Even If You Tear Me Apart - Chapter 21
The chapters are split like this so that the TL can update more consistently over time (✿ ＞◡❛)
Fortunately, it seemed the girl also understood that Ezekiel hadn’t meant any harm—she calmed down quickly.
“I apologize.”
Ezekiel, too, sighed at his brother’s mediation and apologized.
After all, thanks to the girl’s reckless actions, the two boys’ lives had been saved.
The girl—Iris—squinted one eye, then accepted Ezekiel’s apology.
“Alright. I’m sorry too, for blaming you, Ez.”
“…Ez?”
Ezekiel flinched. Iris tilted her head.
“He called you Ez earlier. Isn’t that your name?”
“…It is.”
Ez—Ezekiel’s nickname. A name used only by his closest family.
It was disconcerting to hear it from a stranger, but he couldn’t very well reveal his real name.
Étienne smiled.
“I’m Tien. You heard earlier, right, Iris?”
At the kind tone, Iris blushed.
Ezekiel let out a disapproving sigh. If only he spoke to Felicia like he does with Lady Iris.
Regardless, there was still something bothering him, so Ezekiel spoke again.
“I do have one more question. Is there another one of my ‘unnecessary remarks’ I haven’t made yet?”
“Huh?”
Iris frowned. Ezekiel crossed his arms and shrugged.
“Missus Babbin already knows you went into the river. So when you said not to say anything unnecessary…”
All she said was, ‘Don’t say anything unnecessary to Missus Babbin.’ But as far as Ezekiel and Étienne knew, there weren’t any more ‘secrets’ left to spill about her.
“Unless… you’re planning to accumulate more unnecessary secrets from now on?”
“…Hey.”
“Ez.”
Étienne, looking awkward, tried to step in, but Ezekiel waved him off.
“I’m not trying to pick a fight. I’m genuinely asking. If there are more secrets to hide, I should be careful what I say.”
“…Oh, that.”
Iris muttered, and Ezekiel narrowed his eyes.
“Oh, that what?”
“Gosh, this kid. Ez, Watch your tone.”
In the end, Étienne gave Ezekiel a playful flick on the forehead.
When Ezekiel turned to him, looking wronged, Étienne grinned.
“Ez, you’re great and all, but sometimes your tone really gets on people’s nerves. Of course others are going to misunderstand you.”
“…I do?”
“Yeah. Like just now—‘that what?’ Even I thought you were picking a fight with Iris.”
“…I wasn’t.”
“You heard that, right, Lady Iris? He says he wasn’t mad.”
“Y-Yeah…”
Iris gave a half-hearted smile. Étienne chuckled.
“So then, is there any other secret we should be protecting for you?”
“Uh, well…”
The girl opened her mouth to say something, then shut it.
Ezekiel tilted his head, but Iris, for some reason looking embarrassed, lowered her head and waved it off.
“No, nothing.”
Of course, the reason she didn’t say anything became clear soon enough.
***
Despite the unexpected arrival of guests, Missus Babbin was kind enough to serve them dinner.
“Good timing, we just happened to have something warm ready.”
“Wow!”
It was a stew made with potatoes and venison.
Missus Babbin proudly explained, “Our master caught a fat doe this spring. We smoked the meat for later.”
The dumpling-like pieces of dough added in made the stew hearty and filling.
Of course, compared to the food they ate in the capital, it was shockingly humble.
But both Étienne and Ezekiel welcomed their bowls of stew. Neither prince was the picky-eater type.
“Thank you for the meal, ma’am!”
“Thank you.”
Seated at the table were Missus Babbin, Iris, and the two boys—four in total.
Étienne tilted his head.
“Didn’t you say you had a younger brother?”
“Oh, he’ll eat a bit later.”
“Huh?”
Missus Babbin responded to Étienne’s curiosity.
“Because there are only four chairs in this house’s dining room!”
The princes’ expressions turned slightly awkward.
Apparently, the usual setup was four seats—for Missus Babbin, Iris, the younger brother, and Baron Quilluxia when he was home.
But today, with two uninvited guests present, the younger brother would eat separately.
