I Will Protect My Brother - Chapter 19

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 19
“It’s showing, isn’t it?”
“….”
“Ah, but I really can’t help myself. It’s so hard to hold back.”
“So what exactly are you so delighted about? You don’t seem worried at all?”
“I’m not worried.”
“Why not?”
What lay hidden within that Imperial Palace was a weapon so perilously unpredictable that even the transcendents of Kirges and Whiszel had struggled to manage it over the past decade.
Regardless of whether Rosien had received Wynack Castle, whether that girl would win the favor of the castle relic was an entirely different matter.
Kalian lifted his shoulders with languid indifference.
“If I must answer, it’s simply because Rosien will certainly never be in danger.”
“…And?”
“She’s adorable.”
“What?”
Luize was dumbfounded. Had he misheard? That wasn’t something one would expect to hear at a moment like this.
Regardless, Kalian’s eyes as he gazed upon the small girl’s retreating figure overflowed with affection.
“This tiny thing bustling about, insisting she’ll protect me—she’s absolutely precious, truly.”
I want to pull her close and ruffle her hair wildly, stroke it tenderly. How could such an adorable creature possibly exist?
Of course, the complications this created were regrettable. If Rosien moved within the Harem, it would become difficult for me to steal the castle relic.
Yet when I considered that it was Rosien—and no one else—who had stepped forward to protect me, even my rising irritation subsided.
Gazing into those emerald eyes, brimming with unwavering resolve, I felt a warm contentment bloom within me. It was an exquisitely pleasant sensation.
One I wanted to hold with both hands.
I had never once regretted using that precious Raylo castle relic for that girl.
‘When will our princess grow up, I wonder.’
A dangerous smile curved at Kalian’s lips.
The plan had been disrupted by Rosien’s desperate efforts to prevent my entry into the Harem, but I could devise alternative methods. A desolate glint gradually began to cloud his crimson eyes.
It was only natural that Luize’s spine chilled as he observed this transformation.
‘What is… how can he look at his sister with eyes like that?’
Did the Guardian Star of Wynack truly lend its power to such a creature?
Could someone’s exterior and interior be so utterly different? Was he perhaps constantly swapping on some invisible mask? Or was he simply two-faced?
‘Does that girl even know about this man’s duality?’
While Luize wrestled with these grave concerns, Owen, who had boarded the carriage, called out to his son.
“Kalian, it’s time to return. Come here at once!”
“Yes, Father.”
Kalian turned with elegant grace and waved to Luize.
“Then, I’ll see you again soon. Whiszel.”
“See me again? I’d rather not.”
“Whether you like it or not, you’ll see me again. And I’ll make good use of your name, by the way.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m offering my thanks in advance. My princess is quite particular about courtesy, after all. I’m truly grateful.”
Regardless of whether Luize wore an expression of utter disdain, the younger Wynack spouted nothing but incomprehensible drivel before departing in his carriage with infuriating composure.
‘Is he truly going through with this?’
Really? Surely not.
Luize’s suspicious gaze clung to the rear of the Wynack carriage for an unnervingly long time.
Whiszel’s infallible instincts proved devastatingly accurate once again.
* * *
Delpiam Imperial Palace, which I was visiting after so long, loomed far more massive and magnificent than my memories suggested.
‘Perhaps I’ve grown accustomed to the Abuye Kingdom’s architecture since my rebirth.’
If the Abuye royal palace resembled a venerable ancient fortress, this place was a resplendent and majestic palace boasting over twenty separate residences alone.
The moment I crossed the threshold into the Imperial Palace, the demeanor of the Knights and sorcerers who had been courteously escorting me underwent a dramatic transformation.
“You will proceed to the Harem. We will entertain no questions. This is an order from His Majesty the Emperor and Kirges, effective immediately: maintain absolute silence regarding all matters that transpire within the Imperial Palace. Refusal is not an option, and should you cooperate without resistance, no harm shall befall you….”
“Yes, I understand.”
The Guard Captain, who had been glowering at me with intimidation in mind, wore an expression of reluctant displeasure. He clearly hadn’t anticipated such eager compliance.
‘I’ll follow obediently. Feel free to take me away without worry.’
The moment I displayed eyes brimming with docile submission, the Guard Captain’s speech faltered.
“W-well then. Let us proceed!”
The man’s conscience seemed to prick him incessantly as he kept glancing at me sideways. He even appeared to wear an expression of mild remorse.
It seemed I was the only one who felt no sense of crisis.
‘This is precisely why I came here, after all.’
The Emperor’s Secret Harem lay in the deepest recesses of the Imperial Palace.
It was a building with a circular domed roof and reddish-brown exterior walls, yet it possessed not a single window facing outward. Precious gemstones adorning the outer walls gleamed brilliantly, refracting sunlight into a dazzling spectrum of colors.
An archway entrance was draped with beaded curtains that hung in cascading strands. Yet the overall atmosphere was far too wholesome for a harem.
The Guard Captain handed me over to the Harem Administrator at that point. After winding deeper and deeper through the palace corridors, I was finally guided into a certain chamber.
“Wow.”
It was a bedroom as spacious and refined as Whiszel’s Separate Residence. What unexpected fortune. It seemed they found it a shame to confine someone of Wynack lineage to a cramped cell.
“The hour grows late this evening, so please retire to your bed. His Majesty will emerge early tomorrow morning, so I shall come to wake you before then.”
“Yes, I understand. Then when His Majesty arrives tomorrow, what should I do?”
“The younger… or rather, the somewhat younger Wynack has no particular duties to perform. All preparations will be handled by Kirges and Whiszel.”
“I see, yes.”
So the leaders of two Transcendent Families personally oversee this place. This is indeed a deception designed to safely preserve the sacred relic.
It was then that I sensed a familiar presence emanating from within the chamber.
‘…?’
Wait. This is….
I opened my eyes wide in disbelief. Goosebumps erupted across the nape of my neck.
“Th-thank you very much. Sleep well then, sir!”
“Sir…?”
I slammed the door shut directly in the bewildered Administrator’s face.
Surely not!
I immediately rushed to the window and flung open the trembling curtains.
Indeed, golden hair so radiant it outshone the full moon hanging in the night sky swayed gently before me—a face so luminous it seemed to bring forth the sun itself in the depths of night.
“Rosien.”
That voice reverberated through my ears and mind simultaneously. My name was the activation word for the location-tracking spell I had cast upon him.
The location the spell indicated was right before my eyes.
‘Then this isn’t an illusion…!’
Kalian Wynack, crouched upon the windowsill, widened his eyes dramatically.
“This is the Emperor’s Secret Harem?”
I felt the overwhelming urge to faint.
“Kalian Wynack, you…!”
“No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t help but worry. I couldn’t possibly leave you alone in a place like this—it’s practically enemy territory.”
Kalian offered his excuse smoothly, as though he’d memorized it beforehand. Somehow, I’d thought he’d let me go so readily. I never imagined he would follow…!
I gripped the curtains in both hands and ground my teeth.
“Won’t your presence just be a hindrance?”
“Not at all. Two is better than one!”
Kalian extended his hand. When I reluctantly took it, he leaped down from the windowsill. Then he spread both arms wide.
“Aren’t you going to welcome me, Rosien?”
“No. I’m not.”
When I flatly refused, Kalian’s expression wavered. He asked carefully.
“Why? Are you unhappy that I came?”
“I deliberately came in your place to protect you. If you waltz in here like you’re being dragged along, what happens then? If you get caught, all my effort goes to waste.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t get discovered. I even disguised myself.”
Now that I looked closer, the ivory-colored robe Kalian wore resembled the clothing the attendants I’d seen in the Harem were wearing.
Where did he get that? No, more importantly—is he really calling that a disguise…? This is absurd.
“Your face alone is already impossible to hide, brother. Do you really think that’s going to conceal anything? More than that, how on earth did you even get in here?”
No matter how much Kalian Wynack was blessed by the Guardian Star, this was a foreign Imperial Palace.
Security had to be extremely tight, yet he’d somehow slipped past every eye and made it all the way to this deep within the Harem. How was that even possible?
The Kalian I knew hadn’t reached that level of mastery yet.
As my eyes narrowed, Kalian’s eyes darted about nervously.
“Actually….”
“Actually?”
“Luize brought me.”
“The Whezel Family Head?”
“Yes. We’re friends.”
Now that I thought about it, Luize Whezel had said something similar. That he and Kalian were close friends.
Was that actually true?

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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