Worries

“It’s normal to be worried and nervous Frederick. You are not alone. I felt that way as well when we came here with the edict. I was so nervous I was even scared my words may not come out properly,” Raphael assured Frederick.

“You get nervous and scared? I always thought you were always calm and fearless older brother,” Frederick stared at his brother like he was looking at him for the first time.

“I did not know you thought so highly of me.” Raphael chuckled.

“Fearless?

“Me?

“I fear a lot of things.

“That’s why I can always remain calm. It is because of my fears that I can always think calmly and resolve what needs to be done.

“Though that time was probably the first time I was so nervous that I did not know what to do. My mind nearly ate me up,” Raphael admitted.

Frederick stared at his oldest brother in disbelief.

Raphael had looked so calm and composed when he revealed the devastating news to Lumina and Francesca. Raphael had even gradually discussed the edict after that.

“How did you seem so calm when you discussed with Lumina and Lady Francesca?” even Herbert was astonished.

“Recalling I was the first child and had to be more responsible for the sake of my adorable younger brothers made me calm down and discuss everything calmly,” Raphael smiled at them.

“I did not want the two of you to bear the brunt of their grief and frustration upon hearing the news. So it had to be me. I needed to be the one to tell them.

“And I was willing to accept whatever emotion they threw at me.

“They can hate me, curse me, and unleash their wrath on me.

“I did not mind as long as it was not the two of you that yelled at.

“I had wanted to be alone with them so you two would not have to hear if they uttered any harsh words,” Raphael said with a fatherly smile.

Herbert and Frederick looked at each other guiltily.

Right, their eldest brother Raphael had always been overprotective of them and he was the most responsible among them. He had always protected them since they were kids.

There was a time in their childhood when Herbert could have died of mortal wounds if Raphael had not noticed.

Frederick was completely fooled by Herbert’s act. He was then shocked when he saw Raphael healing and dressing Herbert’s wound when their parent’s finally left for the capital for a meeting of the Dukes and Duchess’.

Herbert was just nine years old then but he had apparently gone to fight demon beasts that were far stronger than him.

He won but sustained so many injuries that he could have died without healing potions.

But the quality of healing potions Herbert had was not enough to heal him. He did not want to let their parents know since he would surely be grounded and prohibited to go out for a long time.

But as Raphael tried to heal Herbert, he discovered that the wounds were too deep and were also poisoned.

If Raphael had not noticed Herbert’s suffering despite his act of energetic grin, their second brother could have died of the poison.

Since then, Frederick had been more observant of Herbert’s behavior since he tended to pretend to be fine all the time.

There was also that time when Raphael protected them and saved them from their abductors.

Frederick was just four years old then. But he would never forget what happened that time.

That was the crisis that unveiled or rather created Raphael’s ruthless tendency when it comes to anything that harms Frederick or Herbert.

Even when they grew up, Raphael always prioritized his siblings’ wellbeing before himself.

It was to the extent that when he and Hebert once fell in love with the same woman, Raphael gave way for his younger brother.

It unnerved both Frederick and Herbert that Raphael did not hesitate at all to kill his feelings.

Herbert also gave up on the said woman to give way to Raphael but their oldest brother did not change his mind.

Frederick watched both of his older brothers steel their resolve and not pursue the lady of their affection.

For Frederick, that was the best outcome. He could not have his brothers fighting for the same woman.

Raphael had not only been their eldest brother. He was also both like a mother and a father that took care of them since their parents had always been busy with their responsibilities as Duke and Duchess of Varondel.

Frederick realized that all these years, he and Herbert had been depending on Raphael too much.

“Brother, we are not children anymore. You do not have to shield us like you always did before. We can bear the brunt together,” Herbert said sincerely and Frederick nodded earnestly.

“Says the most childish among us,” Raphael chuckled again.

“You two do not have to worry about me. As long as you two are safe and happy, I am satisfied. Let me enjoy being your older brother,” Raphael petted them on the head like they were still kids.

“You should just chase your own happiness, brother. Herbert and I would not grow if you keep spoiling us.”

Frederick was embarrassed. But he did not remove Raphael’s hand on his head. He rather missed Raphael patting him like that. He realized that he was still childish deep inside.

“Frederick is always too mature. Sometimes you have to be like Herbert and be more free-spirited. You do not seem like the youngest at all.”

“I do not want to be like him at all. He plays around too much. If I want to be like someone, it would be brother Raphael.”

“Hey stop speaking like I’m not here. I am still older than you,” Herbert butt in.

“Whatever,” Frederick ignored Herbert again. “Brother Raphael please continue.”

“That time I was rather prepared to be yelled at. Maybe one would even slap my face or hit me. Maybe the sisters would call me a liar.

“They might even blame it on us for our inability to do something about it.

“I had prepared myself for a lot of things.

“Who would have thought the two, would just calmly accept the news and ask what happens next,” Raphael wryly chuckled.

“I was preparing for that too. I would take any beating they would throw. I could take the beating for the three of us. My body is the sturdiest after all,” Herbert agreed.

“I was ready to cast a barrier anytime their mana rampaged,” Frederick nodded as well.

The three brothers knew that Lumina and Francesca were both well-educated and cultured. It was Anthony himself who said that his sisters were not as holy as they seem to be.

Anthony had complained before that his sisters were actually rude and cruel. Nicholas who was also there just laughed it off but did not deny it.

Thus, they were expecting that perhaps the sisters’ hidden side would break out, but it did not.

“Yet in the end, they actually knew what happened before I even talked. They just wanted to hear it in detail and know what the content of the edict was,” Raphael recalled.

“Indeed. Who would have thought Lumina actually had clairvoyance,” Herbert sighed.

When Lumina had appeared out of nowhere when he went to Evymeria, Frederick had assumed that she used magically enhanced vision to see from afar. He did not expect that it was clairvoyance and something Lumina was born with.

“The only one she could not see was Anthony since he was too far away. Francesca said that Lumina had desperately tried to reach Anthony’s location but she could not despite how much mana she used. Francesca lent her mana as well but to no avail.”

Lumina’s eyes were apparently limited to a specific distance. And she could not use it for too long since it will take a toll on her body.

When Frederick went back to Evymeria after he brought the sisters to his mansion, Lumina apparently used her ability to show Francesca what was going on.

Thus, the two watched the final battle in Yebersol. They also saw the Queen and the Duchess of Evymeria in the King’s Palace.

Only Anthony was beyond Lumina’s reach after he used a teleportation magic tool to another kingdom to search for an antidote.

“Lumina was desperate. She searched for Anthony every single day but her eyes could not find him. Anthony was closest to Diana so she tried searching for him yesterday as well to no avail. Diana would surely ask about him when she awakens,” Herbert said.

Lumina had even tried borrowing Frederick’s mana since he had the most abundant capacity but she was still not able to find any trace of Anthony.

And that meant one thing. Anthony had died as well. They had wanted to retrieve his remains but they could not do even that.

The three sighed all at once. With the strength of Diana’s mana they felt a while ago, it would be hard to calm her down and minimize the damage when her mana rampages while she was conscious.

They were already sure that she would throw a tantrum. It might be a more precarious situation than they thought.

Frederick was right to be nervous.

For the past three months, everyone had been searching for another way to heal Diana in case Frederick could not retrieve all the necessary ingredients for the antidote. They found none so they had to depend on Frederick in the end.

However, now that Diana was cured of the poison and might awaken any moment, their next dilemma was how to deal with her.

A/N: Hi everyone! I hope you are liking the story so far.

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