I'm the Only One With a Different Genre - Chapter 144

Chapter 144
When Did You Grow So Much?

***

‘Wait… wait, so that young lady is Her Grace’s daughter…?’

The butler could not hide his confusion as he tried to organize his chaotic thoughts.

As he processed the situation, he recalled various events he had witnessed while serving the household throughout the years. Those experiences had taught him how to remain calm in any circumstance.

It didn’t take long for a peaceful smile to return to his face. Although he hadn’t completely shaken off his surprise, he managed to keep his composure and avoid making a scene.

‘But how can they be so sure the young lady is Her Grace’s bloodline?’

The butler’s gaze shifted back to Iris and Lian, who were still deep in conversation.

‘Could it be… that Lian just wants to leave his sister in a good family at least?’

By now, most people living in the castle suspected that Lian and Iris could be the Duke’s bloodline.

No one would dare say it out loud, of course—those who did were swiftly dismissed during their probation period—but there was never 100% certainty.

If someone with loose lips or someone who had been bribed had planted ideas in Lian’s head, it would explain the current situation entirely.

Her hair was slightly grayer than Lian’s pure white, and her golden eyes even more brilliant. Her striking appearance, her pristine, noble-like skin, and even her personality, so uncannily similar to the Duke’s.

If someone had set this up meticulously, it wasn’t impossible to pull off.

‘But… this old man just wants to believe.’

He knew it was foolish, yet he wanted to trust like an ignorant fool that the only lost bloodline of the Duke had finally returned.

While the butler was lost in the soft, nostalgic emotions, like looking at a faded photograph, the atmosphere between Lian and Iris had frozen over, as cold as the snow piled up outside the castle walls.

To Lian, this was simply something he had to say eventually—an inevitable story that had to be told. But for Iris, it was like a bolt of lightning, impossible to comprehend.

Iris had gone missing when she was just a baby—so young that even the butler hadn’t known her gender at the time.

In the world where she grew up, she learned more about how near death was and how quickly it could come, rather than words like ‘mom’ or ‘dad.’

Bearing the blood of the Duke, the greatest swordsman in the Empire, and the Hero who had saved the world, she managed to survive even in the worst of environments. But even she had her limits.

Her first friend, the older sister who had shared food with her, even the one-eyed rat whom she had befriended by sharing her scraps—they all died, turning cold right before her eyes.

With no one left to rely on, her heart crumbled easily. She shattered and shattered again until there was no form left to hold onto.

To survive, she closed her ears and shut her eyes. In the silence, as quiet as death itself, Iris had wished to sleep forever. But then, a gentle warmth cautiously approached her.

Iris’s heart, like land long frozen in winter, started to thaw in response to Lian’s affection, slowly regaining warmth as if touched by the first rains of spring.

His every word, like precious rain falling in the desert, breathed life into her dried-up emotions. She felt as if she had found the haven she had longed for all her life.

But a part of her heart remained uneasy. Her happiness was like a small boat swaying in the wind, trembling with each joyous moment.

Do I deserve to be this happy? What if all this happiness is just an illusion?

Why is Lian so good to me?

In the lands ruled by the Demon King, love and affection required an equivalent price—whether in money or power. Having grown up in such an environment, Iris believed that nothing could be gained without a cost.

But Lian never asked for anything. He just poured endless, unfathomable affection onto her, asking for nothing in return. While Iris felt happy, she was also deeply afraid that this happiness would collapse like a sandcastle at any moment.

The one word that blew away all of Iris’s anxieties was ‘family.’

“We’re family. Of course, it’s only natural for us to care for each other!”

Because they were family. Because they shared the same bloodline. The same white hair, the same golden eyes.

The same… the same… the same…

To Iris, ‘family’ was a free pass to receive Lian’s love without any expectation of repayment. It was her ‘privilege,’ allowing her to love him to her heart’s content, to whine and ask for hugs whenever she wanted.

“I was planning to tell you… I meant to, but I got so excited at the thought of taking you home that I forgot. I’m sorry, Iris.”

Lian’s white eyebrows drooped slightly, and his lowered gaze was filled with an apologetic emotion. His voice, usually as soft and pleasant as warm sunshine on a spring day, now sounded eerie, like the cry of birds feasting on a corpse.

“From now on—…”

His voice sounded muffled, as if he were speaking underwater. Iris began to hear distant cheers and applause from faraway places.

A metallic scent lingered in the air, and the sound of a pitiful wail filled her ears. The metallic scent was strong.

Yes, that smell. It was the scent of a corpse disposal ground. The voices of the arena, filled with bitter, icy heat, and the death of her brother, whose body had grown cold before her eyes.

The moment Lian denied their relationship as family, Iris recalled the day when her brother had completely left her.

Something deep inside Iris, which had been repressed, began to stir.

[Could someone who isn’t even family love you?]
[You’ll be abandoned.]
[Look, he’s already packed his things, ready to leave.]

It whispered sweet words alongside her growing despair.

[Lock him up.]
[Lock him away so he can never leave.]
[And just as your brother did for you, pour your love onto him.]
[All you need to do is give him back as much as he gave you.]

It wouldn’t matter if she shackled his ankles or broke his legs. Her brother, immune to pain, might simply smile awkwardly as if it were a slight inconvenience.

If they built a house at the end of the world where no one could find them, and lived together like in those blissful days—…

Just as her thoughts were about to spiral into madness, and her white hair started to turn gray, Iris shook her head, ever so slightly.

‘No, I don’t want that.’

Her eyes, which had returned to their original color, were now filled with moisture. Desperation and emptiness coexisted in her gaze, but the madness that had briefly appeared had vanished without a trace.

‘…I don’t want to make my brother unhappy.’

Though she wanted to keep him by her side, Iris knew that such a desire was born purely from her own selfishness. She truly loved Lian and didn’t want to make him suffer.

That’s why she clung to him so desperately. Her fingers trembled like those of a child about to be abandoned.

“No… brother… I… I can’t.”

Don’t go. Please, don’t leave me.

“I’m… I’m your little sister. That’s the way it’s supposed to be.”

Tears had started to well in her eyes, her voice trembling. As a drop fell down her cheek, countless more followed, flowing uncontrollably.

At that moment, a warm embrace enveloped Iris, as if waiting for her. The hand patting her back and the body, stiff with uncertainty, radiated the affection Iris had longed for.

She cried into his arms as if she had returned to the innocent days of her childhood, pouring out all the pent-up sobs she had held inside.

***

‘Was it too much, too sudden?’

Lian was unsure how to react as Iris continued to sob loudly, her shoulders shaking. All he could do was pat her back gently, just as he used to do when she was little.

‘…When did she grow this much?’

It felt like just yesterday that she was learning to walk (a gross exaggeration of his memories), but now, she had grown so much that the top of her head reached his chin.

He had vaguely thought, ‘She’s grown a lot—’ every time she clung to his waist or climbed onto his lap, but it was only now that he realized just how much she had truly grown.

Srrrk.

As her sobs turned into sniffles, her arms slipped down to wrap around his waist. The distance between the two of them closed completely.

“Huh…?”

Lian, who had previously only felt the warmth of a child in his arms, was now suddenly aware of the delicate curves of her waist and the soft pressure against his chest. A flustered sound escaped his mouth.

‘W-what am I thinking in a situation like this!’

He barely managed to shake off those inappropriate thoughts, awkwardly patting Iris’s back as she sniffled.

The butler, observing them, quietly stepped back.

‘I’m still curious as to why the young lady is believed to be Her Grace’s bloodline… but it doesn’t seem like the right time to ask.’

He left the room without making a sound.

Srrrk.

The door closed soundlessly behind him, and the butler, standing in the hallway, sank into deep thought.

‘Whatever the reason may be… it will only be confirmed once Her Grace returns.’

The butler sighed softly as he pondered.

‘…Her Grace tries not to show it, but each time something like this happens, she is deeply hurt. I had hoped to handle this before it reached that point.’

Though the Duke had gone hunting to calm her anger, there was no way she would have gone far, given the looming threat of an attack by the Demon King’s forces. If they sent a messenger to the front lines, she would return within a few days.

Even though he knew this, the butler had delayed contacting her, worried about the wound the Duke would suffer when she returned with hope in her heart.

End of Chapter.