me landed on my shoulder and repeatedly rubbed my cheek with its small head.
I couldn’t tell if it was expressing anger or joy.
But it was cute.
“So that creature really was your pet, huh?”
“…Yes?”
When a familiar voice followed, honorifics naturally slipped out of my mouth.
Only then did I have the leisure to turn my head.
But my stiffly turning head felt like it would make a squeaking, strenuous sound.
A short distance away, specifically in the direction Aren flew from, a person stood blankly, his arm held by a guard.
“Adrian~”
A tall man with bright, short-cut blonde hair called me with a bright smile.
He seemed to want to express his welcome by spreading both hands wide.
However, his restrained arm only twitched and didn’t move.
“Cough! Elder Brother?!”
“Fortunately, it seems our fourth child hasn’t forgotten this elder brother’s face yet!”
A smile, which was hard to tell if it was welcome or sarcasm, deepened further.
Why is Elder Brother here?
The soft touch of feathers on my cheek made me realize the reason.
Was this the cause of his delay, after saying he could travel to Caldrich faster than words?
Out of the corner of my confused vision, I saw Linda take a step closer.
“Is he really Lord Adrian’s brother?”
“Y-Yes, he is. Definitely.”
In my heart, I wanted to say he was a stranger and ask them to send him back.
But I had already uttered the word ‘Elder Brother,’ and I didn’t have the confidence to handle the aftermath of pretending not to know him.
When she gave a nod, the guards released their grip on him.
“Phew…”
He didn’t seem to have been held for very long.
Elder Brother rotated his shoulders, loosening his stiff muscles.
“This visit is unofficial, so everyone must keep this strictly confidential.”
“Yes.”
“We will be careful.”
Linda’s words settled heavily.
An unofficial visit.
It was true as stated.
It was rare for an Earl’s young master to visit without prior notice unless there was a close relationship.
Especially since this was my elder brother, the situation called for extra caution.
The guards bowed deeply and withdrew.
Although it seemed they were purposely brought to a secluded spot, I wondered how many people had witnessed this.
“I couldn’t even come to the wedding~ The treatment is a bit bad. Is Valuncio usually like this?”
“…I apologize.”
At his grumpy remark, Linda bowed her head as if she had committed a crime.
[Is that fellow causing trouble! Stop him right away!]
“Ah, Elder Brother, that…”
“And Adrian!”
“Yes?”
Elder Brother, suddenly spinning around to face me, grinned.
Sensing danger with an animalistic instinct, Aren flew up.
[Be careful!]
But even if I were told to be careful, I couldn’t fly into the sky like Aren.
Seeming happy that he could finally move as he wished, Elder Brother beamed and threw his arms wide open.
And in a flash, those arms wrapped around my back, pulling me into a tight embrace.
To an observer, this would look like an emotional reunion between brothers.
Linda, who was watching us, also covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes wide.
Aren’s flight and Linda’s reaction, moved by brotherly affection, were contrasting.
If you asked which one was correct, the answer was obviously… Aren.
Feeling the movement of the arms that had wrapped around my back, I immediately tried to pull away, but my body’s reaction was slower than I expected, as this was something I hadn’t experienced in a long time.
That brief moment of hesitation decided the outcome.
My brother’s arm quickly went around my neck, and his other hand firmly grasped my head.
“Ugh?!”
Of course, I was not one to surrender that easily.
Just as I grabbed the arm choking my neck to quickly throw my brother forward,
“…”
My eyes met Linda’s, who happened to be looking this way.
Her face, pale and frozen without a word, was like a marble statue.
Had she been frightened by the sudden turn of events?
The strength slowly drained from the hand I had firmly grasped.
“Well~ What happened to our fourth child? Did you suffer a lot? You’ve gotten dull, haven’t you?”
“Elder Brother. Wait!”
As I failed to properly resist, the restraint intensified.
He wouldn’t choke me until I passed out, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t painful.
When I tapped his arm with my strengthless hand, Elder Brother’s smile grew mischievously.
And just as that force was about to be released to its limit.
“What do you think you’re doing right now!”
Linda’s furious voice cut through the air between us.
Her once-pale face was now fully flushed with red.
Her steps, uncharacteristically heavy and loud, were intimidating.
Smack!
The sound of her hand sharply hitting Elder Brother’s arm echoed high and piercingly.
The sound was loud, but it surely wasn’t painful.
However, perplexity spread across Elder Brother’s face as he stared blankly at her.
Even I, who had never seen Linda this angry, froze up.
To us, this was nothing more than a playful roughhousing we had shared since childhood.
Normally, I would have fought back and wrestled with him here.
But because I held back and lost strength while being mindful of others, it must have looked like I was being unilaterally tormented by a strong person.
It was obvious that if I left it like this, Elder Brother’s image would only worsen.
I urgently opened my mouth.
“No, it’s okay. This is just roughhousing.”
[Exactly! Let go right now! You rude fellow!]
Despite my hasty excuse, Aren, who flew in late, perched on Elder Brother’s head and started pecking the top of his skull.
With the situation flowing like this, Elder Brother had no choice but to release the arm gripping me.
And he quickly backed away.
“Lord Adrian. Are you alright?”
Linda quickly approached to support me.
Normally, I should have lost strength and stumbled here, but no matter how accustomed to acting I was, I couldn’t bring myself to do that in front of Elder Brother.
“Calm down, Linda. I’m fine.”
“The roughhousing is going too far! What if you get hurt?!”
“Ah, well. I’ll say it again, this is just roughhousing we’ve done often since childhood, so…”
I wanted to say that it wasn’t the kind of torment she was misunderstanding, but the words wouldn’t come out right.
Wasn’t my appearance too different from the image I had built up through my acting to dismiss this as light roughhousing?
“Ow, ow. Why is this bird so violent?”
[Let go of me! You rude brute! How dare you lay hands on my body!]
“Aren!”
Aren, who was pecking at his head, was finally caught in Elder Brother’s hand and was fluttering.
The small blue bird held in the large hand looked so pitiful.
Even though he was a divine beast.
Linda’s face went completely pale, but I first tried to calm her down.
“It’s okay. He won’t get hurt. Um. I’d like to talk with Elder Brother alone for a moment.”
“What? Ah, but…”
Linda’s face, glancing at Elder Brother, was clouded with worry.
Seeing a faint hostility in her expression, it seemed Elder Brother had already been designated as a dangerous person in her mind.
“The roughhousing is a bit much, but he’s not a bad person.”
“…”
Linda’s expression remained dark.
However, because my words flowed gently, it was closer to a command, even though it sounded like a request.
She would have no choice but to retreat.
