Shaky steps led Diana out of Roderick’s room.

“Hey.”

She bumped into someone, but Diana was too preoccupied to pay attention.

“Diana!”

A firm grip caught her, and her shoulder was held tightly. The lifeless pink eyes slowly lifted.

“What’s wrong? What happened?!”

After blinking her eyes a couple of times, Diana snapped back to her senses.

“Oh, brother.”

Nathan was staring down at her with an angry expression.

His sweat-soaked hair and pale, horrified face bore traces of tears. On top of that, her thin nightgown dress was in disarray, appearing as if she had been forced into it.

The fiery furnace-like flames began to simmer in his red eyes.

“……. ”

“I’m tired. If you have something to say, later… Brother?”

Nathan wordlessly walked past Diana along the path she came, taking angry steps.

Bang! The door opened as if it would shatter, and the man who had been resting with excessive magic looked towards the door.

“Hey, you son of a b****!”

Nathan unleashed an enormous aura, lifting Roderick by the collar.

“Brother!”

Without hesitation, Nathan’s fist landed on Roderick’s face. Thud! The punch hit the already swollen cheek squarely.

“I didn’t see you like that. I trusted you as a comrade who shared life and death. I didn’t mind even if you went crazy with blood.”

“……. ”

“But she’s not my sister. This jerk!”
However, Nathan’s fist was no longer tolerated. The man with one swollen cheek tightly grabbed Nathan’s fist.

“I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

“What?!”

“Why should I get hit?”

Nathan’s raised mouth trembled with anger.

“Let’s talk after you get hit a bit.”

“……. ”

His blue eyes turned to Diana, not Nathan. They seemed to be asking her to explain what was going on. Diana sighed deeply.

“Stop it, brother.”

Diana grabbed Nathan’s bulging arm, but Nathan didn’t release Roderick’s collar.

“Why are you siding with him when you see his true colors? Nathan, explain what he did wrong. Stop this.”

“Why are you saying that after seeing your brother being hit!?” Nathan snapped, baring his teeth at Diana.

He swallowed his frustration while watching Diana firmly supporting Roderick. Nathan finally released his grip on Roderick’s collar.

“It’s disappointing if this is how the North’s nobility behaves.”

A thorn was embedded in the suppressed voice. Nathan took Diana’s wrist and turned away.

“Let’s go.”

“Wait, brother.”

Ignoring Diana’s words, Nathan led her out of the corridor and toward their room.

“Pack your things.”

“What?”

“We can’t stay here any longer. Let’s leave.”

“Brother.”

“No. Just change into some clothes quickly. I’ll buy the other necessary items.”

“Nathan!”

Nathan, visibly agitated, seemed eager to escape from a place he perceived as dangerous.
“Calm down. It’s not the right time. Where should we go right now?”

“Anywhere! Anywhere is better than here.”

“Noona?”

At the loud voice, Noel, who had been quietly sleeping on her bed, woke up. Nathan’s gaze turned toward Noel.

“Hey, kid. Change into some clothes. We’re leaving together.”

Noel, rubbing her half-open eyes in a daze, hesitated. Ignoring Nathan’s words after seeing Diana’s condition, she urgently got up, crawled down from the bed, and tightly grabbed a corner of Diana’s skirt.

“Noona! What happened?!”

No, why is everyone reacting so sensitively? Diana gently raised her hand on Noel’s head, smiling reassuringly as if to say there was nothing to worry about.

“Nothing happened.”

“Liar.”

“Huh?”

The child’s voice was too small to be heard. Noel, after fidgeting and touching Diana’s hand, suddenly rushed out of the room without saying a word.

“Noel!”

“Where are you going? Hurry up and change your clothes.”

Diana tried to catch Noel, but Nathan grabbed her wrist. Why is this brother acting like this? Her head was already too complicated.

“Where are you going? You can’t even go to the family right now.”

“I have a residence in the west. Let’s go there. I’ll take care of the family issue. Stay there for now.”

“Are you telling me to run away like you, brother?”

Nathan’s body, heading to the dressing room to get clothes, stiffened.

“What did you say?”

“Well, you didn’t run away; you just abandoned the family. How can a brother like that come forward and solve things?”
He definitely used his military service obligation as an excuse to abandon the family and wandered around.

Nathan’s heart was never at ease because it seemed like he abandoned even his younger sister who stayed at home.

The two elder brothers who remained at home built their influence and lived well, but the youngest was different.

So Diana thought she lived within the mansion, having abandoned everything as if she had left the family behind and turned her back on the world.

“I’ll somehow.”

The words couldn’t come out. The guilt and regret felt like a heavy lump pressing down on the back of the tongue. At that time, should I have taken you with me?

“But, brother, you can’t resolve your current health condition immediately.”

It was a harsh remark, but it was the truth.