Nurturing the Hero to Avoid Death

My name is Robert Owen. I’m the son of Lord Owen.

Our territory is located near the country’s western border, surrounded by mountains, forests, rivers, and lakes. Even if I don’t say it, anyone can see that it’s an undeveloped countryside area.

No, I can even call it an extremely rustic countryside area.

Our territory is far from the royal capital. Even if I were to rush for the capital in a horse-drawn carriage in the morning, I’ll only be able to get there by the following day at sunset.

The villagers and townsfolk are busy with their day-to-day work. They rarely want or need to go to the royal capital. And very few people from the royal capital will go out of their way to come to such a rural area near the western border of the country. Actually, basically no one will. So by the time any news from the capital reaches our territory, it is commonplace for the information to already be outdated.

Naturally, in this rural area that’s completely unable to keep up with the trends, you can’t see any stylish and fashionable stores and cafes. Here, no one can be bothered to build a theater where actors at the peak of their popularity can perform. To dream of having a team of famous architects build the nation’s largest music hall is also a mere crazy fantasy. Not even a shadow of a beauty dressed in stunning fine fashion and makeup, not an unusual sight in the royal capital, can be found here either.

Moreover, our mansion is located in the worst area possible. Whenever I step out of the mansion gates, all I can see is a meadow and a wheat field stretching out in the distance. When I turn to the sides of the road, the only scenery available to me is the cows and the sheep, either sleeping or eating grass with blank faces. Ahh, I really hate all this.

Just thinking about how I’ll have to become the lord of such a remote countryside in the future… I can’t help but let out a sigh. The thought of convincing my mother to do her best to make one more brother often crosses my mind. That way, I can go to the magnificent royal capital with Lian.

Going to the royal capital is something I dream of every day, so I never could’ve guessed that my dear brother Lian would…

After he graduated from school, he told our father that he’d rather work for our territory than go to the royal capital!

When I asked him the reason, he told me he wanted to help the current lord and the succeeding lord.That is, our father and me.

Really…

He’s so lovable!! I’m so happy!!

Lian is staunch in his decision. Our father tried to make him work at the royal capital, but in the end, he gave up and consented to Lian’s decision. Maybe Lian’s enthusiasm touched him.

How unbelievable.

I previously assumed that Lian would leave for the royal capital in the future. But turns out, he’s staying in this countryside—I mean, our territory. Nothing can make me happier than this. It’s like I’m in a dream.

Since my younger brother has decided to remain here, I firmly decide to do my best here as the succeeding lord too.

But when listening to my vow, Lian only says with an anxious face, “Then I’ll hold you to that, Brother. Please, please be a good lord. I’ll do my part to the best of my abilities as well.”

It’s okay, Lian. You don’t need to worry. Your brother is reliable. Feel free to rely on me.

Then Lowendal, who is listening to our conversation beside me, says with a smile, “If Lian-sama is still worried, then just leave it to me. I’ll be responsible for educating Robert-sama. I will guide him to be a good lord.”

This finally eases Lian’s worries. He returns the smile to Lowendal.

Hmmmm….

Lowendal’s a great butler, but he doesn’t let me sleep until I finish my work on the very same day. He can be rather harsh with that… I hope he’ll go easy on me. I pray that he will. Not to mention, he gets very scary when he’s angry. There will still be a smile on his face, but I can tell he’s really angry. He also gets this scary aura around him.

…Well, fine. Let’s set him aside for now. Just thinking of him makes me feel restless. No, that doesn’t mean I’m scared.

Yeah, that’s right. Mhm.

Let’s just think about my cute little brother to heal my heart.

My little brother Lian is very talented, thoughtful, clever, strong, kind, and sweet. I’m really proud of him.

The beauty of moonlight can’t even compare to that of his soft, silver hair and long eyelashes. His incredibly fair skin, something he got from our mother, is reminiscent of light snowfall. His clear, pure eyes are like ice crystals too. Not a speck of darkness or shadow can be seen in them. He also has slender limbs. He really looks a lot like the moon fairy from the land of the spirits in the fairy tales.

No, maybe he really is a fairy. The reincarnation of one. That must be it. After all, he’s very very stunning and adorable.

Maybe he’s hiding his moonlight wings in his back. Maybe as he takes off his clothes, his pale back will──Ah, this is bad. Blood is dripping from my nose and falling onto my paperwork. I have to wipe it off fast, or else Lowendal will be angry.

Uh oh. Looks like I can’t wipe it off.

…I’ll just tell him I spilled my tea.

My mother’s eyes possess the same icy color as Lian’s. But when she stares at me, her eyes sometimes send a chill running through my spine. Whereas with Lian, his eyes just give him a very calm demeanor.

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I heard that even in school, many students there idolize him. But that’s only natural. He’s my brother after all.

When we were still young, he would often follow me around, his small feet doing their utmost effort to catch up to me. He would fondly call out “Brother, Brother” with a sweet smile. We often take a bath together back then too. But nowadays, he doesn’t do that with me anymore. It makes me feel very lonely…

I’ve asked him again and again whether we can take a bath together sometimes, but he always refuses. He’s probably shy. My little brother is very shy and reserved. That part of him is also cute.

But once in a while, I wish we can have the chance to clean each other’s back and deepen our sibling bond. I want to clean Lian’s beautiful skin with my own hands. Not just his back but also his chest. Maybe he’ll feel ticklish and say, “Brother, stop…” with flushed cheeks. My little brother is very reserved after all. Then I can also wash Lian’s important parts and even those small nipples carefully and thoroughly. He’ll probably cry out as his face turns a bright red. Ahh, how cute. If I give him a smooch on the forehead like when we were kids, will he grow shy but happy?

Ah, no way. My nosebleed has dirtied the paper even more.

Then I heard a knock on the door of my study. I take the dirtied documents and slip them under the other stacks of documents.

“Who is it?” I say.

“It’s me, Brother.”

Talk about the devil! No, that’s completely wrong. Think of an angel, and the real angel comes!

Hmm. I wonder whether anyone can understand this feeling.

The door slowly opens, and Lian’s face peeks in though the gap.

Since it’s getting close to winter, it’s getting quite chilly lately. Today, Lian’s first layer of clothes consists of a pastel-colored shirt made out of a soft material and a pair of dark beige pants, along with a pair of thin knee-high leather boots. Layered on top of his shirt is a vest in the same dark beige as his pants, and then a knee-length coat whose color is of a lighter beige. I can also see a scarf peeking out from his collar, made with a soft and warming fabric. Its light violet color complements Lian’s eye color nicely.

Mhm. As expected from Lowendal. The clothes he arranges for Lian always suit him well. He really understands Lian’s good points.

“Ah, Lian! Your clothes… Are you going out again?”