The Villainous Family Loves Me Too Much!

I knew almost nothing about Fenris Barony.

The far northern outskirts of the Archduchy was an area barely touched by the Felosite Duchy’s influence.

-Then how did the request come in? That’s supposed to be an area without communication stone access.

-The Baron’s Lady made the reservation when she visited the capital. Apparently right after attending young lady Litua’s wedding ceremony.

As it turned out, the Lady of Baron Fenris was Alexi’s childhood friend.

-Hailey attended with her fiance. Though I don’t really remember since I was rather distracted.

For that reason, Alexi accompanied me on the journey to the Baron’s Estate.

“Will you really keep wearing that disguise mask, Your Highness?”

Seeming displeased with the mask, Alexi grumbled shyly.

“I wanted to introduce you to my two dearest friends…”

Her pouting face looked quite adorable in her disappointment.

“I’m sorry, Alexi. But for now, I’m going as the Lady of Roati.”

“I understand, Your Highness. It can’t be helped.”

Though she said she understood, Alexi’s lips remained pursed in a sulk for quite a while.

The Baron Fenris’s Estate was so far away that even by Felosite’s carriage, it took a full day’s journey to arrive.

“Thank you all for the arduous trip.”

Despite the late hour, Lady Fenris greeted us warmly with a bright smile.

“We’re the ones being unreasonable at this late hour. Our apologies.”

“Hailey, this is Lord Roati. The one who made my wedding so wonderful.”

As Alexi introduced me, the Lady’s eyes sparkled as she rushed over and grasped both my hands eagerly.

“Lord Roati! Alexi’s wedding was truly… unbelievably marvelous! The most wonderful wedding of my life!”

Her face brimmed with such overwhelming anticipation that I was taken aback.

“Th-Thank you. Let’s discuss the details tomorrow. I’m a bit fatigued…”

“Oh my, how thoughtless of me. My maid will show you all to your rooms. Then we can meet again after you’ve rested.”

After that hectic first greeting, I headed to the guest room on the second floor.

An adorable room right next to Alexi’s, it had a windowed bathroom and large balcony to comfortably enjoy the natural scenery.

“Ah, what a relief…”

Having worn it all day, I tossed aside the stifling mask and collapsed onto the bed.

I’m not sure how long it was before I awoke in the dim predawn light, having fallen asleep just like that.

‘Oh dear, I slept in my travel clothes.’

After freshening up and changing, I stepped out onto the balcony to enjoy the crisp morning air.

As I had felt at the Kenoch County, the Felosite’s outskirts boasted more beautiful natural scenery than anywhere else.

The Baron Fenris’s Estate was situated before an immense lake.

‘Gabriel would have really loved this sight.’

The face of my long-forgotten brother surfaced in my mind.

Gabriel’s innate talent was the ‘Power of Water’, closely tied to the powers of nature.

Perhaps because of that, he had an exceptional love for nature itself.

The mountains, trees, winds, clouds – but more than anything, he adored bodies of water like the ocean and lakes.

While likely dangerous in total darkness, the predawn lake was breathtakingly beautiful.

‘So this is why my brother loved water.’

But then…

‘Huh? Who’s that at this hour?’

Someone was swimming in the lake. No, perhaps they were in danger.

As I briefly debated calling for help, the man abruptly began wading out of the water.

Changing clothes behind the bushes, he approached the estate while drying his hair with a towel.

The closer he drew, the clearer his face and hair color became, until…

The moment I saw his face, I couldn’t believe my own eyes.

“…Gabriel?”

It was unmistakably my brother Gabriel.

The same hair color as me, the same face as me.

Who else in this world could look exactly like me except Gabriel?

Soon, Gabriel’s eyes widened as well upon noticing me on the balcony.

In that instant, unable to think rationally, I flung open the door and ran out.

“Gabriel!”

I embraced him, calling out my brother’s name.

“Gabriel… You’re alive, you’re alive.”

Holding Gabriel tightly, I wept.

“I thought you were dead…”

Yet strangely, I didn’t receive the reaction I had expected.

He neither warmly held me back, nor said a single word in reply.

He simply stood there, arms hanging limp at his sides, utterly stiff.

“What’s wrong, Gabriel?”

I released my embrace and gazed into his eyes with affection.

He seemed to regard me with caution.

“Gabriel?”

Taking a step back, Gabriel finally responded.

“Who are you? Do you… know me?”

8. Gabriel’s Return

It was an odd predawn.

As usual, Gabriel had awoken earlier than others to swim in the lake, and was returning to the estate to eat breakfast.

But then this stranger woman called out to him desperately before abruptly pulling him into an embrace.

Caught off guard, he couldn’t bring himself to push her away. Strangely, his instincts told him not to.

Moreover, upon closer look, she was the woman he had seen in his dreams.

The woman who had appeared almost nightly in his dreams after losing his memories from that accident.

At first, he had mistaken her for himself with long hair, so similar were their appearances.

But unlike his own brown eyes, this woman had a unique ocher hue.

“Who are you? Do you… know me?”

The woman didn’t answer Gabriel’s question, vanishing from sight in an instant.

“Perhaps you simply saw wrong, Gabriel?”

When he told his fiance Hailey about the predawn encounter, she suggested he must have been mistaken in the dim light.

“There are no guests staying here with your hair color.”

Hailey encircled his neck with her hands, lightly kissing his lips.

“There may be no one else in this world with hair as beautiful as yours.”

His fiance was the most affectionate woman he knew.

Yet even she couldn’t fully understand his heart.

It was Hailey who had found and rescued Gabriel when he was discovered collapsed near the Baron’s Estate, his memories lost.

For some reason, Gabriel had been wearing noble attire, but his entire body was blackened with soot.

Hailey had brought him to the estate and tended to him.

-You don’t remember anything?

Gabriel shook his head, and replied:

-My name is Gabriel.

That was the only thing he could recall aside from his name.

And every night since then, he began dreaming of a certain woman with vibrant hair.

‘I finally met her, only to foolishly let her slip away.’

Perhaps she knew something about his past, about his true identity.

She had looked flustered before suddenly vanishing from his sight.

‘Or was it merely a mirage, as Hailey said?’

No matter how much he pondered alone, he found no answers.

-There’s a wedding consultation today. You must come and help too, Gabriel.

While meeting new people filled him with trepidation after losing his identity, it was Hailey’s request, the woman he loved.

Moreover, judging from his attire when discovered, someone had undoubtedly tried to harm him.

-You can meet them without worry. One is my closest friend, and the other disguises her identity just like you.

Thus he had just entered the reception room when:

“Hello, I’m Alexi Litua. You attended my wedding with Hailey before… Oh my.”

Alexi Litua, the bride whose wedding he had attended with Hailey.

Oddly, Alexi couldn’t conceal her surprise upon seeing Gabriel’s face.

Alexi immediately turned toward the other woman beside her, who silently shook her head.

“Ha, ha, ha. I was just startled by how handsome you are.”

“Oh you. Our Gabriel is quite the looker, isn’t he?”

Hailey and Alexi, the two women, were engaging in awkward flirtatious banter right in front of him.

Embarrassed, Gabriel averted his gaze, only to meet eyes with the other woman seated beside Alexi.

A strangely affectionate look.

The woman suddenly raised her hand, then peeled away her own face like removing a mask.