Chapter 58: Chapter 17. Secret Alliance
Livius Carter rose from his seat as soon as he saw her.
— ...Brother.
Closing the door, Remesis walked slowly into the depths of the library. She stared for a few seconds at his figure, which had grown noticeably taller over the past few years.
After a long absence, for the first time in a very long time, Remesis met alone with her second brother.
The young man's cheeks were slightly flushed, apparently due to the stare from the girl.
Well, at least this was definitely the Livius she knew. Remesis couldn't stop smiling at her older brother's obvious embarrassment right now.
Then the boy suddenly spoke up:
— I missed you.
Every word was filled with sincerity. Remesis's heart shuddered. Looking at her brother right in front of her, unlike in the past when she had looked at him calmly, now Remesis felt strangely uncomfortable. Well, it wasn't surprising since it had been so long since they had seen each other. Sometimes a year was enough for a person to change beyond recognition. This was a much longer period of time. The difference between a child and an adult was unavoidable.
Without taking his gaze off Remesis, Livius repeated again:
— Really... I've missed you so much, sister...
Those words that he had kept deep within himself and could not express at last night's dinner involuntarily burst out of him.
Remesis didn't answer him right away, because Livius' words reminded her of the last twelve years. The girl didn't understand why, in all those years, her brother had never once tried to contact her.
— If you really missed... Then why didn't you even write to me once?
— ...
After saying that, the Duke's second son turned gloomy. It was not a sad expression, but rather a puzzled expression. Soon, he quietly spoke:
— Why didn't I write to you?
Remesis couldn't understand his reaction, which seemed strange to her. At any rate, she really couldn't find a reason why her brother might not have communicated with her all these years. And now, he suddenly claimed that he missed her. If that was really the case, he could at least write to her for once. Wouldn't he? Biting his lips, Livius abruptly opened his eyes and looked at her.
— Letters... Didn't I send them to you?
— What?
This answer was something Remesis didn't expect at all, so she was confused.
— After you left, I wrote to you several times. But I never got a single reply. So, I thought that you didn't want to contact me...'' — Livius hesitated, 'So the fact that you replied to my last letter really came as a surprise to me. I'm glad you're not angry anymore.
— Angry? Why would I be angry?
— I thought you were angry at our family all these years and that's why you didn't want to answer me.
'.....'
Remesis couldn't immediately find the words. In fact, she had no idea about those letters. Moreover, it was a real revelation to her that Livius had actually tried to contact her after she left for the north. But how was it that she knew nothing about it? How was that possible? Overwhelmed by her feverish thoughts, Remesis suddenly found an answer.
Was it possible that Duke Carter was actually behind this?
Not wanting Livius to have any ties to his cursed sister, abandoned to her fate, the Duke had done his best to cut off any connection between Remesis and the Carter family. If that was the case, that was indeed like him. Perhaps it was the only reasonable explanation for what had happened.
Remesis sighed heavily and a hard expression appeared on her face. She was really caught off guard by this. No, more than that, right now she was angry.
In that case, if the duke had tricked her into spending all these years in ignorance about these letters, then why did she receive this letter now? Had the man let his guard down, or had this letter been delivered by Livius in some other previously unknown way? The gears in her head were spinning tensely as the girl tried to sort out this situation for herself in her head.
Livius smiled weakly, as if the expression on Remesis' face at this moment seemed amused. Catching his gaze, the girl decided to let her indignation go. There was nothing more that could be done about what had happened anyway. And although she was annoyed by the situation, it was at least good that the misunderstanding between them could be cleared up. Since they hadn't seen each other for a long time, the Duke's youngest daughter decided not to dwell on the bad, and smiled at him as well. Yes, that's right, now was not the best time to worry about the past.
— I missed you a lot too.
When he heard her belated reply, Livius Carter smiled as if those words meant a lot to him.
The two of them settled down at a remote table in the reading room and spent a lot of time talking. This night they talked more than they ever had in their childhood. Watching Livius' eyes sparkle like the night sky, which were so much like her own, Remesis felt so relaxed for the first time in a long time. It was as if she actually had a family member she could have a heart-to-heart talk with.
Livius Carter had told her how his life had been going for the past twelve years. And Remesis had done the same. When the boy learnt about what his little sister in the north had had to endure, he was deeply shocked. Moreover, Livius couldn't believe that a small, fragile girl, who at that time didn't even reach the middle of a grown man's chest, had managed to endure all that. Livius was upset about his sister's difficult fate, but at the same time, he admired the bravery with which she met all these hardships.
In fact, there were still so many things they could discuss. They could have talked all night long. And yet Remesis decided to focus on the main thing right now.
— Brother, why did you want to see me?
When their eyes met at that moment, Livius became nervous.
— I... — His voice was cut short. Telling everything wasn't as easy as he had originally thought it would be.
Remesis looked at him carefully and gave his brother's palm a gentle squeeze.
— I'm ready. So it's going to be okay, tell me.
With her facial expression, it was as if the girl was telling him: whatever you tell me, it's going to be okay. Livius was relieved to see that expression on her face, which reflected a complete confidence in him. Just like in their childhood, when they were the only ones who could truly understand each other's thoughts.
'Sister, you always understand me better than anyone else. As I do you.'
But where should he start? In the end, Livius decided to just do it.
— Actually, Sister, I was going to ask you for your help... — After hesitating, he spoke.
The girl was listening to him attentively at this moment.
— And what is it that you need my help with? — she asked.
— I...
Livius bit his lip for a moment, and then, as if he had made up his mind to do so, raised his head:
— I intend to succeed the Carter family.
— What?
Remesis was confused. She didn't even know what she was surprised about. The words she had just heard? Or the fact that it was Livius who had said it?
Remesis didn't say anything for a long time, and then she opened her mouth and spoke in a trembling voice:
— What are you talking about?
Instead of being flustered, Livius continued without hesitation:
— Unfortunately, right now, I can't tell you everything... Because there are some things I'm not completely sure of myself yet. And yet, I do intend to become the successor of this family, and subsequently inherit the title of Duke.
His low voice was surprisingly resolute. Remesis couldn't speak anymore and only looked into his eyes.
Honestly, Remesis didn't expect that she would ever hear something like this from Livius' lips at all. It was the last request she thought the duke's second son would make of her.
Of course, rivalry for title was far from uncommon in noble families. At times, such a confrontation between relatives could even reach the point of a very real fierce fight. And yet, most often it happened in those families, where the head of the house until the last postponed the decision to appoint his direct successor. But the Carter family was definitely a different case.
Michel was chosen to be the successor as soon as he was born. As the eldest son of the Duke and Duchess. Not to mention that his birth was accompanied by the blessing of the Seardel star, which in itself greatly increased Michel's importance as a member of this family. His authority as heir to the Carter family has remained unbreakable all these years. So how was it possible that the Duke's second son could somehow be able to take his place under such a situation?
Besides, in Remesis' memory Livius had always been a humble child who would never dare to stand up to Michel, much less Duke Carter. So why was he saying such things now? Had... had something changed in him over the years? Or perhaps there were indeed compelling circumstances for this decision?
For now, her brother's sudden revelation remained a complete mystery to the girl.
— ...This is probably the best decision I could have made in my entire life. And... I, for us. to change everything. I'm really willing to do it.
Frozen, Remesis didn't move an inch. She was too stunned by what she had heard to be able to think soberly now.
— But how... How could this be possible? — The girl couldn't finish her sentence because her voice trailed off again.
The duke's second son continued without hesitation:
— In the near future, I am going to provide all the necessary evidence in front of the imperial court. I want to file a lawsuit to re-elect the Carter family's successor, due to the fact that the original candidate was illegally nominated.
'Illegally? What does that mean?'
Remesis was still listening intently to her brother, though she understood little based on his story. At this point, Livius Carter was first interrupted from his speech and a pause hung in his words. Then the young man gathered all his courage to look at his sister. He had a strange expression on his face.
— And in that... I'm going to need your help, sister, ' he said modestly, 'When I file a lawsuit in the Imperial Court, the first thing my father will do is try to scuttle my appeal. I can't handle him on my own. Unless... some powerful clan will take my side.
"A powerful clan?"
Remesis immediately realised that what was meant by those words was none other than the northern principality, which at this moment had unquestionable authority in the empire. In other words, she instantly interpreted her brother's intentions.
— So you want the north to publicly support you as the new successor of the Carter family? — Remesis said aloud what he was about to say.
— Exactly, ' confirming his sister's words, Livius gave her a serious nod.
'.....'
Remesis looked at the boy carefully, biting her lip. When she was about to speak again, her voice was more determined:
— ...Brother, are you really serious in what you say? Are you sure you can do this?
From his facial expression, the Duke's youngest daughter realised that Livius had already made up his mind. And yet, she still had to ask about it because it was not a thing that could be reasoned about lightly. Remesis wanted to make sure that Livius was truly aware of it, and prepared for the possible consequences of his move.
The girl was worried. And not just because the guy had barely revealed any details of his plan to her, and that meant trusting him almost blindly. It was because Duke Carter was not a merciful man, and in a pinch he would show no leniency even to his own son. That meant that if Livius lost this fight, he would lose forever.
But contrary to her fears, the duke's second son was indeed determined now.
— Sister. This time, I really ask you to trust me,'' he said firmly, ''I promise I won't let you down.
'.....'
Remesis didn't take long to reflect on what she had heard. It was too hard to describe what the girl was experiencing right now. And yet, there was one thing she was definitely sure of. Soon she answered without hesitation:
— ...Alright. Then I'll support you.
— Really? — Livius interjected.
— If it will help justice prevail, then you can rely on me,'' The Duke's youngest daughter was a person who did not throw her words to the wind, and they both knew it well.
Thus, Livius was deeply touched that his sister had actually agreed to support him.
— Thank you, sister, ' he said sincerely.
Wrinkles appeared in the corners of Remesis' eyes as she smiled:
— Brother, this is your thanks for trusting me.
Thus, brother and sister made a secret agreement that was going to drastically affect the fate of this house in the future. A brief silence hung in the library after this conversation.
When Remesis tilted her head, her hair fell softly on her shoulders.
Hair that looked magical, a mixture of the bright night sky. Blue eyes that looked like the vast universe radiated a warm energy.
Livius unconsciously held his gaze on her. He was once again drenched in colour as he looked at her.
Was it because of a sense of shame? His younger sister was very beautiful, so it was quite difficult for the second son of a duke to restrain himself and remain calm.
'Why is he looking so strange?'
Remesis thought about it while watching the silent boy.
— Is something wrong?
As if coming to his senses, Livius blinked quickly, avoiding her gaze.
— No, nothing's wrong, ' he smiled embarrassedly, 'I'm just glad I have a sister I can rely on. I also want you to be able to do the same in the future, and lean on me as your big brother.
— Ha... That will definitely happen.
Remesis once again smiled softly at him. Livius looked at her again. For some reason, goosebumps ran down his body.
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