The Strongest Brother Lost His Memory-Chapter 12
2. Don't Mess with My Little Sister
Several days passed.
Even with time, Shulva remained deeply unsettled about Rosie's engagement.
'It should be... it should be fine, right?'
Julian had once given a very firm order.
"If it's our Rosie-Rosie, you have to agree to whatever she says, no matter what."
That was why, when Rosie asked for his seal, he had handed it over without hesitation.
However, Julian had also said this:
"Anyone who gets tangled up with our Rosie-Rosie should be killed."
Shulva groaned in distress.
Which command was he supposed to follow?
'And Rosie Noart has absolutely no connection to the Dyfenril Ducal Family.'
As far as he knew, Rosie had no ties to any noble families at all.
'Then... could it be?!'
Shulva came to his own conclusion.
'That sentence was just meant to draw attention. The real key must be in the next one.'
Ultimately, Rosie must have something extremely valuable to offer Caliban.
'Yes. This engagement is about solidifying her position within the family to protect Julian.'
To Caliban, Rosie was his only granddaughter.
Among the remaining Noart heirs—Murloc, Felide, and Monica—each had only one son.
A union with the Dyfenril Ducal Family.
If the engagement succeeded, of course, it would be a move Caliban would find tempting.
'Not all nobles are the same...'
The Noart Count Family, with its short history, and the long-established Dyfenril Ducal Family were leagues apart.
Especially considering that the young duke was bound to go mad from magic overload sooner or later.
If that happened, the Dyfenril family's internal laws, which granted immense authority to the fiancée’s family, would allow the Noart Count Family to seize influence over the Dyfenril Ducal Family.
'And that duke is only eleven. Count Noart could even enter the Grand Nobles' Assembly as a representative.'
The highest noble title that could be purchased with money was that of a count.
Caliban had long wanted to enter the Grand Nobles' Assembly, but by principle, only the four ducal houses were allowed to attend.
If this engagement succeeded, it would partially overcome that limitation.
'And even if the engagement doesn't go through, Rosie has already demonstrated to the Count that she is valuable as a tool for political marriage! She’s making sure he notices her the moment he arrives!'
"Just wait and see, Shulva. When Grandfather returns, I’ll make sure I catch his eye."
Something inside him welled up.
'...She’s only twelve, and yet she’s making such an extreme choice for Julian’s sake...'
Meanwhile, Rosie came to eat lunch and dinner with them every day.
"Hey, brat. Aren’t you way too obsessed with appearances? A person should have inner beauty, you know, inner beauty."
And Julian, as always, gave his completely useless lectures.
"Your clothes and jewelry changed again since a few hours ago. What is this, a fashion show?"
"Hing, are you studying at all?"
"Ah."
Julian's previously scrunched-up face immediately brightened.
"Brat, I think I might be a genius. I just flip through the pages, and I get everything instantly."
He even lifted his chin arrogantly.
"I wasted my talent by not studying when I was younger. Brat, if there's anything you don't understand, you can ask this genius right here."
It was exactly how Shulva remembered Julian Cato at seventeen.
So damn cocky.
Julian had indeed started studying at nineteen, and his learning speed had been incredibly fast. But back then, he hadn’t been this insufferable about it.
"And Peter said your recovery speed is no joke."
Feeling pleased with himself, Julian stabbed his fork into his food as he boasted.
Peter was Julian’s personal physician—and also an old childhood friend.
When Julian first arrived at the count’s manor at nineteen, he had struggled immensely. That was why, afterward, he had surrounded himself only with people he could truly trust—his childhood friends.
"If things go well, I might even be able to sit in a wheelchair today. Apparently, my recovery is so fast that the Magic Tower wants to use me as a test subject, hahaha!"
"Really?"
"They say my physical resilience is on par with the Holy Knights' commander. Maybe my childhood dream wasn’t so ridiculous after all."
"Wow."
Rosie’s eyes widened in apparent amazement.
"So the great childhood dream you've been hiding from me was to become a test subject for the Magic Tower... I’ll always support your self-sacrificial aspirations, big brother."
"...Wouldn't a normal person assume I meant the Holy Knights' commander?"
Without meaning to, Shulva let out a quiet snort of laughter.
One thing was clear.
Lately, Julian had been secretly looking forward to Rosie's visits.
Well, if you eat together every day, there’s no way you wouldn’t grow attached.
Shulva suddenly recalled the past.
Back then, despite his busy schedule, Julian always made time for tea with Rosie whenever he could. He used to say it was his greatest happiness.
"Rosie, do you want to take this and leave me alone?"
"Did you see that? Did you see that? Our Rosie-Rosie gave me a cookie! Oh? My god, I’m so touched. Everyone, come here! Rosie-Rosie just gave me this cookie. Look at this magnificent, radiant cookie. Isn’t it amazing? Huh?"
If Julian ever got his memories back, he would probably cry for a whole month, recalling how Rosie had been waiting on him at meals.
And meanwhile, the date of the monthly assembly was steadily approaching.
Shulva had another nagging concern.
‘But why is there still no word from the Count? He definitely arrived in Solom, but there’s been no contact since then.’
Caliban's messages had stopped after reaching Solom.
Normally, whenever he passed through a major city, he would send updates on his location via the communication network.
‘I was prepared for him to miss the monthly assembly, but... what if he’s even more delayed?’
Caliban was Julian’s only real supporter. Naturally, Shulva was anxiously awaiting his return.
“Shulva.”
It was just after dinner when Rosie stood up to return to her room.
“Come to my room later tonight. I have something to ask of you.”
Rosie tiptoed to whisper in his ear.
“I’ll send Heidi to fetch you. Come discreetly.”
“Huh?”
“It’s time to move the 1.37 trillion gold.”
****
That Night
After dinner, once I returned to my room, I had to deal with a crowd of people waiting for me.
Invest here, invest there, sign this, approve that—everyone was in an uproar.
‘Everyone’s going crazy before the monthly assembly.’
I repeated the same lines in front of them.
"I don’t really know... I was just going to invest everything in one place... But my brother once mentioned something..."
And once I finally sent them all away—
“Heidi, tell Shulva to come now.”
“Yes.”
Heidi nodded and left the room.
I let out a sigh and, now alone, removed my large ruby earrings. They were the ones I had chosen to wear to dinner tonight.
Of course, Julian had commented, “I’m not even surprised anymore. Don’t you change your earrings every hour?”
I looked down at the ruby earrings and murmured,
“...These don’t work either.”
Julian had personally picked these out from a jeweler in Noart Manor.
I had hoped they might trigger a memory.
"This is the hairpin Julian gave you for your last birthday, isn’t it? Maybe seeing it will make him suddenly remember you."
Ever since Heidi casually mentioned that, I had been rotating through different accessories and outfits whenever I met Julian.
I only chose things he had bought for me, ones I had cherished too much to wear often.
I had been clinging to even the smallest sliver of hope.
I didn’t want to pressure him, so I never let it show, but I desperately wanted Julian to remember.
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"You and I really didn’t get lucky with parents. So let’s be each other’s fortune."
His voice was still clear in my ears—when he had hugged me and said,
"Let’s not live like our parents did. Let’s cherish and protect each other. Let’s be the one person in this world the other can always count on."
In the end, silent tears dripped down onto the ruby earrings in my hands.
