Chapter 3: Rubina’s Birthday

Lately, I’ve been getting approached more often for some reason. Mostly by female students, starting with greetings, followed by words of support like, “We’re rooting for you,” or encouragement like, “Keep going.” All I can manage to reply is, “Thank you.” I shared the incident with Diet with Sophia-san, who I’m close to in class, as well as Rachel-san from a viscount family and Deborah-san from a baron family. I felt ashamed for such a pathetic story, but like Sophia-san, they got angry on my behalf and comforted me. To think they’d get upset for my sake—they’re all such kind people. Mother grounded me, so until my birthday, I’m just going back and forth between home and the academy, meaning tea parties with friends are on hold. But we promised to definitely have a tea party once the ban is lifted. The conversation grew, with talk of wanting to go on a town outing together, and I felt grateful for being blessed with such friends.

Since that incident, I haven’t seen Diet even on weekends, and at the academy, with our buildings being different, I don’t run into him either. I feel a bit lonely realizing we don’t meet unless there’s a reason, but deep down, I’m relieved. Plus, with my birthday party coming up soon, I’m busy preparing despite being grounded. Diet seems to be spending time with his classmates as usual, and since I don’t want to see him right now, it works out well. A girl from my class told me that last week, there was a party for a count’s heir in Diet’s class, and Diet apparently went with Patricia-san. Hearing that, I didn’t feel sad or angry. I think I would have in the past, but spending time with my friends has given me a broader perspective on Diet. People around me might see me as pitiful, but I’m starting to feel like that doesn’t matter.

“Rubina-san, it’s not your fault,” my friends all say in unison to defend me. But I have my faults too. I couldn’t express my own opinions. I can’t say no to Diet—or rather, I don’t. I plan to talk to him properly at the party.

I thought about consulting Father and Mother about Diet, but I decided to talk to my dependable, beloved Onii-sama first. Onii-sama was surprised but patted my head, saying, “You did well telling me.” It’s a habit of his to pat my head, and when I complained for the first time that it makes me feel like a child, he burst out laughing.

“Rubina, you’ll always be my cute little sister, so forgive me,” he said, adding, “I’ll always be on your side, so don’t worry.” When I told Sophia-san and the others about this, they said, “What a wonderful Onii-sama! So different from my brothers!”

I felt proud of Onii-sama. He’s engaged to Cynthia-san, a count’s daughter related to Sophia-san’s family. Once Onii-sama marries, we’ll be distantly connected to Sophia-san’s family as relatives.

I was spending lunch with my friends as usual. This has become my normal routine, and I no longer have lunch with Diet, nor do we stay in touch. The old me would probably have apologized to him. Once, I ran into Diet and tried to talk to him, but he turned away and quickly walked off. Sophia-san and the others frowned at his attitude, but strangely, I didn’t feel anything and was surprised at myself.

It’s nice weather today, so we’re having lunch outside.

“I’m looking forward to Rubina-san’s birthday party,” Sophia-san said, with Rachel-san and Deborah-san nodding in agreement.

“Thank you all for taking the time to attend despite your busy schedules.”

A 16th birthday party is an important milestone. You can debut by hosting a party at home, attending another family’s party, or at one of the two annual palace parties. Following tradition, my family, the Rosen viscounts, will host a party at home for my debut. Onii-sama’s debut was also held at our viscount estate. My party will be a cozy one with family, connected households, and my invited guests—my friends. Onii-sama, being the heir, had a grand debut with many nobles from associated families invited.

When Father asked what kind of party I wanted, I said I’d rather express gratitude to those close to me than make it grand. He prepared it according to my wishes. Though not large-scale, I invited all my classmates to make it heartfelt, and I was delighted when they all agreed to attend. There’s even a marquis’s daughter in my class, and though this was our first real conversation beyond greetings, she said, “I’d be delighted to attend.” We’ve talked a few times since, and she loves poetry collections—her choice of words is so beautiful, I’m deeply impressed. She offered to lend me her recommended poetry collection, and I’m secretly thrilled.

Since it’s a cozy gathering rather than a ball or evening party, I wrote in the invitations that I’d like people to attend whether they have a partner or not. Finding a partner can be difficult if you don’t have one, and such parties aren’t uncommon these days. Being too casual might be rude to guests, so the trend is to focus on what matters and simplify where possible. I wanted everyone to attend without pressure. I invited Diet’s family to the party, but Onii-sama will escort me. We’ll make rounds as a family, which feels natural. I’ll be nervous as the star of the party, but having Onii-sama escort me is reassuring, and I secretly want to show him off to my friends a little.

~Brother Luke’s Perspective~

I have a sister three years younger than me named Rubina, and she’s an incredibly cute little sister. I could go on forever about how adorable she is. The mansion staff call her an angel descended to earth—that’s how lovable she is.

But that’s exactly the problem… She’s so cute that we end up spoiling her. Normally, you’d think such pampering would make a child selfish, but our Rubina is so pure, honest, modest, and utterly adorable in every way, truly like an angel. She’s so cute that I worried I’d never be able to let her go—I’d become a total sis-con! I once tried to distance myself by going to our territory, but after a week, I came crawling back because I missed her too much. When I returned, Rubina ran to me, saying, “Onii-sama! Welcome back! I missed you while you were gone,” and hugged me. Every little thing she does is so cute that I ended up hugging her and spinning her around. She laughed joyfully, her voice ringing out. She was six at the time. You might laugh and say I’m biased, but since our relatives are mostly male and Rubina’s the only girl, even my uncle dotes on her, giving her a rabbit plushie bigger than her for her birthday. Seeing Rubina sleep hugging that plushie was so adorable, I wanted to call a painter to capture it. But we decided to keep that precious sight for family eyes only.

Two years later, when Rubina was eight, Father and Mother hosted a dinner with their friends. They invited their friends’ children for a sort of social introduction. Rubina didn’t have friends her age, so I hoped she’d find someone to talk to. It’s our fault for spoiling her, but she’s shy and struggles to initiate conversations. While I was chatting with a friend, I suddenly realized—where’s Rubina? I looked around and found her being approached by an adult man.

“Rubina!”

“Onii-sama…”

Rubina ran to me with a teary face and hugged me. What happened? Who is this man?

“Oh dear, it seems I’ve been disliked. I was just talking to Rubina-chan. She’s a very charming young lady. Pardon me, I’m Heinz Bremer.”

Heinz Bremer? An heir of the Bremer count family? He looks over 20, so what business does he have with Rubina?

“Pardon the late introduction. I’m Luke Rosen, Rubina’s older brother.”

“I heard from Rubina-chan that she came with her family. If you’d like, Rubina-chan, would you join me for tea? I’d love to hear more about you.”

Rubina shook her head. He didn’t do anything strange to her, did he?

“Rubina is the shy type. We came today hoping she’d make friends her age. My apologies, but our mother is calling her, so we’ll take our leave.”

Mother wasn’t really calling, but mentioning her should make him back off. This man isn’t seriously interested in Rubina, despite the age gap, is he? No, I’m overthinking.

“That’s a shame. Let’s meet again soon. I’ll prepare some strawberry sweets, Rubina-chan’s favourite.”

Rubina loves strawberries. He probably asked what she likes, and she answered. He’s not trying to lure her with strawberries, is he? Since he’s at this tea party, he must be unmarried, but the age difference is obvious! Even after we left, he kept watching Rubina. I can’t take my eyes off her—who knows what might happen! I told Father and Mother we should head home, and we left. I stayed by Rubina’s side the whole time, so she didn’t end up making friends. After sending her to her room, I told Father and Mother about the man.

“Luke, you’re overthinking. Heinz-sama of the Bremer count family must be 22, I believe. Rubina’s eight. There’s no way.”

Mother laughed, but Father looked serious. When he makes that face, he’s deep in thought and won’t answer if I ask.

The next day.

“I came early to speak with the viscount, apologies for the intrusion.”

They say bad premonitions come true, but I didn’t want this to be one!

“Oh my, Heinz-sama of the Bremer count family, welcome. What brings you…?”

Mother handled it. Where’s Father? A maid whispered to me as I watched from hiding.

“The master told Rubina-sama not to leave her room. Oh, the master’s here.”

The maid and I hid to observe, but they went to the drawing room! I can’t hear anything now! I thought about eavesdropping but decided against it—it’s beneath my dignity. An angel and devil whispered in my mind, but as Rubina’s brother, I wanted to be someone she could be proud of. I didn’t give in to the devil!

“Luke, what are you doing? I need to talk, is that okay?”

“Father, didn’t we have a guest?”

“The talk is over, so I sent him away.”

That was quick. What was it about? I followed Father to the drawing room, where Mother looked visibly exhausted. He told me to sit, so I did.

“Actually, someone proposed to Rubina.”

A proposal? Like… marriage?! No way!

“It’s no surprise you’re shocked. It was Heinz-dono of the Bremer count family. He came to propose himself. Of course, I refused. I have no intention of marrying Rubina to an older man we barely know. I’ll write a refusal letter to Count Bremer as well.”

The Bremer count family is known as nouveau riche, with a head called a money-making genius but a vulgar man. They’re not planning to buy Rubina with money, are they?

“Father, they didn’t try to flash money at us, did they? Don’t sell Rubina off. I’d resent you forever.”

“Our family isn’t so desperate as to sell our daughter! I said I refused!”

I know Father would never sell Rubina. I got a bit emotional. Our family has a long-standing reputation for being a stable territory. We maintain strong vertical and horizontal ties to handle any trouble. I’m grateful to our ancestors.

“My apologies for the slip.”

Seeing Father’s expression yesterday, this might have been expected.

“I’ve heard rumours that the Bremer heir likes young girls. To think he’d ask for Rubina’s hand. How was Rubina when he spoke to her yesterday?”

She looked like she was about to cry. Seeing me, she seemed relieved and hugged me—her cuteness in that moment… She was scared.

“She seemed frightened. He knew she likes strawberries, probably because she told him, but she shook her head when he invited her to talk, so she must’ve sensed something.”

Father and Mother firmly said they’d refuse. The other side is a higher-ranking count family, but Father has wide connections, so even if they pressure us, we likely have allies. I’ll leave this to Father. I went to Rubina’s room to warn her.

“Listen, Rubina! Don’t go with strangers, okay? Even if they offer you sweets, don’t talk to them. If something happens, it’d be trouble, so make sure to ask their name and remember it. Repeat what I said, Rubina. Don’t go with strangers. Sweet words have hidden motives—”

Rubina, being obedient, repeated, “Don’t go with strangers.” Good. Father had a minor conflict with Count Bremer, so Mother, Rubina, and I went to the territory for a while. Father grumbled, “What a hassle, that family. Just a bit more patience,” so he must have a plan.

I’ll leave it to Father and live leisurely in the territory. Staying there lets me learn about the land, which is educational. Or so I thought—how foolish I was. Our territory and the neighbouring one have a river with a bridge we jointly funded and built, allowing easy travel. We have a decent relationship with them. Mother and Viscountess Morrison, from the neighbouring territory, have been close friends for years. We recently held a joint festival to celebrate the bridge, which was a lively memory. This time, we planned a dinner once Father returned. I never expected a pitfall here! Dietrich from the Morrison viscount family is the same age as Rubina. Still growing, he’s more androgynous than boyish, and Rubina seems at ease with him, chatting happily despite her usual shyness!

“Oh my, how rare. Rubina looks like she’s enjoying her conversation. Does she get along with Dietrich-kun?”

“Don’t you think Diet and Rubina-chan would be good together?”

Absolutely not! I wanted to shout. But causing a scene would startle Rubina, and I can’t do that. It’s just while we’re in the territory, so I’ll let it slide. He’s a country boy, so her guard must be down. I’ll think of him as Rubina’s first friend. While we stayed in the territory, Dietrich started coming over often. You again! I thought, but as a noble, I can smile while cursing inside.

“Dietrich-dono, you’re here again?”

So go away, I thought.

“Hello, Luke-nii-san.”

What? I’m not your brother!

“Rubina’s in the middle of her piano lesson right now.”

So go away, I thought.

“It’s piano lesson day, huh? I can hear the music. I’ll wait here and listen to Rubina’s piano until she’s done.”

Did he just call Rubina by her name? I didn’t mishear, right?

“Oh, Dietrich-kun, you’re here. The lesson should be over soon, so have some tea while you wait.”

Mother came and had the maid prepare tea. I glared at her, and she said, “Come here, we need to talk.”

“Since he’s Rubina’s first friend, be a bit nicer. Dietrich-kun might still think your smile is genuine, but to us, it looks scary. I know you’re worried about Rubina, but don’t interfere, or she’ll end up hating you.”

Hated by Rubina? I couldn’t live with that. Should I distance myself from her…? As I trudged down the hall, Rubina, finished with her lesson, called out to me.

“Onii-sama, did you listen to my piano? The teacher praised me today!”

She spoke with a cheerful, bouncy voice. I patted her head.

“Of course I listened. You’ve improved so much since coming to the territory. You should play for Father next time.”

This was sincere. She used to struggle with certain parts, but now she plays smoothly.

“Oh, right, Dietrich-dono is waiting. You should go to him.”

The intruder will leave.

“Onii-sama, you seem down. Is something wrong? You’re not your usual self.”

Rubina notices even the smallest things.

“Really? I was just thinking about something. See you later, Rubina.”

I patted her head and sent her to the room where Dietrich was waiting.

“Onii-sama is acting strange. I didn’t make plans with Diet today, so I’ll tell him to go home. Onii-sama, I’m thirsty. I want to drink the tea you make. We promised to eat the cookies I made with Anna and the others yesterday, right?”

The cookies Rubina cut out—I thought she saved some for Dietrich, but she chose me. As long as she picks me, I can keep living a Rubina-centered life for now.

“If that’s the case, I’ll gladly make it. What tea should we have today? How about milk tea?”

“Yes! I love you, Onii-sama!”

Rubina linked arms with me. I don’t know how long we can stay like this, so for now, I want her to be my Rubina.