Home/My Youngest Keeps Bringing Me Male Leads/ch 40

Chapter 40

The three of them gathered in Edmund's room.

Elizabeth's gaze was fixed on Silmare the entire time.

His appearance was truly astonishingly beautiful.

It wasn't just Elizabeth who was captivated—Edmund, standing beside her, was the same.

Seeing Edmund's dazed expression snapped Elizabeth back to her senses.

'Was I making the same face?'

She barely managed to compose herself and pretend to be calm, but then she felt angry at Agnes.

'Did she send him to spy on us? Afraid we'd cause trouble?'

But what Silmare said was different.

"I have some things to investigate here, but it seems I'm quite conspicuous."

Well of course—you're so beautiful it's unreal...!

Before Elizabeth could respond, Edmund spoke instead.

"So you're using us to divert attention?"

Silmare smiled faintly.

Agnes and her siblings were sharp, so he was glad he didn't need to give a complicated explanation.

"In a sense, yes."

"Actually, we've been hiding our status and pretending to be commoners here."

"Would it be a problem if your identity were revealed?"

"It's not that..."

Finding Edmund's weak reply frustrating, Elizabeth cut in directly.

"So we just need to act like we know you if any trouble comes up, right?"

"Yes."

"And if it looks like you'll be discovered, you can say you were here because of us?"

"Yes."

"We don't mind! Do whatever you want!"

This was the first time Silmare had properly met Agnes's siblings.

Elizabeth had a pretty face, but her slightly upturned eyes gave her a sharp look.

Edmund, on the other hand, resembled Agnes more.

His kind, round eyes and green irises naturally made her think of Agnes, but his inability to hold eye contact made him seem somewhat fragile.

Silmare gave a brief bow to the two.

"Thank you."

"It's nothing."

"By the way, what exactly are you investigating?"

Hearing Edmund's question, Silmare hesitated for a moment.

'Should I really tell them?'

Wouldn't they be shocked to hear the estate was attacked?

And the opponent was the captain of the Calben City guard.

'But if they find out these two are here, they might try to take them hostage.'

With that judgment, Silmare spoke lightly.

"Actually, there was a robbery at the estate."

"Pardon?"

"Fortunately, no one was hurt, but the culprit fled this way, so I came to investigate."

"Is—is sister alright?"

"Did the robber come to Calben City?!"

"Everyone, including Agnes, is safe. It's been resolved, but I'm here to investigate in case there are further threats."

"I see."

"Are you sure... nothing happened?"

When Elizabeth asked hesitantly, Silmare nodded.

"Yes, nothing for you to worry about. However, it would be best if you both continue to keep your connection to the Laverose family a secret."

Looking at their attire, Silmare confirmed:

"You're keeping it a secret from those around you, right?"

"Yes, that's right."

Only then did Elizabeth seem self-conscious about her clothes, tugging at her hem.

Pretending not to notice, Silmare casually asked how they were doing.

"Speaking of which, Agnes was very worried about you two. Have you been doing well?"

At that, both their expressions darkened instantly.

In fact, he could guess just from looking at them.

Even without knowing human customs, the lodging they were staying in looked run-down, and so did their clothes.

From what Silmare had heard, they'd come to the city for fun.

So why did they look like this?

"Did something happen? Did you get robbed?"

"Yes, a little..."

"Not all of it! We still have plenty left!"

"Wasn't it dangerous?"

"Of course not! They just ransacked the room!"

"If it's hard to get by, it might be better to go home."

"No way!"

Elizabeth cried out in a shrill voice, as if screaming.

"I'm not going back until I've earned some money!"

"Brother!"

The words slipped out before she could stop them.

Even if she covered her mouth belatedly, she couldn't take back what had already been said.

Silmare furrowed his fine brow slightly and asked.

"Are you in debt? If so, shouldn't you be telling Agnes?"

How could she explain that she'd rather die than do that?

Elizabeth's eyes reddened.

She was already exhausted from repeated rejections.

No one had listened to them, no one had cared about their feelings.

It was only natural.

To others, they were just insignificant children.

Having someone listen to them for the first time in a while made their hearts feel soft.

And since it wasn't in front of their sister, they didn't need to be prideful.

In the end, both Elizabeth and Edmund tearfully poured out their grievances.

After hearing everything, Silmare smiled wryly.

"Do you really need to go this far to earn money?"

To Silmare, this was incomprehensible.

It might have been different when they had no money, but now they had plenty.

Even among elves, because of their long lifespans, children were precious.

They were raised carefully until adulthood.

Naturally, they were never given rough work, so it pained him to see such resolve.

"There's no need for that anymore."

The two children bowed their heads in silence.

Silmare looked at them with a bittersweet smile.

'They only lost their parents, and yet they've ended up like this.'

Among elves, everyone around the children would care for them.

This wasn't just their problem.

A world where no one protected you unless they were your parents felt incredibly cold.

"Is it because you don't want to rely on Agnes?"

"Well... isn't that obvious?! She's not our parent! What's the difference between her and me? We're only four years apart!"

As if it were a sore spot, Elizabeth's face flushed red as she blurted out.

"I'm not stupid—she was just a kid herself when Mom died, but she said she'd take responsibility for us. Isn't that ridiculous? No matter how useless we were..."

A tear finally dropped, and Elizabeth wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

She must have looked a sight.

She wouldn't have been like this if her heart hadn't been so weak.

Just then, a soft laugh like the whisper of the wind was heard.

Looking up, Silmare was smiling gently.

"You should have just been honest. You wanted to help your sister."

"I did! I asked her so many times if there was anything I could do! But she always pretended not to hear and said she was fine!"

"Then Agnes is in the wrong."

"She is! It was so frustrating—she's so stiff and stubborn! And what does she say? She has to protect the estate, she can't lose the title! What's the estate to her? She could just sell it and find some way to live—why does she live like that...!"

Resting his chin quietly, Silmare listened to Elizabeth's story.

On that point, Silmare agreed.

He had long noticed the problem with Agnes.

She tried to take responsibility for everything alone and found it hard to ask others for help.

Having lived with her as family, the siblings would feel it even more keenly.

'I want to help my sister too!'

'I don't want her to suffer alone!'

They either needed someone to lean on, or they wanted to be leaned on.

Children always wanted to act like adults, even while throwing tantrums.

Such contradictory and ambivalent feelings.

'It's a bit heartbreaking.'

The two children who had shut themselves in their rooms even when guests came, and Amy, who was traveling the world to somehow help her sister...

'And Agnes, who's been enduring alone all this time.'

Silmare recalled the words he had whispered to her.

That he wanted to be her fortune.

That he would help her with anything.

Because her joy was his happiness.

So he wanted to help Elizabeth and Edmund.

"Then let's think about it together."

"Think about... what?"

"You said you wanted to find work. When we elves come of age and are given roles, we first explore what we're good at."

"But we're not good at anything."

"Surely you had things you enjoyed. If you stayed at home, you couldn't have just sat in your room doing nothing."

"Well..."

As Silmare said, the past five years had been a long time.

They couldn't ask anyone to teach them, go meet anyone, or do anything they had to do.

"Edmund just read books, and I..."

She couldn't read books—they bored her. So she did whatever she could get her hands on.

At first, she drew, but she couldn't buy paper or paints, so Elizabeth occasionally helped Marta.

Since all the valuables had been sold, only scraps of cloth remained in the estate.

Marta used them to make clothes for Elizabeth, Edmund, and their father, and Elizabeth would sit beside her, threading yarn and knitting.

At first she was clumsy, but she eventually became quite skilled.

After all, she had plenty of time.

As Elizabeth fell into thought, Silmare's smile deepened.

"So there is something. How about looking for work in that area?"

"I only did it at home—would it be of any use?"

"That's for the employer to decide. If it seems impossible, you can just give up and go home."

"What? What did you say?!"

Startled, Elizabeth quickly added.

"Oh, no! I'll try it!"

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