Even If You Tear Me Apart - Chapter 30
The chapters are split like this so that the TL can update more consistently over time (✿ ＞◡❛)
At those words, Ezekiel flinched. He hadn’t even realized he’d called Iris by name so naturally. Iris, flustered, quickly added,
“I-It’s because His Highness made me feel so at ease…”
“At ease? Ezekiel?”
Étienne’s eyes widened as if he’d heard the most unbelievable thing in the world.
“Heavens, Lady Iris. Do you know what kind of shock you’ve just given me?”
“Pardon? Me?”
“You find Ezekiel comfortable? I’ve never heard such a thing. Do you know what kind of person he is? Even our mother, who gave birth to him, once said she was too afraid to even cough in front of him. And Sir Belzé, who taught us swordsmanship, used to say he couldn’t even drink water near Ezekiel out of fear. And you find him comfortable!”
“Brother!”
Ezekiel, looking unfairly maligned, protested.
“They were all just joking! Iris, please don’t believe him!”
“That’s not all! Our youngest sister, Geneviève—”
“Brother!”
In the end, Iris burst into laughter, and the brothers’ bickering came to a close. Étienne shrugged.
“Anyway, is there a need for a mage?”
“Ah, well…”
Iris hesitated, clearly reluctant to talk about Henri’s illness. Ezekiel stepped in for her.
“Henri has mana sickness.”
“Oh dear.”
Étienne immediately looked understanding.
“Then that’s all the more reason to find a mage.”
“But I couldn’t possibly trouble Your Highnesses over something so trivial…”
“What are you saying, Lady Iris?”
Étienne cheerfully threw an arm around her shoulders. Ezekiel flinched unconsciously—it was too close for comfort between a grown prince and a young lady. But Étienne remained utterly casual as he spoke with a grin.
“Just as Baron Quilluxia once saved our father’s life, you saved ours. How could that be considered a burden? I, Étienne, am simply repaying a debt.”
“Ah…”
“It’s true.”
Ezekiel, having shaken off his earlier thoughts, chimed in.
“If not for the Quilluxia family, my brother and I would’ve been stranded in that storm.”
Iris looked slightly taken aback, but it was the truth. Ezekiel had no doubt that this girl had helped save their lives.
Just looking at Étienne’s fever was proof enough. Sure, they might’ve found shelter elsewhere, but Étienne would almost certainly have gotten seriously ill.
However, Iris’s reply was a little unexpected.
“Then… we’ll have to butcher the pig.”
“…Excuse me?”
Étienne tilted his head. Iris clasped her hands together, eyes sparkling.
“Did you see the pigsty in the backyard of the manor? My father always kept three pigs. Two for breeding, and one in case His Majesty the Emperor ever visited—so we could offer it to him.”
“His Majesty?”
“Well…”
According to Iris, when the Emperor had bestowed the barony on the Quilluxia knight, he’d said,
‘It’s a meager reward for my life, but please accept it. The mountains are good, and the waters are fine. I’ll be sure to visit someday.’
“Hm…”
The princes exchanged glances.
That comment probably wasn’t entirely sincere. After all, the Emperor had only fallen from the terrace because of a secret romance gone wrong. It must’ve been a deeply embarrassing moment for him. Since he couldn’t bestow a more prestigious title on a knight whose future had been ruined by a broken leg, he’d likely framed it as a favor and left it at that.
But Baron Quilluxia had never forgotten those words.
“Even if it’s not His Majesty, if we say we served the princes, he wouldn’t mind.”
Iris said this brightly as she naturally stepped away from Étienne’s arm and ran to the window, eager to check on the pigsty from the guest room.
Étienne awkwardly brushed off his arm and looked to Ezekiel. Ezekiel shook his head with a laugh.
“Who’s going to butcher the pig?”
From what Ezekiel remembered, the pigs in the backyard were huge. They’d been fed so well that they were plump to the point of looking oversized—the girth of each one’s belly matched the size of a hefty tree trunk.
Iris hesitated, eyes shifting, then carefully asked Ezekiel,
“…Would you help me?”
“If I can be of help, of course.”
The girl’s ears turned red. Ezekiel smiled at the sight—
Completely unaware that Étienne was watching the two of them closely.
