Episode 91
Basilian's face was reflected in her eyes. Teary, starry-bright golden eyes, his own face flushed crimson.
"I missed you, Basil. Did you miss ?"
"……"
"You really didn't want to see ? You won't even give a reunion hug? You ca back to the Ice Castle and left without seeing even once."
So you've co to dislike , right?
At her voice, thick with moisture and sinking gloomily as if she might cry at any mont, Basilian flinched in surprise, then without hesitation, pulled Flora into a tight embrace.
"Are you an idiot? There's no way that's true! Why would I dislike you!"
"Right? It's you, Basil, who slipped away in the middle of the night without even a goodbye, saying you'd grow the power to protect . There's no way you'd co to dislike ."
"……I'm the fool, knowing it's an act but still falling for it."
"You're a fool, a fool who's fallen for ."
At Flora's teasing, Basilian sighed slowly, still holding her small body, even though he had grown.
'I really didn't plan to see you until I beca an adult.'
All this ti, he had suppressed his longing, training hard, growing his power, and sealing away his yearning, but it all crumbled away in a single embrace.
'Damn it.'
Like this, it was hopeless to regain his composure.
"You missed , right?"
"I wrote it in my letters."
"Say it out loud."
"……I missed you."
"Hehe, too."
Flora, satisfied with that answer, pulled up the corners of her mouth and laughed out loud. Her laughter, with her eyes crinkling and her small white teeth showing, was so bright it had the power to automatically lift the mood of anyone seeing it. No, perhaps it wasn't just Flora's smile, but her very existence itself that gave him strength.
'It feels like my heart is warming up.'
Whenever the Red Serpent rcenaries insisted he should have soone precious, he'd scoff and say they'd only be a weakness. He felt like giving his past self a good smack on the back of the head.
'It's good.'
What dragged Basilian, who was unknowingly enjoying Flora-therapy, back to reality was a voice with a clear purpose.
"You won't tell Oppa, right? I trust you, Basil."
Looking into her eyes, now dry and sparkling brightly, Basilian let out a soft chuckle.
"How could I tell him?"
"Yay! That's my Basil!"
Flora jumped up and down on the spot with joy. She was just about to plant a thankful kiss on his cheek.
Basilian raised his hand, pointed a finger behind Flora, and said,
"He already found out."
What followed was predictable even without looking.
Flora got a scolding so severe it felt like all her tears were being squeezed out. Since Benio had witnessed the entire scene of her trying to cover Basilian's mouth to keep the secret without any remorse after leaving on her own, she couldn't even make an excuse.
Kneeling on the tent bed with her hands raised, Flora's face looked wronged and miserable.
'My past self won't leave alone.'
He had no idea what nerve she had to think she could sohow get away with it if she got caught.
"Is it very hard?"
Basilian, who was also holding his hands up serving his punishnt beside her, asked cautiously, perhaps noticing her trembling hands.
Flora shook her head. It seed she knew she was in the wrong and was determined not to make excuses and just take her punishnt.
'Do you give punishnts like this when there's a big age difference? The Young Duke is quite an impressive person in many ways.'
No matter that he was hiding his status, there probably wasn't a single noble's child who would punish the Crown Prince like this.
'Well, if you did wrong, you should be scolded.'
He had no intention of sympathizing, so he should have felt wronged, but for so reason, he didn't feel bad. Yes, he knew that the punishnt Benio was ting out now was one that could only be given because it was filled with clear and distinct affection.
'That's probably why Flora is taking her punishnt so quietly too.'
Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. She had just made a wise judgnt, thinking her punishnt would increase if she made excuses here.
And she was quietly accepting it only because she felt a slight pang of guilt upon hearing that Lucifer Castle had been turned upside down.
What was certain was that even if Flora cursed her past self, if she got the sa chance again, she would make the sa choice?
Flora was only annoyed at her past self for acting without thinking; she didn't regret her decision. Of course, she was wisely not showing this either.
Mistaking her deanor for deep reflection, Benio allowed them to lower their hands.
"Flora, you know what you did wrong, right?"
Flora lowered her high-raised arms and nodded with a penitent face.
"What did I do wrong?"
"I left the house on my own without telling anyone, when my family would be worried."
"And?"
"And then I tried to hide from Oppa instead of going to him."
"Also?"
"I got caught by Basil and asked him to keep it a secret."
"Why is that wrong?"
"Because I tried to lead my friend down a bad path."
As the answers flowed out smoothly, Benio's furrowed brow finally relaxed.
He asked one last thing.
"Flora, did you do wrong, or not?"
"I did wrong. I won't do it again."
Of course, she had no idea when that "next ti" would be, but she made the promise to get through the situation.
"That's right. You mustn't do this again. Understood?"
"Mm-hmm."
"Co here."
As Benio spoke, spreading his arms, Flora sniffled and fell into his embrace. She had never been scolded this badly before, except by Teacher Lian at the Finny Orphanage, and this was quite upsetting.
'So Benio is an Oppa who follows through when he says he will.'
Flora buried her face in his broad chest, not holding back the tears that were welling up.
'But since he gave this as a punishnt knowing that holding my hands up wasn't that hard for , I'll let it slide.'
Even though Flora was the one who did wrong, since she didn't regret it, her mindset couldn't help but be quite brazen.
"Basilian, do you know what you did wrong?"
"Yes, I tried to go along with Flora's lie."
"Don't do that next ti. What if you both ended up in a dangerous situation?"
At the genuinely worried tone, Basilian nodded with an embarrassed face.
Benio thought for a mont, then spread one of the arms holding Flora.
"You want to hug you?"
At Basilian's startled voice, Benio nodded. They had both done wrong and gotten scolded equally; he couldn't just comfort Flora.
It was fair treatnt, but for Basilian, it was flustering.
As he rolled his eyes in confusion, Flora, who had been quietly nestled in the embrace, reached a hand out toward Basilian.
"What are you doing? Hurry up and get in here."
Urged on by Flora's words and outstretched hand, Basilian found himself suddenly in Benio's embrace, his entire body stiffening with a face that looked awkward to anyone who saw him.
He swore, the ti spent enduring the reconciliation hug was harder than holding his hands up for punishnt, but that was his secret alone.
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"So why did you follow along on your own again this ti?"
During the modest evening al in the tent, Benio handed Flora her favorite potato soup and asked.
Flora, who was diligently filling her stomach, didn't hesitate at all and blurted out the excuse she had thought of while being punished.
"I want to learn what the duty of Lucifer is too."
"……"
"I'm a Lucifer too, isn't it unfair that only Dad and Oppa have to bear that burden?"
"You're still young."
"Is Oppa not young?"
Sotis he wondered who was the more mature one, Benio thought as he closed his eyes with a pained expression.
'Damn it.'
She's beco too sensible for her age.
As a Lucifer raised outside, she could have been a bit more spoiled and lived only doing what she wanted.
'She would have found out soon anyway.'
Flora was already seven years old, so the event that would bring the despair all Lucifers must experience was approaching.
He had hoped she could maintain her current brightness, free from frustration, until then, but perhaps that was too big a wish.
Swallowing a bitter smile, Benio returned to his dependable older brother deanor.
"I see. I made you worry."
"No, Dad and Oppa have done more than enough. It's just that I'm so smart, kind, and have a beautiful heart that I hate seeing only my family having a hard ti."
At her frank and confident declaration, Basilian, who was eating beside them, looked at her with a disgusted expression.
Damn it, even he had to admit there wasn't a single wrong word in what Flora said.
Because she was overflowing with more confidence than anyone, it looked charming, but he found himself wishing, just a little, a very little, that she wouldn't act like this in front of others.
'Why do I feel embarrassed when it's not even ?'
"What is it, Basil? Are you embarrassed for ?"
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