By Zephyria 
“Eddie, are you sure about this?”
Ketron shielded Eddie behind him, as if he couldn’t trust the Emperor. Marquis Rivalt, standing behind, glared at Ketron for guarding against the Emperor so casually, despite being a subject of the Empire, but Ketron didn’t care.
Did a cat pick and choose when to hiss? Eddie chuckled at Ketron’s behavior.
“He’s okay.”
At least, he probably is, judging by his face. Eddie didn’t bother adding the unspoken words as he soothed Ketron.
“Ket, can you stay awake and wait for me until I get back?”
Lately, Eddie had been seeking out Ketron whenever he felt uneasy, as if he were his sanctuary.
Hearing those words, Ketron realized that Eddie, despite appearing fine, was quite unstable.
But he couldn’t stop him any longer. Both Eddie and the Emperor wanted to speak alone. He clicked his tongue and stepped back.
As he nodded, Eddie led the Emperor away. They headed up to the second floor, seemingly to Eddie’s room.
Despite being an Emperor and presumably highly sensitive about his safety, neither the Emperor nor Marquis Rivalt seemed wary of being alone with Eddie in an unfamiliar place. It was as if not being wary of Eddie was the most natural thing in the world.
Ketron wanted to check what they were talking about, just like he did with Augustine, but he resisted the urge. Eddie had promised to come back, so Ketron would find out what they discussed once the conversation was over.
A person of the Emperor’s stature wouldn’t mistreat Eddie, and besides, the Holy Sword was in Eddie’s room, so even if something went wrong, it wouldn’t be the worst-case scenario.
“You must be Ketron?”
Marquis Rivalt spoke to Ketron, who was staring intently at the stairs Eddie had ascended. Turning his head, Ketron saw a noble with black hair and blue eyes, resembling Gerold, looking at him with a stern gaze.
“You and I have some things to discuss.”
Behind him, Gerold sighed softly.
Whether it was the older or younger brother, their overbearing attitude was the same. Leaving that indifferent thought behind, Ketron nodded and took a seat at a nearby table.
It was the beginning of a long conversation.
Eddie led his brother, Emperor Ricarius, to his room.
The Emperor entered Eddie’s room for the first time, looking around with considerable interest. Not that there was much to see, as Eddie pursued a rather minimalist lifestyle.
Then, he spotted the Music box on the side table and immediately opened it with an even more intrigued expression.
The theme song of the cartoon Eddie had been listening to filled the room.
“Ebon worked hard on it, even roping in Gerold. Do you like it? Did you like this gift?”
It’s what you used to like.
Eddie simply stared at the man saying those words, without uttering a word.
Eddie had heard the Emperor’s name before: Ricarius Lasite Bergamin. He thought it was an unnecessarily complicated and long name, but he also had a brother with a similarly unnecessarily long name.
Pakirius. That was ‘Eddie’s’ real name, and his status as the Emperor’s brother. What was certain was that the two didn’t resemble each other in the slightest.
If anyone said they were brothers, no one would believe it.
When Lee Jeong-hoon was with his brother, everyone would say, ‘Wow, you can tell you’re brothers even without being told!’ because they looked so alike. When he was young, he didn’t even know what twins were and asked his parents, ‘Mom, are my brother and I twins?’ which made everyone laugh. But these brothers looked nothing alike.
Well, maybe it would be strange if they did. Eddie’s face was completely different from Lee Jeong-hoon’s.
So.
There was no way the Emperor, who had Lee Jeong-han’s face, would resemble Eddie.
The little Eddie figure spinning around and the characters Lee Jeong-hoon liked spinning around it… and Eddie, or rather, Pakirius, liked the same things.
Perhaps Ebon’s Music box and Ebon’s existence were similar to a warning someone had sent to Eddie.
A warning that this world wasn’t completely unrelated to ‘Lee Jeong-hoon’.
A warning that a character who hadn’t been properly depicted in 〈Hero Doesn’t Hide His Power Too Much〉 could have been created as a character related to Lee Jeong-hoon.
“Brother.”
At Eddie’s call, the Emperor turned to him.
“Yes?”
The way he smiled kindly when Eddie called him was exactly like Lee Jeong-han. Except for the blonde hair, it was the same face Eddie remembered.
Lee Jeong-hoon at twenty-eight. Lee Jeong-han at thirty. Yes, exactly that age.
“How old are you again, Brother?”
“Just add six years to your age. Have you forgotten?”
“I forget my own age sometimes.”
“You’re not old enough to do that yet, are you? I forget sometimes, though.”
Emperor Ricarius replied with a smile that he was thirty years old, exactly the same age as Lee Jeong-han.
Their conversation was very natural. Eddie was clearly meeting him for the first time, but when he saw that face and acted as he used to with his brother, the Emperor answered without hesitation, just like a real brother, like Lee Jeong-han. As if he really, truly was Lee Jeong-han.
But that couldn’t be. It shouldn’t be.
Eddie’s heart pounded.
“Why have you been calling me ‘Brother’ so affectionately since earlier? Are you feeling sorry for not recognizing me right away?”
The Emperor closed the Music box and approached Eddie. A familiar hand gently swept Eddie’s bangs back. Even this touch was familiar to Eddie, as Lee Jeong-han often did that to Lee Jeong-hoon.
Lee Jeong-hoon and Lee Jeong-han were very close brothers, like friends.
And how should Eddie interpret the Emperor with that brother’s face?
Ebon’s main mission was assassination.
The note Ebon had brought, the words that the eighth and ninth tasks had been completed.
The key figures of the noble faction who had been assassinated as the ninth task.
In fact, Eddie hadn’t initially connected E’s note with Marquis Meggin. Then, after hearing E’s message, he wondered if that note could possibly be it. After the Count Almeida incident, he became suspicious after seeing Ebon’s note, and when he saw the Music box and remembered Ebon’s role, he began to think…
Perhaps Eddie was someone who belonged to the Emperor’s faction. And that his status was extraordinary.
“They are trying to bring down the sky.”
At the time, Eddie was puzzled because he didn’t know why he needed to know that, but those words were a warning from Ebon. That the noble faction was preparing to strike the Emperor. That Eddie had to act.
But at the time, he didn’t have any information, so he couldn’t do anything. Suddenly frightened, Eddie asked in an anxious voice.
“Brother, are you okay? The noble faction…”
“No, Paki. I didn’t come here to talk about that today. I just came to see you, so we don’t have to talk about work.”
But the Emperor cut off Eddie’s worries.
“Besides, you hardly have anything left to do. Isn’t that why you’ve suddenly been so enthusiastic about the inn, even though you never cared about it before? I’m curious where you get all those things, but you’ve always collected strange things, so it’s not that strange.”
The Emperor seemed lost in thought for a moment, but soon, feeling Eddie’s gaze, he smiled warmly again.
“I’m always sorry to you, and to Ebon and Gerold. I wonder if I’ve burdened you with too much, and that you can’t even live under your real name.”
“……”
“But just wait a little longer, I promise. I’ll come to get you soon, and then we can live together in the Imperial Palace. Okay?”
Those weren’t words painting a vague future. They were words of hope for a future that would inevitably come someday, a future that was gradually getting closer. The Emperor was sincere. He was sincerely looking forward to the day he could bring his brother to the Imperial Palace and live together.
Eddie almost nodded without realizing it. He wanted to just nod and say that he would, that he wanted to live with his brother, making weak noises.
Just because that face was Lee Jeong-han’s face.
But.
But Eddie, Lee Jeong-hoon, was an isekai’d person. And unless Lee Jeong-han from the other world had died and possessed him in this world, although he didn’t even want to imagine such a situation… then his real brother wasn’t Lee Jeong-hoon.
“What if.”
Eddie hesitated for a moment, but eventually asked. He had to ask.
“What if I’m not your brother?”