Rose pretended not to notice Gilbert, who was standing right in front of her.
Actually, she didn't even need to pretend.
As of late, her younger brother had truly ceased to exist for her.
Now he was just an annoying blotch flickering before her eyes and spoiling her appetite.
So Rose continued methodically shoving the stew into her mouth, acting as if there was nothing but empty space in front of her.
"...Hey, I really need to talk to you," Gilbert shifted nervously from foot to foot.
"..."
"Are you seriously going to ignore me?"
Rose's spoon didn't even tremble.
However, Zeke, sitting across from her, looked from one to the other with interest.
"Ahem, Ruven," he began cautiously. "It seems this guy wants to talk to you."
Rose remained silent.
"Umm..." Zeke was clearly feeling awkward. "Didn't you say he was your friend? Then why are you ignoring him?"
Rose clanked her spoon down.
No matter how you looked at it, there were far too many curious students in this place! Always sticking their noses where they didn't belong!
Gilbert, sensing an opportunity, immediately plastered a strained, cheerful smile on his face.
"Right! We are friends. So why don't we go talk?"
Rose felt her patience fraying at the seams.
But she had no choice.
Other students were starting to notice them. Curious glances kept sliding over their strange group. And extra attention was the last thing someone hiding in a men's academy disguised as a guy needed.
Rose slowly raised her head and looked at her brother with a heavy, oppressive gaze.
Gilbert shrank back.
Rose noticed that today he had put on his stupid wheat-blonde wig again. Even though half the academy had seen his real pink hair yesterday.
Why continue this farce?...
Whatever. She didn't care.
"What do you want to talk about?" she asked coldly.
Gilbert hesitated.
"I think we should step aside," he said, looking around meaningfully. "Not here."
Rose silently stood up and followed him.
***
They stopped in an empty corridor, away from prying eyes.
Gilbert walked first, Rose behind him. When he stopped and turned around, genuine concern swam in his blue eyes.
"Sister, why are you still here?!" he blurted out.
"Hmm?"
"This is dangerous! You need to get out of here as soon as possible!"
Rose smirked.
"Don't worry. I'll manage my own life somehow."
"What?" Gilbert threw up his hands. "So you're not planning to leave?!"
"That's none of your business," Rose cut him off. "Your affairs no longer concern me. So don't meddle in mine."
Gilbert was taken aback.
He hadn't expected such a tone from his sister.
"Sister..." his voice wavered. "How can you say that? No matter what happened, we're still family!"
Rose smiled grimly.
"Family? Hmph. I don't think so. At least, I no longer have a younger brother."
The words sounded cruel. Rose knew it.
But she believed he deserved every one of them.
Because of this guy, their family was on the edge of an abyss. Because of him, her own life had turned into chaos. Because of him, she was now standing in the corridor of a men's academy with her chest bound and a stupid wig on her head.
And after all that, he dared to call himself her brother?
Gilbert's eyes filled with tears.
He looked at her with that same puppy-dog expression that, in childhood, always made Rose and their mother melt. "Little, helpless, innocent" — that's what they used to think of him then.
Now it only caused irritation.
Rose suddenly realized: she and her mother had coddled this guy for too long. For too long they had forgiven him everything, for too long they had sheltered him. And in the end, they had raised a selfish infantile who, at the first sign of difficulty, runs away instead of solving problems.
The only one who had the right to cry and be angry in this situation was her!
So, despite her brother's pitiful appearance, Rose remained completely indifferent.
Gilbert, apparently, also realized that the old methods no longer worked. He stopped making innocent eyes and simply darkened.
A heavy silence hung between them.
And then, breaking the silence, Rose spoke first:
"...Actually, there is one thing I am curious about."
"What?" Gilbert perked up, seizing the chance to establish dialogue.
"How did you get into this academy?" Rose squinted. "They don't just take anyone. You need either connections, or money, or exceptional talents. You've never had any of those."
Gilbert was slightly offended by the phrasing but remained silent. After all, his sister was right.
He cleared his throat and said with a note of pride in his voice:
"I found a patron. He paid for my education."
"A patron?" Rose frowned.
"Yes. During my wanderings after running away, I met many different people. And one of them... he saw potential in me. Said I was very talented, and offered to pay for my studies at the academy."
Rose listened and couldn't believe her ears.
Her brother, who could barely string two words together in front of a stranger, had found a patron?
One so generous that he shelled out a tidy sum for his education at an elite academy?
This sounded like... nonsense.
Complete, absolute absurdity.
Some incredibly kind and generous benefactor who happened to cross paths with a runaway boy? Just like in a fairy tale.
Rose looked suspiciously at her brother.
Gilbert appeared genuinely proud of himself.
But Rose knew how the world worked.
Usually, such "kind benefactors" don't appear out of nowhere. And they certainly don't spend huge amounts of money on the first person they meet without some benefit for themselves.
A puzzle began to form in Rose's mind.
A handsome young man. Penniless. Utter naivety and gullibility. And a sudden "patron" who pays for his expensive education...
Rose had heard of such stories.
Rumors circulated in high society. Dark, dirty rumors about wealthy perverts who collect "toys." Young, beautiful, poor boys and girls who are bought with money and used to satisfy their twisted fantasies.
Officially, slavery was banned. But underground markets flourished. And young aristocrats from impoverished families were especially prized — they had "breeding," noble manners, and beautiful looks.
Rose went cold.
She looked at her brother.
At his naive, unsuspecting face.
At his complete ignorance of the dark side of life.
And everything fell into place.
Her stupid, naive brother, who had never encountered the real dangers of the outside world, had fallen into a trap!
In all likelihood, he had become someone's "toy."
Rose felt a chill run down her spine.
"Um... Sister?" Gilbert noticed the change in her face and grew worried. "What are you thinking about?"
Rose was silent, looking at him with a strange gaze full of pity.
"Sister?!"
"...Nothing," she replied quietly.
"What? Really?" Gilbert clearly didn't believe her. "Then why do you have that look on your face?"
Rose turned away so he wouldn't see her expression.
Thoughts raced through her mind, each more horrifying than the last.
She didn't know for sure. Maybe she was mistaken.
But all the facts pointed to one conclusion.
And if it was true... then her brother was in a far more terrible situation than she had thought.
And that thought made things even worse.
"Gilbert," she called out, her voice sounding hoarse.
"Yes?"
"If... if it ever gets too hard for you," Rose struggled to find the words. "You can still come home."
Gilbert froze.
"What?"
"I won't tell Mother," Rose continued, still not looking at him. "She'll worry too much. But you... you can come to me. If something happens."
Gilbert looked at her with utter bewilderment.
"Sister, what are you talking about?.. I don't understand anything."
"You don't need to," Rose cut him off. "Just remember my words."
She finally turned and looked at her brother.
There was so much pain and sympathy in her violet eyes that Gilbert felt uneasy.
He truly couldn't understand this.
What the hell was his sister thinking at that moment?!...