How The Sub-Male Lead’s Stepmother Teaches Love Chapter 325

“It’s me, brother.”

 

It was none other than Kairos who appeared over the windowsill.

 

“Kyle…!”

 

The sword, already half-drawn, lost its strength and fell to the floor.

 

In another sense, Julius, now fully awake, approached Kairos and asked.

 

“Where have you been all this time?”

 

On the day he was dethroned, Kairos was immediately expelled from the imperial palace.

 

Julius had protested, saying it was excessive to drive him out without granting even a few days’ grace. Still, the Emperor had coldly declared that sparing him from collective punishment was mercy enough.

 

With the title, estate, and wealth of Marquise Calvin all confiscated, Kairos—driven out beyond the palace walls—had nowhere to go.

 

Julius tried to take his younger brother in, but Kairos had already disappeared.

 

“You could’ve at least let someone know where you were going—told us you were safe. Did you not spare a thought for the people who were worried about you?”

 

“Were you worried?”

 

“Of course!”

 

However, Kairos shook his head as if he was not happy about his only brother’s worries.

 

“Do not be concerned about sinners. You are destined to become His Majesty the Emperor.”

 

“Why are you a sinner? It was all the fault of Marquise Calvin, both for cooperating with Onyx and for manifesting the symbol on your body to approach His Majesty the Emperor—”

 

“I didn’t stop my mother, and even though I knew what she was doing, I didn’t report it. What greater sin could there be than that?”

 

It wasn’t wrong. No—Kairos was right.

 

All the influence wielded by the Marquise of Calvin stemmed from the existence of Kairos, the First Prince and a claimant to the throne bearing the symbol.

 

And as a prince with the symbol, he had enjoyed countless privileges. He could never claim to be innocent.

 

“Truthfully, coming here like this… even calling you ‘brother’… are things I shouldn’t be doing anymore.”

 

“You….”

 

Only then did Julius notice it.

 

The large bag Kairos carries on his back.

 

“What’s in that bag?”

 

“What do you think?”

 

Kairos deliberately adjusted the strap across his shoulder.

 

“I’m about to leave the capital. I came to say goodbye for the last time before I go.”

 

“Where are you planning to go?”

 

“I’m going where my feet can take me. A frog trapped in a well, finally jumping out, should realize how vast the world is.”

 

In truth, the one who had trapped him inside that well was Kairos himself.

 

When he was young, he wanted his mother’s love.

 

When he grew older, he wanted to stay by his brother’s side.

 

Struggling to gain, terrified of losing.

 

Among the choices he had made, which he believed to be the best, none turned out to be the right one.

 

Lacking the courage to set things right even belatedly, he had simply lived on, swept along wherever the raging current carried him.

 

Kairos felt that he had not grown at all since the time he spent in the big house, waiting for his mother to return and his brother to visit.

 

“I apologize once again, Brother. If I’d gotten a proper grip on myself, things wouldn’t have gone this far. I lived so foolishly, stuck in between, neither this nor that.”

 

“Don’t blame yourself so harshly. Haven’t you lived doing the best you could, within the limits of what you were capable of?”

 

“You really shouldn’t keep shielding me like that.”

 

If I don’t, then who will?”

 

Mariette, who had committed similar sins, was spared punishment thanks to the Empress shielding her and the Emperor turning a blind eye.

 

She left the palace after losing the succession struggle, but at least she had family.

 

She had an older brother.

 

And though married off to a faraway foreign land, she also had an older sister.

 

But Kairos had no one. The Marquise of Calvin was dead, and the Emperor denied that Kairos was his son.

 

There really is no one else but Julius, who still considers him his younger brother.

 

“You consider yourself a sinner,… but you’ve saved me so many times. At least you can be confident in front of me.”

 

“…….”

 

“To me… you’re simply my little brother. No matter under which sky you may be, I hope you never forget that.”

 

After a long time, Kairos finally opened his mouth.

 

“If the man destined to become Emperor is this soft-hearted, what will you do? Make sure you fix that flaw before you ascend the throne.”

 

“I won’t. If you don’t like the sight of it, then stay by my side and stop me yourself.”

 

Watching Julius act like a child, Kairos smiled helplessly. It was a smile that sounded like a sigh.

 

“You, of all people, Brother, slipped through dog holes, climbed walls, and jumped through windows without a second thought just to see someone like me.”

 

Kairos, who lowered his head to hide his choked voice, ran his hand along the window frame behind him.

 

“I couldn’t understand how someone who was still a prince could do that without any hesitation… but now that I’ve tried it myself, it’s kind of fun. Thrilling, even.”

 

“What?”

 

Kairos smiled at Julius, who had no idea what he was talking about.

 

“I’ll do it from now on, brother.”

 

Julius’s eyes became as big as lanterns.

 

Suddenly, a loud laugh erupted from his lips. Before the laughter could even subside, Julius approached Kairos and embraced him.

 

“Yes, you are welcome anytime.”

 

It was a farewell without any promise of when they would meet again.

 

And yet, Julius was able to send his little brother off with a smile.

 

As long as they regarded each other as brothers, a reunion would come someday—no matter when.

 

* * *

 

After the announcement that the Second Prince had become Crown Prince, the long-subdued atmosphere of the capital noticeably brightened.

 

The Second Prince had always enjoyed strong public support, and once it was revealed that he’d been falsely accused, that goodwill rebounded almost explosively.

 

‘It just feels like someone else’s story to me.’

 

Whether the Second Prince became Crown Prince or Emperor—what did that have to do with me?

 

What mattered to me was that my husband and my son had received medals side by side.

 

“I guess this is what it feels like to be full without eating.”

 

– No! Nell just ate a whole cake with me!

 

Haha, I can hear the chirping of birds somewhere.

 

Even the birds outside the window seemed to be congratulating my husband and son on receiving their medals.

 

—Knock, knock.

 

Just then, a knock sounded at the door, and the maid announced my older brother’s visit.

 

I sat on the sofa, wiping the medal with a dry towel, and gave permission to come in.

 

“Nel… were you polishing the medal again? At this rate, you’ll wear it down.”

 

“It’s made of pure gold. There’s no way it’d wear down just from a little polishing, right?”

 

If it did wear down from that, then it wouldn’t be gold—it’d be plating, and I’d march straight to the imperial palace to demand answers.

 

A medal awarded to a hero who saved the day, and it’s plated? Does that make any sense at all?

 

“When I return to the North, I plan to frame it and display it.”

 

I’ll keep it safe and put it on Noah’s formal attire on the day he made his debut into high society.

 

By then, the number of medals Noah has received may have increased to the point where it is impossible to count them on one hand.

 

Why not? He’d already received his ‘first medal at just five years old!’

 

“I have something to tell you.”

 

“To me? What do you mean?”

 

Only then did I put down the medal I had been scrubbing so diligently and look at my older brother sitting across from me.

 

While the maid was pouring tea, the older brother was feeding crushed almonds to the beak of Rake, who was often crawling up onto his lap.

 

‘Come to think of it, when will we reveal the fact that Rake is a Dragon?’

 

“I’m thinking of going back to the territory soon.”

 

“Already?”

 

“Already,’ you say. I came down in the first place for Lily’s wedding, but that had been postponed…”

 

Mm. I understood, but still—

 

“Noah will be sad.…”

 

“And you won’t be?”

 

At my brother’s teasing tone, I couldn’t help but laugh out loud as well.

 

“Of course, I’m sad! Once we part this time, who knows when we’ll see each other again….”

 

‘When will we really meet again?’

 

Unless one of us deliberately traveled a long distance, we wouldn’t be able to meet.

 

My older brother was a count, and I was the wife of a Marquis.

 

Neither of us could move freely for extended periods without carefully coordinating our schedules in advance.

 

“So, when are you planning on returning to the North?”

 

“Me? Us, I mean… huh?”

 

‘Come to think of it, shouldn’t we also be heading back north soon?’

 

The purpose of our coming down to the capital was to wipe out the Onyx wizards.

 

We’d also planned to attend Lily’s wedding, but the former was resolved, and the latter postponed, so—

 

‘There’s no reason to stay in the capital any longer, right?’

 

Rebecca seemed to have reconciled with Duke Khalid, and there were rumors that the Crown Prince’s ceremony would be scheduled soon—but there was no particular reason for Ajas to attend that.

 

“That’s right. Now that I think about it, there’s really no reason to stay in the capital any longer.”

 

“Then why don’t we set our return schedules together? At least part of the way, our routes overlap.”

 

“Oh my, that’s a great idea… But….”

 

‘I’d just thought of an even better one!’

 

“How about we pass through the Howard County instead?”

 

“Hm? Wouldn’t that be a bit of a detour?”

 

“We were supposed to stop by after I got married, remember? But then the barbarian invasion happened, everything got rushed, and we went straight back to Ajas.”

 

I said excitedly.

 

“Besides, you invited Noah and Lala the other day. Isn’t this the perfect opportunity?”

 

“Now that you mention it…”

 

My older brother, who’d been nodding absently, paused to think for a moment—then nodded again, as if he agreed with what I said.

 

“Yeah, that’s a good idea. Ask your husband, Noah, and Lady Cloud what they think.”

 

“Do I even need to ask? I’m sure they’ll all say yes.”

 

Just as I’d expected, everyone reacted enthusiastically to the suggestion of returning via Howard County.

 

“Me! I really, really want to stop by!”

 

I will not bother to mention who among them shouted their approval with a particularly loud voice.

 

Anyway, the return schedule to Ajas was confirmed.

 

It was early autumn, the end of a hot summer.

 

* * *