I Will Return My New Brother - Chapter 216

On such a sunny day, Tatiana’s second marriage was held.

The banquet of a wedding held with a rich man was undoubtedly fancy.

Marianne always greeted people in a mature and polite way, then came up to his room as soon as she finished her part.

Late into the night, the invited guests drank, danced, and congratulated the couple.

Marianne picked a book she liked and read it on the second floor.

The music and people’s laughter reached his room.

“Do you know that you and your mom are very strange?”

“. . .”

“You could just tell her if you didn’t like her getting married. If she has a child with that man, you’d be tossed out into the cold.”

Despite the sarcasm, Marianne looked calm.

He thought she didn’t care because it was a tantrum he threw all the time.

Only after a long moment, Marianne closed the book and said in a low voice,

“Still, if Mom is happy, I’m also happy. If people I like are happy, I don’t feel bad.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes.”

He was speechless the moment he saw the serious brown eyes.

She didn’t endure it because she wasn’t lonely.

Because she really liked her mother, she wanted to congratulate her for things she liked.

He knew just from looking at her eyes.

On the day Tatiana went home early, the deep brown eyes were glittering and lively.

She told her all the trivial things that happened all day.

All the moments spent together while eating delicious things was her treasure.

“And now I have you. So now, I’m not afraid even in the night without Mom. I’m okay.”

His heart dropped at the muttered words.

At some point, Marianne’s eyes also shone like that when she looked at him.

He knew, actually.

About the heart that gradually melted as time passed.

Wouldn’t it be better to just live like this?

There were evenings when he suddenly had such thoughts, and what weighed him down was more guilt than longing for his family.

A guilt for wanting to forget and live.

The lukewarm warmth against him made Zen stiff as he crouched down, unable to move.

As though Marianne, who greeted people all day, was tired, she fell asleep leaning on his shoulder.

When the day came, there was a thick smell of alcohol from Tatiana, who entered the room.

She smiled, looking at Zen, who was stiff.

“I have to lay her on the bed. If this goes wrong, she’ll get a bad sleeping habit.”

He looked at her figure from behind as she lifted her small daughter and laid her down on the bed.

The gaze at her daughter was full of love.

Perhaps, that was her ‘true’ face.

The unpredictable actions, beauty that garnered attention, and even the elegant speech.

If there was anything reliable about her appearances, wouldn’t it be this moment?

It was an impulse that made him open his mouth,

“That kid doesn’t like you getting married.”

Her gaze moved to Zenin.

Looking at the calm eyes, he continued,

“And you, didn’t get married because you really wanted it.”

“You have quite a keen sense.”

He then asked hesitantly while looking at smiling Tatiana.

“Who forced you to marry?”

“No one. I chose it.”

“Why?”

“Because I hope this child will be happy. Marriage is only a means to an end. A method to attain a goal.”

The calm answer continued.

“I was born with nothing, and because I had nothing, I tried even harder. But things I got my hand into could be easily taken away by someone else. That’s why life was so boring.”

“. . .”

“Who knew it would be like this? That this little child would control my life. She’s the only meaning and happiness in my life.”

Zenin looked up at Tatiana intently at the faint muttering.

Her expression was gentle as she tidied up her daughter’s hair.

“That day, you knew that I wasn’t asleep, didn’t you?”

“That’s right.”

The easiest method to keep a secret was to make those who knew unable to ever open their mouths again.

Perhaps the reason his family was killed was the same.

Those many people died to keep a ‘secret.’

“Why did you spare me?”

“Then why didn’t you say anything to Marianne? You could tell her that I participated in killing your family.”

“. . .”

“Both you and I don’t want to hurt this child.”

He knew that rather than cruel words he said numerous times in a day, it was that that would hurt Marianne.

Whenever his hatred for Tatiana soared, Marianne’s face calmed him down.

The nervous expression she made when she was troubled.

The lips that sometimes pouted when she felt down.

And more than anything else, the brightly smiling face that caught his gaze away the first time they met.

“Hello. I’m Marianne.”

Her first greeting was so friendly.

Those gentle looking eyes curved beautifully.

The deep brown eyes looked straight at Zenin.

As the warm sunlight shone on her hair, the red highlights hidden in brown hair came to light.

He had looked at her blankly, unable to give any reply.

Any ambient noise had long since disappeared since her voice was heard.

It was a situation that usually happened in a fairytale.

The very moment where petals scattered like an illusion and made people fall in love like magic.

Zenin Arcadia knew very well that magic couldn’t do such a thing.

The colorful lights and effects were childish and ostentatious.

However, Marianne was always shining even without any kind of special effects.

Even before she had Miller name, even in the days she thought herself to be ordinary, Marianne was always like a star to Zenin.

He understood why Tatiana overlooked him.

She couldn’t hurt Marianne.

Just like how he had hesitated for a year even though he held the most effective weapon of all.

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