Sei Bruno Part 1: Forbidden Love
I am Sei Bruno, the 2nd son Marquess Alan Bruno, also the minister to the right. Although this may sound like me bragging, I was blessed with the looks, academic skills, and pedigree. On top of it, being the 2nd son of the house has freed me from the responsibility of an heir. This meant that not only can I obtain anything I wanted, I can also lead a carefree life devoid of responsibility. I could have been the happiest man in the world but the fate had other plans.
Blessed as I am, all ladies paid careful attention to me and ever since childhood, I had lived my days aware of the shower of yearning gazes coming from all directions. Still, no man in this world is blessed with everything.
Sure enough, the heavens have decided that in order to compensate for the blessings I received, my first love will be a trial by fire. The woman I fell in love for the first time was none other than the fiancee of my older brother, the heir of the house.
She was Masumi Sereknight, the younger sister of Marquess Blakia Sereknight, also the minister to the right, by a considerably large age gap. Born during the last years of the previous marquess’s life, she was a lady raised with love, something that shows through her carefree temperament and unbelievably soothing smile.
She had immediately captivated me when I was young and was the one to give me the experience of an unrequited love.
My older brother, Soma Bruno, was 10 years older than me. A boorish man whose only redeeming feature is his diligence. A comparison between us in both looks and capability will result in his utter defeat. He was a man who would give me his personal belongings with a smiling facade, if I wished for them.
But even as an innocent child, I knew that the lovely lady next to him, his fiancée, is the only thing he will never yield. That was obvious enough, Lady Masumi was the woman who captured his heart. If he had easily given her to me just because I asked for her hand, I would’ve been disappointed with him too.
Still, the fact that Lady Masumi do not see me as a man was the hardest pill to swallow of all. I did not mind if she doesn’t see me as a love interest, but at the very least, I wanted her to be conscious of me as an opposite sex. On the contrary, she enters my room alone without any reservations.
When she once came into my room saying that she wanted to read me a book to sleep, I wanted to doubt my ears.
She treats me like a real sibling, nothing more. As the youngest child of her house, she was extremely delighted at the thought of obtaining a younger sibling through marriage.
Unbelievable.
She had thoroughly crushed my pride as a man into dust.
After their marriage, I have distanced myself away from the House Bruno. The figure of her smiling dearly at my older brother, and he who ogles her just as much; they are both spectacles that I did not wish to see. I didn’t want to see my brother flaunting the happiness he obtained despite being inferior to me.
I didn’t want to be reminded of my ugly self.
Still, I want to be free with my own feelings. They would not escape me anyway so I want to be able to keep loving her as I have done. After all, Lady Masumi is the only woman I will ever love.
However, a man from House Bruno is not allowed to remain a bachelor, even if he was a only second son. Sure enough, my fiancée had been chosen and arranged later on.
The chosen lady came from a generations old mercantile noble house. Her name is Missouri Walter, from House Walter, a beautiful lady with dazzling sky-colored hair and pair of eyes. Nevertheless, having already have given my heart to someone else, none of those have impressed me at all. Even her well-behaved and obedient personality only made her as boring as a doll to me. But perhaps she was the most suitable partner for me, a mere pawn used for political marriage.
“This engagement is something our parents have decided. I will never love you.”
“Is that so?”
“I have already fallen for another woman. Although she will never look my way… I still–“
“Certainly, sir.”
Even after hearing that I have fallen for someone else, her facial expression didn’t even move an inch at all. The thought of a cold marriage awaiting me in the future made feel miserable.
Reaching marriageable age, I kept the company of all the women who approached me. There are days where I invite them to my room, and sometimes I stopped over their houses. These behaviors have obviously earned the ire of my father. Even Lady Masumi and my older brother had reprimanded me countless of times, but only Lady Missouri was the one to accept it all, not offering even a single word.
I am the second son.
All the affairs of House Bruno and the entire country is something for my older to think about, not me.
The only lady I ever yearned for had been obtained by my older brother, and the only recompense I got was nothing short of a doll.
All ladies left are naïve women easily swayed by sweet words.
They are boring…
Everyone else left is boring…
Even after enrolling I continued to spend my monochromatic days as per usual. I teased a passing lady in the same manner I always had. But this time, the lady only offered me a momentary glance and ignored me afterrwards.
That was the first time it had ever happened, and although that fresh experience considerably stung, I assumed that the lady didn’t realize that I was talking to her so I kept trying to coax her afterwards.
When I came a little too persistent, I received a slap in return.
“If you keep doing that to everyone, the lady you have truly fallen with will not look your way, you know!?”
The ladies who saw that happened were enraged, however, her words that stabbed my heart hurt far more than the slap in my cheek. No admonishment coming from my family have reached me and yet, but I felt her slap hard.
But at the same time, my interest in her just deepened further.
That Lady was Momo Palette.
Later, I discovered that even his highness Leddorio was attracted to her as well. He was my foster brother and his fiancee, Chloe Sereknight, was the niece of Lady Masumi.
It appears that his highness was severely put off by his fiancee’ vain personality and was instead attracted to the fresh commoner-like behavior of Lady Momo.
I hated Lady Chloe. Her appearance clearly shows her blood relation to Lady Masumi and yet her attitude is the total opposite. Rather, the more the looks of the two paralleled with each other, the more it felt like she’s polluting her image.
Prince Leddorio had also expressed displeasure in Chloe’s designation as the temporary Saintess, something I am in full agreement with. The only ones who deserve the title of a Saint are those who are similar to Lady Masumi.
This made me remember that she will become a mother soon which turned my mood sullen.
Sorry, I didn’t have time to edit all the transitions so most of them may sound odd and stiff. I’ll try to edit this again so you can look back on this chapter later if you want to.
But damn these chapters are long and I don’t have enough time today so I can only put up a single one. I’ll release 3 chapters in 2-3 days to make up for it.
