(TL Note: I’m really sorry for no updates in such a long ti. I’ve been through a lot in these two weeks, but now finally I’m back!)
“Litte.” Finally, Orson spoke.
“What is it, Orson? Have you decided to leave Olivia?”
“No.” Orson shook his head. “I understand how you feel about , but I must tell you... your feelings are not the sa as genuine romantic love.”
“Huh?” Litte blinked, then began to feel annoyed.
Why was Orson invalidating her feelings? Could her love for him possibly be fake?
“Let explain.” Seeing Litte’s dissatisfied expression, Orson quickly began to explain.
“First of all, Litte, you grew up in the countryside, and your parents knew you were a girl, so they kept you fairly isolated, right?”
“Not really...” Litte shook her head.
In the countryside, girls and boys played together freely when they were young. It wasn’t until they grew older and were expected to stay ho cooking or doing chores that things changed.
“Alright, but as a child, you were raised as a daughter, correct?”
“Yes,” Litte nodded.
“Then think about it. Growing up, did you ever get close to any boys?”
“Um... no, not really...” Litte shook her head again. “Papa and Mama didn’t let play with the village children. They said they’d be a bad influence on .”
In truth, Andre and Jennie had forbidden Litte from mingling with the village children because they had plans to eventually marry her off to a respectable family in the city. Given her looks, they felt she deserved better than a childhood sweetheart from the countryside. So they preemptively nipped such relationships in the bud.
“Exactly.” Orson’s tone grew more confident. “You grew up in a relatively isolated environnt, where the villagers didn’t know much about you, and you lived a lonely life with little interaction with boys.”
“So, when you t for the first ti, you thought I treated you very kindly, didn’t you?”
“Orson, you did treat very kindly,” Litte muttered, pouting slightly.
“No, no, no.” Orson quickly shook his head. “That kind of kindness is familial. I already feel guilty toward you, so of course, I’d treat you even better.”
Saying this, Orson looked at Litte.
“Listen, Litte. The reason you feel like you have feelings for , the reason you depend on , is because, in the short term, I’m the only decent male figure in your life.”
“Take others, like Donny and Tyril, for example—those scoundrels are complete negative examples. It’s precisely because of their existence that I seem so much better by comparison, making you unconditionally rely on , trust , and mistake this feeling for romantic love.”
“But that’s not what it really is.”
“Then, Orson, tell —what is romantic love supposed to be?” Litte asked, also looking at Orson.
“Romantic love should be the kind where, when two people et, they don’t need many words to understand each other. It’s the kind of love where, no matter how many tis they’ve seen each other, their hearts still flutter at every new eting.”
“To fall madly for the first person you see? That’s just inexperience. Only after you’ve t many people can you understand your true feelings.”
“To put it bluntly, Litte, you just haven’t t enough good n yet,” Orson said.
“Then what would it take for you to believe my feelings for you are real?” Litte noticed Orson’s intention to reject her and quickly pressed him further.
“First, you need to rember that I’m your brother.”
“But we’re not related by blood, are we?”
Hearing this, Orson couldn’t help but feel a headache coming on.
“Second, you need to understand that I’m already engaged to soone, and this engagent isn’t sothing that can be easily canceled.”
“But you’re not married to Olivia yet, are you?”
“Tch...” Seeing Litte’s persistence, Orson felt troubled.
Rejecting her outright risked pushing her into a breakdown.
Not rejecting her would risk Olivia spiraling into one.
After so thought, Orson decided to propose a compromise.
“Alright, Litte. Let’s make a deal, shall we?”
“What kind of deal?”
“When you’ve t enough people and broadened your horizons, if you still feel I’m the one destined for you, then we’ll revisit this discussion. How about that?”
The only way to handle soone like Litte was to temporarily retreat, give her a glimr of hope, and prevent her from tipping into the extre.
Orson’s approach wasn’t rely to protect Litte’s well-being but also to ensure his own safety in the future.
After all, he didn’t want to end up as the victim of so “yandere outburst.”
While Litte wasn’t currently strong enough to physically harm him, as the protagonist, she might have so hidden cards up her sleeve. What if she got emotionally triggered and rapidly grew stronger, eventually crashing his wedding with Olivia as a Tier 10 powerhouse, forcing him into her grasp?
The thought alone made Orson’s scalp tingle.
He glanced at Litte across from him. She was deep in thought.
“Well?” Orson pressed.
He needed her to accept this deal. Even though such a promise relied heavily on mutual trust, and would be aningless if Litte went rogue, having it was better than nothing.
“Alright.” Litte raised her head and looked at Orson. “But I have one condition.”
“What condition? Just say it, Litte.”
“When that ti cos, if I still like you, I want more than just a discussion. I want us to confirm our relationship.”
Litte had carefully weighed her options before agreeing to Orson’s terms.
For starters, she knew she was far behind Olivia in the race for Orson’s heart. Orson clearly liked Olivia, while his feelings for Litte were at best those of a good sibling.
If she pushed too hard now—crying, throwing tantrums, or resorting to extre asures—it would only drive Orson further away. She might even lose her place by his side.
Litte also knew she wasn’t yet strong enough to drag Orson into a basent and keep him there.
So, for now, she would agree to Orson’s conditions while securing so leeway for herself.
Much like soone addicted to a substance, Orson was her addiction. If she cut herself off too abruptly, she’d go mad.
But as long as she maintained their sibling relationship, she could still enjoy small doses of closeness—enough to keep her obsession in check.
In the anti, she would focus on growing stronger. Once she reached a level where no obstacle could keep her from claiming Orson, she would break the deal and bind him to her completely.
By then, no matter what Orson said, she wouldn’t let him go.
“That...” Orson hesitated.
Such a condition wasn’t sothing he could easily agree to.
“What’s the matter? If it’s just a ‘discussion,’ and you refuse at that point, I still end up with nothing. That’s too unfair to .”
“...Alright.” Orson thought for a long while before finally nodding.
After all, “broadening horizons” was a subjective asure. If it ca to it, Orson could simply claim she hadn’t experienced enough, ensuring their relationship wouldn’t materialize.
“Alright then.” Litte extended her pinky toward him.
Orson froze for a mont at the familiar gesture.
“Pinky promise,” Litte said.
“In the countryside, when you make a deal with soone, you seal it with a pinky promise. Otherwise, it doesn’t count.”
“Alright.” Orson nodded, linking his pinky with hers.
After holding the gesture for a few seconds, Litte let go and looked at Orson.
“By the way, Orson, I have a question...”
“Hmm?” Hearing this, Orson showed a puzzled expression.
“You already knew I was a girl, didn’t you? When did you find out?”
“Huh? You could tell?” Orson was a little surprised.
“Mm.” Litte nodded. “After all, when I brought up the matter of my gender to you, Orson, there wasn’t even a hint of surprise on your face.”
“It felt like you already knew and were just waiting for to co clean.”
This girl is sharp. Despite everything she’s been through, she still managed to analyze the situation so calmly.
“Alright, Litte, you guessed it right.” Orson said, deciding to co clean.
This matter happened to be related to Andre and Jennie, and he was just about to report the situation regarding them to Litte.
“The reason I know about this is because Virgil told ,” Orson said, recounting all the details Virgil had reported to him.
“Of course, to protect your privacy, I told Virgil not to say anything. You can rest assured, Virgil is absolutely loyal to . If I tell him not to speak, he will keep it to himself without question.”
“Is that so…” Litte nodded after hearing this. “Then, Orson, please don’t tell anyone else that I’m a girl either.”
“Sure, I can do that, but, Litte, can you tell why?” Orson looked at Litte with so curiosity before asking.
“Um…” Litte thought for a mont, then said, “Because, at the very beginning, when Steward Albert ca to my house, he also assud I was a boy.”
“Even though I clearly looked like a girl in every way, he still thought so.”
“Orson, don’t you think that’s a bit strange?”
“Now that you ntion it... it really is...” Orson nodded after hearing this. “The rumors from back then also spoke of Duke Lucius losing a son during the war.”
“You and Father do share a blood relationship, that’s been confird through testing, so why...”
“That’s why, Orson, please don’t say anything about this for now. I think there might be so hidden truth behind it...”
“Alright.” Hearing this, Orson took the matter more seriously, his tone becoming much more solemn.
He then said, “Litte, your adoptive parents from the countryside, Andre and Jennie, were recently targeted for kidnapping.”
Hearing this, Litte’s expression turned to one of shock, and she looked at Orson nervously.
“But don’t worry, the culprits have all been dealt with. Your parents are unhard, and I’ve assigned people to take turns watching over them to prevent anyone else from targeting them.”
After Orson finished speaking, Litte finally let out a breath of relief. Then, she asked, “So, Orson, have you found out who was behind it?”
“I haven’t figured that out yet, but I should have answers soon…” Orson said, patting Litte’s head to comfort her. “Don’t worry, I’ll definitely help you find out who the mastermind is.”
“Orson…” At this mont, Litte suddenly spoke up, “Can you leave the investigation of the mastermind to ?”
“You want to handle this yourself, Litte? That’s fine, but...”
“It’s alright. I’m not the sa Litte who always needed your protection anymore, or rather, I don’t want to be the Litte who’s always being protected by you,” Litte said, forcing a smile.
“Orson, you told before that I should learn to be more independent, didn’t you?”
“I’ve also realized that if I keep relying on you, Orson, I’ll never et your expectations.” Saying this, Litte smiled. “Though it’s a sha I can’t always stay by your side...”
But this temporary separation is for the sake of being together forever, Litte thought to herself.
“Alright.” Hearing this, Orson, though still a bit uneasy, nodded. “If that’s what you want, then as your older brother, I’ll definitely support you.”
“Ugh...” Litte pouted and looked at Orson after hearing this. “Orson, you obviously know I’d be happier if you said that with a different title.”
“Can’t help it. I’ve always thought of you as my younger bro—ah, now my younger sister,” Orson said with a smile.
Their conversation, which had started off awkward and heavy, ultimately ended on a light and cheerful note.
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