“Hmph.”
Eldy let out a dry laugh, as if nothing had happened.
*‘I clearly heard the bone snap.’*
Rishi looked at Eldy with concern, but he simply swept his hair back with a nonchalant air, as if he’d anticipated this. The right hand he’d extended toward Windy remained firmly clamped between the creature’s teeth.
“Clever little thing, aren’t you?”
Clever? You didn’t offer it an apple; it bit your hand!
“Kid. I know my hand looks as tempting as an apple. But it’s not for eating. Be a good boy, hmm?”
Eldy tried to stroke Windy’s chin with his left hand, but the creature shook its head with a huff. Naturally, it didn’t loosen its grip on his right hand in the slightest.
“Eldhert, are you okay?”
At this point, even Rishi couldn’t mask her worry.
Eldy raised one corner of his mouth in a dismissive smirk.
“Are you asking me? Do you not know who I am?”
I do. You’re an idiot. An idiot pretending to be fine out of pride, even though your wrist feels like it’s about to be torn from the socket.
“I am Eldhert Green, Vice-Captain of the Thesei Holy Knights. Being nipped by a unicorn foal isn’t enough to make me scream.”
A vein pulsed in Eldy’s neck.
It looked remarkably like he was enduring a monumental amount of pain.
“Hey, kid. Let go when your brother is asking nicely, okay?”
*CRUNCH—!*
Windy bit down even harder.
This time, even Eldy couldn’t stifle a gasp, his eyes widening.
“Why are you so angry all of a sudden?”
“He’s a boy.”
“Ha!”
Eldy seemed to be in a bind.
He’d acted so haughty in front of Rishi; he couldn’t throw a tantrum over the pain now. But it would be just as difficult to keep enduring this agony.
Rishi decided to intervene.
“Windy.”
She called out to him softly.
Following Eldy’s own advice, she looked at Windy with the mindset that it was the most lovable, precious creature in existence.
“Let go of that uncle’s hand.”
“Uncle…!”
“Hm? Windy. Let go of that mean uncle’s hand and come here.”
Windy rolled its dark eyes to glance at Eldy once, then let out a snort.
A spray of snot splattered all over Eldy’s face.
“Hey, you snot-nosed, filthy brat!”
Blinded by the mucus, Eldy didn’t even notice his right hand had been released.
While Eldy busied himself wiping his face, Windy trotted over and stopped in front of Rishi. The small, adorable creature held its head high, staring quietly at her.
In that moment, something warm and fuzzy welled up in Rishi’s chest. This small, clever, and mischievous life form was utterly endearing.
A smile of genuine affection blossomed on her lips. As Rishi gently raised her arms, Windy turned its head to the side to avoid nicking her with its horn, then rubbed its forehead against her stomach.
“You really are a good boy.”
Rishi murmured, stroking its head.
“Good? It’s a devil.”
Eldy growled, rubbing his throbbing hand.
“You’re so pretty, Windy. Your fur is so soft… and cute.”
Rishi completely ignored him. She crouched down to meet Windy’s eye level.
“Windy, I probably have many shortcomings. I still don’t really know how to cherish, adore, and treasure someone properly yet. But you are so precious to me now that I think I’m starting to understand how. I’ll keep learning, so please forgive me if I’m lacking in some ways, okay?”
Windy rubbed its neck against her, as if to say it was fine.
Eldy watched the scene quietly, still kneading his sore hand.
The moment the sensitive and wary Windy opened its heart to Rishi, there was no strange shimmering of her soul.
*‘Looking at her like that, she seems like a normal woman. No, that can’t be. A normal woman’s soul wouldn’t shine in such a terrifying way.’*
Even now, Rishi’s soul was radiating a blinding light.
Rishi, sensing Eldy’s gaze, looked up as if to ask why he was staring. When he remained silent, she noted:
“Your hand looks like it hurts quite a bit.”
Eldy frowned.
“Don’t think you helped me, Iris. This is nothing.”
“Isn’t ‘this is nothing’ a phrase reserved for the person who actually did the helping? If not for me, your apple-like hand would have been sliced clean in half, just like that apple.”
Rishi pointed to the fruit lying near Eldy’s foot. The apple he’d been holding earlier had been split perfectly in two by Windy’s teeth.
“You can forget about today, Iris.”
“I think that’s a line I should be saying.”
Honestly, that woman never loses an argument.
Not that he disliked that trait. It was better than women who pretended to be fragile and burst into tears at the slightest inconvenience.
“Anyway, I’m still suspicious of you. I’ll be keeping a close eye on you, Iris.”
At those words, Rishi let out a soft laugh, stood up, and approached him. Standing right in front of him, she tapped his cheek lightly with her palm.
It was such an unexpected gesture that even Eldy was caught off guard.
Facing the stunned man, Rishi said:
“I won’t be on guard against you, Eldhert. I have a soft spot for stubborn, prideful kids.”
She was treating him like a child.
Eldy knew perfectly well that Rishi was six years younger than him.
Watching Eldy, who stood there mouth agape, Rishi added:
“You’re just like Windy.”
+++
“Do you know how old Iris is? She’s only twenty! And yet, she calls me a kid. Does that make any sense?”
“Hm.”
“I look like I could be blown away by a single punch, and where does she get the nerve to treat me like a child?”
“Cut it out. If you blow the sister-in-law away with a single punch, you’ll be dead by my gun, Eldy.”
Nathan, who had been fiddling with his weapon throughout Eldy’s rant, finally reacted to the mention of violence.
“I’m just saying. You think I’d actually hit her?”
“Who knows? With your temper, anything is possible.”
“That woman is just strange.”
It was natural to be insulted by being treated like a child, yet in that moment, Eldy had felt like he was being scolded by someone his senior. Of course, he couldn’t admit that.
“There’s nothing strange about it. To everyone else, you’re the one who looks strange. There’s only one person who views the sister-in-law as ‘strange,’ while thousands, no, millions see *you* as the odd one. So, who’s the one who’s really strange?”
Nathan pointed his gun barrel at Eldy. Eldy pushed it aside with his index finger and retorted:
“I’m just voicing a reasonable suspicion.”
“That’s exactly what makes it strange. Since the sister-in-law entered this manor, there hasn’t been a single problem, and the Captain looks genuinely happy. Even we feel better just seeing her beautiful face.”
“Don’t be bewitched by a face, Nathan. You’re not that type.”
“It’s better because the Captain likes her AND she’s pretty. He was someone who wouldn’t even build a family for our sake. Seeing him act like this because he cares about someone? It’s a relief.”
“…”
“Count Green, the Countess, and Jen—they all feel the same. They know what kind of life Kay has lived; they’re just happy he’s found someone he loves. Compared to that, you…”
A crease formed between Nathan’s brows.
“It’s pathetic. You look jealous of the sister-in-law because you think your brother was ‘stolen’ from you. It’s disgusting.”
“I’m not jealous. I’m worried about Kay.”
“Worrying and being on guard is for the Captain to handle. If what you fear actually happens, we’ll step in too. There’s no need for you to be running around acting like, ‘Don’t steal my brother away, I hate it when you take my brother.'”
“I don’t talk like that, Nathan.”
“That’s how it looks to me.”
Having heard similar things from his mother and Jen before reaching Nathan’s room, Eldy had no retort left.
“Anyway, did your taste change? Why did you embed jewels into your gun like that?”
The piece Nathan was holding glittered with a light pink stone near the grip.
“Oh, this? I’m giving it to the sister-in-law as a wedding gift. She needs a weapon to defend herself in an emergency.”
Eldy had already witnessed Eugene and Willis in a serious debate that morning regarding their own gifts.
“They’ve all lost their minds! Who does that woman think she is!”
Eldy fumed, but Nathan ignored him entirely.
“So, what are you going to give as a wedding gift?”
Eldy huffed before asking back.
“What is the one thing women want most as a wedding gift?”
+++
Guests began arriving at the Green estate.
Some stayed in the annex, while others secured lodgings nearby or retreated to their own villas.
Rishi did not emerge to greet the guests; a bride is not expected to appear until the pre-wedding party.
“It seems Miss Brittany is greeting the guests as if she were the hostess. I heard that whenever someone from a prestigious family arrives, she steps forward to offer them a tour of the estate. Is that alright?”
Krisina asked as she brushed Rishi’s hair.
“Yes, it’s fine. Let her do as she pleases.”
What Brittany would do was obvious. Whatever she attempted would only eventually shackle her and drag her into the mud.
Rishi rose and walked toward the window. The front gate, visible in the distance, was crowded. An imperial carriage was parked before it.
‘The Crown Prince has arrived.’
The first pre-wedding party was tomorrow. Until then, the Crown Prince needed to be curious about the woman known as Rishi.
‘Kay will handle it well.’
+++
Brittany was exhilarated.
Since Rishi could not show herself anywhere, the estate was effectively Brittany’s domain.
Whenever a male aristocrat arrived, Brittany warned them to be cautious.
“Count Green is so incredibly jealous… If you ask my sister for a dance during the reception, you will surely earn his hatred.”
A bride who received no dance requests would be a laughingstock. As the young aristocrats wanted to curry favor with Kay, none would dare ask Rishi.
Imagining Rishi sitting quietly in the bride’s chair, she felt a long-held blockage in her chest finally clear.
‘I was angry when I heard the Crown Prince was coming, but this is a golden opportunity. He must have come to see me, not Iris.’
Brittany’s lips twitched.
‘I wish the reception would hurry up and start.’
Those in the know were well aware that the Crown Prince had considered the daughter of Duke Whitlow as his future consort.
The Prince would ask Brittany to dance, and then the others would scramble to do the same. Rishi would be shunned by all.
‘I will be the one everyone desires. Do you understand, Iris? I am the star of this party.’
Brittany offered her most elegant, benevolent smile as the Crown Prince stepped down from his carriage.