Volume 3 Chapter 28 Holidays For Each： Roxas Girard
Roxas had received many letters telling him to come back.
While giving a treat to a messenger hawk with a magic stone bracelet on its leg, he let out a deep sigh.
His brother, Rail, had been abandoned by the Girard family because of the White Moon disease, and Roxas had gained his freedom by threatening their father.
"Don't tell me what to do. From today, all the power of the Duke family is mine. You can retire, Father."
Saying this, Roxas took the Duke Girard family from his father, Marx.
He still remembered the look in his father's eyes when he turned the living room, where his parents were relaxing, into ruins to show his power.
Roxas hated his ability to only bring death to others.
If he had a power like his brother's, one that could give life and shine brightly, maybe his mother would have loved him.
Maybe his father would have recognized him.
He had lived with these thoughts.
But when Rail got sick, their father easily discarded him, saying, "Rail is no good anymore."
Then he chose Roxas, even though he had ignored him all this time, saying, "You will inherit the Girard family.".
That house only held bitter memories for him.
Ever since he started living with Rail at the Girard family's villa in the Holy City, he hadn't returned to his father.
Time passed, and thanks to Lydia's power, Rail's illness was cured, so Roxas had no reason to stay in the Holy City anymore.
Normally, it would be his duty to return to the Duke Girard family, take over, and manage the Duke's territory.
But he just couldn't bring himself to do it.
As time went on, he got caught up in various events with Lydia and her friends.
It was tough, but it was also fun.
He wished these days could last forever.
Rail, who aimed to be a hero and was part of the adventurer's guild, and Lydia, who served him food at the restaurant.
He just didn't want to be apart from them.
He even thought about bringing them back to the territory with him. He didn't want to leave the place where Rail and Lydia were.
"...Maybe I should go back once."
Roxas's life from childhood until now felt like a blank notebook with nothing written on its pages.
He had been abandoned by his father, feared by his mother, and the servants looked at him from a distance.
But Rail was the only one who never got tired of being by his side and held his hand.
After Rail got sick, he lived only for him.
He bowed to the RestHead Priest and begged Francois to heal Rail with the Holy Woman's power.
Deep down, he was filled with frustration and realized he was always angry about something.
Frustration, anger, disappointment, and a feeling of being stuck.
He just didn't want to lose Rail.
And now, living with Rail, who was smiling brightly again, felt like getting back a part of himself that had almost been taken away.
Thinking about Lydia, who healed Rail, made his heart ache.
The blank pages in Roxas's heart were being filled with colorful memories every day.
So, maybe that's why.
He didn't want to leave this place. He knew it was a form of escaping reality, but he didn't want to go back.
But he knew he couldn't avoid it. Roxas was 20 years old.
The other nobles around him were getting married, and some already had kids. Inheriting the family meant that kind of responsibility.
"Brother, I think I'll visit the Girard family."
He had crumpled up the same letters over and over, but he should go back once before the year changed and talk to his father.
Luckily, Lydia's situation was calm for now.
There had been some chaos with Eiris and Famine, but that was mostly resolved.
Ciel and Lucian were digging through documents about Kirschtein and the Bernard royal family to research past events.
It seemed like Stephan would inherit the throne. Life would probably be busy for a while, and Roxas thought it was his role to support Stephan, who would have few allies.
"Going back? It's okay, Roxas. Should we go together?"
"Is big brother still the Fox Mask now?"
"Yeah, but can he handle it alone?"
"I'm not a kid anymore. It's fine. I just need to talk to Dad. I'll be back soon."
"Even if Roxas takes over the family, he can still work from here. Many nobles use the mansion in the capital as their base and hardly go back to their lands."
"That's true."
Under the cloudy sky, it was definitely cold, but Rail was swinging a sword and doing pull-ups on a branch with his shirt off. Roxas, all bundled up in a coat and scarf, talked to him.
He really doesn't like the cold.
He doesn't like the heat either.
Seeing Rail's white body, which used to be skinny when he was sick but is now all muscular, exposed to the cold made Roxas frown just from looking at it.
"You don't want to be away from Lydia, do you?"
"Uh, it's not like that..."
Seeing Roxas clearly flustered, Rail let out a bright laugh.
"Hehe, it's nice, isn't it? Your first love. I like the princess too. I really do, but I'm cheering for you, Roxas."
"That's not what I mean..."
"Come back soon, Roxas. Ciel and Lucian, older ones can be a hassle. And Your Highness. The previous Your Highness was controlled and was a terrible guy. But now that he's back to normal... it's tough for you, Roxas."
"Yeah, Your Highness is... a good person."
Roxas looked down.
In the past, when everyone rejected, feared, and kept their distance from him, only his brother Rail and Stefan accepted him.
Even though they were only 2 years apart, Stefan acted like a guardian.
He was caring.
Straightforward, fair, kind, and caring, he seemed perfect to inherit the Holy King.
Thinking about Ciel and Lucian, and that Stefan would also visit Lydia, made Roxas feel a bit down, even though it was good that Stefan was back to normal.
"Good luck, Roxas."
"Yeah."
"I'm glad I can support my little brother's first love."
"That's not it... well, maybe it is."
Roxas held his forehead.
What was he trying to hide? His brother knew everything.
He liked Lydia.
But he didn't want to ruin the comfortable friendship they had now.
"...Sorry for everything. Because of me, you have to deal with a lot."
"No, it's fine. You don't need to worry. ...We're brothers, just the two of us."
"Roxas, you're cute. This year, I'll prepare a present for you for the Holy Night Festival."
"Stop it. You're my brother, but we're twins of the same age. Don't treat me like a kid."
Roxas dodged Rail, who was trying to pat his head after putting down his sword.
"Come back before the Holy Night Festival. Let's sneak in and leave a present for the princess. Sneaking into the house at night is what a hero does."
"The hero you're talking about sounds more like a thief..."
"You don't get it. Heroes and thieves are different."
Going back to the Girard house was a drag, but doing something nice for Lydia with Rail for the Holy Night Festival didn't sound too bad.
He wondered if she would wear a beautiful dress for once.
She would definitely look good in it.
He hoped she would go with him to the Holy Night Festival dinner at the castle in a beautiful dress.
But how should he invite her?
As he thought about this, the dread of having to leave for the Girard house seemed to fade away.
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