Even If Everyone Hates You Side Story 15

“Ah! Look at that—Sey must be so happy to see Your Highness!”

While Seiyad had briefly drifted into thought, the gray robin began to sing, as if overjoyed at reuniting with its master. Robins from the North weren’t especially known for their songs, but their chirps were clear and cheerful, pleasant to the ear. Hopping around the cage and letting out high, bright notes, the little bird was such a charming sight that it drew everyone’s attention, knights included. Ressas was no exception.

“Sey…”

He watched the robin fondly, then glanced at Seiyad with an oddly flustered expression. His eyes curved with overwhelming warmth—far more so than when he’d looked at the bird—and he looked as if he could barely contain how adorable he found Seiyad. The bird was the one singing and dancing, yet it was Seiyad who was suddenly the object of affection, leaving him genuinely perplexed. That faint, unsettling feeling from earlier crept up again.

“…You must be truly happy to see your beloved bird again.”

“Yes. I never thought Sey would remember me. I only meant to care for him until he recovered. Keeping him with me felt like it might be selfish…”

As if it understood every word, the robin fluttered wildly around the cage as soon as Ressas finished speaking. Watching the plump gray puffball flit through the air, Rigda gently smiled and spoke in a soft voice.

“It’s wrong to cage an animal out of selfishness… but if it stays because it cares for you, maybe that’s all right.”

“But Sey would be better off with his own kind. With me, he’s alone. I’m not even the same species… I don’t know if I can make him as happy as he’d be in the wild.”

Ressas looked uncertain. At the royal palace, he had always let the bird roam freely, feeding it whatever it liked, indulging its every whim. Even then, it seemed clear he’d already been preparing himself to eventually let it go.

Ressas never tried to keep even the smallest creature by his side—not his knights, not even animals. But now, Seiyad understood where that part of him came from. So, in place of the knights, he spoke up.

“Belonging to the same group doesn’t always lead to happiness. What matters is being near someone who understands and cherishes you. Just like you did in the palace—if you let him stay free by your side, one day, when he’s ready, he’ll find where he belongs.”

Despite the calm tone, Seiyad sincerely wanted to ease Ressas’s mind. Even among other Tithers like himself, he had known loneliness. Even among fellow humans, he had felt isolated. Looking alike and speaking the same language doesn’t guarantee mutual understanding. What truly matters is the heart.

“I can almost picture it—someday, that little bird raising a family of his own, then flying back to Your Highness.”

It wasn’t an empty sentiment. Even someone like Seiyad, who rarely let his imagination wander, found himself briefly envisioning robins nesting in the trees around Axid Castle. Perhaps he was just recalling the northern robins he’d seen growing up—but in that fleeting image, the bird had flown back to visit Ressas, resting on the windowsill.

In that imagined scene, Ressas was smiling without a trace of worry as he looked at the bird. Feeding it as it chirped for food, he looked so content—and the picture felt entirely natural. And now, Seiyad found himself wanting that plump little bird to stay by Ressas’s side.

“So for now, take him with you. It seems your knights have had their hands full caring for him anyway.”

Seiyad’s face finally relaxed as he said this. Ever since sensing the presence of the knights, he’d kept himself on alert, but the image of Ressas’s joyful future had softened his guard. Just picturing Ressas happy was enough to bring an unintentional smile to Seiyad’s face. His dark gray brows curved slightly, the corners of his eyes gently relaxed, and a faint smile played at his lips.

If Ressas’s beauty had the power to enchant just by being seen, then this rare smile from Seiyad Brosius—Duke of Axid—was something truly breathtaking. Impossible to look away from.

And this was a smile the world had never seen before. Unlike the practiced, hollow smiles he’d worn in the past, this one was genuine. The knights, who had all been focused on the robin, now turned their gazes to the duke himself. Just being near him was overwhelming; his cold, sharp aura made it difficult to meet his eyes, let alone hold his gaze. But now, as he smiled, his handsome features truly came to life.

Vine blinked, staring at Seiyad as if bewitched. Rigda, equally stunned, quickly averted her gaze, flustered. It was as if, for the first time, they realized that the man who always walked through blood and darkness was—undeniably—a strikingly beautiful man. A subtle wave of tension and confusion swept through the knights.

Of all of them, it was Ressas—who had been staring at Seiyad in a daze—who first came back to himself. Like someone given a gift too precious to hold, he looked on the verge of tears even as he smiled. Then, quietly, he nodded.

He’d worn that same expression the day Seiyad first left flowers at his bedside. As if even the smallest, most trivial words from Seiyad were priceless. As if simply being the focus of Seiyad’s attention was enough to leave him breathless.

“I hope that day really comes.”

“It will.”

“Then… let’s take him. Just like Eid said—Sey can stay with me until the day he chooses for himself.”

No sooner had Ressas finished speaking than the robin pecked eagerly at the cage door. It was uncanny—like it understood every word. It even reminded Ressas of Luna.

Recognizing the bird’s intention, he stepped toward Vine.

Snapping back to attention, Vine hurriedly took the wolf cub Ressas had been carrying. Then Ressas opened the cage.

The robin, as if it had been waiting for that moment all along, bounced out and fluttered straight to Seiyad’s shoulder.

They had only met once before, and yet a strange déjà vu settled over him. It was almost certain now—this bird was part of a life he no longer remembered. He briefly wondered… back then, had the bird’s name also been Sey?

Just as he was considering that, Ressas whispered in a voice so full of joy he could barely contain it.

“What am I supposed to do? He’s just too adorable. Sey really does take after you—his behavior, the way he loves sweets… it’s all so much like you, Eid.”

His lover looked radiant, utterly delighted, and charming beyond words. But Seiyad couldn’t let that statement slide. The thing that had been bothering him for a while finally came into sharp focus.

“…Are you seriously saying this tiny, puffed-up robin looks like me?”

“Yes, Eid. Even his color—it’s gray, just like you. And in winter, it turns into the most beautiful shade of silver in the world.”

The robin perched on Seiyad’s shoulder gave a lively hop, as if in agreement. Seiyad stared at it, stunned. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. The delicate chirping beside him only made the moment feel more surreal.

“So then… did you name him ‘Sey’ after me?”

“How did you know?”

Rigda and a few other knights standing nearby coughed in surprise. It seemed even they hadn’t expected that Ressas would actually name the robin after the Duke of the North. Understandable—Seiyad himself hadn’t imagined anything so outrageous. And yet, Ressas had been calling the bird ‘Sey’ ever since he’d rescued it last spring. Meaning, from the very beginning…

“It’s one of your nicknames. But ‘Eid’ felt far too precious, too sacred—so I went with ‘Sey.’ I didn’t want other people casually saying such an intimate name. Thankfully, Sey seemed to like it. He took to it right away.”

Seiyad felt lightheaded. He nearly asked, What nonsense is that?—nearly blurted out something wildly inappropriate, if not outright blasphemous. Just thinking it felt borderline sacrilegious. Still, it was hard not to. With Ressas, anything that wasn’t self-deprecation tended to feel sincere and worth agreeing with—but this metaphor? This comparison? There were serious issues with it.

“Your Highness.”

There were too many things he wanted to correct, and the sheer number of them left him feeling overwhelmed. Seiyad decided, first and foremost, they needed to move. The moment his previously relaxed expression began to harden, the knights visibly tensed up. And he didn’t want to keep Ressas out in the cold any longer than necessary. No matter how used one was to the northern chill, staying out too long could cause even the healthiest person to lose consciousness. It was best to get Ressas back into the warmth of the castle.

“We should go inside. We’re almost there—let’s continue this conversation once we’re in.”

“You’re right. I wasn’t thinking—leaving you all standing around in the cold. Let’s go, Eid.”

Ressas sounded shy, but the way he reached out his hand was steady, like he was simply returning to where he belonged. He’d always seemed like someone drifting without a place to call home, but now, Seiyad could feel it—Ressas truly saw the castle as his own.

And with that realization, Seiyad found himself smiling again, the absurdity of the naming situation momentarily forgotten.

Of course, once they got back inside, they were absolutely going to have a proper discussion about that ridiculous name.

Author: Levia