“Oscar!”

My mother, who usually disliked loud noises inside the house for being bothersome, rushed towards me, shouting.

“Are you hurt anywhere? Any pain?”

Her hands, usually steady, were trembling as they checked my face and body. Thanks to the servants who had cushioned my fall with their bodies, I was unharmed. I nodded to indicate I was fine, and just then,

“I’m sorry.”

Erhan, who had been standing behind my mother, cautiously started to speak.

I looked at him, supported by my mother, rolling my eyes in his direction.

“I was just so happy and surprised you called my name…”

“Oh, no, it’s alright. I was surprised too that Oscar called someone’s name for the first time, but you must have been even more so.”

…I understand why my mother would be surprised, but why would Erhan, whom I met for the first time today, be happy and surprised to hear my voice?

Though I was skeptical, Erhan approached me hurriedly, repeatedly apologizing.

“Goodness, are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?”

The duke also quickly came over to check on me. Both he and my mother’s eyes were filled with concern for me.

‘I didn’t think it was such a big deal.’

I would understand if I were really hurt, but being unharmed and still having everyone so worried and fussing around me felt a bit overwhelming and uncomfortable. As I pondered what to do, I noticed something odd.

About the angel-faced Erhan, that is.

He used the confusion to wipe his hand, the one he had held mine with, on his pants.

And now, as he came to check if I was hurt, the same pattern continued.

Despite expressing worry with words, his hands only hovered around me, careful not to accidentally touch me. It was as if he considered me contaminated, a carrier of germs.

Lost in thought about this odd sensation and whether it was a misconception or not, Erhan suddenly spoke.

“Can you forgive me?”

Ah. I got it now.

The discomfort I had been feeling.

“We are brothers now, aren’t we?”

Even as he hung his eyebrows low and said we were brothers, there was hostility brimming in his eyes that were fixed on me. I easily realized it.

‘Erhan dislikes me.’

I wasn’t foolish enough to feel hurt that young Erhan harbored hostility towards me. From an adult’s perspective, it was quite natural for Erhan to be unwelcoming towards me, an unexpected intruder in his life.

My concern, however, was about possibly spending more than half of my life in this family and the difference in our positions within the household, considering our age gap.

‘Will he try to bully me?’

Erhan seemed perceptive and intelligent, so he might not rashly try to bully me, but I couldn’t be complacent. While his hostility was now overt and easy to detect due to his youth, it might become more sophisticated as he grows older. Could I withstand it, especially with my frail health?

“Then Erhan, please show Oscar to his room.”

Unaware of my concerns, the duke entrusted Erhan, who disliked me, with showing me my room.

As soon as the duke spoke, I looked at Erhan. As expected, his brow furrowed ever so slightly, a minute crack only I could perceive.

“Yes, Father.”

His demeanor was extremely polite, almost distant.

If not for their similar hair and eye colors, one might not think they were related, so strained did their relationship appear.

What could be the issue between them?

The duke didn’t seem particularly unpleasant, and aside from his dislike for me, Erhan seemed to have a good personality.

‘Could it be related to the late Duchess?’

As far as I knew, the duke had been widowed. I wasn’t privy to how his previous wife died, and considering the tight-lipped nature of the Serpentine household, it was unlikely that others would know the details either…

Erhan skillfully composed his expression while I was intently observing their interactions. He extended his hand towards me with a drawn smile.

“Shall we go then, Oscar?”

His voice was incredibly gentle and considerate, matched with an extremely cautious gesture. Although he offered his hand, I hesitated for a moment before taking it.

Had I been an ignorant child, I might have immediately grabbed Erhan’s hand. However, my mental age was mature, and I wasn’t oblivious.

‘He disliked touching me.’

Erhan had shown aversion to even brief contact with me, and I felt it might cause trouble if I took his hand.

See, even now as I hesitated, pondering over this, Erhan’s cool grey eyes betrayed his true feelings. How could I simply grab his hand after seeing those eyes?

While I contemplated how to navigate this situation without upsetting Erhan, my mother, who had been conversing with the duke, turned her attention to me.

“Oscar?”

My mother always prioritized me.

Whether she was in a conversation with the duke or engaged in a significant discussion with someone else, she always attended to me first. She quickly noticed my reluctance to approach Erhan and his awkwardness around me, and came towards us.

“What’s wrong?”

Unfortunately, not only did my mother’s attention turn to us, but so did the duke’s, who had been in conversation with her. His gray eyes, so similar to Erhan’s, glanced at me, then Erhan, and let out a small sigh as if realizing something.

“Oscar, are you scared of Erhan?”

Scared of Erhan?

Was it that obvious? With my frail body in its current state, it would be a lie to say I wasn’t intimidated by the small heir apparent to the duke.

But would I admit that outright? Instead of answering, I just stared blankly at the duke, nervously fidgeting with my hands, sweating with anxiety. I was worried he might have some magical or extraordinary skill to read my mind. I kept my gaze fixed on the duke, but fortunately, it didn’t seem like that was the case.

“Erhan. You pushed him. The child is scared because of what you did.”

It seemed he had not read my mind but had deduced from the situation that I was afraid of Erhan. He guessed the incident of being pushed and falling to the ground (or rather, onto the servants) was quite traumatic, whether it was intentional or not.

However, it was the duke’s attitude, more than his words, that surprised me, leaving me unable to respond.

“You should know better than to have me explain this. Apologize and try to get along. Go on, apologize to Oscar.”

The duke’s tone was kind, but his voice dripped with coldness, and his expression was incredibly stern. Even though his reprimand was not directed at me, I felt suffocated just by looking at his face.

“Go on.”

Was this the same Serpentine Duke who had been so kind to my mother and me? The one who fidgeted with the collar of his shirt, unable to bear the awkwardness around my mother? I even doubted if he was the same person.

‘It shouldn’t have to be said to this extent.’

Stunned by the duke’s rebuke, I inadvertently looked at Erhan, who was just clutching his hand, showing no reaction. More accurately, he was unable to show any reaction.

Indeed, the intensity the duke emitted was not something a child could withstand.

Despite his soft and gentle tone, the icy warning in his gaze was so intense that even I, a third party, could feel the pressure.

‘He’s terrified.’

That applied to his own child too. Erhan’s face, which had been smiling moments ago, now turned deathly pale. His body started to tremble, not just with fear but with an unbearable dread.

The duke was strict with Erhan, perhaps even more so than I had initially thought.

Contrary to his timid and gloomy first impression, the duke was not someone who took his position lightly.

‘The silver lining is that he seems to be looking out for me, at least.’

I couldn’t fully comprehend the duke’s inner thoughts, but it was a relief to know that he was amicable towards me. When our eyes met, the duke smiled as if he had never been cold a moment ago. However, when he looked behind me, his gaze turned icy again.

In this situation, Erhan remained motionless.

He could have easily apologized and defused the situation, but perhaps his pride prevented him from doing so. He just stood there, lips pressed in a straight line, staring at the ground. Watching Erhan, the duke coldly called out his name.

“Erhan Serpentine.”