Chapter 61: Constant Supply.

“…Hm?”

Apologize. Apology. The feeling of wanting to make amends for something.
Yulan could process the concept in three seconds, but he had absolutely no idea what for.

From the way she hesitated, it seemed Violet herself hadn’t fully organized her thoughts.
Her gaze wandered, her fingers tensed.
It was rare for her to lose her usual composed demeanor.

“Um… did I do something?”

“It’s not exactly that you did something…”

She faltered, unable to explain, and the moment the words left her mouth she regretted them.

What Violet wanted to apologize for was Mary-June… and, by extension, her father’s words the other day.

The anger she had felt that morning had been because everything Yulan had done was for her sake.

She knew the relationship between Yulan and Claudia; she could easily imagine how much conflict asking him must have caused, even if it was for her.
That was exactly why she had been happy, why she had wanted to repay those feelings.

And yet that man had tried to trample them both with a single word, without the slightest consideration for Yulan’s feelings or her gratitude.

If the words had been directed only at her, she could have stayed silent.
But she couldn’t forgive it when it felt like he was belittling Yulan too.

Standing before Yulan now, that anger had transformed into guilt.

She wanted to apologize—for letting him say those things, for dragging him into the role of “older sister,” for letting his heart be trampled.

She wanted to apologize for her father’s rudeness, words that carried no responsibility.

But the moment she tried to voice it, she regretted her own thoughtlessness.

“Um… it’s about Mary-June…”

“Ah… it’s really fine. I’m not the one teaching her anyway.”

“Ah, yeah… right…”

Of course Yulan would say that.
It was exactly the answer she had expected, but since her words weren’t the full truth, she couldn’t be satisfied with it.

She had selfishly prioritized her own guilt, but Yulan didn’t even know about her father’s remark.
Even if Mary-June had said something, she believed one hundred percent that it came from parental love and goodwill.
In fact, it did stem from their father’s overprotective love for Mary-June—and the arrogance that said everyone else could be sacrificed for it.

Unless Violet told him, Yulan would never know.
There was no need to deliberately make him uncomfortable.

It was too late to realize that now, but fortunately Yulan seemed to notice something was off with her yet had no idea what she actually wanted to say.

If she brushed it aside, he probably wouldn’t press.

“If you’re okay with it, then I am too. I was just a little concerned because we suddenly added someone.”

Was she smiling properly?
Her mouth was turned up, but that alone was far from a real smile.
She kept her head lowered so her whole expression wouldn’t be seen.
If only the awkward smile was visible through the gaps in her hair, it might look less forced.

“…Sorry for keeping you. If we don’t head back soon, the whole break will be over.”

How long had it been since they left the salon?
Staying away too long would waste the study session.
And if anyone started worrying—honestly, just imagining what kind of troublesome flag her kind little half-sister might raise was exhausting.

She lightly touched Yulan’s arm to urge him back, then slipped past him.
If he only saw her back, he wouldn’t know what expression she wore.

“…!?”

Just as she tried to walk away, her hand was caught by a warmth far larger than her own.
She stumbled forward, then was gently pulled back; the back of her head bumped into something firm yet warm.

A soft, almost deflating sound—like air escaping—supported her from behind.

“It’s okay… I’m okay, Vio-chan.”

She wasn’t exactly being hugged.
No arm circled her waist, no full-body embrace.
She wasn’t clinging either.

Just the slightest touch.
Just the tiniest exchange of warmth, to convey the message.

“I’m a lot thicker-skinned than you think.
I don’t get hurt nearly as easily as you believe.”

The fragile little Yulan who had once been so wounded he nearly died no longer existed.
Since the day Violet saved him, his heart had grown far stronger.
It was true he had indulged in being spoiled like a little brother, but conversely, he had become thick-skinned enough to act that way without caring who saw.

The opinions and words of random people didn’t matter at all.

If Violet was fine with it—if she allowed it, if she accepted it—that was enough.
Everything else could burn.

“I’m okay. Thank you for worrying about me.”

He hadn’t grasped everything she was thinking or worrying about.
In fact, he barely understood.

But he did understand that she felt some kind of guilt toward him because of her half-sister.

She didn’t need to worry about anything.
She didn’t need to feel anything at all.
To Yulan, Mary-June was worth less than a roadside pebble.

When Violet was involved, even a pebble became something he wanted to erase, but remove Violet from the equation and Mary-June held not a shred of interest for him.
If anything, today he was grateful she was there—because her presence meant he didn’t have to watch Violet and Claudia alone together.

“I just wanted to study with you, Vio-chan.
It doesn’t matter if more people join or fewer come.”

He spoke lightly, playfully, to the silent, downcast Violet, but it was the honest truth.

He touched her shoulder and released the body he had borrowed.
He let go of the hand he had taken without permission, then stood beside her so he wouldn’t see her face.
She began walking without prompting.
Side by side, in step.

“…I already know you’re thick-skinned, Yulan.”

“Ehh, you think so…? I’m pretty sure I’m at least ten times thicker-skinned than you imagine.”

“People who aren’t thick-skinned don’t talk back to princes.”

“You’re still holding that against me…?”

“I’m grateful, but my heart nearly stopped, so it balances out.”

“I’m not reflecting or regretting anything, though…”

“Could you at least pretend to reflect?”

The conversation was light, perfectly ordinary.
Not a trace remained of their earlier closeness—perhaps because of the nature of their relationship.
Because Violet accepted everything Yulan gave her without a single doubt.

That was fine.
Nothing needed to change.
The affection Yulan poured into Violet was nothing special, after all.

Yet even so, the dark, ugly emotion that had nested in Violet’s chest had undeniably lightened.