He’s My Real Brother, Duke – Chapter 154

Author: Nikss

Come to think of it…

When Cassian Gray, who longed to see Astel, requested a visit to the Northern Duchy, the Duke dismissed him with a terse denial.

‘I never thought I’d come face to face with my past.’

There was a very bitter taste in his mouth. He frowned, but didn’t give up. When it came to Astel, he was a man who never gave up.

After trying again several times, he received a slightly longer message than a rejection.

[Do not approach within 100 meters of Astel.]

He grimaced, remembering the sarcastic warning he’d received.

The problem was, it was a tragic reality he couldn’t ignore.

Right now, Cassian Gray was an absolute keeper.

With a grim smile on his face, Knox entered his capital mansion. He walked through the front door and into the hallway.

The usual view of the ducal residence came into view.

The same milky marble hallways, tapestries on the walls, well-dressed servants and maids…

Strangely, the ducal mansion seemed deserted without Astel.

Perhaps it was the absence of her warm voice. He raked his fingers roughly through his hair, realizing he couldn’t see her.

His thoughts were so occupied as he walked down the hallway and up the stairs that he didn’t even notice the small fox nipping at his heels.

It wasn’t until he reached the second floor of the ducal residence, when he suddenly felt a familiar presence at his side, that Belle, the little fox, spoke up.

“Duke, is Astel not coming today?”

All ears perked up at the answer, not just Belle’s, but the servants standing in the hallway between the floors.

They had loved and cared for Astel, and their gazes were filled with hope.

The Duke gently removed Belle’s unruly hand from his sleeve and whispered.

“…Yes, she is not coming.”

The Duke’s expression contorted painfully for a moment as he uttered the word ‘not coming’.

Belle and the nearby servants looked at their master and sighed heavily.

But it was the Duke of Anais, himself, who wanted to sigh. He planned to ask Astel to marry him formally when she awoke.

But Cassian’s interference had made that quite difficult now.

No, it was impossible under the circumstances.

That’s when Belle puffed up his cheeks and ranted, “Why won’t she come? I was supposed to propose… and I had the flowers wrapped in soap.”

Belle whined. It was a child’s whine, but it sent a chill down his spine.

He was going to propose to Astel. It didn’t matter what children like Belle dreamed of.

But Astel would not be alone forever.

Cassian won’t keep her forever, and once she’s made her debutante appearance, Astel might be in the marriage market…

And while he can’t get close to Astel without Cassian’s protection, she could be attracting flies.

A sudden sense of danger washed over him like a tidal wave. He halted in his tracks, and Belle whimpered in surprise.

“Eh, Duke!”

He looked down at Belle with a sour expression.

‘This little guy was a favorite of Astel’s, but…’

“You are too young.”

Belle’s shoulders slumped, “I’m already three centimeters taller because I took a growth potion!”

“Not enough.”

Belle’s invisible fox ears seemed to twitch downward at the firm words.

But Duke Anais was not listening to Belle’s babbling.

Instead, he stomped away. It’s one thing to slit the throats of those who approach the innocent and lovely Astel, but…

‘I don’t want Astel to find out.’

First, it seemed imperative to bend the knee to Cassian before things got that far.

There’s no reason for pride, at least as far as Astel was concerned.

‘Kneeling would be easy.’

The problem comes from not having the opportunity to do so. The day of the imperial banquet arrived without such an opportune moment.

The Emperor has decided to make the event even grander, to penalize his blood.

In addition to shoring up the faltering imperial power, the Emperor also opened the glass gardens, which were not open to the public except on special occasions, to appease the families who had been accused.

Social circles were abuzz with the news of the opening of the glass garden, which occurs only once every five years.

Gossip magazines were full of stories about how beautiful the glass garden was and how generous the Emperor was.

Meanwhile, stories about the Empress were as short as a brief article about the royal family’s involvement in a rebel war.

And yet the banquet was the center of attention for all the socialites…

Three people looked forward to tonight’s party more than anyone else. Knox, Duke of Anais, sees this as his only chance to see Astel.

Cassian, whose heart flutters at the thought of revealing his true identity.

Astel, whose head feels like exploding from trying to think of two things at once.

The three of them.

💫

Having worked hard on my flower arrangements since morning, I rode in a shared carriage with my brother.

The carriage made its way to the palace with ease.

My whole body trembled at the thought of the day when the names of the two of us would be followed by the word ‘Vietry’.

‘Let’s not make a mistake, let’s not be nervous.’

This was the day I’d been anxiously awaiting the past decade, and there was no mistaking it.

I stared down at myself in the hand mirror, studying my face and attire relaxedly.

My round forehead was neatly outlined, and my hair was tied up neatly, giving it a classy look.

The blue satin dress that went well with my blond updo had a square neckline, which revealed a slender neckline, giving off a ladylike elegance.

A clear amethyst necklace was worn around her neck to keep it from looking bare…

Her white lace gloves were half see-through, in keeping with the fashion of the aristocracy.

‘I think it looks rather nice…’

I blinked my long lashes over my light green eyes and turned to my brother, who sat across from me.

“How do I look?”

Though his eyes narrowed, he spoke softly, “You look beautiful, Astel. But I’ve seen you three times, and you’re asking me for the hundred and eighty-eighth time…”

“That’s because I’m nervous!”

He shook his head as if it didn’t matter, and mouthed the word ‘pretty’ again.

“Ehhh… I can already see the looks of surprise on everyone’s faces.”

We looked at each other and giggled repeatedly.

After some relaxing chatter, I heard a rattling sound and felt the carriage slowly come to a stop.

I heard the coachman outside the carriage tapping on the window.

“We’ve arrived, Lord Gray, Lady Astel.”

“Ah, yes.”

“Lord Gray, it’s been a long time.”

“Ah, Lord Ysell, it’s been a long time.”

Someone spoke, and it seemed to be a knight from the Order of the Rose. I poked my brother in the side as I recognized the dark-haired, handsome knight.

My brother’s eyes narrowed, as if he finally remembered to introduce me.

“This is my sister, Astel.”

“Hi!”

Ysell’s eyes widened as he studied my face.

“Oh, you have a sister, you are quite a beauty! You must be Lord Cassian’s sister, after all.”

After the lighthearted compliment, Ysell smiled broadly and waved the crystalline stone in his hand.

“You do realize that to pass through the imperial palace, you have to go through the crystals, right?”

As I swallowed dryly, my brother replied lightly.

“I know.”

“Lord Gray’s identity is clear, but we need to check things out thoroughly.”

“Check it out thoroughly? Don’t you think we can just skip over the settlements?”

“Oh, no. Due to the antics of the Emperor and the Duke inside the palace, the process of confirming the lineage has become more thorough.”

He held the stone in his hand in front of our eyes and whispered in a hushed voice.

“By placing this magic stone on your wrist, which has absorbed the power of your kinship, we can identify you with a little more certainty, ah, Lady.”

He calmly explained to the innocently gleaming eyes.

“It’s called a crystallization stone, my lady. It shouldn’t be a problem.”

I peeked my head out and looked at the crystal in his hands.

Trying to keep the admiring look off my face, I thought about the crystals.

As Ysell had said, the crystals channeled some power of the realm into a magic stone.

It would be more accurate to examine each person individually with the stone, rather than simply performing a ritual to pass through it, in order to determine their true identity.

The impact of the fallen prince on the imperial palace had been enormous.

I pursed my lips and stared at my brother.

At that moment, my brother’s eyes sharpened.

“Ah… I remember, we were supposed to. I think I saw the report posted.”

In response, the knight scratched the back of his head with the hand that wasn’t holding his scepter.

He seemed to guess that Cassian was offended that his identity had been questioned. He opened his mouth with a rueful expression.

“We all know Lord Gray’s identity, but it’s a matter of protocol, so I’m going to ask that you identify yourself through the council chamber first.”

My brother and I exchanged glances. I, who was sitting a little closer to the window, held out my hand first.

“I’ll go first.”

“Ah, yes. Lady, is this your first time inside the Imperial Palace?”

The man looked relieved and said brightly as he saw me.

“No, I’ve been here before,” I replied neatly, in a polite tone.

“In that case… I suppose you are registered. Will you give me your wrist, my lady?”

Looking at the stern Sir Ysell, I nodded lightly.

“Yes, please.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Ysell placed the crystal on my wrist.

Then his expression changed strangely. Scratching his head as if something was not right, Ysell let out a series of sighs.

“Uh…”

“What?”

“Well, it looks like there’s a malfunction with the seal, and I’m afraid you’ll have to wait until I can get a replacement, or you’ll have to identify yourself properly in person at the front of the hall.”

Cassian glanced at Ysell, who was still assessing the situation, then held out his wrist and whispered.

“Then check me out first.”

With a nod and a slightly trembling hand, Ysell placed the crystal over Cassian’s wrist.

After a few seconds, he bit his lip in disbelief. We watched wordlessly as his entire body shuddered.

“Why the hell…”

“Why?”

“No… Lord Gray, something is wrong.”

Panicked, Ysell’s trembling hand pointed to the surface of the crystalline stone.

On it, in a light ancient language, were the names of the Counts of Vietry’s children.

“…This isn’t right, this isn’t right, why does the dead person’s name appear to be yours…”

My brother asked sarcastically, “Dead persons?”

“Yes, dead. I guess we’ll have to redo this…”