I Accidentally Saved The Male Lead’s Brother Chapter 162

Charlotte cherished him and Theo dearly, but she also had loved ones of her own elsewhere.

Perhaps her soul was wandering in the place she longed for so desperately, trapped in a dream showing only what she wished to see, unable to find her way back.

“If waiting doesn’t bring her back, then we have no choice but to go find her,” Theresa said.

“…How?”

Carcel, who had answered without thinking, steadied his cracking voice and asked again,

“How can it be done?”

But Theresa hesitated, reluctant to speak further.

“Saintess.”

“We can connect Lady Lannia’s soul to yours and pull her back to the surface.”

“I’ll do it immediately.”

Carcel responded without a moment’s hesitation. Yet Theresa, who had presented the solution, seemed unwilling to proceed.

“Is there a problem?”

“Connecting two souls means merging them. If something goes wrong, you may not wake up either. Can you accept that risk?”

For the first time, Carcel couldn’t answer immediately.

He wasn’t afraid of death. In truth, he was already living in anguish. If Charlotte were no longer in the world, he wouldn’t want to live in it, overcome by despair.

But there was someone he couldn’t stop thinking about.

Theodore Heinest, his younger brother.

Their parents had entrusted him with Theo, and for the past three years, the boy had clung to him as a precious source of comfort and love.

What would happen to Theo if Carcel failed?

Losing his parents, the sister figure he adored like no other, and then his last remaining family—Carcel himself—would leave the tender child utterly alone.

Thinking of the boy, left all alone in the world, made Carcel’s lips freeze.

Theresa, sensing his inner turmoil, said gently,

“I understand how difficult this decision is. You need time to think it through. But we don’t have much time. You’ll need to decide soon.”

“I understand,” Carcel replied grimly, gripping Charlotte’s cold hand tightly.

***

Theo had been crying for days, gazing at Charlotte, who wouldn’t wake up.

From the first day they met, Charlotte had always smiled kindly at him.

When he cried, she would hold him warmly and soothe him. When he was bored, she would take his hand and run with him in the garden.

On sleepless nights, she would read him fairy tales or hum lullabies in her soft, comforting voice.

Charlotte had naturally become an inseparable part of Theo’s life. He couldn’t imagine a single day without her.

He was too young to understand adult matters, so it had never occurred to him that Charlotte might one day leave him.

It had always seemed natural that she would be by his side from morning until night.

Now, no matter how much Theo called her name, Charlotte wouldn’t wake up.

Even though his brother and the staff reassured him that everything would be fine, Theo instinctively knew otherwise.

Deep down, he realized that if things continued like this, Charlotte might never open her eyes again.

Just like that knight who never returned.

Despite everyone’s attempts to dissuade him, Theo ran to Charlotte whenever he had the chance.

“Sister. Teo’s scared.”

Normally, when he said that, Charlotte would hold him and reassure him, telling him there was nothing to fear.

But now, she remained completely still.

Theo burst into tears and threw himself into Carcel’s arms.

Watching Theo cry his heart out, Carcel realized it was time to act on the plan he had been holding back.

There were others who could take his place. If he confided in Isaac or Jake, they would undoubtedly help bring Charlotte back.

But Carcel couldn’t entrust this to anyone else. He was convinced that only he could bring her back.

He knelt before Theo, who was rubbing his swollen, tear-streaked eyes.

He vividly remembered the day their parents had died, as if it had happened yesterday.

Theo had cried like this back then, too. The child hadn’t even understood the concept of death, yet his cries had been wrenchingly loud, as if his breath might stop.

Now, sensing Charlotte’s impending loss, Theo cried even harder than before.

He sobbed himself to sleep, only to wake up and cry for her again, his eyes so swollen they refused to heal.

In the past, such emotional outbursts would have caused Theo’s mana to explode, endangering his life. Thankfully, the mana stone Charlotte had given him kept him from harm. His red, puffy eyes were the only visible sign of his distress.

“Big brother,” Theo sniffled. He had just calmed down, but seeing Carcel made his tears well up again.

“When’s Sister gonna wake up?”

“I’ll bring her back, Theo.”

“Teo’s coming too.”

“You need to stay here.”

Afraid that Carcel might leave him behind, Theo quickly wrapped his arms around his brother’s neck.

“Teo wants to come!”

“I promise I’ll bring her back.”

“Pinkie swear!”

Theo held out his tiny pinky. Carcel hooked his much larger finger around it.

“Alright. I promise.”

In the past, Carcel wouldn’t have taken such a gamble.

If something went wrong and he didn’t return, what would become of Theo? The boy was far too young to face the harshness of the world alone.

Indeed, Carcel had always prioritized Theo in every decision he made.

But even knowing the risks, Carcel felt he had no choice.

Theo was precious to him, but so was Charlotte. She had become indispensable to his life.

And Theo needed her too.

“I’ll come back. I swear.”

It was unclear whether Carcel was making this promise to Theo or to himself. After tucking Theo into bed, he returned to Charlotte.

He had hoped that during the brief time he was gone, she might have awakened. But she still lay motionless.

Carcel looked at Theresa, who was seated by Charlotte’s bedside, and firmly declared,

“I’ll do it.”

“Are you sure you won’t regret this?”

“Yes.”

“Very well.”

Theresa rose, her expression solemn.

Following her instructions, Carcel lay beside Charlotte and gently took her hand.

His touch was so cautious, as if gripping too hard might break her delicate fingers.

“I will now connect your spirits,” Theresa said, placing her hand on Charlotte’s forehead and infusing her with divine power.

Carcel felt his mind growing hazy and his eyes growing heavy.

Just before he fully succumbed to sleep, he heard Theresa’s fervent plea:
“Please, bring Lady Lannia back.”

****

Eunha Min noticed the man because of her overly excitable friend.

“Hey, that foreign guy has been staring at you for a while now.”

Without looking up, Eunha dismissed the comment.

“Yeah, right. He probably just has business in this direction. Or maybe he’s looking at you.”

“Nope, it’s definitely you.”

Still uninterested, Eunha continued focusing on her group project, which was due in just a few days.

She was busy calling a teammate who had failed to submit their materials, even though they were supposed to hand them in yesterday.

Her friend watched in exasperation as Eunha alternated between messages and calls for nearly 20 minutes.

“Give it a rest already. Someone’s staring at you because they’re interested, and you’re ignoring it? I’m telling you, he likes you!”

“What’s important is this project. Who’s going to fix my grade if it tanks?”

“No matter how much you push, they’re not going to send the files. If they cared, they would’ve sent them already. They’ve ghosted you! Just finish it yourself and leave their name out of the presentation. Now look at that guy—he’s still staring at you!”

Reluctantly, Eunha turned her head.

Sure enough, there was a foreign man watching her.

She immediately understood why her friend was so convinced.

There was no doubt that his gaze was fixed on her. Even across the distance, his unyielding stare was as clear as if he were standing right in front of her.

“Well? Don’t you think he’s interested in you?”

“Maybe he’s just curious. I probably look odd to him.”

“Why would he single you out? There are tons of people around!”

“Who knows? It could happen.”

Even as she dismissed her friend’s suggestion, Eunha couldn’t look away from the man.

Was it because he was handsome? Undeniably, he was. His features were striking enough to rival the most famous Hollywood actors.

But that wasn’t why.

There was something else—something she couldn’t quite explain.

The moment she saw him, a strange sensation stirred in her chest, a mix of longing, sadness, and tenderness she couldn’t define.

She almost laughed at herself. Feeling such emotions for a stranger?

“I must be really tired,” she muttered.

“Well, of course, you’re tired. You’ve practically done the whole project yourself,” her friend replied nonchalantly.

“No, that’s not what I mean… Never mind.”

Shaking her head, Eunha broke eye contact with the man.

What did it matter if a foreigner who looked like a Hollywood star was interested in her?

Right now, the most important thing in her life was ensuring her grades stayed intact.