BSGE 72
by Cherry“What’s up, Carl? When did you get back?”
Carl, barely restraining himself from drawing his sword thanks to his sister’s presence, shot a look that said he would slice through anyone who came just a bit closer.
“You’re being too angry when you just arrived?”
Ignoring Ather’s nonchalant attitude completely, Carl walked straight to Beatty.
“Big brother Carl!”
Beatty’s face lit up with pure joy, seeing her brother after several days.
Carl, feeling proud of his sister’s warm welcome, suddenly held out something.
“This. You asked me to bring it.”
“Oh! Thank you.”
Beatty recognized the stack of papers and expressed her gratitude.
Undeterred by the killing intent Carl was sending his way, Ather approached Beatty.
“Lady, what’s that?”
“Recommendation letters.”
“Recommendation letters? From whom?”
“The servants of the capital’s residence.”
“Ah.”
A fleeting, dark intent crossed Ather’s face after Beatty’s response.
“?”
Of course, by the time Beatty looked up, sensing something was off, Ather had returned to his usual bright, cheerful smile.
“I see. To the capital… might I ask what you’re planning to do with those?”
“I’m going to burn them.”
Ather, subtly probing whether the small star’s mercy might spare these undeserving souls, brightened at Beatty’s resolute answer.
“Really? Using them as kindling? Good idea. Want me to light them up?”
Beatty gazed down at the thick stack of recommendation letters in her hand with calm eyes, listening to Ather’s joke-like comment.
‘They’ll never be employed in another noble household again.’
Employment in noble households required stringent qualifications.
In a job market where reputation was paramount, a servant without recommendation letters would never be hired.
‘This settles it.’
She planned to close this chapter by burning the recommendation letters, dealing with the servants who had tormented her at the capital’s residence.
‘It’s also before things could escalate too severely here.’
At this point, the incidents like being locked in the attic or having stones thrown at her while in squirrel form hadn’t yet occurred.
She considered this an appropriate punishment.
Of course, Beatty was unaware that the servants who had tormented her were no longer in a position to find employment in any noble household—or indeed, to exist in this world at all.
“Oh, right.”
Pushing away Ather, who was hovering nearby, Carl continued, “Besides that, I have a key collection to give you.”
“Keys?”
“Yeah. A bunch of keys from the capital’s residence. I’ve kept them safe, though they’re not completely cleaned yet.”
He had intended to clean them thoroughly, but stubborn blood had seeped into the intricate patterns etched on the keys.
As a result, a stain removal master was currently working to erase the crimson traces.
“Cleaned?”
Beatty tilted her head.
‘Isn’t it unnecessary to clean them so meticulously?’
Just as she was about to speak to prevent her brother from wasting energy, Ather, understanding the unspoken bloody implications, redirected the conversation.
“By the way, My Lady.”
“Yes?”
“Don’t you have something for me?”
“For Your Highness?”
Beatty looked bewildered, unable to grasp what he meant.
“Yes, that. Your Highness.”
“?”
Ather smiled his signature sly smile.
“Weren’t you going to call me ‘big brother’ affectionately?”
“Oh.”
Just as Beatty was about to speak, Ather blocked a sudden strike to the back of his head.
“What was that for, Carl?”
“Why ‘affectionately’?”
“Is that the issue? Should I have asked her to call me ‘big brother’ coldly instead of affectionately?”
“Don’t even think about being called that.”
Although Carl had watched Ather’s audacious request with some level of tolerance due to his own merits—no, he had immediately rejected it—he had no intention of witnessing this request being fulfilled.
Staring at Carl with a “no way” look, Ather turned back to Beatty with a bright smile.
“My Lady’s different from the heartless Carl, right? Go on, call me like last time. ‘Big brother Ather’—”
“…….”
“Oh, no! Don’t pull out that sword!”
Beatty quickly spoke up as Carl quietly began unlocking his sword’s scabbard.
“Well, about that…”
“Hm?”
“I’m afraid I can’t fulfill that request.”
Ather blinked, caught off guard.
“Is there something else I can help you with?”
“Huh?”
Beatty spoke while subtly avoiding direct eye contact.
Ather’s tear-prone eyes flickered.
‘Why…?’
His heart suddenly dropped.
It wasn’t just because his playful request was denied.
It was the first time the black eyes that had always looked directly at him now avoided his gaze, just like others who seemed to shy away from him.
“You don’t want to call me that?”
Almost unconsciously, Ather’s voice came out whiny and petulant.
“Why? I mean, I’m not really insisting—”
‘Was asking too soon? Or do you not want to get closer to me?’
Pushing away these desperate thoughts, the boy swallowed his curiosity.
‘Did I make things awkward? If you dislike it, I won’t ask for anything. So….’
An anxious light unconsciously crossed the boy’s face.
‘…just don’t look away from me.’
Ather was desperate to know what the girl was thinking in this moment.
The girl who had so quickly stripped away his composure was, in fact:
‘I said I’d do anything for him… but backing out now feels so embarrassing!’
She hadn’t intentionally avoided his gaze.
She simply felt awkward about taking back her initial offer of gratitude.
Unaware of Beatty’s inner turmoil, Ather spoke again anxiously.
“If you don’t want to use my name, you can call me however you’re comfortable.”
“Pardon?”
“So, just use whatever you prefer—”
“I don’t mind using your name, though?”
“Huh?”
They stared at each other, both confused.
“Your Highness Ather, I have no issue calling you by name.”
“Oh.”
At the girl’s natural confirmation, Ather finally exhaled the breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding.
“Really?”
A smile returned to the boy’s lips and eyes.
“I see. So it wasn’t about not wanting to use my name. Right.”
Carl looked at Ather with a somewhat exasperated expression.
Lifting his head as if now fully understanding, Ather confirmed with Beatty.
“So what you can’t do is call me ‘big brother Ather’, right?”
“Yes. If there’s something else I can do, I’ll absolutely do my best!”
“Hmm. That’s fine.”
Curious, Ather tilted his head and asked, “Why is ‘Your Highness Ather’ okay, but ‘big brother Ather’ isn’t?”
“Well, that’s…”
Beatty seemed to stumble over her words, prompting Ather to lean in closer, as if inviting her to whisper just to him.
Standing on tiptoes and cupping her hand by her mouth, she whispered, “Because my ‘big brother’ is only Carl'”
“!”
Though Beatty spoke incredibly softly, feeling embarrassed to say such a thing to her actual big brother, Carl didn’t miss a single word.
Carl’s ears—resembling a round lion’s—popped out, overwhelmed by a wave of emotion.
Ather, indifferent to his friend’s transformation, kept his gaze fixed on Beatty.
“Wow. So this is what a cute sibling is like.”
“It’s not exactly like that…”
“Are we going to keep whispering? Too shy to tell your ‘big brother’ directly?”
“Wow, even cuter.”
Matching her increasingly soft tone, Ather marveled.
“Lucky. Having Carl as a ‘big brother’.”
“Shut up.”
Though Carl spoke sharply and turned away dramatically, the back of his neck flushed red, and he couldn’t help stealing glances back at Beatty.
His tail tip swayed uncontrollably, unable to hide his massive emotional surge.
*
At that moment. In the heart of the royal court.
Within the royal palace, located at the very center of the capital.
“What? Firina or Seaulus, that idiot!”
The Second Queen frowned, her beautiful face turning fierce as she muttered savagely after receiving the report from the Aslan Ducal Estate.
“The precious medication I sent is now useless.”
“What shall we do about the viscount? Should we save her?”
“Hmph! Viscount? He’s just a mere commoner already erased from the records. Don’t bother me with such trivial matters.”
Though her subordinate asked about potentially rescuing Firina, who had long served the Second Queen, she dismissively waved away the suggestion with a derisive snort.