Brother

The leaves on the corner trees in the courtyard began to fall again, yellow-green foliage dancing in the wind. A group of children chased after the leaves, laughing and playing, their joyful shouts filling the entire school.

Not far away, by the classroom doorway, Roy leaned against the mottled wall, staring blankly at the half of a five-pointed star on his left sleeve. His furrowed brow was out of place amidst the surrounding cheer.

"Roy, I wasn't feeling well yesterday, so I didn't stay after school," Faywen suddenly appeared beside him, her pretty face etched with apology. "After the afternoon class is over, I'll help you review?"

Roy nodded, his expression still tense, his mind miles away from her words.

"Oh, right. Teacher Cadell wants you to go find her on the second floor."

"How have you felt about your time at the school? Are you getting along with the other children? What do you think of the classroom environment, and are there any specific areas that need improvement?" Teacher Cadell rested her hands on her desk, looking at Roy, who sat opposite her, her eyes filled with encouragement.

Her deep nasolabial folds made her look more like she was interrogating him.

"I think everything is quite good," Roy replied truthfully. "I'm especially grateful for Teacher Faywen's meticulous guidance. Without her, my progress wouldn't have been so rapid."

"Faywen is a likable and good teacher; everyone at the school adores her. If she didn't have to spend so much energy caring for her parents, she would be even more outstanding."

"By the way, Teacher Cadell, I have a question," Roy paused. "Does Teacher Faywen have a younger brother?"

Teacher Cadell shook her head. "Faywen has no siblings. She only has a father who drinks like a fish and a mother who is mentally unsound. Neither of them can work, and she supports them both. It's also for this reason that Faywen has never married."

Roy's confusion deepened. Faywen hadn't told him that yesterday.

"I thought she had a younger brother and that she was treating me like him, which is why she was so attentive to me."

Teacher Cadell shook her head, her expression serious. "Roy, Faywen has been assisting me with school affairs for ten years. I treat her like my own daughter and know everything about her. I can confirm she has no siblings. She cares about every student. It's just that you're new to the school, so she's been paying a bit more attention."

Roy didn't press further, seemingly accepting the explanation.

Teacher Cadell smiled and patted his head. Several adolescent boys at the school had a crush on the young and beautiful Faywen, fantasizing that the lovely teacher would give them special attention. She assumed Roy was one of them.

"Speaking of which, Roy, you have great potential. You've completed two months' worth of coursework in half a month, making you smarter than the other 64 children. Perhaps in a few years, you'll become an outstanding graduate of the House of Cadell. At that time, I'll personally paint your portrait and preserve your honor in the school forever, to inspire future generations."

Teacher Cadell opened a drawer in her desk and took out several framed portraits, displaying them to Roy. The lifelike oil paintings all depicted the faces of young boys and girls, looking somewhat immature, around ten years old.

As Roy's gaze swept over one of them, it froze.

"Harlheim, graduated December 20, 1259."

It was the face of a young boy, about thirteen or fourteen years old, with black hair, faint freckles across his nose, and an ordinary appearance that would easily make him blend into a crowd. However, a scar, about the length of an index finger, beneath his right eye made him memorable.

Roy was sure he had seen him before, but for the life of him, he couldn't recall where.

"Where have all the outstanding graduates gone to work?"

Teacher Cadell's expression became proud. "I have some influence in Aedirn. They are all promising talents, but they still need refinement. So, I've recommended them to other cities, like Leria and Livia, Xiabosada, Posada, and even the capital, Fangerburg. Most of them are engaged in text-related work, becoming historical researchers, scribes, librarians..."

Roy feigned an expression of longing and admiration, but a nagging feeling told him Teacher Cadell was lying. The purpose of this school in cultivating students seemed less than pure.

After school, Faywen was explaining some complex vocabulary to Roy when a slovenly, stout middle-aged man suddenly barged in.

His face was a mess of flesh, his shirt a dark brown, stained with wine and food residue. His hair was a tangled mess, and it carried a greasy sheen from who knows how many days without washing, emitting a moldy odor. He looked as dejected as a beggar.

He shuffled slowly towards them, his eyes suspiciously scanning Roy before turning to Faywen. He spread his right hand towards her, a look of entitlement on his face, and slurred, "Faywen, why didn't you come home yesterday? Give me money... I want to drink!"

Faywen quietly pulled Roy behind her, stepping forward to shield him. Her pretty face tightened, and she said coldly, "I don't have any money for you."

"You little brat, where did you spend the money? Didn't you save any for your old man?" The middle-aged man's brows furrowed deeply. He bared his crooked, yellow teeth and spat a glob of phlegm in front of her. "You must bring money home tomorrow, or you know the consequences!" He spat out a threat and then turned away, grumbling.

"Is he your father?" Roy asked cautiously, looking at Faywen's ashen face.

"Yes, he's Bob, my father," Faywen said faintly. "Isn't he dreadful?"

Roy stammered. He didn't want to criticize someone's elder. "He's like this when he's drunk, right?"

"Don't worry, you can curse him all you want, I don't mind. This guy has never been sober, never cared about anyone in the family... He starts drinking as soon as he wakes up, and he's definitely drunk when he falls asleep." Faywen's pretty face was full of numbness, her tone a mix of helplessness and faint mockery.

Anyone who had such a father would be incredibly unlucky.

"Bob has never fulfilled his duties as a father; he didn't even care when his son went missing."

His son? Faywen's younger brother? The person Teacher Cadell had denied existed.

Roy looked at Faywen again, his expression becoming strange.

"Sister Faywen, what exactly is going on? Can you tell me about it?" To add weight to his words, Roy continued, "I spent some time with a Witcher master. To be precise, my teacher was a Witcher from the School of the Viper. He taught me how to deal with unusual troubles and difficulties. Perhaps I can help you."

"Are you serious?" The woman raised an eyebrow, her beautiful eyes filled with doubt. "From what I know, the color and shape of your eyes are different from those powerful Witchers."

"Because I'm still an apprentice and haven't undergone the Trial of the Grasses yet... my body is no different from a normal person." Roy then recounted some of his experiences following the Witcher.

Faywen pondered for a moment.

"Alright, Roy, I believe you. I don't know why a Witcher apprentice would work in a herb shop in the market, but since you're willing to listen to me and have experience in that area, there's no harm in telling you. At least you won't treat me like a lunatic, like ordinary people would?"

"It sounds incredible, even I don't know what my brother looks like, how old he is, or where he is," Faywen chuckled self-deprecatingly, her pretty face a complex mixture of emotions. Even she found her words absurd.

"The first time I told anyone about this fact, everyone around me thought I had gone mad. Whether it was the respected Principal Cadell or those cute and mischievous students, no one had ever seen my brother, and no one remembered... that I once had a brother."

"I tried to prove to that drunkard that he had another son, showing him the extra boy's clothes at home! But he cursed me, saying I had an illegitimate child outside. As for my mother, she couldn't understand what I was saying at all. Later, I realized that if I continued to spread it, everyone would probably think I was possessed by a demon and would drag me to the stake for purification. Since then, I've kept it to myself, pretending everything was normal. It's been about two years now since I last mentioned it to anyone." Faywen fell into a brief silence.

Roy's doubts grew. "Teacher Faywen, this is very strange. No one remembers him at all. How can you be so sure you have such a relative?"

"Because I have proof... As I said, I found some boys' clothes at home... If that drunkard hadn't burned them, I could have shown you." A flicker of regret crossed Faywen's beautiful eyes, which then turned to determination. She clearly believed this idea implicitly. "Besides, ever since I started working with Principal Cadell, I've made it a habit to write a diary every half month or month, recording memorable events. School, home, chance encounters on the street. I've been recording for ten full years."

"I occasionally look back at these diaries. I hold myself to a very high standard, dreaming of the day I can become someone respected and loved by all, just like Principal Cadell... So I often use those records to correct my own inappropriate words and actions."

"Faywen, you've already achieved that. Everyone at school likes you. And the children's parents too," Roy said sincerely. He felt the woman before him was putting immense pressure on him.

"I'm still a long way off," Faywen shook her head, her beautiful eyes staring blankly into the air as she spoke, "The year before last, when I was reviewing my diaries, I discovered some strange entries—"

Faywen paused, then her voice suddenly grew heavy, "Besides me, that drunkard, and my poor mother, there was a fourth person in the house!"

Roy flinched, feeling like he was listening to a ghost story.

Faywen took off the silver necklace from her chest, gently squeezed it, and opened the square pendant. Inside, she took out a small, crumpled piece of paper. She unfolded it, and it was about the size of her palm. Drawn on it in rough, simple lines were two figures, one tall and one short, holding hands. On the left was a tall woman, and on the right was a boy, with cute rosy cheeks.

The two were smiling brightly, their intimate expressions clearly indicating they were siblings.

"Later, I found a pile of boys' clothes in the house, clearly much smaller than the drunkard's size. Coupled with this drawing that inexplicably appeared in the pendant, I'm certain I once had a younger brother. I just can't remember why for the life of me," Faywen's pretty face showed a look of confusion and frustration. After a moment, she continued, "When I helped you out in the slums that day, that feeling was especially strong. I know you and him must share many similarities."

"Although I don't know what he looked like, my intuition tells me he definitely existed."

This explained Faywen's surprisingly good attitude towards Roy when they first met.

But Roy felt something was off. He decided to go along with her for now and probe further.

"Faywen, forgive my boldness, but may I see that part of the diary?"

"If you want to see it, of course, you can. I can explain any words you don't understand," Faywen said, her pretty face tense and cautious, "But until there's concrete evidence, don't spread the contents around. This is for your own good, understand?"