Chapter 722
Episode 181: Mary’s Dream (1)
Tikan Palace, Garden Terrace.
“Brother, when did we actually become close?” Mary stirred the fruit punch in front of her, the ice clinking pleasantly against the spoon.
“Why the sudden question?” Dipus pulled a cigarette pack from his pocket.
“I just got curious all of a sudden, but I can’t seem to remember.”
He slipped his fingers inside the pack—it was empty.
“Ah, I’m out. Too much trouble to go get more. You got any cigarettes?”
“Nope. But can you at least pay attention to my question instead?”
“Well, I guess we just naturally got close at some point.”
“No, that half-hearted answer won’t ease this frustration. I haven’t been able to sleep for days because of it.”
“Come on, it’s not that serious.”
“You know me—I get fixated on things like this until they’re resolved. It’s not the first time.”
“Work on that attitude, kid. Sometimes you just have to let things go. Oh, Lord Hedo.”
Lord Hedo passed by their table and handed Dipus a cigarette.
“I’ll pay you back with two next time.”
“Of course, only the finest Milasan brand.”
Dipus lit the cigarette happily, then rummaged through his pockets and sighed again.
No lighter.
Ssshh!
“Whenever you’re in a pinch, just ask Jet at the entrance, Lord Dipus.”
But before he could say more, Jet, passing by, quickly brought a match to Dipus’s lips.
“Jet, always so timely. Living here, I’ve noticed you’re always just the right person at the right time.”
“No wonder our lord recruited me. Anything else you need, sirs? Should I bring some special cookies from Lady Latri’s shop?”
“Go get a hammer. One made by Lady Picon, if possible.”
“Uh, Lady Mary, a hammer? Why…?”
“To smash my brother’s head for ignoring my question.”
“Haha, have a good time. I’ll be off then.”
Dipus exhaled a satisfied puff of smoke. Mary glared sharply at him.
“Alright, alright. Fine. I’ll think about it.”
“Good. Think right now.”
“Let’s see… Gilly, nanny! Wait a moment.”
Dipus called out to Gilly as she was about to pass by.
“Yes, Lord Dipus? What is it?”
“When you first came to the family, was I already close with this one?”
“Hmm… honestly, I’m not sure. I was mostly at the Storm Castle taking care of Lord Jin back then.”
“You want me to think, and you ask nanny instead!?”
“But when you and Lord Dipus started living at the main house, your bond seemed very strong.”
“True, we were both riders then, so that makes sense. Thanks for the answer. By the way, how’s your injury?”
“Thanks to everyone’s care, it’s steadily improving. And Lord Dipus, you don’t have to keep apologizing.”
“Thanks for saying that… Then don’t go making the youngest angry while working. Go rest.”
Gilly nodded and went on her way. Mary crumpled her spoon.
“Hmph, hmm! I think we first got close around the time you graduated from the beginner class. I helped you pick your sword back then.”
“You picked it pretty carelessly. I still remember that annoying line you said after a long time: ‘Hey, use this one. It’s a chain sword called Viper. Perfect for someone as fierce and sharp-eyed as you.’”
“But how long did you actually use that sword? Until it broke in Ricalton.”
“Anyway, you’re wrong. I picked the Viper just to get one over on you. After beating you one-on-one, I wanted to say, ‘See? I can beat you even with the sword you picked without care.’”
“Too bad I never got to hear that line. You kept picking fights with me, but never won once.”
“You were already a rider then, so of course. Don’t brag about it. But don’t you remember getting poisoned by the Viper’s blade and being sick for days?”
“During the friendly duel event, you ambushed me in the bathroom, breaking all the unspoken rules. That scar’s still here. You should be grateful—I could have made a big deal out of it. Oh, so we actually got close because I kept my mouth shut back then!”
“Nope. After that day, you looked at me like I was a bug for a while.”
“Mary, was that even human behavior?”
“Kind of. Especially since I lost after doing that.”
“That’s missing the point. Or maybe… the day we both felt a bond staring down that guy at Joshua’s brothers’ dinner. That day!”
“It’s true we felt a connection then, but that was all. Even during those long years feeling a wall from Luna, it was the same.”
“That’s true for all the siblings.”
“Maybe not the youngest.”
“The day I found you trying to blow up the eldest’s room with a bunch of magic bombs? The day I stopped you from challenging Father, waiting for him to go to the bathroom?”
“Wrong. Did you really find me by chance? I think you were watching me because you thought I was a troublemaker. Come to think of it, there were no more coincidences after a while. It was all because you were keeping an eye on me.”
“You did some crazy stuff more than once, so maybe that was the day I…”
Dipus went on, happily recalling countless past stories with Mary.
No, precious memories.
It had been a long time since they’d enjoyed such a relaxed afternoon. So comfortable and joyful that Dipus didn’t even notice the cigarette burning down to nothing between his fingers.
Mary was laughing too. Sometimes, when Dipus brought up embarrassingly awkward past moments, she’d take a sip of the fruit punch, but mostly they laughed until tears came.
“…Heh, hah, ugh. This is driving me crazy. Yeah, that happened, ack! You scared me!”
“Heh.”
“Yona! Since when have you been there?”
“Since Lord Hedo gave Dipus oppa a cigarette earlier.”
“Oh my.”
“Hehe, Mary unnie and Dipus oppa are such fools. How come they don’t know what I do?”
“You mean you know when we became close? Yona?”
Yona smiled shyly and pointed beyond the terrace.
Out over the endless blue sea floated Mary’s adolescent ship and the Cosmos fleet.
“Ah…!”
Mary and Dipus both gasped as if they’d just realized something.
“That’s right! That was the day. The day brother named my ship!”
“Yeah, it was around the time you became a trainee rider and were about to leave the family. But Yona, how do you know that?”
When they looked back, Yona had already disappeared somewhere.
The two glanced around briefly, then recalled the same moment.
—If you become a trainee rider, you’re the only one who said you’d get a ship first.
—I wanted to give the sailors a hard time since we fought a lot on land.
—If you get a ship, I hope it’s the Adolescent. Please, grow up through all the adventures on that ship and come back.
—Yeah, you should grow up too.
—But if you can’t become an adult, at least come back alive. I doubt you can survive leaving the family with that damn personality. You’ve only lived this long because of me.
—Ah, the proud fourth rider wants to provoke me. How about a bet? I bet I’ll come back stronger than you. You bet I’ll be a corpse. If I win, what will you give me? If I lose, you get nothing—I’ll be dead.
Looking back, that was the day.
Though Mary responded prickly to Dipus’s sincere concern, that day was when the bond they’d built unknowingly over time was finally spoken aloud.
“If you come back, I’ll protect you again. Like before, I’ll cover for your messes and stop you from walking into danger… That’s what brother said to me that day.”
“You teased me, saying it seemed like my hobby was cleaning up after you. But you left a note telling me to keep that promise, and for the first time, you showed a bit of affection. I think it was the first and last time.”
“I was young and reckless, but why did brother say such embarrassing things to someone as ungrateful as me?”
It wasn’t just words. Dipus had always looked out for Mary more than himself.
And Mary still didn’t know why. Why Dipus had cared for her so much since those days.
“There’s no grand reason. At first, I just grew fond of you, and spending time with you became genuinely fun. You did become a bit more human after becoming a rider. As your brother, I’m proud.”
The reason didn’t really matter. They burst into childish laughter.
“Feeling better now? Think you’ll finally get a good night’s sleep starting today?”
Mary nodded, then paused, lost in thought.
“…No, there’s still one more thing I need to ask you, oppa.”
The smile faded from Mary’s face.
“Why did you do it? Why… why did you betray me, the youngest sibling, our family, and the whole world to accept the power of that cursed god…?”
Diphus pulled a burnt-out cigarette from between his fingers.
“Gilly says you don’t need to feel sorry anymore, and the others say the same. In the end, you came to your senses. But I still can’t accept it. So please, tell me now. There had to be a reason you couldn’t help it, right?”
“Mary, let’s go for a walk.”
“Don’t try to dodge the question again. I need to hear your answer today. If I don’t, then I…”
“Come with me. I’ll explain as we walk.”
Without warning, Diphus stood up and started walking away.
Mary stared blankly at his back for a moment, then rose and followed him.