Chapter 14
Having Lunch Together with My Absolute Fave

Translated by: chocolalaEdited by: kemostt

Afterwards, I met up with Bruno-kun while being carried in Brother’s arms. 

When Bruno-kun saw me, he had an exasperated expression; it was as though the thought was written all over his face: ‘This boy finally came all the way to our school!’. Instead, he facepalmed and swallowed what he actually had wanted to say. However, as soon as he saw the basket I was holding, his eyes twinkled.

“Mr Sven, surely my portion is also in there, right?”

“Of course. How about we move somewhere where the three of you can eat together?”

“In that case, it’ll have to be either the central lawn of the inner school building or the salon in the annexe. Orsis, is it easy to apply for usage there?”

“If it’s currently unoccupied, it’d be quickly approved. Alba is also here, so I would prefer not to eat where other people can see us.”

Is that because I’m not supposed to be here? I’m sorry, I came here on a spur of the moment. 

As I offered an apology in my heart, Bruno shrugged his shoulders as he replied, “I’m all for that, there’d be a lot of commotion otherwise.”

The salon in the annexe was ready for use immediately after Sven had arranged for it. We put our baskets on the table, which looked expensive even though it was supposed to just be a school, and seated ourselves in the chairs. Brother sat next to me, and Bruno was opposite him, while Sven was preparing our table.

“Aren’t you going to eat with us, Sven?

“I’ll be serving, Young Masters, so please don’t mind me and enjoy your meal.”

“You’ve also brought food for the guards, haven’t you?”

“Yes. Thank you very much for your consideration. They’ll take it in turns to eat in the antechamber next door.”

“But, with Sven serving us, you can’t have lunch, can you?”

“It’s all right, sir. I’ve eaten a lot of food this morning and I’m not hungry yet.”

“Are you sure?”

“When you get older, your body works more slowly. I am sure there will be no problem.”

“But for a moment there, I was actually looking forward to eating together with Sven now that we’re not in the mansion…”

Sven is like my grandpa too… I added in my heart, but my faint muttering was apparently heard by Brother and Bruno; Brother squinted at once.

“Sven, once you finish preparing the tea, go sit next to Bruno.”

“Young Master Orsis, is that an order?”

“Yes, it’s an order. I will see to it that no blame falls upon Sven.”

At Brother’s words, Sven’s eyes narrowed, and he smiled with delight, like a grandfather watching over his real grandchild. Bruno-kun saw the scene and once again had that exasperated look on his face as he turned his gaze back towards Brother. 

“You better keep that overly-doting behaviour within bounds… Ah, I’m getting a bit worried about Orsis for the future.” Bruno heaved a long sigh and muttered to no one in particular.

My brother had arranged for Sven to sit with us for lunch, and it turned out to be a very enjoyable meal.

The topics of conversation between Brother and Bruno were generally too advanced for me to understand, so I was often left out, but Sven continually engaged me in conversation. He told me about his family. It seemed that he even had grandchildren, and when he talked about them, his eyes twinkled and his face was very kind. I was told that there were two boys who were even older than Brother. 

He told me they were studying to become apprentice butlers in another family. Once they could do the job properly, they would come into the service of our ducal family. I was wondering when that would be; I’d like to meet them. Since Sven was this competent, I bet his grandchildren would be extremely capable too.

With excitement, I took a bite of the dessert on my plate. This was the cake that Sven had had one of the guards carry to make sure it didn’t get crushed if I fell or something. The fruits on top tasted incredible. They looked so beautiful that I wanted Brother to eat some as well, so I pierced the sweetest piece of fruit with a fork and offered it to Brother.

“Brother, this tastes so delicious, please try a bite.”

“If it’s that delicious, Alba can also eat mine.”

“No, it’s because it’s so delicious that I want Brother to eat it.”

I brought it closer to Brother’s face and asked him to open his mouth; Brother wavered at first but then he briefly chuckled and gobbled the fruit I offered to him. I giggled happily as he smiled at me and said, “That’s delicious,” before also offering me a piece of fruit from his own dessert.

“Then I’ll also do the same. I found this very delicious, so I want Alba to eat it too.”

“If you say that, of course, I can’t refuse! Bon appétit!”

I took a bite of the fruit that Brother offered me, and the taste that spread in my mouth felt even more delicious than before. Sven watched us with a smile, while Bruno already had a ‘no-comment’ look on his face.

When the table was cleared, Bruno rubbed his stomach and puffed out a satisfied breath, “I haven’t had a full stomach at school for a long time.”

“If you guys wouldn’t flirt all the time, I’d have you come over here every day. I feel so much heartburn. Orsis, you should really be getting married soon.”

“That’s none of your business. Alba, thank you for coming today. I know you’re busy, but you came anyway because you were worried about me. The food in the cafeteria here tastes strange to me, but I think this afternoon I will be able to go to class with more energy.”

For a moment, Brother had given Bruno-kun a look that would make anyone freeze, but the next moment, he faced me with a rapt expression and patted me on the head. This difference, this is the gap moe! I love it! I also want to be pierced by those cool eyes but I can’t give up on that sweet smile either!

I covered my face and plopped my head down on the table. I tried my best to hold back the strange voice that threatened to leak out and shouted in my heart, My absolute fave is the best! 

To be his little brother—my body could hardly take it. But, like a drug, I couldn’t tear myself away from him. 

After saying goodbye to Brother, who sent me off—whose every movement made my heart thump wildly as I usually didn’t see how he acted in school—I went home hand in hand with Sven. 

Surely, if I were to be separated from Brother, I’d greatly suffer from withdrawal symptoms. For me, who would struggle desperately to return to life only for the sake of seeing Brother’s smile, if I was apart from him, I’d most likely die the moment a seizure would hit me. If the victim did not have a strong will to live, those seizures were enough to take away their life. It was just that painful. Even drowning in water paled in comparison.

Afterwards, I hugged Brother, who returned home around dusk; he asked me if I would bring him lunch again when I had the time, which I would be happy to do. I nodded without a second thought. 

Even every day would be no problem. I’ll bring you food every day!

As I was pumping up my spirits, Father, who happened to be at home to greet Brother, dropped a bombshell of a remark, “Then take your lunch with you starting tomorrow. It’s not good to strain yourself over food, it’s demotivating.”

As it may be, what Father said was a very good idea. But that meant that I would lose the opportunity to go to the school to see Brother… Just why did he have to suggest something so unnecessary…!

My vision went black and I cried on the spot.