The Exhausting Reality of Novel Transmigration

u dressed like this, Brother.”

It’s just as she said.

Alicia and Rosetta were attending the hunting festival for the first time this year.

Naturally, it was our first time seeing Damian dressed up like this.

With a renewed gaze, I looked over Damian’s appearance.

The leather cape over his light and thin subjugation attire made him look like a skilled hunter.

“You have to take care of yourself, okay? Promise me you won’t get hurt.
Never ever.”

Holding onto Damian’s sleeve, Alicia murmured.

With that sulking tone of hers, the faint wrinkles between her knitted eyebrows made her worries apparent.

I know I shouldn’t, but I couldn’t help but think that Alicia was so adorable right now.

Perhaps his thoughts weren’t so dissimilar to mine, but Damian smiled and nodded back.

“Yes, I promise.
I won’t get hurt.”

“Good.
Ah, this…”

A little relieved after hearing Damian’s answer, Alicia said so, but she soon reached into her pocket.

And her small, pale hand soon presented a neatly folded handkerchief.

At one corner of the white handkerchief was an embroidered golden rose, which was the symbol of House Valentine.

“Please take this, Brother.
It’s my gift to you, wishing for your safety.”

“I’m thankful every year.”

After receiving the handkerchief, Damian naturally patted Alicia’s head.

It was an old tradition of the hunting festival for handkerchiefs to be gifted between family members or lovers.

The gift was like a charm with the wish for the receiver to return safely.

This was the first time that Alicia had come to the hunting festival herself, but she had consistently given Damian handkerchiefs every year before at the mansion.

This time however, she handed her gift to him right before the hunting festival.
They might be feeling that this year was special.

Damian stared at the handkerchief Alicia gave him.

A slight smile tugged up at the corners of his lips.

“You’re getting better at it.
Until last year, I had to look closely to see whether it’s a rose or a lily.”

“Brother! If you insist on teasing me, then why don’t I just take it back?”

At Damian’s playful joke, Alicia pouted.

Seeing the picturesque scene of this brother and sister, I unknowingly smiled as well.

As I chuckled a little, Damian’s eyes turned this way.

Once more, our gazes met awkwardly.
Damian started awkwardly fiddling Alicia’s handkerchief.

I could see his lips hesitating.

He must be thinking of saying something, but he couldn’t bring himself to.

I had a rough idea of what he wanted to say though.

‘By any chance, have you also come to give me a handkerchief?’

Handkerchiefs were customarily given voluntarily at the hunting festival, but that’s not a rigid rule.

Sometimes, a person who wanted to receive a handkerchief could ask for it outright.

And most people tended to hand over a handkerchief without refusing.

After all, refusing would be the same as saying you’re not wishing for their safety.

However, I pretended not to notice and opened my lips first.

“Good luck, Brother.
Take care out there.”

“Ah, yes.
Rosetta.
Thank you.”

Because I spoke up first, Damian missed the chance to bring it up.
There was somewhat of a bitter smile on his lips.

He’s not a completely tactless person, so he must have noticed that I deliberately redirected the conversation.

There’s nothing that could be done anyway.

If I gave him a handkerchief here…

‘I just know that he’d bother me with needless concern.’

Damian would become an existence akin to a thorn in my throat.

As I already couldn’t call him family, I didn’t need one anyway.

While staring at him, Mog-i Oraboni from my second transmigration came to mind.

Perhaps because they were both kind.

I had used Damian’s guilt as a means before this, but right now, it was weighing me down.

It was a troublesome change.

So, I had to be careful and not cross any more lines from now on.

I’m watching over two people as it is—Alicia and Cassion.
And the people I had on my side were more than enough.

‘However, it might be too late already.’

Even as I made this cold-hearted pledge to myself, in my mind, I kept recalling the ‘Hunting Festival Arc’ of the original novel over and over.
This was evidence enough.

The only reason I kept skimming through the arc was to confirm whether Damian would get injured or not.

I smiled again because I found myself laughable.

Fortunately, there was no sound this time.

Just a standstill.

“Brother, do you know where Father is?”

As I felt an unknown sentiment creeping up on me, just in time, Alicia changed the topic.

Damian’s gaze, which had been on me, slowly returned to Alicia.

“I believe Father is at the Imperial Family’s barracks.”

“The Imperial Family’s?”

“Yes.
Father won’t be participating in the hunt.”

“Ah, right.
I forgot.”

Phew.

Alicia let out a brief sigh of relief.

She seemed to be worried because it was, after all, a hunting festival.

Well, it’s true that the ‘hunting’ part doesn’t sound very safe.

“But why is Father with the Imperial Family?”

As she felt more relieved now, Alicia nevertheless asked, looking up at Damian with round eyes.

With a gentle smile, he replied.

“The dukes are originally barred from participating in the hunt, so instead, they’ll be standing behind His Majesty the Emperor while he delivers the opening speech.”