Selena and Davin sighed deeply at the same time, trying to accept this shocking new reality.
"Alright, if Alvin himself asked for it, we can't say anything more." mumbled Selena resignedly.
Selena's attention was then diverted. Her eyes swept the room and stopped at two figures she hadn't known before.
"By the way..." asked Selena, pointing to the boy sitting near Elisa. "Who is that brown-haired boy?"
"Oh, he is Arken." answered Kazien, pointing to the brown haired boy. "He is a new member of our family."
"Really? Wow, our family is getting livelier!" exclaimed Selena, her face cheerful again. But her forehead wrinkled when looking at Arken. "But... I wonder what happened that you could suddenly adopt a younger brother?"
"It's a long story, Sis Selena." answered Kazien briefly, his eyes dimming slightly. "I killed his father when assassins tried to kill me on the journey. His father entrusted him to me. Feeling responsible, I wanted him to be my brother and take care of him."
"Hmm, I see..." Selena nodded in understanding, then she looked at Arken's face with an intense gaze. "It's unusual for you to just make him a brother. Even though his face is this cute, why didn't you propose to him as well?"
Selena's blunt question made Arken blush red.
"Sister Selena, I already told you!" refuted Kazien quickly. "Even though his face is cute, I couldn't possibly betray Alvin any further! From the beginning, I only wanted a cute elf that I wanted to marry!"
"Hahaha! Classic excuse!" teased Selena. "But the proof is you made Allen your fiancé too! He is a human, not an elf!"
"That was because of Alvin's insistence! I didn't want to make him disappointed and sad, that's why I accepted it at that time!" defended Kazien. "And now, I truly love Allen! My feelings for him are sincere!"
Suddenly, Davin leaned forward, looking at Kazien with a meaningful smile that was hard to guess.
"Then..." said Davin slowly, provoking. "What if I wanted to be your wife?"
Silence...
Kazien's face instantly turned deep red, redder than before. He stammered, lost for words.
"I... I don't know!" squeaked Kazien in panic and became awkward.
Davin immediately burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! Look at your face!" Davin laughed out loud until he held his stomach. His brother's ambiguous answer was very entertaining to him.
Kazien, realizing he was being played, became annoyed to death.
"What are you laughing at? What's so funny, huh?!" snapped Kazien.
"That alone proves that you weren't serious about your words of 'only wanting a cute elf' to be your wife! You even wavered when I teased you! Hahaha!"
Zap!
In the blink of an eye, Kazien had moved places using his blink magic. He was now on Davin's lap, sitting there while gripping his brother's collar with a spoiled, pouting face.
"Only to you do I become weak, Brother Davin!" said Kazien quietly but intensely, staring into his brother's eyes at close range. "If you weren't my biological brother, it is certain that we would be engaged! You know that!"
Davin's laughter subsided, replaced by a gentle smile full of affection but slightly bitter.
"Luckily you aren't reckless, stupid little brother." whispered Davin, stroking Kazien's head. "Otherwise, Sister Virena would definitely be furious with you. Hahaha."
"Tsk! Just because you can make me captivated by you, you always tease me!" grumbled Kazien, releasing his grip but remaining seated on Davin's lap. "What do you actually want?"
"Nothing. I just missed your annoyed face. Hahaha."
Kazien, out of exasperation, pinched Davin's cheek quite hard again, returning his brother's treatment earlier.
"Ouch! Kazien, stop! My cheek hurts! Are you taking revenge on me?" groaned Davin.
"It's your own fault for always teasing me like that!" exclaimed Kazien annoyed, but his eyes sparkled happily.
Davin smiled, then held both his brother's hands, stopping the pinch, then guided both of Kazien's hands to wrap around his own waist.
"Never mind. Instead of pinching me and hurting me, just hug me so you feel relieved." said Davin gently.
Without the slightest hesitation, Kazien immediately hugged Davin very tightly. He rested his head on his brother's broad chest, closing his eyes, enjoying the heartbeat of the person he loved dearly but could not possess completely. Davin returned the hug, resting his chin on top of Kazien's head.
Seeing that intimate yet poignant scene, Elisa whispered to Alvin standing next to her.
"Alvin... are the two of them really like that?" asked Elisa quietly.
Alvin nodded, smiling understandingly but there was a hint of sadness in his eyes.
"You are right, Aunt Elisa." answered Alvin. "Kazien and Brother Davin actually love each other. Their feelings are very deep, more than ordinary siblings. But because they are biological brothers, inevitably both have to bury their romantic feelings and keep it only as brotherly affection."
Not only Elisa now knew about the facts happening between Kazien and Davin. Allen and Arken standing not far from there also heard the explanation. The two of them didn't expect that the siblings could be trapped in such complicated feelings.
"Brother Elgard, Sister Larina..." asked Elisa quietly with a shocked expression. "Did you two already know about what is happening between your two sons?"
Duke Elgard and Duchess Larina nodded calmly.
"We all have known it for a long time, Elisa." answered Larina gently. "And no one in this family is angry at them. That is because Davin and Kazien are very self-aware. They know boundaries and they also know that it's impossible for the two of them to possess each other. We can only support them to keep loving each other as brothers."
Allen fell silent, staring at Kazien who was still comfortable in Davin's embrace. His heart fluttered.
So, not only me in his family fell in love with Kazien? thought Allen who still couldn't believe what he saw and heard. It turns out my cousin named Davin also loves him in the same way. This fact truly surprises me!
Allen looked at that sincere yet tragic interaction with a new gaze.
If I were his biological brother like Brother Davin, surely I wouldn't be able to stand the mental torture of not being able to have Kazien. Seeing the person you love every day but not being able to unite... that must be painful.
Allen looked at Kazien sitting on his brother's lap hugging him tight. But I salute them very much. They can accept that fate gracefully and turn it into strong brotherly affection.
Allen smiled faintly while feeling grateful for his fate as Kazien's cousin.
I feel grateful to be destined as Kazien's cousin, and not destined as his biological brother. At least, I have the chance to love him and be with him forever.