Kaiâs eyes rolled quickly.
â Coral? I guess I was wrong? But I heard clearly that it was Coral⦠â¦Â â
â It might be the same name. But the name Coral is not that common. â
Jessica and Irene, even though I saw a lot of kids at the academy, the Coral was really just one. To that extent, the name Coral was a very unique name in the Empire.
â But her name is Coral? â
Kai opened his eyes and pressed his ear through the door.
â Coral will be in the hall now. I left it to the butler. â
â I see. The residence is east annex⦠⦠â
Kai franticly jumped into the grand hall of the annex on the other side. Kaiâs heart rang like a thump in the corridor. And the moment he reached the hall, Kai ran into the eyes of a pink rabbit.
â Coral⦠⦠! â
In a moment, Kai sat down as it was.
*Coral quickly found Kai.
â Oppa? â [TL : maybe Iâll use oppa for big brother cz if I used brother, itâll hard to differ from big bro and younger one ]
Momont reached out to Kai, who was so surprised that he fell in place.
â Master, did you know Lady Coral? â
Kai murmured stupidly only after getting up, half ecstatic.
â Why are you⦠⦠get out of there? â
â Why is oppa here? â
Momont stepped in and introduced Kai, who was still in shock.
â He is young master. â
â Young Master? â
Kai was in a mood to change. As if only now, as if he understood the situation, he looked around the mansion and his eyes turned round.
â Is this oppaâs house? â
Everything became clear with just a short conversation.
â The stepmother was Coralâs mother⦠! â
Fortunately or unfortunate, Coral seemed to know nothing. Kai remembered the past with tears. Six months ago, when Coral was unable to came to the academy due to family circumstances.
â The day you suddenly disappeared, it felt like the world collapsed. â
I went home, but there was no Coral. On the 7th day after visiting Coralâs house, I was able to find back of Coral.
â You were laughing for the first time. I swept my chest down in the brightened appearance. â
So Kai spent six months hanging around near Coral. I wanted to appear in front of Coral, but I was waiting for a stepmother to come. But the stepmotherâs daughter is Coral! Kai seemed to be crying.
â I tried to confess this time. My first love becomes my younger sister. â
Kai hurts like someone stabbing his chest.
â I missed you so much⦠â¦Â â
What Kai expected was not this kind of meeting.
â Oppe, whatâs wrong? â
Kai struggled to endure tears covering his eyes.
â Nothing. â
Watching the white and laughing Coral, Kai decided.
â Coral, Iâll put everything back before you know. Next⦠Iâm going to confess to you. â
All in Kaiâs mind was a plan to reverse the situation.
â I thought everything would be good if I had a stepmom⦠I though I could get one step closer to Coral⦠Itâs all broken. Why did Coralâs mother come as a stepmother among so many people in the world? â
Kai was resentful to the sky. At that time, the sound of looking for Coral was heard from a distance. Coral waved and quickly moved away from Kaiâs sight. Kaiâs eyes became moist as he saw it.
â This marriage⦠I can never allow it! â
Kai brightened his eyes and turned his head around.
â Dad will listen to me. My dad wants to get married because of me. I used to say that I nees a mom for nothing. Soâ¦Â â
*After leaving the mansion, Coral was silent all the way to the wagon. I left it to sir Momont, but in the meantime, what happened? But Coral already knew everything.
â Mom, are we living in that house now? â
ââ¦. ⦠Yes. Do you hate it, Coral? â
Even though it was a simple question, the words stumbled. As I swallowed my saliva, Coral laughed hard.
â No. â
Is this what it means to look sad while smiling? At best, it broke my heart that an 8-year-old made a sad smile. Coralâs age was still young when she accepted the remarriage of her stepmother again in a complicated relationship. Coral was sure to be confused over all of this. It was a curse for my own arrogance, thinking that in less than a year, Coralâs heart would have been better. It was so sad, but I couldnât make a sad expression.
â Coral can hold on to that very wellâ¦Â â
Coral is a quick kid, so if you show up to her from here, she will feel it soon. Words that I couldnât say echoed in my mouth even though I had been worrying for a long time. I canât hide it forever, so I had to do it today.
â Actually, your mother is trying to marry Macaron. â
â ⦠⦠â
â When Macaron becomes a father, there will be no kids in the academy who treat Coral carelessly. â
â ⦠⦠â
â We can do whatever we want to do with Coral. â
Words came out line by line as I had been thinking for a long time. As a divorced woman, I had a low status and a bad reputation, and I couldnât be a strong fence for Coral. However, Macaron, who is the crown prince, is a person who receives both awe and respect at the same time, so he would surely be a strong support for Coral. Just by status alone. Even after marriage, I will not be able to escape from my own origin according to the imperial law, but since Coral is a child, she will be treated as a âyellow childâ. It was the same when Coral became an adult and chose relience for herself. By the way⦠Then it will be much easier to connect with Kai.
â I donât need anything like that. â
â ⦠â¦? â
â Coral only needs a mother. â
â ⦠â¦! â
My heart thumped and dropped. What does it mean to be an adult to Coral, who has been abandoned twice? I didnât want her to see my tears spinning, so I turned my head. At that time, a small hand grabbed me.
â Mom, Iâll do well. So⦠⦠â
â ⦠⦠â
â Donât throw me away. â
â ⦠â¦! â
The dull eyes that didnât go well with the face penetrated my heart and shattered. I felt her little hand trembling over the hem of the dress. While grasping it tightly, I stretched out my other arm and embraced Coral.
â Who throws you away. Such a pretty daughter. â
The tears I had endured flowed down.