My room after dinner. Since I only use this room for sleeping and waking up, there are only a bed, a desk, and a bookshelf in this room. But for the time being, a table and chair for drinking tea have been set up.
The table was a little too fancy, so it was mismatched with the simplicity of the room. It was quite out of place.
But right now, It was me and Caron who sat at the table with such a great sense of discomfort. Usually, there's at least one maid, but she had to leave the room this time.
After taking a sip or two of tea, I covered my room with Mana. It consumes a lot, but this way I can block information from leaking out. I was able to create complete solitude with my sister.
I've been teaching Kalon how to see magic, so she would have grasped that I had set up a barrier. Then she scurried around with her eyes wide open. I think she's probably using the magic called, [Thermography], to see if anyone's lurking in the room.
After a while, Caron looked at me and timidly asked.
"Is…Orca not going to join us today…?"
"No, it's just the two of us today."
I responded immediately because it was a question I had anticipated.
It seems that Caron's still wary of Orca's appearance. I hadn't been able to spend enough time with her because I was preoccupied with their relationship. I vowed to protect my sister, and now we're in this mess. I feel ashamed of myself.
"First of all, I apologize. I'm sorry that I haven't been able to spend more time with Caron recently."
I bowed my head. I didn't intend to end it with, but it was important to show my sincerity.
Then, Caron, who had been somewhat dejected, instantly changed to a flustered look.
"P-Please raise your head, Onii-sama! You don't need to apologize; instead, it should be me. It's my fault for being so stubborn…"
Caron, however, denied it. I already predicted that this was going to happen.
"I see," I said so while shaking my head, but I'm not going to accept that.
"No, it was really my fault. I was so caught up that I neglected Caron's feelings. My beloved sister was feeling lonely, but I didn't pay attention to it. It wouldn't be strange if people call me a useless older brother…"
"Onii-sama is not useless! Onii-sama is a respectable person!"
Caron utters harsh words of denial. While I was pleased that she thought so highly of me, I felt very unworthy that I had betrayed those feelings.
"I'm glad you said that. But I still want to apologize, I'm really sorry."
"I-I understand! I accept your apology, so please raise your head already! I prefer the usual, Onii-sama!"
"Thank you, Caron."
Caron told me, shaking her head left to right, as I apologized again.
In the meantime, I think we've come full circle, at least in form. But I still need to take another step to resolve the situation.
After a pause, I proceeded.
"I'm sorry for apologizing too soon, but could you tell me how you feel, Caron? I'd like to know what you're unhappy about and what you want to do about it. I know it's a lot to ask, but please do."
I stared straight into Caron's eyes.
She was staring at me, too, and my face was reflected in her shimmering crimson—Like fire—eyes.
After a moment. Perhaps embarrassed by the fact that we were staring at each other, Caron, whose cheeks were tinged with red and who looked away slightly, exhaled softly.
"It's not like there's nothing wrong. I have said many times that it was because of my stubbornness. But still…if you don't mind if I speak out about my selfishness, I will tell you now."
"By all means."
"...I understand."
With some hesitation, Caron began to speak.
"To be honest, it's hard for me to put into words how I feel. It was a mess, and blurry…In any case, it was extremely uncomfortable."
Caron then puts her hand on her chest and frowned thoughtfully.
"If I had to put it that way, I'd say it's jealousy."
"Is it about Orca joining the Foranada family?"
When I asked her a question instead of a response, she tilted her head.
"I'm not sure…I feel like it's slightly different. I have no particular complaint about him becoming a member of our family since It's a decision made by Onii-sama and Father's subordinates."
That's something I didn't realize. I assumed she didn't want Orca, an outsider, to be a part of the family.
There was no impatience in her expression, her voice was flat, and her speech was clear. She can't possibly be lying about what she just said.
If so, what does Caron see in Orca that makes her jealous?
That question is answered in her next line.
"But…"
Kalon hesitantly stopped talking, glanced at me, and then resumed talking.
"I didn't want Onii-sama to just only look at him…I felt very unpleasant when you just worry about him all the time. I was afraid that Onii-sama would eventually be taken away from me by him. I think it was a mixture of those feelings that made me unreasonably angry with Orca."
Caron spoke calmly, but there were glimpses of unstable emotions in every part of her words.
I see. So, in the end, I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. If I had checked Kalon more carefully, this situation could have been avoided.
I had been laying the groundwork too much to keep Orca from being a capture target that I had fallen into the wrong end of the stick. The ends and means were reversed.
What am I doing…? I was so disgusted by my own blunder that I couldn't say anything. My first priority is Caron, and everything else's just a trivial matter.
I let out a sigh inside my mind and got up from my seat.
Caron looks at me curiously, but I move without caring. I moved in front of her and hugged her gently.
"Ehh? O-Onii-sama…!?"
She was surprised, but she didn't refuse my hug. Rather, she wrapped her hands around my neck, more forcefully than mine.
"I'm sorry I made you worry like that."
I whisper in her ear.
In turn, Caron whispers back in my ear.
"Please don't apologize anymore."
"I can't do that since It's my fault. I caused Caron to worry needlessly."
"Even so. I get restless when Onii-sama bows his head to me…"
"Hmm…Then let's not go any further."
"Yes, thank you very much."
I pouted my lips, but Caron chided me. We burst out laughing together in our position which was the opposite of usual. The light voice of my sister fills my ears and makes me feel calm.
"My number one is Caron. From now on, as an aristocrat and as a human being, I will have more obligations, but I will never waver on that. Remember that."
It was the same with this case, but I can't just look at Caron forever. As human beings, we have to relate to those around us and we have to take care of our relationship with the nobility.
There will always come a time when Caron will be jealous again. But I want her to remember that my sister, Caron, is the person I care about the most.
"I understand, Onii-sama."
Hearing my serious voice, Caron nodded solemnly.
Then she smiled mischievously and said,
"If I ever get jealous, then please hug me like this again."
My sister's smile is, as expected, the brightest in the world.