Chapter 12

“What? What do you mean don’t come to see the youngest lady–.”

“Don’t come!”

Once again, it was strange to see my brother talking strongly.

‘Brother?’

Both me and Mikhail looked at my brother in surprise.

“If it weren’t for you, Anastasia wouldn’t be in danger!”

“Damian, I didn’t do it on purpose. She didn’t really get hurt that much–.”

“That’s enough, go!”

It was really not like my brother.

‘The brother, who kindly asked my sister the reason why she scribbled on his favorite book…..’

To think that he didn’t even give Mikhail a chance to make an excuse.

“You…..”

Mikhail opened his mouth for a moment and looked at me and my brother.

My older brother turned his head away and refused to even make eye contact with Mikhail.

‘No, Michael, why are you being so calm like that.’

Whenever I turned my head, he would quickly follow me.

[–i think she’s referring to a while ago]

Mikhail stood still, as if nailed to that spot, and looked at him with very lonely eyes.

He opened his mouth several times as if he wanted to say something, but my brother’s rejection was greater.

I wonder how long the uncomfortable silence lasted.

It was Mikhail who let out a light sigh.

“Yeah, you must be happy to have a little sister.”

At those words, Damian, who turned away, turned his head.

With a somewhat look of regret.

‘He looked upset, even though he was the one who said it.’

Not only my brother, but also Mikhail.

Again, there was a suffocating silence.

‘The problem is they’re both children but they’re not like children.’

An ordinary 7-year-olds would have an endless battle with each other, saying, “Apologize.”

[tn–it’s like “You say sorry!” / “No, you!”]

But they were both more thoughtful than their peers.

No, perhaps, rather than those immature adults, their considerate feelings for others may be deeper.

‘If we leave it like this, there will really be deep trouble.’

If either one of them goes out because they couldn’t stand this silence, that would be it.

Besides, I’m not a fool.

‘The reason why my brother is like this….’

It was because of me.

Ha, I never dreamed that the day would come when I would think like this.

‘I’m not even the main character of some drama, to have such embarrassing thoughts like this.’

For me, it was more difficult to imagine than a hundred reincarnations.

But I wasn’t such a fool that I wouldn’t notice my brother’s discomfort.

* * *

It was a few days ago.

That guy followed me around that day as well and bothered me.

So I said a single word.

“uhweya, miyai.”

“Go away? By the way, did you just call my name right now?”

That one word was the source of trouble.

“Did you hear that, Damian? The youngest lady called my name!”

“What?”

Mikhail insensitively showed it off to my brother.

It’s embarrassing but, I haven’t been able to pronounce my family’s names properly yet.

I tried hard when I saw my brother’s shocked face that day, but.

‘-bba- was the only pronunciation that came out.’

I mean, why does the babbling of vowels, which usually comes out well, didn’t come out at times like this.

The mouth structure of a baby was really interesting.

Actually, even before that, for my sister (-ni!), my dad (-pa!), and my mom (-maa-) I had tried to babble it by myself, but I just didn’t say it because it wasn’t proper names.

Of course, that day, I immediately changed my mind when I saw my brother who was shocked by the fact that I first called Mikhail’s name.

Right away, to my brother.

“bba–!”

I called him.

Even for the other family members that evening, it was clumsy as well, but every time they came, I strongly called them.

‘Until now, I didn’t talk to anyone until I was able to speak the pronunciation to a certain degree.’

In the first place, until I grew up at some point I hardly ever had interactions with other people, and even if there was, I didn’t even live with them.

‘So I was going to speak only after I was four or five years old.’

I wasn’t going to say long sentences because I knew that even if I was four or five years old, my pronunciation would be bad to an extent.

Of course, I practiced hard every day by myself.

Because I knew well that it wouldn’t improve if I didn’t make a sound.

Since I had lived like that, I thought that I should dearly call out to my family properly.

It’s my first time, so I didn’t want to mess it up, but as much as possible, I wanted to leave it in their memory with pretty words.

Mikhail is not even family, I didn’t care if he could understand me or not, he was just talking as he pleased.

That’s why I’ve been practicing alone until now.

‘I never thought that my brother would be so shocked….’

Anyway, my family was in a mess, but the pronunciation alone showed more reaction than I expected.

“Just now, did you just call your mom? Anastasia, my baby, are you already able to call your mother?”

Clear joy appeared on the face of my mother, who had always been calm and elegant.

It was a happier face than when I first smiled and when I was born and hugged.

“Just now, right now…….. Did our youngest call her dad? Our youngest has grown up like this already? Isn’t she growing too fast? Gasp….”

My father showed tears as expected.

While talking about things I couldn’t understand like ‘not to grow up too fast’.

“Shasha, did you say shister? Sister? Look! Shasha called me sister! My little sister called me sister!”

My sister was so excited that she bragged about it again and again.

With a cute tone unique to my sister Laurentia who still speaks with her somewhat leaky pronunciation.

And as for my brother.

“Anastasia, as expected you’re my little sister.”

He hugged me as if he had forgotten all his disappointment a while ago.

As if he was glad and relieved.

Even though Mikhail didn’t know the situation and was puzzled.

* * *

To be honest, I didn’t want to call Mikhail that bad.

‘Because just like me, he doesn’t know.’

If I had been in a position like Mikhail, could I not have done that?

No, I might’ve been more clumsy than Mikhail.

‘Though I’m sure I wouldn’t form any relationship in the first place.’

Because I didn’t want to get hurt or hurt anyone.

But there was no reason for Mikhail to do that.

Because he’s just a six-year-old kid.

But the same was true for my brother.

No matter how understanding and considerate he was, he couldn’t stand everything.

Everyone in my family loved each other so much that family came first.

‘No matter how close he was to Mikhail.’

Besides, my brother was only a seven-year-old child.

Strangely enough, Mikhail liked to come see me, so my brother endured a lot and gave in a lot.

‘Even more than Mikhail thinks.’

Originally, my brother really liked reading  books in front of me and my sister after his class.

‘When he first read to us, he read a really thick and difficult book, so my sister cried.

Now, he’s been thinking of choosing fairy tale books with lots of drawings and little text that my sister and I would like.

A little later in the day, my sister and I would take a nap listening to my brother reading quietly.

And when it’s time for snacks.

“Lara, wants snacksh.”

It was also our promised routine for the three of us to wake up from a nap together in line with my sister’s precise navel clock.

But after Mikhail saved me, my brother was willing to give up those times.

‘Because the reason my brother was late to come to my room is because he stopped by my sister’s room.’

[tn–i think this was when she got kidnapped]

Mikhail would always go home before dinner time.

My brother had been considerate of Mikhail, who had no younger siblings and only had a grandfather for a family, in his own way.

Because he likes me, is fascinated by me, and he likes being with me.

‘As expected, I should’ve been more patient, too.’

Because when I grow up to be able to walk quickly, there are many things I can do for my family.

I was also in a hurry.

Anyway, my brother endured it in many ways. Today, Mikhail took my first steps, and when he heard that I fell, he exploded.

‘Nevertheless, I can see that both my brother and Mikhail are reflecting on themselves right now.’

My older brother thought he was not being considerate, and Mikhail thought he was careless.

‘Phew, if they were really childlike, it would be easy.’

In the midst of this, the discomfort and consideration between one other were clearly seen.

I’ve always been in a thorny place, so I don’t know anything else, but, how should i say this, even if I don’t want to know, I can tell this kind of atmosphere.

‘It can’t be helped.’

It wasn’t my favorite way, but.

It’s not like I’m not at fault either.

Moreover, if they fight each other like this, these two will definitely take a long time.

Because they have to think deeply about each other.

My parents were also in a position to take care of Mikhail from Grand Duke Leventis, it would be uncomfortable if they care about it.

‘That’s why, closing my eyes just this once.’

I’ll cry.

Well, other than that, what else can I do with an ordinary baby’s body.

It was a choice I would never have made in another world, but I wasn’t stupid enough to not know that these two valued me.

I tightened my stomach and shouted out loud.

“Uwaaaah–!”

“A, Anastasia?!”

“Baby?!”

“My lady!”

Everyone in the room shouted in surprise at the sudden sound of my crying.

Even my regular crying once a week ended at the level of whining, and it was my first time crying so loudly ever since I saved my doctor’s life.

“Uwoo, eh uhh.”

My pronunciation got worse when I tried to speak while crying.

But both my brother and Mikhail noticed that I was saying something.

My brother looked at Mikhail without hesitation.

“She’s scared. She doesn’t like it…..Is what the baby says.”

Mikhail also diligently translated with a reluctant face.

And these two clever boys knew right away what I hated and was scared of.

“……Anastasia, brother is sorry.”

“I’m sorry, too, baby.”

‘No, not to me, apologize to each other.’

Hoping that such a meaning would be conveyed, I reduced my crying and looked at my brother and Mikhail alternately.

It was Mikhail who opened his mouth first with an awkward face.

“……I’m sorry, I put your precious little sister in danger.”

At those words, my brother patted my back, as I sniffled in the aftermath of loud crying, and said.

“Me too….. I’m sorry I told you not to come. I didn’t mean to make you feel bad just because I have a younger sibling……”

In particular, he seemed sorry for having touched the story of his family.

They were really straightforward kids.

They were so similar to the point that people would wonder if they were really just friends.

But the words that surprised me even more came from Mikhail.

“You know, Damian. I don’t know because I don’t have a younger sibling. So can’t you teach me?”

“Yeah…….”

When the words ‘I don’t have a sibling’ came out of Mikhail’s mouth, my brother’s face suddenly hardened.

Then Mikhail quickly raised his hands and shook it, correcting his words.

“I’m not saying that I felt bad with what you said, it’s not that….It’s really because I don’t know. I’ll do it if you teach me.”

Mikhail said, scratching his cheek in embarrassment.

“You told me to be polite to the youngest lady, so I was polite, and because you told me not to touch her, I really didn’t touch her without permission.”

Oh, so that’s why you didn’t grab my hand first.

“So teach me, I…… I don’t know what’s dangerous.”

Mikhail cautiously approached me and my brother and humbly held out his hand.

“Hm?”

So he is also very kind and broad-minded.

My brother looked at Mikhail in surprise for a moment, and soon held his hand.

“Yeah…….. I’m really sorry, Mikhail.”

“Then, we’ve made up, right?”

“Yeah.”

“And I can keep coming to see the youngest lady?”

At Mikhail’s words, my brother frowned for a moment, but soon replied with a faint smile.

“Okay.”

In response to that answer, Mikhail, who almost lost a lot of things today, seemed really happy that he brightly showed his specialty smile, without any sign of malice.

* * *

– Save….me.

A voice that seemed to be cut off rang in my ears.

‘What……. is this sound?’

Surely, after seeing Mikhail and Damian reconcile, I felt relieved and fell asleep.

For some reason, there was a newborn baby tied up in front of my eyes.