Their Way of Love - Chapter 1: Caught (16)

“Keuheuk…”

Ah, damn it. What about the laughter…? But this was a bit much. Third-person cuteness, to think that I would hear a man’s third-person cuteness from my younger brother, something I never thought I would see even if the sky split in two. Do people know that the only Sword Master in the Western Continent lives in a house and acts like this to his sister?

Unable to hold back my laughter any longer, I curled up and laughed. The laughter was strange, but I had no time to care.

Kyle, who had noticed something when I started laughing, jumped up from his seat.

“Ah, what, Sister! You weren’t angry!”

“Puhahahaha, puheu, hahaha-!”

As I rolled around on the bed laughing, Kyle climbed on top of me and tickled my sides.

“Ah, really…! Sister, you’re mean! Did you tease me?”

“Puhhehe, hahaha! No, no, you…! Keuheuk, ah, it’s so funny…!”

“Wow, teasing an innocent younger brother…”

Kyle pouted and kept tickling me mischievously.

“Hehehehaha! Stop, stop! It tickles! Puheup… Ah, really, what’s with the third-person cuteness?”

“Ah, stop laughing…”

“Why, it’s cute.”

When I hugged Kyle’s neck and stroked his head, he obediently entrusted himself to me and lay down.

“I thought you were really angry…”

“Thought I was angry?”

“I even brought a present…”

“A present?”

I widened my eyes at the word present and looked up at him. Then Kyle smiled, as if he liked the attention I was giving him, and showed me his palm in front of my eyes.

There was nothing on his palm. Just as I was wondering what the present was, a red aura began to ripple over his hand. The aura that rippled and revealed itself instantly began to be absorbed into my body.

“Kyaaak-! W-what is this, Kyle…!”

When I screamed in surprise, I felt Kyle comforting me. Was it at that moment? A red light burst from my wrist. I was flustered by the magical phenomenon and squeezed my eyes shut. Noticing that I was frightened, Kyle’s hand patted my shoulder steadily.

How much time had passed like that?

“Sister, open your eyes quickly.”

Kyle’s voice whispered in my ear. I opened my eyes narrowly, as if peeking. On my wrist, which he was holding as if showing off, a red aura was embedded like a jewel.

“Uh…?”

My eyes widened instinctively. Then I jumped up and looked at my wrist from side to side.

‘No way, this can’t be…’

I touched the aura that had appeared on me as if I couldn’t believe it. It was embedded like a solid jewel, and it didn’t hurt. It was also somehow warm.

‘No way, it’s an aura…!’

No matter how I looked at it, it was definitely Aura. That Aura that only a very few Sword Masters could use among all Sword Masters!

When they say a very few Sword Masters, Kyle was the only Sword Master in the Western Continent right now, so in effect, Kyle was the only one who could wield Aura in the Western Continent. Of course, there might be another Sword Master in the Eastern Continent, but even if there was, it was impossible to know if they possessed Aura.

But something so amazing had happened to me. I was so surprised that I couldn’t speak and stammered like an idiot.

“W-What, Kyle? What did you do?”

This never happened in the original story. As I stared blankly at the Aura, Kyle smiled and said,

“It’s my Aura. It’ll protect you right away if anyone tries to do anything bad to you, Sis.”

“Oh my gosh…”

“If some weirdos hit on you at the banquet and you think, ‘Ugh, I wish they’d just buzz off—’ it can make them buzz off right away.”

“Is it okay to just give something like this to me?”

“Of course. It’s you, Sis, not anyone else.”

He chuckled as he said that. But something was strange.

Why suddenly give me Aura?

I frowned in doubt and looked at Kyle. Then, as if Kyle had read my mind, he smiled awkwardly and opened his mouth.

“Actually, I might have to be away for quite a while.”

“…What?”

It was a sudden statement. I should have retorted, asking what he meant, but I was so surprised that the words wouldn’t come out.

“I can’t have anything happen to you while I’m gone… and Hyle only knows how to read books, so I can’t trust him.”

Kyle scratched the back of his head nonchalantly.

“So that’s why I’m giving it to you, actually.”

“Wait, wait a minute. Away for a long time? When? For how long? Where to? Why?”

After calming my surprised heart, I started to speak, and the words came out like a machine gun. He seemed to be in a good mood, as he chuckled softly.

“I think I’ll have to go to the North right after the Crown Prince’s birthday banquet.”

My heart sank at the word “North.” Wasn’t the North a barren land, cold and full of monsters?

And he’s going there at this time?

No matter how I thought about it, it was strange. Kyle in the original story didn’t go to the North around this time.

“…Are you going to war?”

“Yeah.”

Right, he’s a Sword Master. I knew very well that Kyle alone had the power of an average division. I also knew how much his going to war would help the country…

But I wondered why I felt so uneasy.

I should be relieved that Kyle, who arbitrarily demanded a relationship and acted mischievously, would disappear, but I felt unpleasant. When my expression darkened, he quickly added,

“It’s not definite yet. But I think it would be good to go…”

Even to Nana. Kyle naturally swallowed his words.

“Still, I feel good. Because you make that kind of face for me.”

Kyle said with a bright smile. Unlike my flustered self, he had a smile on his face.

Suddenly, I felt down. I frowned without realizing it. I didn’t know what my expression looked like now, but it certainly wasn’t good. Then, Kyle poked my forehead and laughed.

“Cheer up, sis. It’s only for six months to a year.”

“…Can’t you not go?”

“That’s… I’m sorry, I want to go.”

It was strange. The original story hadn’t even started yet, but it was already going differently.

Kyle would eventually become the sword that protects the North and swear allegiance to the Imperial Family, but that was really far in the future, after I got married…

A Northern expedition at this time? This was completely unplanned.

My face, on the verge of tears, didn’t brighten up. Feeling a strange sense of unease, I buried my face in Kyle’s chest, and a pleasant scent wafted around me. I liked the steady patting on my back. But I wasn’t happy. My chest felt heavy.

***

After confirming that Tia was asleep, Kyle closed the door and came out. As if waiting, Hyle was standing there.

“What did you tell sister?”

“I told her I’m going.”

“Mother will find it strange…”

“It can’t be helped. I can’t send her to the Imperial Palace.”

Kyle shrugged, still wearing his usual playful smile. Hyle looked at him with a strange expression. There was an awkward silence between the two, who were alike yet different. It was Hyle who broke the silence.

“…I’m not helpful in times like this.”

He muttered, letting out a sigh of resignation. Then, Kyle playfully nudged Hyle.

“It’s okay, you can’t even hold a sword properly. I’d rather this brother go than send a scrawny guy like you to the battlefield, right?”

A pleasant chuckle echoed in the hallway. But unlike Kyle, who was laughing, Hyle’s expression wasn’t very bright.

“When are you going to tell Mother?”

“Tomorrow evening.”

“Okay.”

Hyle’s blue eyes turned to his brother. His profile, which looked exactly like his, was perfectly drawn. He stared at Kyle for a long time before whispering in a voice barely audible.

“Thank you, Kyle.”

“It’s nothing.”

After hesitating for a moment, Kyle looked at Hyle with a subtle expression.

“You’ve been through a lot too…”

***

The next day, Kyle was not in the dining room for breakfast.

Panicked, I knew it couldn’t be, but I wondered if he had already gone to the North? I immediately asked Hyle. Then Hyle reassured me that he had just gone to see the Emperor for a while on business, so I shouldn’t worry.

It seemed he had something to discuss with the Imperial Family about the Northern expedition.

I tried to shake off my thoughts about Kyle and took a large spoonful of the bouncy pudding and put it in my mouth.

“Mmm…”

“Is it delicious?”

“Yeah, it’s delicious.”

Hyle smiled faintly and pushed his pudding in front of me.

“Have mine too, sister.”

Knowing that he didn’t like sweets very much, I accepted it without hesitation.

“Ah, delicious. Caramel pudding is the best.”

As I was eating the pudding, I felt Hyle’s gaze persistently following my wrist. Hyle stared at the area with the aura for a long time, then carefully opened his mouth.

“Sister, excuse me, but what’s that on your wrist…”

“Oh, this? Kyle gave it to me as a gift.”

I proudly showed off my wrist. Then Hyle’s expression subtly hardened.

“…Just a moment. Just a moment, let me check it once.”

Was it just my imagination? Hyle’s expression seemed to darken. He carefully examined my wrist. Hyle’s fingertips stroked the hard aura a few times.

“This… is this Kyle’s aura…?”

His voice trembled slightly at the end. It was unlike Hyle. Unable to understand, I tilted my head slightly and asked back.

“Yeah, Kyle gave it to me. Why?”

At my words, Hyle’s brow furrowed for a fleeting moment.

“No, it’s nothing.”

Despite saying it was nothing, Hyle’s face was coldly hardened.

***

Kyle, who had gone to the Imperial Palace, returned. Then Hyle headed to his room as if he had been waiting. His footsteps were unusually hasty. Although Hyle always insisted on neatness, he walked quickly without even having time to tidy up his disheveled clothes.

“Kyle-!”

Then he opened the door without knocking. His voice calling Kyle was filled with anger from an unknown source.

Inside the room, Kyle was standing blankly, not yet having changed his clothes. Unlike his usual appearance of wandering around the mansion in a disheveled state, the neat knight’s uniform felt unfamiliar.

“What, did the sun rise in the west today? You’re coming to my room looking like that…”