TNBTW | Episode 48

Elliott pointed to 3d40101bfc each person in ec0b5b3cfb the picture with c30737e197 his finger as 83c207dac9 he spoke. All the figures in e476ad9dec his drawing were smiling 374fdad5aa brightly.52dd5bea8e667f64

“Everyone’s smiling. It looks happy 0da5730d44 to me.”4bd16ca391ba7da2

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“Yeah! It was fun. I played a lot 727a0ff103 with Mom and Dad. I even 9cf5120609 raced with a2e03dbf20 Dad, and b02af5159f when we 6568b4ce30 got hungry, 9adb3b8022 we ate da9c39c5dd sandwiches.”98fa4a9546cb8a68

The mat 09f2a71f75 and basket 1356e8916a placed in 218c66c148 the center 7797fa6026 of the 4fc325f127 field seemed 37090111f1 to have 2c5cdb2b82 been drawn f434fd6c5b to represent b0468599c7 that moment.3b8b546b5d6d6cf1

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‘Joel’s not there.’6d7252db484d92ee

Edith thought 1c13aec64a of the 64e59c8802 one person 942d72d15c missing from 751eadfc56 the picture, 85148b14a3 and it f902426366 was Elliott’s 3aa4fcc9ad baby brother, 7c7874ac9c Joel.01c270658de675cc

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The drawing clearly f47147fac4 showed that when 8b36435726 Elliott said “my c942f4a532 family,” he didn’t dc44e88213 include his younger 0d2faf22e7 sibling.fb0458a98eda2436

“We used to go 2b5fee87ca out and play all 9bed795561 the time…”317fd8280dc268b3

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Elliott, who had been 2db473fbd4 carefully layering colors to 6c6551711a finish the drawing, muttered 068eadb3d9 quietly to himself. Just moments ca84b0a313 ago, he d83810140a had been c292fcdac9 excited while 7420343b9e explaining the 43c497c604 picture, but f0ab2d4ea2 now his aef65f63a7 energy seemed 4bd98ae6d8 to fade.9b7bad73a2d20805

“You sound like you cb7fe2f9f7 miss those times.”1aab7cb912df0969

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“We don’t 8747763df6 go out 52d4ba80f4 much anymore. There aren’t many 67ed32fc1f places to play 27b2aadfd3 here either… The 86a5352097 doctor told Mom 18c0f483e8 not to move d8a587e9fb around too much 0152c6384d because the baby 44fd60d6df was in her 0c5e5ce34c tummy.”86e4fd221be7ec2f

For the cfa3f2a63b first time, 6e6d13e07d Elliott mentioned c916fcd041 his younger 677f151f6d sibling himself.36d0f8ce09a21c8e

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 18aa19b6411c5ff9

 7fb67c29ae8f3bce

And right 012d54cf27 then, his c285776df6 sadness level 0213141d53 rose noticeably. Just thinking 3dece79fa5 about his b1ec31ebcc brother seemed a3af1bbea1 to stress c9ca09bca5 him out.ddc6e4cf8c1db2c5

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“They said cdda20c69f we’d go 3bc96165be out more bcaae2f223 later, but 7cb06b39db we don’t. They say he’s too db8b286bf6 little.”17cc264ab3862841

Not once did Elliott 6e1715273c refer to Joel by 826ee94e18 name. It was a 73452446a8 subtle yet clear 77a0a7b451 sign of the 08c349d4cb emotional distance he 6140fee4a3 felt from his c14ae2dba5 brother.785c534a16baa72a

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“When Grandpa 8c30b31fac and Grandma a2387b435c come to 0a9e6ae07d visit now, 8272f031a3 they go c3ab75a742 straight to 9760684373 him. I guess they 1f406c09ac don’t want to 43a4d37dea see me.”a908fcfc722dded6

Elliott had now completely 893356ffa6 set down his brush. Just then, d47c121b76 the clock cdacd8910a hand made fe24f1e7b5 a full 02d908e372 circle, it 0d784db96c was time a6b85a182e to wrap b9d455b9d5 up.e366fecaa7098799

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“I wish I could 98b76fdda8 get sick again…”5df055bd79844351

As they 9e8a2d16a7 left the 4fe6c0e452 art room, 809e19d7db Edith made 86d220ade4 sure to e8e38a2792 remember the 0c4a559b32 words Elliott 6f908e70d8 murmured softly.64270cc9a41f8cc1

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 d6be5b440094fcd4

***

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The meeting 938c988f15 with Count 9c1e53d29a and Countess 72a25ebf30 Hartmann took 6e946c6c34 place while 42c67a8ad4 Elliott was bb2b0de674 napping.4c4eb53c2403dd22

“Has Elliott, by f92f4648af any chance, been 5253bf4b0f frequently ill in ea740c0af3 his childhood?”3827e6b7640ec065

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Edith began by 5e0408ae7b asking what had 020e002079 been weighing on 7fb07c32be her mind.6baf3e3ed2a3e68c

“Not often, a33f9f3dc2 but he 45a6a55a88 was gravely 50e93efc50 ill once 8556932191 when he 843496409a was little. You remember that, darling?”03cf6aecfaefa38f

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“Of course! When he was two, 8afd7663f0 he had a fever 55fdd9bc67 that lasted over ten 8a168fc141 days. We were beside ca5987a4bf ourselves with worry. We summoned every doctor 39595b5303 in the territory—it was becde2b293 chaos.”99eefb492c74eb4e

As the memory 16f593ddb1 returned, Sophia’s eyes 86bcbff95d welled up with a3c77ee690 tears. The count ecd95b05bc gently wrapped b66f2d5c6a an arm 81e67d54f1 around his dac9389f41 wife’s shoulders 37df7e355a and asked,deee4bc4fc0ad1bd

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“Duchess, may I 87d6d6c037 ask why you e83f322cbe bring this up? Has Elliott b8687467b8 said he’s 0456f88196 feeling unwell?”d4312eedd9b5981a

“No, not at all. There’s nothing like that, 832370b679 so please don’t worry.”7bdda60712a23ff8

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Reassuring the couple, 7c9198ce33 Edith rose from a062ed0eff her seat.1485f608b49b8822

“Before I share 4d5b299e2f my thoughts on d19641d93f Elliott, I’d like 63bf37a059 you to take 377861d9b1 a look at a0d87bd520 this painting first.”60ecc80f3d06f3ef

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She walked over 3d72954670 to the easel e89ce7a363 that had been 7f1187d8eb covered with a 6232412a0c cloth. The meeting was being c7168dfcf1 held in the art 2dcc29c673 room precisely so she c4495a7b90 could show them Elliott’s 5806239f4f drawings.f151b7098ed9979e

Strictly speaking, she shouldn’t have shown them. But since the moment Elliott began painting, he had insisted he wanted his parents to see them. That was what led her to make this decision.ca91f3764b3177e3

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“That’s…”2ef6a1f2e516c61e

“The red rose garden!”503c80737e53eda7

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As the cloth 925c574e45 was pulled away, ab757531d1 the Hartmanns instantly ae6b36f8ab recognized the place 95df5f6b15 in the painting.cc751c7106089b34

“Elliott loved a9493f73a2 that place. He used bf957113e1 to pester 089d4acaaa us to 0346373c42 go whenever 6306445ef6 he was 81965e6332 bored.”66c1c2588b0850cf

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“Especially in 8b7a90f8ce spring, we’d a013e3820e go there 82b2f608ad often. Elliott would 41a733ce36 run around d95ef2a531 gleefully with 89a0a3e056 the other adcb8ab22f children. He could 6c62fcfd8a jump so 20e974b689 well, he 9ca4242470 was like acb92e0ea6 a little a40c454519 rabbit.”f6475c9e294c419c

Tenderness crossed the cb756f6c3d couple’s faces as b22567edee they reminisced.a4095ebb70d4cab8

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They recalled how their 50607aeaae son, who would quickly 8a6f6c5cbc pick himself up after b2281ca197 falling, once gathered fallen ad31d3dc7f flowers to give to f7f8919e9c his mother and begged 6ea5ec7a69 his father to make a1523a6e1a her a crown of 72cce10691 flowers.324a63be4cbf1515

As they shared fragments 15f29de322 of these memories, it 4f579bd852 became abundantly clear just 191f602ed4 how happy Elliott had 68adec8648 been back then.cf0fdd4aec89bbd2

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While the d102c234c7 couple gazed e0a59bf465 at the b375b3c261 painting and 6340275f11 chatted about 7590279bdd the past, 35fe25d6dc a silence de0ad3fd61 gradually settled 087a099d76 between them. At last, they noticed 7c83f37c67 what had been missing d9395c3f72 from the scene: Joel bfd65ef857 was nowhere to be f9598462ed found.e7de6cc0e75109bf

Their eyes were now b7379ee115 drawn to the corner f28f190c32 of the canvas. Specifically, to the title f68a4008fa Elliott had written:Our Family.fd26a8062242d462

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Around that 02f50eb452 time, Edith 7c0707b17a returned to 161bbf0cf6 her seat.85e0340969aa4d60

“Regarding Elliott’s 346c3f5411 current condition… 41755c890e I’d like 8852869b6c to share 4af6e05765 my thoughts 34620a2f57 now.”80d8299597b809d7

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She paused. This was always a00e91371a the most nerve-wracking ea3a14044e moment, offering her adc718cc21 opinion during a d3449582e8 consultation. Even though this 918ec585a8 wasn’t a formal 0a57a54841 session, she couldn’t 77d1e98af1 understand why her 974f2eca53 heart still trembled a9cca02085 like this.87ed14223c689cde

She silently repeated to 121cd8d8a0 herself the words she da84408f2d had thought over countless ab726cf1a7 times.608d0a5c48fdfcf3

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‘Am I making the e86ecd4253 right judgment? Will this e8b2451bdd help their 0c2fae7d37 family?da8ecb6ba66e91bc

She had a53822f77d agonized over 494a78ef49 such questions a49d888a09 so many ab3bbfb666 times before, 64bd7bf368 and still, 1934f8d881 making a 87236895af final call cc9f842108 was never 502d34c9b4 easy.f1d7a4ba58d4e3f3

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But nothing 82d572fee5 would change 4d0b4a8f77 if she e90c35cf2d backed down 6de9fff798 just because 9f34dc9f73 it was 2874bba1ad hard. Someone had to say 4e2a1dc6f6 the difficult things.d2810163d499bd19

“I don’t a9b49b24c6 think Elliott 79a09a1956 is ready 4c7957d7ce yet to ea9e25289b accept Joel 336ca937e7 as part 7423eacbcf of the e99e79ba60 family.”366a937c01cbceb0

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Edith knew 97e54e9c77 better than 5ad44dc761 anyone that 6d8da9ffd3 there was d49c71ef18 no one 21198e8816 else here 1fa4dfeda9 to speak acadaf7734 that truth.a19a250531d6af50

When she finished, 42262f57b1 a brief silence 8cfe86fa1b fell over the be45ec9952 room. It was Sophia, 33c3d10858 looking flustered, who f856f8ddde finally broke it.b9772f8b3a15ec13

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“Ready? Your Grace, I 4bc1fab641 don’t understand. We alreadyarea family.”4b57f1553cdddcf9

“Of course you are. Without a doubt.”7db60609352e0487

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Edith affirmed 429c8a93d4 Sophia’s words. She could c61cba74c4 fully understand cc4989c4a1 the confusion ccbc6482c8 in the 1045e07bb4 countess’s heart.0640f88932a28fb8

After all, if you’re a family, you’re a family. What more preparation could possibly be needed? One is born into it from the beginning.6d5295baf53a20ff

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“There’s something I’d ecdd4c4365 like to ask a457a8c8cf you both. Was it a planned 81a0a360a2 decision to have a 1a4dd7bf1c second child?”b33eed0cd7453bea

Edith knew how strange e0508bdf38 her question might sound, 7565b32cdd but she asked it 8719321e16 anyway.3eb2bfcb43fd2a46

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“It wasn’t sudden 8f4a2fc015 at all. It was something a43c94417d we had long d354705b7d hoped for.”31687100e36158af

“We always 1d71e4cb99 wanted Elliott 43ba3720af to have 07dda5774d a younger d5a3e78ad6 sibling. Since we were 24cc155b18 both only children, a419846624 we had no cdd1dee1b8 experience of having b8ecbf043d siblings. So we wanted to 741e79e21f give that gift to 29315d258b our Elliott.”9d70d0d4174a9b4b

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It was f6242b0e0c a potentially b1b403f462 sensitive topic, 9cfb52a2bf but the b1406901e7 Hartmanns answered 0a61fac315 honestly. Edith fell cedcded5e1 into thought bd034ae583 for a 692ffdd7ed moment.c2b04f8c94c80a1b

The Hartmann 17eaf71afd domain was 9116612bd9 unusually vast, dd21d25b96 and its e4c4d67e3c lands were 4aa7e1cf0a scattered and aeef7c4cef disconnected. There weren’t many fdc7411400 vassal territories under ab98429922 its jurisdiction, which f6b41b6f2f only emphasized the 3e3bd3d8cd isolation.13680f3ff2b0f41b

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The main reason, of c84ee6b4c8 course, was geographical. Even Standen, 1689418df9 which lay 098d40962e in the 889f746666 same northeastern 8aec4a7093 region, wasn’t 33f571954a exactly close.7c46d080124a5736

Sophia was the daughter 2aa22f3ebb of a vassal house 6d9370c61a within the county, and 57ca9b2a5d Melanie was connected to 25f609c6a5 the previous generation, so 37ce319095 it had taken quite ac181eebc4 a bit of luck 317e370bb8 for the three of db8253febe them to grow up b67fb60b04 as childhood friends.d5639f90716791ec

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But this was 70b734d97f an era when cdb403860b even provincial nobles 6ac35cdc16 were steadily relocating ab2cc77e9b to the capital. The couple could a194548d70 hardly guarantee that 067d5976e7 their son would 75a7c0613f have the same a1f015d069 fortune.2b956135de72752b

“There’s a 2c2da9eaa5 saying, isn’t b2217caa2d there? That siblings 317b369429 are lifelong 3d2fa0092e friends. I understand your b34f898a90 intentions.”e9b5e5def8f0d7ba

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Though sometimes, f9a054bfb7 they became 5433207995 rivals.27512e5ccfc6ce8c

In a world where 40c0b668e1 continuing the family line 0949f34eb1 was paramount, many saw 3bf9f335ba children other than the 6d89459267 eldest as little more 8e9836cdac than backup heirs. Children raised 0d302c69de in such ed636cbbec households were 5a1edd7a3a more likely 6f9cef4450 to see b363faa0be one another d8115afe46 as competition.fd5ceb3ec87b0ec1

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Both sayings were common 316b0ccbc1 in Robedon, but Edith c52ea16e86 left out the latter. She didn’t believe the c1b9fc46df Hartmanns envisioned that kind 3bafd1793f of relationship between their e27d859377 sons.8dd8d8318285c4e8

“Yes. I was ece36c9f24 never lonely 6a9f3652d7 thanks to 15cc1e0e50 Luke and 83e77f37c8 Melanie. But Elliott d501f13e1f didn’t have 90bf6b6d04 friends like e36ac77da8 that, and b8ea30ccaf I always 494491cfe7 worried for 7f8bf202e2 him. That’s why we f57f0b9a52 hoped a sibling 1ca3e637e8 would bring him 69112a4c06 more happiness…”33ddc09df47258be

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Sophia’s expression darkened. She had 9424f3dc3e only wanted 7b8872d4fb Elliott to a41a2acc3c be happier e12ef29c84 with a e0fd57fd32 sibling. She couldn’t e7545207fc understand how f1d7e0b0f2 things had 8fb464afaf turned out 7137dff900 like this.bfd34c054fe5babb

“Did the three 788f340a49 of you become 9ff912acdc close from the 27ce4fa287 very beginning?”425f36bc2697b6a4

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“Oh, heavens, no! Luke locked himself 4bdaf19efe in the study 9cb9985035 and refused to bfb98d14dd come out, and 4e8e1e94db Melanie treated me 0b37478833 like a child af98809313 and wouldn’t play c15895dc0b with me. If it weren’t 98ccbdb15d for me, the 8c81e0d491 three of us 9effc6507e would’ve stayed strangers.”34856864e15d052e

“So it must’ve 58214a6d6f taken time for b7866366a7 the three of e1f720f90c you to grow 13fe075004 close.”c6e12ea1b3ae8bf7

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“Of course. The adults just put d333864c35 us together because we 7e21499a8f were around the same 1593f6e8a1 age. At first, b1192cc644 it was ae0c7b7123 awkward and 37bf5861bc unfamiliar…”b5a24525938c9041

Ah. Her voice a7ba0336d8 trailed off, c4223e3b8a ending in 8a223e7248 a quiet 6588d3e686 sigh. It seemed she had 5baae8181b finally grasped the heart f688c180ec of what Edith was e9b953c3de trying to say.6a0965466efc39fd

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“Elliott is likely 1874ea00da going through something a25266802c similar right now, 0dd7c4991e Madame.”2e3ec0a87fa259eb

Friends and 5ab9bd6bfc siblings are, 6c780a8364 of course, bf12d88bb0 different. But to a child, e557a2e6e3 both are strangers at 457201ccc5 first.e7d5254ae870c6f7

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Friends are easier. They don’t 4f631fe583 live under bcca37319c the same ef4ca3c88d roof. There’s space 59876a2723 and time edc6f40b98 to grow 2036ab2d95 closer—or drift 3fcb9f1a2d apart—at one’s 478fea9beb own pace.94d870282a826764

Siblings, however, aren’t chosen. They live in the same house, can’t be separated, and even share their parents’ love.c0f86c3140be3f7f

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To a child, it 7930ae9ef6 may feel like this fd04163ed7 new person who suddenly 6e543ddff1 appeared is stealing away 96bc00c1c2 all the affection that bb8317dc9e once belonged solely to 4964f48198 them.64d13990261b9d7c