Callisto narrowed his eyes. His cold gaze made Banessa’s heart drop. Seeing Callisto for the first time in a while, he felt like the Grim Reaper.
“You look like someone who’s done something wrong.”
Callisto took a step forward. Having been cooped up in his lab for weeks, his face was slightly gaunt. Yet, that didn’t diminish his striking features. He had an overwhelming, sharp aura, like a finely-honed blade.
“Be honest. What kind of trouble have you caused this time?”
“Haha, what? Wh-what do you mean?”
Banessa instinctively started to deny everything. Even so, cold sweat trickled down his back. Naturally, Callisto didn’t look like he believed him for a second. Banessa almost bit his tongue in nervousness. Anxiety quickly consumed his thoughts.
‘Could it be? Did he really find out?’
The sky darkened. His legs trembled. How could Callisto have possibly learned about him and Dana? He couldn’t figure it out.
‘Did my lady tell him?’
Banessa barely managed to regain his composure. No, that couldn’t be. If Callisto had heard from Dana, he wouldn’t have such a terrifying expression. Besides, Dana would’ve handled it before things reached this point. Like she had said she would—by telling Callisto that Banessa might already be carrying his niece or nephew. In that case, she would’ve protected Banessa, making it clear that if Callisto touched him, there’d be consequences.
‘That would be even worse.’
Banessa shuddered. He swore he had never been this scared in his life. It was like being a mouse in front of a lion. He had an overwhelming urge to prostrate himself and beg for forgiveness before Callisto threw him out of the palace.
「Brother, I have committed countless unforgivable sins. I promise I’ll make up for them for the rest of my life, so please forgive me. Would it be all right if I become your brother-in-law now?」
Or.
「Haha, why don’t you smile? You might have a niece or nephew on the way soon. Oh, why don’t you try calling me ‘brother-in-law’ first?」
Additionally.
「Then, I guess I’ll call you ‘brother-in-law’ too? Hahaha! Brother-in-law, we’re finally family now!」
…Before his reckless mouth could ruin his life, Banessa barely managed to hold on to his senses.
Then, he started assessing the situation as calmly as possible.
‘Stay calm. There’s no way Brother knows about me and Dana. He came to find me right after finishing his research.’
So, to summarize the situation:
Lately, Banessa had been sneaking into Dana’s palace to avoid prying eyes.
Thanks to the fact that Callisto’s palace was right next to Dana’s, he often passed through Callisto’s garden.
Without his permission, of course.
After spending blissful time with Dana, he would hum as he crossed the garden back to his quarters. But one time, he felt something odd.
He looked back, just in case, but there was no one. Puzzled, he continued to his room, only to find someone standing right in the middle of it. He screamed in shock, and at the same time, Callisto crossed his arms.
「Ahhhhh!」
「You’re late.」
And so, it had come to this. According to Callisto, he had come right after finishing his research. That must have been true. Just half an hour ago, no one had known that Callisto had completed his work.
“Trouble? I have no idea what you’re talking about. Where in the world is there anyone as quiet as I am? Haha, hahaha!”
Yes. That’s right. Brother doesn’t know about us. Just play dumb. No matter what, I can’t be the one to spill the truth. I have no idea why he came to find me, but I’ll deny everything until the very end.
‘If I can just buy some time, my lady will come save me before I’m killed.’
Suddenly, Banessa missed Dana desperately. He wanted to run to her, bury his face in her waist, and whine like a child. He longed to inhale her scent and plead for her to stroke his hair.
Banessa’s gaze became wistful.
Seeing him like that, Callisto scowled deeply.
‘Why is he making that face? He’s getting more and more annoying. Is it because I haven’t seen him in so long? Why do I keep wanting to smack him upside the head?’
Contrary to Banessa’s fears, Callisto still didn’t know anything. And that was only natural. As Banessa had said, he had just finished his research, and there was no one to tell him about his relationship with Dana.
Oh.
There was something, though. As soon as he left his lab, the Earth Spirit had passed on some recent news, including the fact that Banessa had been coming and going from Callisto’s garden every day.
‘Why on earth is he poking around in someone else’s palace? If he’s that bored, he should go train at the imperial barracks or something.’
Fortunately or unfortunately, Callisto dismissed Banessa’s frequent visits to his garden as just another one of his wandering habits. After all, Banessa had always roamed all over the palace grounds in the past.
He couldn’t stand staying in his quarters for too long, so he had a tendency to explore every corner of the capital. Even the people of the capital recognized his face. Callisto, who preferred quiet contemplation and research, could never understand this behavior.
‘Once I leave for the Tower, it’ll only get worse. Should I warn him not to cause any more trouble? But would he even listen to a warning? I can’t just ignore the Tower Master’s request, though. What a headache.’
In fact, there was a reason why Callisto had to leave the palace abruptly. The Tower Master had sent an urgent message. The Magic Tower was beginning to crack, it said. That a tower that had stood for nearly a thousand years was cracking. At first, Callisto thought it was nonsense. But the desperate tone of the Tower Master convinced him to at least check it out. As soon as he rushed out of his lab, he heard from the Spirit.
That’s why Callisto couldn’t have imagined that Banessa had been crossing his garden every day and climbing through his sister’s bedroom window. He also didn’t think much of Banessa’s shocked reaction upon seeing him.
‘At least he seems to know he’s done something wrong, judging by the way he’s acting. Maybe I should let it slide just this once.’
Seeing Banessa nervously watching him, Callisto’s gaze softened a bit.
‘Well, being this docile is better than before. Though I still want to hit him. But really, what on earth did my sister see in someone like him?’
Callisto’s eyes grew more conflicted. There was another reason he had come to find Banessa as soon as his research was finished. He wanted to entrust Dana to him.
If what the Tower Master said about the tower cracking was true, this was no small matter. Callisto’s power was absolutely necessary.
Still, Callisto couldn’t shake the feeling that the whole thing was a scheme by the Tower Master.
The Tower Master, who had long desired to retire, must have been pulling a trick to get him to return to the tower.
Even though he knew this, Callisto decided to respond to the summons. His plan was to lock the Tower Master in the tower for good.
He intended to keep him from even mentioning retirement for the next ten years.
While he was away from the palace, he planned to entrust Dana’s care to Banessa.
He knew all too well that Dana had spent years suffering from unrequited love.
Even after making up his mind, his heart felt heavy.
Was this really the right choice? He couldn’t bring himself to say, “Please take care of her.”
‘Is trusting my sister to this guy really the right thing to do?’
Well, there was nothing to be done. Despite his constant desire to kick Banessa in the shins, the fact remained that Dana liked Banessa.
As her brother, wasn’t it his duty to support her?
“…I feel like I’m going to be sick.”
Callisto muttered to himself, pressing his throbbing temples.
Banessa and Dana. The very thought made his skin crawl, and his stomach churned. His gaze naturally grew colder as he looked at Banessa.
Banessa’s lips twitched in a nervous spasm.
“Haha, Brother. Why are you feeling sick all of a sudden…?”
“Don’t you know better than anyone?”
Callisto scowled as he glared at Banessa.
Of course, Banessa had no idea what was going on inside Callisto.
Banessa didn’t even know Dana’s feelings.
This was just Callisto’s annoyance. Still, beyond the irritation, he knew what decision he had to make.
‘If this is what my sister wants, I should support her.’
Yes, I’ll hold back. Calm down and tell Banessa to take good care of Dana. For my sister’s sake.
“Forgive me, Brother!”
Before Callisto could get the words out, Banessa suddenly threw himself to the ground, prostrating. Callisto, who had been rubbing his temples, froze.
“What?”
“I didn’t do it on purpose! It just happened that way, though my feelings are sincere, I swear!”
Callisto instinctively wanted to ask what on earth Banessa was talking about, but he stopped.
He sensed, somehow, that Banessa was about to drop an enormous bombshell.
“Before you kill me, let me first tell you what my lady said…”
“…”
“She, she said…”
“…”
“That you might have a nephew or niece on the way… so you absolutely can’t kill me…”
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