The Reborn Lady is Loved by her Foster Brother: The Scariest Villain

CHAPTER 89 - THE NEVER ENDING NIGHTMARE

　Gérard was sleeping so quietly that she doubted if he was really alive.

Approaching enough to reach out and touch, Ortansia once again signed at the beauty of the person in front of her.

'Really, Onii-sama is so beautiful that it's cunning.'

Perhaps one could say it is divine.

He possesses a beauty akin to a painstakingly crafted work of art, enough to give one pause before approaching him.　As she stared at him, his brow suddenly wrinkled.

For a moment, she panicked, thinking he may have awoken… But then he began to moan as if in a nightmare, and Ortansia became flustered.

'What should I do... Brother, are you having a bad dream? If so, I have to wake you up!'

"Brother...? Are you okay?" 

Ortansia softly called out as she tapped Gerard's shoulder.

With that stimulus, Gerard slowly opened his eyes.

And as she timidly peered at Gerard, their gazes met…

"Huh!?"

Gerard suddenly jerked himself up and grabbed Ortansia's shoulder with great force.

"Ahh, brother!"

"You are..!"

The man in front of her should certainly be Ortansia's favourite brother.

But now she was terrified.

Fingertips gripping her shoulders so hard that his nails were digging in. The eyes that glared at her with intense passion.

Above all, she felt an ominous presence throughout her body. She couldn't believe it was that Gerard.

"Oh, Onii-sama, it hurts!"

With tears in her eyes, Hortensia desperately called out to Gerard..

Eventually, when his calls reached him, Gerard seemed to come back to his senses.

Seeing his tearful younger sister in front of him, Gerard jumped back in surprise.

"Wha...!"

"Brother! Are you alright!"

The usual Gerard had returned.

Intuitively sensing this, Ortansia ran towards her brother and hugged him tightly.

"Brother, I'm glad you're okay…"

Gerard seemed puzzled by Ortánsia's behaviour, but eventually he soon wrapped his arms around her back hesitantly.

"... Sorry."

"No, this is totally fine. More importantly, Oniisama..."

Ortansia tried to ask about the sudden change earlier, but no words came out.

She couldn't help but feel that if she said something carelessly, it would create a decisive rift in her current relationship with him.

Instead, asked fearfully.

"Could it be that... you were having bad dreams again?"

Gérard said nothing.

In other words, it was nothing more than a euphemistic affirmation.

'After all, Onii-sama's nightmares wasn't over…!'

Could it be that the sudden change earlier was also influenced by that nightmare?

If so…

"You are...!"

He said that at that time, looking at Ortansia. It was possible that he simply mistook Ortansia for someone else.

But…

'Could that nightmare have something to do with me...?'

For some reason, Ortansia couldn't help but think so.

"Brother, please tell me. What nightmare is tormenting you so much...?"

Ortansia asked, clinging firmly to her brother.

But Gerard only shook his head quietly.

"It's not something... you should care about."

"How can I not care about such things! Oniisama is having such a hard time"

When Gerard is in pain, Ortansia's heart aches too.

Even so, he carries a lot of burdens.

It would be nice to let Hortensia take over for a little bit.

"... I want to be of help to Onii-sama. If there's anything I can do, please tell me. I'll do my best, too"

Looking straight at Gerard, Ortansia desperately spoke.

But…

"No need."

The words that she heard were quite simple and the exact opposite of what... Ortansia meant.

"You don't have to do anything, you just stay here and be quiet."

"Oh no... Onii-sama!bI'm not a little child anymore! I'm of use to you…"

"I'm saying it's not necessary."

Gerard said so, and Ortancia flinched unintentionally.

Since she came to the Duke's house in this second life... She has never been so openly rejected by him until now.

"... I'll say it again. Don't do anything."

Gérard reiterated in an unusually strong tone.

"It will be a nuisance to wander around unprotected. Do the bare minimum and keep quiet in the house."

Ortansia looked up fearfully.

Her Brother, who was staring at her, had an unusually grim and cold expression on his face.

'Why…'

That expression overlaped with the face she saw before she was executed in her first life.

　..."Shut up, disgrace to the duke family.……I have never thought of you as my sister even once."

'I thought we were getting along so well…'

She felt more distant from Gérard than ever before. 

She wondered if all the warm memories she have had so far were lies.

'Oh no, I don't want to believe that...!'

Fury welled up inside her chest.

If she stayed here any longer, she felt like she would embarrassingly burst into tears.

She didn't want Gerard to see her like that, especially not the way he was now. He would surely give her a disdainful look that would be unbearable.

"Oh…"

She couldn't bear it if that happened. The relationship they had built so far and their memories would freeze.

That scared her, and so Ortansia turned and run away from Gerard.

...But Gerard didn't follow her.

"Oops."

As she opened the door to the office, Lucien, who seemed to have been waiting outside, let out a surprised sound.

　However, Ortansia ran away from the place without paying attention to that.