Under a Brother’s Wing

“Go ahead first. I want to stay out a little longer and clear my head.”

“Yes, My Lord.”

That worked perfectly for me.

As soon as Prince Eighteenth finished speaking, I prepared to get out of the carriage. One of the royal guards lifted the thin curtain aside, and at the same moment, my older brother stepped forward and held out his hand toward me.

The moment I took his hand and stepped down, he immediately pulled me into a firm embrace.

The sudden affection caught me off guard, but the warmth of leaning against his chest instantly calmed the chaos in my mind.

After quietly breathing out, I gently pushed against him and stepped back. My brother carefully searched my face for a moment before turning to bow respectfully toward Prince Eighteenth.

“I have already heard about the disturbance in the city. If I may advise you, My Lord, it would be best to avoid going out again today and rest properly.”

“No. There are still things I need to think about, so do not concern yourself. I will not be long.”

“Then I shall assign more martial artists from the bureau to accompany your escort.”

“Ah, do as you wish.”

“May your journey remain peaceful, My Lord.”

My brother stepped back after offering his farewell.

I moved away from the carriage together with him, watching the curtain fall shut again and the doors close firmly.

Only after the carriage and the long line of royal guards completely disappeared from sight did I finally let out a long sigh.

**************************************************

“Are you truly alright, Yul?”

“My stomach still feels unsettled, but I am fine.”

“Yeo-ui already informed me about what happened. He said there was trouble both at the lake and outside the apothecary.”

“I was startled, but I am alright now. Besides, you are here with me, Brother.”

Honestly, I never expected simply standing beside family could feel this reassuring.

Without realizing it, I tightened my grip around my brother’s sleeve. Looking down at me, he smiled softly.

“You seem to have drunk quite a bit today. Every time you speak, I can smell sweet fruit wine.”

“Mmh.”

I had not noticed that at all.

Feeling slightly embarrassed, I quickly shut my mouth. My brother laughed warmly at my reaction.

“Still, seeing you act normally again eases my mind.”

“I really was shocked today. Both at the lake and in front of the apothecary.”

“That is only natural. It was probably your first time experiencing something so dangerous.”

“Yes.”

“From now on, I will strengthen security whenever you go outside. Even if it feels restrictive, you must endure it.”

“Of course.”

If the alternative was almost getting dragged into another deadly incident, then being careful sounded far better.

When I nodded obediently, my brother smiled again and guided me into the main building of the bureau.

The moment we entered and climbed the stairs, Yeo-ui—who had been anxiously pacing near the entrance—came running toward us at full speed.

“Young Master! Are you alright? Are you injured anywhere?”

“I am fine.”

“Thank goodness! I was so scared!”

“I can see that.”

Tears were already pouring down his cheeks while he spoke.

Seeing him cry like this made me realize just how terrified he must have been the entire time.

Unable to ignore it, I stopped walking and gently wiped away the tears around his eyes.

“You cry far too easily.”

“Waaah!”

Instead of calming down, Yeo-ui burst into louder sobs.

Startled, I froze in place, but Jin-cheong calmly stepped forward and pulled the crying boy into his arms.

“I will calm him down, Young Master. Please continue inside with the Young Patriarch.”

“Alright. Thank you.”

Although I wanted to stay with Yeo-ui longer, my brother was clearly waiting to speak with me.

After wiping Yeo-ui’s face one last time, I returned to my brother’s side and followed him toward the annex.

As expected, the servants quickly prepared warm tea for us the moment we sat down in the guest hall.

While drinking quietly, I noticed my brother seemed unusually hesitant, as though something was bothering him.

I shifted slightly and looked directly at him.

“If something is troubling you, Brother, you can tell me.”

“It is nothing you need to concern yourself with.”

So there definitely was something.

Even though he tried to hide it, the conflicted look in his eyes made it obvious.

I took another sip of tea before speaking again.

“If you refuse to tell me, I will simply come to my own conclusions.”

“That would… not be ideal.”

“Then please tell me properly, so I do not misunderstand your thoughts.”

After a moment of silence, my brother slowly set down his teacup and sighed heavily.

“The attack near the apothecary concerns me, but what truly bothers me is the fact that you encountered those people at the lake.”

“Ah, you mean Namgung Hwi and Yeon Ji-oh?”

“…Yes.”

“We were on separate boats. Since we are all staying in Hefei, meeting by chance was unavoidable. Please do not worry so much.”

“I heard they openly displayed their affection in front of you.”

A display of affection, huh?

Remembering how Yeon Ji-oh practically clung to Namgung Hwi while acting overly sweet made me snort in disbelief.

“He definitely tried very hard to make a scene. But no matter what they do, I honestly do not care anymore.”

“Are you truly unaffected, Yul?”

“I promise.”

If anything, I was more concerned about how thin and exhausted Namgung Hwi had looked. His usual protagonist aura had almost disappeared entirely.

Their romance was no longer my problem.

Still, my answer did not seem to fully reassure my brother. He continued staring at me with concern.

Looking directly into his troubled eyes, I placed my teacup down.

“Do you really care about me that much, Brother?”

“…What?”

“You have not stopped staring at me.”

The moment I smiled and teased him lightly, my brother blinked in surprise before breaking into a bright laugh.

“Yes. I care about you very much. I am happy you can joke around with me like this now, and grateful that you no longer avoid me.”

“I will never avoid you again.”

“Good. Never forget that your family will always stand beside you.”

“Of course.”

The Geum family watched over Geum Seo-yul with ridiculous levels of care and affection. There was no way I could fail to notice it.

When I nodded firmly, the lingering anxiety in my brother’s face finally disappeared.

**********************************************

“You must have had a difficult day. I will order the kitchen to prepare nourishing dishes for you.”

“Let us have them at dinner instead. I already ate and drank far too much earlier.”

“Very well. I shall tell them to prepare it later.”

My brother smiled warmly before draining the rest of his tea and standing up.

“Then you should rest first.”

“That sounds wonderful.”

It felt like I had not relaxed even once since arriving at the lake.

Taking my hand, my brother personally escorted me toward my bedchamber.

But the moment he sat me down on the bed, my eyes widened in horror.

“Brother!”

“You seem especially tired today, so I shall help you.”

“No, absolutely not!”

This was not some ordinary family.

My brother was the Young Patriarch of the entire Mangeum Bureau.

The same man who once ordered me never to bow my head before anyone was now kneeling in front of me.

Before I could stop him, he gently removed one of my shoes.

“Brother, please!”

I had spent all day walking around dusty streets. My feet were definitely dirty.

I could not understand why he was suddenly acting like this.

Looking up at my shocked face, my brother grinned mischievously.

“At this rate, perhaps I should personally help with your bath as well.”

“My bath?!”

That was absolutely impossible.

Horrified, I shook my head furiously.

But my brother calmly called toward the servants outside.

“Prepare hot water immediately.”

“Yes, Young Patriarch.”

“I am serious! I can wash myself!”

I had barely adapted to Yeo-ui helping me every day. My brother doing it was an entirely different nightmare.

Watching me panic, my brother finally burst into laughter.

“Seeing you react this strongly only makes me want to tease you more.”

“…Ugh!”

“Haha. Relax. I was joking.”

So he was joking.

Because he had spoken so seriously, I genuinely thought he planned to do it.

Feeling my heart slowly calm down, I glared at him.

“Brother, you tease me far too much.”

“It is because you are too adorable, Yul.”

“I appreciate the affection, but please show some restraint.”

Seriously. The way he delivered those jokes so calmly made them impossible not to believe.

“Young Patriarch, the bath has been prepared.”

“Then let us go.”

Go where?

Even after claiming it was a joke, he still extended his hand toward me.

Immediately suspicious, I stared at him silently.

My brother laughed again.

“I am only escorting you to the entrance.”

“…Are you absolutely certain?”

“Although if you truly wish it, I can still scrub your back for you.”

“Brother!”

My horrified reaction only amused him further.

“Haha. Alright, I will stop before you actually throw a tantrum.”

“That would be wise.”

If he had really entered the bathhouse to help me wash, I probably would not have been able to face him afterward.

Even now, I still sometimes flinched whenever Yeo-ui helped me. There was no way I could survive my own brother doing the same.

Just imagining it made me shudder.

Smiling warmly, my brother offered me his hand again.

I took it, and together we walked toward the bathhouse.

The moment we arrived, I spotted Jin-cheong comforting a still-sniffling Yeo-ui nearby.

“Ui.”

“…Young Mastuuu-er!”

Apparently, he had not calmed down at all.

The moment he saw me, tears started pouring again.

Watching the scene with amusement, my brother leaned closer and spoke softly.

“It seems that until Yeo-ui recovers himself, perhaps I should personally assi—”

“I can manage entirely on my own.”

“Haha. Very well.”

Of course he used the opportunity to tease me again.

After giving my hand one final squeeze, my brother finally released me.

Standing a short distance away, he looked at me with deep warmth in his eyes.

But the instant his gaze drifted toward the bathhouse interior, I immediately cut him off.

“Absolutely not.”

“Understood. Then enjoy your bath. I shall see you again at dinner.”

“Yes, Brother.”

“And since you drank so much today, do not stay in the water too long.”

That warning, at least, I already understood very well.

There was absolutely no chance I intended to repeat the disaster from last time.

After watching my brother leave, I instructed Jin-cheong to continue taking care of Yeo-ui before finally stepping alone into the warm bathhouse.