Chapter 23

The Coleston family, distant relatives of the Silvius family, had three sons.

The two eldest were exceptionally talented, showing such brilliance that either could have taken over the family. Their parents doted on them, showing them all the love they could.

On the other hand, Gilbert, the youngest, was often referred to as the leftover of his two older brothers and was raised with little care.

His room was in a separate building from his siblings and parents, and his parents only visited him once a month. Despite his age, he tried to seek affection several times, but his mother never responded to him. Gilbert's care and playtime were always left to the servants.

They were family, yet not family.

That was Gilbert's position in the Coleston household.

Just as he began to feel despair over such a life, the Silvius family proposed adopting him.

The Silvius family had a five-year-old girl but was troubled by the lack of a male heir.

By old custom, the title was generally inherited by a male. While exceptions could be made, they were not common.

As a duty of the nobility, an heir had to be left behind. Thus, the Coleston family, with three sons, was chosen.

Initially, it was decided that the second eldest brother would go. If things went well, he could inherit the Silvius family.

However, if the Silvius family had a male heir, the second eldest brother might be neglected. The lady of the house was still young and could still bear children.

Due to these concerns, Gilbert was chosen as the "child who could be neglected."

On the day of his departure, no one from his family came to see him off.

"Am I being abandoned?"

When Gilbert said this, the servant only bowed deeply and said, "Goodbye."

The Silvius family welcomed Gilbert with open arms, even with great enthusiasm.

Especially Cecilia, who was to be his stepsister, hugged him and said, "Finally, I have a brother!"

Despite such a warm welcome, Gilbert initially did not like Cecilia.

In fact, he disliked her. He hated her.

Although she was in the same position as him, unable to inherit, she was doted on by her parents. She was loved so much that it seemed she could drown in their affection.

"Why are we so different, even though we are in the same situation?"

Since coming to the Silvius family, Gilbert often thought about this.

One day, after about half a year of such a life, Gilbert fell ill. He had a high fever and was so weak that he could not get up on his own.

Gilbert was never particularly strong. Even when he was in the Coleston family, he often fell ill. His parents seemed to dislike this about him, and every time he was sick, they would complain to the servants in private, calling him "troublesome" and "pitiful."

He had no memory of ever being worried about.

"Gilbert, are you okay?"

After he fell ill, Cecilia visited him many times. Sometimes she would change the towel on his forehead and even offered to take care of him.

Honestly, Gilbert found Cecilia's visits annoying. Her caregiving was clumsy, and it felt like she was just playing house.

He felt like he was being treated like a doll.

This made him angry.

However, if he were to drive her out of the room, he might lose his place in the Silvius family.

So, he had no choice but to accept her role as his caretaker.

Every day, without fail, she would visit him, sing lullabies, and read books to him until she was hoarse.

At the end, she would always ask, "Is there anything you want?"

Gilbert always shook his head.

That day was no different.

She wiped his sweat, read to him until her voice was hoarse, and then asked, "Is there anything you want?"

Usually, he would shake his head, but that day, Gilbert was different.

He wanted to play a little trick on this hypocritical stepsister.

He pointed to the illustration in the book she had just read to him. It showed a blue rose that could grant any wish.

"I want that."

He wished for it.

Blue roses don't exist. He knew this, so he deliberately said it.

He wanted to see her troubled face.

However, after looking at the illustration, Cecilia said, "Hmm," and then declared, "I understand! I'll find it by tomorrow!"

He was surprised but thought she probably didn't know that blue roses didn't exist, so he let it go.

As expected, she didn't show up at the usual time the next day.

He thought she must be troubled now. This made him feel very refreshed. He genuinely believed it was her punishment for treating him like a doll.

However, he also felt a sense of loneliness in the unusually quiet room.

That evening, Gilbert, who had been sleeping, woke up to the sound of something being knocked.

Looking around, he saw Cecilia outside the window.

Her cheeks were dirty, and she was holding something in her hand.

Gilbert hurriedly opened the window, and a flower was thrust in front of his nose.

"Sorry, this was the only blue flower I could find!"

She was holding a blue gentian.

"It can be used as medicine! It was growing in the middle of a cliff, so it was hard to get!"

"Cliff!?"

His voice rose in shock.

There was indeed a cliff behind the manor, but he couldn't believe she had climbed it alone.

Looking closely, her dress was muddy and torn, and she had a scrape on her cheek and a red mark on her forehead.

"I skipped my studies today, so Mother will be angry."

Despite this, she was still smiling.

Gilbert took the gentian with trembling hands. "Why...?"

His voice was shaking.

He couldn't understand why she would go to such lengths for him.

"Because I love you, Gilbert! I get sad when you're not feeling well!"

She said this with an innocent smile and then patted his head with her muddy hand.

"See? So, let's play together soon!"

"Hmm..."

His eyes welled up with tears, which rolled down his cheeks.

No one had ever told him they loved him. The warmth of those words was something he had never experienced.

"What's wrong? Gilbert, does your body hurt?"

She peered in from outside the window.

Her usually neat honey-blonde hair was a mess, probably from falling several times.

Gilbert wiped away his tears.

"Um, I really like you, Sister."

"Really?"

She smiled the brightest smile since they met.

From then on, Gilbert began to admire his stepsister.

It didn't take long for him to realize his feelings were more than admiration. By the time he realized it, it was too late to turn back.

Cecilia still saw him as her stepbrother. He knew this, so he never made a move. However, he couldn't give up either, so he began to lay the groundwork.

He had already obtained permission from the Silvius family's parents to propose to Cecilia if her engagement to the crown prince were to be broken. Legally, they were siblings, but there were ways to marry. He had researched the methods and laid the groundwork.

"But why did she choose that sudden guy..."

He didn't hate Oscar, but when it came to Cecilia, it was a different story.

His chest filled with a bitter feeling.

It felt as if a black mist was rising from his palm.