The Strongest Brother Lost His Memory Chapter 39

Chapter 5: Marry This One! Sorry!

The Noart estate was in complete turmoil.

After entering my room, washing up, and preparing for bed, Heidi quickly brought the latest news.

"She arrived this afternoon. Her na is Cecil Doroa, and she was Lord Julian’s lover."

"Huh?"

Cecil was described as a tall beauty with purple hair and purple eyes. She was two years older than Julian.

"Lord Julian apparently hid her away for her safety... That’s why no one in the family knew about her."

"Hmm..."

"But after hearing the rumors that Lord Julian had lost his mory, she grew anxious. And then... she discovered that she was pregnant. So she had no choice but to co see him."

"...Is there any proof?"

I asked, my face skeptical.

"Is there any evidence that she was my brother’s lover?"

"Well... their relationship was short-lived, and Lord Julian was extrely cautious, afraid she might be exposed to danger."

"Hmm."

Julian had hidden in the annex of the Noart estate for the exact sa reason, saying, "I have too many enemies." So I couldn’t outright dismiss it as impossible.

Heidi let out a sigh.

"Still, since she’s pregnant, we can conduct a paternity test once the child is born. That’s why the Count decided to let her stay in the estate for now."

I nodded slowly.

Grandfather’s decision seed reasonable for now. We couldn’t trust her completely, but if there was a chance she was carrying Julian’s child, it made sense to keep her close and observe.

...But sothing’s off.

I tilted my head as I stared at my reflection in the mirror.

Zahid never ntioned anything about this.

When I asked him to investigate my brother in the past tiline, he should have found this out.

Back then, Zahid had strong ties to the information guild while opposing the Temple.

He had told everything—down to the smallest details.

So how was it possible that he missed sothing this big?

"Lord Julian, of course, has no mory of her... He’s completely bewildered."

"And none of my brother’s people can vouch for her?"

"No, there are no witnesses. But Lord Julian was always soone who acted alone, so we can’t rule it out completely."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes... Even Lady Rosie, you sohow managed to find him on your own and just suddenly brought him back one day."

"That’s true... My brother does have a serious lack of community spirit."

I nodded reluctantly.

Of course, in all my past conversations with Julian, I had never once heard him ntion soone nad Cecil.

—

"Brother, aren’t you going to get married? You’re at the right age for it, aren’t you?"

"I already have my hands full raising our little Rosie-Rosie. Marriage? What marriage?"

"Still. Having a niece or nephew would be cute. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a big family?"

"That’s sothing for the distant future."

Sure, I was much younger than him—twelve years apart—but would he really have had a lover and never even ntioned it?

But then I recalled what he once told :

"I told you, Rosie-Rosie. I have too many enemies. I can’t afford to create anything else precious to . Honestly, just having you already makes feel like I’m losing my mind with worry. If I had soone else like ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ that... I wouldn’t be able to handle it."

At that ti, Julian had looked utterly exhausted.

"And marriage... Hmm. Rosie-Rosie, this might sound strange to you, but to , it’s one of my strongest weapons."

"A weapon?"

"Yeah. Grandfather used marriage alliances to build our family’s power. If I can use marriage to climb higher, I will."

"Hmph..."

"Hmm? What’s with that face, Rosie-Rosie? Why do you look so sad?"

"I’m just worried about my poor, lonely future niece or nephew, raised by a heartless father who cares more about success than family."

"...Don’t say things like that about your still-single brother..."

That was what Julian had said to just before we were separated.

And now, I was supposed to believe that he had fallen in love, had a relationship, and even fathered a child?

There were just too many things that didn’t add up.

—

At that mont—

Knock, knock.

There was a knock on the door.

"Yes, co in."

And the person who entered was—

To my surprise, Cecil herself.

I silently observed her.

Purple hair. Purple eyes. Tall. A subtly rounded belly. A confident expression.

...Huh?

The mont I locked eyes with her haughty, violet gaze, my breath caught.

That woman...

Unconsciously, I took a step back.

"So you’re Rosie. Nice to et you."

She strode forward without hesitation.

"I’m Cecil."

Every step she took made my chest feel tighter, but I managed to keep my composure.

I responded smoothly.

"Yes, Cecil."

Naturally, she was much taller than .

I took a deep breath and stared at her quietly.

"She arrived this afternoon. Her na is Cecil Doroa, and she was Lord Julian’s lover."

I slowly closed my eyes, then opened them again. Smiling faintly, I spoke.

"It’s nice to et you."

"I’m really glad to et you too."

Cecil smiled and reached out to stroke my hair.

Then, she whispered kindly.

"Actually, your brother talked about you all the ti. That’s why, even though it’s late, I just had to co see you."

"I see. It must have been sothing truly important if it brought you to the room of a child who really should be asleep by now."

"Well... he said that you adored him."

Her lips curled into a smile.

"He said he was worried about it. What if you got jealous of , Julian’s lover? And if we had a child, what if you felt deprived?"

At that, Heidi, who had been standing next to , gaped in shock.

This was definitely not sothing one should say imdiately upon arriving at the estate.

But Cecil carried on as if nothing were amiss.

"Back then, Julian said he would naturally put so distance between himself and his sister. But now, he doesn’t rember any of that."

"Ah."

I blinked up at Cecil, unimpressed.

"So I ca to personally teach you."

"Ah, I seeee."

"Right now, Julian might be soft on you because he has no mories. But originally, that’s how he thought."

Cecil rubbed her stomach with confidence and smiled.

"Julian’s priority was , not you. That’s only natural, after all."

Behind , Heidi looked like she wanted to say sothing, but she seed at a complete loss for words.

"Unfortunately, Julian doesn’t rember . So, starting tomorrow, I’ll be getting closer to him again... and I’m just letting you know in advance not to interfere."

"Of course, that makes sense."

"I’m glad we understand each other. Julian did say you were an ‘attention-starved little fool who only cares about her big brother,’ so I was a bit worried."

"Ahhh."

"He said your obsession with love was suffocating. That even if you were just a pitiful kid who grew up with nothing, you should have known better, little girl."

"Mmm."

"Well, I suppose you’ve gotten the ssage now, so I’ll be going."

Cecil flashed a bright smile and turned away.

Heidi, looking like she had taken personal damage, breathed heavily, utterly appalled.

I didn’t react much. I simply watched Cecil’s retreating figure for a mont before calling out.

"Excuse , but..."

"Hmm?"

Cecil turned around slowly.

I smiled and took a step closer.

"I’ve heard about you too."

"...What?"

"My brother once ntioned that there was a woman he found interesting."

"...Is that so?"

"He said she was quite the beauty. And looking at you now, you really are stunning. I was always curious. You must be the one, right? The woman who loves lemon tea and dislikes at?"

As soon as I finished speaking, I darted forward and stood in front of her, blocking her path.

Looking straight into her eyes, I added.

"My brother has only ever talked about one woman in front of . So I’m fairly certain it’s you."

"O-oh? Um, I see. Julian told you about ..."

"Yes. He also said that she was so ill-tempered that she’d probably end up picking fights with a twelve-year-old like . And you know what? He was spot on."

I grinned as if I were genuinely pleased to see her.

"It’s definitely you, Cecil. No doubt about it. Soone like you isn’t exactly common, right? I’m truly glad to et you. And thanks for the advice."

"...What?"

"Let’s get along, Cecil. After all, we’re living together in the Noart estate now, as one big family."

I extended my hand.

Cecil raised an eyebrow but slowly reached out to shake it.

"Sure."

Then, flashing a sharp smile, she added.

"Take care. And be mindful of your future. Julian has far more responsibilities now than just you, you know?"

A hint of disdain flickered across her face as she looked at .

"Well, since we’re about to be family, here’s a piece of advice: know your place. Otherwise, people will talk. Keep that in mind."

"Oh, that’s fine. Then I’ll just talk back. That’s how the world works, isn’t it? People give and take."

Bracing my feet firmly on the ground, I t Cecil’s gaze head-on and smiled.