I Reincarnated as the Villainess's Brother, and my Family may Fall to Ruin

Chapter 27: Forever a Tight Embrace

After I hugged the crying blonde, fluffy-haired boy, he slowly calmed down.

Even though most people looked super ugly when they cried, he remained adorable-looking, which is probably because he's a capture target. His face was red as tears trickled down his face. Because he wiped them over and over again, his eyes were all red and puffy. I patted him on the head and he wiped his eyes one last time before looking back up at me.

There's was a few seconds of silence as neither of us spoke, so I decided it would probably be best if I went first. I am technically older and I want to find out who's the asshole that did this.

However, before I said anything, I noticed that the bandage he had tried to self-wrap was still loose, so I got up and knelt down in front of him. He looked confused and flustered for a second, but then realized what I was doing when I started unraveling the sloppy dressing.

"Your highness... I might be overstepping my boundaries... but could you tell me what happened?"

I looked up at him, and he had a conflicted look on his face. It was sad seeing him look like that when he's just a child.

He then began explaining, but his voice was still trembling.

"... Because of the Munondoa Festival coming soon... mother assigned a new dance teacher for me..."

As I finished wrapping his bandage, I listened to his story.

The Munondoa Festival, by the way, is a day based on the legend of Munondoa and Estrildis.

Estrildis was a nobleman who fell in love with a water spirit, Munondoa. However, he was already engaged to another, at the behest of his parents. Knowing that he had to fulfill his duty to his family, he ended up locking away his feelings in a small chest. He then wed his fiancée, even if he could not feel love anymore.

However, Munondoa found the chest one day, and despite its lock, it broke easily from her touch. It burst open, and the feelings of love and the bittersweet sadness he had felt to let that feeling go reached Munondoa. However, she knew that they could not be together, so she took the love he had for her in that chest away, and gave back the rest to Estrildis, hoping he could regain his ability to feel once again.

Little did she know, his heart had already fully belonged only to her, and the only thing that remained was the sadness he felt. Estrildis was overcome with grief over this feeling of loss he did not understand, nor where it came from. And soon, he died from heartbreak.

When Munondoa learned of this, she wept as she realized what she had done and how this happened. She herself ended up becoming weaker and weaker as she herself died from heartbreak. And every year on that day, it rains throughout the night, almost as if her tears filled the land.

In previous years before the festival began, the country would become flooded for weeks sometimes before settling down. However, almost as if the people were trying to cheer Munondoa up, a lively festival took place around the country. The rain would lighten up the next day, and all that remained was a bright sun and glimpses of a rainbow between the clouds.

That was the main purpose of the Munondoa Festival, but it's also a big event for high society. Every year on that day, a huge imperial dance happens. It's actually a banquet for children who would make their social debuts that year.

If a child of a noble family would turn 12 that year, they would attend to debut into high society. I had to do it last year too. Likewise, Violet and Cyril, who were a year younger than me, would have to attend this year.

During the banquet, they would have to dance at least once, of course. They all had to participate in the first dance, even if they had to dance with a relative. Then, they could continue or go to the sidelines and chat with the other attendees. Most also use this as an opportune time to build connections with different families. Violet herself has been preparing for this these past few months, so it makes sense Cyril is too.