Chapter 381: Chapter 381

Lowell drifted down the hallway, her steps light and buoyant, barely contained within the bounds of aristocratic propriety.

‘What gift has our Delin prepared for me this time?’

A heartfelt picture letter? A cuddly teddy bear? A certificate pledging eternal devotion? Or perhaps…

The image of Rodelin wrapped up like a present set her heart racing.

Really, the gift itself didn’t matter. Even if it were dirt or trash, it would be precious—a token from her beloved little sister!

As Lowell made her way toward their meeting spot, voices drifted from the garden beyond the window.

“Exactly. Lady Lucia isn’t fit to lead the family. You, being close to her, should understand that better than anyone.”

“Well, she can be a bit lazy. But she’s not incompetent.”

“She lacks the drive for it. There’s no point in handing the position to someone who doesn’t want it. It should go to someone who does—especially someone like Sir Lucas, who’s proven his excellence in every field!”

Two men conversing in the garden. Vassals of the Lucid family, both of whom Lowell recognized immediately.

‘Count Rumsfeld. And his companion is… oh my… Count Haren?’

A key figure who had long supported Lucia. If Lucas could win him over, countless other vassals would follow suit.

‘Brother Lucas seems serious about challenging Sister Lucia.’

A clash of titans over the position of family head.

Lowell felt grateful she wasn’t caught up in their struggle.

‘Wait… is that really something to be grateful for?’

The first thing any new ruler did was eliminate political enemies.

Exile to distant lands, imprisonment, severed limbs, assassination—the possibilities were endless.

Regardless of who emerged victorious, her fate was already sealed.

“Still, isn’t it premature to discuss succession? The Duke is still young. And there’s Lady Lowell to consider.”

“In an uncertain world, these matters must be settled early. And why mention the abandoned child?”

Lowell’s body tensed involuntarily.

Abandoned child. They were clearly referring to her.

“True… you can tell just by the fact that she hasn’t received the cloak. I knew the Duke was strict, but this seems excessive.”

“She’s the first in Lucid family history not to receive the cloak by age fifteen. Someone like that could never become family head.”

“Though she’s not entirely worthless. Being a girl and all.”

“An arranged marriage, you mean? With the Lucid name, she could even marry foreign royalty.”

The only way someone ordinary like her could repay the family.

She harbored no resentment. She understood perfectly well that an ordinary person like herself could only live comfortably because she bore the ‘Lucid family’ name.

There was just one heartbreaking possibility.

‘I just hope it won’t be to another country….’

Finding time would be difficult enough if she married within the Empire, but to be sent abroad?

She might never see Rodelin again.

To miss watching Rodelin grow up, to see her blossom into a magnificent lioness.

Lowell hurried away from the spot.

She wandered aimlessly through the corridors when something caught her attention. Updates are released by N0v3l.Fiɾe.net

A head of midnight-black hair suddenly appeared around the corner at the hall’s end, cautiously surveying the area.

She didn’t need to guess who was behind this adorable reconnaissance.

The youngest member of the Lucid family, and the most precious thing in the world.

Rodelin’s forehead emerged slowly, like the dawn sun cresting the horizon.

Soon her eyes were visible, and the moment they met Lowell’s—

She ducked back behind the wall.

Lowell pretended not to notice, and Rodelin repeated this charming ritual two or three more times.

Lowell crept closer until she stood right at the corner. Then.

Rodelin, who had been preparing for another peek, tumbled backward.

The sight sent Lowell into fits of laughter.

“Hmph… I’m not speaking to you anymore, sister!”

Rodelin’s cheeks puffed out like balloons ready to burst.

It took considerable coaxing from Lowell before those indignant cheeks finally deflated.

Once Rodelin’s mood had softened, Lowell remembered why they were meeting.

“Oh, right—the gift?”

“Ah… the gift? C-could I give it to you next time instead?”

“Sister… you don’t seem to be in a good mood today.”

Rodelin mumbled, hands hidden behind her back.

“I-I think my gift will just make you feel worse. So maybe next time….”

Making her little sister tiptoe around her feelings—she was failing as an older sister.

“You’re perceptive. Something… unpleasant did happen. That’s exactly why I need your gift—to make your big sister feel much, much better.”

“I made it myself… so it turned out messy.”

“You made it yourself? A gift just for me… I know I’ll treasure it. Well, if you’d rather not give it, Delin, I suppose that’s fine. I’ll just have to stay in this terrible mood all day.”

After a long moment of internal struggle, Rodelin brought her hidden hands forward.

A plush doll. A little figure sewn together from various fabric scraps.

Honestly, it was far from pretty.

‘You probably thought it would look amazing if you just used pretty fabrics, didn’t you?’

A child who hadn’t yet grasped the concept of harmony.

As Lowell studied the doll in Rodelin’s hands, something else caught her attention.

Her fingers. Rodelin’s small fingers were wrapped in bandages here and there.

Some even showed traces of blood seeping through, as if she’d been pricked quite deeply.

“I-It’s not very good, is it?”

“Not good? Not at all. It’s perfect. Our Delin could become a professional doll maker.”

Rodelin’s face lit up like sunshine. Then, still beaming, she began pulling out something else.

“Actually… it’s a matching set.”

Another doll of different size, shape, and color.

Lowell was enchanted. Not only had Rodelin crafted it specifically for her, but she’d made a pair.

The touching moment wasn’t over yet.

“I-I’m going to stay with you forever, sister.”

She loved her eldest sister and brother, but.

“Because I like you the most, Lowell-unni.”

To be told she was the favorite—Lowell nearly burst into tears of joy.

“How can we stay together forever? We’ll have to work when we grow up.”

Rodelin’s eyes widened as if this thought had never occurred to her.

After frowning in deep concentration, Rodelin suddenly shouted as if struck by inspiration.

“We can have the same job!”

“Yes! We’ll work, eat, and play together. How does that sound?”

Such a childish notion. But one that Lowell adored completely.

“You’re absolutely right. That would be perfect. Our Delin is such a little genius, isn’t she?”

Watching Rodelin puff out her chest with pride, a bittersweet thought crossed Lowell’s mind.

They probably wouldn’t be able to spend their entire lives together as Rodelin imagined.

But she wanted to preserve this life, at least until her arranged marriage arrived.

“Hehe! It’s a promise then.”

Rodelin extended her pinky finger. A bandage was wrapped around it, as expected.

Lowell carefully linked her own pinky with that tiny, wounded one.

Yes, it’s fine even if I’m considered an abandoned child.

As long as I have you, Rodelin. As long as you can be recognized as a true member of the Lucid family.

That’s enough for this older sister.

In the depths of night, Lowell awakened without understanding why.

Her heart trembled and every hair stood on end.

‘What is this feeling? This dread….’

An anxiety she couldn’t name or explain.

As she looked around, searching for its source, she spotted something that made her smile.

“Mmm… lion… the best.”

Rodelin clutched the plush doll tightly, murmuring in her sleep.

After pressing a gentle kiss to her cheek, Lowell slipped outside.

Out of the mansion and onto the street.

Off the street and onto the main thoroughfare.

Beyond the thoroughfare she continued walking, until she reached the castle wall.

If someone had asked, ‘Why did you come all this way?’, Lowell could only have answered:

“Something just… felt wrong.”

So absorbed in the strange sensation, Lowell hadn’t noticed anyone approaching.

The person shouting was obviously a patrol soldier.

“It’s Lowell of the Lucid family.”

When Lowell turned around, the soldiers examined her features carefully.

“We greet the great lion of the Lucid family!”

The soldiers dropped to their knees immediately.

Even without the lion cloak, every soldier recognized Lowell instantly.

Knowing the lord’s family by sight was essential information, after all.

‘This is problematic.’

No matter how much she belonged to the ruling family, approaching the castle wall carelessly was suspicious.

From the soldiers’ and their superiors’ perspective, it was no different from espionage.

They couldn’t scold the lord’s daughter, nor could they interrogate her. Arresting her was completely out of the question.

‘But if they let this slide, they’ll face punishment.’

In other words, she’d created a massive inconvenience for everyone.

As Lowell wondered how to resolve this diplomatically, an elderly soldier spoke up.

“Have you come to see Sir Lucas?”

“My brother? Is my brother here?”

“Yes, he sometimes conducts dawn patrols. He even takes time to hear grievances from soldiers like us.”

Lucas frequently toured the territory, boosting soldier morale.

It was likely a calculated move to build popular support and expand his faction, but it wasn’t entirely cynical.

That kind of outreach required genuine time investment, and he did actually address the soldiers’ concerns.

“To worry about family even at night… your bond truly runs deep.”

The old soldier gave her a knowing wink. Fortunately, Lowell grasped his meaning.

“Ah… y-yes, exactly. Really, my brother never knows when to take care of himself.”

“We spoke with Sir Lucas just a short while ago. If you head that direction, you should find him.”

“Thank you. You’re all working so hard. I’m always grateful for your dedication.”

“It’s our duty, so please don’t worry about us. Well then, we’ll continue our patrol….”

Thanks to the old soldier’s quick thinking, the situation resolved smoothly.

Lowell transformed from suspicious person to caring sister worried about her brother.

The soldiers went from failing their duty to having performed it diligently, regardless of who they’d encountered.

‘Though this did create the minor problem of having to face my brother.’

And she’d have to act like the concerned sister, too.

Lowell walked on, scratching the back of her head. Finding Lucas proved surprisingly easy.

“So I pulled out the seal and shouted: If you want to devour a soldier of the great Lucid family, then try it! And wouldn’t you know it, the beast got scared and ran away!”

“Hahaha! Your tall tales keep getting more outrageous!”

“It’s not a tall tale—it’s the truth!”

He sat surrounded by soldiers.

Seeing someone who typically avoided conversation trying so desperately hard was somehow pitiful.

“Enough of your boring story already. Can’t you see Sir Lucas is forcing those laughs?”

“What? Like your story was any more riveting!”

Lowell attempted to speak, but no one paid her the slightest attention.

To think she’d receive this treatment after deciding to play the good sister for the first time in… well, for the first time in her life.

Lowell turned to leave.

Fine, let him exhaust himself for the rest of his days. What did she care whether he became family head or not?

She closed her eyes and refocused.

She remembered why she’d come this far.

That nameless anxiety. It wasn’t originating from within the castle.

Outside the castle. Beyond the wall.

Lowell climbed the stairs to the top of the battlements. But she could only see as far as the luminous stones’ light reached.

Being the middle of the night, proper visibility was impossible.

“What am I even doing out here at night.”

Despite her grumbling, her body moved with purpose.

She walked along the wall. Sleep would be impossible until she identified the source of this unease.

As she wandered the battlements searching for answers, she became aware of someone stealthily following behind her.

It was the second child of the Lucid family—Lucas.

“Why are you following me?”

“Because my job today is monitoring suspicious individuals.”

“Are you suggesting I’m a spy?”

“Isn’t that obvious?”

So it wasn’t a joke—he genuinely suspected her of espionage.

To consider family a spy, regardless of circumstances. The more she thought about it, the more infuriating it became.

“Don’t you think you’re going too far?”

“I know you despise me, brother. But still, to suspect your own family of espionage… that’s excessive.”

Lowell voiced her indignation.

Did he realize he’d overstepped? After a moment of consideration, Lucas spoke.

“There’s no other logical reason for you to be here. You wouldn’t be here encouraging soldiers, and the only other possibility is that you came looking for me out of worry….”

A good sister worried about her brother.

She’d decided to play that role moments ago to escape a crisis, but thinking about it now made her skin crawl.

A pair of siblings overflowing with mutual affection, always thinking of each other.

Rather than let such a horrifying rumor spread, it would be better to…

“Should we just say I’m a spy then?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

Lowell readily accepted being branded a spy.

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