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“After Grandfather passed away, Zephyrus visibly lost his will to live and stopped eating altogether. He shut himself away in the stables of the ducal estate in the Imperial Capital, refusing to let anyone touch him.”
“Oh no…”
“Yes, I think he intended to follow Grandfather to the afterlife. I naturally assumed so. He had that kind of spirit. It’s common knowledge among those who know that Krymov’s magical steeds form strong bonds with their masters. We should have respected that spirit and quietly watched over him. That’s why everyone did just that. Magical beasts possess strong vitality; they can survive without food… But after a month, he had grown weak indeed, leaning against the stable wall, waiting only for the end. But then, some fool barged into his stall and forcibly dragged out Zephyrus, who was on the brink of death.”
“Who on earth would do such a thing?!”

Ekaterina cried out involuntarily.
While one shouldn’t necessarily praise suicide, perhaps it was the aesthetic sensibility of her past life as a Japanese person, or even the sensibility of this world, but she felt respect and beauty in Zephyrus’s devotion. To drag him out like that—who would do such a thing!

“It was an entourage of that man… of Father. They understood nothing of the nature of magical steeds. They thought he was a simple property of the ducal house, and seeing he was a fine horse, they thought he should be inherited to the next family head. For that reason they tried to bring it to Father. Those lots were drunk, in the middle of the day.”

…B̲a̲s̲t̲a̲r̲d̲s̲.
Onii-sama, so you secretly called that deadbeat father ‘that man’ inside. …I’m sorry, I’m the vulgar one here.

“No matter how weakened he was, Zephyrus was a veteran warrior. He kicked those fools, breaking their bones. Then… they drew their swords.”

Ekaterina closed her eyes.
Aleksei stroked his sister’s hair. He didn’t continue the story.

“Did those fools… receive fitting punishment?”
“Just a suspension. Father shielded them. He said it was a mere beast, and they were just protecting themselves.”

…Somehow, I suspect Novadain is one of them.
That’s why they act so arrogant—because they’ve gotten away with everything. And perhaps because the rift between him and my brother is irreparable, he’s given up on currying favor and just gone full-on defiant.

“The magical steed belongs to His Imperial Majesty. A house honored with such a gift must treat the magical steeds with respect. This incident has tarnished the Jurnova name. But Grandmother, who had no interest in horses and believed she was a member of the imperial family and thus didn’t need to show respect to a magical steed, apparently asked the Emperor at the time to order Count Krymov to provide a new magical steed for Father.”

…Ugh, I wanna punch her. At a time when she should have been apologizing for letting Zephyrus die, she asked him to order a new horse? I’ve never hit anyone before, but I feel like I could beat the crap out of that b̲i̲t̲c̲h̲.

“That’s why I went to the Krymov household and apologized on Father’s behalf.”
“Huh?”

Ekaterina blurted out without thinking.
But Onii-sama, you were ten back then, right? You yourself weren’t at fault at all. In fact, you were furious and heartbroken more than anyone else that Zephyrus, whom you admired, ended up like that, weren’t you?

“Father refused to apologize himself, you see. Sending a proxy would have been disrespectful. At the very least, an apology from me, the legitimate heir, was necessary—for the sake of the Jurnova name. So I went myself, conveyed my apology to Count Krymov, and made a promise that Jurnova would never again seek a Krymov magical steed. Neither Father nor I.”

Onii-sama… did you sever your own hope of attaining what you longed for?
Gwaaah! I wanna punch that old hag and Dad! Hell, they should be chewed to bits by the Demon King in the lowest circle of Dante’s Inferno, like Judas!

“Wouldn’t Grandmother… scold you for that, Onii-sama?”
“Even then, that matter soon became irrelevant. His Majesty decided to abdicate.”

Ah… I see.
I wonder if the old hag panicked. The current Emperor surely showed no tolerance for her meddling even back then. Having a brother who listened to her as Emperor was more advantageous for the old hag.

“The late Emperor relied on our grandfather much. He enjoyed hunting with him and apparently knew about Zephyrus too.”
“Is that so…”

He might have been thinking it was time to abdicate for a while now, but with Zephyrus’ death, his sister’s attitude showing no shame about it, his disappointment in himself for not being able to restrain her—those things might have been the final push.

“The person I met was the current Count Krymov, the father of Nikolai and Marina. He rarely involves himself in politics or society, but I hear he has the Emperor’s deep trust. The Zephyrus affair was settled quietly, scarcely mentioned by anyone. I doubt Lady Marina knows. Nikolai probably does, but in the two years we were classmates at the academy, he never once brought it up or even hinted at it. He’s a trustworthy, good man.”
“Yes. Lord Nikolai is a good friend of you, Onii-sama.”

When Ekaterina said this, Aleksei murmured, “I see,” and lowered his eyes shyly. Then he smiled.

“Continue treating the Kuryimov siblings as you always have. As you said, they are good friends. That said, I felt it necessary to speak with you, as we should maintain our own discretion.”
“Yes, Onii-sama. Thank you for telling me.”

Even if it’s as before, the next time I see those siblings, I feel I’ll gaze at them with an indescribable feeling.
But surely, Nikolai will show his usual smile without the slightest wavering. That’s the only thought that comes to mind.

I wonder. If he were that brother and sister’s father, a man deeply trusted by His Majesty, what would Count Krymov have thought when a mere ten-year-old Onii-sama appeared as his father’s representative?
Surely, despite his youth, he behaved with dignity, mourned Zephyrus, and apologized for his father’s discourtesy with words that made perfect sense. How would he have seen such Onii-sama?

Onii-sama who is so earnest he’s inflexible. He intends to keep his promise not to seek the magical steeds, but what does he think about it? He’s sharp beyond his eighteen years, but there are things he doesn’t understand about himself.

Perhaps… feeling guilty toward Grandfather and Zephyrus, he’s punishing himself for being unable to do anything. Unconsciously, perhaps…
My brother never tries to make himself happy. He’s always just focused on fulfilling his responsibilities.

Ekaterina took her brother’s hand and gently squeezed it.

“…Did I make you feel sad?”
“No. It’s just… back then, you must have felt very sad. I wanted to share that feeling with you.”
“You really are kind.”

Aleksei squeezed his sister’s hand back.
Then, a large head plopped down onto their hands. Smiling, Aleksei stroked Regina’s head.

“Regina is kind too. Back then, it was Regina who shared my feelings with me.”

Those words seemed to conjure the image of a lonely child.
Ekaterina looked up at her brother and smiled.

“That’s right. Regina is a wonderful big sister.”
“I am a fortunate man. Two intelligent, kind beauties care for me.”
“You are the most wonderful gentleman of all, Onii-sama. Right, Regina?”

Regina looked up at them both and wagged her bushy tail.

“Onii-sama… will those fools be appearing at the weekend banquet too?”
“Probably. It’s also my celebration of inheriting the dukedom, and to widely introduce you as the Duke’s daughter, I’ve invited nearly all the major figures in the domain.”
“Please, do not leave my side. Should any such creatures attempt to approach you, Onii-sama, I shall chase them away myself.”

I know he could scatter such scum himself. But it would surely cause him some discomfort.
As if the Brocon Villainess that I am will allow that!

“Will you? That’s reassuring.”

Though he said that, Aleksei couldn’t hold back a smile.

“You needn’t concern yourself with such people. Save those beautiful eyes and kind heart for something more worthy. You have the power to make the world more beautiful and joyful. Truly, few possess your breadth and height of vision. You’re a clever girl, but it seems you don’t quite understand yourself.”

…Huh?
Wait?

Onii-sama, that’s exactly what I was thinking about you just now!
But content-wise, doesn’t my Broconism hold its own against your Sisconism? Somehow that’s frustrating!
I don’t even know if it’s okay for us to be competing over Siscon and Brocon-isms!