The Author's Will

18 | Little Sprout

　　 That night, Irene sat in her bed with a book in between her hands. The atmosphere of the manor had been quiet ever since the Duke left, and it seemed all of the servants were trying to be careful with the way they handled themselves. They were sure that Sarah, Rayvis and Irene were all emotional right now — and they weren't wrong.

When she was going up to visit her mother earlier, Irene saw Sarah crying solitarily in her bedroom, hugging Rudien's pillow. It surprised her, seeing as she was able to stand so tall earlier. But the little girl quickly understood why her mother was in in this state of lachrymose only now.

She had to stay strong and uphold her image as duchess — crying would only reveal weakness to those around. That and, she wanted to see Rudien off confidently, so that he wouldn't have to worry about his family and dukedom during the war.

Sarah was a strong woman, who was always putting others before herself. But she too, had her moments of weakness and worries for her husband. Irene smiled, and had left before entering the room — deciding it would be best to leave her alone for now. Feel better soon, Mother.

As Irene laid in her bed late that evening, a gentle knock resounded through the door. And in came a silver-haired little boy, whose blue eyes wavered with concern.

"Rene? How are you holding up?" Rayvis asked, entering the room and closing the door behind him. "Are you crying about Father?" The boy was dressed in his nightclothes, and seemed to be hiding something behind his back.

Irene smiled, closing her book. I see what this is.

"Actually, I am a bit sad right now. I don't want to cry again," she told him, wearing a frown. "Brother, will you sleep with me for today? I don't want to be alone now..."

The moment she asked this, Rayvis' eyes twinkled, as if he had been waiting for that question. Even if she hadn't asked, knowing him, he would've said something like "I decided to sleep here today, just in case you cry or have a nightmare," and stayed either way. That was something she adored about her brother.

Although he was older, in reality — he was still a child far younger than Irene. But she knew that he wanted to be a great elder sibling to her, and it would be good for Rayvis be a guardian figure. Not really for herself, but for the sake of his growth. He won't grow up without the love of family anymore.

"I brought one of my books to read you," he told her, producing a picture book he had been hiding behind his back the whole time. As Irene made room for Rayvis to sleep, he climbed onto the bed, and laid close by to her. "It's a gift from father. He said that he loved it when he was my age."

A picture book Rudien liked? That's interesting...

"I want to hear it!" Irene beamed, while secretly hiding the complicated adult novel she had been reading before his arrival, inside the pile of books on her bedside table.

As Rayvis sat with his little sister in his arms, he opened the little picture book with a smile, and began to read the words on the pages to her.

With hand-painted illustrations and neatly printed words, it told the story of a young boy, who had a loving mother and a caring father. The boy was always happy growing up, as well as his siblings, living a life of luxury all the way until he was ten years old.