Chapter 28 - Unbaptized black beast

I nodded a little, my eyes wide.

Then Avelle became very cautious and reached out his hand.

"I'm your big brother, Avelle. I think I heard your name is Rossette… That's a very good name."

Avelle's expression was softer. He seemed to treat me with a careful attitude as if I were fragile.

And yet it seemed as if he were thrilled.

"I've missed you so, so much."

After a slight glance, Avelle shook his hands holding mine. His hands were incredibly hard and rough.

"It's too late, but welcome back to our castle. Our youngest sister, Rossette. You came back to us really well."

Avelle smiled tenderly and spoke in a warm voice.

Before I could reply to him with my own relief, I could see another boy jumping up from behind.

It was Camillean, the second child.

With black hair and light green eyes, he had a refreshing impression.

If Henriette and Avelle are just villains, should I say Camillean is like someone on the side of the good guys and then suddenly stab them on the back.

The only similarity in his eyes with the Duke of Wensgrey is its fierceness.

He came up to me quickly. I'm nervous that I might be attacked this time.

"h, hello."

Why is Camillean putting his hands under my arms in an instant and lifting me up?

Screaming briefly in surprise, Henriette, standing by and watching the situation, flinched a little.

Camillean began shouting with a face full of excitement and astonishment.

"Wow! I have a sister!"

And then he's going round and round with me!

Ugh, I'm dizzy! My eyes are spinning.

But apart from being embarrassed, I kept laughing. Honestly, it's fun because it feels like I'm on a plane.

Eventually, grinning away, Camillean spun me around one more time and said briskly, carefully dropping me to the ground.

"There were kids in the academy who bragged about their little sister being cute! I was really jealous, but my sister is cuter! Oh, good to see you! I'm Camillean. Camillean Withren Wensgrey! I'm your second brother!"

"Y, yes. Hi…"

"Wow, hello! Oh, my. So cute! What should I do!"

Camillean made a fuss and loved it.

It's very hectic, but honestly, I was happy to be welcomed this much.

At that time, Avelle frowned and pulled Camillean's back.

"Don't make a fuss. You're still in front of father."

"Oh, I am."

Camillean then crept back after glancing at Henriette's countenance. Avelle looked at Henriette with a dry stare and caught his eye.

Although Henriette was only looking at me.

"As you've just heard, these are your brothers. Avelle, the eldest son of the Wensgrey family, and Camillean, the second son. The third son, Carlyx, will be back tomorrow, and I will introduce him again."

"Yes."

Two boys standing side by side behind Henriette's back were looking at me with a very strange look.

Anyway, since we're going to see each other in the future, I try not to be as awkward as possible and say hello to them.

"Nice to meet you, Brothers. I look forward to your kind cooperation."

I bowed my head carefully, and I could see Avelle smiling.

He had the impression of being blunt and cold, but he looked much gentler with a smile.

Camillean wasn't as upset as he was before Henriette, but his expression was already a mess.

Is Avelle and Camillen originally that kind of character?

'There's another difference from the original.'

While I was a little embarrassed as I thought about the original story for a while, Henriette spoke again while looking at the two brothers.

"If you will not go to the palace in the future, stay in the castle."

"…Huh? Are you sure?"

"Why?"

The two brothers responded as if they had heard an unexpected story.

Henriette was only responding calmly.

"It's an order of abode."

As if that alone was convincing, the brothers silently accepted without any resistance. However, I seemed a little embarrassed.

I remembered what Henriette said last time.

'Avelle despises me, and Camillean refuses to come near me…'

As in the original book, the father-son relationship did not seem to be very good.

Henriette did not raise his sons with affection.

Unlike me, they spent their childhood in the castle, but they were equally scattered seven years before I disappeared from the castle.

They weren't cared for by strangers like when I was a baby.

They grew up attending academies, being entrusted to towers dedicated to the Guardian's stars, or going back and forth between the castle and the Capital .

Unlike me, who was a newborn baby in need of delicate care and absolute protection at the time, all of the brothers had already been strictly educated under Henriette's wing from the moment they walked, so it was possible.

That's what I was thinking, and Camillean brought it up to Henriette with a face.

"If you'll let us, we'll take our youngest, Ro, Rossette around for a while. Do you mind if we go? It's been years since we met, so I'd like to spend some time with her."

Avelle is just standing next to me with his mouth shut quietly, and wasn't even looking at Henriette.

Henriette looked at them and said in a voice that sounded more stern than usual.

"Always be careful."

Gulp. Camillean is swallowing his dry saliva. Even I was nervous for no reason.

"Don't be rash, don't act rashly. If you keep it in mind, then I'll accept it."

"Yes!"

Camillean's face visibly brightened.

But when the story was over, Henriette, who was about to go out of the conference room, suddenly stopped and threw a question at me.

"Rossette, who am I to you?"

Why are you asking that all of a sudden?

My eyes were round for a while, and I could quickly figure out why.

"Daddy!"

Maybe he wanted to hear this.

So I shouted softly in a bright voice, and Henriette's face, which had hardened, softened gently.

"Yes, go ahead."

Henriette left the office satisfactorily.

All that was left in the conference room was me sighing and the two brothers who stood next to me and looked like they couldn't believe it.

***

After a long time, the shock of the two brothers had gone.

They each held my hand and went out.

I was short, so they both walked with their backs bent, and it felt pretty fun, but a little sad.

"I, if you're having a hard time, you can leave my hands alone."

"My sister is a good girl! Are you worried about us?"

"You're very small compared to us, so it's natural that we will adjust, so you don't have to worry."

The atmosphere felt very fierce earlier, but the two brothers were very friendly to me.

We walked through the hallway and looked outside through a wide window.

It was more fun than I thought to look down at the green-colored land where the snow had melted.

"Wow, that's amazing. Did he really melt all that stuff? I know that magic that touches the climate can only be used if it reaches a certain level, and even if it is only a small range, the whole land melts..."

I almost nodded when Camillean added, "I thought father was crazy."

Avelle showed no reaction during the Henriette talk.

I don't know why, but I heard he despise Henriette, so it must be true.

'Of all things, it's the same as the original.'

I learned enough from another friend in my past life how painful it is to have people in the family who are uncomfortable with each other.

Is it good that the brothers don't seem to be in a bad relationship?

"By the way, shall we give Rossette a nickname? All the kids I met at the academy called their sister a pet name!"

"That would be nice. So what do you suggest, Rossie? Lotty?"

And I'm glad they like me, too. Yeah, it's better than them not liking me.

They had a long heated discussion about my pet name throughout the walk.

By the time I stepped out to the garden outside the castle, my pet name was decided Lotty.

I crumpled up a little because the name sounded funny for some reason.

"Don't you like it?"

"Woong, no."

"But my little girl doesn't look well."

Camillean giggled and poked my round cheek with his finger. Avelle pushed his hand away, saying, "You don't touch a child's face."

Camillean seemed more friendly and sociable than I thought, and Avelle seemed blunt but friendly.

When I decided they wouldn't hurt me, I naturally relaxed.

While I was at it, I asked a question.

"Well, what do I call brothers?"

"Huh? We can just be big brother and little brother. Oh, the third one is just the youngest brother? It's a little vague."

"Then I'll give you nicknames, too."

My words made them open their eyes wide.

It was interesting because their expressions looked like people who had never heard of a nickname before. Thanks to that, I burst into laughter by myself.

I also would have named myself Lotty, like a snack.

"My older brother, umm….A!"

"A…"

"My little brother, uh, Millie!"

"Mi, Millie?"

"Woong. A and Millie!"

(A, pronounced as ei or ey. Literally the pronunciation of the actual first letter of the alphabet.)

Their names are both like names for little girls.

One is really tall and has calluses in his hands. The other is a man who looks delicate but is not short. What do I mean?

It was so funny that I let go of their hands for a moment, closed my mouth, and burst into laughter alone, and Avelle's eyes grew bigger and soon burst into laughter as well.

I thought Camillean was angry with the way his shoulders are shaking, but he picked me up again and began to twirl.

"Hahaha, Millie! I like it! Wow, there's a kid who gives me nicknames! Everyone's scared to death when they see us! As expected, my sister is my sister, isn't she?"

"Right, Lotty, but can you give me a nickname other than 'A'?"

"Woong, I like A!"

Camillean twirled and hugged me tight, and I said with a big smile,Avelle is dazed for a moment. He smiled and stroked my head.

As expected, it was a rough hand, but it was sweet.

"Yes, I can't help it. But you can't call us that when there are others."

"Woong, why?"

"Because we might look shallow."

At the moment, Avelle's expression darkened.

"We are the villains of this empire. So you shouldn't show your inner self to others or do anything that would make them look down on you. All right?"

It seemed to be a word that could immediately tell how Henriette educated his sons.

In the setting of the original work, he strictly taught his children 'to be invincible' as Avelle said.

As a result, the relationship with the sons was very bad, but it was certainly successful in its intentions.

Now, no one can look down on Duke Wensgrey, who has become the most evil family in the Empire in name and reality, or treat them recklessly.

"It's only natural to be treated lightly."

But it only works well for the role of the villain.

I feel a little sorry for them for being isolated as a result of people's fear, am I stupid?

Now that I'm from the same family as them, it would hurt a little if others are afraid of my family.

"…oh, I was imprudent."

But Avelle rushed out and said, folding his knees at my eye level.

"I'm sorry, Lotty. I've already heard from the servants about what you've been through… Your older brother made a slip of the tongue."

"Huh? Oh…"

He seemed to have heard of Count Semond. He must have remembered hearing it while saying, "We shouldn't look shallow"

Avelle, who lowered his body, took my hands and said,

"If my words remind you of bad memories, will you forgive me?"

I swallowed a dry saliva.

The boldest villain in the original, Henriette, and his first son, Avelle.

If I remember correctly, Avelle was the most brutal character to match Henriette among the original villains.